california, knows how 2 party
No English person can fathom why I've left home in sunny southern California to live in London, and I can totally understand why! California's got all the amazing food, beaches, and most importantly, plenty of SUN. Oh, and all my family and friends too.
I have definitely been missing California more than usual as of late, due to this seemingly never-ending grey season (it's APRIL for god's sake where is spring?!). Although today was the first in weeks it's been properly sunny in London, there are a couple of things I can find to eat here that remind me of California, and also have the added bonus of being healthy! Because let's be real, once it snows in London, you're in bed eating a takeaway pizza, not a salad.
Here are a few food trends considered very "California" and even more "LA" (hip, healthy, and imbibed by yoga chicks and hipsters alike) that have made the jump across the pond.
kombucha
Until recently, I only knew that kombucha was a drink packaged in pretty glass bottles that all of the cool, hippie people at my university reused as environmentally friendly water bottles. I went to UC Berkeley, which is basically an oasis for healthy drinks, bacteria and hippies. As it turns out, that's basically what kombucha is! Minus the hippies.
Of course, kombucha isn't just local to UC Berkeley. It's drunk all over the world, and has become super popular due to the recent influx of people trying to eat clean or just make up for downing 8 pints and a big Mac at the weekend. No more so is the healthy trend, and therefore kombucha, more popular than in Los Angeles, where everyone from soccer moms to wannabe starlets are chugging wheat grass shots and pretending gluten-free chocolate cake doesn't taste like soil. Thank goodness, kombucha is way more delicious than both of those!
Photo courtesy of @JARRKombucha Instagram
The healthy trend has also exploded here, where Londoners have slowly been getting acquainted with the wonders of kombucha. I myself had my first kombucha last year, when I visited a family friend who runs his own 'booch' brewery right here in northeast London, called JARR Kombucha. It's also Europe's first kombucha taproom, which is super cool. Already it's been rapidly successful, with JARR now stocked in places such as Harrods and Whole Foods, where you can even get your booch on tap! Here's a little more info about the drink from the kombucha king himself, Adam Vanni, Brewer/Director of JARR Kombucha and my old next door neighbour!
"Kombucha in a very basic sense is fermented tea; made from 4 simple ingredients - tea, water, sugar and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). It’s a healthier alternative to artificially produced soft drinks and a delicious alternative to alcohol when you don’t feel like boozing. With 20% of Londoners no longer drinking, people are looking for a realistic and tasty alternative to alcohol in the bar setting and Kombucha perfect fills that space. We’ve targeted this market by offering Kombucha both in bottle and in keg so you can enjoy our three flavours fresh from the tap!"
Follow JARR on Instagram here to see all the cool stuff they're up to!
poke
One of my favourite things to eat when I'm home in California is poke. My dad is so obsessed with it that he tries to guilt me into going with him at least three times whenever I'm back home, and I'm more than happy to do so because it's so damn good!
Poke (pronounced po-kay not po-kee) is a raw fish salad of Hawaiian origin, but suddenly in 2012, the number of Hawaiian and poke restaurants increased exponentially throughout the US. There are now dozens of poke joints all over California, each offer their own take on the dish - some have now even started making poke burritos and poke nachos! Californians are definitely crazy, but poke nachos are a thing of beauty.
Photo courtesy of @HoniPoke Instagram
Poke restaurants tend to operate as build your own bowl type establishments, with the bowl's base being brown or white rice. Cubed salmon and ahi tuna usually serve as the options for the base fish, and toppings include seaweed, avocado, sesame seeds, crunchy garlic and onions, cucumber, and edamame, although there are endless choices! To finish it off, typical sauce options include ponzu (citrus-y soy sauce), shoyu (soy sauce), spicy Sriracha mayo, and several variations of all three.
I've been super excited to see more and more poke places popping up around central London, and wish my wallet could accommodate trying each and every one of them. Eventually I will get around to sampling all the great poke London has to offer! Here are the first three on my list:
Honi Poke (82 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3SP)
Ahi Poké (3 Percy St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1DE)
Tombo - Poke & Matcha Bar (28 D'Arblay St, Soho, London W1F 8EW)
açaí bowls
When it comes to açaí bowls, the first thing you've got to do is pronounce it correctly. Açaí is a Portuguese word, and though all those accents and symbols can throw even the flyest linguists of us all, it's simply pronounced "ah-sa-EE". According to my sources, aka Google, "ah-SIGH" and "ah-sigh-EE" are also acceptable.
Now that we've settled that, let's chat about the actual dish, widely recognised in California as one of the most Instagrammed foods, usually posted by a sorority girl, lifestyle blogger, someone wearing Birkenstocks, or all a combo of all three! California definitely has London beat on Birkenstocks and sorority girls. All shade to Birkenstockers aside, açaí bowls are totally delicious and aesthetically pleasing, so I understand why everyone and their mom wants to post their bowls on social media.
Photo courtesy of @the.acai.bar Instagram
Açaí bowls are a fixture at any juice bar in LA or metropolitan US city, but they've only crossed over to the UK in the last 2-3 years according to About Time Magazine, so they are fairly new. However, Londoners have taken to these smoothie bowls, and more smoothie bars are offering their take on açaí bowls everyday. Take it from the folks at The Açaí Bar, who were lovely enough to share their thoughts on açaí bowls with me!
"Açaí bowls are essentially a superfood alternative to ice cream. They are made by deliciously combining frozen Açaí berries with mangoes, papaya and a splash of coconut water, giving you all the tropical flavours of Brazil whilst also being 100% guilt free.
Açaí berries are one of the most antioxidant rich foods and high in natural energy so these bowls are typically enjoyed for breakfast or as an after-gym treat. Despite being incredibly healthy, açaí bowls stun in taste and flavour, giving these bowls increasing popularity amongst the health conscious and others alike."
Check them out on Instagram or at Canada Water Plaza every weekend! If you're not in the area, hit up About Time Magazine's list of the top ten açaí bowls in London.
Hope you'll try out some of the amazing Californian food trends that have hit London - if you enjoyed this post, subscribe down below for more great content!
xo,
the GAl from Cali
