Food: Ole & Steen

Whenever I'm on a break from school I try to make it into town for lunches, coffees and drinks with my friends who work in the city. It always feels quite fun to be out in the city amongst the workers - as a teacher my (delicious and much appreciated!) lunch is eaten at school, so getting out and about for a bite is always fun. Matthew, who has to get lunch every day, always thinks I'm barking when I tell him this. I'm sure if my lunch usually was queueing/Pret-agogo/meal deal bonanza I'd feel differently, but the novelty always makes me happy.

One friend who I always adore catching up with is the lovely Katy, insta-princess (the skills, you guys). So when she said she was free for lunch and fancied trying out a Danish spot, I was naturally on board. We met up at Piccadilly Circus, managed to avoid most of the tourist crush, and were soon at our destination, Ole & Steen.

Ole & Steen is a sleek and pretty bakery/cafe, with lots of seating and a cool, laid-back vibe. As we walked in the mix of clientele was a pleasure to see - Soho creatives next to grandmothers across from yummy mummies with their mega-pushchairs. 

A quick aside on the mega-pushchairs - when did these contraptions get so enormous and tricky to handle? I used to babysit and nanny back in the day and buggies were, on the whole, delightfully manoeuvrable, easy to fold, and a godsend for stashing things in the bottom basket. I'm sure there are lots like that still but so many of them seem huge and difficult to use. I had to hold someone's baby in the supermarket car park the other day while she did battle with her beast of a buggy - it took a good thirty seconds to a minute, a few murmured curses and no doubt a prayer or two for the thing to click together. What happened to pushchairs? As someone without kids I'm utterly confused - I'm sure my mummy friends will have gallons of wisdom on this and shall await further education.

Back to Ole & Steen.

The space is light and airy, with a mix of low tables, stools at bars, and plenty of solo and duo spots. When you order you walk along the display area where you can see an array of pretty open sandwiches and baked delights should you fancy a sweeter bite. I selected a Danish Blue open sandwich on rye, and Katy had boiled egg and avo on toast. All washed down with some smooth, satisfyingly rich coffee.

  

Ole & Steen is a nice, calm spot in the city, perfect for a catch-up lunch, a cup of coffee and a baked good, or to while away an hour with a good book. I'm definitely heading back for some cake action!


Ole & Steen
2 St. James’s Market,
56 Haymarket,
St. James's,
London
SW1Y 4RP

Open Monday - Sunday 

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Amedeo, Rome

 

We spent so much of our time in Italy on the go. As it was our first trip we were so keen to see and experience as much as we possibly could, and we walked for miles, hopped on and off coaches and trains, climbed a bazillion steps (seriously, my thighs lost a couple of inches in a matter of a week!), and general dashed around from morning to  night, having a ball.

We stayed in a sweet little hotel close to Termini, and on one evening we weren't sure where to go for dinner, so we popped around the corner to Amedeo, a little restaurant just off Via Cavour. As it was spur of the moment we had no idea what the food would be like, but man, was I glad we visited - everything was delicious!

As soon as we were sat down, menus appeared and we were soon sipping on fruity, mellow glasses of Anagni, a lovely red.

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The Diner, Islington

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I love me a trip to The Diner. In a city jampacked with food options, it's my frequent go-to for tasty comfort food and fun cocktails - from burgers to nachos to margaritas there are always a bunch of good things on offer. So when I was invited along to see the newly refurbished Islington location, along with some of my faves (oh hey, Erica, Jas, Charley & Charlie), you know I was all in, right?

I've always liked the Islington branch of The Diner - it's such a great location and a frequent brunch spot for me and my girls. The new refurb looks amazing - I love the bar in the middle of the restaurant, it really opens up the space, as well as giving you somewhere to wait if you're early for your table. The outside of the room is covered with booths, perfect for that Americana vibe we all love at The Diner!

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Pizza Club at Firebrand Pizza

One of the true delights of blogging has been the many wonderful people I've met. Inspiring people, clever people, funny people; amazing writers, photographers and wits; dear friends and kind souls. I'm always amazed at how fortunate I've been in the people I am lucky enough to call my blog-friends and the many joys they bring to my life.

Three such wonders are my Pizza Club buddies, Emma, Connie and Vicky. From a series of throwaway tweets in the middle of 2016, Pizza Club was spawned, and now every month or two we get together to eat pizza, try new flavours, and catch up on the goings on in our lives. On this occasion we were kindly invited by Firebrand Pizza, a sweet little pizzeria a hop, skip and jump from Marylebone station.

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The Life Goddess, Fitzrovia

I love finding little spots in town that are great for lunch. In this busy, bustling city, it's so great to find somewhere where you can pull up a chair and enjoy a delicious meal on a lunchbreak or of an evening. Imagine my delight, then, when I met up with the lovely Charlie and we headed to The Life Goddess in Fitzrovia for lunch a little while ago.

This little gem is a true delight, nestled away in the heart of the city. Part deli, part restaurant, it was the ideal place for a catch up over great, fresh food.

I settled upon the slow roasted pork belly with rosemary potatoes and salad...

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Big Easy, Canary Wharf

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get to hang out with the lovely Emma and do some exploring here in town. Once we settled on a date, we quickly formulated a plan - brunch at the Big Easy in Canary Wharf followed by exploring and culture at the museums in Greenwich.

As the picture demonstrates, I was super excited to try Big Easy - I've been meaning to do so for ages but this was actually my first visit. I love me some southern-US food so was excited to head on down and try. The Canary Wharf location is lovely, easy to get to, with bags of space and great light, so all in all it's a blogger's dream!

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Casa Brindisa, South Kensington

A photo posted by Claire Roper (@cmclaire) on Dec 24, 2016 at 2:05pm PST

On Christmas Eve I had the unexpected treat of having Matthew around. As he usually works over the Christmas and New Year's period  he's ordinarily in the office, but as Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday we got to spend the whole day together. It's my favourite day of the year, so it was lovely to get to share it with him.

As I was so excited I decided to plan a few treats for the day - I dearly love a treat. I booked us both tickets to Carols by Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall and planned for a walk and some cocktails too. We also decided that we'd pop out for lunch before the concert at 2.30pm - as I'd be cooking for most of Christmas morning I was excited to let someone else take up the pots and pans the night before! We had a look at the available restaurants near the Royal Albert Hall and decided on Casa Brindisa, a small chain I'd heard of but which I'd never visited. We both thought tapas sounded great (it's a real family favourite) and it was close enough to the venue that we could get there in good time and enjoy the meal.

We were seated promptly at a comfortable table and soon furnished with Estrella and water.  The restaurant was nicely busy but by no means jam-packed - the days around Christmas lend a real calm to London venues as many people decamp for the festivities. As is traditional for tapas, we selected a few items and shared the wealth. We ordered the dados de manchego, the pan de coca, the croquetas de jamon y pollo, the patatas bravas y aioli, the pimentos de padron and the ensalada de pato.

The dados de manchego were just as expected - sharp yet creamy, served with a little honey to cut the tang. The pan de coca was gorgeously tomatoey and tasty, with a slightly chargrilled flavour. I adored the croquetas - it took all my self-control not to order another round; they were simply delicious.

The patatas bravas didn't arrive, alas - our waitress didn't use a pad (I'm not sure if that's policy or preference) so the request for these never made its way to the kitchen. We did try to flag this but to no avail. The pimentos (a Matthew favourite) were just right, and the portion was generous too. I loved the ensalada de pato, with a lovely dressing, gorgeous little cubes of beetroot, and slivers of tender, moist duck.

If you're in South Ken and looking for a pleasant spot for some tapas, I'd advise you to seek out Casa Brindisa - the perfect little spot for a pre- or post- museum or Royal Albert Hall feast. I'll certainly be returning; I'm determined to try the patatas bravas now!

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Food: Cafe Rouge St Paul's

I love the area of London around St Paul's. As it's a hop, skip and jump along the Central Line from our area of East London, it's a frequent choice for meals, drinks, or hanging out. As several of my friends work in the City, it's also a place I find myself many an evening, tucking into supper or meeting for cocktails.

A couple of weeks ago the lovely folk at Cafe Rouge asked me if I'd like to go and review their new Autumn/Winter menu, and when I had a little google adventure and spotted there was a Cafe Rouge mere metres from the hallowed dome of St Paul's, I knew exactly where I'd like to dine. As the picture above demonstrates, you get a heck of a view! Loving those moody skies.

The restaurant at St Paul's is large and light, with lots of big windows letting in as much daylight as possible. When we arrived for a late-ish lunch at 2pm it was really busy, full of families, couples and groups tucking into their Sunday lunch, but we were shown to a nice comfy table and given menus and a wine list swiftly.

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