More rocky road than Rocky Balboa.

Before my trip to Philadelphia I had visions of me running up those famous steps, chased by a horde of cheering kids and boxing training with chilled cows carcasses as punch bags in an old warehouse. Instead I found myself consuming the equivalent of an entire cow in Longhorns with some of the heaviest eating irons known to man. I guess it was a bit of a workout.

First stop on my Philadelphian food cruise was a burger joint called Five Guys. The tattooed staff there all looked liked they had done hard time, but boy can they make burgers. 

With a ton of fries liberally tossed in the bag, 15 different free toppings and a double burger that weighs more than a new born baby, I knew I was in the right place for my first US lunch.

It left me full, happy and thinking if I was ever down on my luck and thinking about holding up a restaurant Five Guys would be a bad choice.

We were staying out in northeast Philly that is not exactly the culinary centre of New Jersey.  It does however have Chickies and Petes THE BEST SPORTS BAR IN PHILADELPIA! That, in my opinion, has a chef obsessed with cheese.  Everything without exception was drowned in yellow goo, or cheese as you might call it. A great place to watch the game and enjoy a cold beer though. 

Another northeast treat is Nifty Fiftys, a neon lit throwback to the golden age of the roadside diner. Nifty’s lays claim to the WORLDS largest soda machine! I cannot confirm or deny this. I can however, confirm that the milkshakes were very good and very big and they serve great fries.

Cheese steak through my heart.

I've not mentioned my hatred for cheese in this blog before. Basically it stinks, it's mouldy milk and cheese is the devil, but i digress. 

I hate it (cheese) by the way and I was told you cannot go to Philly and avoid the cheese steak sandwich. Well actually, I did go to Philadelphia and I did avoid the cheese steak sandwich... but only just!

My saviour came in the shape of Mister Chubby’s and his amazing hoagies.
Mister Chubby’s is located just opposite the state penitentiary and I cant think of a better way (well maybe one other way, but i wouldn't go to Mister Chubby's for that!), to start life as a free man again, than chowing down on a turkey hoagie filled with sweet peppers, onions, mayo, mustard, tomatoes and anything else you can think of.

The reason for my visit to the USA was that we were filming with the Philadelphia Fire Department. These guys were huge and their size was only out weighed by their hospitality, a real great bunch of guys.

Part of the filming called for us to spend the evening on a nightshift with the boys from Ladder 14 and Engine 45. Something I was very much looking forward to.  Especially when I heard fire fighters were renowned for their cooking and I was not disappointed. Captain CJ cooked us all up a batch of his ‘Hood Bird’, slow cooked chicken in stock with lemon and garlic salt. It was melt in the mouth and served with cornbread, gorgeous! 

Leaving on a jet plane, don't know if I'll eat there again.

If Nairobi Airport is famous for anything it's that it is an incredibly boring place to be stuck. Basically it's one long, never ending grey corridor and there is nowhere decent to eat. At least that was my opinion after my first stop over there.

My second visit to Nairobi was to see me interned there for 7 hours! But I wasn't alone, I was to be accompanied in purgatory by 3 work friends who like me were unimpressed by what the airport had to offer. We decided to search high and low for somewhere other than a blank hot corridor to spend our time. To our surprise hope appeared hidden away down one of the faceless passageways and up 5 flights of stairs 'The Transit Restaurant'.

This place hadn't been decorated since the 70's and was deserted but for one old hippie who could well have been there since the wallpaper went up.

We sat down at a window table over looking the runway and ordered a selection of things to munch on while we whittled away the hours and some ice cold beer to wash it down with.

It won't surprise you to find out that the food was very very ordinary, the steaks and fish were over cooked and the side orders didn't arrive, at least the beer was good.

I wouldn't recommend the food at The Transit Restaurant and it certainly has no chance of winning any awards, but would I most definitely eat there again, although not for the food, but for the glorious, stunning view of the sun setting over Nairobi.

Ugly but Gorgeous

Corn beef hash is the Peter Beardsley of the culinary world, really not much to look at but wonderful.
It conjures up thoughts (although not memories) of rationing and the 1950s but do not let that put you off!
Corn Beef Hash (CBH) is heart warming comfort food at its best and possibly my favourite breakfast (although it comes up against stiff competition from my breakfast burrito recipe)

I first came across a recipe for this when I was having a nose though Delia Smiths 'How To Cook' and that recipe for me is the best I have tried.
Delia marinades 1cm chunks of corn beef in Worcester sauce and wholegrain mustard which gives it a wicked kick. She then par boils potato also cut to 1cm chunks and browns a large onion, once browned push to one side and fry the well seasoned potato chunks until they too are nicely browned you can now added the marinaded corn beef stir everything together and heat though. 3 minutes later you will have the breakfast of champions, it wont win a beauty contest but it tastes fantastic.

Delia recommends you should serve it with 2 fried eggs, I disagree I think 2 poached eggs are the perfect accompaniment to this underrated classic.
Oh and DO NOT forgot to have loads of tomato ketchup on hand, the sugar of Tommy K rocks with the salty goodness of the CBH.

And of course here is a link to Delia's deliciously simple CBH recipe... Delia's Corn Beef Hash recipe.
and for those you don't know who Peter Beardsley is, shame on you... Peter Beardsley info.

you try and take a sexy picture of CBH

The BEST steak i have ever ever ever had... ever!

It wasn't a chateaubriand, beef fillet or a T bone it was OX! Ox fillet, surprised?
It was recommended to me by our local contact and was twice the cost of everything else on the menu and it was worth it. When I have told people I had ox they immediately turn up their nose, you wouldn't get a queue of people outside a restaurant on a ox steak and wine night but you should.
Don't let the title confuse you, I want to you to be in no doubt, this was truly was the finest piece of meat that I have ever had the pleasure of feasting on and it really was a feast. HUGE it was I tell ye and not to mention succulent, tender, and delicious. A big meaty slab of heaven.
This was by far the best food I had during my stay in Chile, the restaurant was called La Marca a beautiful traditional (all be it posh) grill house on the edge of Lake Llanquihue in the shadow of a volcano, a marvellous place for a truly marvellous meal.
If your ever on your way to Patagonia and get the chance to stop off in Puerto Varas you have to try the ox steak in La Marca.

La Marca's website
La Marca on google map