NOTTING HILL



I took this photo of an art
shop selling license plates
in Notting Hill





Notting Hill is an affluent, trendy area in London, England.  It is also the title of a 1999 British romantic comedy movie filmed here.  It's quite hard to believe that what is currently London's most fashionable area was considered a massive slum, crawling with rats and rubbish some 40 years ago.  However, in the past 30 years, it has seen a massive transformation to the status it holds today.

Lester took this photo of the official
commuter train in England

Indeed I love this place!  It's hip, current, artsy and trendy!  I went to the "iconic" bookstore where Julia Roberts met Hugh Grant in the movie.  The area is most well-known for Portobello Market, located in a mile-long road that sells a wide variety of goods, clothes, antiques and even food!  It is open everyday except Sunday, and whatever day you come here, you'll find a number of cafes, pubs, and bars along Portobello Road.  Whether you're a fan of the film or just looking for a great place to visit, Notting Hill is a must for any visit to London.

This is where I had the "national dish" of England: none other than (drum rolls, please!) the Fish & Chips!  Deep-fried fish in a crispy batter with fat golden chips is still one of British's favorite meals.   It seems, everywhere you go in England, you'll find numerous fish and chip shops or "chippers" or "chippys" as they are called.  They say you haven't been to England until you've had an order of fish and chips from a local shop.



My son, Lloyd, at Piccadilly Circus

And so without further ado, I have adapted the British Fish & Chips to my very own fushion recipe, below; adding calamansi juice and tempura flour (in lieu of all purpose flour). Furthermore, I used sweet potatoes or yam in lieu of regular potatoes.

Fish & Chips:

1 lb. catfish fillets or any white flesh fish

4 med. sweet potatoes (yam) (peeled and sliced)

Canola oil for deep frying

For the batter:

2 cups Tempura flour

2 cups water

2 tbsp. lemon or calamansi juice

Salt & pepper

Whisk all the batter ingredients together.  The thicker the batter, the better and crispier the results.  Add salt and pepper.

Coat the fish and sweet potatoes and deep fry until crispy and golden brown.

To cut the calories in half and reduce the fat, coat the fish in bread crumbs, add salt and pepper and bake in 375° oven until golden brown.



Fish & Chips