About 3 weeks ago, I was in London to attend Food Blogger Connect 2011 where I was a speaker and to visit with my good friends Mowie, Bruce and Beth. I had the lovely opportunity to meet Jaden from Steamy Kitchen and Béa from La Tartine Gourmande who were both speakers at FBC as well. The wisdom and knowledge they imparted on us all is priceless and I am thankful for their generosity in sharing what they’ve learned.

Though let’s not kid ourselves, I was also in London to eat, of course, and the restaurants were booked almost before my plane ticket was! I enjoyed all of those meals immensely, some of them more than others and some will be remembered more for the company than for the food. At Nopi, I shared the table with 8 other food bloggers. We ordered the entire menu – and then some! – and ate some of those dishes cold because each one of us wanted to take a picture of each plate! Food bloggers sharing a meal can be a rowdy group and they must’ve thought we were crazy! If you do go, make sure to order the coffee pecan financiers with maple cream, they are delicious!

At Caytre, I sat with a few old friends and some new ones and shared what seemed like the entire menu as well with them all. We shared a lot of laughs, some strange and delicious new foods (jasmine flower buds salad anyone?) and a few tears due to the very spicy dishes! At Dinings, I had some of the best Japanese tapas I’ve ever had and that I still crave! The combination of flavours in every dish is just delicious and every plate leaves you wanting more. The seared Wagyu beef sushi is an absolute must have and you will want to order more right away!

I love the hustle and bustle of markets and I always look for one whatever city I may find myself in. Borough market might be much quieter than the market I visited in Sicily but it was still a lovely spot to spend a few hours. I started off with a visit to Rabot Estate cafe, a great chocolate boutique and a paradise for any chocoholic. I then had one of the best coffees I’ve ever had at Monmouth, where I witnesses single cone filter coffee being made for the first time. How did I now know about this coffee before? The market’s colours and flavours will make you hungry, which is really not a problem since you will have a hard time choosing among the many delicious stall of international fare that are on display.

Another highlight of this trip was finally meeting Anissa Helou, who I’ve been corresponding with for a couple of years now. I am a great admirer of this book author and authority on middle -eastern cuisine and her book Lebanese Cuisine, is my one of my bibles in the kitchen. My coffee with Anissa was followed by lunch at St John Bar and Restaurant upon her recommendation. This head to tail Fergus Henderson restaurant might scare some of you but most of the dishes I shared with Mowie that day were vegetarian. The gooey chocolate cake with cream was absolutely delicious!

My last morning in London, I had breakfast at The Pantry Cafe, which is perhaps out of the way from the city’s center but the homemade pastries, Monmouth lattes and bright yet serene atmosphere are worth the trek. You can linger on their lovely terrace and watch the world go by or hold on to the last few minutes of vacation before boarding your plane back home…

I spent a lot of my time in London catching up with friends, walking around and enjoying the city which was cooperating by being almost sunny and almost warm almost everyday (hey, you can’t have it all!). I do find that the best way for me to share my travels with you is with a Google map so I’ve made one for London where all the places I’ve visited are marked down with personal notes. Take a look and don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Bocca di Lupo
Regional Italian cuisine
12 Archer Street
London W1D 7BB
+44 020 7734 2223

Nopi
Blend of Mediterranean, Middle-eastern and Asian cuisine
21-22 Warwick Street
London W1B 5NE
+44 020 7494 9584

Hawksmoor
Steakhouse
11 Langley St.
London WC2H 9JG
+44 020 7856 2154

Dinings
Sushi and Japanese tapas
21 Harcourt Street
London W1H 4HH
+44 020 7723 0666

St John Bar and Restaurant
Nose to tail restaurant by chef/owner Fergus Henderson
26 St. John Street
London EC1M 4AY
+44 020 7251 0848

Caytre
Vietnamese
301 Old Street
London EC1V 9LA
+44 020 7729 8662

Monmouth
Coffee so good it’s life-changing!
2 Park Street
The Borough
London SE1 9AB

The Tate Modern
Sesonal market cuisine, best view of London
Bankside
London SE1 9TG
+44 020 7887 8888

The Pantry Cafe
Locally sourced cafe and foodstore, great baked goods
342 Old York Road
Wandsworth London SW18 1SS
+44 020 8871 0713

My Google map of London is this way.

*Adbeus is a beautiful coffee blog based in Montreal