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!

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)

Rich Mix

Rich Mix is a venue at the end of Brick Lane that does events as well as being an affordable cinema. I’d been there before to play ping pong with some friends, but this time my flatmate Charlotte and I went there to see Nymphomaniac volume one and two, as well as a live Q&A with some of the cast members in Chelsea. 

We brought snacks, stretched our legs, and queued up for hours of film watching. They stamped our hands so that we could leave during the intermission if we wanted to. But I didn’t move, I was just soaking in the films. The theatre rooms have a lot of characters. The screen we were in front of had really cool walls and ceiling which I only got to see at the beginning of the show. 

The nearest bathrooms are a little far away, so go before the film so you don’t miss anything. Watching Nymphomaniac was an experience in itself, it was really interesting and eye opening so it didn’t really matter where I was watching it. But I’m grateful I got to watch it in a comfy chair without any distractions. 

Here’s their website: http://www.richmix.org.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/

Photographer's Gallery

A few days ago I went to the Photographer's Gallery again. Andy Warhol, William S. Burroughs, and David Lynch all have a floor dedicated to each of them. I took the lift to the 5th floor and worked my way down. Most of the images were in black and white, which made their subject stand out even more. It was very interesting to see the transitions of their different perspectives during the 20th century. 

The gallery itself has very open spaces, lining the images along the walls and using the central space to display books or other prints in glass casing. The thing I like the least about photography exhibits is when they cover the images with glass, because you end up seeing a reflection of yourself in the image. This can be used well as an optical illusion but it's really frustrating when looking at a very dark image.

I went to the show especially to see Andy Warhol's work because I've seen so many of his other pieces so I though I would enjoy these too. However I was most impressed by David Lynch's work because it reminds me of the part of London in which I live. There were run down brick factories in most of the images, and I live in an old wool factory, so it was really interesting to see the decline of these buildings and how they have been reused now. 

Overall, the show made me reflect a lot on the past and how things evolve. I rarely have time to think so clearly and deeply on a subject so going to this show helped me clear my head and focus my thoughts. It was really interesting, and a good 3 GBP spent. 

Here's the website for the show: http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/current-exhibitions-2

Costa vs. Starbucks

Coffee in London isn't that big of a problem, there are so many beautiful independent cafes that you could have coffee from a different place every day. But when going to airports, or shopping centres, or smaller English towns you have to make a choice, Costa, or Starbucks?

I'm a little biased because my flatmate works at Costa, so when things expire on a Monday she brings them home for us to have. I may have had one too many chocolate twists. When I look for good coffee I go for Costa, because they only use their coffee once to make espresso shots. Whereas Starbucks uses theirs more than once, so the coffee is weaker. But if I'm going for iced, or sweet, its Starbucks all the way. 

I think the Costa food is slightly better, especially when looking at their fresh baked goods. Starbucks does have amazing carrot cake though. The Costa tea is better, but they don't entertain you by spelling your name incorrectly on the cup.

It's really a toss up. I tend to go to London City Airport and they only have Cafe Nero once you've passed security so I never get coffee there. What I love about Costa and Starbucks is that they complete each other. What one is lacking the other has. I want a Frappuccino on some days, but on others I just want a Mocha Latte. I guess I'll never be one of those people that order the same things over and over again. I just need to mix it up a little. My best compromise is to alternate between the two. But if I need coffee for my 9am class, I know I should go to Costa. I'll have Starbucks as my afternoon pick-me-up. 

Here's the Costa website: https://www.costa.co.uk/

Here's the Starbucks website: http://www.starbucks.co.uk/

(They are listed in alphabetical order)

Ziferblat

When my friends Gabi came to visit I wanted to take her somewhere new and exciting. I had originally planned to go to Love Shake (my favourite milkshake place ever) but then we stumbled upon Ziferblat, the "pay as long as you stay" cafe. After walking up the stairs and stepping inside a kind lady explained to us how the system works. You write the time you arrive and your name on a sheet and you hang it up, you take a clock with you too! After that you're free to use any of the tables, sitting comfortably with others, and get yourself something to drink.

Both Gabi and I chose to have some tea, and there was a huge selection of teas to choose from. There are cute tea cups as well as fun mugs and glasses. There's a box with cookies laid out next to the sugar that is a little too inviting. Next time I'll probably have coffee, if I feel like playing around with the coffee machine. All around the open space there are people chatting or typing away on laptops. But even if everyone is doing their own thing there is a huge sense of community. Sitting with people tends to make you feel more at home and relaxed. 

We ended up staying there for a little less than an hour, because I was getting hungry, so we paid 1.20 GBP each. Which is nothing for a cup of tea and a cookie in London. I really liked the place and will probably go there alone if they stay open (sadly, they're having some landlord issues).

Here's their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ZiferblatLondon

Miss Chu

A cute little restaurant opened near Whitechapel Gallery a couple of months ago, and my flatmate Emily and I were finally able to try it out one Wednesday over lunch. You have the whole menu handed to you on a paper, and you tick the boxes of what you wish to eat. You then go to the desk where you make your order and pay. They then bring you your food where you're seated. They also do home deliveries!

We chose to sit outside and enjoy the food with a little glimmer of sun. Everything arrived really quickly, and all of a sudden our table was full. Iced coffee, jasmine tea, prawn dumplings, duck and rice rolls, crab rolls, spring rolls, you name it.

Sadly it was a little cold for the rice rolls, but we enjoyed everything else a lot. I wished I had gotten more prawn dumplings.

Everyone was really friendly, and they checked up on us quite often even if we were the only table outside. I enjoyed the food and I'll probably eat there again when I'm craving some dumplings. Which should be soon.

Here's their website: http://www.misschu.com.au/

Taylor Wessing Prize at the National Portrait Gallery

London has billions of museums, ok maybe not billions but it does have quite a few and they always seem to have amazing temporary exhibitions. Last Friday I wanted to do something more with my day and I decided to have a look at the Taylor Wessing Prize photographs at the National Portrait Gallery. All of the images are breath taking as well as thought provoking. Through the beautiful photographs you gain a tiny bit of insight into the people's lives, and the photographer as well. Some of the images can be scaring, but most of them just push you to try and understand the person in the image for a few minutes. 

Sadly it was really crowded when I went so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I hoped. I would have loved to linger in front of every image at least twice. Once to soak in their story and the second to admire them. If I could see the show again I would probably go on a weekday morning where the number of people in the space is lower and it feels like it's just you and the person in the photograph. 

Overall, I loved it, I feel like it was the perfect way to end my week. The entrance to the show costs a mere £4 and you can probably stay in there and stare for hours. These portraits stood out to me so much that I didn't want to browse the rest of the gallery incase my memory started to lose the photos from the show. 

I'm very excited for their next temporary exhibition starting on the 6th of February, Bailey's Stardust. 

Here's the website for the National Portrait Gallery: http://www.npg.org.uk/

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/

Hawker House

Similar to the Street Food Festival I went to in Dalston they set up an indoor food festival called Hawker House near Broadway Market. I'd been wanting to go for weeks, and finally I was able to drag someone along. We got there at about 7:30pm, and paid the 3 pound entry fee after queuing for less than 5 minutes. Once inside, it was warm and lively, the music was blasting and it was hard to choose where we wanted to get food first. We went for the jerk chicken wings, and they were really good. We got 8 chicken wings for 10 quid, and found a corner to stand and eat them. After the first bite, we realised how spicy they were, so of course we got some beer. 

While enjoying the last of my chicken wings, the power died. This wasn't really a problem at first, but then we noticed, there was no music, no heating, and most of the food couldn't be served. We queued for buns, but sadly after 20 minutes of queuing they told us they couldn't heat up the bun bread so they couldn't serve them. We drowned our sorrows in some ice-cream though. I chose salted caramel, but they had some other crazy flavours like chestnut or whiskey. 

Overall, it was a bit of a disappointment because of the power outage. It would have been nice if they had refunded us or given us a voucher for half off on their next event. I'll probably go to one of their events again because I know I'll always eat well. Its just sad that it got a bit ruined this time. 

Here's their website: http://www.streetfeastlondon.com/#!hawker-house/c4gh