Ping Pong Dim Sum

I recently went to Ping Pong to eat DimSum with my parents for the first time. The decorations are a bit dark and dreary and the lights are very dim but overall it has a very restaurant-y ambiance. You look through the menus and then write down what you want to order on a long order sheet which you then give to a waiter. Overall, there are some random ways to order food in chain restaurants in London, maybe that’s why I should avoid them. 

I ordered a pink lemonade which was amazing, very sour, how lemonade should really be. And I think we ordered about 12 dishes for the 4 of us. And we got dessert at the end as well, of course. They bring out the food whenever its ready which is perfect for me because I was really hungry. The spring rolls are really yummy, especially with their sweet and sour sauce. 

They brought out all the steamed food at the same time, and within second our table and plates were covered in food. The staff was really friendly and sweet helping us with any thing we didn’t understand and bringing us extra tap water when ever we needed it. My dinner experience was really good, we ate really quickly and it wasn’t over priced either. Next time I  want DimSum and don’t feel like going to Chinatown I’m going to Ping Pong. I also heard they do “all you can eat” sundays. Yum. 

Here’s their website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com/

TGI Fridays

When I was in Nottingham my friend Tatiane took me to TGI Fridays, because I said "no way" to Wagamama's (I've been there way too much). Walking in I already notice the obsessive American theme and the blasting music. They sit us down in a booth, and hand us the menus. While choosing what to eat I notice the different American memorabilia scattered through the restaurant, and the moving images on the Televisions. We both ordered fajitas and large coca-colas. 

The staff was all really polite and served us everything well, even checking on us if we wanted more free refills of cola or if we needed different sauces for our food. The music was all quite catchy and fun, making the ambiance good, and it was nice to not be close enough to hear the conversations at the other tables. We were both really tired and when the food arrived we didn't say much. But I think the amount of food given was good and they gave the right amount of tortillas for the meat and dressing given. Also the salsa wasn't too spicy so I could actually put it on my food. 

The food was good for a stop on a Saturday afternoon, and I know they have a TGI Fridays in Leicester Square in London too. So if you're looking for a place that will accommodate a big group of people for affordable tasty meals you can go to them. Here's the website: http://www.tgifridays.com/

Jamie's Italian

A few weeks ago I went to eat at Jamie's Italian in Angel with some friends. We had a table near the window on the furthest edge from the entrance. It was really full and really loud. But everyone seemed to really be enjoying their food. I glanced over the menu a couple times choosing a different dish each time but I settled with Wild Rabbit Tagliolini (pasta). I didn't really feel hungry enough to have a starter, so I waited as the others ate theirs.

Their starters looked really incredible, and I was looking forward to getting my dish. The service throughout the meal was pretty slow, and we were getting a little impatient because we already had been given so much time to choose our order, and way too much time between the starter and the main. Our main dishes did not arrive all at the same time, but instead I had to wait a few extra minutes. Once receiving my dish I jumped straight in. But after the first taste I was really disappointed. They had really over seasoned my dish, I could barely taste the rabbit due to the flavour of pepper covering all of my taste buds. 

Knowing how much people had raved about Jamie Oliver's cooking I had expected it to be good, but I guess as an Italian I really shouldn't expect much. I would have sent the dish back if the waitress had walked past our table, but by the time she had come round to check on our food I had slowly swallowed more than half of the dish because I had been hungry. I did however leave some of the pasta behind, and I really rarely don't finish what I've been given. Overall, I don't recommend it, maybe I just had a bad experience but if you want something more authentic look for somewhere truly Italian. Its really a shame because so many things on their menu seemed interesting and if it had been good then I probably would have gone back really soon after that meal. 

Amorino

I have been to Amorino, the ice-cream shop in Chelsea and Soho. I chose different flavours both times but I really enjoyed their ice-cream. Its creamy but not too creamy and the natural flavours of the ice-cream really stand out. A small cup costs 3,50 pounds but its really worth it because you do get a lot of ice-cream and they let you have a taste of a few flavours before you buy it so you know you're choosing something you like.

The first time I chose Licorice flavour and I loved it. The second time I chose Passion-fruit and "Agrumi" which is a combination of all the citrus fruits. Passion-fruit was a little sour for me but I loved Agrumi, I think it has become my favourite flavour this year. I think what I like the most about Amorino is that they have many people behind the counter so you don't have to wait long to be served. And their ice-cream is just so good. 

Also, their logo is one of those cute fat angels shown in Italian Renaissance art. The name Amorino comes from the little angels that acted like Cupid. Here's their website: http://www.amorino.com/en/

Wahaca

Wahaca is a chain restaurant that has been expanding really quickly within the UK. My friend Alice took me there before we went to see her boyfriend in a play. The best thing about this restaurant is that its set up like tapas (Spanish small portions "snacks") but with Mexican food. The menu is on the table cloth and everything is labelled with a title and then a good description. 

Alice and I chose to get 2 dishes each, and then 3 sides to share, we also split a dessert a the end. I chose steak fajitas, and chicken tacos and then we shared a sour-cream and black bean side, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes. It was a full blown out meal. The end of the meal was incredible too though, we shared churros and I had a Mexican hot chocolate, which is non dairy, and has a little chili in it for fire. Everything tasted incredible. 

The design of the restaurant is also really cute. Their catch phrase is "Mexican Market Eating" so the inside of the place is made to look a bit like a Mexican street, with colours and different shapes and booths for larger parties to sit in. The tiles on the floor change and some how everything still matches. They have a wall of different bottles reminding us all that yes we do want a cocktail with lunch. 

I know I'm going to eat at Wahaca again, because there's so much more on the menu I need to try! Here's their website: http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Joe & The Juice

When I was walking around Chelsea with my friend Kristin we decided to stop at Joe & the Juice because we had never been to one before and we really needed to sit down. From the moment we walked in it definitely felt happy, relaxed and friendly. We spent a few minutes trying to figure out our order. I obviously looked at the food first, typical me. 

I got a tuna and avocado sandwich, which they call a Tunacado, which I find pretty cool. Kristin then asked what the barista would recommend, and she got a random one he has talked about. However I was too intrigued by the name of the "Iron Man" juice, so I just had to get that one. 

The two baristas were really friendly, and funny. The younger one was kind of flirty and he jokingly suggested that he'd give us his number, which we just laughed at. We then went over to a table, sat down, and started talking about our assignments. He brought over our drinks and my food, and the sandwich was wrapped in tracing paper which I think was really cool because it stops the oils from getting on to you hands and its somewhat creative and different. 

As we left the two baristas said "bye girls" and blew us an air kiss goodbye. It was just so funny and cliché that it make Kristin and me laugh really hard. Here's their website: http://joejuice.com

Leon

I've heard the name mentioned several times, but I never went into a Leon "restaurant" before May this year. I just didn't know what to expect. It looked really nice from the outside, with picnic tables and two ping-pong tables. Walking in you can tell its a chain restaurant due to the long counter, the huge number of seats and the menu shown in photos on light up screens above the counter. It took me a while to choose what I wanted, and the desserts aren't written on the screens, but I chose a chicken mix and a raspberry lemonade which seemed like a good combo. 

I sat down with my friends at a quirky table, and started noticing the cute little details placed around the venue to make you feel more at home and more like "Leon" has a story. Munching through my green salad with broccoli, quinoa, and some chicken I decided I liked the atmosphere. Everyone was busy, but somewhat cheerful, maybe its just cause it was a sunny day. The trays given to us all had cute different fruit designs, and there were books, magazines and board games laying around in case you wanted to stay and do something. 

The dressing on my food was a little over the top, but I really enjoyed the experience of this chain restaurant, because it attempts to be a little different and quirky and not everything is the same inside. I don't know if I'll order the same thing again, just because their fried mackerel looks really yummy too.

Here's their website: http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/

Graze

An English company named Graze focuses on making snack food which is healthy, has a low calorie count and is different from the things you can find in stores. I signed up for Graze because I knew that the first box is free. However I have now become pretty loyal, trying out their breakfast range too. I only took photos of the breakfast box I got because I always eat the nibble box too fast to take any photos. Nibble box is the name of the ordinary snack box. 

Each box has 4 sections, which then contains little plastic squares holding your snack or breakfast. On the website you can choose which snacks you like most, and which ones you don't want to ever receive. The boxes generally cost 3,89 pounds per box. But if you get your friends to sign up you can get a 1 pound discount on a box, or you can donate that pound to the Graze school of farming. Which then helps children learn to make sustainable futures for themselves. 

Overall, I love the Graze products because I spend ridiculous amounts of money on snack food, and I am never full. If you use my code you can get your first Graze box for free and try out some of the snacks yourself! 

Here's the code: XZ1WN1C

Here's their website: https://www.graze.com/uk/products

Wasabi

Wasabi is a huge food chain company that is all over London. They make sushi, bento and other Japanese style hot dishes too. I've only ever had the sushi. What I love about their sushi is its really really cheap. You can get 2 salmon nigiri (the one with the slice of fish over a bed of rice) for one pound. You can also get 4 avocado or cucumber hosomaki (small rolls with seaweed holding it together) for one pound.

Being a student I tend to go there a lot because I love sushi, and I can't really afford more expensive sushi that often. I've eaten at Yo!Sushi in Harvey Nichols but I didn't like it as much. I think one of the main things I like about Wasabi is how quickly you can get everything you want, and if you choose to make your own pick of sushi you can fill up a whole box-tray or you can leave it half empty depending on how hungry you are. 

Also one of the things I actually like is that you get to unwrap your sushi individually so you get to touch your food before you eat it, making you more excited and hungry. Its kind of annoying that they charge you for soy sauce (considering I use a lot of it), but at least its in a small package, making it more transportable. I've even eaten Wasabi on the tube. Here's their website: www.wasabi.uk.com

The Diner

The Diner is a really cute American style restaurant, you can also go there to play pool, or just drink. You don't really have to go there at meal times because they serve a set menu at all times of day which is really good for me because I'm always hungry. They have a few different branches but most recently I went to the one in Angel. 

I have had their milkshakes, and they're really good, but recently I tried their Root Beer Float. That is a drink with Root Beer, but with two scoops of vanilla ice-cream as well, because the ice-cream interacts with the fizzy drink really well creating a sort of milkshake consistency. Their french toast is incredible, but sadly not as good as the one at The Breakfast Club. However it's also yummy because they drench it in maple syrup here. I love their burgers. 

With my Float I got a cheese burger and it was amazing. All the layers fit together perfectly and I had a bunch of mouth watering bites. I tend to have a big problem with burgers, the yummier they are the more I get of them all over my face and hands. I had a really good time there, and my friends spoke in Swedish with the waitress which gave me a more homey feel. Also, the five of us fit pretty comfortably in the booth we were given, and the table wasn't too wide so we didn't have to scream across it to let our friends hear us. Overall, it was a good and quick meal, I think next time I just want to go there for a drink and let the ambiance of the place soak in. Here's their website: http://www.goodlifediner.com/

The Breakfast Club

Throughout London there are a few restaurants named "The Breakfast Club". They all have yellow doors, old school interiors and amazing food. My friend just told me that on the internet there are bad reviews for the Breakfast Club, which makes me really sad, because its an amazing place. Their burgers and breakfast food is incredible and so are their homemade juice combos.

I frequently go to one near Spitalfields market, because that's the closest one to home, but I've also been to the one in Soho and the one in Hoxton. In the Spitalfields one there is a fridge door that leads you to the bar, if you just want to go for drinks but there's also a big seating area before getting to the fridge door. The menus are really varied for a burger and breakfast place but if you go after 5 pm the bigger breakfast menu is not going to be served any more.

They have a couple of really cool light up signs throughout the venue, as well as a traffic light showing when food is ready to be served to the tables. Sadly, I've never tried the dessert menu because I always happen to stuff my face before I get there, but the desserts I'm seen all look really good. I'm just a sucker for french fries. I love love love fries.

Here's their website if you want to take a look: http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com/