Seeking London - 25/02/13 - 03/03/13

If you're like me, this week is all the more better as pay day lands and our bank accounts look a bit fuller for a brief moment. So why not use that 'extra' dosh to treat yourself (after paying your bills of course) before you're back down to eating meals with Nectar/Boots points.

Here are a few different ways to spend your money in London this week.

Monday, 25th February
I've mentioned it before but I've fallen into a very sad pit of takeaways. I can't even tell you the last time I did a proper shop and stocked my fridge. Cue entrance of Dinnr to save the day.

The concept is pretty interesting: decide what recipe you want for dinner that night, get it delivered to your door/place of work, take it home and cook your meal. It's a great way to encourage yourself to get back in the kitchen as the recipes aren't heat up pizzas but rather, Five Spice Duck with Pak Choi and Udon Noodles (£19 and serves 2) or Gorgonzola, Cabbage and Pancetta Polenta Lasagne  (£14 and serves 2).  Order by 4pm for same day delivery Monday - Friday in Central London.

Tuesday, 26th February
OK we're two months in to the new year and most resolutions have gone out the window. Maybe you didn't like the idea of waking up for those aerobics classes or maybe those evening workouts just aren't as important as a 'quick one', which turns into 5, down the pub. If you're hoping all's not lost for your fitness regime just yet, pop over to Pineapple Dance. Entrance is £4 for non-members and then you pay per class (£6 - £8).

On Tuesday there are classes from Street Hip Hop, to Carnival Dancing, to Waacking, to Brazillian Samba - making it one of the most eclectic nights at Pineapple open to all levels of dancers. A much better way to spend your £ on a Tuesday night.




Wednesday, 27th Febfruary
While Science Lates at the Science Museum might be free, getting a few drinks in while you're there isn't.  This month the exhibit takes a look at the inner workings of the human heart to wrap up this month of love.  Bottles of beer and small cups of wine go for about £4 each, but as it's pay week and the event itself is free you can splash out!

Thursday, 28th February
On my quest to learn as much about North London as possible I discovered that the road from Angel to Archway was once lined with theatres/cinemas. Some of those still exist, some were bombed during the war, and The Screen on the Green across from Islington Green gives us a nice view into the past.  Open since 1913, it is one of the oldest operating cinemas in the UK.  Tickets are £12.50 for a standard adult ticket and there's a fully licensed bar.

Now showing: To the Wonder



Friday, 1st March
It may be a bit cold out, but nothing makes you feel better about living in London than a walk down the Thames.  Make the walk down the South Bank and just beyond the excitement, you'll find Gabriel's Wharf - a converted shopping and entertainment area. For those of you following the Lenten rule of 'Fish only Fridays' The Wharf is a nice way to go so that you're not stuck eating another pub fish n' chips or McDonald's fish sandwich.  And for those of you that aren't observing Lent, there are still some options for you.

Saturday, 2nd March
For those that know me IRL, this is the place that I've dubbed as 'The Greatest Pub in All the Land'. The Finsbury is my old faithful as it never lets me down for a good night out and there's always live music. The drinks don't cost much, but you won't want to leave!

Sunday, 3rd March
The sun's potentially meant to show its face so it would be worth to take a Somewhat Sunny Sunday Stroll.  The Regent's Canal or the Parkland Walk are two great places to start. Stock up on sandwiches, mini cakes and warm coffees along the way. 

Have I left something out? Let me know what's happening next week in the Borough of Islington and beyond in the comments.

Seeking America - The Breakfast Club

It should be no surprise to most of my readers that I'm getting a bit homesick this year. I've hinted at the fact that I'm in a bit of limbo with being able to go home, and made it a mission to find as many milkshake, burger and breakfast joints I could it seems.  I suppose it's only natural. The end of August marks the last time I saw my family in 3 years, and 09SEP marks the last time I was on American soil in 3 years.  Even I, the least American, American on this side of the pond, crave some of the simpler things from back home.

One sunny Sunday afternoon, I made my way over to Angel in hopes of finding a little slice of home at The Breakfast Club.  Nicely tucked away just behind the high street and on a narrow alley of boutique shops, I found a queue stretching the length of the alley and then some.  I'd finally arrived to one of the most talked about breakfast stops in London.

Wait time was about 30 - 45 minutes, which probably could have been cut down if the waiting staff had a better seating system.  But to expect customer service like that, I would really need to head back to the States as I'm more likely to discover a new element than receive decent customer service here.

Oddly enough, once seated I didn't ask for a plate of pancakes, smothered in maple syrup and at least 6 strips of bacon on the side.  My boyfriend did however, which left me to judge them without being disappointed that the pancakes weren't prepared in a way that any John Hughes character would have expected.

The good news: the pancakes and the bacon were right on target - fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon.
The bad news: it wasn't nearly enough.  At about £8, for 2 things on the plate, it left a lot to be desired. Why this country doesn't understand the beauty of sides, I will never understand.  If there were some eggs, and a small pot(bowl) of summer fruit as well, we'd be in business.

I was hardcore craving some eggs, so I went for Eggs Florentine and a cup of tea. Not very American after all but very nice all the same.

The Breakfast Club - Eggs Florentine

The Breakfast Club - a cuppa

The eggs were more than filling (I couldn't finish them!), which is what I was going for, and cost about the same price as the pancakes - which I would've finished, and would've wanted more to go with it.  I definitely recommend heading to the Breakfast Club, as it makes for a perfect Sunday brunch location.   Just be prepared to shell out a few more ££ if you were looking for a real American breakfast experience.

The Breakfast Club - Angel can be found at:

31 Camden Passage
Angel
N1 8EA
http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com

Nearest Tube: Angel

Seeking Markets - Angel and Whitechapel

*This post is about 2 months delayed due to some very bad relationship management from a sponsor.  Therefore, this post is not sponsored.* 

What happens to the streets of London that are normally filled with commuters making their way into Central London or The City on the weekend? Markets, that's what.

I finally walked through Chapel Market in Angel in my beautiful borough of Islington (I don't think I will ever live in another borough!!).  Chapel Market has beautiful fruits and veg, various bits and bobs of jewellery, shoes, clothes and...bed mattresses? It's borderline car boot sale mixed with a farmers' market and simply good for a wander. What's even better is that this is a short walk, bus or tube ride away from King's Cross.

Sometimes I get a bit sad when I walk through King's Cross or anywhere else in Central and realise that this is the only London that most tourists get to know. There is SO MUCH outside of Zone 1 to see.  When I came here as a tourist I hated London, it seemed like any other big city.  But after living here, I've discovered that there are so many mini-cities in London - it's not what a tourist sees at all.

I like to play a game when I walk/take the bus through London where I 'unlock' levels on the map (hint at my geeky gamer girl past). There's a fork in the road at King's Cross where Caledonian Road takes you North and Pentonville Road takes you North East and straight to Angel.  Once I connected those points, I realised London was a lot easier to navigate without the restrictions of the Tube map.

I later travelled on to Whitechapel to visit some friends, which required me unlocking the Angel to Old Street and Old Street/Liverpool St/Brick Lane (thanks to many a drunken night) to Whitechapel portions of the map. :)

As I normally only go there at night before heading out, I'd never seen the high street at full force. It's decorated with a massive street market in what appears to not even be London anymore save for the shiny Gherkin poking its head above the street signs.

What about you - how do you like to discover cities you visit? 

For the Londoners - which levels of the map have you unlocked? :) 

North London - Angel - Sangria

I have a very scary addiction to Tapas restaurants.  It mostly has to do with me not being able to eat whole meals in a reasonable amount of time, so eating multiple tiny meals seems to make up for that.  If you're ever strolling around Angel on Upper Street, you'll notice that there are numerous eatery options all waiting for you to explore.  I was getting a bit overwhelmed with choosing a place to eat so I normally fall on my defaults at this point: Tapas, Italian or Chinese.

There were a few Italian places but they seemed more like Pizzerias (call me un-American, but I'm not that fussed over pizza) than pasta joints, and I'd already walked past the one Chinese place they have between Angel and Highbury & Islington stations.  I noticed a sign, jutted out onto the High Street that said something along the lines of Authentic and Spanish and Tapas so I was intrigued. It had a main seating area and a small outdoor terrace seating area down an alley on its side which looked really nice.  I like things that look a bit different, and aren't your same-old High Street establishment...boy, did I fall into a massive trap.

When I sat down at our table (I was with the bf), I almost instantly regretted our decision. The waiters fluffed about for a bit before one decided to host our meal experience, and clean off our table - our very wobbly table. I'm not sure about you, but 30 tapas plates on a wobbly table doesn't sound like a great idea. I suppose at this point we could've chosen to go inside, but we had already committed to being there, may as well commit to where we were seated at this point!

If you read my post on The Real Greek in Covent Garden, you'll know I wasn't impressed with their food. My vist to Sangria occurred the next day :( and I seemed to be having a strike-out weekend in London.  I can easily say that Sangria is my worst tapas experience, ever.  We ordered:

• olives, which tasted like they had been fermented in garlic for 3 months too long
• mussels which came out lukewarm and were cold about 5 minutes into the meal
• a £10 cheeseboard that had stale, plastic-like cheese from being in open air for too long 
• and a small plate of chorizo which is pretty hard to ruin so that may have been the one saving factor to this meal

We debated ordering Sangria but a jug would set us back at least £18.  I've seen other reviews for the restaurant and perhaps this was a matter of us picking the wrong things to eat - I hear they have a delicious paella. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend Sangria for food at all, it's far too expensive for the disappointing quality. The do have a deal on paella during the week and that may prove to be worth the visit if you're hungry.  On the other hand it did seem like a lovely location for a few drinks and nice buzzing atmosphere for when the sun goes down. Also, this door was cute.

Sangria can be found at:

88 Upper Street

London

N1 0NP

Nearest Tube: Angel