Like Ham & Cheese on Crack

You've probably been to Pret numerous times on your daily breakfast run and thought to yourself, God, it's that same old thing again; "a yoghurt and raspberry jam parfait, please, take away". Off you go, with a grunt and a softly-dying appetite, at the thought of swallowing down yet another tasteless breakfast this week. It's doesn't have to be that way, zesties. Weekday breakfast can be fun again! This morning, I took the adventurous road down the bakery aisle at Pret and bought myself a melty crispy, goldeny brown Ham & Cheese croissant. I did it. Carbs for breakfast, zestie, it's a fact. So sue me.

It's got all the winner ingredients for a happy breakfast and a splendid start to the day: the ham, the bacon, the cheese, the juicy tomato sauce, the crispy crust - it basically is 352 calories of pure goodness. I can't wait til tomorrow morning. Did I just hear my alarm clock?

In the Pret a Manger near you.

A Neighborhood of Hidden Yummy Treasures

My Notting Hill and West London friends are gonna kill me once they find out what I'm about to say... but I've gotta lay it out there...I've gotta just come out and say it. I've been falling in love with a different neighborhood than my own lately. It's been a serious crush, really. I'm talking about the cool, short-of-being-as-hip-as-Shoreditch, but raising-the-bar-in- comparison-to-Islington (sorry Islingtonites), awesome indutrial neighborhood of Farringdon. I know I know, most of you are thinking...who is this girl? Is she like...like some sort of alien who's just landed on planet earth or something? Farringdon has been around for the cool kids long before she (I) landed here! Yes, I know, I'm a little late in the game and I guess I kind of am some sort of alien. But hey, at least, I'm psyched.

Farringdon

I'm really psyched about Farringdon, my latest zesty discovery. And that's not only because it houses one of the most delirious and decadent places in all of London called Volupte Lounge (find more info in previous entry), but also because it is the home of 3 of London's most sought out yet underrated restaurants. And as you've probably figured it out by now, I'm pretty obsessed with restaurants... being a closet fat kid and all...

St Johns, Farringdon

The first one of these joints being (its sister restaurant is located in Spittalfields): St Johns . St Johns, on St Johns Street, is a truly cooky place. To prove to you just how cooky it is, I've decided to paste the description they've put up on their site just for giggles: St John Restaurant is a restaurant in London that is a London Restaurant. Saint John Restaurant also has another Restaurant called St John Bread and Wine, you could also call it Saint John Bread and Wine. These are both located in London, i.e. London in the United Kingdom, UK, England, Britain. St John Restaurant and St John Bread and Wine offer good food as they are a restaurant in London. St John Restaurant is located in Smithfield in London, this is next to farringdon, but Londoners call it Smithfield, because it is really Smithfield, not Farringdon. St John Bread and Wine is located in Spitalfields, thats strange - Smithfield and Spitalfields - they both are in London and have restaurants near there and the end in field! 

Anyways it goes on...I could continue, but you'd probably start browsing elsewhere...if you haven't done so already.

The Modern Pantry, London

The second one being: The Modern Pantry. This adorable restaurant will give your mumbling tummy goosebumps you won't even forget. Check them out online and book a table immediately for Saturday or Sunday brunch, dinner with the girls or a romantic date out on the town with the BF. Man, I'm salivating just writing about it. If you're not quite there yet, read this description the guys at Modern Pantry used to excite your palate! Modern comes from the Latin term modernus; pertaining to, or characteristic of the current period. It conjures up the excitement of something new, fresh and original. Pantry comes from the Latin word panis, meaning bread. A pantry is a cupboard or room which house the necessity of life...Together, these two words embody The Modern Pantry's philosophy: the desire to please and excite the palate by fusing everyday cooking with modern ingredients.

Lovely....

The Quality Chop House, Farringdon

The third and last but not least one being: The Quality Chop House: The steak tartare at this quirky restaurant is glorious and so are the other meats, veggies and British pies. And, the decor appears to be straight out of a movie set from a 19th century butcher shop....eery! For a little taste of their motto: The Quality Chop House is one of the rare survivor's of late nineteenth century working-class chop houses. London's literati and epicureans would meet and enjoy a plate of meat, bread and half a pint of ale for the modest sum of six pence. 

So go enjoy Farrgindon's delicious treasures! Then come back here and tell me how much you enjoyed them!

Burger Mania

I miss New York. Especially right now, I miss New York. I miss the buildings, I miss the smells. I miss Central Park and I miss the leaves turning red. I miss my friends. I miss my favorite restaurants and  my favorite shops. I miss the pumpkin season. I miss Autumn. I miss the food. I miss my old flat. I miss the lower east side. I miss the people. Again, I miss the food. Yeah, I miss the food. A lot. I miss the burgers. I miss the Spotted Pig 's burger, I miss BLT's Burger , I miss The Corner Bistro's burger, I miss Shake Shack , I miss The Burger Joint at The Parker Meridien . Damn. I just miss those burgers. But why why why do I miss them so? It's not like I haven't been enjoying my fair share of burgers here in London. Or sunday roasts and fish n' chips. I mean, I've been to Byron, I've been to the Electric. Those were decent burger experiences. But for some reason, they just weren't good enough. They were good but they were not fantastic. I even caught myself several times comparing them to the New York burgers. Thinking about that one last burger I had at BLT, drooling over them in my thoughts, salivating a teeny bit into the corners of my mouth. Trying to remember why I ever left! In New York, it was kind of an obsession, finding the best burger in town. But that was how you did things there. You took part in the experience. You became a restaurant critic. And you blogged about it. I guess that's what I'm trying to achieve here right now, to no avail really. 

The point of this entry is not to bash London burgers. No no. On the contrary. I have decided to loudly voice my opinion of the best burger in town. And I'm ready to be hung. Flagellated. Tortured. I know, burgers are a topic of discussion that is very close to our hearts. So much so, that we may do things to each other we may end up regretting. So, let me just say, I come in peace. After countless burgers, after numerous tastings, I have found my favorite burger place in London. The Thomas Cubitt pub in Belgravia has me addicted to their burger. That's the truth ladies and gentlemen. London is back in the game and she is ready to fight for her right to burgerville. Last Saturday, I went again with a group of friends and we all had the burger. The look on every one's face was priceless. Oh My God. It was phenomenal. We all smiled. We were full of glee. The table went silent and we just ate, we devoured, we nibbled at every leftover piece on our plates. We wanted another one. It was just too good. Now let me also add that The Thomas Cubitt  on the adorable Elizabeth Street has been categorized in my book as a girl-friendly pub, which means that I give it a big thumbs-up for being clean, bright and full of cool people. In brief, all the more reason to go check it out. Order the burger and you'll forget everything I said about New York being better than London. That's a promise.

The Thomas Cubitt, Elizabeth Street, Belgravia

Fish n' Chips a la Conran

I never thought I'd say this but I am growing more and more fond of British food. I guess, after over a year spent in this lovely country, after one too many of Jamie Oliver cooking shows (for lack of a better choice) and after numerous Sunday Roasts, Fish n' Chips and a million different varieties of shepherds/farm/fisherman gooey slushy types of pies, I have grown accustomed to the strange combination of ingredients (green jelly with red meat, really???) and the taste confusion explosions that have occurred in my mouth in the last 12 months. I have never thought of myself as food snob, not really, but I like my dishes to be plain and simple, and most of all, I like my food to be clearly identifiable on the plate in front of me. I like to  know what I'm eating and I like to know what I'm injecting into my body. I like to know what type of meat I'm smelling, what's in a pie and what certain mysterious lumps of goo are made of. Well anyways, I'm being open-minded, I am, I really am! In fact, I'm somewhat surprised at how much I have enjoyed the British fare experience. Especially when that experience consists of eating in a fresh and industrial-looking place like the Albion in Shoreditch. Cuz it's so much cooler than pubs! I just hate it when I'm eating my Sunday Roast in a gloomy ale-stinking bomb of a pub in the middle of the day, and it is so dark that I have trouble sticking my fork in that one miserable little pea.

Right across the street from the uber cool "members only" Shoreditch House, sits the "everyone's allowed!" uber-er cool Conran-owned Albion caff, as the locals call it, where you can probably find the most delicious and trendiest fish n' chips in all of London. Well at least in all of Shoreditch. It's got everything you want in a breakfast place, the food, the people watching, and the obvious 20 minute queue. No reservations are accepted, but as you are patiently waiting for your turn to be seated, you can take a stroll down to their ultra chic downstairs restaurant The Boundary , gawk at their marvelous bakery and let your nostrils and eyeballs be teased by their small and exclusive grocery shop. You will find that the wait is not as long as anticipated. 


                      The Albion Caff on Boundary Street, Shoreditch

Mayfair Lady at the Rose Bakery

I am moving again! Weeeeeee! Not far, just a smidgen south of where I am at the moment. My flat is a mess, my head is a mess, my life...well, is a mess, but surprisingly I am still standing. My student days are behind me, and I am looking forward now. To what? Yeah. About that. I have no friggin clue but at least I am looking forward, right? I've always been a fan of staying positive, though, and enjoying the wee things in life that make you feel special. Like for example: I looooove cupcakes or any baked goods with frosting on top. There's something about the fluff of the dough mixed with the nutty crunchiness and the smoothness of the creamy rich squirt of heaven that they put on top, that makes me feel all fuzzy inside. It's a mystery to me why I haven't keeled over from gluttony yet. My friends at work used to call me the closet fat kid. Soooooo un-PC, right? I thought so. Take a cinnamon roll from Gail's for example.  Isn't funny how something so sweet and delicious can give you a better perspective on life. What about a lovely dinner with friends on a Saturday night? Isn't fantastic how being around the people you love makes you feel warm, happy and full of glee. 

A good friend of mine visited from Paris last weekend. As we were aimlessly meandering down Piccadilly on Friday, she had the glorious idea of popping into Dover Street Market for a bite of lunch. No need to express to you how awesomely quirky this store is. Most of you Londoners have probably already been and it's no news to you that this is a real London hot spot...even though you probably don't end up buying anything most of the time (Comme des Garcons...um, who wears that?). You also probably have elevatored yourself up to the fourth floor (4F) where you catch yourself standing in the middle of a magical London lunch spot. The Rose Bakery at DSM is what I call a true London gem. It has everything from the yummy soups, quiches and salads, organic granola and cappucinos (cappuccini?), the absolute best carrot cake you have EVER tasted, and it is crowded with the cool Mayfair fashion, art and advertising professionals, who add to a decor that is at once sophisticated and relaxed. It is the hub of all that is cool in Mayfair. And the great thing is, on a warm and sunny day, you can take it all outside onto the balcony, where you can look down onto Albermarle Street and the rooftops of the Brown's Hotel. You'll enjoy a truly fantastic London moment and will leave happy, satisfied and a wee bit plumpier.

Rose Bakery at Dover Street Market

Carrot Cupcake at the Rose Bakery

Waky waky, eggs and baky!

Have you ever craved eggs and bacon so much that you were ready to do anything, absolutely anything???!! Did that anything include waiting for just a little too long outside on a cold winter day, in front of a breakfast joint in Islington, til your bum was numb, your nose boogers turned into icycles and your fingers were about to fall off one by one? hmmm, wait, that was me...

Way back when I lived in the city of Angel (no, not LA, I mean the area around Angel tube station, where the cool kids hang...yeah right, like I could ever live in LA...), I used to drag myself to Camden Passage off Upper Street just to make it to the phenomenal breakfast place, famously known as The Breakfast Club, by 9:30am, opening time. I am quite the early riser and also fancy the early bird special occasionally, so that is no hard task for me. The problem is though, I have a growling, grumbling, angry stomach by the time I've gotten out of bed, brushed my teeth and smacked my lip balm on, and it just won't settle down til I stuff something, anything (!!!) down my throat to calm it down. At The Breakfast Club, you will wait a teensy bit long if you arrive, on a weekend, 5 minutes past opening time. SO that's why, ever since my arms, hands and feet alike, nearly fell off my body, I have learned my lesson.Well, lesson well learned and lesson well worth it! This breakfast is by far the best breakfast I have ever eaten in London, so far.

 

Not only is the food so damn good, but the smoothies and shakes will absolutely rock your world! So if you're not full after you've wolfed down your sizzling crispy bacon bits and atomic yellow scrambled eggs, you can just settle for the over-the-top flufftastic pancakes or just a freshly squeezed OJ or smoothie. The wait is a bit off-putting especially when it's cold outside, but the staff is friendly and the food is just too good to pass. So go get fat and happy! You won't regret it! The great thing is, if you're around the hood for lunch on a weekday, lunch is equally good, but the wait is non-existent!

                           The Breakfast Club, Camden Passage, Islington

The adorable pedestrian Camden Passage is tucked away behind the Upper Street madness and is jam-packed with little boutiques, furniture, vintage clothing and antique gems if you're up for a digestive walk after your feast. Make a short stop at Annie's Vintage Clothing and Costumes for a fun flashback to the roaring twenties a la London, and breathe in the delightful cacao smells and goodies by checking out Paul A. Young's fine chocolate store, yum yum yummmmmm!!!!