"Expand your world through food" is Bookalokal’s
slogan. And as a gal passionate about travelling and food, it's bang up
my street.
Bookalokal started life right here in Brussels a few years
ago. Described as AirBnB for food, it's now expanded to dozens of cities round
the world - a pretty strong testament to how popular it is.
The idea is simple: local people offer home-cooked dinners,
cookery workshops or food tours to, well, anyone who wants them. "Meal
experiences" is the term used by Bookalokal.
You might wonder why anyone would want to pay restaurant
prices for a non-restaurant experience, but the idea is you're getting an
authentic, well-cooked meal as well as the chance to connect with local people,
learn about their culture and food, and meet new people by way of your fellow
diners.
Groups vary in size, but I don’t think they tend to be too
big so you get the chance to talk to everyone. The format apparently appeals to
everyone from business-people on a short trip to long-time city residents, all
of whom want something different to your bog-standard restaurant.
Understandably, the concept is popular with solo travellers.
I'd heard of Bookalokal before and thought it sounded really
interesting, so when they asked me if I'd like to pick an event to review for
my blog, I was really excited to have the opportunity to experience Bookalokal
for myself.
There are loads of interesting sounding dinners, brunches and
lunches from which to choose, but I particularly like the idea of the
workshop/class style meals, where you're taught how to make something new (as
well as getting something delicious to eat!)
The event I chose was called "Gluten free, whether
you need it or not." While I'm not a coeliac and I would never cut out
gluten from my diet altogether (mmm bread), I am very interested in the health
benefits of reducing your gluten intake. (Last year I tried going gluten-free
for a week and concurred it wasn't for me.) And after all, gluten-free food
sales are soaring and it does seem to be the food trend du jour!
After confirming my attendance I was sent the phone number,
email address and exact address of my hostess for the event, Gaia (I was also able
to read about her and reviews of her previous events online), and I got another
reminder email on the day. Always handy.
On the menu was:
Starter: Grilled vegetables, pancetta and polenta skewers
Main Dish: Gluten-free pasta with saffron and zucchini cream
Dessert: Creamy peach ice cream on grilled fruits
Drinks: Rare herbal teas and infused waters.
It all sounded healthy and tasty to me!
Before you book, you get to see the host’s rating, ask them
a question, and are given pretty much every detail you could need, from how
long the event will last to whether they have wifi and aircon!
At £22 per person, it’s far more than I’d generally spend on
dinner, even at a restaurant! However, for people with more money or for a
special treat, I think it’s great. Why not buy someone a Bookalokal dinner as a
present?
I arrived at Gaia's flat bang on time, and was the first one
there. She welcomed me warmly and we started chatting while waiting for my
fellow diners to arrive.
Joining us were four others of all different ages and
nationalities. French, Belgian, Portuguese and Indian, plus British me and
Italian Gaia. But all currently living in Brussels. It was fun to discuss our
different cultures over the evening, even if the language of the night was, of
course, English.
As we made small talk and found out a bit about one another
while sipping fruit-infused waters we agreed on one thing in particular: food
and travel are the best.
We then all sat down on floor cushions and Gaia handed out
info packs for us to take away, containing the recipes for the night and info
about gluten-free eating. She talked to us about how wheat has adapted over the
years, how our busy lifestyles have changed our eating habits for the worse,
and how we can eat better. First tip: try and chew each mouthful at least 30
times!
We were challenged to put this into practice by sampling
natural foods like dried fruits, nuts and seeds. The idea was that by not
rushing our food we'd be able to think about how it makes us feel. To be honest
I didn't feel much apart from "mmm this is nice food", but some of
the others did.
 |
| Gaia |
After discussing our different experiences, we moved into
the kitchen. Thank goodness - I was getting huuuuungry! By the time we
eventually sat down to eat it was nearly three hours after we’d arrived, and to
be honest I’d have preferred it if we’d started earlier.
Luckily, Gaia had done most of the food prep beforehand, but
it was fun to get stuck in and do the final bits ourselves (under her
guidance.) She talked us through the recipes, and this way we understood better
how to recreate the dishes ourselves.
For the polenta, shrimp and courgette skewers (slightly
different to the menu we were given online beforehand), all we needed to do was
a spot of chopping before building our kebabs, drizzling them with oil/marinade
and popping them in the oven.
For the main course, Gaia had already cooked a load of
courgettes and onions in olive oil (the smell was divine!), and this mix was to
become our pasta sauce. It was blended and then set aside while we moved to the
dinner table for our starters.
The little round table on Gaia's terrace was laid with
pretty, colourful crockery which I liked a lot.
So, how were our skewers? I
liked them. Polenta is something I've only had once before and to be fair it
doesn't taste of much but a little oily drizzle goes a long way.
Gaia herself wasn't overly satisfied, so for the second
baking tray's worth she added a stronger dressing using chilli flakes, balsamic
vinegar and lemon. As someone who doesn't really like balsamic or lemon, this
wasn't the best thing ever for me, but they were certainly more flavoursome.
While we finished up, Gaia got busy in the kitchen preparing
our second course. And this, ma dears, was a real treat.
It's actually very simple too: all she'd done was cook a
load of gluten-free pasta, mix some Italian cheese and saffron into the blended
vegetable creating a delicious sauce, and then combine the two.
It was so so tasty, and amazing for comfort food. The thing
is, you wouldn't even guess you were eating so many vegetables - a great way of
sneaking them into meals for kids.
I had three servings. It was that good.
The gluten-free pasta did have a slightly different texture
to normal pasta, but it seemed more like wholewheat to me. Still scrummy.
After so much pasta, a light pudding was just what we
needed. Enter: banana and peach sorbet. (Again, different to the menu online,
and I had quite been looking forward to the prospect of grilled fruits.)
When I saw a blender and some frozen banana come out, I knew
we were in for a treat (big fan of blending frozen bananas in gelato,
milkshakes, smoothies etc, as you may well know.)
All Gaia did was peel and chop the peach then blend it with
the banana to make a thick, refreshing, healthy 'ice cream'. As she had some
pink and some yellow peaches, I had the idea of blending them separately and creating
a layered pudding, and I think it went down rather well.
It really was remarkably tasty, and again, incredibly
simple. A wonderful light summer pud.
By this point it was gone 11pm and a school night (*gasp*)
so time to say our goodbyes and head home. We all exchanged business
cards/numbers/blogs (on my part) etc, and said "See ya... Maybe."
Will we see each other again? To be honest it's probably
unlikely, but it was lovely to spend an evening with new, interesting people
from all other the world, all with different stories to tell.
I now see that with Bookalokal, you're paying for much more
than the food. Over the evening, I learned about nutrition, cooking, eating,
and was made to challenge my assumptions. What's more, I had a lot of fun and
ate some delicious food. What's not to love?
Click here to vote Handbags and Cupcakes for "Best Lifestyle Blog" in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2014!
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