italian – Surobi Scribbles

Wood And Flames Review / The Best Pizza Place In London?

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 21:25:37 +0000

My birthday is approaching soon In Sha Allah! However, I wanted to review last year’s place where I went for my birthday. Last year was my sweet 16th birthday and I thought I would share my experience of my birthday!

I had a wonderful birthday last year Alhamdulillah. I woke up early in the morning and responded to sweet messages from my friends. I then got ready, wore this beautiful pink feminine dress from Shein, and also did my makeup and hair. After getting ready, I had a photoshoot outside with my sister taking photos of me and then my sister and I went to the cake shop to buy myself a birthday cake. Whilst carrying the cake with us, we went to Wood and Flames where my two friends were waiting to start the birthday party! The rest of the afternoon was spent with my friends, and after I left the restaurant, I went home, freshened up, opened my gifts and had a lovely time!

Now, we will go on to review Wood and Flames and how they treated me on my birthday!

What is Wood and Flames?

Wood and Flames is a restaurant in Leyton where they are mostly known for their pizzas but they also sell burgers, sides and chicken and much more!

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Pizzas

I don’t remember the exact pizzas I tried but they are shown above. Altogether, I loved that they looked stunning with the colours and the toppings being shown very clearly in the pizza. The toppings were also nicely distributed. It was executed nicely and I liked how they provided us with a wide selection of toppings, yet I felt that they were not the authentic Italian pizza I was looking for. It still tasted pretty delicious. I mostly enjoyed the pre-made pizza, rather than the one selected with the toppings.

We also had a side of chips, which were your regular chips.

Overall, I would rate this a ⅗.

The Place:

The place was quite medium in size with nice lighting. I am pretty sure we were the only customers and we occupied the largest table. Also, I liked the decor as the tables were made of wood, as suggested in the name of the restaurant and I felt that I could comfortably chat to my friends and my sister.

The Service:

The service overall was good. The staff members were nice and they let us stay and sit down for the whole time and served the food nicely. When I had given them a phone call previously, they also were nice, and we didn’t need to book the table.

Would I Recommend It?

I would say that overall, based on my previous experiences, I would recommend coming here only once just to try the wide selection of toppings. The service, experience and decor is nice for a little birthday party with family and friends if you wish, but I would probably not come back here again because the pizza wasn’t authentically Italian. Thank you Wood and Flames!

My Rating: 3/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying maximum once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored):Wood and Flames | Wood & Flames, Leyton, Takeaway Order Online (woodnflames.com)

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Franco Manca Review / Worth The Money?

Surobi Mohammed — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 21:10:30 +0000

On 7th June 2021, my sister and I decided to try another restaurant after our small meal in Tortilla. We ate some Italian pizza from Franco Manca. But was the pizza really that authentic Italian pizza we were looking for?

What is Franco Manca Westfield Stratford?

Franco Manca is a sourdough Neapolitan pizza business operating around 50 pizzerias in the UK and Italy.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Roasted courgettes, ricotta, British mozzarella, roasted baby plum tomatoes and Franco & Cantarelli Grana [no tomato base] £7.95 V NEW

This was a premade pizza or option 3 pizza we tried. These were the ingredients in the pizza. It cost £7.95. Overall, the pizza was 12” and it was absolutely delicious. It was executed really nicely and the pizza looked quite white but with pieces of cheese on top. This really felt quite Italian-style. In terms of taste, the cheese was creamy and the pizza in itself was juicy. I really enjoyed it!

The Place:

The shop was medium size but obviously you can’t enter – it is a stall. We ate in the seating areas available in the court, in which there was a lot of space.

The Service:

The waiting time was about 10-15 minutes. It was a bit longer than we expected, but eventually we did get the pizza.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend trying this because it is quite rare to find authentic pizza like this and it was very creamy.

My Rating: 4/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying maximum once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): https://www.francomanca.co.uk/

This was my short review or diary entry about Franco Manca. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Walkmisu Review / The Coolest Phone Box In The World

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 21:16:47 +0000

One of the things that makes London iconic are telephone boxes. They usually have phones in them but what if I told you that you were about to enter a phone box and you see some delicious tiramisu? That’s right…Walkmisu is exactly that! So on Saturday 29th May 2021, my sister and I went there.

What is Walkmisu?

Walkmisu is a cake shop inside a telephone box. It is situated in Russell Square.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Banana and Chocolate Tiramisu

It is usually quite difficult to find Halal Tiramisu but we found it! This was pre-made ready for on-the-go and it cost £4.95. It did have banana and chocolate in it. I found the banana to be more powerful than the chocolate. Overall, it tasted sweet but wasn’t anything extraordinary. I rated this a ⅘ since it is rare to find Halala Tiramisu.

Mocha

This mocha was small. It was quite creamy and delicious and was executed nicely by the shopkeeper there. This mocha was complimentary to the tiramisu with a small additional cost of £1 – good for the price! I would rate this a ⅗ for the good pricing.

The Place:

The shop was small but you can’t enter it. You can take a photo next to it and it is a cute and very unique shop.

The Service:

There was barely any waiting time because there were only 1-2 shopkeepers there and they were friendly and made the food and drinks quickly.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend trying this because it is so unique, it sells pretty delicious food for the price and it is Halal!

My Rating: 4/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): Their Instagram

Browse Around Walkmisu

This was my short review or diary entry about Walkmisu. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Amorino Restaurant Review / The Most Amazing Milkshakes In London?

Surobi Mohammed — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:47:50 +0000

On Friday 28th May 2021, I went to Amorino with my sister after feeling quite excited looking at the range of colours and flavours available.

What is Amorino?

Amorino is a French gelato company based in Orly with an unlimited range of flavours.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Chocolate and Stracciatella Milkshake

This milkshake was quite creamy and cold. It was executed by the ladies and it contained the two flavours I requested. It tasted of strong chocolate flavour and as a chocoholic, I loved it. I would rate it a ⅘.

Macaron

Because I wanted cream on top of my milkshake but they ran out of cream, they gave me a free macaron. This was a chocolate macaron which was pretty standard. It was pre-made and it was small and looked smooth on the outside. I loved how it was quite creamy on the inside but smooth and a bit harder on the outside. I rated it a ⅗.

The Place:

The shop was medium size but obviously you can’t enter – it is like a stall. We ate in the seating areas available next to it.

The Service:

The waiting time was about 5-10 minutes which was a bit long as there weren’t many customers. The staff were friendly and direct though and were also very patient. They did offer me a free macaron which was nice.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend trying this if you love fresh milkshakes or ice-cream. If you are not a fan of these foods, this place is probably not for you.

My Rating: 4/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): Link

This was my short review or diary entry about Amorino. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

London Ice-Cream Vans / The Best Ice-cream In London?

Surobi Mohammed — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 20:34:57 +0000

Ice-cream is one of my favourite foods and as I was born in Italy, I have savoured on the authentic fresh gelato. Here in London, where I now live, there are a range of ice-creams available but the fresh ice-creams are available on ice-cream vans that travel around London. In this article, I wanted to share if this ice-cream from the vans are really that great,

What are London Ice-cream Vans?

They are vans that travel around London and you can find them especially in summer. They don’t have an exact location but I believe, you can look out for them in summer and try some ice-cream.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

One Classic Vanilla Ice-Cream Cone

The price ranges from van to van but my one cost £2.50. This was slightly pricey. It was executed nicely and the appearance was pretty classic and pretty nice. The taste was normal but it didn’t feel that fresh. I loved the flake and chocolate syrup on top and the cone itself was crunchy.

The Place:

Every van is usually quite colourful and you can’t enter the van usually.

The Service:

I have tried many vans and usually the shopkeepers are quite friendly, but on this particular occasion, the shopkeeper looked a bit rushed and not very friendly. However, she did make the ice-cream fast.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend only trying ice-cream from the vans if you are with a group of people on a hot summer day or if you are really craving an ice-cream. Otherwise, you can try something similar for cheaper from a local grocery store like Iceland.

My Rating: 3/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): NA

This was my short review or diary entry about London Ice-Cream Vans. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

American Pizza Delight Restaurant Review / The Best Pizza In London?

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 22:00:28 +0000

On Monday 17th May 2021, my sister and I were craving for pizza, so we opened the UberEats app and we chose this new takeaway, American Pizza. But was this pizza really that delicious?

What is American Pizza?

American Pizza is a takeaway that sells Italian and American food and is Halal according to UberEats.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Tandoori Deluxe

This pizza according to this link contained Tandoori chicken, mixed peppers, red onions, sweetcorn, and mushroom. It cost £9.99. The pizza was 15” and had all the toppings. It looked like a normal pizza, and the taste was pretty average. I rated this pizza a ⅖.

Carrib Heat

This pizza according to this link contained Mexican chicken, mushroom, sweetcorn, and jalapeno. It cost £9.99. The pizza was also 15” and looked very colourful. The taste was a bit more unique and flavorful than the previous pizza. I rated this a ⅗.

The Service:

UberEats took about 30-45 minutes to deliver the food to our house. This was an average amount of time to arrive.

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend this place to try only once as they sell delicious pizzas but they are not extraordinary. They are reasonable sizes to share with your family, so it is perfect for a casual dinner, but not anything too extravagant.

My Rating: 3/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): https://www.ubereats.com/gb/store/american-pizza/ykvzuFr3SQu57gquAmW91Q/70cc32c4-366f-456d-bf28-ec6c2881d9ba

This was my short review or diary entry about American Pizza. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

My 6-Month COVID-19 Lockdown Diary // A Revolutionary Journey

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:59:37 +0000

COVID-19…a virus that has become like a war where the soldiers in it are every single human being on this planet. This time is so prevalent and one that will definitely be remembered in history. From GCSEs and A-Levels 2020 being cancelled to many people passing away to starting my own podcast to doing online school to Black Lives Matter, these past 6 months will surely not be forgotten.

My name is Surobi. I am a 15-year-old teenager who is among the 66.65 million people living in the UK who has been affected by this invisible virus. This article will be presenting some of the key highlights of how my life has been in these 6 months.

March:

Wednesday 18th March 2020 was the first day of lockdown for me. My school was partially closed but then on Friday 20th March, Boris Johnson himself announced a lockdown for the UK. This was the first time in billions of years that this ever had to happen.
Schools all over the country got closed down until further notice and GCSEs and A-Levels 2020 were cancelled, as well as people started working from home. This meant that as a Year 10 student, my GCSE Biology exams were also cancelled and I would get predicted grades from my Biology teacher. Most people slowly stopped eating out often including me and my family.
There were certain precautions that everyone had to take which still exists today such as wearing face coverings outside, washing hands regularly and sometimes doing social distancing.
I had to start doing online school where my teachers set me work through Google Classroom. Everyone had to adapt to staying at home for a long time.
Since the NHS were and are the ones working hard and risking their own lives to save lives, the Government released a ‘Clap For Carers’.
On Thursday 26th March, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, himself got Coronavirus and even some other ministers got it too.
On Sunday 29th March, I made my first ever podcast which is known as ‘The Chat Library’ with my sister.We discuss all girl problems and we post twice a week still to the present day. This really boosted my confidence and pushed me out of my comfort zone.

April:

On Thursday 2nd April, I let my school friends know about my podcast which again pushed me out of my comfort zone but I got a lot of positive feedback and appreciation for it.
On Friday 10th April, I started my second anonymous podcast which I will not share here but I also post there with my sister twice a week.
On Thursday 16th April, I did my GCSE Biology Paper 2 Mock at home which was definitely a first for me and many others.
On 19th April, I started a mini series on my website where I shared 4 articles talking about my one-month experience quarantining.
On Friday 24th April, Ramadan for us Muslims began, and this was the first time I was fasting in quarantine. Mosques were closed and families from different households were not able to eat together, but we went through Ramadan at home. Throughout this month and the next few months, I may have had a spiritual and religious awakening as I pray more and focus on my religion Islam.
Boris Johnson was recovered after getting admitted to St Thomas Hospital and he came back to work.
As a person who used to watch Bollywood very frequently, I also found out that on 29th April, a famous actor called Irfan Khan passed away, and the next day Rishi Kapoor passed away (RIP to them both).

May:

On 10th May, I started an Instagram for my podcast which is @thechatlibrary, where we post motivational quotes and podcast previews.
On Sunday 24th May, it was Eid-ul-Fitr which I celebrated at home and only went right outside my house to take some photos. Again, this was very different to my usual Eids.
On Monday 25th May, one of the biggest tragedies which set a huge fire amongst many was George Floyd’s death, a man who was mercilessly killed just for being black. This went viral on social media, and people started raising awareness of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and even protesting outside during COVID-19. More people also started learning about racism and its history.

June:

On 5th June, I activated my old Instagram @valuable.seconds and changed to @surobiscribbles. That is my personal/business account where I post poetry and photography.
My school decided to allow Year 10 students to come into school if they wished to only for 6 days before the end of the academic year. I did not go though.
On 14th June, I found out one of the biggest shocks ever. One Indian actor known as Sushant Singh Rajput passed away.
On 20th June, I properly went out grocery shopping with my mother since lockdown began.
Near the end of the month, I started having one-to-one meetings with my teachers via Google Meet and this was just such a new experience for me.

July:

On 3rd July, a famous Indian choreographer called Saroj Khan passed away (RIP to her).
On 17th July, it was the last day of school as a Year 10 student and on that day, I even went to Westfield Stratford with my mother. I took the bus for the first time since the lockdown began.
On 19th July, it was my 15th birthday! I got ready, went to my local park with my mother, ate delicious homemade food and cut a small chocolate cake.
On 22nd July, I met my three school friends after about four months at my birthday picnic. I, therefore, celebrated my birthday with my friends in my local park.
On 24th July, I went to Lloyd Park with my sister.
On 31st July, I celebrated Eid-ul-Adha by going to Gokyuzu Restaurant with my sister and this was the first time we ate in a restaurant since lockdown began.

August:

Rishi Sunak, one of the Conservative MPs released the new ‘Eat To Help Out Scheme’ where you get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner) every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August as many times as you like. People started going out much more often and posting food on their social media.
I started promoting my podcast and my website on my personal Instagram page @surobiscribbles.
On 20th August, along with the other GCSE students, I went to school (after about 5 months) and collected my GCSE Biology results. I reacted to it at home and told my family. Some GCSE and A-Level students had mixed feelings about this.
Throughout the month of August, I had travelled to Lea Valley Park, Gokyuzu Restaurant, Sahara Grill, Franzos , Koz Restaurant, The Urban Chocolatier and also went normal grocery shopping.
Near the end of the month, I disabled my Instagram @thechatlibrary (which had over 100 followers) and my Instagram @surobiscribbles (which had over 500 followers) for my own personal reasons.
Chadwick Boseman passed away on 28th August 2020 (RIP to him).

September:

On 2nd September, I went out with my friend to Walthamstow Wetlands.
I also have done some back to school prep.

My school will be starting again from 7th September 2020 and I will, In Sha Allah, be going into Year 11.

These were some of the key highlights of what happened over the 6 month lockdown. It has been a very different experience. Of course, there is no denying that I did have some low and negative days but you know what, there were more positives than negatives.

I know that this COVID-19 battle has not ended yet and I know that the cases could increase in the future. All my thoughts go out to those who have either passed away, have had loved ones passing away and to every single person’s life who has changed because of this virus. Please comment down below how your life has changed due to COVID-19.

Please check out my other articles related to experiences for more of the experiences I have been through or feel free to surf through my website for any other article.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!