My family is planning for Thanksgiving and asked me “when do you leave and/or when does your flight land?” as I have spent many years away for Thanksgiving (great award flight availability) as an add on to my birthday trips.  I’ve landed in Perth (Australia) on Thanksgiving, celebrated with friends for a Thanksgiving in Paris and have spent more than one Thanksgiving in London. This year, however, I’m in a job search so there is no birthday trip, no flights landing or taking off on Thanksgiving and I’m pretty sad about it.  But my sadness begets this Thanksgiving in London post so there’s something positive right?

My First Thanksgiving in London

My first trip to London in 1988 (eons ago) was over the Thanksgiving college break. I sat in the airport eating leftover birthday cake waiting for my first TWA flight to London from JFK.  It would ignite my travel bug and introduce me to a city that would become like a second home given the number of visits since that first one.  My friend Christine and I spent Thanksgiving in a popular (at the time) Soho restaurant called The Long Island Ice Tea Bar.  Yes, we definitely had a few of those signature drinks with our dinner (not turkey).  The restaurant is long gone and replaced by a few others over the years, I often walk by to revisit those first Thanksgiving in London memories as well as memories of Christine who passed too young.

First of all, Thanksgiving is not a holiday in the UK for obvious reasons so everything is open as normal on Thursday. The bonus is that the normal American business crowds are gone as are most of the American tourists, except folks like me keen to take advantage of the day off and award flights. You can however enjoy a proper Turkey dinner in London at a few restaurants (reservations are required) and if flying home on Thanksgiving (which I have done a few times) enjoy a turkey dinner on the British Airways flight.  I’ve flown the early flight from London and have been home in time for Thanksgiving dinner – a win/win in my book – turkey in two of my favorite places – up in the air at 30,000 feet and on the ground with my family.

Hotels in London for Thanksgiving

While hotels in London are expensive normally, you can find deals during the week of Thanksgiving as business folks are not traveling to the city and many meetings are canceled as US staff are not available so that’s good for you.  I would suggest booking direct with the hotel (they may have specials like upgrades or breakfast included) or use Hotel Tonight  to see what is available. Also, if you have miles and points to use, now is the time to find open award space.

This might be a great time to upgrade neighborhood, hotel type or splurge out on a flat rental and cook your own version of Thanksgiving in London.

Thanksgiving Dinner in London Restaurants

When I was last in London for Thanksgiving, staying at the Park Lane Hotel, I had a few options for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in London – some had a British spin to the traditional turkey dinner and trimmings.  I ended up canceling my reservation to Blue’s Kitchen when my friend wasn’t quite into my US tradition of Thanksgiving and preferred his local pub.

Here are a few restaurants in London for thanksgiving dinner (everything is open unlike at home) that I considered – note that most are set menus, require tickets/reservations in advance (far in advance), are subject to change and aren’t quite cheap (think 30 GBP+). There’s always a Subway or other takeaway sandwich shop to do the more affordable “I had my turkey today”.

1. Blue’s Kitchen in Camden Town was my first choice as they have live Blues music –sadly I canceled my reservation on Open Table.  You can take the tube or an Uber from central London.
2. Boondocks London on Old Street has a set menu
3. Bodean’s BBQ Smokehouse (Soho) and Big Easy (Covent Garden) – it’s already an American BBQ place so adding turkey dinner is what they both do. You might be able to catch an American football game too!
4. The Breakfast Club – this American breakfast staple also has American styled lunch and dinner and for Thanksgiving requires tickets for diners (their restaurants are small so limited seating).  With a few locations, you can indulge in Thanksgiving Turkey dinner.  The Mondrian Hotel London is in walking distance of the Borough Market location and Z Hotel Soho is near the Soho location.
5. Bumpkin in South Kensington – not far from The Ampersand Hotel. OneFineStay South Kensington or my luxury Airbnb in South Kensington
6. Riding House Café in Fitzrovia near my one of my favorite hotels – The Charlotte Street Hotel

Luxury Thanksgiving Dinner in London

For those wanting to spend A LOT of money for luxury American options consider these three chef driven restaurants in London for Thanksgiving dinner.

1. Balthazar in London is a famous NYC restaurant located in Covent Garden (walking from The Rosewood Hotel is quick and easy).
2. Bread Street Kitchen in Mansion House where UK chef Gordon Ramsey puts a bit of a British twist on the American Turkey dinner (think bacon popcorn and a few other “I’ve never had that on my Thanksgiving table” additions)
3. Cut at 45 Park Lane is by Wolfgang Puck is uber expensive (think over 100 GBP) in Mayfair as is JW Steakhouse.  But frankly, if you are staying at a 5* luxury hotel in Mayfair you can easily afford this meal and probably wouldn’t venture too far to the other options above.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

Winter Wonderland London is a celebration of the Christmas holidays with amusement park rides, games, food stalls and live music.  Let’s not forget the appearance of Father Christmas (Santa Claus to us Americans).  Winter Wonderland is held yearly in Hyde Park and is very popular.  I enjoy walking around to get in the Christmas spirit and also to see the UK versions of amusement park foods and games. There is a small ice skating rink (there are so many throughout London during the holiday season).  Winter Wonderland is free to enter but there of course are fees for food/drink, rides, shopping and ice skating.

Note: The underground lines will be crowded so plan to be sardines for a few stops until Hyde Park Corner when the Piccadilly line spills out people.   If you are keen to walk from Soho along Piccadilly, it’s about ½ hour or longer if you stop to see the Christmas lights at Bond Street and Jermyn Street as well as the many arcades and Ritz Carlton on your walk.

Christmas Lights London

If you love Christmas lights like I do then you might catch them (depending on Thanksgiving date) along Oxford Street, Bond Street, Regent Street, Jermyn Street as well as other places around the city.  Christmas Trees are not normally up yet (but that continues to change as we decorate after Halloween now) but stores are decorated as are shopping arcades along Piccadilly Street.

Ice skating rinks are quintessential holiday must dos throughout the city and those open at different times (check Time Out London app).  Along the Thames, Southbank Winter Festival has Christmas Market stalls (at least on weekend at first) and you will see the Instagram famous igloos along the water (reserve the igloos and enjoy drinks with a view). Christmas lights in London are fabulous especially at night when the streets are empty and you feel like you had the city to yourself.

Heathrow Airport on Thanksgiving Day

The Heathrow airport on Thanksgiving tends to be normal crowded for a weekday if not a bit lighter without the American business travelers.  You may be able to buy the Christmas Harrods’s Bear as he arrives in mid-November along with the Christmas tins of biscuits (cookies), candy and teas. Time to stock up for Christmas at home.  Arriving in Philadelphia the airport was quiet for a holiday.

British Airways Thanksgiving Dinner

One surprise I had flying home on Thanksgiving a few years ago in business class (Club World) was a thanksgiving turkey dinner special.  I had flown a few times on Thanksgiving (award flights tend to be plentiful especially to Asia and Australia) but this was the first time that this American dinner was served.  It was honestly a good meal and nice treat.  I know that business class likes to serve fancy steak, fish, etc. but a good turkey dinner with gravy and mashed potatoes was comfort food that made me happy along with dessert on the ground and in the air.

I lucked out on that flight because while they catered my “special meal”, they had enough turkey dinners for me to swap out.  So when I arrived home in time for another Thanksgiving dinner, I was pretty happy.  Where else can you have two Thanksgiving dinners in one day? (yeah time difference)

Christmas Shopping in London at Thanksgiving

So the shops are open, don’t worry so you can begin your Christmas shopping on your vacation if you want to be that person who says “I bought that in London” (c’mon we all know that person or might be that person).  If you are keen to shop here are a few of my favorite Made in the UK gifts  Of course, my favorite London gift is chocolate and biscuits and I bring those home for Thanksgiving dinner dessert table.

Shopping Tip: Bring your own bag to the shops (I like my recyclable Lululemon bags) as some stores will charge you for bags. Have a copy of your passport in your phone photos or email draft in case you buy so much that you need VAT reclaim receipts (no need to bring passport out shopping with you – leave it in the hotel safe or other secure location). At Heathrow, go to the VAT reclaim before you check in for your flight (located behind the check in area desks)

Celebrate Thanksgiving in London

So if you are lucky to find yourself celebrating Thanksgiving in London or planning to visit in the future, know that you can enjoy the best of both worlds and not miss out on your yen for turkey tradition. It does feel a bit weird to be honest to have a day exploring the city (like when I toured the Paris Christmas Markets at Thanksgiving in Paris) and then go have turkey dinner without the cooking time, cleanup and stress of family drama.  So while I’m grounded this year, hopefully next year, I can explore a new destination for my Thanksgiving memories (I wonder if they have turkey in the Maldives? or Antarctica?).

If you don’t celebrate the American holiday, you can still participate by taking a few minutes to be thankful for someone or something in your life. Then you can go about planning your Black Friday shopping, Small Business Saturday shopping, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday adventures.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It was a Friday night in London, we were hungry and had no reservations when we saw the corner restaurant, O’ver Italian restaurant. ‘O ver means truth in the Neapolitan dialect according to their website.  It was packed inside and out so I was prepared for a long wait or to go elsewhere.  To my surprise, we were told we could sit outside (we declined as it was cold despite the heat lamps) or to the basement bar if we were open to that.  Basement Bar it is!  The hostess really undersold the basement bar.

We followed her through the main dining room, past the open wood fired pizza kitchen to the stairs which led to the basement and the toilets (almost all London restaurants have toilets in the basement so be prepared for stairs).  We walked further past the main kitchen, down a few stairs and were surprised by a room full of people, couches, nooks and the bar.  We took our two seats between an older couple and young girlfriends.  The bartender immediately welcomed us and we could tell would be fun and entertaining.  The bar seats weren’t comfy but weren’t awful either.  My friend and I are tall so our legs were a bit smushed.

Food & Drink – ‘O ver Italian Restaurant Bankside

The menu was quite varied in its offerings from pizza and pasta to main entrees like porterhouse steak and fish options.  We looked to the right and to the left to survey what others were eating.  We asked the girls about their appetizers and set out to order the appetizer sampler.  The sampler of fried yumminess would include one of each of their appetizers and two fried cheese balls. My friend and I split each to try and found our favorites among the choices of Neapolitan street foods.

My friend ordered a pizza which was freshly made upstairs and fired in the pizza oven.  She chose the white pizza with sausage. I stayed in familiar territory with my gnocchi sorrentina because I can never say no to freshly made balls of potato pasta in a red sauce.

While we waited for the foods to arrive, the bartender let me try three different red wines when I asked which was better (they were the only red wines by the glass in the variety of interest).  I can’t say no to free wine tastings – can you?  I picked my large glass of wine.

For entertainment, we got to watch the variety of cocktails being made with laser precision and a few tweezer like instruments to place garnishments just so. The frosty pink drinks were of interest as there were three made and had so many ingredients, steps and included straining of fruit we were all intrigued including the older couple next to us. It was really a show from beginning to end.  Then when the server said he made an error, the bartender gave the couple and my friend the drinks he made.  Everyone enjoyed the error – I still had my wine.  But that’s the fun of sitting at the bar – wine tastings and error drinks. Similar to sitting at the kitchen bar when the chefs give you a taste of this, that and everything and you are full before your food arrives.

When our food arrived, we really enjoyed it.  It was fresh and hot and spiced just right.

As I took a break from the pasta, I surveyed the room to see couples in the nooks, a table of ten women out for the night, a family of six in the couch and stools behind us and a group in the corner.  It was a good mix of people for a Friday night in London’s Bankside neighborhood. When the older couple left, a single guy replaced them and ordered a hearty steak dinner while I had to finish my meal with dessert.  Of course I did, so I ordered the local vanilla gelato.

I had walked past this restaurant many times in the past few years staying on Bankside (at SeaContainers London and The Hilton Bankside) in Southwark neighborhood because as a solo diner, I never saw a table with just one person so I didn’t think it was solo friendly but now I know about the lovely basement bar and also the friendly service.  I would definitely go back here for lunch, drinks/appetizers and dinner.

There are two locations – one in Southwark (‘O ver Borough) which is open for lunch service then closes and re-opens for dinner. The St. James’s location is opened for continual service from lunch time onward. They offer delivery via Supper food delivery service in London. Our dinner cost £69.19 for two people – appetizer sampler (£12), gnocchi (£16), pizza (£18), large glass of wine (£8.50)  and dessert (£7) with service (£7.69).

A Philly Cheesesteak in London?  Call me skeptical, as I’ve argued Philly Cheesesteaks around the world.  No…… green peppers are not a topping…mushrooms and green peppers are even worse and don’t get me started on the bread.  The Philadelphia Cheesesteak is imbedded in my childhood and those memories of how to do it right won’t go away.  I’ve since stopped telling food truck vendors around the world how they are ruining my city’s iconic sandwich.  That said, even at home, I’m a picky cheesesteak person.  So would Passyunk Avenue London pass my Philly Cheesesteak test? Can you really export an authentic taste of Philly?

Growing Up in Philly – Cheesesteak Memories

Growing up, the local butcher supplied my mom with the thinly sliced ribeye that she would then fry up and fill the local Amoroso rolls that my dad would bring home from his visit to the bakery.  Cheese Whiz, a key ingredient in the more famous Philly cheesesteaks never made it into the kitchen pantry.  Don’t think Mom was being health conscious of the fake processed cheese stuff, she favored another fake processed cheese, Velveeta.  Ah, those memories of childhood foods.

As I began traveling after college, back in the days before the smartphone, internet and globalization of foods, my “welcome home meal” was at the local diner, The Dining Car, with my parents who would pick me up at the airport.  My dad would insist it was “my treat” with leftover money I converted (he would do anything to make me pay).  My “back to the US” meal was a cheesesteak royal (American cheese no onions), extra pickles and a Pepsi.

As I grew older, the cheesesteak outings lessened (damn healthy lifestyle!) and somewhere along the way, it became a special treat when I was back in my childhood diner (an hour away) or if I wanted to relive my high school South Street memories at Jim’s Steaks.

When I discovered the posh cheesesteak eggrolls of Davio’s it allowed me to experience my childhood cheesesteak in a posh way – the cheesesteak in an eggroll, deep fried and served with onion strings and spicy ketchup.  But I never outgrew (or abandoned) the original cheesesteak.

Philly Bar in Fitzrovia

Philadelphians have their own cheesesteak memories and favorite places (hint: neither of which are Pat’s or Geno’s). But now I was in London and on my way to the quiet Fitzrovia neighborhood to the new Philly Bar, Passyunk Avenue, to see if an authentic Philly Cheesesteak in London really exists. The London Philly Cheesesteak version?

Fitzrovia is a residential neighborhood that I’ve stayed in many times before at my favorite hotel, The Charlotte Street Hotel.  On Cleveland Street, many blocks from the hotel, I saw the Passyunk Avenue sign and then the famous Philly “Yo” on the street and knew I was in the right place.  They might need to add JEET to the sign.

Passyunk Avenue London Philly Cheesesteaks

Immediately upon walking into the sport themed filled “dive” bar, I walked into the small neighborhood Philly bar of my youth.  Crossing the line from the outside in was strangely comforting – the wood panels, the tables and metal chairs, the music playing rock in the background.  The only indication I wasn’t at home in Philly were the accents from the tables – those were British.  I could imagine my college self eating here watching sports in my youth – it really was designed to capture the rowhouse bar experience.

I was told to take any table so I walked to the booth that gave me a view of the bar, tables and the street.  The mural at my booth was familiar, the television was playing the Phillies and another was playing “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (to be honest, I’ve never watched the show but it does have a following).  I didn’t get a chance to ask when “The Goldbergs” would be shown (a television comedy based on growing up in suburban Philadelphia in the 80’s which is so spot on with local references that I can’t help but watch, reminisce and be proud).

Passyunk Avenue London Philly/American Menu

Unlike the Philly cheesesteak shops at home, Passyunk Avenue in London has servers (and takes reservations!).  My server was from Jersey (New Jersey that is, not the nearby Channel Islands).  She fell in love with a Brit and moved to London a few years ago (I think that’s the plot of many movies).  I ordered wine, a cheesesteak wiz without (onions) and a side of skinny chips (fries to us Philly folk).  I had to argue a bit about the parmesan and oregano fries which she said were “a south philly thing” because I’ve never heard of those as being “a Philly thing”.  The crab fries with Old Bay, yep, those are a “very Philly thing” and Passyunk Avenue has those on the menu along with hot wings and mozzarella sticks (which falls into the American food column).

Other Philly things – hoagies, roast pork sandwiches and the selections of parm sandwiches (eggplant, meatball and chicken).  In the coming soon column – soft pretzel bites!  I’ve learned how to make the Philly pretzels and they are a bit tricky so I can’t wait to see how those turn out. On the bring your own menu – Tastykakes.  If you want the iconic krimpet or chocolate cupcakes, you’ll need to bring your own from Philly and if you do, bring a few extras to share with the staff.

Now to be fair, I had read the background of how Passyunk Avenue came to be (origins: food truck called Liberty Cheesesteak Company) and how the owner, JP Teti, has created his own version of Cheese Whiz (seriously folks, not everything needs to be exported).  So I had high expectations for the Philly experience.

The London Philly Cheesesteak experience

The cheesesteak presentation was a winner, served in the plastic tray with a sheet of paper underneath for the grease and mess, because there is always a mess.  This is a sandwich meant to be eaten by picking it up with both hands, not cut with a fork and knife as so many Brits do with their burgers.  For me, I didn’t care how I looked, I picked my half up with both hands (so very American of me) and bit into it and started to laugh.

I was laughing because I could instantly taste the quality of the cheese used for the cheese sauce and it’s already a bit high end for the cheese whiz folks but it was mighty tasty and complemented the meat in such a way to fake out my senses.  I could have been home in Philly as this was the real deal. Even the bread was close enough to an Amoroso roll to pass the test (we take our bread quite seriously in Philly).

During my meal, the booth in front of me, adorned with an accessible sticker (adhered on the day that Professor Stephen Hawking passed) a young girl was seated.  We got to talking as solo travelers do but also as Philadelphians around the world do.  She was also from New Jersey (Cherry Hill) and working as an au pair in Paris during her work sabbatical as a primary school teacher.  She was in London for the weekend for a music festival and craving a pizza steak, which is a cheesesteak with pizza sauce (marinara) on top.  As we chatted about how good our meals were, two guys from Philly came into the bar bearing gifts (Philly sport pennants).

Dessert at Passyunk Avenue London

At the tables around us were a variety of people which my server said were either local students or Londoners.   Did I want dessert?  To be fair, I was stuffed as I went beyond the typical cheesesteak meal with the fries but agreed when told the owner has his own cannoli.  Hmmm, cannoli?  I requested they be put in a takeaway container so I could try one and take the other two back to the hotel.  Italian pastry is also a contentious issue in Philadelphia with Termini’s and Isgro’s to name the two more famous cannoli bakeries in South Philly. The cannoli filling was a bit too sweet for me as I rarely eat cannoli but that said, they will also get a pass from me as being really close to home.

Passyunk Avenue Basement Bar – Nick Foles Bar

With my stomach confused by my foods – are we home in Philly?  Or are we still in Europe? I decided to descend to the basement “Nick Foles” bar, named for the Superbowl MVP who helped our Philadelphia Eagles win the Superbowl in 2018.  It wasn’t open during my visit but ok to go look at the cozy spots and additional sports memorabilia.

While taking photos, the manager escorted those Philly guys (on their business trip) from the bar (one guy lives 5 minutes away from me at home) downstairs to show them the key piece of Philly memorabilia – the bar back from Dirty Frank’s (classic dive bar) in Center City.  He talked about how they obtained the décor, moved from successful food truck to storefront and about the various groups in London that meet in the bar for sports games and school alumni events.

Eagles Game in London – October 2018

I asked about the upcoming (Philadelphia) Eagles game to be played at Wembley in London in October.  I can’t imagine how this tiny, quiet street (and the rest of the city) will react to chants of E-A-G-L-E-S.  He said media outlets had contacted them already and they are hoping to have a bit of street event to watch the game (it’s so Philly to close the street for a block party).  No word at this time if the street event is approved so as my British friend likes to say “watch this space”. I’m sure many media outlets will broadcast a story (or a hundred) about Passyunk Avenue in London.  Who doesn’t love the London Philly Cheesesteak story?

Passyunk Avenue London Philly Cheesesteak Verdict

If you are craving the Philly accents, food and sports, Passyunk Avenue in London is a definite must do.  If you are keen to learn about this iconic Philly sandwich (without having to take the flight and deal with the jet lag) then put the fork and knife down and learn to be messy at Passyunk Avenue London.  After twenty years of traveling to/from London, it’s nice to finally have a place to go and have a taste of home (and play the which Philly neighborhood are you from game). The cheesesteak is definitely a winner for me and I can’t wait to return! Thankfully there are no calories on vacation right?

A few notes:

1. The server telling the table of four that a “steak sandwich” is not a filet steak inside bread (yuck!).  That’s usually what people tend to think at first.  The steak is thinly sliced like the meats on the charcuterie tray or the Iberian ham on the tapas menu.
2. Cheesesteaks are a fantastic late night snack after the bar – in the US the bars are open to 2 a.m. and many diners are 24/7 so cheesesteaks after drinking were a normal outing (for my much younger body and self).  In London, the bars tend to close at 11 pm or midnight (Passyunk Avenue closes at 12:30 am) so it’s a perfect after the pub destination or takeaway option as well as all day dining.
3. If you are visiting from Philadelphia, bring Tastykakes and sports memorabilia (I’m already planning my next visit with Villanova NCAA Championship banners!).

If you are a long time reader or follow me on social media, it’s no secret that I have a bit of a cookie obsession.  A visit to Blondie’s Kitchen Pop Up at Selfridge’s in London was going to be a treat on my continual quest to find a good cookie in London (it really is a cookie desert of over twenty years in my opinion) – shortbread biscuits don’t count.

A cookie is a simple treat that pretty much makes most people happy or evokes memories of childhood.  When I fly, I always bring cookies with me in my snack bag and those cookies have made me new friends during delays, helped me score an empty row of seats and a free bottle of wine from the flight attendant I shared cookies with and provided a wonderful treat in flight when snacks are lacking.  In every city I’ve visited, I go in search of a good cookie or fantastic local bakery.  Cookies for me are small bites of happiness.  Cookies to my gym routine are destructive.  Cookies to my doctor are on the “do not eat” list.  I’m not sure when cookies became the enemy – even gluten free cookies get a bad rap.  So when I read on Secret London’s Facebook page of a Milk & Cookies Pop Up Shop at Selfridges called Blondie’s Kitchen which would only be open for one month, I was intrigued and ready to be bad and go off my diet for good cookies.  Even better was that my trip to Edinburgh & London would coincide with the final days of the pop up shop so I was able to experience the cookies first hand.

Blondie’s Kitchen is a new venture by two London chefs, both blondes hence the name.  On a visit to New York City, they happened upon a Milk & Cookies shop, MilkBar, and realizing there was nothing like that in London (I’ve been lamenting the horrible cookie scene in London for over 20 years!) they decided to open up their own.  Starting with a small pop up venture inside the Old Street Station they sold out immediately and realized there was a demand for their milk & cookies (cookies are much easier to eat in my opinion than the cupcakes sold by Lola’s cupcakes at many train stations). Their next pop up shop opportunity was at Selfridge’s Food Hall, which is big time exposure and prompted many stories to be written about their indulgent treats.  They are now working on an online shop to complement their catering business to sell direct to consumers. Long term is a physical shop and hopefully dreams of competing with the likes of Ben’s Cookies in the city.

Before I had a chance to taste the cookies, my friend would get there first as I put the Blondie’s Kitchen Milk & Cookies Pop Up Shop at Selfridge’s Food Hall on his London Itinerary.  He was in cookie heaven and was able to enjoy the cereal milk as well.  His Instagram and Facebook post let me know that I was in for a treat during my visit.

As a kid (and maybe a bit today) the best part of cereal was always the leftover milk that you could drink.  Well, blondie’s kitchen captures those milk memories in bottles today – choose from Frosted Flakes, Coco Pops as well as regular milks to enjoy with your cookies.

It took me a while to find their stand as I entered Selfridge’s from Oxford Street rather than the Food Hall side street for which they had a great location near the entrance as Selfridge’s is highlighting local businesses.

There were two ladies working the stand and I mentioned I read about them and was from the U.S.  They had a plate of samples and described each cookie on the stand as they had me try most of the flavors. I’m not a peanut butter or coconut fan so passed on those samples but was rewarding my taste buds with new cookies and that’s always a great experience.  Their cookies are a blend of unique ingredients of today often smashed up with candy favorites like kinder bars and the indulgent cookie “get stuffed” has two favorites – Oreo cookies crumbled on top of a Nutella filled cookie.  For me, the simple milk chocolate and the double chocolate with tahini and sesame seeds were winners.

I was really tempted by their signature cookie sandwich – two cookies with homemade honeycomb chocolate mousse in between.  But I was on cookie overload after the samples to even consider that treat.

They also serve a Gluten Who? Cookie which is a peanut butter cookie made with almond milk and were introducing their raspberry and coconut cookie.  I bought three cookies – one to enjoy now and two to bring home.  The cookies were on the larger side of a normal cookies (so about two servings) and priced at £3 per cookie which was reasonable.

The soft, chewy cookies definitely had a good flavor and held up for a few days retaining that soft texture. I hope that Blondie’s Kitchen does get the next phase up and running soon as I’d finally love to say I have a favorite cookie in London to add to my cupcakes and chocolate walking tour list.  Pop Up Shops are great ways to enjoy a city’s food and support small and growing businesses as they expand their dreams.  I’m glad I could experience the Blondie’s Kitchen Pop Up at Selfridges and look forward to the day I can walk into their shop to order cookies and declare that London is no longer a cookie desert.

So I took a silly quiz recently to see “How British Are You” based on the list of British foods you’ve eaten.  It was a fun quiz and not surprisingly I scored “you are a picky eater” which made me laugh because I won’t eat haggis for extra points. One tradition I could finally check off was the famous British Sunday Roast.  With all my years of business travel to London, I would miss the traditional Sunday roast dinner (yes, I know that some restaurants have it on their everyday menu) because my flights home were on Sunday afternoon.  So when planning my train from Edinburgh to London, I chose to arrive just before dinner time on Sunday, giving me enough time to check into The Dorset Square Hotel and walk to the pub to meet my friend for drinks before dinner. After drinks, we had a reservation at The Grazing Goat in Marylebone for my first Sunday Roast Dinner.

Marylebone is not a neighborhood I’m familiar with as it was my first stay in the area so I searched online for “Sunday Roast Dinners”, read posts on my TimeOut app, reviews from The Telegraph and consulted OpenTable.  I narrowed my search to three options and then looking at their menus and dining rooms, I chose The Grazing Goat gastropub due to its warm country home feel with the soft design – it seemed open, airy and bright with a simple modern design.

The Grazing Goat in Marylebone

As it was a bank holiday weekend in May, the area was quiet and despite this the restaurant had a good crowd inside, outside and upstairs on the first floor dining room.  This was a residential area with a few smaller hotels so I got a sense that the guests were locals moreso than tourists like me.

We climbed the stairs to the dining room and met the restaurant manager who seated us against the open window which was nice to have fresh air.  The dining room was decorated with wood and light accents.  It could be a romantic or casual depending on your dining companion.  When seated by the manager and asked if we had been there before, I said “no this is our first time here and my first Sunday Roast dinner”, he smiled and said “it will be the best experience and perfect Sunday roast dinner”.  My friend and I laughed because we rarely have the “best experiences” together, he calls me a jinx with so many memorable experiences and stories.  We told the manager, he just cursed us and laughed.

The menu had a good selection of starters, entrees, sandwiches and salads plus the roast menu.  We ordered a nice bottle of Chianti, two starters and our roast dinners – grass fed beef for me and lamb for my friend with a side order of sweet potato fries just because I was in the mood for them. The wine quickly arrived followed by our starters – calamari for him and asparagus in goat cheese for me.

The presentation of my starter was wonderful and the flavors even better. So far we were off to a good start on this “best experience”.  We should have known better from experience but were too busy talking and enjoying the wine.

When we noticed the bottle of wine was nearly finished and our Sunday Roast Dinners were AWOL, I caught the eye of our server who seemed a bit hesitant to approach us. I knew there was a problem as I’ve had that look before when I was a waitress. As other tables around us, who arrived much later than we did, were eating their roast dinners, I knew the kitchen forgot us.  He apologized and said that when he saw we didn’t have our dinners (they have food runners) he asked the kitchen about it and realized they had skipped our order.  He reordered our entrees so it shouldn’t be much longer. We were not happy and when the manager came over to apologize before delivery of the food, I told him “this isn’t quite the best experience so far, you definitely cursed us from the onset” and I laughed to help make him feel a bit better.  I also explained that I’ve worked in restaurant so understand things can happen, I wished were we told sooner rather than asking. He said he would comp us the sweet potato fries for the delay,  the nearly hour delay deserved a bit more than free fries in my opinion.

The Grazing Goat Sunday Roast Dinner(s)

Then the entrees arrived.  My meal looked just as I expected it would – yummy and massive. Under the big slab of tender beef was vegetables and potatoes. I expected a bit of gravy for the bread but there wasn’t any of that to dip into.

The big popover on top is Yorkshire pudding which to me not a “pudding” (dessert) which prompted a lecture into the history of Yorkshire pudding from my British friend and rather than argue over this, I bit into the popover to end the conversation.  I enjoyed my beef roast dinner with the accompanying vegetables.  I don’t eat cauliflower but my friend said it wasn’t cooked properly and needed more time.

My friend’s lamb was more fat than meat so we flagged the manager over and he apologized and went in search of more lamb.  My friend wasn’t keen on his “sunday roast dinner experience” but he put up with it on my account.  To be honest, he always has issues with lamb when we go out so I’m not sure why he still orders it.  I pick restaurants that serve lamb or are known for it and he has issues (funny aside, the next restaurant I picked for lamb, he chose the beef instead so I can’t win).

By now, I was happily eating my food while he wasn’t having any fun focusing on the bad parts of our meal so far. To add insult to injury as they say we were out of wine (never good) and he wasn’t keen on ordering another bottle and staying here longer.  We were already waiting on my dessert (pudding) as I needed a bit of chocolate to end this meal and finsh my wine.  This was a special dinner for us as we hadn’t seen each other in months to catch up and pre-celebrate his birthday.  So there was a few more layers to our disappointment. To the manager’s credit (the poor guy), he apologized to us and removed the lamb roast dinner from the bill plus my dessert in addition to the fries. None of this was requested but he did it anyway which helped my friends mood a little bit to know I didn’t have to pay for his bad meal as I was treating him for his birthday.

Having worked in restaurants, I have a different tolerance for what can and can’t be controlled and understand mistakes happen.  However, when the server realized the oversight, he should have immediately informed us and set the expectation, in this case he didn’t and that’s what was bothersome – we were hungry, folks around us were eating and we continued to wait without knowing when our food would arrive. Hangry (hungry + angry) people are not happy people.

Overall Review – The Grazing Goat, Marylebone

I’d go back (my friend would not) to The Grazing Goat again for a Sunday Dinner Roast as I enjoyed the food and the flavors.  However, next time, I would be more cognizant of the timing and pacing of our meal to recognize a problem earlier. I had read many reviews that the food was good but the service uneven. I had forgotten about that as I was caught up in the haze of wine and conversation. The manager tried his best but, in the end, even he acknowledged he cursed our meal by promising “it would the best experience”. It was definitely a memorable experience, one in which has banned me from picking restaurants in the future when dining with my friend. But that’s ok, I have other friends in London to dine with at the Grazing Goat in Marylebone.

Have you ever had a meal with a friend where your food was good and theirs wasn’t?  What did you do?  Would you go back to the restaurant without that friend in the future?  Or would you be one and done like my friend?

When my former London colleagues would ask what I wanted for lunch, I’d always reply “I’m good with chicken” and they would give me a weird look.  While chicken is everywhere in the U.S., in London not so much.  There were Turkish, Indian, Thai, Italian and sandwich takeaway shops but chicken?  Well that was exotic not that many years ago. Thankfully Bryon burger shop arrived in New Change on Cheapside and I was able to finally get a grilled chicken sandwich (or chicken burger as the Brits call it).  So when I saw the unassuming sign “Chicken Shop” outside of my hotel, the Hoxton Holborn, I was intrigued.

The Chicken Shop Window Menu

The menu is small enough to be printed on the window leading to the restaurant – chicken, four sides and three desserts.  That’s all folks!  The simple menu doesn’t quite convey “this is going to be a tasty meal”.  I wasn’t sure what to expect – was this a fast food or fast casual place?  The outside gave nothing away as the restaurant is located in the basement so I decided I was going to give it a look-see.

The Restaurant

Walking down the stairs (for those with mobility issues, you can use the hotel elevator to access the restaurant), I expected to see a counter and lots of seating like a Five Guys or Shake Shack (new outlets in London now) so I was quite surprised to find a nicely decorated restaurant with open kitchen, counter seating overlooking the kitchen, a long communal table and a good sized dining area.

The warm woods, décor and table set up conveyed a homey feel.  I was greeted by my server and shown a table facing the open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. As it was a Saturday during a bank holiday weekend, I didn’t expect the place to be crowded and it wasn’t but during the week when the businesses are open, I would think it is quite busy.  Dining solo was easy and I felt very welcome.

My Chicken Shop Lunch

The simple menu is contained on the blackboards throughout the restaurant.  Today’s specials were on a separate menu.  While the specials were tempting, as this was my first visit, I figured I’d order the rotisserie chicken (whole, half or quarter) with a side. Sides are simple – fries, coleslaw, corn on the cob or a butter lettuce & avocado salad. I ordered the ¼ chicken (£6) and crinkle cut fries (£4.50).  The table had two sauces to kick up the heat on the chicken  – hot and smokey – I kept it plain and simple.

I was brought a bowl for bones (not needed for my small chicken but I could see its use for a shared chicken).  While I waited on my meal, I could see the chef creating a massive chicken avocado sandwich from the specials menu – it looked fantastic.

My meal arrived quickly and the chicken practically fell off the bone it was so tender and juicy.  The chicken is marinated overnight, steamed and then spit roasted over charcoal so the flavors are plentiful.  The fries came with ketchup and garlic aioli.  For such a simple menu it was really a tasty surprise. The server and manager checked on me more than once to ensure I was happy.  A few more patrons arrived and also had the same look of “wow, this is nice” as they descended the stairs like I had.

The Chicken Shop Apple Pie

The dessert options were three – chocolate brownie, lemon tart and the famous Chicken Shop Apple Pie. The server was steering me to the apple pie but I told her “I really hate apple pie as I’m not a cinnamon fan”.  I asked about the other two options and her facial expressions couldn’t hide her feelings as she said “I don’t really like either”.  I decided to pass on dessert as I would go for my famous chocolate and cupcakes in Soho.  I asked for the check and waited.

It felt like a long wait when the server finally appeared with an apple pie sample with a side of fresh cream telling me “just try it”. I was skeptical because I don’t like apple pie but then felt bad as she was trying to be nice with free dessert (no upsell) and I hate to waste dessert. So in the interest of blog research, I took a small bite to appease her and damn if I wasn’t perplexed by the flavors. The spoonful contained so many textures and tastes that it was actually good, really good in a I think it’s mousse mixed with apples and a side of pie crust somehow.  I asked if there was cinnamon because I couldn’t taste it and she said it was mixed into the pie crust.  I can no longer say “I hate apple pie” anymore as the Chicken Shop in London converted me to their version of deep dish apple pie.  So now I’m adding this dessert to my favorite London desserts (the list keeps growing). A slice of apple pie cost £6.

Final Thoughts

Yum!  Simple Menu full of flavors.  With attentive Service intent on making sure you enjoyed your food even if it that means spoon feeding you Apple Pie. They were solo friendly and I would expect in a busy time to find a seat at the kitchen counter or communal table. I’m happy to now have a place to easily find good chicken in London – goodbye Chicken Burgers, hello Chicken Shop London.

Chicken Shop – Need to Know

Chicken Shop is part of the Soho House Group which manages Private Clubs, Hotels, Restaurants and Cinemas in Europe and North America. They also have their own Beauty & Grooming shops & products.

Nearest Tube is Holborn on the Central or Piccadilly lines.  Walk two blocks to the Hoxton Holborn Hotel (202 High Holborn) and enter via hotel elevator to the basement or from the street level down the stairs.

The Chicken Shop Holborn opens at noon each day for each in or takeaway

Delivery is offered via London’s Deliveroo service

The Chicken Shop has a nine locations in London and one in Chicago

My lunch cost £10.50, service charge (server tip) was not included so I added that to the bill

Wandering further into the very cool venue (listen up meeting planners, Tobacco Dock is a fantastic event space) dotted with various rooms over two floors, I was happily surprised by the variety of the options.  Every room held a new discovery and a new story – organic food vendors, upstart liquor vendors, cooking demonstrations, celebrity chefs and authors and a multitude of small businesses sharing their passion for food & drink.  It’s a busy festival with so much on offer.

The music in the air was courtesy of live acoustic performances by up and coming artists as well as special guest DJ’s spinning which provided a posh private party feel curated by Coffee House Sessions. As for the holiday gingerbread house?  Well, if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you might recognize it as King’s Landing situated next to the Iron Throne itself if you fancy a photo in the HBO room.

I Want To Buy This and Taste That!

The Taste of London event operates using only paper crowns that you buy in £1 increments from the event staff.  You exchange the crown paper notes for food and drink.  Vendors only accept the paper crowns – they do not accept cash or credit. You can order direct from most vendors and ship in the U.K. (sadly no shipping to the U.S.).

The restaurant pop up stands would serve three dishes and their iconic dish which should make any foodie happy.  A few items included the Duck “Reuben” Sandwich from Club Gascon and from Tom’s Kitchen the signature Seven Hour Confit Lamb with mashed potato.  A great way to sample a few of London’s hottest restaurants for less than £10 each.

The Taste of London occurs twice a year – in summer at Regent’s Park and once in winter.  Tickets start at £15 and there are multiple sessions to attend.  I had samples of cured meats, homemade salsas, bespoke liquors, handmade peanut butter, cupcakes, biscuits, apple juice, tasty au jus and so much more.  A sample here, a sample there.  Who will be the next big food find?  For me, the vendors below were food highlights of my visit.

Artistic Sari Cakes

Sari Cakes are just gorgeous!  Each cake, large and small is individually decorated by hand which makes the Christmas cakes (fruit cakes) just too pretty to eat in my opinion.  Each cake is a work of art.  I’d feel bad cutting into the work of art only for a moment though because it’s cake after all.

Don’t Call This Gravy! It’s Just Jus

The chefs of Just Jus created their own variety of au jus packets to add robust flavors to your meal.  I was sad that I was traveling and not able to bring any of these tasty liquids home with me.  I had taste tested each flavor and loved them all. It was right before lunch so the opportunity for bread samples to dip was too good to pass by.

This being the U.K., I love the marketing materials and in Just Jus case they are “…100% Nasty Free” which means no additives, no gluten, no thickeners or artificial colourings.  Their flavours include Peppercorn, Cocoa, Rosemary, Cider, Moo and one of my favorites, Gobble Jus (it was close to Thanksgiving so the Turkey Jus was lovely).

The Ice Cream Show by Pan-n-Ice

The guys at Pan-n-Ice offered to make us ice cream when my friend Susan and I arrived.  At that time, their booth was empty and it was too early morning for ice cream so we said we’d return later.  When we did, the booth was full of people excited to see the poured liquid instantly turn into ice cream with a few expert turns of the ingredients on the cold plate.  Rolling the ice cream sheet strips into the cups proved a winner for all.

It’s Pic’s Kiwi Peanut Butter

The peanut butter girls at Pic’s Peanut Butter, told me that the peanuts are from Australia and “lovingly squashed in sunny Nelson, New Zealand” so they are better.  Who am I to argue with that logic?  The peanut butter samples were very creamy and without sugar all natural – so that I bought a few packets (slugs) for my travels.  Portable peanut butter is a great protein snack on the road. I love the story of how Pic’s came to be and if you are in New Zealand you can visit the factory for your own samples. No worries, U.S. folks, you can order online at Amazon – 2.2 lb. jar for $22.

Make Your Own – This is Your Cookbook

This is Your Cookbook – What a great idea for kids, foodies, your home chef or someone like me who could use a whole lot of help!  You can personalize a cookbook with your own creations, share time honored and handed down recipes with family or browse the internet catalog of more than a thousand recipes to create your own hardbound cookbook with 46 recipes.  Have a seafood lover?  Create a whole book of seafood meals.  Love desserts?  Focus on chocolate or biscuits or puddings.  Great idea, fun for all for just £25.

Hip Luxury Flasks by SWIG

I love a good artisan craft and stopped at the SWIG stand to look at the luxury “exceptional hip flasks”.  Being from the U.S., this was one gift that I thought was great for my whiskey loving U.K. friend. They can customized the gifts for corporate and consumers.  They had a great backstory/origin, gorgeous hand crafted flasks and seem like a fun, unique, luxury gift for the whiskey (or flask) lover in your life.

Mom’s Biscuits from Sawley Kitchen

The owner of Sawley Kitchen wasn’t able to attend the show but her son was there to represent her wonderful world of SK biscuits and treats.  Make in Yorkshire, I had to buy the shortbread cookies (biscuits).  For me, if the basic offering tastes good, the rest will too.  The shortbread was divine and a few days later when I offered my friend half, he said “Is that the last one you are splitting with me?” I couldn’t lie, I said “no, I didn’t want to give you a whole one”.  They were that good that I didn’t really want to share.

Lunch at Pont St Pop Up Stand

We wandered around the scope out our lunch options and settled on Pont St stand.  My friend said that it is a restaurant located in Belgravia at the Thompson Hotel with the youngest female executive chef. I need to add it to my next visit.  They offered four options – I chose the Belgraves Bespoke Truffle Burger (slider) for 8 crowns and my friend the Mezcal and Lime Cured Salmon with Whipped Avocado, Coriander and Chili for 5 crowns.

A Taste of London at Home in the U.K.

For the following vendors, I would be a customer if I didn’t live in the U.S.

• Field & Flower – a mail order box of free-range and grass-fed West Country meat.  You choose your contents and boxes start at £30 for the Hungry Student

• Pirate Grog Rum – a couple leaves the U.K. for paradise and creates Rum.  I love the name am inspired by the story and happily did a shot at 11 a.m.  They are available for private events and who doesn’t want their own rum bar?

• Somerset Charcuterie – Using “traditional artisan methods with a West Country twist” these two guys conceived their business over a pint of cider at the local lawn mower races according to their website.  Love the story, loved the meats, a great find! The chorizo was fantastic.   They offer classes too!

Final Thoughts – The Taste of London

I didn’t have a plan of attack for the Taste of London event, despite downloading the app in advance, but I will next time.  I wandered about eating this, that and the other after having had a big breakfast (my mistake).  I discovered so many great products, vendors and flavors which gave me a bit more insight into the evolving and exciting food scene in London.  Little does my friend know but on my next visit to London, he’s going to get a bunch of boxes of food delivered for us to enjoy more of the Taste of London at home.

Have you discovered a favorite food, drink or signature dish in London at the many food events and farmer’s markets?  Let me know if I should add other vendors to my list.

It was my birthday and what better way to celebrate than to visit my favorite London cupcake and chocolate shops in Soho for a day of sugar treats?  My travel writer friend, Kristen, who I met at the NY Times Travel Show earlier this year, met me for lunch at Café Deco on Store Street in Bloomsbury (not far from the British Museum) and for £5.50 I had a massive entrée of spaghetti and meatballs with a bottle of water (great lunch deal!). The weather was nice enough to sit outside in London, a rarity in November so we took advantage.  Kristen surprised me with a cupcake from Waitrose which was surprisingly good and thus began our day of sugar exploration in Soho and Marylebone.

Warning: This post contains  a plethora of sugar temptation. I am not responsible for weight gained from cravings.  Just remember that there are no calories in photos!

Carnaby – Crumbs & Doilies (C&D Bakery)

With the Waitrose cupcake a quick and tasty memory, I asked Kristen to join me on my DIY London cupcake and chocolate walking tour after my site visit of Z Hotel Soho (we did a walkby of Hotel Chocolat Soho saving it for later).  She suggested Carnaby, a pedestrian area of shops, cafes and streets. I’ve visited many times but she showed me a new laneway of cafés and restaurants in Kingly Court and it was here that we found a new bakery, Crumbs & Doilies (C&D).

For a small shop, the temptations were plentiful – with brownies at eye level, confetti cake in the case and a plethora of mini cupcakes, I was overwhelmed by sugar.

Unsure where to start, regular size or mini versions of creative flavors, we opted for two minicupcakes each – we each had a malted mini, I then chose the sea salted caramel pretzel and she the mint chocolate.  Each bite sized cupcake was popped into our mouths and our taste buds were happy.

Paul A Young Fine Chocolates Wardour Street (Soho)

Our next stop was the Paul A Young chocolate shop on Wardour Street in Soho (if you follow me on Twitter you’ll know I’m addicted).  Welcomed into the store, we wandered about looking at the truffle options on the table and viewing the plethora of choices on the shelves and tables.  Too much decadent choice.

I mentioned we were on a birthday dessert tour and we were surprised with a sea salted caramel truffle each to taste.  I already knew that the caramel truffle was fantastic but watching Kristen’s face was priceless. We were then given a taste of the sea salted caramel popcorn pave in either milk (my favorite) or dark as we mulled over the liquid hot chocolate that was warming in the corner with add your own spice option.  Kristen was given a sample and added chili spices while I bought enough chocolate for my week’s stay (I’d be back for my “bring home to the U.S.” order). A new doughnut shop has opened next door but I’m saving that for my next trip.

Hummingbird Bakery, Wardour Street (Soho)

We reluctantly left the chocolate store and walked a few doors down to Hummingbird Bakery for the famous red velvet cupcakes that I discovered years ago staying at The Soho Hotel across the street.  This was my initial birthday celebratory cake plan, thinking I was solo, but my day morphed into a pure sugar high. One cupcake, two mini cupcakes, a sea salted caramel chocolate truffle and chocolate popcorn pave it was time to continue my sugar celebration with a red velvet treat.

Oxford Street – Lots of London Cupcakes and Chocolate Options

Needing a bit of a break and a walk we decided to go in search of the French patisserie in Marylebone.  It was quite a bit of a walk from Soho and a good opportunity to explore the side streets of Soho, Fitzrovia and Marylebone. We crossed Oxford Street seeing the holiday lights strung ready for the night and tried to out walk the rain which had just started.

Note: You could at this point, walk up Oxford Street, stopping at Ben’s Cookies, Lola’s Cupcakes (inside Topshop) or walk a bit further to Selfridge’s for posh chocolate and desserts.  It’s all up to you what you desire on your walk.  For us, we were determined for French pastries in Marylebone.

I was posting the sweet treat photos on Facebook and my friends kept asking “what tour is that?” – It’s my dessert obsessed DIY tour of London.  No tour group or cost to it (it may add a pound or two to your waistline – not my fault!) just need good walking shoes and an insatiable sweet tooth.

After our tour of cupcakes and chocolates, it was time to get a grown up treat so we walked across the road to the local pub, The Prince Regent. The interior had chandeliers, plush seating and fun design.  Neither the cider nor mulled wine was ready so we ordered two glasses of wine and toasted a great day – not only my birthday but a fun day of cake and chocolate between friends, it really doesn’t get better than that!

My Birthday Day of Sugar in London

As we walked back, me to the Great Northern Hotel to get ready for my birthday dinner, Kristen announced that we had walked over 10,000 steps, which didn’t quite negate the calories but made me feel a tad better.  On your next visit to London, divorce your food journal, double up on those gym classes before your leave home and indulge with abandon! My London cupcake and chocolate tour will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth – it does mine!

For more tempting cupcake and chocolate photos, follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

What’s your favorite London cupcake or chocolate?  Let me know where to go next time!