Let's do Brunch

Are you having plans for the weekend yet? The weather is going to be lovely this weekend so you should definitely make the best out of it. A little walk through Regent's Park up to Primrose Hill is amazing when the weather is nice, but before you need some energy. Brunch is the perfect start to the day, and I got some good ideas where to go this weekend

The Riding House Café: modern all-day brasserie 

If you are looking for a large brunch menu full of choice, that's the place to go...At Riding House Café a modern European restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia, they have everything from healthy fruit platter with greek yogurt, over buttermilk pancakes, to scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. The sizes are quite big....although, I've been there quite often now and the sizes always varied, but it was always enough. I love how they present the food, everything is lovely decorated and the smoothies come in little jars. Definitely a nice place for some delicious brunch.

Where? Fitzrovia, Great Titchfield Street

buttermilk pancakes with berries, maple syrup and vanilla clotted cream

shared platter of avocado with toast and eggs florentine

fruit platter with natural yogurt and honey

eggs royal with sauce hollandaise on the side

The Good Life Eatery: the healthy option 

Further west in Chelsea, there is The Good Life Eatery, a tiny little healthy deli where you can have amazingly healthy dishes. Even if they don't serve proper brunch, they have a lot of super good superfood dishes, which are the perfect start to the day. After eating at the Good Life Eatery you will feel all healthy and fueled for the day. Treat yourself with some clean salads and sandwiches like the quinoa, sweet potato and kale salad or salmon and avocado on full grain bread. Also the cake is lovely presented on the counter, including some gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free options. It's the perfect place for health-conscious food lovers, who want to have a healthy start to the day and fuel up their bodies with some good stuff. For more photos check out this two lovely blogs:  whiskers & lions and the beauty guide.
PS: most people I've seen there were wearing their Nikes and a sports outfit, seems like it's the place to go after your workout.

Where? Chelsea, Sloane Ave

salmon and chili avocado on brown bread and some coco verde juice

The Providores: something different - fusion brunch

The Providores in Marylebone is a small and intimate restaurant, where they serve everything from international breakfast in the morning to tapas in the evening. (They also do some very good wines from New Zealand.) To understand the menu it needs quite a lot of concentration and food skills, as probably not everyone is familiar with all the ingredients the dishes contain. Anyways, just go for the dish that sounds the most attracting to you, you won't get disappointed. I tried lots of their dishes and every one of them was very interesting and super delicious. Sometimes it can be quiet an exciting moment when the food arrives though, as I almost never know what exactly I have ordered. Last time we had turkish eggs with yogurt for brunch, which I have never eaten before but they were delicious!  I can really recommend this place if you are looking for some new taste inspirations in terms of brunch.

Where? Marylebone, Marylebone High Street

soya blueberry smoothie and green tea

eggs turkish style with chili butter and whipped yogurt

more brunch ideas: The Breakfast Club and Granger & Co.

Trattoria da Aldo

Yesterday was one of those evenings I love, it was still about 19 °C, bright and everybody was outside. London is just amazing in summer, it is so vibrant. We were looking for a nice restaurant in Soho, but it was impossible to get a table outside, as literally everything was busy. We ended up in a very nice, cosy and traditional Italian trattoria called Trattoria da Aldo. It felt like having dinner in a small village somewhere in Italy. The decor there is very Italian, meaning kitschy, but in a nice way and the menu is full my of Italian favourites from avocado with shrimps, over Spaghetti Trabaccolara to the daily special: Lobster Salad. 

The Fat of the Land

The Fat of the Land is a Spanish restaurant in the heart of Marylebone, which just opened last summer. Especially in summer it is a lovely spot for having lunch, as they have tables outside, where one can enjoy the sun almost all day. I go there quite often to have a 'sunny' coffee or some tapas. The staff is very friendly and the ambience is welcoming. The restaurant/pub has two floors, the pub on the street level has a rustic charm with dark wooden tables and garlic and ham hanging in the windows. The upstairs restaurant is a bright, spacious room with huge windows, brick walls and oversized lamps. The food is specialized in Catalonian cuisine and offers delicious and nicely presented tapas and other Spanish delicacies. 

Roka II

This is an already existing post, but I have updated some photos from last evening. Enjoy!

One of my favorite japanese restaurants in London is definitely Roka in Charlotte Street. The food is mouth watering and the venue is nice with its open kitchen.

If you are a fish and sushi lover I can more than recommend that place. The problem is, I can never decide what to eat, EVERYTHING sounds delicious. Better go there with many friends, so you can try everything on the menu ;) If you are more than two you should book a table in advance, otherwise it is hard to get a table, for two they usually have tables with a waiting time up to one hour, which can be spend in the cosy lounge downstairs...and some nice cocktails.

The rice hot pot with king crab and wasabi tobiko is the best dish if you ask me. It is comparable to the Italian risotto, with its creamy and oozy consistence and the mix between the spicy wasabi, the sour lemon, the crispy tobiko and the fresh crab give an amazing taste. While you are waiting order the salty edamame, but be careful: once you start you can't stop!

Address:  Roka
37 Charlotte Street
London W1T 1RR

yellow fin tuna tataki with apple mustard dressing

Nizuni

Little hidden gem in Marylebone: Nizuni is a tiny Japanese restaurant in Marylebone Lane. The place is cosy and small with just a few tables and very delicious, yet reasonably priced sushi and other Japanese dishes. Nizuni's bigger sibling, the main restaurant,  is located in Fitzrovia, Charlotte Street where it is rather busy. If you like quiet places, quality food without spending a fortune, Nizuni in Marylebone is definitely worth trying!

Spicy tuna roll

& Other Stories Opening

Finally! Today was the big opening of & Other Stories in London, Regent Street. I was pretty excited if the shop and cloths are amazing - as promised. Let me start with the store design: the store has two spacious floors. The interior is simple, with white wooden and metallic elements, actually an industrial looking interior. Shoes, cloths, accessories, beauty products are well presented, very nice and unique. The cloths are typical Scandinavian, minimalistic and clean. A lot of whites and blacks, but also vibrant and neon colours. Black dresses, metallic skirts, pink knitwear, leather trousers, super nice underwear and more. Accessoires are as well as the cloths simple and clean. Pink and beige leather bags, mint green satchel bags, millions of must-have clutches from metal to leather. And other leather goods as iPhone cases, key rings and travel accessories. Jewellery, of course! Shoes, shoes, shoes! 

My conclusion

I like

the cloths and accessories, especially the bags they have,

the fact that you can literally buy everything from beauty products to underwear,

the simple Scandinavian chic,

and that it is reasonably priced! I think & Other Stories has done pretty well!

To get an impression of & Other Stories have a look at the photos my friend (who loves the shop as well) and I took

Left photo taken by Lena H.

Our picks

Next time, when it is less busy and not half of London is queuing infront of the changing rooms I will definitely buy and try more

Online Shop

Gitane - London

You know those unforgettable girls city trips? Those you keep talking about over and over...? For me one of those city trip is definitely New York City. There was one small café we did really like and had amazing breakfast, called Café Gitane (NoLita). So to take a trip down memory lane I met my friend for coffee at Gitane today, this time in London instead of NYC. 

Gitane is a lovely Persian and Middle Eastern café with delicious food and lovely staff. I love those small cafés with a wooden counter, fresh and delicious food, good coffee, where you can sit and chit chat with friends in a cosy atmosphere. 

If you need a relaxed break, Gitane is the place to go! Close to Oxford Street, right next to busy and famous Kaffeine. I'm already looking forward to spring time...sitting on Gitane's cute purple chairs outside in the sun.

Gitane 

60 Great Titchfield Street

London W1W 7QF

smiley-cake

Best cheap eats

What I love about London's restaurants and cafés is the variety. Do you feel like eating Indian? Or maybe Indonesian? Latvian? Or rather Japanese? London has it all!

Every kind of cuisine, super chic haute-cuisine restaurants but also budget places. London's budget places show that low price does not mean low quality...to the contrary!

Of course outside of London's center there are a lot of cheap eats and good offers, but I know some places in the heart of London, where you can have drinks, main course and dessert for around £15.

Italian
Pizzeria Icco

Most people who don't know Icco and the pizza there would probably walk past this place. It looks like a American canteen, not chic at all, but curde with bright lights. But you forget about that after your first bite of pizza.

One of the best pizzas I've ever eaten in London, during lunch time it's always full of business men and students. But don't worry the service is quick and friendly.

You will have your Italian pizza after a couple of minutes starting from £ 3.50 (take-away). The Cappuccino is perfectly Italian!
         

Thai : Thai metro

I love this place, it's exactly opposite of Roka but less fancy. Simple interior, small and authentic. Friendly service and best quality. The currys here are amazing, but also the starters and noodle dishes are delicious. Almost all main courses offer a choice between duck, beef, chicken, tofu or prawns....




















....and they don't serve you three poor prawns, or some slices of duck, but a generous full plate.

Same for the starters, instead of three slices of spare ribs we got a whole plate full of spare ribs with tasty sauce. Starters are around  £ 4 and main courses are  £ 6.50

Lebanese

Comptoir Libanais

This is a really delicious Lebanese food chain. One is located in Marylebone, one Soho and another one South Kensington. They have a large range of food, falafel, wraps, mousaka, halloumi steak and more. I can recommend the chicken taouk wrap, the chicken is really tasty and soft.

       

                     

Prices for main courses are around £ 8. The interior is a lovely mix of colorful designs and Lebanese details.

...to be continued....

Addresses:

Thai Metro

38 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia
London W1T 2NN

Icco

46 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia
London W1T 4LU

Comptoir Libanais 

65 Wigmore Street, Marylebone
London W1U 1JT

1-5 Exhibtion Road, South Kensington
London E20 2HE

59 Broadwick Street, Soho
London W1F 9QH

Pierre Victoire

This French place is brilliant, a absolut gem. Pierre Victoire is a small and cosy restaurant in Soho, perfect for a cosy winter night when it's getting cold outside.

The food is delicious and well priced, the wide choice of food includes French food and Mediterranean delicacies, like Italian Pasta and also Lebanese dainties. The atmosphere is nice, a perfect place for a dinner with friends but also for a romantic date. Make sure you make a booking! For lunch and early dinner they have a two course set menu for only ₤9 / ₤12.90.

Address:

5 Dean Street, Soho

London W1D 3RQ

As a starter we had a maze platter to share, with stuffed wine leaves, hummus, tatziki, falafel, eggplant salad, crostini and olives....excellent!

The starter goes perfectly with the smooth red wine

The Rib-Eye steak with mashed potatoes and beans

And a lovely salad with chicken, dried tomatoes, potatoes and an amazing mustard dressing

The steak was perfectly tender and the sauce delicious....oh boy...I want to eat that again.

And even the espresso macchiato was perfect...all Italian...

The Breakfast Club

...good morning lazy Sunday, I could really need a good breakfast right now.

A good place to have breakfast is definitely The Breakfast Club. I have been there quite often so far, there are several branches, one in Soho, Liverpool Street, Hoxton and an other one in Angel. I mostly go to the one in Soho and here you need a lot of patience. At the weekends the waiting time can be really long, people are queuing round the corner. The things we do for a good breakfast.
Although it is called The Breakfast Club, they are not only serving breakfast. They have delicious burgers, wrap and sandwiches.

Here are some of my favourites: Apple and cinnamon french toast, smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, avocado with poached egg, pancakes with berries and vanilla cream...and even the classic eggs florentine are great.

The place itself looks quirky and retro...photos on the wall, toys on a shelf and vintage street signs. It is definitely not chic! I heard that some people where not very happy about the staff, but I only had friendly waiters so far...

If you like good good breakfast and don't mind waiting...let's go!

Address:
33 D'Arbley Street, Soho
W1F 8EU London

the breakfast club during the week, rather empty

fruit bowl and avocado with lime and poached egg on a multigrain toast

scrambled eggs on toast (eggs florentine in the background)