London Food/Eateries

Being an extremely picky eater, I normally have a lot of trouble eating in foreign countries (sadly, I actually have problems eating in foreign homes or restaurants). While I can't say London was very different in regards to finding food to eat, I did have some unique eating experiences.

Uniquely London Food/Pubs:

The first pub I went to, I didn't actually eat (nor drink) at. I went in with a few group mates as they ate, allowing me to look around for a bit and people watch. Everyone in the pub seemed nice enough, joking and laughing while they enjoyed a beer or two. I saw a lot of groups in the pub and it seemed like a normal restaurant. Unlike a normal restaurant, though, you go up to the bar to order/pay for your food. You tell them where you are sitting and then they will come bring the food for you. While I didn't eat at that pub, no one can go to London and NOT have fish and chips. So while we were in Cambridge, I ate at the Eagle pub (where Watson and Crick announced their discovery of DNA's double helix structure) with a large group of London Honors students. My fish was HUGE, so I couldn't eat it all, and the chips were delicious. The only thing I, and pretty much everyone else, didn't try to eat was the mashed peas. They kind of looked like baby food and I'm not a pea kind of gal anyway.

The other very English food I tried was a pasty. A pasty is a pastry filled with meats, cheeses or veggies. I choose a lamb and mint pasty, however, I'm not much of meat in a pastry kind of gal either apparently. .-. At least I ate some....

Tea Time:

Sticking with the theme, I was extremely worried walking into our tea ceremony because I was certain I would not like the tea. I hated when I was forced to drink tea by my aunts. To make matters worse, the first thing they serve is a mango amuse bouche to clear the palate. One bite though and I was in heaven! I probably could have eaten seven amuse bouches. When tea was served, I was only slightly nervous. I poured a cup, straining out the tea leaves, added a couple of lumps of sugar, and then savored the best tea I have ever had. I probably had about four cups that night, one even with cream (despite being lactose intolerant, I simply had to try it). Besides the tea, we also had small sandwiches, deserts, and scones. The sandwich I had was a ham and mustard, which was actually my second ham and mustard sandwich (the first being at Pret A Manger, a British fast food place). Perhaps this sandwich is a British sandwich? I had never had just a ham and mustard sandwich before going to London. I also tried a couple of the small deserts, splitting them among my tablemates. We all definitely had a blast.

The Standard Balti House:

For our group dinner we went to the Standard Balti House. The people there were extremely nice and we got to try whatever starter and main dish we wanted. I chose a lamb chop and some kind of chicken in a sweet sauce, and while the lamb chop was too spicy, I enjoyed my chicken well enough. We also had mixed rice and Nan (a type of Indian bread). Honestly, I knew I probably wasn't going to like any Bangladeshi food as I cannot take anything spicy and have never liked Indian food, but I did my best to eat what I could. What I might have enjoyed more would have been trying Afro-Caribbean food for the first time.

Grocery Shopping:

My roommate and I got a lot of lunches and dinners from the local grocery store, Waitrose. Waitrose is one of a few main grocery stores in London. Shopping at local grocery stores like a normal British citizen was a really cool experience in that you got to pretend, if only for a moment, that you were a British citizen yourself. Among the food I ate were small rotisserie chickens, fresh small banquettes, and instant soups made with boiling water. Shopping in the grocery store also allowed us to save a lot more money to do other things we wanted, without going over budget.

My Obsession With Crepes:

For some unknown reason (even to myself), I had an extreme craving for crepes in London. I guess it did not help that they were so readily available everywhere I went either. The first crepe I had was at Greenwich market. It was very tasty, although they only used a half of a banana. The next crepe was at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. This one had a very tasty crepe itself, but it was cooked a bit too much. The next was in Camden town. The crepe was a little too thick, but at least I got a whole banana. My last crepe (I think) was in Canterbury, which was very average. I honestly think I had way too many crepes, but they were so addicting I just could not have one if I saw them being sold.