All posts filed under: Restaurants

Coffee at Dock Kitchen

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If you were lucky enough to be in London over the weekend, you may have noticed how utterly stonkingly good the weather was. It was cold but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as the sun beamed down and brightened up my days. We decided to make the most of it on Sunday by hopping on our bikes and cycling down the Regents canal to Dock Kitchen where we enjoyed a cup of coffee on the deck before heading home via Lisboa Patisserie on Golbourne Road to pick up a couple of Portuguese tarts for dessert that evening. I could get used to life around here. Dock Kitchen is a fantastic space situated across from Innocent Towers on the Regents canal. Home to designer Tom Dixon and chef Stevie Parle, Dock Kitchen serves a range of seasonal dishes that have been inspired by the chefs travels. I have never been for dinner or lunch but after seeing a number of plates over the weekend, we’re now planning a date to go back and enjoy …

Konditor & Cook hot chocolate

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There are some things in life I just can’t explain – the fact that I’ve never done a post about the hot chocolate from Konditor & Cook is just one of those things. I first came across this hot chocolate when I worked at the Grays Inn Road store four years ago. I worked as a sales assitant for a month between jobs and had a great time. Not least because part of the training meant that I was able to spend 1/2 day in the kitchen at The Gherkin with the head chef. I was put in the savoury kitchen, rather than helping the bakers but I was able to see the effort and precision that is put into baking and decorting the large range of cakes that are on sale across all stores. Each store has it’s own kitchen where the cakes are baked freshly daily. It’s a big operation and you can sure tell. But back to the hot chocolate. It’s thick and creamy without being too rich and chocolatey without being …

The Espresso Room

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Did I really just walk a three mile round trip on my lunch break to get a coffee? Yes, it seems I did. Am I bonkers? Probably. Was it worth it? Definitely. But not only for the fact that the coffee was one of the best I have had in a while, but because it took me to an area of London that I’ve always known was there, but until today had never explored. So, why did I just take nearly my whole lunch hour travelling to and from a coffee shop? Because it’s been on my ‘to go to’ list for a while after spotting it on the Time Out list of best London coffee shops, a list that I completely trust. And on my walk back, I got to thinking… I had enough time after all. My coffee addiction started just over a year ago when I visited Australia. I can harp on for hours about the coffee over there. My dad also recently took a trip to Australia. Before he went, he …

Fifteen Cornwall

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What do you get when you put a group of 16 – 24 year old Cornish apprentice chefs that are in need of a second chance together in a kitchen? Fifteen Cornwall, of course. Founded by the one and only Jamie Oliver, Fifteen Cornwall allows apprentice chefs to learn how to cook. And well. Situated right on the beach at Watergate Bay, customers are treated to magnificent uninterrupted views of two miles of Cornish beach whilst enjoying lovingly prepared Italian style dishes using the finest Cornish seasonal ingredients. We took advantage of the Tuscan themed three course set menu for £19.95 per person on our visit. We ordered the roast crown prince squash and oregano soup with Vulscombe goat’s cheese (£7.25 if purchased separately) and the cotecchino sausage, lenticchie di castelluccio and the best salsa verde (£7.75 if purchased separately) to start, followed by Fifteen’s amazing seaside taglierini, Amalfi lemon and chilli pangrattato (£17.75 if purchased separately) and crispy fillet of Cornish grey mullet, herby charlotte potatoes, cime di rapa and lemon aioli (£17.95 if …

Union Jacks

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Jamie Oliver can do no wrong in my eyes. I admire his tireless campaigning to encourage kids to eat healthily and his recipes never fail me. And I particularly liked my brunch at Fifteen London a couple of years ago, another of his concepts that I love. But despite being a fan of the cheeky chappy that started his cheffing career at River Cafe, I have never dined at one of his Jamie’s Italian restaurants. However, as soon as I heard about Union Jacks, I was there like a flash. And that brings me to a point actually. I can’t remember how I found out about it – but I haven’t read anything about it since. Either they have been keeping the promotion very hush hush or I’m not reading the right publications anymore. Situated in the newly developed St Giles Piazza, Union Jacks celebrate all things British, although at first glance you wouldn’t think it. The menu specifies ‘Flats’, which basically come in the form of a pizza – with a difference. British ingredients …