Author Archives: Sakura Gooneratne


September 21, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Namban Nasu (aka Barbaric Southern Aubergine)

by Sakura Gooneratne

Aubergines are one of my favourite vegetables and I will always choose an aubergine dish if I can at restaurants (except if there’s beef, and I have to admit baba ganoush still defeats me). And nothing goes better with aubergine than oil. Life is tough. I grew up with a mother who cooked something different […]

September 14, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Confit, Anyone? (Paris)

by Sakura Gooneratne

The French are famous for their cuisine and although it seems a daunting task to find the diamonds amongst the gazillion eateries in Paris, we had our trusty mother– with her Japanese travel guides– who took us seemlessly from one good restaurant and bistro to another. She likes to do her research before travelling and […]

September 7, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Sweet Decadence at Angelina and Ladurée (Paris)

by Sakura Gooneratne

You didn’t think we’d go to Paris and go on a sugarless diet, did you? Of course you didn’t. Angelina’s is a famous pâtisserie on rue de Rivoli across from the Tuileries Garden.We went there the first time we visited Paris as a family over 20 years ago where I remember eating a mille feuille. […]

August 24, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Breakfast In Paris

by Sakura Gooneratne

It’s been universally acknowledged that August is the month of sloth. Is that a problem for me? Jamais! My parents are in town and apart from my mother who doesn’t seem to understand the word lazy, the rest of us are fans of the easy life and what’s easier than to hop onto the Eurostar […]

August 10, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Lazy South Indian Breakfast

by Sakura Gooneratne

August is the month of sloth so we rolled into Wembley, north London for a laaazy Sunday brunch at Sakonis. Surrounded by shops selling everything South Asian from sarees and cricket bats to sweet Pakistani mangoes, this cheap and cheerful eatery is the perfect place for a South Indian vegetarian breakfast. Food is served all […]

August 3, 2010

Slightly Peckish: In München

by Sakura Gooneratne

I went for a lazy summer holiday to the Bavarian capital of München to visit two school friends, both of whom I’ve known for over 20 years. Oh yes, we’ve been lazing around together since we first met at boarding school, talking and eating 24/7, and things haven’t really changed much. So going from a […]

July 27, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Chilled Tempura Udon

by Sakura Gooneratne

It’s the tail end of July and we’re still experiencing hot! Hot! Heat! in London. So what better way to chill out than with a slight twist to my all time favourite noodle, the tempura udon. London’s finally got a bona fide udon-ya in the guise of Koya which serves some truly sublime sanuki udon […]

July 13, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Bitter Gourd Salad

by Sakura Gooneratne

As it’s hot, Hot, HOT in London at the moment, dinners have generally been cool affairs: cold noodles, salads and a tonne of watermelon. I fear I’ll be growing a watermelon soon. No, wait, that’s just my tummy. I’ll get myself to the gym once this gorgeous weather fades. I’ve grown to love salads as […]

June 29, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Mee Soup

by Sakura Gooneratne

London is scorching this week and what better way to spend a weekend than by getting a bit of sunny goodness with an absorbing book at Waterlow Park, next to Highgate Cemetary where my father’s hero, Karl Marx, is buried. I get to use my brain, immerse myself in a story and work on my […]

June 15, 2010

Slightly Peckish: Mussels from Brussels (London)

by Sakura Gooneratne

Summer seems to be a fickle thing here in muggy London. Not sunny enough for a picnic but warm enough for some chilled beer so we headed off to Belgo Noord for some moules, frites et bieres. Just north of Camden Town, the restaurant itself has an industrial feel but it’s cool, clean and light. […]