For food that is quite more-ish and the kind of stodgy type of food I normally enjoy I don’t actually eat that much Mexican so when Pat suggested Zarela for tonight I was well up for it. Walking into Zarela you are hit by the buzzy atmosphere and the warmth and friendliness and homeliness of the place. Its not one of these posh restaurants so that made a nice change!

The choice on the menu is wide with some not so typical Mexican dishes so there will be something there to suit everyone. Whilst you decide on what to eat you are provided with a bowl of corn chips – which turned out to be our downfall because as much as we tried not to indulge when they are sitting in front of you, you don’t even realise that you’re nibbling until you’ve practically swallowed the things. And of course the bowl kept getting refilled 😉

Getting carried away and forgetting about US sized portions we over-ordered with three entrees, two mains and sides. Starters were an Enchilada de Pollo Mole (Corn tortillas filled with chicken and cheese, baked with mole of the day), Chilaquiles (crisp corn tortilla strips, shredded sautéed chicken, sour cream and cheese baked in a casserole with creamy tomatillo sauce) and one of the Specials of the day Tortitas de Flor de Jamaica (hibiscus flower cakes served with creamy roasted tomato sauce.)

Mains were a Manchamanteles de Pato (roasted half duck served with a tomato red chile sauce with dried apricots, prunes, raisins and pineapple) and Barbecoa de Carnero (Oaxacan shredded lamb barbacoa cooked in an ancho chile adobo with avocado leaves and served on flour tortillas.) With my duck I also ordered a side of Arroz con Crema (rice baked with cream sauce, white cheddar cheese, poblanos and corn) which sounded more intriguing than the actual dish but went well with my duck. The rice dish is the signature dish of the restaurant and one I’ve certainly not seen on any other Mexican menu.

With the exception of the flower cakes (marks for trying something a little different), food at Zarela was perfection. I liked the fact that it wasn’t Tex-Mex and departed from the norm. Meat was gorgeously tender, mole had just the right balance and if the menu said creamy, the dishes certainly delivered. Pat reports that the margarita he had was also pretty darn awesome. Potent too from the looks of his skin colour. Ha ha.

And as if that wasn’t enough for our dinner we then headed a couple of blocks over for some dessert at Buttercup Cake Shop, I think opened by the former co-owner of Magnolia Bakery which is famed for creating the cupcake craze.

Yes, we were in a food coma on the subway all the way home!

My mum has this superstition that whatever you are doing on New Year’s Day or on your birthday you will do a lot over the coming year … in that case I’m going to be continuing my recent trend of eating and overeating! Today saw us visiting the second Chinatown for a bite to eat at our local Flushing Mall (on our way back from visiting the New York Hall of Science), and then heading into Manhattan for some Mexican at Zarela.

Walking around Flushing I feel it is more of a Chinatown than the one in Manhattan, although it could probably be more fairly called Asiatown (as a lot of other orientals, mainly Korean) seem to have settled there. There are close links between the two Chinatowns at any stage with buses that can take you to and fro for I think at the latest around $3-ish.

The food court in Flushing Mall is certainly an experience for those who enjoy true Asian style eating. There are a mixture of Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese eats. Pat had been given a recommendation about Xi’an Famous Food who are famous (ha ha) for their signature “cold skin” noodles and their take on the western burger. No their food is not typically Chinese but more a fusion of Middle Eastern and Chinese cuisines. Or so their website says. I’m not a noodle fan at the best of times but I do like my burgers. Pat decided to try the Savory Cumin Lamb Burger and I, of course, the Stewed Pork Burger.

Okay, so they don’t look that attractive in the photos but they were pretty delicious. My only complaint was that my burger was slightly on the oily/fatty side. Not normally one to complain about such matters when eating pork (fat is the vehicle for flavour after all) but because the juices were oozing everywhere it was just a little off-putting. Still, not a bad burger.

You could easily end up eating way too much at the food course because of all the stalls in there with their appetising food. I decided to give the shaved ice a go. Its not often you can find this kind of concoction in London and if you so its often attached to a hefty price tag. This treat is definitely for sweet tooths but was a nice contrast to my savoury lunch.