Aussie-Grade Coffee at Workshop Coffee, London

The time I spent in Oz has made me appreciate coffee in a whole different way. In a few years, I learned more about coffee than I ever imagined. Aussie's are so passionate about coffee that they have schools (like Italy) that specialize in coffee where you can learn about latte art, the art of making the perfect espresso, and even the ins and outs on how to run a profitable coffee business. Baristas are the rock stars of Australia and the ones who do it really well, are surely recognized for it.

Everywhere I travel now, I'm always on the look out for good coffee. In London, a very notable coffee bar is Workshop Coffee. With roots in Melbourne Australia, Workshop Coffee was once St Ali, a sister coffee bar to Melbourne's St Ali. Almost a year after St Ali London opened, they decided to re-invent themselves as Workshop Coffee.

In Aussie fashion, Workshop Coffee takes their coffee seriously. They are meticulous about the sourcing, roasing and brewing of their coffee, which you can read all about on their website. Every year, they take the time to travel to different countries to learn from the people who grow their coffee. This year, the focus will be on travels to Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

Workshop Coffee currently has 2 locations - Clerkenwell and Marleybone. The Clerkenwell location (the one I visited) is the larger of the two and serves hot food including weekend brunch. The Marleybone location is the complete opposite with just 14 seats and a small selection of pastries and sandwiches. In March of this year, they are opening a 3rd location, a 1200 square foot space, on the ground floor of Amazon's headquarters in Holborn.

On Feb 17, they announced that they are shipping their coffee globally, which means you can enjoy Workshop's awesome coffee whether or not you can get to London.

Workshop Coffee
27 Clerkenwell Road
London, UK
Telephone: 0207 253 5754

Read More

Great Brunch in London. Caravan, London

Do you feel, some days everyday, like a chicken with its head cut off? Productivity is not an easy thing to master. Especially at the pace life goes at today. With technology, smart phones and social media, it is sooo easy to be constantly pulled in a million different directions. Do you feel like you are always busy, but at the same time, feeling like you're not accomplishing much? I know I did. ALL THE TIME.

I've realized that being productive and feeling good about what you accomplished is not about how much you get done but what you get done. I've made a conscious effort the last few months to do the things that matter most, by focusing on the tasks that go the longest way. Tasks that will help me reach my end goal. When you slowly knock off the tasks that keep you moving forward, you will start to feel good about what you are accomplishing.

Stay Focused.

If you don't stay focused on what matters, you get distracted with busy work. Pick the top 3 things you absolutely need to get accomplished for the day and focus on them until they are done. Everything else should be non-existent until these things are done. I'm not saying to stop feeding your kids and neglect your household chores but DO Focus on One Big Task at a Time and get them done.

Do The Things You Don't Want to Do.

The things you don't want to do are likely the things that are most important. Why? Because they are mentally taxing or because it requires work. It's so easy to get distracted by small tasks that are easy to complete, but don't amount to a whole lot of result. Start with the things you dread. They are usually the most important tasks. 


Just Get It Done.



Deal with it and move on. It can't get any simpler than that :)

Being productive starts with a good breakfast. And with that thought, here is an awesome brunch place I found in London that is now a new favorite. They have amazing food and amazing coffee! If you can't easily get there, enjoy the photos :)

Caravan roasts their own coffee, in small batches, in the basement of the restaurant. Their coffee was exceptional: no after taste, just the right temperature and a great balance of bitter and fruitiness.

They have a great brunch menu that focuses on seasonal ingredients. The ham hock hash with poached eggs was to die for and their orange scented pancakes were perfectly fluffy. Be prepared to wait for a table if going for brunch. It's a really popular spot.

Cappuccino

Ham Hock Hash, Poached Eggs, Peas and Honey Mustard Hollandaise

Caravan Fry Up: Two eggs, Roasted Tomatoes, Streaky Bacon and Thyme Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Baked Eggs, Tomato and Pepper Ragout, Greek Yogurt and Chorizo

Orange Scented Pancakes, Vanilla Butter and Blueberries

Caravan Restaurant & Bar
11-13 Exmouth Market
London, UK
Telephone: 0207 833 8115

Read More

Air Canada Airline Food - London UK to Ottawa

Wow, I cant believe how quickly time - and life - passes sometimes. I always have intentions of updating my blog, and then BAM, a few months go by.

I always go back and forth on whether or not I should continue blogging given the frequency I now post. However, what brings me back everytime is that I still get excited to take photos of my food, whether I write about it or not, when I'm out. I still stop and pause, after cooking a really delicious meal, to admire the concoction I have cooked up where I then kindly ask everyone involved to refrain from eating until I have taken a photo. And moments like that tell me that I shouldn't stop sharing what I love and enjoy.

The truth is, a very close family member has fallen ill and has been very sick for a number of years now. In between trying to keep my life as normal as possible, I have been a full-time caretaker, which has been extremely consuming. It's not that I have been trying to conceal the truth from my readers, but I just kept thinking that it would all end soon. The reality is is that it hasn't, and that this is just the new normal.

In saying that, I've learned that life just keeps moving and you either grow and blossom from the challenges that life brings, or you become stagnant. I choose the former for myself and continuing to write is a way for me to do that.

One of the best ways to take a step back and get a good perspective on what is really happening is to get away and change your environment. Being removed from the typical day to day, and allowing yourself to be inspired by the new and different helps me appreciate the good things that are happening in my life.

I got to do this a few months ago by visiting my sister-in-law in London. I discovered some really cool places and will share some of my new favorite places to eat and drink with you soon. In the meantime, here is what I ate on my Air Canada flight back from London. I love sharing airline meals because it is such a rarity these days. It's like snapping a photo of an animal in the wild for me :)

In economy class, the London to Ottawa flight serves one main meal at the beginning of the flight, and one snack towards the end of the flight.

For my main meal, I had pasta bolognese with a dinner roll and 3-bean salad fennel salad with a vinaigrette dressing. For dessert, I had a currant and dark chocolate cookie. Air Canada has been really creative with their salads recently, which is nice to see.

The snack served was a Monty's Bakehouse hot posh wrap. The choices were chicken or vegetarian. I chose the chicken fajita wrap. I have tried a few other Monty's Bakehouse wrap flavors (tomato and olive frittata, smoked cheese) on other flights and all have been pretty good.

Read More

Borough Market, London

The Borough Market is one of the largest and most popular food markets in London and should be on everyone's checklist of places to go if visiting the city. It is located right beside the Southwark Cathedral, on the South end of the London bridge.

Southwark Cathedral

The Borough Market is also the oldest market in London, dating back to the 13th century. It was once a place where people flocked to grab fresh produce, but it has since expanded to over 100 stalls offering butchered meats, artisan food products, fresh bread, and hot meals from food vendors.

We recommend fresh oysters from Richard Haward's Oysters, a snack at the beef curtains stand, an unpasteurized mozzarella di bufala cone at the Parma Ham and Mozzarella stall, or a hot baguette sandwich from The Guildable Manor.

Here are the market hours:

Wholesale Market: Mon to Friday 2AM - 8AM
Lunch: Mon to Wed 10AM - 3PM
Full Retail Market: Thurs 11AM - 5PM, Fri 12PM - 6PM, Sat 8AM - 5PM

Borough Market

Parma Ham

Fresh Bread and Pastries

Unpasteurized Mozzarella di Bufala Cones

Beef Curtains

Paella

Hot Beef Baguette with Harrisa

Read More

Corner Room, London

Tucked away in London boutique hotel, Town Hall hotel, Corner Room is a great place to go if you're in the mood for a casual, but upscale meal. Corner room is the low key version of Nuno Mende's Michelin-starred restaurant, Viajante.

To keep things moving, there is a no-reservations policy here, and your stay is limited to 90 minutes when it is busy. The menu changes weekly.

My appetizer was the beetroot with butternut squash & stracciatella. I loved the presentation of this dish. The salad was a mix of pickled and fresh beetroot, which provided a nice contrast.

Beetroot with Butternut Squash & Stracciatella

C had the venison in ash with salsify & date. Again, another beautiful presentation. The venison was delicious.

Venison in Ash with Salsify & Date

CK had the octopus with smoked potato & hazelnut milk. The octopus had a nice crunch to it, and the overall dish had a nice salty and smokiness flavor.

Octopus with Smoked Potato & Hazelnut Milk

I originally ordered the duck but they had run out, so my second choice (with much encouragement from C) was the Iberico pork & Portuguese bread pudding. I wasn't brave enough to get my pork rare, and had it cooked medium instead. The bread pudding, paired suprisingly well with the pork. My plate was spotless by the time I was done.

Iberico Pork & Porguguese Bread Pudding

CK + H ordered the short ribs with mushroom caramel & pak choi. The short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Short Ribs with Mushroom Caramel & Pak Choi

C had the onglet steak with celeriac & pine.

Onglet Steak with Celeriac & Pine

After our meal, the four of us split two desserts. The first was the blueberries with goats cheese caramel, brioche & shiso. The shiso and goats cheese were two very strong tastes that somewhat clashed with each other. I didn't love this dessert.

Blueberries with Goats Cheese Caramel, Brioche & Shiso

The other dessert was the rhubarb with white chocolate & buttermilk sorbet. A nice blend of tastes but nothing that really stood out.

Rhubarb with White Chocolate & Buttermilk Sorbet

By the time our coffee was ready, our 90 minutes were up, so they gave us our coffees at no charge and politely shooed us out.

Corner Room
Town Hall Hotel & Apartments
Patriot Square
London, UK
Telephone: 0207 871 0461

Read More

Beigel Bake, London

Montreal has smoked meat, New York has pastrami, and London has salt beef. What I recently discovered was the salt beef part, and I'm so glad I did!

While all three are Jewish deli meats made of beef brisket that is cured in brine, each has its own distinct characteristics and flavors. If you are not familiar with the term salt beef, it is pretty much the same thing as corned beef.

After a long night of pub hopping, our friends from London took CK and I to Brick Lane for a hot salt beef beigel sandwich. A bagel you ask? No, I said beigel.

Brick Lane hot salt beef beigel sandwiches are especially popular with the late night crowd. After a long night out, and if you are in the area, the salt beef beigel is what locals turn to for that 2 am hunger fix.

There are 2 main places that serve salt beef beigel sandwiches on Brick Lane: Beigel Bake and Beigel Shop. The two establishments are literally right beside each other, and both are just as popular. Our friends are loyal to Beigel Bake, so that is where we ended up.

As you walk by, you'll see the sandwiches being constructed with the words hot salt beef etched on the window.

When we arrived, there was a huge line up going out the door. We waited patiently as we moved along the queue. Once you get inside, you can get a peak of the beigels being made.

The bakery is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While I focus on the salt beef sandwich, the bakery offers so much more than that. Aside from beigels, you can also get fresh rolls, breads, and pastries. If salt beef isn't your thing, you can have your beigel filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken, salami, or tuna.

Alas, the wonderful mouth watering hot salt beef beigel sandwich! Along with the salt beef, you can also get thick slices of dill pickle and loads of Colman's hot English mustard stuffed into the sandwich. Each bite cleared our sinuses and made our eyes water. The spiciness combined with the saltiness of the beef, sourness of the pickles, and sweetness of the beigel made each bite more addicting.

I debated on eating this for breakfast the next day, but CK talked me out of it.

Beigel Bake

159 Brick Lane

London, UK

Telephone: 020 7729 0616

Read More

Eurostar Train Meal - London to Paris

Travelling from London to Paris, I decided to take the Eurostar train instead of the plane. The price was cheaper going by train, you don't have to go through the hassle of airport security, and the thought of going through the chunnel was really cool to me!

Paris Gare du Nord

Not knowing when I would be able to do this again, I decided to go all out and travel business class. I'm a sucker for the business class lounges...who doesn't want to feel pamperd and be able to relax over free food, coffee, and magazines before travelling?

The Eurostar menu was designed closely with Alain Roux, chef patron at the 3 Michelin star reastaurant, Waterside Inn in Bray near Windsor.

There were two choices for breakfast. I decided to go with the English breakfast: an herb omelette with a chicken herb sausage, mushrooms, roast tomato, and bubble & squeak. The chicken herb sausage was really good! The rest was good but tasted like any other airline meal.

English Breakfast

The second option was organic ham with red Leicester, and homemade raisin loaf.

Organic Ham, Red Leicester, and Homemade Raisin Loaf

All breakfasts also came with bread, pastries, organic yogurt, orange juice, and your choice of wine, hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.

Read More

Umu, London

While in London, I got a chance to meet up with my friend, J, who I can always count on to find a great restaurant to eat at.

This time, he picked Umu, an uppity Japanese restaurant serving Kyoto influenced dishes. They are known for their traditional Kaiseki tasting menus, but at 100£ a person, we decided to order off the a la carte menu instead.

Our meal started with an aji (Japanese jack mackerel) and mushroom amuse bouche. This set the mood for the night, and right away, we knew that we were in for an evening of delicate textures and complex yet subtle tastes.

Aji and Mushroom Amuse Bouche

After the amuse bouche came our first dish, lightly seared scallop with grated apple and cucumber. The scallop was wonderfully cooked and the apple and cucumber were nice compliments that did not overpower the dish.

Lightly Seared Scallop with Grated Apple and Cucumber

Our ice-smoked salmon arrived in this beautiful clear dish with a lid on it. As soon as you opened the lid, the dish started smoking causing us to oooh and ahhhh at the sight. The salmon was lightly smoked and very delicate tasting. It was served with grated radish, and fun little salmon roe that we ate one by one to feel the roe juice pop inside our mouths.

Ice-smoked salmon

Next was the langoustine with amber tomato jelly, egg yolk vinegar, caviar and fresh figs. This was a really nice dish. I loved how all the elements in this dish came together with not one ingredient being the dominant one.

Langoustine with Amber Tomato Jelly and Caviar

I'm a tofu lover so I had to order the homemade tofu with ginger and spring onion. J didn't want to order this at all but to his surprise, he loved it. The tofu was extremely delicate and eating it with some light soy sauce, ginger, and spring onion was a great combination.

Homemade Tofu with Ginger and Spring Onion

We also ordered the Omakase Chef's special selection of classic sashimi. This was a platter full of perfectly cut sashimi that included aged halibut, mackerel and salmon.

Omakase Chef's Special Selection of Classic Sashimi

Our last dish was a small selection from their sushi menu. We chose the saba (mackerel), eel with garlic and parsley twist, Toro (tuna) shishito, and prawn mango served in a harumaki cup. Out of the ones we chose, my favorite was the toro shishito. I loved how delicate the tuna was and the shishito pepper went great with the tuna.

Assorted Sushi

So now for the big reflection...was the food at Umu spectacular and was it worth the price? I would say that it was one of the best sushi meals I have ever had and that these guys really know what they are doing. BUT, in saying that, J and I almost had a heart attack when we saw our final bill. With food and drinks, our bill came to 300£!! I couldn't believe it when I first saw it and I still can't believe we paid that much. I'm not so sure the food was worth that price but I keep telling myself I need to move on :)

I laughed when I saw a review saying that it would have been cheaper to fly to Kyoto for a meal. That's exactly how I felt.

Umu
14-16 Bruton Place
Mayfair, London, UK
Telephone: 020 7499 8881

Read More