Africa In April

Africa in April
Robert R. Church Park
Historic Beale Street District
Downtown Memphis

Every year, there is a festival in downtown Memphis, entitled Africa in April.  Each year, a different country is celebrated, and this year the focus is on Burkina Faso.

From Friday to Sunday, tons of booths are set up with a variety of vendors.  Some sell shirts; some sell traditional African clothing; some sell cell phone cases, etc, etc.  

My focus is on the food.  They have traditional fair/festival food, like funnel cakes.  They also have other food.  The booth I chose was called Motherland Cafe.  I tried to research it online, but couldn't find much.  The phone numbers on the sign indicated an Atlanta restaurant.  This booth proclaimed West African and Caribbean food.  

They advertised curry goat, but were out of it.  I was able to sample the curry chicken, which was very tasty.  However, I had a taste for something else.  

I ended up having a grilled lamb.  It was grilled in some type of sauce, and then laid on a bed of yellowish rice.  It also came with a side of vegetables (broccoli and carrots).  The portions were huge and were only $10.  I ate the meat and veggies, but I couldn't finish the rice.  Everything was good and tasty, and I'm glad that I didn't succumb to the funnel cake and corn dog.  

The admission was free.  There is also live music.  Go there!

Mela, England

Mela
152 - 156 Shaftesbury Avenue
London,
WC2H 8HL

Their slogan is "The Joy of Indian Dining."  There are tons of Indian restaurants in the London area.

This one has an upscale type of vibe.  

We had some chai tea.  

Then we ordered the Saag Paneer, which is cheese cooked with fresh spinach.  It was good, but very spicy.  I enjoyed it, but it was too spicy for G.  It was 7.95 pounds.  

We also split an order of Kulcha naan stuffed with lamb.  It was good, but unfortunately, the lamb came out on first bite.  

I enjoyed the meal, but it is spicy.  The service is also really good.  They also gave us a 1/2 coupon for our next visit.  However, we didn't want to duplicate restaurants since we were only there for a week.  

Coffee and Chocolate

Coffee and Chocolate
327 Union Ave.
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

This is a cute coffee shop in the market square.  G had the espresso and he liked it.  I saw these bacon chocolate chip cookies and I had to have them.

Unfortunately, they were disappointing.  All I could taste was regular chocolate chips cookies with an occasional chewy bit.  

I'm sure the rest of their food and their drinks are fine.  However, do not order these cookies.  

North Forty Truck Stop

North Forty Truck Stop
15060 U.S. 641
Holladay, TN 38341

While driving to Knoxville, I needed some breakfast.  What did I crave a breakfast biscuit from a gas station.

I found exactly what I needed for $2.99.  It was a steak and egg biscuit.  The steak was a chicken fried steak.

It was exactly what I expected, and it hit the craving perfectly.  I may not always want gas station food, but when I do, this is the one to beat.  The coffee was good, too.  I spent less than $5 for this meal.

Shalimar Restaurant

Shalimar Restaurant
307 S. Main
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-663-1500

I have only been to Ann Arbor once, and the only meal I have ever eaten there was at Shalimar Restaurant at lunch time.

I ended up ordering a combination lunch plate.

It came with a vegetable samosa. I am not sure what the sauce was that accompanied it, but I know it's typical at most Indian restaurants that I have eaten at.

Unfortunately, I cannot remember everything that came with my meal.  I know it had naan bread with a cucumber sauce and basmati rice.  The dessert was a rice pudding.  I don't care for it, so I gave it to G.  It has a salad which was fine.  Then there was a choice between saag paneer which is spinach with and Indian cheese or a paneer tikka masala which is Indian cheese in a tomato sauce.  I got the saag and G got the paneer tikka masala.  Both were delicious.  I will say it is on the better side of saag paneers that I have had.  Then there were two other things.  I know one was a vegetable korma, which was also scrumptious.  However, the other thing I am not 100% on what it was.  After looking at the menu online, I am thinking that it is channa pindi, which is chickpeas cooked in a tomato broth.  It was also good.  

For lunch the combination platter was around $10, and it has left me stuffed.  If I'm ever in that area again, I would go here again.  I also recommend it.  We also had good service.  

Star and Garter, England

Star and Garter
Colnbrook
Slough SL3 0JF
UK

This pub is near the airport, so if you stay near the airport, this is a must visit pub.  There is a fireplace inside, so you can keep warm, if it's winter.

The staff is friendly and helpful.  This is one of the first pubs we visited on our trip and one of the last.

My favorite beer for this trip was twickenham winter cheer.  It was a full bodied beer.

This place is a can't miss.

Calceylone Cafe, England

Calceylone Cafe

13  The Observatory

High Street

Slough

Berkshire

SL1 1LE

When G and I were in England, we actually stayed at a small city near London called Slough.  They have a nice shopping area called the Observatory.  Part of it is indoors and part of the shopping is outdoors.  

While shopping, we stopped and had a break at this coffee shop in the mall.  We each had a coffee and Garrett had a croissant.  

To be honest, it was fairly typical coffee shop to me.  However, it was cold that day, and the coffee hit the spot, especially since the coffee I had at breakfast earlier was instant coffee.  

I can't recommend or not recommend this place.  If you're in the mall and need some coffee, try it.  However, it is far from London, and it is not worth going out of the way for.