Nitrous Icecream (I screamingly good) (Review)

While trawling the internet earlier this year for interesting things to do in London on my vacation in August, I came across something called Nitrous Ice-cream, and I clicked further cause I was intrigued. As soon as I discovered this novelty, I put it down on my list of things that I have to see. 

Time out says "Now a fixture of Camden Market, the innovative Chin Chin Labs – where ice-cream is frozen to order amid billowing clouds of liquid nitrogen-generated steam – may not seem as wacky as it once did, but there are always new tourists to surprise, and plenty of regulars happy to queue for the fabulous ice-cream. The menu is commendably short: chocolate, vanilla and two specials – one ice-cream, one dairy-free sorbet.

The latter always astounds with its fat-free creaminess and cool flavours, such as griddled peach, watermelon and dill, or beetroot choc chip. Haute cuisine references are frequent in flavours such as coffee and tobacco, or Guinness caramel with smoked salt. Experimental, yes, but the results are reliably superb. Pimp your tub with a veritable chemistry set of sprinkles and sauces (we liked the white chocolate-coated potato chips with our summery strawberry and hay ice-cream) – you too can be a molecular gastronomist."

Interestingly, and this is a good thing, I was so busy I wasn't able to make it to Chin Chin labs until hours before I had to leave England, Friday @3:45 p.m., and my flight was 1:00 p.m. the next day. 

Now, this is a hard combination to top, but the dish I chose (together with my sister) who was along for the expedition, (and conveniently since she's a local she had a data plan on her phone, so she was the navigator) was a Brown-Wich on their menu, a thrilling combination of Grilled White Chocolate Chunks, Brownie cookies, their signature dark chocolate logo chip and Basil Mint Chocolate Chip. Yes, you read that right, Basil. 

The grilled white chocolate was heavenly, the brownie cookie divine and the ice-cream, well, the ice-cream smelled slightly strange (if you're not used to Basil), but the ice-cream tasted divine. 

It's a brilliant place for tourists to visit and the locals rather love it as well, since the ice-cream is always freshly frozen (with the nitrous), it always tastes that much better than regular bought ice-cream.

Couple things to Note - 
a) It's a cash only place (don't know if that'll change in the future). No cards accepted
b) Prepare yourself for a wait, because it always has a line and the seats (which are not many) are always full.

Important details from their website

Chin Chin Labs -Camden 
Open everyday 12-7pm -   
49-50 Camden Lock Place, 
NW1 8AF, London

As you can see from the map below, it's walking distance (less than ten minutes) from Camden Tube station. 

Dessert Bar - 
Open every Fri/Sat 5-11pm - 
Hawker House, Canada Street, 
SE16 2XU, London

Chin Chin Club Soho -  
Open everyday Mon- Thurs 1-9pm  - Fri/Sat 1-10pm & Sunday 1-8pm -
 54 Greek Street, W1D 3DS, London

This week’s flavours:
Classics:
Tonka Bean
Valrhona CHOCOLATE
Burnt Butter CARAMEL 
Brownie Cookie Sandwich 
Sticky Toffee Pudding Sundae Soho &  Hawker House

Specials:
Chai Latte- Vegan - Camden  
Banana Melt Sundae - Camden & Hawker House
Pumpkin 5-Spice- Soho & Camden
Tiramisu Sundae - Soho  
Avocado  - Soho
Vietnamese Coffee - Soho 
Coconut Sticky Rice - Soho
Blackberry & Coriander Seed -Vegan- Soho  
The Avo Taco - Soho 
The Choux Bun Sandwich - Soho 
Cinnamon S’mores Sandwich – Hawker House

With just under 50k loyal fans, this unusual phenomenon is here to stay as part of London's entertainment landscape. 
Their Facebook page has 13.4k likes, Instagram - 31.4k and Twitter 4.6k, the most going to Instagram, which shows how much of a visual treat this ice-cream is, as well. 
Each of their dishes, are instantly Instagram worthy, and as you can clearly see why from the photos below and their different social media.

Finally a five star review from Rachel Brown on their Facebook page (who has clearly experienced much more than my one time and all three locations as well)
A brilliant ice cream option in London - tasty ice cream and fun toppings. The gluten free and vegan options (grilled peach/ raspberry and lychee) are particularly good. Whichever branch you visit you will struggle to decide what to order - it all sounds so delicious! Each branch has a very different feel. Personally I like the Soho branch and regularly pop in for a cheeky ice cream sundae - it's a quirky space, staff are friendly and it has a relaxed atmosphere. The dessert bar at Hawker House is great for more substantial desserts (i.e. Pre chosen ice cream, cake and toppings combinations ) and a more lively/street food feel. The original at Camden is bare cool as well.

The Resilience In The Face Of Terror (The London Markets)

Food, yummy :)

On Monday 31st July, 2017, I did something some may call brave, some may call foolishness, some may just simply call it resilience in the face of terror. 

In an effort not to re-hash an already extremely well publicized event, here's a link to a summary of the 3 June, 2017 events that took place in London.  This was following the 22 March 2017 Westminister attack, the Manchester Arena Bombing and subsequently the 19 June Finsbury Park incident.

So, to be clear, just by being in the Borough Market of London made me uneasy, so uneasy I only took one photo of pastries (see below), as I walked through marveling at the resilience of the Londoners to not give in, in the face of terror. 

A well written piece by the BBC scribes, effectively tells the story of the defiance. Published on 4 July, 2017, days before I set foot in the place. 
London's defiant market - One month on from the London Bridge attack

Needless to say, I was impressed, I ended up quite enjoying the feeling of just being there. 

The present market, located on Southwark Street and Borough High Street just south of Southwark Cathedral on the southern end of London Bridge. 

"The market is rich with history, but it remains as relevant now as it has ever been. As London’s oldest food market, it has been serving the people of Southwark for 1,000 years, and that extraordinary heritage is an important part of its appeal.
But this is not a museum piece—it is a dynamic, ever-changing institution; a participant in the wider debates around what we eat and where it comes from; a place where food is talked about almost as enthusiastically as it is consumed.
First and foremost, though, it is a source of genuinely exceptional produce. Many of the Market’s stallholders are themselves producers: the farmer who reared the animal, the fisherman who caught the fish, the baker who baked the bread. Other traders have built their reputations on seeking out small-scale artisan producers and bringing their wares to Borough. Together, the Market’s stalls, shops and restaurants reflect London’s status as a truly global city, with traditional British produce sitting alongside regional specialties from around the world.

Borough Market is a riot of colours, smells and human engagement. The traders—a vast repository of culinary knowledge—are only too happy to share their expertise with shoppers, or else just pass the time of day. Their voices are added to by the chefs, food writers, campaigners and teachers who help make the Market’s cookery demonstrations, publications, public debates and educational programmes so highly regarded."

Regardless of what has happened, I highly recommend the market for an experience of London's culture. Visitor Information to Borough Market

Here's also a look at the day in the life of Borough Market.

Onto Camden Market! 
"BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT ALL STARTED WITH JUST 16 STALLS...
Today Camden Market is one of London’s busiest retail destinations so it’s quite difficult to imagine that just a few decades ago the market didn’t even exist. The trading history of Camden can be traced back to the early 70s, and more specifically, to the 30th March 1974 when a brand new Saturday market was opened in Camden Town. The newly-born market housed a total of 16 traders, selling antiques, jewellery and arts and craft. Now Camden Market is a home to hundreds of small businesses bringing to the area the multicultural diversity that we’ve all come to love."

In the truly immense listing of shops where you can get lunch from, it's hard for a hungry boy from  Trinidad and Tobago to make up his mind. Check this listing out of the food places there - Foooooood But, sigh, a pretty face caught my eye on the way into the market and I ended up going back by her to see what she was selling, and 

I ENJOYED THE CHICKEN IN THE MIDDLE TANDOORI! OH MY GOD, it was DELICIOUS! Maybe the hunger helped as well, but it was marvelous. 
Chicken marinated in traditional tandoori spices with a subtle spicy barbeque flavour. 
The great thing about England is that 99.9% of the places take international credit cards, so I don't have to walk around with great wads of cash just to have a great time. 

From Camden's website - "In a nutshell: distinct and delicious Pakistani street food. Healthy, locally sourced ingredients are used to create these moreish filled naans, which are all assembled on the spot, to order. The tempting aroma of Roti House’s chicken masala, made to their detail-orientated house recipe, is a thing of excellence. What’s more, eating a flavour-punch curry from the soft pocket of a freshly baked naan is an experience you’ll want to repeat over and over. Do it, with gusto. " The picture at the start of the blog is also from Camden's website. 

To visit this wonderful place - 
CAMDEN LOCK PLACE
LONDON NW1 8AF
OPEN EVERY DAY: 10AM-LATE - including bank holidays

TRAIN
CAMDEN TOWN: 5 MINS
CHALK FARM: 10 MINS
CAMDEN ROAD: 8 MINS

BUSES
KING'S CROSS: 214
VICTORIA: 24
WEST END: 274
EAST LONDON: 393

Borough Market By Josep Renalias - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3541278

Different gorgeously yummy in my tummy pastries, we bought a cheese and olive bread to munch on while strolling around London. (Borough Market)

Churros for dessert!!! Yay. Thanks to my niece for buying it.

One final word on the Food In The Middle, go show some love to their Facebook page - Food In The Middle and here's their website for further information - https://www.kerbfood.com/traders/roti-house/
With a five star rating after 61 reviews, they must be doing something good I think :)