Wiener Schnizel, Apfel Strudel, Sacher-torte and Brattwurst. DELICIOUS.

Mozart concert in costume was great. The Opera House was magnificent, and very… hot… I can understand the ladies with their opulent fans in the olden days now. It was awesome to sit in a box… JUST like the movies!!!

Saw Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ at the Belvedere and even an underground lake at See Grotte. Would’ve liked to see more Egon Schiele works at the Leopold but like I said… not enough time!!

1 year ago today, A & I found ourselves in KFC on Upper Street in Islington, eating the most disgusting fried chicken of our lives as our first taste of London. The only thing suppressing us from completely freaking out about flying halfway across the world to a land of shitty food was…well, the fact that we were in London.

Fast forward 12 months, and here we are at Roman Tapas Grill, toasting our 1 year London anniversary in conjunction with our 5 year ”anniversary”. Really, it was just another excuse to eat out on a warm Wednesday evening, and for me to take more scrumptious photos of food. Not complaining

Roman Tapas Grill, Caledonian Road (alt: tastecard site)
Cuisine: Spanish tapas
Meal: Dinner
No. Diners: 2
Price w/ Tastecard: £17.25 inc. drinks

There were a few restrictions on our tastecard, one being that we had to make a reservation. There was no problem doing that, at least that’s what A told me. They even informed him of their other restriction when he mentioned it – that the 50% off was only for their tapas menu.

I arrived there almost an hour early after a short walk from my new temp job. It was easy to find – a short walk to the back of Caledonian Road and Barnsbury Overground Station; waiting at one of their outside tables, I tried to look inconspicuous incase they wanted to remove me as a non-patron. Didn’t really have to worry, the waitress was lovely when I told her I was waiting for someone for a 7pm table, she even asked if I wanted to wait inside.

I was a little worried about a lack of selection due to the tapas-only restriction, but really, what was I thinking, the place is called Roman Tapas Grill (pretty sure it’s named after the street it’s on and not the Italian city). We chose 5 dishes which turned out to be perfect; first off the Fried Calamari with Sweet Chillie and Aioli Dip (this is one of A’s favorite dishes which I always tease him about, but secretly love just as much).

The batter was crunchy although the calamari was a little dry and lacking. But the sweet chilli and aioli made up for it. Having fried calamari with sweet chilli and aioli always makes me think of summer back home, sitting at a cafe with an icy cold lemon lime bitter. Whenever I order this dish (in fact any and most dishes), I always have a certain expectation, as if I can already taste it just reading it off the menu. I’ve yet to find the perfect fried calamari in London that transports me back to the salty beaches of home, but the search continues.

When the lamb sausages and hommus arrived, I was both drawn to the colours and slightly aghast at the slightly burnt look of them. But nevertheless I eagerly dug in,  already thinking of words to describe the horrible burnt baton of lamb I was about to shove into my mouth; but when my knife cut through the hard crust, I was pleasantly surprised by the insides. Calling it juicy is a slight stretch, but it was nicely spiced and definitely not the crunchy rock I was expecting. I waved my fork around as I chewed, trying to figure out what that distinct spice was. A had no idea either, but now that I’m thinking about it, I’m pretty sure it’s tumeric. Surprisingly, the hommus was not as chick-pea tasting as I had hoped, but it went well with the lamb sausage and was a perfect companion to the rocket, I would have preferred less olive oil, but that’s just me.

Not sure if it’s clearly visible in the photo (gosh I wish my 3GS had a better camera!!!), but the oil is still bubbling in our dish of garlic prawns. I was nicely surprised by the presentation of this dish with it bubbling goodness and the chunks of garlic within made it appear extremely flavoursome, but I must admit I was slightly disappointed by it. The oil made the small prawns greasy, while the taste of garlic was quite lacking, the dry lemon provided hardly enough juice for flavour, and well, there’s not much more to say but that it was a little sub par…

This dish was my choice as I’d never had artichoke before, and I must say I think this was a decent introduction. Even A who’s not an artichoke fan didn’t leave his share for me. The layer of spinach and ricotta under the cheese really juiced and flavoured the artichoke, while the slightly sour tomato sauce underneath gave it a tangy lift. Overall, a pretty ‘meaty’ dish which I enjoyed, to me, artichoke tastes like cauliflower stalk – is this a fair comparison artichoke lovers?

The grilled eggplant salad came last, a few minutes after the rest of our dishes were cleared. Would have almost been perfect but I think A and I eat too fast! To be fair, I probably could have done without it as I was already quite full, I would have been happy with a shared dessert instead. For a person who’s not huge on peppers (definitely a no no to the green variety), I this dish was actually decent. I found the whole dish a little on the bitter side, but the sweetness of the peppers really penetrated that and helped it along.

Overall, the evening was lovely. We ( I mean A, thank you) only paid £17.25 for the both of us and we left the restaurant with full bellies. I would go back to try the other interesting tapas on their menu, and maybe even venture away from my tastecard to see what their grilled plates have to offer!

We took the Eurostar – backwards – for 2.5 hours and arrived in Paris sleepy-eyed and lost. Tried to make it without a map, but was clearly a mistake. EU$4.95 later, we were armed with “Paris Pratique Par Arrondissement Edition 2011″ and dangerous. The rest, as they say, is history. Montage time…

Overwhelming facade and breathtaking architecture of Notre Dame. Steampunk station (Cité). Majestic Winged Victory. Mysterious Venus de Milo. Cheapified Monna Lisa. Window shopping mouthwatering cakes. Best baguette ever tasted. Cheese. Wheels on the trains. Bioshock station (Arts et Métiers). Piss smelling stations. Crepes. Artists. Homeless people. Immensely metallic Eiffle Tower. Eiffle Tower keyrings everywhere. Ladies with furs and their French bulldogs (I want one!). Finally seeing Oscar Wilde (and wondering why a gay guy is invaded by girl lips).Sleazy Pigalle and the let down that is Moulin Rouge. Discovering p0rn on French television(!) Feeling cool that you’ve got the Metro System sorted. Hills of Montemartre. Amazing Sacre Coeur and it’s no photo inside policy complete with a man that takes his job very seriously (*Whistle!* No photo! *Delete!*). 6 Euros for a pepsi. Feeling like a fool of a tourist. Parlez vous Anglais? Twinkling views from the Arc de Triomph. Feet feeling shredded from 10 hours of walking. Macarons.

If you’re from London or have lived in London, you may know of a little plastic gem by the name of Tastecard. For £69.95 you receive a 12 month membership where you receive 50% or 241 deals at over 4500 restaurants all over the UK, of course with a few limitations. If you remember my rants about how bad London food is, you’ll know that getting this card was a complete no brainer. And since I plan to be eating out a lot more, I thought it’d be a good idea to share my experiences with other foodies out there looking for delicious London fare. Let the nom nom nom-ing begin…

So after 3 weeks of waiting, I finally received the card, and after hours of trolling through the Tastecard website, I finally settled on a restaurant:

Bincho, Soho (alt: tastecard site)
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: Dinner
No. Diners: 2
Price w/ Tastecard: £25.94 inc. drinks

I chose this restaurant as a first because it was in a convenient location (just off Tottenham Crt Road). It seemed within our price range and also got quite a few good reviews on the Tastecard site.

First up was the reservation as this restaurant requires all tastecard users to make a phone booking. The lady on the otherside of the line was very efficient (took less than a minute to grab all my details), perhaps a little rushed even. When I mentioned that I would be using my tastecard, she didnt seem to acknowledge, but I didn’t think much of it – it’s a Tuesday after all.

On entering the dimly restaurant, we were met with a fine blast of BBQ smells. The chefs were eagerly tending to their yakitori skewers on the open grills and there were a decent number of patrons all looking quite relaxed and happy amist the clean modern decor .

We were tended to very quickly and upon being seated, I double checked that I could use my tastecard – luckily I did as there was a slight issue (make sure you mention when you book!!), but the staff were courteous about it and service was attentive and polite throughout the entire evening. It was also good to note that the  wait staff all seem to be Japanese, made me feel like I may in for some good traditional fare.

Having been starving for the last hour waiting for A, the smell of grilling meat really set me off into a hungry frenzy. My greedy eyes were poring over every single item on the menu, ready for an ordering extravaganza. Luckily the menu is a decent size, enough variety without being cluttered. We eventually settled on a good mix of meat, rice and veges.

First up was the Sashimi Salad with Salmon and Squid – a mountain of green, glistening with dressing. The rocket was peppery and refreshing against the smokey salmon and sweet springy squid. We didn’t have to wait long until the skewers and rice made an appearance closely followed by the sardine and miso aubergine.

Our skewer selection included: ox tongue, quail eggs, pork belly and organic chicken all of which were grill with a light marinade. The ox tongue was rich and springy (if you’re after something meaty) while the quail eggs were really just mini boiled eggs with lightly grilled crispy whites. I expected the pork belly to be more crispy while the chicken was quite tender (although by the time I got to them, they were slightly cold). I think all of the skewers could have benefited from some sauces (which we had forgotten to order).

We ordered some steam rice and garlic butter rice to go with the meats which I think was a good idea – not sure we could have filled up on just skewers! The garlic rice was extremely delicious, buttery, garlicky and salty just as you’d expect – actually quite perfect with the lack of sauce for the skewer. I would suggest the steam rice if you’ve got some sauces to mix in with the meats.

The miso aubergine was delicious, but a lot smaller than I expected (only half of the long, slender variety) while the sardines were dangerously spikey. I took a bite and found my mouth speared with fish spikes which took about 5 minutes to dislodge from my mouth. Luckily the restaurant was dark…

I think all of the food would have been improved if they were a lot hotter. I expect it may be better if you’re sitting by the bar where the skewers would be served right off the grill, the other hot food might be another matter though.

Overall, a relatively positive experience. Looking at the food bill at the end, I don’ think I would’ve been happy with the food if I’d paid full price, but at 50% off, it was a decent meal (very filling) and a treat for our flavour starving tastebuds. Would definitly like to go back and try their other skewers and salads.

A restaurant worth trying out if you have a tastecard – but for true foodies, I expect you may feel there’s something left to be desired.

**The restaurant was really dark and photos didn’t turn out sorry!

It’s Friday and the thought of cooking and eating in our cramped apartment was not enticing. So A and I decided to meet up at Angel.

One of the annoying things about London is that everytime you walk into a restaurant, you’re effectively gambling away roughly £25. You really just never know if your coke is going to be lukewarm or your steak is going to be rubbery. Its easy to doubt the reviewers too because – well really, do they even know what they’re talking about if they grew up eating London food??

We decided to go out on a limb today and thought we’d splurge on a place called Byron. We’d heard from a few sources that the burgers there were well worth the money; and it really isn’t good to walk past it every week without putting their word to the test.

So we strolled in at about half past seven. The place had some people but plenty of seats upstairs for two. We sat down and was promptly presented with two menus each. Burgers/ salads/ sides/ drinks and desserts.

It was a quick affair with the simple and uncrowded menu. A ordered a Byron Burger (patty with bacon and cheese), I ordered a cheese burger (I chose blue cheese from a small gourmet selection), courgette chips cought my eye and A didn’t need much convincing to agree. Drinks and food were ordered and we sat back with a sudoku each until the food arrived.

First up – icy frosted glasses. This alone is going to bring me back again. Ever since we arrived in London we’ve been complaining about how bad refrigeration seems to be – because our drinks are never cold enough. Most of the time the ice is already in a puddle before it reaches my table.

Not only was my lemonade fresh, it came in a ice frosted glass with chunks of ice (that were still there at the end of my meal) topped with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint.

Not long after, our food arrived. Bowl of extremely crunchy looking courgette (zucchini) chips and wholesome burgers with half a pickle on the side.

True to London fashion, the chips were not salted. But the crunchy outside with the melting middle more than made up for it. We sprinkled some salt and pepper on top. And it was perfect.

Our burgers were cooked medium, just like they promised. My giant chunk of blue cheese slice was slowly melting into the crevices of my meat patty; with my new found favorite hot sauce on top, this truly was a great burger.

A’s Byron Burger had a special Byron sauce that was reminiscent of thousand island dressing but with a zing.

All in all we decided our meal was excellent. The only thing we could think of to improve was the bun and we promptly wrote this down on the feedback card and handed it back with our £23 of payment. We left the now crowded restaurant with a smile on our faces, smug that we’d come at the right time and arn’t one of the fools lining up by the door.

Hopefully they send us discount vouchers for my birthday. Why else would they ask for a birth date on the feedback card right???

Did you know that Oxford University’s brand colour has it’s own Pantone code?
Neither did I, until today, because I bought a blue Oxford t-shirt for my da and was wondering if maybe I should have got grey. Turns out I got lucky.

So a few new things have changed since my last post.

Most importantly – I have a job. *Cheer!Huzzah!Hurrah!* – sort of.
Being a PA/EA sounds fancy, until you realise, you’re really just someone’s bitch. I spend all day organising someone else’s life, while not having much of my own. I don’t think I’m too bad at it, but it’s not an industry (recruitment) I care much about so motivation isn’t exactly – UP THERE. But I think about Venice, Paris, Amsterdam and the day goes by quicker as my eyes glaze over.

One thing good that’s come of it is that a workmate informed me of some cheap deals.
Which leads me to my next thing.

My First Out-Of-London experience!!! OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE! – £10 return with a valid Oyster Card. Cheaaaaaaap as! We could’ve also gone to Cambridge, but somehow Oxford sounded more – posh.

We really weren’t sure what to expect. Just an old, quiet town. And we weren’t that far off. But A and I both agree that Oxford is how you imagine England to be before you actually land in London. Our visit was during the summer break so I’m guessing it was quieter than usual, it was a welcome if not very slightly odd quietness – it kind of felt like we were on the set for Hot Fuzz.

The town itself seems like one giant university. Old buildings, college houses and faculties are dotted all over town, between old castles and chain restaurants. Big Red tour buses snake between old buildings and modern shopping centres.

We did a tour of Oxford Castle – most well known for being a ‘gaol’ (until 1996!!). It was cool – literally – being in a big stone building. Loved the light-hearted history lesson that came with the tour!

We did the tourist-shop rounds and 2 pins, 1 t-shirt, 1 jumper and 1 scarf later, we decided food was on the menu. And lo-and-behold – First.Ever.Jamie’s.Italian!!!!
It was on the expensive side, but we couldn’t go home knowing we walked passed a Jamie restaurant and didn’t taste anything.

Our Order:
1xTruffle Tagliatelle – main
1xTruffle Chips
1xTiramisu

We were on a budget, but was surprisingly full after.

The Tagliatelle was delicious. Simple, buttery, garlicky, MUSHROOMY! The Truffle chips weren’t very truffly, but still crispy and delicious with shaved parmasen on top. Tiramisu was slightly on the sweet side, but the orange zest equalled it out – creme fraiche on the side was perfect.

We called it a night, and headed back to London – ready for work the next day. All in all, a successful day trip!

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It is quite possible, that we’ve found heaven…as we know it.

A random suggestion to visit London Bridge has lead us to the goldmine that is Borough Market.

We had no idea what would be at London Bridge, well, besides a bridge. So when we stepped off the bus and saw a sign saying “Borough Market This Way”, we shrugged our shoulders and followed the sign pointing into a dingy under-the-bridge tunnel… the rest of the day was a blur…

It was like the pot of gold at the end of the tunnel…

Our nostrils filled with the smells of grilling meat, cheeses and fresh bread; while our eyes feasted on the brightly coloured fruits, veges and cakes. I had a few reactions.

Orgasm – no, just kidding, close though.
Excitement – at the smells, the colours, the things to explore.
Anger – that we’d just ate… and that I’d neglected to bring my DSLR camera.
Guilt – at how disgustingly bad I thought ALL Londoners ate.
and finally
Relief – that we won’t be in good-food-starvation mode any longer.

We spent about an hour just trolling through the 3 markets and noted down everything we were coming back for – and that’s exactly what we did the next day.

Behold, pictures of our discovery!

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Hey guys!

Photos by popular demand!
Would love to have given you more, but house hunting has temporarily taken over our lives.

Actually some photos of the ridiculous places we’ve seem would’ve made a good post, we’ve seen one with a brick wall outside the window, one with NO window, one with NINE bedrooms, one came with a guy eating instant noodles out of a pot in his pj’s at 2pm…one that had 2 single beds that looked like it belonged in a dirty jail cell and another which had windows that opened straight onto a main road – it used to be a shop front.

All that aside, we’ve managed to sneak in a day or 2 of ‘sight seeing’ and LOTs of walking around. Here’s the proof!

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