Exchange Eats

Pan-roasted duck breast, salt baked celeriac croquettes, seared shallots and pearl barley. Usually I’m quite wary of choosing duck breast as it can be quite tough, chewy, or gamey. Fortunately, this was none of the above - the meat was cooked to a succulent pink and the skin to a nice crisp. While the sides complimented the meat really well, the star of the dish was (rightly so) the duck. Portions could have been bigger though!

I didn’t think that egg tarts could ever be this delicious until I tried the Portuguese egg tarts from Portugal, and especially the ones from Manteigaria.

The pastry has a croissant-like texture - very buttery and flaky, but more caramelised and slightly chewier. The egg custard literally melts in your mouth into almost a cream. The ones from here have a stronger hint of cinnamon than those from other shops which interestingly enough is what makes this egg tart so tasty; even better than those from the famous Belem shop.

Definitely should get some from here when in Lisbon - at only €1 each, you won’t just stop at one!

A simple white wine and cream-based sauce pasta tossed with a generous portion of fresh shrimp. Pasta tasted really fresh and cooked al dente. As with most coloured pastas, you don’t really taste a difference from normal pastas but it doesn’t really matter as the individual components came together really well. It was nice that the restaurant was in a great location with a nice ambience, yet still having relatively affordable prices.

Although they say it’s sufficient for two people, this gigantic sharing plate of seafood could possibly be shared between 3 and maybe even 4 people. The quantity and decently good quality seafood makes this worth it especially if you’re on a budget but still wish to indulge in some local seafood.

You are given oysters (raw or fried - your choice), octopus salsa, fried squid, fried fish, and an octopus burger. The octopus burger was a bit of a letdown - the octopus patty had an almost paste-like consistency when we were expecting something with a chunkier texture. Regardless, the other components more than made up for it and will definitely fill you up. The tartar and sweet chilli sauce helps to cut through all that grease and allows you to (possibly) finish that entire platter.

You may feel a little bloated from eating all that fried food, but for that price and quality, you probably wouldn’t regret it.

While the high prices in touristy Hvar leave much to be desired, at least one can take comfort in the fact that the portions given are huge and the quality of the seafood is high.

The squid was cut into huge chunks which gives you a substantial bite, yet still retained a springy texture and was not rubbery or overcooked at all. Pasta was cooked al dente and coated evenly in the savoury squid ink sauce.

Definitely one of the more memorable meals in Croatia!

Ham and cheese langos from Langos Land in Budapest. One of those simple-looking foods that you don’t expect to be that good but actually turns out to be pretty mind-blowing.

Freshly made and then fried right in front of you, it is served piping hot and (depending on your choice of fillings) oozing with cheese and stuffed with ham. Texture is similar to youtiao, but slightly chewier. Outside is crispy while the inside remains melts and gooey.

Cheap, delicious, and very much worth the calories. Good for lunch or for a pretty substantial afternoon snack!

My exam sustenance 😍 Wing Wing is opened by the creators of Four Fingers (who have sold off the franchise) and have opened up a Korean fried chicken place in London! Wings are great - skin is light and crisp while the sauce is not too overpowering. If you want more meat, they have drumsticks which are are also pretty good. Too had they don't have 50% off anymore - but still worth it!

Pici cacio & pepe from Padella. Even before the shop was open at 5pm, there was already a snaking queue around the block. Despite this being a relatively simple dish - pasta cooked with a simple sauce of parmesan and pepper - it is one of the favourites here and it's easy to see why. Perfectly-cooked al dente pasta that isn't too gelat like cabonara, yet is still creamy and rich because of the parmesan.

Yangyum chicken (Korean fried chicken), XL size which came with 28 pieces. You get to choose between four flavours - soy ginger, sweet spicy, garlic mayo, and season spring onion. Not the best, but quite decent. Chicken could have been crispier if it wasn't perhaps drenched a little too much in the sauce. Garlic mayo tasted the best imo, although you can't really go wrong with anything garlicky really.

Salted cod from Z Bistro in the small town of Hofn. One of the best pieces of fish I have ever eaten. The fish was super buttery, flaky, and salted to the right amount. The surround salad and mashed potato is meh but it doesn't matter since the fish was so amazing.

Chirashi don from Atariya. A bit pricey, but they were quite generous with their sashimi portions, and even including a scallop and a nice heap of ikura.

Although this is pretty standard British fare that you can get almost anywhere in London, the one from North Sea is one of the better ones I've tried (although it doesn't seem to be as good when I take out). The seafood platter offers a wide variety of fish, as well as other seafood like squid and shrimp, which helps a little with the jelatness. The seafood was fresh and paired very nicely with their homemade tartar sauce (that seems to have a bit of mustard/horse radish mixed in). It comes with refillable chips which is always a plus!