London: Dishoom

It's never too late to talk about London, is it? I enjoyed a girls' trip last fall with my good friend LaShauna, a two-woman 'hen do' of sorts (aka mini-bachelorette party). Just the two of us traipsing around one of our favorite cities.

We met up one night with a former news colleague of mine who has lived there for almost a decade (and is on her way to becoming a British citizen)! She suggested meeting on the edge of Covent Garden at Dishoom, a mostly no-reservations restaurant that is one of the last remaining Bombay cafes in London. (They do take them for parties of 6 or more)

That no reservations thing is no joke. However, we didn't wait that long, maybe 40 minutes, and they brought out mini drinks and snacks to keep us from getting too hangry in line.
My drink was a lovely hot mint tea. Just sweet enough, and full of fresh mint.

They took us downstairs to a table in the middle of bustling room, and we started with cocktails. Mine was the Bombay Colada: a pina colada jazzed up with coriander (those seeds on top), chai syrup, lime juice, and rum. WOW. This was one of the best cocktails I've had the pleasure of sipping. The coriander made this drink sing from the tip of my tongue to the soles of my happy feet.

LaShauna ordered the Chaijito, a chai-infused take on the mojito. I tried a sip-- it is a refreshing spin on one of my favorite cocktails, but once LaShauna tasted MY drink, she made that her second cocktail (and so did I-- I had TWO Bombay coladas!)

We decided to share a bunch of dishes, including their sauteed green veggies, their red curry, black daal (lentils) and some naan bread.
Samosas to start-- flaky crust, surreally-spiced filling, YES YES YES.

That Black House daal (pictured above)-- holy shut your mouth richness. The menu says it's a signature dish, and I can understand why. Simmered for more than 24 hours, it is incredibly lush, aromatic, flavored in the most luscious of layers. I could have had just this dish and called it one of the best things I ever ate.

The chicken ruby was a gorgeous curry in what they call a 'makhani' sauce. Tender, juicy chicken pieces floating blissfully in that sacrilicious sauce. We had some naan, thankfully, to scrape up every last drop of this dish.
We ordered the succinctly-titled 'Bowl of Greens,' described as "grilled broccoli, snow peas and spinach tumbled with chilli and lime." This dish could easily have been a throwaway, but it was so incredibly flavorful that we nearly ordered another. Splitting this among three people left us all wanting more, but we were saving room for dessert.

And I doubled DOWN on dessert. I didn't just get the pineapple & black pepper crumble (which was good, but not great, a little dry).

I also ordered a dessert coffee, a Monsooned Cobbler. It is described as Malabar espresso, 'bamboozled' with spices, cognac, and cream. They served with with cream and EXTRA sugar on the side-- it does NOT need any more sweetness, but yeah, I splashed a bit more cream in there. It was super cold and super sweet. Normally I don't care for sweet coffee, but this was excellent. When I go back, I'm having just THIS for dessert!

Dishoom
12 Upper St Martin's Lane
London WC2H 9FB, United Kingdom
+44 20 7420 9320

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British Breakfast (London)

For someone who's not a fan of flying, I sure am learning to suck it up and do it anyway. It helps when something as delicious as a British breakfast is waiting on the other side.

I took a girls' trip last month with my good friend LaShauna-- her fantastic idea, and my absolute delight to join her. We started early on a Thursday morning, looking for a breakfast spot even though it was nearly lunch time. The Gallery Pub was just the spot!

It's a dozen or so steps from the Pimlico tube stop, mere minutes from the place we were staying, and thankfully, was still serving breakfast at nearly noon!

We each got the Light Breakfast (£7.50, or about 12 dollars at the time): 2 eggs (LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS YOLKS), Irish back bacon (soooooo good), sausage, the requisite broiled tomato, and toast. It might be the American in me, but I just don't get the mushy tomato. Don't like it, don't get it. If any of you out there are UK citizens, please enlighten me on the appeal of it. I'm also sure there are many American bites that are equally confounding to you!

The breakfast was stomach-filling and heartwarming. The pub was quiet, relaxing, and the perfect start to our stay. You can see why I'm a bit smitten with British eggs, can't you? And a hot cup of tea is always a delight.

English Breakfast, of course!

The Gallery was also a delight-- beautiful interior, helpful staff, a leisurely place to start your day (and a hopping one to end your night, if you're around at that time)! You can get a fantastic, solid British breakfast here for a song!

The Gallery
1 Lupus Street
London SW1V 3AS, United Kingdom
+44 20 7821 7573

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Tea & Sympathy...and STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING!!!!

We had a lovely meal at A Salt & Battery (review here), but ABF (that's Awesome BoyFriend for you new visitors) & I weren't ready to go home yet. We walked around a bit before deciding to stop for some hot tea at another favorite spot of mine: Tea & Sympathy.

T & S is a tiny little spot just a few doors down from A Salt & Battery. They have high tea, sandwiches, hot and cold food, but for me, they do desserts best. I managed to convince ABF to make some room for a few sweet bites.

First, the tea--ABF ordered a pot of English Breakfast, and I ordered a pot of Earl Grey. They came out in steaming hot pots with lovely, eclectic teacups.

My first and last (until this ABF visit) taste of their sticky toffee pudding a good 8 years ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since. It's a delicate yet slightly dense cake swimming, deliciously swimming, in a pool of custard. ZOMG this custard!!

ABF ordered the ginger pudding, which also comes in its own custard bath. This was too gingery for my taste--almost bites you back, but ABF liked it. However, we BOTH preferred my sticky toffee pudding overall. So. Good.

Tea & Sympathy always has great, friendly service, and I've yet to try a custard that tops theirs. I mean not in London proper, not in my kitchen, nowhere! Blast! ABF & I are on our way back as soon as we can make it happen!

Tea & Sympathy
108 Greenwich Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 807-8329

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A Salt & Battery

As you may already know, ABF spent almost 7 months last year living in London. I think he's kind of missing it (in fact, I'm pretty sure), and I know I'm always longing for another visit. I decided that for Leap Year (aka Sadie Hawkins Day), I would treat ABF to some good old fish & chips in NYC's unofficial "Little Britain."

A Salt & Battery is a tiny space--only a handful of seats inside--but oh is it worth squeezing in and snagging a seat!

The menu is pretty basic-- a few different types of fish, bangers & mash, and other typical British fare. Yum!

We started off with some adult beverages--an icy-cold Strongbow (hard apple cider) for me. Crisp, tart, with just enough sweetness.

ABF ordered a Fullers London Pride beer. I'm not so into the beer, so I declined his offer to try it.

For my fried fish, I went with the haddock (my second choice if cod is not available), getting the smaller portion, which rings up at around 8 bucks. Their parsley (?)-tinged tartar sauce is FANTASTIC.

ABF ordered the same size but got the pollock (also $8). They were both delicious, and I am pretty sure I couldn't tell the difference between the 2 fish in a blind taste test.

It wouldn't be fish & chips without the chips (which come separately at A Salt & Battery)--these were quite tasty--meaty bits of potato, not too-cooked.

And our favorite side: mushy peas. These aren't as GREEN as the ones at Chip Shop, but they are just as delicious. So good.

We shared some typical British treats--a deep-fried Mars Bar ($4)--which to me is like a Milky Way but somehow so much better. It's super-rich, so splitting it was a good idea. Melty, caramel, deliciousness.

ABF ordered the banana fritter ($4), which probably makes your American mind think of a large, fried dough funnel cake type dessert, but this is literally just a deep fried banana. A ripe, sweet, almost melt in your mouth banana. Good, but I'd say the Mars bar was better.

It's not fancy-shmancy, but the food at A Salt & Battery is flat-out delicious. Tender, flaky fish that's not burnt to a crisp, savory mushy peas and tasty chips--and deep-fried desserts! Leave your passport at home and have a tasty meal in NYC!

A Salt & Battery
112 Greenwich Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 691-2713

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London: Lotus

I had an amazing visit in London--best one yet! Before I knew it, my last night in London had arrived. ABF was saving the best for last--we took the DLR (above-ground train) a quick stop or two to Lotus, a Chinese restaurant on a floating barge.

The layout was lovely, bright, and the rooms were buzzing pleasantly with conversation. It was a veritable United Nations of a dining room--people of all ages, races, and walks of life happily laughing, dining, and smiling. I'm in!

We started with something cool to drink-- a Tsingtao beer for ABF and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc for me.

As we sipped our drinks, we saw them bring a warming plate to our table. This was getting interesting!

Spring rolls came quickly, and there are 3 to an order, but they were already cut neatly in 2 for perfect, easy sharing. These were delicious, not greasy at all, and scrumptiousscrumptiousscrumptious!

We also ordered delicious shrimp fritters, again perfectly sliced in 2 for perfect sharing. These were fantastic, too.

And because this is London and they keep it classy, we had bowls with warm water and lemon slices to dip our hands in after all that fabulous finger food.

Up next, my main dish of chicken and sautéed veggies. This was light, fresh, a bit of heat to it. ABF's mixed veggies and chicken dish with cashews is warming in the background on the hot plate, along with the spring rolls and rice!

Everything was so good!

ABF's dish had a lot more mushrooms, but it was equally tasty. The food here was stellar from start to finish.

Continuing on the classy front, we got more "freshening" towels for final cleanup after all the nomming! Overall, I was so delighted with this outing. It was excellent, swift, and friendly (! in London!) service, top-notch food, and the location couldn't be more fun. If you're in London and you have time to take the DLR out east, stop by Lotus and have a fabulous floating meal. :)

The Lotus Chinese Floating Restaurant

9 Oakland Quay

Inner Millwall Dock

London, E14 9EA

Tel: 020 7515 6445

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