Lantana

New Zealanders seem to be taking over London! If you haven't tried Lantana for brunch yet I would highly recommend it, especially on a sunny morning like my friend and I got to do. 

The inside is light and airy and so is its food. They have lovely dill pancakes with smoked salmon, corn fritters with bacon, toasted banana bread and freshly squeezed juices. I have never been disappointed by their food which is always flavorful and never overbearing and heavy. 

It's the perfect place to sit in a sunny spot and linger over coffee and a newspaper. 
13, Charlotte Place W1T 1SN

Taken by Katrina

London Happenings #4: Ideas for Breakfast

What could be a better way of starting your day than over a little creative chit chat!
W Hotel in Leicester Square hosts breakfast while you get to sit back and listen to creative experts talking about their fields.Topics range from Talking Trends to Sonic Grafitti & Active Listening, all are lead by London creatives. 
Conscience of the working crowd they are held on a Sunday at 11am (10:30 for breakfast) and tickets are 25 pounds. 

here

See you there!

Back!

Yes, I did disappear for a bit. It's been a crazy week & a bit and couldn't find a single moment to sit down at the computer. But it was a fun crazy week & a bit. Let me regale you with what I've done! 

FIIIINNINALLY made it to Pitt Cue (or it's little truck on the south bank) and managed to try the pulled pork. 
It was pretty good, very good actually. But the best parts were the sides. Homemade pickles where you can still taste the cucumber heritage, fresh slaw to counterbalance the heavy pork and amazing fried shiitake mushroom. 
There were no lines at the truck so definitely a great way to get the Pitt Cue taste without the Pitt Cue wait. 

Oysters from Wright Brothers- a great place to stop and rest your feet at borough market. 
I learnt a little bit about this shellfish while there:


The colder the water, the bigger and fatter the oyster! 


I don't know why you wouldn't want the biggest, fattiest and juiciest oyster but apparently some people dont. NOT ME! 
I would highly recommend visiting Wright Brothers, getting the 'sample platter' with 3 different types of oysters (2 of each) and a pint of Guinness. Then, when you've tried that, just order an entire platter of the Lindisfarne. THEY'RE THE BEST. 

The rooftop at Selfridges- with the Daylesford cafe
Thank goodness for the Olympics. Central London has been pretty quiet this weekend and therefore managed to check out the rooftop at Selfridges without having to wait! 
A bit massively overpriced but atmospheric. Never managed to check out the mini golf but looked fun and people seem to be enjoying themselves. 
We shared a lovely bakewell tart that wasn't too sickly sweet but just perfectly satisfied my niggiling sweetooth craving. 
I was very envious of those who had decided to have the full traditional tea. They bring over small stacked open crates (like what you would store wholesale vegetables in) with bitesized sandwiches on whole seeded buns with fillings like smoked salmon or egg. On the second small crate was the scones. Not huge but they looked very moist and well made from where I sat. 
They were also selling jelly (or jello depending who you are) in molds by Bompas & Parr (they also designed the mini golf course). The jelly of the day for us was gin & violet. They were very small and therefore perfect as a little snack with your drink. 
They also serve wine up there so I imagine it would be an amazing place to get an afterwork drink while looking over London. 
Go enjoy the garden rooftop while playing mini golf and escaping mad Oxford St below!

Opening Ceremony at London Live in Hyde Park. SO proud to be a Londoner. Bring it on world! 

 The best cinnamon role from Nordic Bakery

Fried custard and courgette flowers from Brick Lane Market

Writing this all down really makes me realize how much my life revolves around food. 
Let me know if you try any of these places out!

London Happenings #3: Supper Clubs

I love the idea of supper clubs. So secretive and private and full of surprises (or that's what I imagine them like, but my description sounds a bit like a boy with commitment issues). 
Here are just a few around London: 


White Room Supper Club

here

Run by a professional with a passion for food. It's about meeting new people and eating good food. Suggested donation is 35 pounds and it's BYOB. 


Italian Supper Club
I think they sum it up well-

The main ingredients of our events are food, wine and people - the first two must be Italian and the third one should simply have a big smile when they arrive and a bigger one when they leave.

Who doesn't want to go to an event described like that! Each event is at a different location and is capped at 30 people and costs 35 pounds including a wine pairing for each course. 

Saltoun Supper Club
Twice a week they turn a flat in Brixton into a restaurant for 16 people. They offer a set 4 course menu with a vegetarian option including homemade bread and treats. As is typical with supper clubs, BYOB. 

here

+65
Singapourian Supper Club that has been getting a lot of press. Their menus look adventurous and exciting and most importantly, delicious! 

here

The Secret Larder
North London supper club run by James Ramsden every other Thursday 

here

 I can't wait to try some of these out! Have any of you been to a supper club in London?

Alice House

 Alice House is the perfect antidote to pub fatigue (which I currently have). 
It's large enough to not elbow people every time you lift your drink but not too big that it doesn't have a bustle. The atmosphere is great and the bar staff are really friendly and helpful, but the BEST part, and the most important part, is their drinks menu. 
Their cocktails are the perfect blend of Britishness (think gin, think cider, think elderflower) mixed with 'other' (think tequila, think rum, think champagne!). If your party is big enough they offer several of their signature cocktails in teapots (an increasingly common trend I'm finding). 

I was too quick to drink so didn't take enough time to actually write down what I had, but I can say they were some of the best cocktails I've had in the UK recently. The first had sparkling wine with Early Grey syrup (and a few other additions) and the other was a rhubarb based drink with tequila. 
Although I didn't try any their food looked pretty delicious too! When you're next in the North West London area, I would highly recommend a stop in. 

London Happenings #2: Nice to Meet you

I think this sounds like the best idea ever.


On the Dalston Roof Park Art Wednesday, a website dedicated to exposing Londoners to creative ideas, products and experiences, is hosting Nice To Meet You (NTMY). For £30 you can get a ticket to this amazing monthly summer event which invites speakers to talk and musicians to perform about what excites and inspires them. 

here

This month's speaker is Ben Hammersley the editor of Wired UK and the band is Violet [Pixie Geldof]. 


As the event itself discribes-



"Leaders and innovators from the worlds of business, art, music, advertising and everything below, above and beyond will bed you in to tell you their tales and invite you to question their journeys and motives.
These delicate, immersive events, with the most expansive and progressive people on the planet are the first in a series of live opportunities for the AW community to come together, discuss and exchange the very visions, ambitions and opinions that make you the people we want to attend." here


How do I know this is an event after my own heart?! Because food is included in the ticket price and it looks amazing! 
Pulled Pork Burgers, Butternut Burger with Walnut Pesto and Date's A Hog (sherry soaked Medjool dates, stuffed with dolcelatte and wrapped in bacon). 


Go for the event but definitely stay for the food!
Buy Tickets Here 

London Happenings #1

New York may have amazingly cool bars and restaurants with themes like Beauty Bar or Barcade, however nothing can beat London when it comes to the unofficial and transient. 


London is home to a plethora of pop-up restaurants, bars and shops. I can think of at least 4 'roaming' secret cinemas, so many galeries and in the summer you could go to a different festival everyday. 


It's hard to keep track of all there is to do in this amazing city I call home but I thought I would take a stab. I am hoping to start this series to pass on knowledge about what London has to offer while also inspiring people to try some new things!


#1 of the series is about the Society of the Golden Slippers

Every 3rd Monday of the month The Society of the Golden Slippers puts on a candlelit show of up and coming musicians at Blacks on Dean St. You have to be following their Facebook page or on their mailing list to find out about the next concert and who will be playing. Gigs are free but you have to get on the guest list- which is apparently hard. 

Their next show is on the 16th July with Josh Kumra, Alexandre Wolfe and Kimberly Anne. These guys all sounds amazing with just their voices and guitars so I image, by candlelight, it's going to be a show to remember. 

Josh Kumra

Meat Liquor

FINALLY went to Meat Liquor over on Welbeck St W1 (just off Oxford St).  
I've been wanting to check out this place since it opened almost a year ago. The planets aligned this past Saturday and we managed to get in for lunch. 


The benefit of lunch is that there wasn't much of a queue and we could walk right in. The downside of lunch is that we couldn't fully enjoy the 'liquor' side beyond a beer and a glass of wine (well, we could have, but unfortunately I had some important work to get done that afternoon). It was also pretty dark inside, which is a little bit annoying for us lunch time crowd as I enjoy being in sunlight in the summer, it also means I couldn't offer any of my own photography.


However, this was MORE than made up by its amazing burgers! 

here

here

The burgers were phenomenal. 
Meat Liquor gets that burgers should be juicy, the patties should be thick and the relishes should be strong. 

here

Find on the menu 'dead hippie'(2 patties with special dead hippie sauce), phili cheese steak and chicken wings among others. I thought the fries were good but no different than the skinny fries I could have gotten from the gastro pub down the road. They also offer chili cheese fries and onion rings but it was only lunch and still had to save room for dinner!


All in all, I would recommend it and would go back...for dinner. It was great food but ambience wise, wasn't great for lunch. 
The queue might be worth it for 20mins (or 40mins if you're with good company) but I might draw the line there. 


All I can say for the liquor side is their cocktail menu looked long, inventive and reasonably priced- good qualities in any bar. 

Ye Olde Marylebone Fayre

Twas Ye Olde Marylebone Fayre this prior Sunday and boy was it full of frivolity! 


Every year on Father's Day Marylebone High Street shuts down to cars and has a street fair (or as they call it 'Fayre'). All the local shops and pubs, plus some extra, set up stalls on the street and Marylebone becomes THE place to be. Live music, amazing food and Pimms galore- fun for the whole family! 

It is also a chance to discover new shops and products. For example Concoction, a haircare brand, where you can blend your own add ins with your choice of smell. 

The idea is interesting but I've used it only once so can't make a judgement yet. I'll let you know!


Second discovery was La Paire- beautifully simple sandals by Amy La.

all photos found via. their website here

Read more about what was at the Marylebone Street Fayre after the jump.

It's a good time to be in the flag business

It's the diamond jubilee this weekend and the country has literally got so many Union Jacks around the country that you can see them from space. Here are just a few examples in the 100 sq ft around my apartment in London. 

I may be using my extra two days holiday to go to NYC, but I will be waving my flag with pride. Makes me think about all the great reasons for being british. 

Pillow/ Phone Box/ Corgi/ Pimms/ Ma'amite/ Cupcake toppers/ Bunting

To Market To Market

London has amazing markets from food to antiques to design. Today we hit up three of my favourites in East London: Columbia Road Flower Market, Brick Lane and Spitalfields. 
(Again, sorry about the quality of photos, really have to get something else to take pictures with besides my phone)


Columbia Road Flower Market
Good for: Flowers (duh), decorative knickknacks, cool furniture, good coffee and baked goods
Wear: Flowery dresses, Mary Janes and hats

 Delicious cafe to get bagels, pastries and coffee!

It's easy to walk from Columbia to Brick Lane, on the way we came across this amazing pop up garden. 

 Brick Lane Market
Good For: Interesting street food, up and coming designers' clothes and accessories, vintage finds, outdoor drinking
Wear: Short dresses with combat boots or skinny jeans and band t-shirts

Spitalfields

Round the corner from Brick Lane. It has great permanent boutique chain restaurants (oxymoron?) and shops. Visit on Sunday for its antique and clothes market! I've picked up many a necklace and clutch from this fantastic spot.

Good For: Antiques, vintage clothes, deserts and decorative pieces.  

Wear: Whatever you want! 

 Quick stop off in Canteen for a Scotch Egg and Homemade Lemonade (and to rest feet)

 A great way to spend a Sunday!