On Sunday 17th April Copper and Spices was open 7 years and to help celebrate we decided a visit to London where we would enjoy the London food scene was a perfect way to do that. I love London and like many of you reading this blog have been several times before. I simply can not get fed up of this great city.
We stayed in Kings Cross and it was a deal we got on Holiday Guru. Our hotel was central, called Tune hotel. Iv never stayed in any of their hotels before, and would never stay again. An extra £15 to check in early, no problem, but if we didn’t want to check in early it was £2.50 per luggage to be kept until our 3pm check in. TV and Internet were charged for, also if you wanted your room cleaned everyday you had to pay for it. Check out was at 10am. I will definitely be checking out the hotels terms and conditions before I book again. On the plus side it was central and clean with friendly staff.
Sunday lunch was at Richards Bentleys restaurant. The perfect way to spoil ourselves. There was a great selection to choose from with some very interesting specials. I opted for British Traditional dish “Fish and Chips” and the hubby ordered Oysters. We of course were not disappointed. This was washed down with a nice glass of grüner and an oyster ale for himself. The mussy peas were incredible and were the highlight of my trip. The flavours were delicate and I think a nice taste of vinegar. Massive portion, delighted that we didn’t go for starters. Fresh bread was dropped to the table. It was great value with a discretionary 12 1/2 % added to the bill along with a £2.00 pp cover charge.
A nice stroll around Covent Garden, where we spent some time watching the street performers and a quick pint in a nice cosy bar it was time to go for dinner. Our dinner choice was Veeraswamy. Such a lovely restaurant. Greeted at the door and got a lift upstairs and brought to our table. Our table was decorated really pretty with rose petals. Menus given to us and a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc was ordered for me and an Indian Pale Ale for the hubby.
The restaurant is the oldest Indian in London, and is over 90 years old. It doesn’t look like it. Very hip with professional service.
The hubby ordered scallops to start and for mains we ordered a few veggie side dishes. Dal Turka, Gobhi and Aloo with a chilli naan and Rice. Followed by Gulab Jamun.
Lentils are my favourite indian dish, this one had 4 types of lentils in it. I found the food was very tasty but lacked some spice. Next time I would definitely ask for a bit more heat. Over all a great night with friendly non intrusive service. It’s not cheap but worth the experience.
On Monday we were in for a real treat, breakfast in Dishoom. And boy was it a treat. Too many choices, but after careful consideration we ordered. The hubby went for the Bombay Omelette and I ordered the Egg Naan Roll with a side of masala beans. To die for.
The hubby enjoyed some chai and a mango lassie also. Just reminded him of home. Even the chai was served the same as they do on the streets in India.
Stuffed we decided to walk from Kings Cross to Camden Town, where we spend most of the day. Camden town is a great little place. I love it there. Its very quirky and full of all types of people. A nice walk around and we found ourselves in food heaven, camden lock. The scent of street food and incense permeates the air, and goths, punks, pushers and tourists shove past, giving the area an unorthodox charm, we travelled for the charm but stayed for the cheap food and beers. Lunch time was approaching and we found some nice indian street food. We shared a medium tray which had Lentils, Chickpeas, Mixed Veg and Rice This was so nice and very filling. It costed £6.00 and was worth it. Filled us up till dinner time.
Time to discover Camden before we headed off for a few beers. The picture below was one that caught my eye. Very funny scribbled on a wall.
A few years ago I went to Shaka Zulu with a friend for dinner and fell in love with the place. It was a must that we stopped off for a few beers. The place is fab and some amount of work went into the deco, a bucket of 5 beers for £12.oo
We also discovered a lovely Gin place. The Gin was very nice and its infused with tea. It was nice to be told the story behind it and what a great name.
A nice walk back to Kings Cross and a quick stop off in O’Neills bar for a pint before we were heading back to Dishoom for dinner.
We didn’t make a reservation, its monday night and its a 250 seater restaurant, we taught we would be ok at 9pm. Boy were we wrong. A 1 hour wait for a table in their cosy bar down stairs which was full of people waiting for a table also. Incredible. We didn’t mind waiting as we knew it was going to be worth the wait. We had a nice glass of champagne and some snacks as we waited for our table.
Once it was ready we were brought up stairs and introduced to our waitress. Really nice young lady who was very attentive and professional. The plan was to order loads but we are also old enough now to realise our eyes are always bigger than our tummies.
We ordered Pau Bhaji, Black House Dal, Chole Bhatura, Rice and Roomali Roti.
Every thing was equally as nice as the next. Could not possibly pick a favourite. It tasted just like India, it reminded me of been in India and eating street food. These guys know what they are doing and the hubby even got a look around the kitchen.
We couldn’t resist ordering desserts. Kulfi and a pineapple crumble. Unfortunately I couldn’t eat either but the hubby said both were very nice. Lucky him. The Kulfi was even served how they serve it in India …. On a stick.
We really did have a great time in London and eat and enjoyed ourselves. It was a great way to celebrate our Birthday. We even managed to get a little sight seeing in also.
CorriganSays 