Beef, E numbers and gin

London is, and always will be, the love of my life. I get the biggest buzz from being in the city and get really sad travelling home. Not only is it a beautiful city with the most interesting history but the food on offer is the stuff of dreams. 

I spent the last weekend wandering around a whole new area and I’m now a big fan of the East side. Our amazing hotel was situated in Whitechapel and just a short walk away from Brick Lane and Shoreditch. If you’re looking to book a trip to head to either of the above places then I can’t recommend Qbic enough. We experienced nothing but helpfulness from all the staff and the hotel is just SO cool. 

   

 

My burger cravings were more than covered at Haché in Shoreditch on Friday night and boy am I glad I decided to book a table there. I’ve got a long list (a scroll) of burger joints that I want to try at least once in LDN and this was near the top. I ordered the Steak Catalan as soon as I saw the word chorizo. SOLD. The steak patty was cooked to perfection (medium rare) and you get the choice of brioche or ciabatta bun. Note how I made brioche bold? That’s right, because it’s the only sort of bun a burger should be sold in. The tomato jam and large amount of chorizo made the whole situation absolutely sensational. I felt like I was living the dream right there in Shoreditch. 

  

What happened after that was gin, gin and lots more gin. Luckily for us, The Blues Kitchen is directly opposite and the atmosphere in there was so relaxed and friendly that it made me want to stay there forever. My friend Nia recommended The Commercial Tavern to me for drinks and I’ll be forever grateful to her for that. It’s my new favourite bar that I wish I lived around the corner from. Not only is the inside lovely with lots of white furniture, low lighting and chandeliers but it is so insanely cheap. 

  

One Uber taxi ride and a headache later we were tucked up in bed excited for what the next day would bring. 

 The Breakfast Club has been on my radar for longer than I’d care to admit but never somewhere that has made it on to my itinerary for one reason or another so I made it my mission to visit this weekend. After much investigation I found that the closest one to us would be in Spitalfields and only took 15 minutes to walk there. We made sure we were there by 9am, which may seem early to some but trust me, the queues from 11am onwards are ridiculous. I love breakfast at the best of times so somewhere that loves breakfast as much as me will always get my vote. I went with pancakes in mind but ended up having poached egg, guacamole and chilli on wholegrain toast. The pancakes can wait until next time. 

   

 

The BC menu is so versatile and there’ll be something for everyone on there, I can guarantee it. Whether it be french toast, pancakes, eggs, a bacon sandwich or a full English then you’re in for a treat. You can’t book tables at any of the sought after venues though, so as I said, make sure you’re in there early. In fact, the earlier the better. 

Feeling bright eyed and busy tailed (FULL), we made our way over to Portobello Road market for the first time ever. First of all I urge you to visit first thing because it got busy quick and if you’re not into the whole shoulder to shoulder thing then you’ll hate it. I loved the street, the people and the stalls so much! It was like an antique and vintage haven and I wanted everything. I didn’t know how I’d carry a tan leather suitcase or a silver teapot home though so just purchased myself a little turquoise ring which I haven’t taken off yet. 

When we returned to Oxford Circus I mentioned a little cupcake shop whose Instagram posts I’d been drooling over for months so next up was Crumbs & Doilies in Kingly Court just off Carnaby Street. It took me a little while to order due to the fact that each and every large and small cupcake looked so delicious I was well and truly flummoxed. In the end I ordered a salted caramel cupcake and a large one of course and wow. WOW. The sponge was light and very moist and the frosting and sauce on top were the best I’ve ever tasted. The shop has only been open a few months but Jemma, the owner, has been in business for years and really knows how to make good cake. You can order online but they only deliver in the London boroughs unfortunately or I’d be tucking into some right now. 

   

   

I met up with the bombshell that is Alex for a massively gluttonous dinner at The Diner in the afternoon, which I think I’m still recovering from. In fact I know I’m still in a carb coma. We all ordered the the DCB which consisted of buttermilk fried chicken, bacon, blue cheese sauce, coleslaw and pickles with an extra topping of pulled pork just because. The entire thing was basically six of my favourite things wrapped in bread. The dream. To go with our monstrous burgers we devoured a side of mac & cheese, fries with diner gravy and fries with burger sauce, cheese and onions. 

I am very surprised I didn’t need a crane to lift me out as I felt like I’d gained a stone in just one hour. It baffles me still…

 

  

 On the last day I could feel myself getting sad about leaving but I just knew that the sugary, pink and quirky breakfast I’d be putting away would make me feel better… until the sugar come down that is. If you haven’t already guessed, we visited the infamous Cereal Killer Café on Brick Lane for an E number fuelled start to the day. The place is so tiny we almost missed it and no, the queue didn’t give it away because we were there so early there wasn’t a queue at all. I knew I already wanted Unicorn Poop because I love Party Rings A LOT and decided to throw a Pop Tart into the mix as we’ll seeing as we were there. So with my bowl of pink, girly cereal, raspberry pop tart and giant mug of tea on my tray we made our way down the lethal stairs to find a table. I am amazed by the amount of retro things they have around the place and would LOVE to know where they purchase their cereal. I ate my Rice Krispies, crushed Party Rings, marshmallow and sprinkles whilst watching an episode of the Care Bears. Where else could you do such a thing? Yes it is a novelty but it’s definitely a novelty I loved and will be back to experience again. In fact, I’m a little obsessed. 

   

    Brick Lane is another place I’ve fallen for and the abundance of vintage markets and food stalls really are something to behold. It’s the sort of place you really do have to visit to appreciate and is well worth the visit. 

London does something to me every single time I visit and I never, ever want to come home. I have a whole week there in May which means it’s going to be a proper burger off. Honest, Le Bun, Byron, I’ll be seeing you soon.