Pastries- Croissant/Crescent Rolls

Croissant also known as the crescent roll is a buttery flaky bread. This in my humble opinion is probably one of the best and tastiest delight to emerge from an oven. I was over at Amigos (one of the supermarkets in Abuja, located in Wuse II) in the morning to pick up a few items before heading into work. And just like I do every time I'm in Amigos I do a quick scan to see if there are any edibles that could soothe my taste bud. Lo and behold I came across these croissants fresh from the bakery. I was completely helpless, there was no way I was going to leave the store without purchasing one. I was greeted by one of the store clerks who informed me they had both chocolate and cheese filled croissant. As much as I love chocolate, cheese will always trump chocolate any day any time. I purchased the cheese filled croissant.
It was absolutely delicious, like I had a slice of heaven in my mouth. If I had the opportunity to create my own heaven, I would have it filled with croissants, coffee and ice cream and off course the ability not to gain a single pound hahahahahaha. The croissants cost 240 naira a piece. Not too bad for Abuja standard, I think (I'm now immune to Abuja prices, they don't shock me as much as it used to).
This could serve as the perfect breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea or as a snack. Either way you just gotta try them, but you have to make it to Amigos early because I think these are available only in the mornings. I'm assuming because I've never seen them later in the day when I've gone to Amigos. I'm definitely heading back to Amigos to get me more of these goodies :)

Restaurant Review #10

"Da Maria" Italian Food and Delicatessen Plot 98, Amino Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja. Tel. # 07052555589

I’m very excited about this new spot I discovered. I’m guessing it’s been around for a couple months. I happened upon it on my way to visit a friend. I would have asked the cab guy to stop but alas my wallet was as dry as an empty kitchen cabinet. I needed to replenish and soon because in all honesty, the restaurant looked too good to pass up. 

Well I finally made it here and I was not disappointed. Once I entered the restaurant, I was greeted with a menu list which included their menu of the day. A few flights of stairs brought me to restaurant. I had the feeling that I had temporarily left Nigeria and I was standing inside the dining area of a very nice Italian resident. The restaurant had a very intimate and cozy feel to it. The accents and decors provided the perfect finishing to this wonderful place. 

The restaurant is divided into two sections. The first section on your right is a mini shop with a variety of wines, pastas and my personal favorite – CHEESE!!!!! At this point I had to exercise a lot of restraint. I wouldn’t want to explain to my family and friends how I spent a night in jail because of cheese (that would have made for a very awkward and embarrassing tale. Don’t you think?). I respectfully made it to my table and awaited service. Let me at this point interject that I have never been a huge fan of Italian food. My appetite for Italian food is limited to spaghetti with meat sauce/bolognaise or lasagna. And maybe if I’m feeling adventurous I’ll add elbow macaroni to the mix (that’s considered Italian right?) I’ve been brainwashed into thinking that a lot of the so called Italian meals I had in the US were authentic Italian meal (well newsflash it isn’t! – don’t worry I’ll give you a second to get over your shock). A quick scan of the menu revealed a whole array of mouthwatering entrees but I quickly settled on the Caprese salad (mozzarella salad). I was nursing a serious craving for fresh mozzarella salad at this point. Service was actually fast and I was quite impressed.  To my right, a couple friends were enjoying a three course meal accompanied with a bottle of wine. And seeing their meal, I was having second thoughts on just settling for the Caprese Salad.  

My salad was served with a side of cold, day old bread (I was looking forward to some steaming hot Italian bread). The salad itself was made to perfection. Fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs, fresh mozzarella cheese and dressed with olive oil. Even thinking about it now is making my mouth water. This was the perfect Caprese salad. The authenticity and taste of fresh mozzarella salad was enough to have me singing from the highest mountains hahahahahahaha. 

Before I left, I made it to the cheese display again to ask about their ricotta cheese (I used it to prepare lasagna a couple times back in the States) and I had a rather interesting/embarrassing chat with the owner.  The ricotta cheese they sold in the States had a semi-soft consistency. And well this ricotta cheese was hard. I kept telling the owner that this was not ricotta as I know it. And off course I argued a bit until I came to my senses (dumb moment, everyone has them right? C’mon don’t leave me hanging). Imagine a non-Nigerian arguing with me about the preparation of oha soup or what we call oha leaves. Anyway he ended up telling me about having egusi soup in Italy and what we generally consider pizza is not actually pizza as the pioneers intended it to be.

Almost forgot, the cost of the meal was quite decent. I spent a total of 1400 naira on my meal, which in my opinion was well worth it. Meals start from 1000 naira and upwards.

Price: High