Cycle Café's....Oops!

Sunday, 15 April 2012

~Little Italy Espresso Bar~....

Cafe Review:
Little Italy Espresso Bar
Haddenham, Nr Thame. Buckinghamshire, HP17 8EJ, UK

My Bike club – VC10, use this pretty little cafe frequently, starting or finishing rides here.

The unlikely place for such a cosmopolitan ‘Espresso Bar’ is next to the forge in a small village, Haddenham, a maze of narrow alleys, thatched cottages and an impressive village green with a well populated duck pond.

Home-made cakes and brownies support your coffee break, where Own-label coffee is not too dark, not too strong and not too roasted and available for purchase as ground or beans, so you can make it at home.

Lunch of interesting salads, toasted goodies and the ever present, ever dry, ever horrible Panini are available, on white or brown, as are some nice sandwiches.

I’d like to see more wheat-free things, but that’s perhaps just a personal choice.

Decking at the rear of the premises allows a sheltered area to grab any winter sun, and, perhaps equally important, the neighbours, with, apparently, one notable exception, are as friendly and welcoming as the staff. I’m of the opinion that independently-owned is almost always better, and Little Italy is one of Britain’s best examples.

Parking is also fairly acceptable for such a small village, with the cafe having an agreement with the local Indian Restaurant (opposite) to use some spaces otherwise not in use during daytime.
Try a ride over Chiltern scarps and through wooded beech lanes, or over exposed hilltops such as Winchendon, or perhaps something quiet and flat across the Aylesbury vale. Access to the area can also be had by train, with a local station at Thame and Haddenham Parkway.

Little Italy has a gorgeous set up...very Scandenavian

*Huge Thanks to our Guest Reviewer Dave Johnson!

http://www.littleitalyespressobar.com/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/39664321723/?notif_t=group_added_to_group

http://www.vc10.org.uk/vc10/

~Cycling Cafe's Diva

"Uniting a Community; one Cyclist at a time"

"RIDE HAPPY"

This Blog and its content is copyright of Cycle Cafe - ©CycleCafe 2011 . All rights reserved

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© Cycle Cafe 2011
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Thursday, 5 April 2012

Clementine Cake

This is a fun little Cake to make....

Ingredients

4-5 clementines (about 375g total weight)
6 eggs
225g sugar
250g ground almonds
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

Method

Serves: 8-10

The only food procesor I had while in England was our Coffee Grinder...so I improvised...

Actually, it all got a wee bit out of hand lol

You can then add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix. Or, you can beat the eggs by hand adding the sugar, almonds and baking powder, mixing well, then finally adding the pulped oranges.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the tin.

When the cake's cold, you can take it out of the tin.

This is a lovely Cake and a definete change from traditional Cakes.

However it is a very wet, moist, dense cake. It tastes better the next day and should be kept refrigerated. I didn't ice this cake but a Cream Cheese Frosting with some citrus zest would be nice. Enjoy!

This cake can be made with an equal weight of oranges, and with lemons, in which case I increase the sugar to 250g and slightly anglicise it, too, by adding a glaze made of icing sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.

Cycling Cafe's Diva

"Uniting a Community; one Cyclist at a time"

<p><a href="http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/protect/p11_web_design_copyright" title="Web design copyright">Web design copyright</a> fact sheet from UK

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/clementine-cake-2559

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Rabbit Stew

Before anyone gives me the "Hairy Eyeball" for this post, or any Vegan Activist feels inclined to give me a lecture, let me just say first of all that I am sure that the rabbit had a good life and to be fair the Rabbit was Vegan!....and yes I do realize this is not CAKE! As Cyclist/Athletes I am sure you agree that eating well is a high priority and how often do we grab for high carb empty calorie food; right? So, I started thinking that I would develop a few recipes that are great eats...and really good for you as well...look for more tasty recipes to follow like Granola Bars, Fabulous filling Salads and more!

While I was in England I had a wonderful opportunity to expand&explore my culinary skills. One of the lovely dishes I decided to make was way out of my comfort zone, but I decided to give it a go any way,

'Rabbit Stew', a very European Dish, and one personally that I had never tried. This wasn't my first time making a Stew, but it was my first time making it with rabbit and being that I had never tried rabbit before I was apprehensive, but venturing forth...onward! The rabbit had been passed up in the freezer by any, and every other meat that I could find, and it was the only thing left; so here went nothing. I sourced out a recipe online. Found one that seemed easy enough to follow; good ole BBC>>>>http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/old_fashioned_rabbit_74225 and carried on. As they say "Keep Calm and make Rabbit Stew" well they don't really say that, but there you go....and here is how it went....

Ingredients:

3 tbsp plain flour ( I used spelt flour )
2 tsp dried thyme, or 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves ( I used rosemary)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g/½oz butter ( I didn't use any butter)
2-3 tbsp sunflower oil ( I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil..always do!)
1 large farmed rabbit or 2 young wild rabbits, jointed into 8 pieces
6 rashers rindless smoked streaky bacon, cut into 2cm/¾in squares (I didn't use any)
2 onions, chopped
500ml/17fl oz dry cider ( I replaced this with Guinness...thought it went better with the rabbit)
300ml/10fl oz chicken or vegetable stock ( I made my own Veg. Stock)
2 bay leaves ( I didn't use any)
350g/12oz chantenay carrots, peeled
( I used carrots...I'm not sure what kind they were, but they were orange )
150g/5oz frozen peas ( I skipped the peas and used potatoes instead)
*I am not sure what it is about the English but they are awfully fond of their 'Peas' they add them to every dish it seems....I say live on the wild side....change it up a bit.

Oh and I also added a garlic clove and a dollop of honey too!
So basically I changed the whole recipe lol

Preparation method:

1. Place the flour, thyme and a good pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper in a large freezer bag. Put the rabbit portions into the bag, a few at a time, and shake well until evenly coated in the seasoned flour. Transfer to a plate

<I put my flour and seasonings into a bowl and tossed the Rabbit in the mixture.>

2.Melt the butter with one tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the rabbit, a few pieces at a time, until golden-brown all over. Put all the front and rear leg portions into a flameproof casserole dish.

3.Transfer the saddle pieces to a plate, cover loosely and set aside (these will need less cooking time, so can be added later on). Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2

4.Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the bacon until the fat is browned and beginning to crisp. Add the bacon to the casserole dish.Add a dash more oil to the frying pan and fry the onion for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned and beginning to soften. Add the onions to the casserole, sprinkle with any flour remaining in the freezer bag and stir until well combined.

<..and the rosemary>

5.Pour half of the cider into the frying pan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to lift any sediment from the bottom. Simmer for a few seconds then pour into the casserole. Add the rest of the cider and the stock. Stir the bay leaves into the casserole, cover with a lid and cook in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.

6.Remove the casserole from the oven, add the reserved saddle pieces and carrots, turn all the rabbit portions, ensuring that as much of the meat is covered by liquid as possible. (Not all the meat will be covered.) Return to the oven for a further hour.

7.Take the casserole out of the oven after one hour and check the rabbit – the meat should be starting to fall off the bone when the rabbit is ready. Poke the leg portions and the saddle pieces with a knife and if it doesn’t slide in easily, return the casserole to the oven. Check again for tenderness and turn the rabbit portions every 30 minutes or so

8.When the rabbit is tender, skim off any fat that may have risen to the top of the casserole with a large spoon. Carefully transfer the casserole to the hob. Bring to a fast simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the liquid reduces to a slightly thickened, gravy-like consistency. Stir in the frozen peas and simmer for a further three minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve..

I do have to say.....I did a really great job of this!....and being that it was my first time eating rabbit...Not Bad, if I do say so myself!

"Happy Easter Everyone!"~C.C.

~Cycling Cafe's Diva

"Uniting a Community; one Cyclist at a time"

<p><a href="http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/protect/p11_web_design_copyright" title="Web design copyright">Web design copyright</a> fact sheet from UK

http://www.hub-uk.com/tallyrecip02/recipe0069.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/old_fashioned_rabbit_74225
another lovely recipe by bbc.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rabbitandpearlbarley_89209..

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Ride Malibu Canyon.....So. Cal. Cafe's

Last Weekend CYCLE CAFE received two great So.Cal. Cafe reviews from one of our amazing followers....Being a longtime former resident of LA., and having spent alot of time in Malibu, having cycled the P.C.H. many times, I was really excited to hear about Kyung's adventure, as well about the two Cafe stops she made. She wrote a great review for Cycle Cafe with loads of photos.
So, with no further adue....

"With the LA Marathon fast approaching, I have another 20+ miles scheduled for tomorrow. But today, I'll be on my bike. Every time I get on my bike, life becomes an adventure. And today, that adventure will take me to couple independent cafes that are cyclist-friendly, and I'll be able to finally write a review for Donna for her Cycle Cafe page(s). Can't wait for the sun to come up!! Life is GOOD!"

"View from my ride on a gorgeous day! " ~K.L. 02/18/12

.....Boney Mountain Coffee Co.
http://www.BoneyMountainCoffee.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boney-Mountain-Coffee-Co/114357471933690?sk=wall

February 18, 2012
It was a glorious day today - sunny, with temperature in the upper 60s. Perfect for riding, and a perfect day to back up my promise to Donna, that I would visit and review cycle cafes. So I decided to ride out to Newbury Park (in Ventura County, California) to visit Boney Mountain Coffee shop that I had seen pictures of, from my cyclist friends on Facebook.
The ride was about 10.5 miles through the back road of Hidden Valley, a gorgeous area nestled between mountains. I know many celebs live in this famous spot. The ride was easy enough, with just a minor climb, at least, it's minor to me now, having trained in the Malibu Canyons for about 1.5 years. Traffic was minimal, which is always appreciated.
The coffee shop, which is what we southern Californians call cafe, is in a subdivision neighborhood, called Dos Vientos. The neighborhood was developed around 10 years ago and still has a 'new neighborhood' feel. The coffee shop is located in the heart of Dos Vientos shopping area. It's clean, and again, new. There weren't many people in the entire, outdoor shopping area. The coffee shop had one group sitting outside, and a handful of patrons inside.
I loved the set up. As you can see from the photos, the shop is very cyclist-friendly. There are pictures of cyclists as well as real bicycles mounted up as decorations. Also, many brand name energy bars are sold here. I didn't see much of pastries. There was one display box that had 6 compartments for pastries/breads. But all I saw were some muffins, maybe a bagel or two, and the rest of the compartments were empty. Maybe the employees did not have a chance to stock the foods. However, a menu board on the wall indicated that the shop offers a limited number of hot breakfast sandwiches.
The coffee menu is standard, and so is the price. I ordered a blended (cold) mocha coffee. It was $4.25 for 12 oz and yummy! Outside in the sitting area, there is a small, but charming, zen koi pond with baby koi. There is also a fire pit, probably for colder days and evenings. I LOVED the place. I checked with one of the gals, and the shop is indeed, independent. She also indicated that the shop is a huge supporter of cyclists, and one could easily see that from the photos of cyclists and posters, and even from the t.v. showing different bicycles.
I think rather than rambling on, I should let the pictures speak for themselves. =)

--
Kyung

"Love this little coffee shop! Enjoying my blended mocha and this gorgeous perfect day!! — at Boney Mountain Coffee Co."

~Kyung Lee 02/18/12

Cycling movies play on the flat screen located in the seating area

I love this Story of Jack... Boney Mountains 1st customer when they opened their doors last year

360 Via Las Brisas #160, Newbury Park, CA 91320 · Get directions

Phone

+1 375.2326

Website

http://www.boneymountaincoffee.com/

Hours

Mon - Thu:	06:30	-	18:00
Fri - Sat:	06:30	-	20:00
Sun:	08:00	-	18:00

Bean Crazy Cafe
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bean-Crazy/200838623294454

"Cafe number 2 is coffee and wine shop =)

No wine for me, though, so I can get home in ine piece =) — at Bean Crazy

~K.L. 02/18/12

February 18, 2012
After finishing my blended mocha at Boney Mountain Coffee, I got back on my bike and headed towards Bean Crazy. This coffee joint is in Thousand Oaks, California, which is a city adjacent to Newbury Park. The ride was only 8 miles. The route took me out to the roads with heavier traffic, so I didn't enjoy the ride. I knew this would be the case, but I was keen on visiting the place because I used to visit Bean Crazy when it was under a different owner.
About 4 miles into my route, the bike lane disappeared. Along the route, there is a huge mall - the Oaks Mall, and the roads became very busy with traffic. I knew the drivers were not happy to see a cyclist on such busy roads. Whatev's. I had an agenda, and so I pursued. When I finally arrived at my destination, I was very relieved that I had made it safely.
The coffee shop was unchanged except for the name. It used to be called Bent on Coffee. Bent was the original owner. Inside, all the fixtures and the products seemed unchanged. What's unique about this coffee shop, is that it offers coffee AND wine. How about that! Bent collects unusual wines and sells to his patrons. What I gathered was, Bent still comes in the shop and continues to offer wines while the new owner handles the coffee portion of the business. You can see from the photos, the several shelves full of wine bottles.
The Bean Crazy offers interesting varieties of coffee, especially from South Americas (but don't quote me on this. I am not sure on accuracy). The shop also has coffee roasting machine on display, as you can see from one of the photos. This shop is also very charming inside. It's small but cozy. Pastries are good here; they are baked, portioned, and individually wrapped. Outside is not as charming because the cafe is located in a strip mall, facing a very busy street.
My ride home from Bean Crazy was not as crazy as my ride to the cafe, thank goodness. So... I dunno. Great coffee, great cafe, great pastries, and great selection of unusual wines. But the ride to the cafe may not be so friendly for cyclists, so one should pick the right day and time when traffic is not so heavy.
I loved this day and my expedition. Hope I can do it again soon.

--
Kyung

~Cycling Cafe's Diva

"Uniting a Community; one Cyclist at a time"

Description

Our coffee is roasted daily on premises so you are guaranteed a fresh cup every time! We also offer boutique wines that you will not be able to find at stores like Bevmo or other grocery stores.

Address

141 W. Hillcrest Dr. Ste 121, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 · Get directions

Phone

+1 805.371.7171

Website

Add website

Status

Closed now, reopens tomorrow 06:00.

Hours

Mon - Fri:	06:00	-	18:00
Sat:	07:00	-	17:00
Sun:	07:00	-	16:00

Thursday, 16 February 2012

Zappi's Bike Cafe

Cycle Cafe is very proud to announce that Zappi's Bike Cafe is the 1st Member of our Endorsed Cafe Program;

and we are so proud that they are!

During my visit to Oxford last fall I discovered Zappi's Cafe quite by accident. I had gotten very lost and turned around and there it was!

When you enter Bike Zone take the stairs straight ahead to the Cafe!

(it's like "climbing the stairway to heaven" seriously lol)

The Cafe is upstairs above the Bike Shop...there is a wonderful open setting ....

with loads of window seating

Wherever you choose to sit in Zappi's there is loads of Bike Candy to eye up as you sip your cuppa!

All baked goodies are made on premise. There is a wide selection, and they are well known for their Banana Bread. Yum Yum!

Zappi's has a a great selection of loose leaf teas. This is something that I found personally appealing as I find that loose leaf teas hold a much bolder rich flavor than bag tea.

Dan & Dan are the nicests Guys in town and Master Artisan Barrister's.

(and the cappuccino's are the best in town #Barnone!)

Zappi's is well worth a visit any day!

Drop by and say "hello" to Dan or Dan. There is Scrabble night ...and Saturday rides with the Zappi Boy's is definetly a great way to spend a weekend run, especially with it ending at Zappi's Cafe afterwards with a a hot cuppa & a delic brownie....

Tell them Cycle Cafe sent you!

(They LOVE That!)

Check them out on fb.... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150479888811410.420173.667426409&type=3#!/pages/Zappis-Cafe/209000052473648

Twitter.... @ZappisCafe

https://twitter.com/#!/ZappisCafe

and their website.... http://www.zappisbikecafe.com/

If you are intrested in joining the Sportives they leave from the shop on both Staurday & Sunday at 9 am..

http://www.oxfordsportive.com/2011/09/zappis-bike-cafe/

Zappi's is located in the heart of Oxford

on St.Michaels Street above Zappi's Bike Shop....

Zappis Bike Cafe
28-32 St. Michaels Street
Oxford
OX1 2EB

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 8am-5.30pm
Sun: 10.30am-4pm
Email:zappis@bike-zone.co.uk

http://www.zappisbikecafe.com/findus.php

Cycle Cafe will be arranging one of our Cafe Tours in the Summer that Meets up & Ends at Zappi's. Stay tuned for more exciting news to follow! ~C.C.D.

~Cycling Cafe's Diva

"Uniting a Community; one Cyclist at a time"