Machiavelli Kitchen & Dining

I wanted to go out to eat on my Birthday with a few friends so I decided to book a table at Machiavelli Kitchen & Dining. I have walked past it about 30 times and always wanted to go inside to find out if it was a store, a cafe, or a restaurant. Little did I know, it is both a store and a restaurant. Upon our arrival the evening following my Birthday we were lead downstairs to the main restaurant section. (it does bother me a bit that so many restaurants in London are on the basement level, but there's nothing I can do about it.)

After waiting on a couple of people we decided to have two appetizer trays with sliced hams and some other tasty bits. The music was fairly low, and I'm pretty sure our table was fairly loud. I really got into the Birthday spirit by being the bossy one at the table and making jokes that the waitresses weren't paying enough attention to us. But anyways, I really enjoyed my time there. Everyone seemed to dig into their food, and really enjoy it, so I think it was a good way to celebrate without making too much of a fuss. 

The restaurant itself was very cute, with napkins wrapped in string at every table and drawings of Machiavelli dotted around the place. I'd love to see if their lunch menu is different from their evening menu. And I know next time to not overlook the option of getting lasagna. 

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

Sugar Sin

Being European I get random cravings for liquorice. And I can never find liquorice in normal British food shops. So when I went down to Covent Garden one day I knew I had to go to Sugar Sin. My Swedish friend Kristin always used to go there and now I know why. They have a huge variety of candy, sweet, sour, soft, hard, chewy, etc. Everything is brightly coloured and the place is just so inviting. 

I think I literally spent 30 minutes in there trying to decide how much of certain types of liquorice I wanted to buy. You can buy already packaged candy, or you can pick up a bag and a scooper and get as much of everything as you want. It's a fun place to go with friends and there is definitely something there for everyone. They even have gluten free sweets! 

The staff there is really friendly and will always help with any of your candy questions. Its one of the few places in London where you can find sweets from all over. Also, it is in such a convenient location. I really love the decor of the place and the cute and quirky fantasy designs they have for their bags. 

Here's their website: http://sugarsin.co.uk/

Benugo

When going for coffee with a friend I saw the Benugo store in Covent Garden so of course I suggested we go inside. I’ve gone to Benugo many times at their St. Pancras branch. I always remember how amazing their sandwiches are and I hoped their drinks were just as good. 

The shop is set up as a deli, you queue for your order, and then you take your order on a tray to the seating area, or you can simply leave with your order. I chose to get tea and a Banoffee Muffin. We headed down the stairs and found a big seating area with loads of cute tables. 

The fact that Benugo is open until 8pm on week days is great, cause you can go for a quick snack or drink before heading home, or out to something else. The Covent Garden store is greatly located because its far enough from the shopping that you don't end up spending all your money on shopping.  

I love their food, their muffins are amazing, lightly crunchy on the outside and super moist on the inside. And their sandwich bar is set up like a gourmet version of Subway allowing you to pick from the best and most tasty ingredients for your sandwich. Just writing about it makes me want to go and get one. 

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

21 - The Market

After strolling to Covent Garden and hoping that the weather would stay warm my friends and I decided to grab a quick bite and a drink at 21 in the Covent Garden square. The restaurant has an upstairs balcony for people enjoying an after work drink. They also have tables set out in part of the square. And a little restaurant on two floors inside. 

The wine is good, the servers are really polite, and you can still sit outside into the winter months because they have outdoor heaters. But the best part of this place is their pizza. Yummy crunchy thin pizza with the right ratio of sauce to cheese. So we enjoyed our drinks, and our incredible pizza while catching up on what happened over summer. Maybe we were nostalgic of our summers and that’s why we sat outside, I don’t know. 

Either way, the ambiance is very romantic, but also relaxed, so probably a good place for one of those first few dates with someone. This is a great place to grab a drink if you want to avoid huge crowds on oxford street after a long day. Or if you’re just strolling around Covent Garden and you want to sit down and enjoy your day, then its the perfect place to go. 

Here’s their website: http://21-coventgarden.co.uk/

Belgo

I recently went to Belgo for the first time with my friend Dominique. Having lived in Luxembourg I'm grown fond of Belgian food, especially their mussels and their fries. So even when I looked at the menu I couldn't let myself choose another dish. Half a kilo of mussels is a good amount for one person, and their fries are amazing. But the best thing about this place is their huge selection of beer. They have about 40 different beers, and at least 10 on tap. They also have a good selection of wines for people who don't like beer.

One of my favourite things about the place was that you walk past the kitchen to be seated to eat. So you can see how they work and how quickly they get the food out to the clients. They also have a "fast menu" which allows you to have a quick lunch if you've got a short lunch break, which is something I really appreciate. 

The staff was very friendly, and they didn't cause any trouble when we wanted to pay for part of the bill with card. Also they were very attentive and they brought us everything we needed really quickly. Even when all the tables were full. The restaurant got a little bit noisy at times but I really enjoyed my dining experience. I know I'll go back there when I'm craving seafood. 

Here's their website: http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk/