Bar & Wok – Cheltenham

It was a Thursday evening and it was still light. Oh, those summer nights! Even though it's still pretty balmy out, I've got that 'summer-is-over' feeling. Not necessarily a bad thing, as you know how much I love winter, but going out for dinner to come home when it's still light is a pretty nice feeling, don't you think?

I get this strange feeling when I visit Cheltenham, like I'm going to bump into my old housemates or ex boyfriend when walking along the street. It's pretty small there, so you see the same faces. The woman selling fruit and veg, the super-friendly guy in Wilkos, the man in Moochoo who used to know my name and order – it was like home for a while, but now it's just a place I visit, quite regularly in fact, and I think I'm getting used to it.

Maybe I'm being particularly nostalgic because the only time I had been to Bar & Wok before was with my ex boyfriend. I had wanted to go ever since I moved to Cheltenham in 2010. I remember walking past it in the first week, but we didn't go until final year. It was worth the wait, though.

 

Bar & Wok is a lot like Wagamamas in its aesthetic, but the food is mostly Chinese. Both Bethan and I unashamedly asked for a knife and fork, to which the handsome waiter happily obliged. We ordered a couple of starters; duck spring rolls and veggie spring rolls – but we were so hungry when they arrived that I totally forgot to take a photo. But you don't need photos to believe they were good, because, who doesn't like spring rolls?

While waiting for our mains to arrive we talked about the weekend ahead of us – we would be spending it in Somerset for Momentum, a Christian festival which I will tell you all about very soon. Bethan had just had Shellac nails done so she was trying to get them in every photo I took of her ;)

Soon enough the handsome chaps serving us brought us our food and that was enough talking – it was time to eat.

Bethan ordered the king prawn noodles – a mountain of chow mein like noodles with a load of big fat prawns.

I went for some '288' special fried rice which had a mixture of everything – prawns, chicken and char sui and it was lush.

The portions were huge, like the amount you'd get in a takeaway box, which I imagine is exactly what it is. We could have shared just one dish, in fact, and ended up taking some of it home.

Although we decided that the food at Bar & Wok was very much like that of a typical Chinese takeaway, the setting, service and variety on the menu made it that little bit different, and a whole lot nicer than eating it in front of the telly. Plus, their spin on sweet and sour (Hong Kong style) is something you have to try if you're a fan of the classic. 

Have you been to Bar & Wok? If you're ever in Cheltenham and fancy something oriental, I recommend going here. I wish I had gone more when I lived there. The only down side is that they are open for lunch and dinner but not in between, so you have to time your visit well. You can find out more about Bar & Wok here – I'm off to make a snack.

The Best Chinese in Town: Kong's – Abergavenny

You know, there is such a Chinese restaurant that won't leave you feeling like you're dead after you eat too much overcooked chicken, sloppy noodles and dry fried rice. I know, until about a year ago I had come to the same conclusion as many others that they just don't exist – that all Chinese takeaways/buffets/restaurants are the same overpriced under-portioned rubbish.

But there is such a thing as fresh and tasty Chinese food – there is! And it's at Kong's in Abergavenny.

After church today, Sarah suggested we go for lunch at Kong's because they do a Sunday deal – an all you can eat buffet for £9.90 per person (£5.90 for children under 9). I had only had Kong's takeaway before so I was looking forward to seeing what their buffet would be like. 

It's just round the corner from church, in the centre of Abergavenny and our friends Drew and Katie came along too which was lovely.

The way the Sunday buffet menu works at Kong's is, you order what you want and they bring it to you – restaurant style. The rule is, you can't waste any food or you have to pay full price for it, and that's fair enough, but it's difficult to leave anything at Kong's anyway. Everything is delicious, and the portions are just the right size too.

We had about three rounds of starters of mandarin spare ribs, thai style chicken satay on skewers, mini vegetable samosa, prawn crackers, chicken balls and fried crab claws. It was incredible.

Then, we moved onto mains – sweet and sour chicken cantonese style, twice cooked pork and king prawn schezuan with egg fried rice and chips. Sooooooo good. Not too greasy, not too salty or sweet, not too... blergh. You know how takeaway food can sometimes make you feel like you will never be able to do anything ever again, after eating it? Well, Kong's doesn't make you feel like that and I'm glad for it – especially today, because I have a lot of things I need to do which, unfortunately, don't involve napping :(

I don't know if they use less MSG or something, but the food definitely tastes a lot fresher and nicer than any other Chinese I have had before. It's the only one I'll go to now, and if you haven't ordered from there yet, you really ought to. It's great value for money, the meat is cooked to perfection and they give you free prawn crackers! Do you have a favourite Chinese restaurant/takeaway/buffet?

5-a-day Chinese Noodles

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the horse, (or, according to the BBC news, the year of the whores). I was born in the year of the monkey. I always wished I had been born in the year of the rabbit when I was little, but I'm cool with the monkey now. Anyway, Chinese food, yay! As if I needed an excuse to eat some.

I'm always craving Chinese, and last weekend I decided to have a go at making a Chinese style dish instead of ordering from my local takeaway. 

To my surprise, this tasted just as good as what I usually get at Kong's (the Chinese I order from — best in Abergavenny!) and worth sharing with you all.

Who'd have thought you could get your five a day in one dish? Not me. I'll be honest, I couldn't finish this. It makes a fair amount, but if you have a big appetite or are willing to share then this will serve you well.

This is totally meat free but obviously you can add some if you wish. I would suggest prawns, beef or chicken — or all three — but it's just as good without any meat. This 'recipe' is extremely versatile — you can add or takeaway any ingredients you like — but do keep the Chinese five spice in as that is where a lot of the flavour is.

It took me about half an hour to prep and cook this cheap, healthy and authentic noodle dish. Here's how, in four easy steps...

You will need:

• One nest of egg noodles 
• One egg
• One carrot, grated
• Handful of peas
• Three broccoli florets, roughly chopped
• Eight cherry tomatoes
• One clove of garlic, crushed
• Half an onion, finely chopped
• An inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• Soy sauce
• Sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Ground pepper

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and put to one side. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan (or wok, if you have one) with the olive oil and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger.
2. When the onions have softened add the Chinese five spice and stir. Then add the broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, rice wine vinegar and tomato puree. Stir it all together and let it cook on a slightly higher heat for about five to ten minutes.
3. Finally, crack your egg into the pan and stir it into the vegetables as if you're scrambling it. Add the noodles, a splash of soy sauce and stir until everything is mixed together.
4. Et voila — serve with as much soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce as you desire and enjoy.

I'm no pro in the kitchen but I was pleased with my creation and I'd be happy to make this again if I'm ever feeling like eating a 'healthier' version of a Chinese takeaway. What's your go-to homemade Chinese style dish? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @hello_flower

Easy Chinese Pork Belly Noodles

Don't you just love it when it's something good for tea? My Saturday was made a whole lot brighter when my mum told me she was making Chinese pork belly noodles. She said she just made it up, but I had to know the recipe, because what am I supposed to do when I move out again and I have to make it myself? It's a recipe worth sharing, even if there is no real structure to follow. The end result is sweet, salty and authentic, plus, it is cheap and easy to make. Yay!

 

Don't be put off by the thought of cooking pork belly. It's really very easy, and a cheap piece of meat you can get at the meat counter at your supermarket or butcher. This recipe will serve four. All you do is pop it into a baking tray and add the following:

• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Some black peppercorns (or ground black pepper)
• Some soy sauce
• Some rice wine
• Some white wine (or water)

I say 'some' because it really is just a guesstimate. You want enough liquid in the pan to keep the meat moist and to have some left for the sauce when it's cooked so use your initiative ;)
If you're really not sure, start with 1 cup of each liquid ingredient and see how it goes - follow your gut instinct - add more water/wine if it's looking a little strong.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 100°C. Cover the meat in foil and put in the oven for 5-6 hours. You can do this in the morning before work and it will still be OK when you get home in the evening. Just make sure you keep it on a low heat - you know your oven.

When the pork is done, lift it out of the pan and onto a serving dish. You will be left with a glistening pool of juice ready to be sieved into a jug to pour over your noodles. 

Next to make the noodles. Again, very easy. Thinly slice some vegetables of your choice - pictured are peppers, carrots and spring onion - and fry them in some oil for a few minutes. Boil the kettle and cook your noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and toss in the crispy vegetables.

My mum dished out the noodles and we helped ourselves to the pork. Pork belly is quite fatty but that's where a lot of the flavour comes from, and it's so worth it for the stringy bits of meat that pair so perfectly with the noodles.

This one is for the cookbook I keep telling myself I need to write - of family recipes and adaptations of dishes that never get old, recipes I will share with anyone who will have them. Good ideas and good food are to be shared.