Noel Par Chef Fregz

The Christmas holiday is hands down the best holiday of the entire year. Not only do we get to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we get to stuff our faces with food for days on end. Can I get an Amen!!?

Christmas with my family is the same every year. The girls spend endless hours cooking an array of dishes, we all 'over eat'and drink and pass out in front of the T.V. This year was no different. By the 29th however, we were all out of leftovers and I remembered there was some foodie event and so off I went to the GET Arena for Chef Fregz Special.( okay I didn't just remember, I had this circled on my calendar for months)

The Chef:

So I had read quite a bit about this French trained chef and to be honest I thought he was going to be super snobbish, so I was kind of ready not to like him. To my surprise he was really nice, like REALLY nice. He took time out from the kitchen to say hello to guests and make sure everyone was satisfied. So even if the food wasn't so great (the food was amazing), I would love it either way.

The Menu: The Menu had a musical theme with dishes named after the hottest Nigerian songs of 2013. Three main meals named So le? Eminado and Pull over. My least favourite song out of the three is Eminado(sorry Tiwa) so I tried out everything except that.

The Food:

SO LE? : So le was described in the menu as chicken pieces marinated with lemongrass, whole spices and a touch of efirin leaves. A yellow coconut curry formed the lake which  surrounded a very generous island of fried rice. Despite the attractive presentation, I thought the answer to the question So le would be Ko le. But there I go judging the dish without tasting it. This dish was off the charts. One of my tasting buddies almost licked the plate clean.

The curry sauce was fiercely flavourful and the touch of efirin leaves was a perfect combo of gourmet meets local cuisine. So le? O le gaan.


PULLOVER: Now singing ' Park! Baby o pullover ,' as the smiling waitress brought out the second meal.
It was smoked beef fillets with cranberry salsa sauce and cheese wrapped in a soft freshly made tortilla.

The abundance of black beans and rice(and duh the tortilla) reminded me vaguely of a Mexican taco. The sweet cranberry with smoked beef wasn't really cutting it for me, but the burst of cheese right in the middle made up for it.

DESSERT:
XO: I think I died and went to heaven when I had the XO which was a strawberry cheese cake with fresh strawberries in it.

I could eat this for the rest of my life

imagine an engagement ring hidden in this. just a hint fellas!

So the cake didn't quite set so it ended up being a bit of a custard but it was undoubtedly the most delectable dessert I've had all year. The crunchy crushed biscuit with the creamy strawberry was just decadence on a plate.

 Delivery Time: The meals came out about twenty minutes after the orders were placed, and the dessert in less than five minutes. For the presentation and taste, I think that was pretty fast.

Being the 12th Edition of Chef Fregz's Special, Chef Fregz is clearly not a novice and knows exactly what he's doing. He's been able to tailor his French culinary skills to suit the average Nigerian's palate and create dishes that are impeccably michellin starred restaurant standard and yet not too pretentious. He's definitely one to watch out for.

*  Chef Fregz is available for events. Send an e-mail to info@cheffregz.com.  
Happy Holidays Everyone, see you in the new year. 

Going Vegan

I love meat!! I am a meat chewing, bone cracking omnivore(almost bordering on Carnivore) and proud of it. However, studies have shown that Red meat after a certain age really isn't the healthiest choice. Studies have also shown that the Chinese people age surprisingly better than their contemporaries across the globe due to their largely vegetarian diet. If you are one of the many few who are vegetarians, OR if you have ever wanted to be a vegetarian, or started the vegan lifestyle but quit half way due to the lack of variation, then congratulations, I have found just the place for you.

Located in the very ethereal Freedom Park on Broad Street, the commercial nerve center of Lagos (I say so),"Veggie Victory" touts itself as Nigeria's first vegan and vegetarian cuisine. 

Ambiance: It's in Freedom Park, which is a really cool spot. Cool story about Freedom Park, once upon a time, it was Her Majesty's Broad Street prison. The prisoners would have loved to have it this good. You can really shut out the madness of Lagos and enjoy the greenery and cultural artifacts strewn around the park. Vegan Victory itself is fuss free, you can literally stare into the squeaky clean kitchen where everything is prepared hygienically. With limited seating indoors, you could always just grab a seat outside and enjoy the weather OR enjoy your meal in the park.

The Menu: The menu seems surprisingly normal.  It offers traditional dishes like Jollof rice to yummy junk food like Pizzas and Cupcakes, all with the Vegan twist and interpretation of course.

The Food!!! 

The Entree: To kick off the experience, I had Tofu Suya!!Yes you read right "Suya made from tofu ." I was sure that this was a disaster waiting to happen, so when my tofu suya arrived, I was very skeptical. After seconds of analyzing the suya, I put it in my mouth and was pleasantly surprised. It honestly tasted just like your regular meat or chicken suya, I kid you not. It had a really nice texture and tasted almost like gizzard.

I also had a vegan suya, not to be mistaken for the Tofu suya. This was made solely out of wheat and looked a bit grainy in texture but tasted just as amazing. Slathered in traditional pepper, if you closed your eyes, and no one had told you it wasn't regular suya, you wouldn't suspect a thing.

The main meal: I was really intrigued to taste a "Vegan" Burger. The Vegan Burger substitutes the beef or chicken patty with a surprisingly tasty wheat blend patty.

Enveloped in between two warm regular bread buns (wheat bread buns are also an option) and the usual suspects of lettuce, cucumber slices and tomatoes, the Vegan burger is the tastiest and healthiest burger you will get in these parts.

 It is an absolutely great substitute to a real burger, minus the calories.

The Dessert: 

Dessert was a variety of au natural smoothies and shakes. The most natural thing I would ordinarily drink is water, asides that I'm an unapologetic fan of fizzy drinks and all the other sugary stuff that is bad for anyone who doesn't want to die from diabetes. Having been in a lifelong relationship with sugar, trying out these fruit smoothies was a bit of a challenge.

The Cailani: This blend of paw-paw, watermelon and pineapples tastes just as exotic as it sounds.

The Avocado blend: If you love avocado, then this is an awesome drink for you. Sadly, I do not. So staring at this green goo was like looking at rabbit beer (if rabbits were to have bars). But again with an open heart and non-judgmental tongue, I took a first swig. No, it wasn't awesome, BUT when I remembered that Avocado is the wonder fruit of the year, credited with everything from great hair to baby smooth skin, I guzzled it down.

The signature Freedom shake: This is an interesting blend of watermelon, ginger and bananas. The taste of the ginger was really strong, which was great for me, because it was reminiscent of ginger ale.


Affordability: Eating Vegan is apparently not as expensive as you would imagine, as a three course meal at Veggie Victory would set you back a little under N 3,000.

Delivery Time: None of the meals took more than fifteen (15) minutes to prepare. Fast enough me thinks.

By the end of this amazing vegan adventure, I had acquired a surprising taste for tofu. Would I do it again? Heck YES!!. Could I become a vegetarian? Maybe !! It is mind blowing that you can have the same junk food without the guilt of soiling your arteries or clogging your heart.

Be nice to your body, eat healthy and give your arteries a break", it'll work wonders. 

* Veggie Victory is located at Freedom Park , No.1 Hospital Road, , Broad Street, Lagos Island. 
Dedah Eats was a guest of Veggie Victory. Many thanks to Hakeem Jimoh and the super awesome manager Adebola for their hospitality. 

*Veggie Victory is offering Dedah Eats readers an amazing 20% discount for the month of October. Just mention that you are  a reader of the blog and get your discount. 

Buffy the Buffet Slayer

With an origin that dates back to the 16th Century in Sweden, the Buffet is the greatest trick played on diners till date. You are put in a room with filled from wall-to-wall with food and are given a license to "eat all you want" for a few hours, o but don't forget, you cannot take anything away. (very Merchant of Venice).

My first ever buffet experience was pretty disappointing. I made the rooky mistake of filling up on a particular dish and in the end had no room left for anything else, and felt like I had wasted money just to eat one meal. I went in with the "Eat and Kill yourself" mentality.

Fast forward to 2013, and having perfected the art of Buffet Dining through years of practice, I headed down to the new and super swanky Intercontinental Hotel in Victoria-Island and put my skills to the test. Follow my tips for successfully eating at a buffet.

Tip No. 1: Have an empty stomach: Remember, this is a game, if you show up at a buffet having eaten a meal, game over!!The restaurant wins!!It is expedient that you have enough room in your tummy. It is also wise to stay away from tight waisted jeans or belts that will obstruct the inevitable expansion of your tummy.

Tip No. 2: Work the Room: By now your tummy should be rumbling and saying swear words at you at the sight of all the food, but DO NOT just grab a plate and dive into the first dish that catches your fancy. All the dishes are usually spaciously displayed, so walk around and know what is up for grabs.

Tip No.3:  Follow the four course rule:In most standard buffets, you have a wide array of bread-rolls, soups, entrees, pastas, meats, sea-food, salads and desserts. God being your strength, you should be able to work your way through everything!! So start small, bread-rolls or entrees first, a soup, a main course, then finish it off with a light dessert. After accomplishing this, you are at liberty to pig out and try anything else that tickles your fancy.

The journey should begin here

after dessert, let the random eating begin!

you might want to avoid this!

Looks like Chapman is on its way to being the official drink in Lagos

Tip No. 4: Portion Control: Keep it light. The idea isn't to pass out on the table. Small servings help you appreciate the meals even more.  You know you've dished too much when people send daggers at you with their eyes when you skip past with your plate.

Tip No. 5: Take "something" away: I am not ashamed to share this tip. Yes, yes, I know the principal rule of the buffet is that you can't take anything food away, BUT, there is no harm in trying.This will only work with light food though. So if you are keen on this tip, step 1, stack your plate with the object of your desire, step 2, casually lay out two serviettes on your plate, step 3;roll up the goods in the serviette and stash it into your big bag, especially carried for the occasion. Always leave something in the plate though. WARNING!! You have less than 30 seconds to do this before the eagle-eyed waiters accost you, or even worse, your fellow diners spot you and shake their heads at you in disdain.

Potential "take-away"

Now that I have passed on my gastronomic wisdom on to you, venture out into the world and conquer those buffet tables. Follow these tips and you will be the envy of the annual office retreat, when everyone else is sick and unable to walk.

Intercontinental's Sunday Buffet costs a handsome N 9,500 per head, not bad given the selection.

Please feel free to send us pictures of your conquests( or failed attempts), and I'll be sure to publish them. As always leave your comments and or questions , reading your hilarious comments are always a blast. AND!! you can follow me on Twitter for weekly foodie news and ramblings slash musings on @ Dedah Eats.

* Intercontinental Hotel's Sunday Buffet is from 12.30 pm to 4pm ...erm...every Sunday.