Dum Dum Donutterie

I'm trying to jump back into the swing of things, so I found something sweet to give me a sugar rush! A donut! But not just any donut, a Dum Dum donut from their new Donutterie in Shoreditch. On a slightly sunny Saturday afternoon I happened to walk past the Box Park in Shoreditch and the thing that stood out the most was this adorable donut shop. I saw the pink zebra on the wall and I was sold! 

They have a whole bunch of different flavours, and none of those boring ones. I tried a blackcurrant and white chocolate donut but there were so many that caught my eye. They even have cronuts! And a huge variety of filled donuts too! 

They're different from your regular donut because they bake them, instead of frying them in gallons of oil. So they're even kinda healthy. Well, healthier than a normal donut. 

Try your best to get there early in the day, because they only stay open until they sell out of fresh donuts! I now know where I can get a sugary pick me up any day of the week. Yum!

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/

Camino Tapas Bar

I went to the tapas bar Camino with my friend Katie when she was in London for the afternoon. We didn't want to take the tube or go too far and the weather was bad, so I was looking for somewhere we could sit, eat, and catch up. King's Cross is starting to become a more fun and interesting area and when I saw there was a tapas bar I knew exactly what I wanted to eat, croquetas!

It was about 2pm when we got there so there were quite a few tables free, but we settled down at one and started looking at the menu. By the way, their lemonades are amazing, they have the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Once we ordered the food came pretty quickly. But the service overall wasn't very good. I think it was probably because the waiters were getting hungry and weren't as alert as when the restaurant is full.

The food didn't disappoint. The croquetas were great, the polpo (octopus) I had was amazing, and everything seemed to fit together well. One of the big things I love about tapas is the fact that you share the food with the people at your table. So you end up tasting a larger variety of foods. Sadly we were too full to get dessert, but some of the things on the dessert menu looked yummy too. Camino is great for a quick lunch if you're there during lunch hour, otherwise just stop by for a relaxed afternoon bite. 

Here's their website: http://www.camino.uk.com/
(all the images are from the Camino website)

Pizza Pilgrims

So, this amazing authentic pizza place opened in Soho and I had to try it out for myself. It's very cheesy Italian with the checkered table cloths, and calming music, and its called Pizza Pilgrims. Their menu isn't very long, but that tends to mean that they're good at the few dishes they do make. They even have a proper pizza oven. My friend Noah and I went there, and he's a baker, so he was explaining the whole correct cooking process for the pizza dough. It really made my experience much more authentic. 

Not only is Pizza Pilgrims a restaurant but they also have a pizza van that goes around London. And they've come out with a book too! I had pizza with bufala mozzarella on it and it was amazing. The perfect lunch pit stop. 

Also, a whole thin pizza is the perfect amount of food for lunch. The restaurant has 2 floors and the staff is super nice. Overall, my experience there was pretty good. Noah made me notice how the pizza dough wasn't perfect, and that's the only reason the meal wasn't perfect. 

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

(all the images are from their website and instagram)

Boundary

The Boundary Restaurant is a fancy French restaurant hidden on Redchurch Street. I've gone to Albion, their daytime cafe, and decided to give the restaurant a try. The dining table was facing towards the kitchen, and the table was round, giving plenty of space for the food. The service was a bit overly attentive particularly when the waitress tried to pour water into my glass by crossing over my arm as I read the menu. 

I of course get a little over excited and order the tray of charcuterie as well as my main dish of beef. And let me tell you, the beef was a very wise choice. Half the fun of the meal though is the place. The tiny little details they've got around. Like a wall full of silver trays, these incredibly comfortable chairs, the steak knife with their logo on it. And of course the little amuse bouche they brought, as well as the chocolates with the bill. 

Sometimes eating out, somewhere slightly more expensive is worth it, especially if you're sharing it with interesting people. The Boundary is the perfect place to show off a little without being too over the top. The only thing I really didn't like was the fact that the restaurant is underground. It's really common in London but I think the only thing that would have really improved my meal would have been a really good view. 

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

(pictures 1 and 2 are from their website, the rest are mine)

Polpo

Once in a while I like to enjoy a day out on my own. On a Monday a few weeks ago I chose to take myself to lunch and then stroll around Covent Garden. I decided to have lunch at Polpo an Italian restaurant which recently created a lot of buzz. The exterior looks just like any other Italian restaurant but once you're inside you can smell the difference. This is what real food smells like. 

Its set up so you share food with a group, so you can taste many different things, but since it was 2pm I ordered 3 dishes on my own. I had the liver pate with sundried tomato on a slice of bread as my starter. And then I had two mains. I had to get the octopus with the broad beans because the name of the place is the word octopus in Italian. And then I also got the gnocci with tomato sauce and rabbit. All these dishes were exquisite. The menu is printed on the table cloth in front of you, and the restaurant is spacious enough for you to be able to eat comfortably on your own. 

I was able to enjoy the food, read some of my book, chat with the neighbouring table and even have an amazing affogato. An Affogato is pretty much just a ball of vanilla ice-cream in a large coffee cup, covered in an extremely hot espresso shot. The coffee melts the ice-cream but not completely, and this way you don't have to add sugar to your coffee. Overall, my experience at Polpo was really good, if I ever miss authentic Italian food I know where to go. 

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

Trade

One faithful Sunday, around lunch time I strolled by Trade, a new foodie place on Commercial Street. The first thing that caught my eye was their scrambled eggs, and for some reason I thought avocado and smoked salmon were a good addition. And in fact, I made a really smart choice. I also got a coffee, and fruit salad, so I could have a well rounded meal. They gave me a little silver number, and told me they'd bring everything to my table. I sat down, opened my book and took in the atmosphere.

On a Sunday lunchtime it was fairly empty, but all the tables were full by the time I left. The huge windows don't show much of a view, but they let in a huge amount of light. And the chairs and tables are this beautiful shade of light green that makes it feel like summer. Every table has their salt, pepper and sugar shakers yet somehow everything feels really polished, clean and uncluttered.

The staff were really friendly and nice as well, checking if I was enjoying my food, giving me more water, everything was perfect. Since you pay when you order it was a little difficult for me to tip, but I'm going to make sure I tip next time. It's the perfect place to grab a bite to eat away from the weekend madness as well as a great place to get some work done if you're not near home. I had a perfect lunch there and I definitely did not feel rushed which is rare for London. 

Here's their website: http://www.trade-made.co.uk/

Wright Brothers

Walking around Spitalfields I noticed that there was a new and slightly different restaurant. So one Sunday I brought my friend Dominique to discover what it was. It was Wright Brothers, a seafood restaurant specialised in lobster, crab, pretty much anything with a shell. We got there at about 5pm and sadly the kitchen only opens at 6 so they offered us a cold menu. After deciding we didn't want to share oysters we settled for brown crab. 

They served us bottled water and I got a sweet and sour juice to go with the food. While we waited we had some amazing brown bread and our crab was right in front of us before we knew it. I started by digging into the shell, letting Dominique have the claws, and off we went tearing the poor crab apart. The meat in the shell was strong in flavour and thick. When I got to opening up the legs I struggled with opening them and had a whole leg land in my lap. Lucky I was still wearing my napkin. The meat from the legs was a lot more tender and it contrasted greatly with the meat from the shell. 

After sharing the crab both Dominique and I were quite full so we called for the check. Overall, I really liked Wright Brothers. They had perfect calm music to go with the lighting and atmosphere of the place. I loved sitting at the bar and being served food. The staff was really friendly and kind, I was genuinely happy to leave them a tip. I already know I have to go back to try their hot food.

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

Macaroons? Where?

Since coming back to the flat after Christmas holidays we've all become a little addicted to macaroons. And this generally means any type of macaroon. I brought some back from Luxembourg as a treat, but then I just couldn't get them out of my head. I went to Ladurée in Covent Garden just to get a set of 8 of them for myself. I must say I'm a little unconventional when it comes to macaroon flavour. I like the quirky new flavours, my favourite from that Ladurée box was a passion fruit coconut macaroon. Who even knew that flavour existed?

The box I brought home from Luxembourg was from Oberweis a well known gourmet bakery in Luxembourg. Sadly I didn't get to pick the flavours but all the traditional ones were there. Praline, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, pistachio and lemon, yummy. I was hoping to bring back macaroon mix as well, but I couldn't find any at the local supermarket. Hopefully one day I'll make my own from scratch but at the moment I'm too lazy to invest my time to have a whole batch of the same flavour macaroon. One of the joys of macaroons is the mix you get to pick! 

I also tried the macaroons at Paul's here in London and they were pretty good, but the jam was a little too sticky so I didn't enjoy it as much. However they also do large macaroons which means I only have to eat 2 or so to reach my daily macaroon dosage. If you've never tried one, you're missing out. I recommend you go for a traditional flavour first so you can explore the texture, and then pick something different that catches your eye. In London Ladurée has a bigger selection of flavours, but if you're fond of strawberry, vanilla or chocolate, get yours at Paul's. 

Here's the Ladurée website: http://www.laduree.com/en_int/

Here's Paul's website: http://www.paul-uk.com/

Rosa's

Rosa's is a cute little Thai restaurant tucked between some shops in between Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane. What makes it stand out from everything else?  It's painted bright red! After walking past it a few times and noticing the crazy queues outside I knew I had to eat there. So when my Friday classes got cancelled I knew exactly where I was going for lunch. 

Upon walking in you notice all of the beautiful wooden tables, and get seated at one of them. On the edges of the restaurants the tables are set up with one side sitting on a connected bench against the wall. The others however, do not get the chance to lean on a wall. The menu is very clear, describing the different dishes they offer for lunch and dinner and one stood out to me, the sweet and sour pork. It had been ages since I had anything that was labelled "sweet and sour" so I went with my gut, and ordered that. 

After taking my order the food was ready in 10 minutes, I didn't event have time to read much of the book I had brought with me. They serve most of their dishes with white and brown rice and a good mix of vegetables. I recommend that if there are a few of you, grab a few starters to share. Sadly, they include service tax on their bill, but we'll let that one slide because the service is actually pretty good. 

Here's their website: http://rosaslondon.com/

LAB

LAB is an amazing cocktail bar in Soho, I love their Pornstar Martinis. I might be a little biased since that's the only drink I've had there, but they are genuinely amazing. Sugared passionfruit? Yes, please! My flatmate's classmate works there, that's how we found it. Sadly it doesn't stay open too late, but that means you can catch the last tube home. 

They have 2 floors, a DJ in a tiny closet like hole and 2 bars. You don't have to change floor to order your drinks, and there are usually a few corners free to sit and stand. The music gets really going around 10 o'clock but some how I've never danced there. My favourite thing is that the sign for the women's bathroom says "Bitches" giving the place just that extra bit of edge. Their menu however is very fun loving, and they literally have any cocktail you could ever want. We recently got a cake flavoured one for my friend Niko and he wasn't too pleased by how pink his drink was. 

Some of their drinks have TV based names such as the "Games of Sloanes" drink. More than anything I go here for the good vibes. They have normal prices for central London, varying from about 6-10 pounds depending on the drink. Of course the Pornstar Martinis come with a shot of Prosecco making them more expensive than most drinks. But I wouldn't give up that passionfruit if my life depended on it.

Here's their website: http://www.labbaruk.com/

Mary Janes

I walk past Mary Janes at least once a week on my way to university. When looking at somewhere to lunch I thought of it first. Sadly, the lunch got cancelled but I did however make it there for dinner later on. What intrigues me the most about their menu is that they've reinvented "surf and turf". After going to the street food fair in Dalston and trying a surf and turf style bun I knew I'd be a fan of other surf and turf style food. 

When I found out Mary Janes had a surf and turf burger I couldn't wait to try it. So we took advantage of their happy hour and went there for drinks and dinner. After ordering my amazing burger with lobster I enjoyed sipping on my "buy one get one free" drink. When the food arrived I think I was even more excited about it. They had the most amazing fries, perfect thin and crispy. After a bite of the burger I was completely sold. The food took my breath away.

However the service was a little slow, but that might have been because there was a Christmas party going on by the bar. The venue itself is really cute, there are semicircle booths, glass floors, Victorian chairs and from what I heard a dance floor downstairs. Too bad their only open during the week because it would be a fun place to hang out on a Saturday night especially since its so close to hope.

Either way, the food is amazing, so if you're looking for a little bit of decadence in your life, look no further. 

Here's their website: http://maryjanesbar.com/