Jamie Oliver

With time, but probably very quickly, you will learn about my love for all things Jamie Oliver. In my opinion he’s not only a great cook and teacher, he’s an amazing person and a true inspiration.

All of his foundations, but particularly Jamie’s Ministry of food, really resonate with me.

So when he invited me (“me” as in all his followers on Instagram) to celebrate his restaurant’s, Fifteen, 10th year anniversary, I couldn’t say no.

There was a DJ, dancing, drinking, eating, fun and speeches. I really can’t help but want to be part of anything that Jamie puts out in the world.

Now, if only I could only recreate one of his recipes…

Aloha, Jar!

When the sun is scorching hot in Fort Lauderdale, and I think I’m about to pass out, I just think of the Aloha Jar at the All Star Lanes bowling alley in London.

The Aloha Jar is made up of passion fruit vodka, pineapple and lime juice, passion fruit and almond syrup. Oh, and tons of crushed ice! It is the most beautiful, refreshing fruity drink I’ve had, and I don’t particularly enjoy fruity drinks. I’m a beer and red wine type of girl.

I wouldn’t even label it a fruity drink though, that’s not doing it justice. Every time I took a sip I felt closer to the beach. A few sips in, and I could smell the salt water; I could see me in a polca dot bikini included, laying on a lawn chair perfectlly located half in, half out half out of the water.  When I closed me eyes and took a sip, it felt as if I had lazily moved my arm over the lawn chair to touch the water.

The bowling is reason enough to visit All Star Lanes, but the Aloha Jar is a good excuse all on its own.

Side note: I’ve had the Moonshine and the Honey Pot, but neither came close to the Aloha Jar.

“You Will be Judged by Where You Eat”

What’s that old saying? “You will be judged by the restaurants you eat at.” No, that can’t be right.

The New Zealand bred cafe, Allpress Espresso, is a great place to take your mom, dad or both of them when you want to convince them that yes, you really are doing great. Because you are! And you want to show off!

Located in Shoreditch, this cafe is excellently put together. It’s brick exterior, wooden interior, and large windows a long the right wall will draw you straight in, if the strong aroma of coffee doesn’t. The big coffee roaster behind the baristas will keep your interest.

You have to order the Mixed Breakfast Plate. It comes with a hard boiled egg, avocado, tomato, cheese and ham, with bread on the side. It’s filling, delicious, healthy and comes out quick; what else could you ask for? Oh, and their coffee is delicious. Every time I’ve gone I’ve gone I’ve had two Flat Whites. One with my Mixed Breakfast Plate and one after; take away, please!

Important Additional Information: Allpress Espresso is not just for parents. It’s also a great place to go to with friends. Look, here is one now!

When Shopping Leads to Eating.

You know how sometimes you agree to go shopping with a friend even though you absolutely can’t buy anything? And then you spend an entire day keeping away from anything resembling that black leather backpack from Top Shop you want, and outside your friends dressing room saying, “yes, definitely buy it! At least you can!”

This happens to me a lot. I especially tend to hover over any book section I find, but especially in Urban Outfitters.

In Urban Outfitters was, what I assume to be, the newest, most hip and exciting restaurant guide book sharing where in London I should be eating. I immediately turned to East London, my neighborhood. There was only one restaurant listed in there that I hadn’t heard of which actually interested me: E. Pellicci.

Located in East London, the family owned E. Pellicci takes up a very small amount of place on Bethnal Green Road. It’s cozy in there, making it perfect for the atmosphere they maintain. If you like to keep to yourself during breakfast and like to have no interaction with the server other than the necessary then stay away. You will become best friends with the server by the time you take your seat. His name will most likely be Nevio Junior, and he will most likely suggest you order the freshly squeezed orange juice. You should do it, it’s delicious.

He will also suggest the breakfast sandwich. I got mine with egg, bacon, cheese, tomato and mustard. It was so good I went back the same week for another. The amount of food you get for the price and quality is astonishing. E. Pellicci is the only place in London I found that I can really say that about.

To be honest, I chose to order the breakfast sandwich out of fear. The plates being served to the patrons sitting around us were at sauce capacity. The lasagna – actually, I’m not if it was lasagna I couldn’t see the actual food.

This is truly a restaurant to visit when you’re hungry. Even our breakfast sandwichs were too much. So if you’re ever in East London and in the mood for some filling food, make your way to E. Pellicci and visit Mama Maria. She will help you leave there full, with money in your pocket, and a new friend, maybe even two.

Burger or Lobster or Both.

Sometimes you want a burger and sometimes you feel like lobster, but other times you can go to a place called Burger & Lobster and take your time to decide.

I love Burger and Lobster, in SoHo, London, for their no bullshit attitude. If you haven’t put it together by now, they only offer two food options: a burger or  lobster. I still asked for a menu; I’m not very good at math. The waitress laughed, No, no, no you silly, clueless girl, she said while petting my head in a maternal like fashion. Okay, I’m exaggerating. She just laughed a little, then explained.

The deal is that for 20 pounds you can order a lobster, a burger or a lobster roll. All 3 meals are accompanied by a side of french fries, salad and garlic/butter sauce. It’s basically the equivalent of finding out there is a Six Flags in heaven, after you’re accepted in.

Another option if you’re entire party wants lobster is to choose from a variety of lobster sizes sold by pound. That option comes with unlimited french fries and unlimited salad. It felt like I had hit the jackpot, but in reality none of us finished our first round of sides.

I didn’t try the burger, but I do have at least 5 eye witness accounts of me going nuts over the lobster. It’s hard for me to judge lobster, since I was raised in Florida, but I can without a doubt say it wins “Most Fun Food”. I get in deep no matter the costs; I scoop, scrap, suck, hammer, rip and crack. I feel powerful and in control. Our waitress spotted me eating like a 3 year old, came over and said “she knows what she’s going” to my boyfriend. It was one of my proudest moments.

I do have to admit I really liked the lobster roll as well. The grilled and buttered roll it came with was a winning touch. But because I love the appearance of food and a little bang for my buck I’d probably stick with a whole lobster.

I say, don’t just pick one meal. Get two! Share! They will split anything perfectly in half for you. Have a party! I mean, you get a bib for goodness sake.

Burger and Lobster 

Hurwundeki; The Multi-tasker

Think of the biggest multi-tasker you know. Got it? Okay, I know the restaurant equivalent.

Hurwundeki in Bethnal Green, London multitasks the shit out of their real estate. What with it’s industrial interior, and a play-groundy looking exterior.

One minute it’s a comfortable coffee shop for book worms and writing nerds to enjoy, the next minute it’s an exclusive hair salon. It’s also a vintage store, all their pieces line the walls acting as decorations. You’ll probably spot a crow statue with a top hat and wish you had one in your home. Then you’ll notice separate price tags hanging for both items; you’ll smile to yourself in acknowledgment, touche Hurwundeki, touche.

Finally, my favorite facet, Hurwundeki is a BYO(wine)B Korean restaurant. It offers four delicious, steamy, filling options for lunch and dinner. Dinner is a tad more expensive, but is served on black hot plates you could probably purchase if you asked nicely.

In London, Hurwumdeki  became my home away from my hotel. The staff is friendly, the music is funky, and you will never get kicked out. Even if your nursing the same coffee from three hours ago. Not that I would ever do that. No, not me. Never.

Plus, I saw Alexa Chung there so you know it has to be cool.

El Chapo Is Perfect The Way It Is.

The first thing to do when in London is to track down Lucky Chip.

Lucky for me, Seabright Arms in East London is their home. Unlucky for my health, that was right around the corner from my hotel. I kept hearing about their burgers since the start of summer, but I was in touristy mode then and didn’t want to have a meal in the area I was staying in. Now I’m (metaphorically) kicking myself, because I only enjoyed the El Chappo Burger from Lucky Chip twice.

El Chapo from Lucky Chip is the best burger I’ve ever had! And, trust me, that title is not easily won. It’s coming from someone who has tried a lot of burgers in a lot of countries, from the Fergburger in New Zealand to Shake Shack in New York to my older brother’s Summer BBQ burger. Yes, I have loved many burgers in my time, but I’ve never been sad to leave one behind. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact I may never have it again.

I miss the moment you take the first bite and the strong flavors hit you. The thick bacon comes at you, then the blue cheese takes over, while the jalapenos are plotting to get you. Meanwhile the aoili sauce is dripping down your arms and you’re cleaning yourself up with a french fry. I’ve obviously embraced the mess and hope you do too! So why not order a Brooklyn Lager too? Seabright Arms has it on tap!

Oh, one last thing: while the french fries are delicious (do not ponder whether you should get them or not. DO!) I hear the cheese fries are out of this world.

Oh, and second to last thing: Lucky Chip is very strict with their burgers. They won’t do add-ons, and frown upon take-offs. You won’t need to change anything anyway,  El Chapo is perfect the way it is.

A Piece of Breakfast

I changed my mind since this post. Instead of heading straight to The Columbia Road Flowers and Shop Market, leave your hotel and/or apartment early and have breakfast at the first cafe on Columbia Road, Campania.

Campania is responsible for the best breakfast my friend MC and I had in London. It just happend to catch my eye that first Sunday; the wooden decor, the cooking products and meats on display, the open kitchen with a clear view to the chef, and the take out window on the right side of the building facing the street. I had to try it.

A 15 minute wait would be a piece of breakfast. We noticed a lot of costumers were upset because of slow service, so we took advantage of our 15 minute wait and ordered as soon as we sat down: tap water, 2 flat whites, freshly squeezed orange juice, I got scrambled eggs with chili and tomato, sunny side up eggs with prosciutto ham and salad, and one sausage on the side to share.

The sausage was unbelievable. My eggs had just the right touch of spice. The freshly squeezed orange juice felt like it came straight from my mom’s kitchen in South Florida. Being a Floridian, I know good orange juice when I try some. We never got our water and our coffees came 5 minutes after the food, other than that it was perfection.

I would say, go to Campania with patience, focus and for the food.

“A Tenner for Two Bunches”

One of the many things I’ve learned about London this summer is that despite the weather, they love out door markets.

One that stole my heart is the Columbia Road Shops and Flower Market . It comes together every Sunday from 8am to 3pm in the East End on Columbia Road off of Hackney Road. If you see people carrying a cone shaped object from the  brown paper bag family, you’re heading the right way. If you hear the sound of soothing folk music, smell the intoxicating aroma of flowers, see the beautiful cats and the well behaved dogs waiting to be gawked at, you’re basically there! And when you hear, “a tenner for 2 bunches” you’ll know you’ve hit the thick of it. 

Don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of people in the makeshift hallway created by walls of flower. There will be people directly infront and behind you but don’t be scared to stop “and smell the roses”. They will find a way around you, just take it all in.

Take the time to find the exact flower and/or plant you want. Sorry to be a ghoul, but we all know these flowers you’re paying for die so you might as well enjoy the one you actually want before it’s all over. If you can’t find the flower you want, ask for it. Chances are someone, somewhere in the market has it. 

After a first failed Sunday visit, I walked away with a few gems. I guess you could say I got very lucky in the flower department this summer. 

If you’re not the flower type, there are tons of shops and cafes to keep you entertained. It’s really about the atmosphere, after all. My favorite shop was a small jewellery shop with a back room filled with old collectors books. Another was a shop called filled to the brim with hand made and personalized jewellery, clothes and home ornaments called J & B The Shop,. Unfortunately postcards and an old book was all I could fit in my suitcase.

Call me a sucker, but I just love that stuff.