When we were moving from Australia to the UK, people practically pried themselves free of the woodwork just to do their bit for society and warn us about the lack of good food, and especially good sushi in London. To those people, I say, where the f&*% have you been eating? Because the last 17 months on this side of the globe has taught me that not only does London have good food, there is plenty of it. Even sushi.
… ok maybe not for breakfast. But if there is one cuisine that I can have continuously without getting sick of it, it would have to be Thai. Pad thai, to be specific. So last night, when we were looking for something to eat before heading to see Star Trek (which by the way was awesome, guys), what did we do? We did Thai.
London has been experiencing an unusual bout of summer lately with temperatures reaching well into the high twenties, and public annoucement systems advising the townsfolk to keep hydrated amidst this “heat wave”. Coming from the sunbaked shores of Australia, I can attest that this most certainly is not a heat wave. But it is warm, and it does provide an excuse for me to visit Itsu for its delightful frozen yoghurt three days in a row this week.
When we went to Nobu, Park Lane, for the first time last September, we ordered the Chef’s Recommendation, which is a six course degustation of the tastiest offerings from the menu. Included in the menu was one of Nobu‘s signature dishes – the black cod in miso, which was hands down my favourite course (only beating the chocolate fondant with green tea ice cream by a whisker!). I slowly ate my black cod, tasting every morsel of the fish and sauce (heavenly!) willing this dish to never end. And when it did I was overcome with the urge to lick my plate clean; I mean would anyone really see me? I did think about it.
Without fail, every single weekend (at least those that I actually spend in London) I wiggle my way out of bed shy of midday, and make my way down to Le Pain Quotidien on Great Marlborough Street, Soho. Usually I ignore the wet-from-the-London-drizzle outdoor seats and head straight indoors towards the large communal tables (or smaller private tables, if that’s what you prefer), all made from reclaimed or reused sources.