London Calling

We usually leave Paris for a long weekend and go to Burgundy, Provence, Normandy or somewhere else in France, because French train travel makes it so easy to get anywhere........

This trip we decided to take the Eurostar to London! Only 2+ hours from Gare du Nord on the high speed train.
Easy peasy.

London is such an easy city (as is Paris) to walk around.
On the map, everything seems so far away, but a 20 minute walk and you are at your destination.

New gentrified neighborhoods such as Shoreditch (think Brooklyn), are the hip places, with all the new fabulous food destinations.

We stayed in Covent Garden, which is the theatre district, however, it is all new and renovated, hip, chic, great shopping, quaint and fun!

We had a tour of Neal's Yard Dairy, my favorite cheese in the US (Whole Foods sells it, however, it is made with vegetable rennet for the states, and animal rennet in the UK).

Their Montgomery's Cheddar is sooooo good, and their Stilton claims to be the BEST in the UK, and it is.
We had a tasting and brought home 3 different cheeses (isn't that funny? bringing back CHEESE to France!).

They sell fresh eggs, butter and cream from the dairy as well.


London is a GREAT foodie destination.

Long gone are the days of stews, mushy peas and fish 'n chips (they are still there if you want them).
This city is a culinary destination for sure. Food was excellent everywhere we went, as was service, everyone is SO nice.


We tried a place called PIX for lunch, serving pinxtos (Basque tapas).

You take a plate and load it up with small bites and bring the sticks up to the bar at the end to pay.
However many sticks you have, is how much you will pay.

Everything was off the charts good (sweet potato tortilla being my favorite).

LOVED it!


Next food stop was Russell Norman's Ape & Bird (remember I told you about his book POLPO with the cicchetti/snacks from Venice?).
This restaurant is like Polpo, but they incorporate the British pub thing......food was amazing.

We tried pickled mackerel w/ fennel and breadcrumbs; fried cauliflower on chickpea mash (YUM!); a pizza with salami & arugula; and fresh figs with goat curd and honey (of course). Loved the people and the pubby atmosphere.


There is a pub on every corner with gorgeous hanging flowers. Pints and smoking on the sidewalk, try and get thru after work, good luck.

We visited the V&A Museum and all the other touristy sites.

We went to a Bach concert in St. Martin in the Fields Church........

and there you have it, a long weekend in London.

Thanks for coming along.

Back to Paris posting tomorrow!