Last London Leftovers

My my my… my last entry on London food. As silly as it sounds, I’ve avoided writing this entry for about two weeks despite having all the photos ready because I thought that once this is written, it means that London is really over (yes, I know it’s over but I’m still going through withdrawals and hanging onto my experience… I listen to Matilda the Musical songs every day… “We are revolting children, living in revolting times...”).

Okay, okay enough of me being all depressed about leaving London, let’s talk about FOOD. I mentioned in the last entry about Propstore. Sadly, I didn’t get the opportunity to wine or dine there, but it nevertheless was awesome! This is a little pop-up restaurant National Theatre opens every summer and it’s made out of… PROPS! How fantastic is that?! They take some old parts of sets from the past year or two and build this joint outside of the theatre. Food and drinks are also decently priced and it’s just a fun place to be. I saw the white silhouettes of the city skyline from The Magistrate (designed by the fabulous Katrina Lindsay), lights from Frankenstein (Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance gave me goose bumps, but then again his performances always do!), the floor was from Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (I saw that twice!), and there were some props from War Horse as well. It was so cool. Londonners, get your butt to South Bank for me! When I thought I couldn’t love National Theatre even more (I legitly want to work for them), Prophouse made me head-over-heels in love.

Moving on: welcome to Comptoir Libanais! This Lebanese food heaven was in my eat.shop london book and the colors and pictures were so vibrant, that I had to take a peak. The first time I tried to eat there they were closed (apparently the hours they list online are wrong), but I did get to eat here once and it was sooo good! I got the Chicken and Green Olives Tagine. I had no idea what it was and hoped it tasted good, and it did! Shredded chicken and olives and a bit of lemon zest on top of a bed of some type of rice or couscous-like grain. Yeah, this description needs some work, but I loved it. Light and filling. I also had a Roomana, which is a pomegranate and orange blossom lemonade, which was just the right about sweetness and tart. Oh, and the restaurant’s environment is so fun! So many colors! There were Lebanese canned goods and accessories on shelves, this wonderful mural of a woman in the back, and fun colored chairs. There was a sense of culture and vibrancy that I really enjoyed about Comptoir Libanais. I wish I got to go more often, ‘cause it is someplace I’d frequent if I lived in London.

Ooh! Now I get to write about a restaurant that I wish I opened myself! Hello Muriel’s Kitchen! Located right outside of the South Kensington station, this wonderful oasis is the cutest thing ever. I love the decoration of this place… it’s how I would decorate my own home. I’m talking light blue accents with a rustic homey vibe. Some decorations were also baking tools, which made this place even more loveable; some lights were made out of cake tins and there were baking tins just hanging on the wall! The food was quite tasty as well. I had their lasagna and I was so happy it was meaty. One thing I learned about lasagna in Europe is that it’s creamy compared the meaty U.S. lasagna. Although not shown here, I also had their grilled salmon that came with a delicious pesto-like sauce. The only thing that would make Muriel’s Kitchen more awesome is if it was cheap. It ain’t cheap. I’m a firm believer in the phrase, “Treat yourself once in a while” and Muriel’s Kitchen is just the place for that.

Riding House Café was a total random finding when I was looking for Attendant (the café I mentioned in my previous post). I was walking towards Attendant when I saw Riding House and it looked all hipster and lovely inside. It was pretty packed, so it had to be good. After getting coffee with my lovely friend Thalia, we went to Riding House for a nibble. We got seated in this lovely long family table and the chairs were vintage theatre seats. How cool is that?! They’re a bit difficult to squeeze into (‘cause they’re bolted to the floor), but I still dug them. I just had their lamb soup and I was floored. I’m not a fan of lamb because of its gamey taste, but this wasn’t gamey at all! The meat was so tender and the soup was a simple clear broth yet bursting with flavor. The herb garnish was a necessary touch too because the bits of herbs added a fresh zing that played on your taste buds. Everything in Riding House is a bit on the pricier side, but I would (if I could… sob) just go back for a small bowl of lamb soup anyways.

As with a handful of restaurants I visited, I found out about J+A Café via eat.shop london. I had my last dinner in London here actually and ate a wonderful steak pie. Perfectly cooked. As yummy as it was, I can’t say I totally loved J+A. It’s in a weird location (a little hard to find) and has weird hours. The café was near closing when my friends and I got there and then we got moved to the J+A Bar—the café and bar are next to each other, but in separate buildings. The waitress was kind and tried to explain how they did things, but I still thought it was a bit weird that we had to move.

And lastly, but surely not least: Jamie Oliver’s Diner. I mean, I had to eat at a famous English chef’s restaurant while I was in London right (and there was no way I could afford a Gordon Ramsay meal)?! This fun diner is a pop-up restaurant meaning that it will only be in Piccadilly Circus for a limited time! The restaurant was super fun and there were dinosaurs EVERYWHERE. Pretty awesome. Now Jamie is all about health, but he lets his customers indulge here (he listed items there were especially fatty with devil horns and healthy dishes with halos… cute right?). I’m talking ribs and savory waffles. I shared the ribs with a friend and then the group of us ate a slice of chocolate cake at the end (great way to finish off). The diner also serves boozy milkshakes, but they weren’t offering it at the time we ate there (my question is: why put it on the menu if you’re not serving it yet?! Such a tease). I wish I got to try one of their milkshakes and would of gone back for it if it wasn’t for my flight. Really, this is a great restaurant with a great environment. The bathrooms were even cute (well I can say that for the lady’s at least). Jamie actually goes all out when it comes to his restaurants and so he even had nice wooden vintage-like toilet seats! Man knows how to open a restaurant and cook.

And so this chapter of London eats has come to an end. When people say the English aren’t known for their food, I’d like to say they are wrong indeed! I’ve had great food experiences in London. Yes, you might have to pay a pretty penny once and a while, but that’s the cost of quality, awesome food. The only thing the English haven’t nailed down yet is Mexican food, but we can’t all be perfect. Cheers and farewell to London, my love. I hope to be back soon.