If you’ve been following me on instagram for a while you’ll know that I’m moving to London in September and I could not be more excited. My boyfriend and I make it our mission to try as many fun new food places as we can every time we go, and we’ve found some real gems. Some of these you may already have heard of and some may be completely new, but I’m going to give you a run down of what they serve, what you should order and what makes them so special.
Braisserie Zedel
I’ve not been here in a few years but when my boyfriend and I booked a London weekend for our 1 year anniversary, we want to go to dinner somewhere a little special, however couldn’t afford somewhere too extravagant and that’s where Zedels came in. It has the most amazing location, set in a basement just off Picadlly Circus it feels like stepping back in time. We had the set menu of 3 courses plus a glass of champagne and it cost us £30pp which in centra London is a steal! That being said this is a traditional parisian brasserie and the menu is exactly that, expect beef bourguinon and moulles mariniere, and the food is absolutely delicious.
I ordered the salmon and the boyfriend had the beef bourguignon and I have to say I had serious food envy because his beef was melt in the mouth delicious. We finished the meal with coffee and dessert and left very happy. The restaurant was filled with parties and couples on dates and families having dinner before rushing off to the theatre, it feels like a well kept secret the amount of stairs you have to go down to get there.
The Bluebird Cafe
If you’re after somewhere outside with comfy chairs and an extensive selection of rose then I’d have to Recommend the Bluebird Cafe on the Kings Road. We were in London in April and it was absolutely scorching outside and our feet had given up on us after so much walking, and we decided to spend the afternoon in the sun doing nothing more than eating and drinking and having seen many an instagram snapped there we headed for the Bluebird, covered in flowers and scattered with tables of people doing business, catching up and we could have sworn the couple in the corner were on a first date it makes the perfect setting for a sunny afternoon.
I ordered the chicken caesar salad and a glass of pale rose and the boyfriend ordered fish and chips [that was big enough it could have fed us both for a week] and a beer. In total it cost us about £40-50 which is on the higher end of the scale of what I’d expect for a lunch but the food was so good and the setting was amazing I’d happily go back in a heartbeat. Note: I saw someone have a fishcake salad on the table next to us and I will definitely be ordering that next time.
Franco Manca
Ok so this one probably won’t be such a surprise to a lot of people but I had to include it because it’s something I look forward to every time we go to London. Franco Manca make the tastiest sourdough pizzas I’ve ever had, there’s a tonne of topping choices on the menu, there’s always a queue out the door for a table and a classic margarita pizza will set you back about £6.50. Yes really. It was one of those places I’d heard about but had never been until this past Christmas, I’ll set the scene, it was -4 in London we’d been on our feet for 8+ hours and were starving! We’d already planned to try and find a Franco Manca if we could and when the time came and we finally accepted defeat I google map searched for one and we were literally 50 metres away from one. Needless to say, two pizzas, a rosemary and sea salt sharing bread and two diet cokes later – we were fans for life. Since then we’ve revisited many times and when we move to London we will absolutely be taking full advantage of their take away service [much to the concern of our waistlines]. I always so classic and order the margarita with fresh basil, he always orders the one with spicy sausage and we always dip our crusts in the olive oil left on the table. It’s become a borderline tradition
Pix Pinto Tapas
Stumbling across this hidden gem truly was a happy accident, I went to London last summer to meet up with my friend Jazz and because of all the chatting and shopping we didn’t realise we were both starving! Anyway we were down Carnaby street and spotted a tiny little restaurant with a tapas sign above the door. It’s the coolest concept, all the tapas dishes are made fresh and you get give a plate and you go inside and help yourself to as many of the smaller plates as you’d like and then you’re charged per small plate, kind of like Yo Sushi style dining. Jazz and I both went for the cod croquette, the goats cheese and fig crostini and the patatas bravas and it was so delicious. Although they’re expensive I’d highly recommend ordering a Pimms, they are huge and are made with prosecco instead of lemonade which is so refreshing. A great spot for sitting outside, people watching and catching up.
Alto by San Carlo
This was my most recent restaurant visit and it 100% lived up to it’s reputation! On the roof of Selfridges on Oxford Street they’ve transformed a little bit of London into an Italian escape, everything from the oranges and vines in the lift, to the Italian speaking chefs and waitresses I was a little bit in awe of how detailed everything was! With it being World Cup season the patio was home to a giant TV screen surrounded by brazillian football fans and the atmosphere was incredible.
The menu is an Italian style menu, all portions are slightly smaller than on a normal menu and the idea is that you order three or four and share between two or more if there’s more of you. We ordered two of the pizza breads to share and a portion of truffle parmesan fries [the worlds greatest decision] and as per usual I had a glass of pale rose and the boyfriend had a beer. We sat in the flower veranda in the sunshine and it was a beautiful way to spend a Friday afternoon. Definitely a meal to save for something special.
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