Feeding Your Inner Gooner

Football and good food are not usually associated with one another.  However, for all those lucky enough (?) to be an Arsenal fan, trips to the Emirates stadium are now much more exciting, food-wise, by the arrival of the brilliantly named Piebury Corner.  A welcome addition to the Holloway Road, this local business sells Arsenal themed pies and mash, to eat in or takeaway.  Named after legends of Arsenal football, one of the most popular, I am told, is the Thierry Henry, a French-inspired concoction of Venison and Red Wine.  He's on the menu alongside a lamb based Ian Wright, a chicken Dennis Bergkamp and a steak-ed Tony Adams to name but a few.  But despite the gimmicky names, the pies are seriously good and deserved of their match day popularity.  They're full of flavour and jam packed full of meat and at £6.50 for the full works of pie, mash and gravy, you'd be hard pushed to find anything in the stadium for the same value that is as tasty and delicious.  You can also buy the pies cold (£3.50) to take away and heat at home.  I did exactly this last week and froze mine before defrosting the night before and they tasted just as good.  I'm looking forward to trying them all in the coming months!  With its clever and inventive decor (the tables outside are actually parts of the old turnstiles from Highbury) this is a great example of a new local business that is also blending with tradition.  In the Holloway Road championship it's Piebury Corner 3 - 0 Greggs.

http://www.pieburycorner.com/ 

Get Your Buns Out!

I am told Chelsea buns originate, unsurprisingly, from Chelsea and were first created there in the 18th century.  Sticky, sweet, spiced currant buns that are light and dense at the same time and perfect with a cup of tea.  It's easy to see how these have stood the test of time and remain a stalwart of the English teatime tradition 300 years on.  However, for the best example today, one needs to look beyond Chelsea.  In the heart of Cambridge, Fitzbillies has been making and baking its' Chelsea buns since it first opened its doors in 1922.  And there is no better bun.  To get your hands on one of these, you don't even need to leave the city walls, as they take email orders and ship these out twice weekly to their loyal worldwide fanbase.  A wonderful alternative birthday teatime treat perhaps?  Or perfect for a picnic with one word of warning...knife and fork definitely required!

http://www.fitzbillies.com/ 

The Great Outdoors

At last!  The sun has finally started to make itself known.  Okay, so it's not exactly all that sunny yet but at least there's no longer an arctic wind blowing down the back of my neck.  And that, my lovely readers, means only one thing.  The pavements of London are our drinking grounds again!  And for the ultimate in al fresco pavement drinking, the Charlotte Street Hotel has to be one of the best locations in London.  If you're lucky enough to get a coveted outdoor spot, then be prepared for the genuine feeling of smugness you will feel as pedestrians pass you by.  A great spot for a pre-theatre drink and also highly-recommended for afternoon tea.

Cafe a la Paris

Mondays were made for coffee.  I do believe that it is perfectly accceptable to drink as much coffee as one needs on a Monday.  I'm no medical expert but I'm pretty sure it's okay.  And on a Monday I like to drink mine in style and pretend I'm somewhere else.  Somewhere else like... Paris, say.  Let's face it, Parisians know how to drink coffee.  They just look better doing it.  It's one of those annoyingly-shouldn't-be-true-but-just-is things in life.  Like how the French wear messy hair and look as though they've just stepped off the catwalk, whereas the English do it and look as though they've just got messy hair.  So when I want to pretend I'm somewhere across the pond, I head to Store St. Espresso on Store Street.  One of my favourite streets in London, Store Street feels like a trip down a lane in the Marais.  And outside Store St. Espresso, the tables are always occupied by some insouciant Parisian looking types sat languering.  But don't be perturbed.  Because the coffee is good.  And if you have some time on your hands it's a lovely place to while some away.

http://www.storestreetbloomsbury.co.uk/shop-eat/ss-espresso/

Saturday Night Takeaway

The best thing about New York that I discovered whilst being there recently, was that you could get anything, and almost everything, delivered to your door. An omelette and some fresh orange juice in the morning?  No problem. Sushi for lunch? Definitely. And London?  Erm, well yes, London. Not so much. When it comes to delivery options we're pretty limited let's face it. We're looking at pizza, curry and MSG-saturated Chinese. Imagine my delight then when I discovered Deliverance. I've been a satisfied customer now for years and along with the best name ever, they also serve up delicious, tasty food that tastes as good as home cooked. It's delivered to your door, by a friendly driver, in vaccum packed containers with not a spot of grease in sight.  But the best thing, is the choice. Sushi, Vietnamese, Thai, salads, lasagne, burgers along with the good ol' stalwarts mean you can keep everyone happy.  And the website's great too.  There's a healthy section for when you're bemoaning skipping the gym all weekend, and you can save down your favourites for speedy-finger clicking delivery next time.  Try it! 

https://www.deliverance.co.uk/Default.aspx

Welcome to New York!

Yes, this blog is mostly supposed to be about London.  However, it was upon my recent visit to New York that I was inspired to write this blog so it seems fitting that my first post should be about this glorious city.  And what better way to start my first day in New York than with that most emblematic of breakfasts...Pancakes!  And these, let me tell you, were no ordinary pancakes.  These were the fluffiest, lightest, most sumptuous pancakes the world surely has to offer.  If only my bed were as soft as these.  That's mine in the foreground with the blueberries on top and that's my boyfriend's in the background with the smothered melted chocolate.  (Incidently, my boyfriend loves chocolate, so chocolate lovers stay tuned, I'm sure there'll be plenty of chocolate-related future posts to come!)  And what is that pot of golden honey-coloured sauce on the side I hear you ask?  Well that can only be described as being a pot of maple-syrupy-molten-butter.  No. More. Words. Required.

If this hasn't whetted your appetite then read no further.  If however, like me, you are now salivating and seriously contemplating booking a flight to New York, then you need to head to the Lower East Side, to The Clinton Street Bakery. 

 http://clintonstreetbaking.com/

Having won numerous awards, these really are the real deal.  Due to the popularity of the place be prepared to queue, but, believe me, it'll be worth it!