London Eats

a quick "hello" from across the pond

The perk of marrying a Brit is getting to visit London regularly. After dozens of trips here, I truly think that early June is the best time of year to visit. The weather is usually great - although this trip, it started off a bit rainy. And, it isn’t overly crowded with tourists since European schools are still in session.

I know British food doesn’t have the best reputation. The secret is that some British food is great! We’ve had some wonderful meals on this trip. Here is a quick recap:

Blacklock Sunday Roast

My husband LOVES Sunday Roast, a meal traditionally served at pubs on Sunday afternoons. It consists of roast meat (chicken, pork, or beef), crispy roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy. I did some research and booked a reservation at Blacklock, which is regarded as one of the best places for Sunday Roast in London. Blacklock has multiple locations, and reservations need to be booked in advance. Charles and his parents agreed it was the best roast they have had. It’s wonderful.

Yorkshire Burrito

This is a viral food that lives up to the hype! It’s a full Sunday Roast, in burrito form. A massive Yorkshire Pudding takes on the role of a tortilla, and is filled with roasted meat (beef, chicken, or cauliflower for a veg option), roasted potatoes, vegetables, and gravy. You can add some crisped cheese as well. Impressively, this juicy, gravy-saturated burrito held together well. And, it was delicious. I ordered five, one for my husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, niece, and me. No bites were left behind.

Afternoon Cheese

The Covent Garden Hotel has created its own genius version of the Afternoon Tea. The Afternoon Cheese features cheese-centric pastries: cheddar scones with caramelized onion jam, a savory doughnut filled with Welsh rarebit, and ricotta cheesecake were all included on the menu. We’ve all done Afternoon Tea many times and we enjoyed this cheesy twist.

Bleecker Burger

Today, we went to Old Spitalfields and tried the burger at Bleecker. It just won the top ranking on a list by the World’s 101 Best Burger Places. It was good… but not the best in the world. Chicago’s top ten burgers would blow this one out of the water. (Debating which are Chicago’s top ten is a project for another day, but Mott Street, The Loyalist, Gretel, Armitage Ale House, NADC, and Perilla Steak are personal favorites.)

The Wallace Collection Cafe

What a charming spot for a cream tea! (A cream tea is an afternoon snack of scones with cream and jam paired with tea). My daughter and I had a fancy afternoon pick-me-up, then quickly browsed the museum's collection. My five-year-old especially enjoyed the armor collection, which includes horse armor from the 1500s. Entrance to the museum is free, so you can go simply to enjoy the sunny courtyard cafe.

Gail’s

I feel like such a hypocrite, because I love Gail’s. I’ll (perhaps weakly) defend myself by saying that I started frequenting the bakery chain long before Bain bought it. Scones are considered an afternoon snack, but I enjoy a scone for breakfast, and Gail’s offers scones in the morning. An iced mocha and a scone have become a bit of a morning tradition. The current summer special, the sparkling raspberry hibiscus iced tea, is a delight. And yes, I make a point to support locally owned bakeries and coffee shops, too.

Tortello

London’s Tortello is unrelated to the Wicker Park Tortello. I chose it because it was in the perfect location for a dinner with my in-laws. It felt less authentically Italian than my beloved Chicago Tortello, yes, those are French fries…. but the pasta was fresh and incorporated seasonal ingredients. Plus, it is kid-friendly. The adults felt like it was a formal meal out, while the kids remained happy. A huge win.

I’ve written many London travel guides over on The Kittchen, and I have been sharing a look at our daily itineraries over on Instagram. We have stayed in many hotels and neighborhoods: Soho, Shoreditch, St. John’s Wood, Mayfair, and Maida Vale. This time, we rented a little mews house in Bayswater, and it’s magical and perfectly located. I found it through One Fine Stay, after learning the hard way that Airbnb cannot be trusted in Europe.

I’ll be savoring the end of my trip before getting back to more serious work upon returning home to Chicago. Thank you so much for supporting and sharing my recent articles about Wicker Park and Private Equity. I’ll be digging back into more serious topics soon.