Best of London

So the time has come for me to say farewell to London (for now!)

In June, I finished my year-long placement with The Walt Disney Company where I was working in food product development. I had the best year with the company and was given the most incredible opportunities. Now that it's over, I have moved out of my flat in West London and back home for the summer before continuing my final year of studies at Reading University.

Throughout the past year in London I have had some really incredible experiences. I have visited the most amazing places, made some friends for life and eaten the best of what London has to offer in terms of food.

What better way to end my London love affair with food than give a quick run down of my foodie 'Best ofs'

Best Breakfast: The London Edition - Fitzrovia
For my 21st birthday, I was lucky enough to stay in the incredible London Edition hotel with my Mum. The morning of my birthday, we were treated to an amazing a la carte breakfast. This breakfast is perfect for any special occasion and is served amongst the most opulent of surroundings.

Best cocktail bar: Freud - West End
Freud was somewhere my friend Lucy and I stumbled upon by chance. We were scouring the West End for somewhere to go for a drink and found this little bar tucked in a basement on Shaftesbury Avenue. This place is effortless cool epitomised. Inside it's simple, with an entirely cement interior accompanied by slate tables and chairs. The cocktails here are incredible. The menu is extensive and all cocktails come in at around £8 - a bargain for the location and quality.

Best cheap eat: Herman Ze German - Soho
This German gem was another accidental find whilst some friends and I were looking for something to grab before heading to a Soho Comedy Club night. Serving predominantly bratwurst and schnitzel, this place is perfect for a quick and affordable meal in an incredibly laid back environment. They also serve massive beer steins and project episodes of Knight Rider and Baywatch onto the walls - what more could a girl want?

Best pub: The Distillers - Hammersmith
Choosing the best pub in London is incredibly hard, if there is one thing London does really well, its pubs. I went for The Distillers in Hammersmith, as it is easily my most visited pub as it was pretty local to where I lived and worked. The Distillers serve a wide variety of beers and ciders at a reasonable price as well as offering a really impressive pub grub menu. The interior is trendy but relaxed and the garden is perfect place to spend those rare sunny days.

Best afternoon tea: Sketch - Mayfair
Sketch is very easily the winner of best afternoon tea. I have had a couple of disappointing afternoon teas in my time and they can all become quite samey. Sketch is something entirely different and stands in a league of it's own, serving well thought out food in the most decadent of surroundings. The pink plush and gold detailed gallery is covered in the artwork of Brit artist David Shringley and even the tableware is designed by him. Each element of the afternoon tea is a more contemporary take on the traditional afternoon tea but still equally as delicious, all eaten in an environment that is like stepping into a Wes Anderson film. (Also the loos are shaped like eggs...yep)

A birthday week of delicious treats...

Apologies for being completely MIA over the past couple of months. I really have no excuse, other than the fact I have been really very busy. Now that I have finished my placement year and moved out of London (sob), I promise that posts on here will become a lot more regular again.

So, lets rewind and back track to May, which is always a manic month for me. The end of the month was especially eventful as I turned 21! This of course meant many a celebration (most  of which involved plenty of food and drink - duh). So take a peek below at some of the delicious things I was digging into throughout my birthday week...

1 & 8: Tacos and nachos at DF Mexico - Shoreditch
2 & 9: Breakfast at The London Edition Hotel - Soho
3: Burgers at Patty & Bun - West End
4 & 7: Carrot cake and pie & salad from Peyton & Byrne - Hammersmith
5: Cocktails in Soho
6: Chicken liver pate on the Bateux London Thames dinner cruise

Señor Ceviche - Soho

Kingley Court is quickly becoming my favourite place to dine in London. This amazing little multi-storey square tucked behind Carnaby Street is home to a number of my top London restaurants; Stax Diner, The Rum Kitchen, Pizza Pilgrims and a more recent favourite - Señor Ceviche.

With it's luminous green exterior, it's hard to miss this Peruvian gem. Serving amazing South American inspired dishes alongside some more unfamiliar cocktails, this place does laid back Peruvian eating exceptionally well.

My Mum and I visited Señor Ceviche last week in search for a different kind of dinner. The restaurant is quite small, but open plan, with a view straight into the kitchen where you can see your food being made fresh in front of you. The interior is stylish and bright - with walls plastered with neon posters, wooden furniture painted bright colours and festoon lights draped across the ceiling.

We both started off with a Cusquena beer - light but full of flavour, thumbs up from us both.

What I really like about Señor Ceviche is the menu. Quite limited but it still has an excellent variety of small tapas style dishes. The thing I love most about small plate dining is that you get to try a little bit of everything. We chose: chilli corn to nibble on, followed by, tempura mixed fish, spicy chargrilled chicken and Peruvian fries. The chilli corn was something I had never tried, but was really delicious and very morish. The deep fried fish consisted of baby squid, cod and prawns served alongside a spicy jalapeno mayonnaise - it was amazing. The batter was so light and not at all greasy and the jalapeno dip was the perfect accompaniment. The 'super chicken' seemed really understated on the menu, but was deliciously crispy, tender chicken with a kick. It was topped with fresh spring onions and peashots alongside another zingy mayo. The 'patatas fritas with huancaina and tomato fondue' (chips topped with a puréed tomato and melted cheese to you and me) were a delicious Peruvian take on the slightly less glamorous cheesy chips.

Señor Ceviche has a really fun, relaxed South American vibe and the food they serve is so deliciously excellent. The waitress was kind enough to give me a keyring entitling me to 15% off my next visit - I'll be back before you can say 'Jalapeno'!

Battle of the burgers

If you know me, you'll know I love a burger. It only takes a quick look through my blog to realise I am forever trying different burgers.

The elements of a perfect burger for me are pretty simple: First of all, a soft bun, absolutely NEVER toasted. Personally, the kind of bun you can squish down and squash into your mouth is perfect. Although I am partial to a brioche bun, you will see, some of my favourite burgers are briochless. Secondly, a juicy beef patty that is preferably cooked medium. If your patty isn't oozing delicious burger juice, then it's not right. Thirdly, extras: cheese is always a yes, bacon is preferable and tomatoes, for me, are a no go zone when it comes to burgers.

Burgers have come on leaps and bounds from their primal fast food reputation. Street food vendors are selling variations of burgers featuring upmarket additions like stilton, pancetta and harissa. Some of the UK's poshest restaurants have also hopped on the burger bandwagon and now serve some of the highest quality burgers going (some even have black buns dyed with squid ink!)

What better way to celebrate the beauty of a hamburger than run through my top 5 best burgers*


1. The Prince Charles is overrated burger - 7 Bone, Bournemouth

Claiming the number one spot on my list is this little gem in Bournemouth town centre. This burger ticks all the boxes for me; squishy bun, tick, juicy patty, tick, bacon and cheese, tick tick, the dirtiest of burger sauces, tick and an entirely tomato free zone! This place holds it's own amongst some of London's most renowned burger joints.

The sides are also incredible. Chips topped with chilli con carne and jalapeños is my personal fave, washed down with one of their many craft beers.

The price of this burger is also extremely reasonable as any burgers and side is just £9!

2. Dead hippie burger - MeatLiquor, London

Not that dissimilar in build to the Prince Charles from 7 Bone, minus the bacon. But fear not, this burger has TWO beef patties and is drenched in their famous dead hippy sauce (a tangy mayonnaise like condiment to you and me).

The sides and drinks are also incredible at MeatLiquor. Giant fluffy onion rings and chips covered with all sorts of delicious toppings. And to drink, a wide range of some really incredible cocktails as well as some craft beers.

3. Bring home the bacon burger - Stax Diner, London

This burger was my number one for a while (you can read all about how much I love it in my previous blog post). Sadly, Stax has fallen to number three, but still remains a solid favourite for me and everyone I take there.

Their menu is small but has everything you could want from a typically american style burger joint. Stax is heavily influenced by deep south eating, so as well as burgers, you will find buttermilk chicken and waffles alongside some iconic American canned drinks.

A still regard Stax as a must visit for anyone in Central London. The atmosphere is wholesome, the food is great and the location is also gorgeous.

4. Hot Daddy burger - Cheeky Burger, Street Food Vendor

A very recent addition to the list, this burger is not for the faint hearted. A deliciously juicy burger patty made right in front of you in minutes, covered in melted cheese, slathered in chipotle sauce and finished off with jalapeños all inside a glossy brioche bun. This one is a winner for anyone who likes their burger with a kick.

I visited Cheeky Burger on my lunch break in Hammersmith and immediately knew the burger had to make it into my top 5. Next I have to try their burger called Elvis which features a generous helping of peanut butter *drool*

(I scoffed this down before I even had a chance to take a photo - sorry not sorry)

5. Bacon cheeseburger - Five Guys

I first tried Five Guys in Reading and instantly fell in love (read all about it here) These are burgers done right. Five Guys are popping up everywhere and offer stand out burgers in my eyes: soft seeded buns, juicy patties and toppings of your choice, you can build your very own burger of dreams.

As well as beautiful burgers, Five Guys has unlimited soft drinks available from a machine which offers around 100 different drink combinations (including peach flavoured Sprite - a personal favourite).

*(subject to change - I will always be trying more burgers)

Burger & Lobster

When I first moved here, I started keeping a list of all of the places I wanted to eat in London. Thanks to the influence of Time Out, the food envy of fellow bloggers and mouth-watering meals posted on Instagram, this list has got pretty extensive. I can tell you that it now stands at a grand total of 35. Sadly I have only made it to around a third of my foodie conquests (although probably a good thing for my waistline and bank balance...)

Now that my time in London is nearing the end, my boyfriend and I headed to the home of some of the most Instagrammed lobster rolls in existence - Burger & Lobster. Tucked away behind the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street is the raved about restaurant with a drinks menu almost 10 times as big as it's food menu. You may know that Burger & Lobster has only 3 items on it's food menu, and quelle surprise, 1 is a burger and the other 2 are lobster.

We started with a beer each; mine a light Japanese beer and Louis a stronger Brooklyn lager. For mains, I had the lobster roll and Louis had the burger (which are both served with chips and salad). The lobster roll was my first ever experience of lobster and boy was it a good one. Served in a toasted brioche roll, the lobster meat was mixed with a deliciously zingy Japanese mayo, topped with chives and served alongside the most indulgent of garlic sauces. Louis also thoroughly enjoyed his burger - thumbs up all round.

The restaurant has a no nonsense good grub vibe with semi-industrial interior and dark wood furniture. When you walk in there is a wall of lobsters in tanks, apparently some worth up to £200!

Although the food was lovely, £20 per main seems slightly steep. It was a really enjoyable experience and I will be sure to have lobster again. But for now; to start making my way through the remaining 11 on my list before June...

Passionfruit, lime, mint and rum cocktails

I love a cocktail and I every now and then can't resist indulging in my favourite Moscow mule or raspberry mojito. But I have to admit, I rarely make cocktails at home. With most cocktail recipes, the ingredients lists are extensive and a lot of things are often difficult to get hold of. The closest I get to a homemade cocktail is rum and ginger beer, but I'm sure that doesn't count! When my mum and I (both huge fans of rum) saw this cocktail recipe in the March issue of Sainsbury's Magazine, we had to give it a try.

We didn't have a lot of the ingredients to hand - I don't think many people have fresh lemongrass and pure cane sugar lying around in their kitchens! We had to buy most of the ingredients and this got pretty pricey. I confess that the student in me was thinking that I can get a pint for £2 when we picked up 4 passionfruits for the same price!

We followed the method, and the result was a fresh and deliciously tangy cocktail that definitely packed a punch! This cocktail is perfect for any special occasion and would be an absolute winner in the Spring months.

(Unfortunately the recipe is not available on their website, but pick up an issue in store to find out how to make this cocktail, along with loads of other fab dishes)

Recipe: Kale, pork and sesame stir fry - Sainsbury's Magazine

What better way to celebrate Chinese new year than with a quick and easy delicious Asian dish that is both nutritious and full of flavour. The March issue of Sainsbury's Magazine hosts whole feature on kale recipes, including this fabulously tasty noodle dish.

Kale is a trend that's sweeping the globe one curly green leaf at a time. Whether its kale smoothies, kale crisps or even kale ice cream, this member of the cabbage family is now a staple in the diets of the health-concious. Even Beyonce seems to be a fan, regularly sporting a 'KALE' slogan sweatshirt - if Queen Bey likes it then so do I.

The method of this dish is really straightforward and the result is a really delicious, fresh and fragrant dish perfect for a quick midweek dinner, and just in time for Chinese new year! Find the recipe on the Sainsbury's Magazine website here.

(Ps. Check out this Anthropoligie style tableware, also available in Sainsbury's for a fraction of the price)