Pimlico Fresh

As I mentioned, a couple of weekends ago I went to see my friend lovely C over in her neck of the woods, Pimlico. I was so excited by this place and we had so much to catch up on, that I completely forgot to take photos. So this weekend we returned, and I dragged B along too.

Fresh juices sit in the fridge, waiting for you to grab a straw and slurp away: mixes of mangoes, spirulina, matcha, berries are simultaneously tasty and healthy. The dream. Believe me the green liquid you see in the photo which looks like it tastes of mud, actually tastes of tropical, sunny beaches. 

I went with every intention of trying something different this time, but when C ordered the sweet French toast again, there was no point trying to convince myself I wanted anything different. The food envy would have been too much. Two enormous slices of brioche, fluffy and pillowy, fried to give the whole thing a little crust, covered with caramelised bananas, doused in maple syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon, and with a generous dollop of mascarpone on the side.

B ordered poorly and grumpily looked around at what everyone else was eating. Everything else looked fabulous, and his just looked fine. The eggs were yellow and cooked perfectly, but the toast was useless, and the sausages plonked pathetically next to the eggs. An afterthought.

A few hours of art and culture later (the Tate Britain mobile guide app comes highly recommended from us!) and we found ourselves back again for tea. And cake. Oops. Hot ginger, lemon and honey bought us back to life. I also have teapot envy - how adorable are these little pots and cups combinations?! An enormous slice of lemon cake with buttercream icing shared between us gave us the energy to face the rain and venture outside again, back to the other side of town.

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Borough Market: Bread Ahead

It had been far too long since I had last been to Borough Market. Over a year. The last time was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and the crowds got to me. I got stressed, couldn't move, queued for a Monmouth Coffee (yes, that queue was worth it), and then left.

It was the hundreds of rave reviews of the doughnuts at Bread Ahead that got me there again this morning.

B, T and I traipsed down in the pouring rain to find an enjoyably empty (given that it was a bank holiday Saturday in May) market. I mean, it wasn't empty. It's not like we had the whole place to ourselves (which would I think be my heaven). But we could move around at a reasonable pace. We didn't have to queue to buy things. I didn't feel like a hamster trapped in a wheel.

B was not going to let us admire anything, taste anything or buy anything, until we had sourced our doughnuts. So round and round we walked, until we finally found it. Bread Ahead's stand, piled high with sourdough, brownies, focaccia, cakes, and, of course, trays of doughnuts. One vanilla custard doughnut each and a loaf of sourdough purchased. Excitement all round, followed by many repetitions of 'so good', 'so fluffy', 'mmmmmm', all said with sugar and custard all over our faces. We contemplated a second, went back and gazed at the remainder of the tray lovingly, before deciding we'd do a market lap and come back later. 

We sipped on juices as we walked (juice + doughnut = healthy meal), picking at samples, grabbing vegetables for dinner, escaping the not-too-bad crowds to the comparative calm of Neal's Yard to buy ricotta and a bank-holiday weekend dose of Dorstone, before returning to Bread Ahead for an aubergine focaccia and an olive and cheese stick (T just couldn't resist those crispy bits of cheese hanging off the side any longer).

I think I could now put up with the heaving crowds of a sunny Saturday lunchtime if I knew one of those doughnuts was waiting for me. But if they'd sold out already, well, I think I'd break down and cry. I'd be heartbroken and have to go for some inferior treat elsewhere.

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Ginger and White

This weekend saw silly amounts of eating out. A gorgeous brunch with C at Pimlico Fresh (I was so excited by this place that I forgot to photograph it so will have to go back), perfect dinner at Trullo with B (blog post to follow!), and last but not least, brunch with T at Ginger and White. 

I rarely venture up to Hampstead, it always seems like a way away. But really it's not. And it is oh so beautiful that I turn into a real dreamer and start planning my future millionaire life in a terraced house with a blue front door, a full and blossoming garden, and many hours to spend wandering the streets, running round the heath, swimming in the ponds, living the life of luxury. Brunch at Ginger and White only encouraged my fantastical thoughts. 

This tiny little cafe, tucked down a cobbled side street, has rather made a name for itself serving fabulous coffee (sourced from East London coffee roasters Square Mile), marvellous cakes and a stupidly popular brunch. In fact it's so busy and so well loved that they've had to open another, bigger site down the road at Belsize Park.

Three of us arrived at 11 and grabbed the first seats we could get hold of, soon moving to the cosy little corner table where B bagged the arm chair and we all settled in. We weren't going to be moving for a while. 

Freshly squeezed orange juice (actually freshly squeezed, not just pretending to be) and cups of much needed morning coffee were followed by enamel (what else?!) plates full of potato soda bread covered in the yellow-ist scrambled eggs and generous slices of smoked salmon for me and T and homemade baked beans with chorizo and crumbled feta for B. The best scrambled eggs I'd had in ages, and perhaps the yummiest baked beans that I've ever tasted. The plates were soon scraped clean. More coffee was ordered and more hours whiled away. Just another reason to move to Hampstead. I'd happily make this a Sunday morning routine.

Highlight: Yellow eggs

Lowlight: Too many people are in on this secret

Ginger and White, 4a - 5a Perrins Court, London, NW3 1QS

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5 Things

5 happy moments from this very busy week:

1. A big decision

2. Fresh mint tea

3. B's green juice

4. Oval Space Cinema

5. Satan's Whiskers cocktails

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Village East at Bermondsey

To celebrate not doing the marathon this year, we went out for brunch. 

Village East is the older sister of one of my favourite brunch hangouts, the Riding House Café. Village East is similar, but with a more 'exposed brickwork' vibe.

Another fabulous foodie hangout on Bermondsey Street. Several seating areas make it feel intimate, a variety of large tables, sharing tables, bar stools, armchairs, lots of reclaimed wood and bashed metal, and the perfect amount of impeccable design. A favourite being the red salt and pepper shakers and constant water refilling. Yes, I'm easily pleased.

Having sheepishly asked for the coffee and juice menu when we had been handed the cocktail list and wine list (we're not that cool), glasses of colourful, zingy liquids arrived. The food menu could then be examined.

The juices were tasty and on the right side of health-giving. C's was the favourite, laced with coconut water as it was. Coconut water is the answer to most of my prayers right now.

I had soon devoured my Eggs Florentine (again, I know, I'm sorry, but I can't resist), C her bowl of steaming porridge, and B his 'Campfire breakfast', otherwise known as pork, homemade baked beans, and fried eggs. Lots of yummmms and smiles all round.

The service was perfect, just the right amount of attention without being too overbearing and intimidating. And the bill didn't make too big a dent in my wallet. 

We walked home in the sun, feeling slightly guilty for the lack of marathon running, but with happy tummies, and discussions of possibly running the marathon next year. But maybe I'll just go for brunch again instead.

Highlight: Perfectly poached eggs

Lowlight: Juice envy

Village East, 171 - 173 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UW

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5 Things

I've been struggling to stay positive and full of cheer this week. So here's a list of little things that have made me smile:

1. Hot apple juice from le Pain Quotidien.
2. Coffee & a sugar crusted brioche with maman at Monmouth.
3. Flower shopping (even if they were for work) at Bloomsbury flowers.
4. Somerset House looking perfectly Christmas-sy with its ice skating rink. Ironic given that ice-skating is something I avoid like the plague.
5. Maria Elia's mac 'n cheese with greens from her gorgeous book 'Smashing Plates'.

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