A few days in London is always a joy for us because we get a chance to explore new places and, hopefully, revisit some favorites.
Blackbird
Located right around the corner from our hotel, this pub was an easy choice after we checked into the hotel. I had a bottle of the London porter and Eric got the draft cider and we split a steak and ale pie and discussed our afternoon plans.
CRATE Brewery and Pizzeria
After spending the afternoon exploring the Hackney Wick area we were feeling hungry, so we stopped here. It was fairly crowded outdoors but we managed to score a bench with a table just inside. Good thing because the rest of the place filled up fast! I got their stout and Eric tried the fruited hibiscus sour. We split a sweet potato, gorgonzola and walnut pizza which was a nice balance of sweet and salty, and the perfect amount of food.
Sichuan PoPo – Earls Court
Stopped in for a quick lunch in a Saturday afternoon. Ordered the house specialty, biang biang noodles, and the pork & vegetable dumplings. Both were great with a lot of garlic and Sichuan pepper spice. Service was fast and friendly.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel to change, recharge our phones and use our free drink voucher at the hotel bar for a glass of South African pinot noir and chardonnay.
Cacciari’s Portobello
Whenever possible, we meet my aunt and uncle for dinner while in London, this time at an Italian restaurant. We arrived a bit early, so got ourselves seated and ordered a bottle of rosé. Our first choice was out but the Pinot Grigio option was lovely (and less expensive). For dinner I had the carpaccio appetizer that arrived covered in black truffles and opted for the garganelli pasta with parma ham and shaved asparagus for my main. Delish! Eric had the rocket and parmesan salad to start with and the cacio e pepe bucatini which he also enjoyed. Service was generally good and it was a laid-back bistro type feel.
The Little Yellow Door
After dinner we walked to this bar for after dinner drinks, which was, frankly, a bit of a zoo. Even with a booking we had to wait in a queue where they took our IDs to scan them. This was a first. I got the Mad Men cocktail (a riff on a Manhattan that was very cherry forward) and Eric had the Penicillin part 2. The cocktails were good and we had seats but it was just too noisy to have a conversation so we were one and done.
Gordon’s Wine Bar
Our favorite wine bar in London for several years, we found a table outside and ordered a glass of wine each with a hummus starter. I had a Spanish red (syrah and grenache blend) and Eric had a late harvest German Pinot Gris. We had shelter from a sudden rain storm but the umbrellas didn’t keep the neighboring tables secondhand smoke away.
Le Beaujolais
A new-to-us wine bar, we made a 4:30pm reservation (the latest possible) to make sure we had a table. That was barely needed as we arrived to a nearly empty place with my name on a chalkboard at the center table. The place didn’t get really busy until about 6 and most people came in for a glass and moved along. Good to know for the future.
A friend of the owner was at the bar on his own with a bottle of the house red and we chatted with him for most of our visit. We got a bottle of the Blushing Nymph Rosé Beaujolais (2024) which was lovely and a good afternoon sipper at 9%. I ordered the small mackerel spread and we split a two cheese plate. We had some time before the show, so I switched over to a glass of Burgundy (red) and let Eric finish the rosé. The service was friendly and the food and prices were good. Ambience was unique and quirky with lots of ties hanging from the ceiling. We will definitely be back.
Flat Iron Covent Garden
After the play, we had a quick dinner here just before the kitchen closed. We each ordered the flat iron steak, split a basket of fries with a sangiovese for me and a dry cider for Eric. Everything was good. We even got mini cleaver tokens to exchange for complimentary(!) salted caramel ice cream on our way out. Lovely! Overall a good deal for a late post-theater dinner.
Chelsea Ram
My Aunt Kim and I met for lunch at this cozy little pub. I had a light(ish) lunch of a scotch egg and padron peppers with a glass of Montepulciano. We sat in the main sitting area which was sunny and comfortable.
V&A Cafe
At the same time, Eric opted for a coconut and dark chocolate flapjack (not too sweet, lots of coconut), enjoyed in the sunny central courtyard.
Queen Adelaide
Located on Putney Bridge Rd near my cousin’s place, we sat outside on a beautiful evening in the large courtyard and split a bottle of merlot rosé from Slovenia.
Bab al-Yemen | London
Drinks went a bit later than we expected, so we had a late dinner here at 10pm. Eric ordered the Chicken Zurbian which turned out to be half a chicken and an enormous bowl of rice! Quite tender and tasty. I should have just shared his, but I opted for the Muttabaq (also known as Murtabak or Martabak) appetizer, a folded and crisped flatbread with meat and veggie filling, which was good but also a huge portion. We ate what we could and left stuffed.
