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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London: Buckingham Arms

After our tour of Buckingham Palace, we meandered around the area and made our way towards the St. James's tube stop. Buckingham Arms was an inviting place along the way, so in we went for a pub lunch!

The young man at the counter informed us that we order up front and pay there; they pour our drinks then & there, and then bring our food to us later.

As I waited for the server to pour our ice-cold Strongbow ciders, I noticed an honest-to-God working dumbwaiter! The dirty dishes magically disappear, while piping hot food comes back on another round. Sweet.

We snagged a table in the back of the room, sipping our cider and waiting for our food. Around us we heard some boisterous Italians, tipsy Brits, and the flat, familiar Midwest American accents of some fellow countrymen. We enjoyed some primo people-watching!

The lunch special that day was a 'mini' fish and chips, which I expected to be a fish stick or three. Nope, just a 'smaller(?)' version of regular fish and chips, which is what LaShauna also ordered.

The fish was delicious--they really know how to fry a fish over there. The fries were tasty and not too numerous--just enough.

The service was surprisingly efficient--and since we'd paid up front, there was no waiting for the check (which takes a while in the UK)!

Our lunch was under 10 dollars each, including a small cider, and it couldn't have been more convenient. If you're looking for a lovely pub after a visit to the Palace (or anywhere nearby), do stop in to the Buckingham Arms!

Buckingham Arms
62 Petty France
Westminster, London SW1H 9
020 7222 3386

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Chip Shop

After my jaunt to jolly old England (and the awesome Golden Hind) you might think I'd had my fill of fish & chips. Wrong-o!

Jen A invited me to have an early dinner with her and her friend AM on a warm, sunny, mid-May afternoon at the Atlantic Avenue location. Oh, Chip Shop...how I miss your Bay Ridge outpost. I know there are still 2 others. My trips to the Park Slope were quite frustrating due to either odd-mannered waitstaff or no cherry pie on deck, and I'd given up on them, but Jen convinced me to try the Atlantic location--and meet her friend AM in person for the first time!

I'm always comforted by the sound of various UK-type accents when I go to any Chip Shop--isn't that always a sign that the food is legit?

We started off with some cold drinks: I ordered the Snakebite, a pint of hard cider with a shot of a cider with a shot of something I've already forgotten! Either way, tasty and refreshing. And bring on the foooooood

The 2-sided menu will keep you busy unless you stay focused: we were there for fish and chips! We ordered one plate of fried haddock and chips, and a plate of baked haddock and mashed potatoes. You know, balance is important. ;)

I usually go with the cod, but honestly I'm not sure I could tell much of a difference between the haddock and cod unless I had them side-by-side. I do know this--the plaice is not for me. I tried that once with ABF and was convinced to stick with cod or haddock after that. It seemed too thin and delicate--didn't hold up well.

Sidenote: how pretty is this blue plate?

And I can't go to Chip Shop and NOT get mushy peas. Peas! Which are delicious!!! Someone else didn't like these--I can't remember if it was J or A, but I love these. ABF is a big fan of these, too.

This was my FIRST go at the food--I start out all neat and pretty--but it doesn't end that way, trust me!

Look at that deliciousness! Tasty, crispy/crunchy batter, not too thick, delicious fish inside--I even loove love looooved their citrusy tartar sauce!

Okay, so the baked fish dish doesn't look so super appetizing, but it was tasty!

I checked early to make sure they still had the twice-fried (because once is for pansies) cherry pie--and yes they did! Even though we split the dishes, we were getting full, so we shared one order of this. Honestly, they don't need ALL that powdered sugar on top. I dusted off most of it, because it's really about the crust and the tart cherries inside. YUM. J & A both thought this was too sweet. I almost never think that about a dessert. Their treacle pudding with custard is still my favorite, but it had been too long since I had some cherry pie!

Once again, Chip Shop delivers some delicious food in a fun atmosphere. I love Chip Shop--it's such a treat, and now I know it's worth the trip to Atlantic Avenue!

Chip Shop
129 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 855-7775

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London: The Old Monk Exchange

Oh, London! Land of pubs, chips, and beautiful architecture!

ABF & I met up one day after he finished work and set off to wander around Westminster, Big Ben, and the lovely, lovely Thames. A good hour or so later, we were wandering AND hungry, with not a clue of where to go.

It was a very corporate area and a lot of restaurants were closed, and I admit that I was absolutely not eating at a Subway in London, not even if it WAS right there and we were so hungry and no, no, NO! I could tell from ABF's stricken face that he was hoping for a more compliant and agreeable LKP, but no such luck. Not 100 yards from said Subway (again: ABSOLUTELY NOT) we found The Old Monk Exchange, where they offered dinner for 2 people for 10 pounds (that's about 16-17 American dollars)! We were in.

You walk downstairs to a huge, expansive room set up with big and small tables, a big bar, a wide area to gather around said bar, and a very impressive wine list.

(please note this was around 8pm, so it was a very late dinner--hence the emptiness of the place)

ABF & I walked up to the bar to order the burger and chips (fries). Easy-peasy, and the smell coming from the grill in the kitchen was fantastic.

We also ordered an ale (for ABF) and a red wine (for me) to take back to our tables while we waited for our food.

We grabbed smaller table in the upper level, where there were lots of alcoves and quieter spots. It wasn't long before our food arrived. The burgers were perfectly cooked, came with a generous amount of fries, and despite an odd, sweet-tomato-salsa type topping, were very good! What a deal!

I loved the feel of this place. Spacious, good but not blaring music, and a general comfy feel. I imagine this place does well at happy hour, and ABF & I will definitely be back (on my next trip) for a pint!

The Old Monk Exchange
61-71 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0HW, United Kingdom
020 7233 2248

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Albert Hall Tavern: Hits & Misses

Albert Hall Tavern is quite possibly THE favorite restaurant of my friend and fellow foodie, Sara. She has raved and raved about it, so when I saw a LivingSocial deal for a prix fixe dinner for 2, I snagged it. I took my friend Kwame there before we saw a play.

We arrived on a seasonably warm afternoon and walked right in to the open area. We were seated immediately (we had a reservation) at a booth, nicely appointed with glassware and silverware and small floral.

Someone came and welcomed us—a manager? I’m not sure. I should have just asked for his name. He was nice, took our coupon without making a face (unlike Bocca!) and left to get our wine (included in said coupon).

I knew from Sara’s previous experiences that we had to order the artichoke dip and the mussels. Kwame ordered the dip, I got the mussels, and we sat back and waited. And waited. And waited some more. We even almost got the next party’s entrees..but no apps. About 30 minutes later, that same man came by and asked if we’d had our apps yet. No, we had not. He disappeared and about 10 minutes later we had our apps. Did I mention we were going to a show? Tick tock,people!

The artichoke dip was good, but I wasn’t over the moon for it. I guess I’m just an artichoke liker, not an artichoke lover. The potato chips on top gave it a good crunch. Kwame really liked this.

The mussels, however, shut me up for a good 15 minutes. Not a single bit of grit in there—always a plus for me. The broth was wicked peppery. My word was it peppery. Like, make you cough peppery. And yet, I kept going back for more. I told Kwame to share some, and he agreed—the broth was fantastic. We asked for more bread just to get more of the broth!

Entrees came a short while later—Fish & Chips for Kwame, Bangers & Mash for me. I was leaving in a few days for England to visit ABF, so I figured I’d get in the right frame of mind. Kwame really liked his fish and chips. I was starting to get really full, so I didn’t share any of his, but I was glad he liked it.

My bangers and mash were.. um.. different. I don’t know exactly why I wasn’t crazy about it. Maybe I wasn’t hungry enough. The mashed potatoes were almost whipped—I do prefer mine with a little more heft. Again, pepper OVERLOAD. What is with the pepper? I like some pepper, but they must have gotten it on special at Costco or something..it was all I could taste.

I don't normally bother writing about places that don't warrant a visit--why waste my time and yours? But I want to like this place, I really do. When we actually got people to come to our table, they were always friendly--they were just hard to find. We must have waited another 20 minutes for someone to bring us the check (after asking 2 people), and yet we watched them visiting with other patrons, making small talk, etc. And yes, we told the man at the beginning it was our first trip, and that we were visiting on friends' recommendations. Grrr. Overall, a very bad, flat, disappointing experience. But the mussels (presuming they go easier on the pepper next time) and Sara's insistence on the place's awesomeness might convince me to give Albert Hall a second chance.

Albert Hall Tavern
508 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
(646) 490-4803

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