London Diary 3 – The Food so Far

As much as I wanted this visit to be a gourmand’s tour of London, my kids refuse to have their eating itinerary dictated by Mom’s must-visit restaurant list. They value spontaneity and self-discovery above all else in their dining experiences. As long as they are in on the choice, they will love the meal, whether we eat at a local hole-in-the-wall with a family-run kitchen or a tourist trap Italian eatery in Covent Garden.

Fortunately, we’ve eaten well for the most part. While I wouldn’t make a special trip just to eat at any of the following places, if you find yourself in the neighborhood, you won’t go wrong to stop in. (I’m leaving out the Covent Garden eatery – you’re on your own in that neighborhood. Good luck.)

Our local spots here in Putney Bridge include –

The River Cafe. A throw-back restaurant with a family-run kitchen, original tile walls, formica table tops and home-cooked food. Has a Barney Greengrass kind of feel, without the lines and with immigrant Brits behind the counter (The cook, an older gent, seemed to have some sort of French accent). If you go in for retro dining, as we do, this place may well be worth a special visit.

Cafe NuNu. An adorably funky little place with a casual hippie feel and excellent croissants (not so easy to find in London). Think East Village 10 years ago. Dinners look interesting, in an early Moosewood kind of way – though it is not vegetarian, you get my drift.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen – a fabulous slightly upscale burger joint chain, where one can have a cappucino or glass of wine along with one very delicious burger. They’re all around town.

Other places we’ve eaten –

Preem & Prithi. We had a very good and reasonably-priced meal at this well-known Bangli curry house on Brick Lane. I finally tasted (and loved) Masala Dosa and discovered coconut chutney, a condiment I shall have to have again. Unfortunately, Brick Lane has gotten very touristy since we last visited it over 15 years ago, and I don’t think I’ll go back. Next time, we’ll head to Southall for a more authentic London-Indian experience.

Westminster Arms. The kids, starving after our tour of Westminster Abbey (Jeremy Irons’ narration of the self-guided audio tour is itself worth the visit), insisted we eat at the first place we passed on our way to the Churchill War Rooms (a must-see). Which was how we found ourselves eating lunch at the tourist-packed Westminster Arms, where I am amazed to report that I had the best sausage and onion sandwich I have tasted. Really. And I want to go back and have another. Right now.

Borough Market.One thing I did insist upon was a visit to the Borough Market to shop for ingredients for dinner on New Year’s Eve, a holiday we always celebrate at home rather than by going out to a restaurant. Despite my disappointment that a fair number of stalls were closed and the Cheese Guy was off for the holiday, the Market was well worth the visit. And it’s own blog post.

So stay tuned for photos of dead pheasants, a recipe for mushroom risotto and everything you ever wanted to know about salsify.