il Giardino Romantico

哇！已經是十月底的事情了。不過雖然過了一陣子，我還是沒忘記這次的經驗。剛來的時候就一直在想：到底何年何月才能吃到falafel呢？這天是參加某個pub quiz之前跟朋友約好要先去吃晚餐的。原本我們預計是要去吃這家對面的『麵』[不是我要求的喔！是那兩個加拿大情侶說要去吃的喔！！]沒想到他們到了那，說還要等一陣子。我們的時間不多。這離the Cambridge還有一段路。吃完還得走一陣子。我好不容易走到『麵』，我朋友才打電話來跟我說他們不等了，在對面的Top Chef等我。

一走進去，看到乾淨舒適的裝潢感覺還蠻舒服的。只是我很納悶，為什麼這家店人會這麼少？東西不好吃嗎？還是服務不好？總之我們已經到了這，因為時間上的關係，也不可能回去『麵』。Menu拿來研究了一下，看到琳琅滿目的美食名稱，我們三個人一直拿不定主意。直到我發現了：FALAFEL！！

經我這麼一說，他們也決定要吃falafel！還說我不講他們還沒發現這裡有。哇勒...到底誰是native speaker啊...不過這也要歸功於身為素食者，我們的選擇真的不多啦。他們還得看各式各樣葷食的選擇。我當然比較容易發現falafel囉！

This was way back, before Halloween.  I still remember the taste of the falafel and humus.  Ever since I got here, I've been thinking about when I would be able to get falafel.  Thanks to the over-busy 'Tokyou', and my dearest Canadian friends, I finally got to taste my dear falafel!

The cleaniness of the restaurant left us wondering why the place was so empty.  Was it the food?  Or perhaps the service?  Well, 'Tokyou' was way too busy for us to go back.  We had to get to the Cambridge in time for pub quiz, so this would have to do.  The menu certainly seemed promising.  But that didn't help us decide what to get.  Then, I noticed: FALAFEL...

It was easier for me to discover falafel, since my choices were a little more limited.  After I told my friends I wanted a falafel sandwich, they decided to order the same.



怎麼樣？看起來很棒吧！其實的確是很棒的！不過你們有沒有覺得很奇怪？為什麼標題寫『難吃』，我卻在經過這段日子之後還一直懷念著他的味道及口感？因為這個『難吃』不是指not delicious，而是指'difficult to eat'。店員丟了刀叉給我們。可是...有吃過這東西的人就會知道，這用刀叉怎麼吃啊？！

後來因為我們三人都很『ㄍㄧㄥ』，還是很努力的用刀叉把他吃的精光。不過我也聲明了，下次要點這東西呀，我一定要打包回家，塞滿整張臉，吃的更過癮些！

經過這一陣子的談話，我得知他們對這falafel有著很特殊的感覺。據他們而言，這裡的falafel跟北美的口感很不一樣。他們轉頭問我說跟我以前吃的是不是也很不一樣。其實這麼一回想，好像是有點乾。Humus用的不夠多。但是，除此之外，真的還挺不錯的啦！

It looks delicious, doesn't it?  And it was delicious.  The only thing that bothered us was the way they expected us to eat this - with knife and fork!  How in the world were we suppose to eat this without stuffing your face into it?  I told my friends that the next time I come, I'm going to get it to go, then stuff my face into it like you're supposed to. 

According to my friends, the falafel was a bit different than what they were used to in North America.  When they turned to me and asked if I was used to this kind of falafel, I couldn't really respond, because I've only had a few.  They said it was a bit drier.  The falafel they were used to were more 'moist' and more like meatballs.  Honestly, I think I would have to agree, however, we all agree that this one was not bad, either.