Food in Sheffield !

I am a self-proclaimed western food lover. My visit to the UK has been very fruitful to me as I get to try out different western food or delicacies. Costa, a coffee chain which is available in almost every corner of the UK, something like The Coffee Bean in Malaysia. Its drinks were priced a tad cheaper compared to Starbucks in the UK, attracted many students who are a little financially 'constrained'. Still to me, Starbucks tasted better.

Instant coffee cups of Starbucks coffee can even be found in small grocery shops like Sainsbury. And God they were delicious eventhough they are readily-made and doesn't cost a bomb! They (instant Starbucks coffee & Monster energy drinks too) used to keep me awake when I was prepping for my final exam!

I hate how food in the UK reminds us of how many 'sins' we are digesting :(

Ben and Jerry ice cream! I was going gaga over it when it was having a '3 Pounds for two pints' promotion! Similar to Haagen Dazs, I was an addict who are glad that I didn't gain weight after all those sugar-filled ice cream! They were just so cheap (compared to Malaysia) that I couldn't stop myself! I can finish 1 pint in a night!

To my surprise, there were plenty of freebies when it comes to food during my period of stay in Sheffield. Take Graze as an example, everyone can claim for a free box containing four types of (health-conscious) snacks of your choice from its website. A great way of marketing.

Notice the minion toy in the picture above? It was a free toy which comes with every Happy Meal, or get it at 1 Pound. McDonalds UK is actually the most expensive McD compared to McD in other European countries. A set of McD with a drink and fries could cost you almost an average of 4 Pounds. That's RM20 for us!

Yates's located opposite of Sheffield City Hall provided a free cheeseburger with every purchase of beverage! Not bad... but I believe the taste would be better if chilli sauce is provided! *Typical Asian*

KFC in the UK is slightly different because KFC doesn't serve chilli sauce! The best they can provide is spicy mayo in a small plastic sealed sauce box. Spicy fried chicken costs extra too! Thankfully, the chicken is as delicious as in any country. 

You can always go for Chinese food whenever you are feeling a little homesick. 面轩 (Noodle Inn) located in London Road offers scrumptious Chinese cuisine, huge portion but so does the price tag. A (big) plate of fried rice costed us about 7 Pounds, but the portion is big enough for two persons to fill each stomach to its brim! The taste was also comparable to those we can find in Malaysia's high-end restaurant!

Another delicacy at London Road is Kebab by Chino's. For 4 Pounds, the portion is also large enough for two persons. It comes with salad, fried chicken, kebab, prata and chips!

I got to try out a Korean dinner in Ginseng Korean BBQ at Fitzwilliam Street. I seldom have Korean food, so I don't remember what I've ordered that day. Bibimbap? Almost 10 Pounds.

After Chinese, Middle Eastern and Korean food, here comes Mexican food! I forgot its name but I certainly do remember how spicy the sauce was! Around 3 pounds if I'm not mistaken.

When it comes to breakfast, we will certainly think of English breakfast, right? For your info, pie is also a popular food for breakfast in the UK. Here's a cheese pie with beans and fries. 

This is a truly traditional English breakfast, made in the UK, ate in the UK! Bacon, super-size sausage, baked beans, egg, hasbrowns and toasts! You can get this in The Banker's Draft nearby Primark at around 3 Pounds plus.

My friend's Egg Benedict! Also from The Banker's Draft.

This is the best medium well 8oz sirloin steak that I've ever tasted! Served with chips, peas, tomato and mushroom. I'm not a fan of peas but the peas were surprisingly delicious, tasted almost corn-like! The steak was just succulent enough with slight reddish hint on the texture. Shut up and take my money!

Yes, there are plenty of nice food hidden in the alleys or even facing the main streets of Sheffield. All you need to do is explore, eat and eat more while you are in Sheffield. Although I've tried many kinds of food in Sheffield, I still don't think I tried enough! Try out the food that you want to try, or else you'll bring the feeling of regretfulness back to your home country. I would do anything just to have one more meal in the UK in my life......

NEXT - Day trip 5 & 6: Bicester Village & Cheshire Oaks!

Day Trip 3 - Whitby, UK

Whitby is a small seaside town which is famous for its sea view and fish & chips. And damn it was delicious! Those who been to Whitby will know there are two restaurant famous for their fish & chips. Namely Quayside and The Magpie Cafe. You'll see a long queue outside of both restaurant when lunchtime is arriving.

In the end, we bought fish & chips from The Magpie Cafe. Huge fish fillet accompanied with chips. The fish was succulent and fresh on the inside, with golden crispy skin on the outside. The fish was good enough even without any sauce to go along with it. It is still the best fish & chips I've tried to date! Moreover, nice food was accompanied with nice view on a hill top, and cold strong breeze. Believe me, Whitby has the strongest wind of all cities of UK I've been to!

After introducing the food, it's the view time. Whitby is kind of divided into two parts, separated by a river which leads to the sea. Both sides have its uniqueness and attractions. On the left, it has Whitby Lighthouse with a long, wooden bridge which led us further from the mainland.

Small, colourful chalets are located parallel with the seashore. I think they are rented to the visitors as a 'locker room' while they enjoy water activities. Definitely a picturesque scene!

A funny photo of my friends and a seagull LOL

A wacky pose by the seaside!

Later on we explored the right side of Whitby, where few rows of shop lots led to a series of staircase. At the top of the hill, St. Mary's Church can be seen with many tombstones surrounding it! A haunting scene, but the mesmerising view of the city of Whitby from the top of the hill will overcome any fear. 

Whitby Abbey. A small fee needed to enter its compound, which we thought it's good enough to see it from the outside. There's a huge grassland outside of the compound, best place to make different funny or stylish poses with the nice view.

There are two souvenirs that you can buy from Whitby. First is the lucky ducks. "Five little ducks went out one day. Over the hills and far away..." Enough of the nursery rhyme. Made with Whitby's glass, these lucky ducks are said to be able to change colour according to temperature, and there are different design for your birthday month to choose from.

Second is the Whitby jet. It has the characteristic of a gem, but it's not a true mineral, thus the more affordable pricing compared to other gems. One shocking fact - Jet is actually fossilised wood! Whitby black jet is actually a good gift for your mom or anyone who likes classy black jewellery. 

NEXT - Day trip 4: Cambridge !

Home-cooked Food

 Let's start this blog entry with an appetizer... The crunchy, fresh and healthy 'Caesar salad'. Topped with mayonnaise and thousand island sauce...

Move on to the main course, one whole roasted chicken coated with honey. Golden and crispy on the outside, tender and succulent on the inside! Kenny Rogers' style!

Our typical food for lunch and dinner include fish fillets, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sausages (we can't find small sized hotdog in any UK's market), ham and curry chicken.

More curry chicken and sausages, and of course, plain rice, a must for Asian like us! Rice comes in small packet of 1kg in Aldi, so we normally bought a box of 10 back hostel! LOL

Frozen food which can be ready in just 10-15mins with the help of microwave and oven were also popular among us who... doesn't exactly know how to cook a proper meal. The weirdest food I came across was the 'Toad in a hole'. It's a combination of sausages and bread, but sausages in the UK taste much more salty than ours.

Siu yuk! (Sorry to the Muslim readers, it's non-halal)

It's very easy to cook at hostel (expect that deep fry is prohibited in everyone's accommodation) because there is an oven that can cook almost anything we can find in the market. Pop in the chicken chop, fish fillet, pizza or chips into the oven and a meal is ready to be served! To save some money, we will cook and pack along some food to uni for lunch. It's quite enjoyable since we can enjoy our home-cooked food on the grassland while watching people from different races and cultures passing by. 

See how we were sitting under the shades while UK people prefer the sun.

Cheese egg - One of my inventions during my stay in Sheffield! A medium packet of cheese can be easily found in supermarket and can be added to many food to improve their flavour! With just the right amount of cheese and oolala... the perfect combination of egg and cheese! Say cheese!!!

One of the biggest and greatest dinners we had was a dinner for 13 person, all home-cooked! The process of preparation and the end result must be uploaded to insta!

Gotta thanks Chef Darren for the delicious and unforgettable meal!

 Another food that I miss is my friend's fried noodle, where the noodle is actually spaghetti! We called it 阿川炒面!

P.S.: See, I warned you in one of the blog entries previously, where you will see chips in almost every food pic! Don't get me wrong, chips are delicious and perfect as snack, 'light' supper accompanied with a group of friends watching horror movie!

NEXT - Day trip to York, UK!