English Food

(London, England, U.K.)

After being so excited about the food possibilities at the beginning of this trip, I didn’t really write much about food on this blog.  I was a little distracted by all of the music and sights, especially in London.

Despite my initial musings about a “dhansak tour of England”, I did not have any more dhansak on the trip.  In fact, I didn’t make it into another East Indian restaurant after my first night in Cambridge. However, I still enjoyed a lot of interesting food in London.  Any lingering misconceptions about the sorry state of English dining ought to be permanently “consigned to the dustbin”, as they say.

Oddly-named establishment on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia
Oddly-named establishment on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia

Friday’s lunch was a delicious (and vibrant) chicken paella at a small place called Café Deco just two blocks from my hotel.   I had big plans for a Lebanese dinner that night in Putney before the Los Pacaminos concert…but the restaurant was fully booked.  With time running out, I had to settle for a take-out place called “Flavas Peri Peri” for dinner.  It was extremely cheap (and plastic) by London standards and I didn’t have a great feeling about it.  Luckily, the chicken sandwich was OK and the peri-peri sauce was better than expected.

On Saturday evening, I went to upscale Kensington for the concert at the Royal Albert Hall.  I thought that there would be a lot of restaurants between the Kensington High Street tube station and the concert hall…but I didn’t see very many at all.

Christmas shopping chaos on London's famed Carnaby Street
Christmas shopping chaos on London’s famed Carnaby Street

Once again running a little late, I decided to try a humble Chinese restaurant humbly called “Stick & Bowl”, vaguely remembering the name from an on-line review.    The restaurant thrived on low comfort and high turnover but I still enjoyed my dinner of  BBQ Pork with crispy noodles.  In fact, the turnover was so fast that I was able to explore the neighbourhood a little before the concert.

After the concert, I was feeling very nibbly and was surprised to find relatively few late-night dining options near my hotel.  Settling for a Tesco supermarket, I found a prepackaged but satisfying feta and butternut squash salad with lemon & mint dressing.  If I had been in London longer, I definitely would have tried it again.

Christmas Bazaar on the High Street in St. John's Wood
Christmas Bazaar on the High Street in St. John’s Wood

After visiting Abbey Road on Sunday, I decided to stay in the St. John’s Wood area for lunch, where I found a Japanese restaurant called “Mori” on the High Street.  I opted for the culturally-confused and visually unappealing but actually quite good “Chicken Katsu Curry”.   If Germany can come up with “Currywurst”, why not?

Chicken Katsu Curry over rice at Mori in St. John's Wood
Chicken Katsu Curry over rice at Mori in St. John’s Wood

This left me with only one more meal in England.  I had already tried fish & chips in Southend-on-Sea but it wasn’t in a traditional English pub.  I decided that I wanted a nice pint of English cider and something tasty but filling in a warm atmosphere.  It didn’t take long to make a decision:  after walking by the neighbourhood-oriented Fitzrovia Tavern (see photo at top of this post) several times during my London stay, I finally went inside.

I grabbed a table in front of a fireplace and enjoyed an excellent “Hunter’s Chicken” and draught English cider.  It was all very cozy and a great way to end my dining adventures in England…even if the pub turned out to be part of a chain and “Hunter’s Chicken” is probably not traditional pub fare.

The Fitzroy Tavern at night, just after I ate there
The Fitzrovia Tavern at night, just after I ate there

As you have no doubt noticed, I wasn’t always able to take pictures of my food in London.    Sometimes, the circumstances made it awkward to get out the camera…and sometimes I just forgot.  It was also nice to leave the camera behind once in a while and just enjoy the moment.

This is my last post from England.  I’ll be doing some year-end wrap-up posts next:  stay tuned to find out the “best” parts of my travel year!

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