Eating the World Cup - a call to fellow football foodies

Being both a football fan and a foodie, I’m taking a world cup themed trip over June. As I can’t justify the fares to go to South Africa (and don’t fancy getting deafened by the dreaded vuvuzela), I have a cunning plan... If you fancy getting involved, or have any other suggestions, either post below or send me an email at rich.major@gmail.com. 

My mission - The challenge is simple and elegant. I will, over the course of the next four weeks, consume breakfast, lunch or dinner at a national restaurant of each of our opponents (hopefully seven, the number that would take us to the Final!) While there I will gather any insight I can about our oppositions players and predilections and forward immediately to Fabio..

- First Thoughts on the Group Stages - 20th May

Initially the group stages seem to present little challenge, hopefully a state mirrored on the pitch. An obvious starter for our first fixture against the USA on the 12th June would be one of the great steak restaurants, and I’ve never needed much of an excuse to go to Hawksmoor. Sadly, I think that could be a little bit of a cheat, so I’ll be looking around for other options here. 
Read my American article and reviews here

The game against Algeria on Fri 18th June throws up the possibility of Khamsa‎ on Acre Lane in Brixton or Darna in Hampstead. Both offer predominantly Algerian cuisine with (hopefully) some intense, flavourful salads, ubiquitous tagine and plenty of bread to soak them both up. I’ve been to Momo in Heddon Street a few times and it’s always good for a laugh and I remember hearing some very good things about a French / Algerian place in Crystal Palace called Numidie that could be worth checking out.

Slovenia (Weds 23rd June) poses more of a challenge… While there are a few Balkan restaurants in London, it’s proving hard to track down somewhere authentically and specifically Slovenian. There is however the elegantly named Czechoslovak National House in Hampstead which looks so bizarre that I think it may have to be done. I’m currently waiting for the Slovenian Embassy to come back to me with other suggestions (never let it be said I don’t do my research).
Various calculations will tell you our likely opponents should we progress further into the draw, with a scary encounter with either Germany or Ghana possible for the weekend of the 26th. I’m going to wait on the results before booking these but watch this space!

Review of Moshi Moshi in Brighton - May 2010

Where: Moshi Moshi, Bartholomew Square, Brighton
How much?: Around £30 for the pair of us
I'd had several recommendations for Moshi Moshi, a VERY ethical sushi restaurant in Brighton (with siblings in Liverpool St and Canary Wharf).  

It's been going since 1994 and looking at their site has the smug air of a company almost more concerned with it's eco-credentials than the food it serves. That combined with the fact it was owned by a certain Heather Mills and was known as being the perfect place to take your little organic food eating, no sweets allowed, organic cotton only, home schooled, able to have an adult conversation in a restaurant despite only being five rather than running round like normal horrors little Edmunds and Alices and I was really ready to bury it.

So why were we there? Because the sushi, apparently, was to die for...
We gave them a tough enough challenge, arriving mid afternoon after a busy Saturday lunch service with the vestiges of the lunch service still being cleared, and the last Alices and Edmunds were flinging their final maki roll at doting mum and dad. 
It's a conveyor restaurant, with a central preparation area and a hot kitchen though a hatch. The restaurant itself is a copper green cube sitting squat in Bartholemew Square. Despite having just finished lunch there were still a fair and reasonable selection of dishes rolling round. The fish on the nigiri was fresh and sweet, with a nice bite to the rice. A couple of thick shards of mackerel really stood out, still gleaming on the outside, straight from the sea. 

As well as your standard conveyor belt fare they also have a large hot food menu with some exciting seasonal treats on there. As well as the expected udon noodle dishes, several gzoya, the ubiquitous terriyaki and a pork tonkatsu there's also a marinated Korean pork bulgogi served with a spicy Korean sauce and a terrific sounding Cornish catch of the day (more of that lovely mackerel) dry fried in salt and sansho pepper.
For me, there was only one call for an extra dish alongside the nigiri and sashimi and that was a whole softshell crab, sliced in two and cooked in a tempura batter. It was a great choice. A light greaseless batter coated the two halves of crab and the piquant thin chilli sauce offset the rich crab, cooked lightly enough to retain its taste of the sea. 
A perfectly reasonable, though unexceptional chocolate mousse finished us and we waddled out onto to the blustery seafront, leaving the staff the relax for a few hours before another onslaught of middle class Brighton media refugees and their offspring.