Seeking America - The Diner

I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I went to Bdubs to eat some hot wings back in Ohio.  I actually really hate them. I'm far too OCD to want to have a meal that constantly requires you to wipe your hands and face - or so I thought.

With it being Freedom Month July and me being homesick, I've turned to craving something I didn't even eat that often at home.  I'm not sure how this works! Who would have thought that those sauces I once dished out to wing-hungry patrons would be all I could ever ask for?

Buffalo Wild Wings' delicious range of sauces

I've realised, that even while some places claim to sell 'hot wings' they're really offering mild wings.  I've even found myself pouring tabasco sauce hoping they'll at least smell like they're hot! I don't know where this wing monster inside of me has come from, but it's been on a mission.

I went to the The Diner not once, but TWICE in one week to get my American fix.  Day 1 I tested out their hot wings, which came with the ever essential bleu cheese dip, and also ordered - get this, a chilli cheese dog.  HAHAHA!! ME? Eating a whole chilli cheese dog?  Yes, I damn well did! The amount of times I complained to people for liking Skyline Chili and I turn around and eat this beast? It's insane.

The Diner - Hot Wings

The Diner - Chili Cheese and Bacon Dog

The Good: FINALLY a real hot dog bun!! So soft and sweet, I've missed you.  Also, crispy bacon on a chili dog? That's some Man v Food action there.  Also, the bleu cheese dip was to die for.

The Bad: Who in their right mind breads hot wings? I was so disappointed as I have no bigger food phobia of eating things that make a mess, than I do of things that are breaded and then made soggy by a sauce.  They also weren't hot (as in spicy). But I ate them and I was satisfied enough from the seriously OTT hot dog in front of me.

The second time around, I figured I could trust the place for breakfast.  

The Diner - Lumberjack Breakfast

Fluffy pancakes: check

Served with heaps of bacon and scrambled eggs: check

Powdered sugar: sweet check

Filtered Coffee: check

Maple Syrup: served in a small pot that you pump fastfood ketchup in to - fail!

Once I was able to get the staff's attention again I did get more syrup, but honestly, you can't serve me pancakes that look like that and then syrup that I can lap up with one lick.  That being said, The Diner gets the biggest points from me for being as close to home as the so-called American chains in London get.  I was very impressed, very full and always left with a very happy taste in my mouth.

The Diner - Camden can be found at:

2 Jamestown Road

Camden Town

NW1 7BY

http://www.goodlifediner.com/

Nearest Tube: Camden Town

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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

North London - Crouch End - Nakama

As I began to wean myself off those stupid Christmas-Party-Injury Crutches, I tried to force myself to go out seeking London spots again. One of my favourite areas, in my own back yard, is Crouch End. It may be part of London, but creep over the hill that takes you through Hornsey Rise and it's like you've found a whole new village. I've done a few pubs in the area, but it also has a wide range of restaurants that aren't chains on offer. I did a quick bit of research for sushi in the area on my Urbanspoon app and came across Nakama.

Excluding the table behind us with another American/Brit mix party of two, we were the only people in there - so I was getting a bit worried about the food.

However, about 5 minutes in to our meal, I realised I had nothing to be worried about as they served up all of my favourite Japanese dishes in very visually pleasing arrangements.

Miso soup, Salmon sashimi, Asahi beer

Tori Gyoza/Chicken Dumplings

The chef was even nice enough to throw in some free tuna carpaccio

By this time, we were quite full but our mains had arrived.  The boyfriend went for the Chicken Katsu

Chicken Katsu

And I had a pork curry

Japanese Pork Curry

By the time our mains arrived, another American/Brit party of two had arrived (are we all sourcing this restaurant from the same place?) and pointed out something (I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't tell what it was) that was very impressive.  Not long after, our waitress brought some of this mysterious thing to our table as well!  Pretty!

Origami Swan

Sushi, miso soup, dumplings, two mains and 4 beers set us back about £50 total.  Great service, chill vibe and jazz music.

Nakama can be found at:

50 Topsfield Parade

Crouch End

N8 8PT

http://nakamarestaurant.co.uk/

Nearest Tube: Crouch Hill (Overground), multiple bus routes

North London - Emirates Stadium - FT Arsenal 1-0 Leeds United

It's not very often that I get to write about the team I love here in London, but I have just returned from a very happy win in the FA Cup.

Some things to note from today's game:

• Leeds supporters have very intricate chants involving rhythmic clapping that I can't even get some dancers to do when I teach rhythm
• They also never shut up (which isn't saying much coming from an Arsenal supporter)
• The Emirates stadium is freezing in the upper tiers - particularly when people start leaving their seats
• The walk from the stadium to N19 is very nice. Walking home every day from Highbury & Islington station may be my new 'thing'
• Thierry Henry is a BEAST

Welcome home! OH TO, OH TO BE, OH TO BE A, GOONER!

Watch the goal here

North London - Parliament Hill - New Year's Eve 2012

Unexpectedly, diamond geezer seemed to have had the same NYE experience I did.

Annoyingly, due to my foot, I didn't make it as far up the hill as he had but I had somewhat of the same experience.

A simple night that at first would have been at the Victoria Memorial, then at Feeling Gloomy, then at Proud Camden ended in a night of drinking at my house and going to find a place with a view in London. Luckily, living North, getting to Parlimant Hill wasn't too much of a mission.

Eventhough I didn't make it to the top of the hill, I still had a decent view with minimal nature-blockage of the London Eye - as well as a view of some fireworks happening down south I presume, and some within the heath itself.

This being my third NYE in London, I'm happy to say I've had a different experience for each one. My first year I went to Ruby Blue in Leiscter Square, which funnily enough had no view at all of the fireworks and was complete shite. The second year I went to the Victoria Memorial, enjoyed the fireworks and then headed to Brick Lane and made my way in to the Big Chill Bar before being fed up with the crowd and going home. This year, we had drinks (lots of drinks + power hour) at home, quickly saw the fireworks, and drank at Southampton Arms near the heath afterwards.

Regardless of how I spent tonight, I knew I would have much to look forward to in 2012.

Here's wishing you and yours a very happy new year! xx

'via Blog this'

North London - Kentish Town - The Oxford

You know the whole 'looks can be deceiving' thing? Yea, that's what I think of The Oxford.

From the outside it looks like your standard high street pub; picnic tables, a beer garden, standard 'pub' facade outdoors. From the inside, it's gotten a bit confused and calling itself a gastropub.

I don't trust places that coin themselves as 'gastropubs'

Looking at my notes from this meal, I'm struggling to find one positive word.  If I could make a wanky word cloud, things like 'pretentious' and 'overpriced' would dominate the space.

The interior is separated into two areas that can be described as a 'pub' but really a seating area for light dining, and a back dining room for what I can only assume houses something like a carvery.  The menu is like a child jumping up for attention hoping its parents will think it's a pretty pretty princess with 'aubergines' 'asparagus' 'corgettes' and £13 salmon salads.  FFS, if you're dressed like a pub, act like a pub. No one wants to walk out £10 lighter after ordering 2 simple ciders. I settled for a £10.50 fish and chips which were far too fancy for my liking.

Apparently they have comedy on Thursdays and a pub quiz on Tuesdays. I don't intend on heading back there to check them out - at least not on an empty stomach.  I'd recommend The Oxford as a nice place for a drink, but only a quick one as there isn't much atmosphere.

The Oxford can be found at:

256 Kentish Town Road
London
NW5 2AA
Nearest tube: Kentish Town 

North London - Camden - The Camden Head

During my quest for the awesome-est pub in North London I decided that the route from Camden High Street to Junction Road would be the best place to start.  Camden is about a 20 minute walk from my office on Tottenham Court Road, making it even easier to decide on a whim that going to a pub on a Tuesday night is a brilliant idea.

I feel a bit old (like my parents) admitting this, but I absolutely love comedy nights, which The Camden Head puts on Monday and Tuesday nights.  Comedy here will set you back a mere £3 or £5 for 2 tickets.

We came quite early so grabbed we a pint and some food first. Even though I'm the American and the BF is the Brit in this equation, my pub meal of choice is always fish & chips while his is a burger. (WTF?)

Fish & Chips, £7

Classic Burger £7

Now in honesty, for a pub menu some of the items are taking the piss (wild boar & apple burger, pies that replace meat and beans with leak and butternut squash) but I will fully admit I am a repeat offender for their food.  So much so, that when Whitney Dunlap came to visit me from Ohio, I made sure to take her there.

Inside The Camden Head 

It's a beautiful pub with wooden interior and deep sunken sofas, books and board games for entertainment making this pub resemble a family lounge. And it's no wonder that it felt so cosy and comforting - The Camden Head was voted as having the best staff in 2010!  There's also a great photo of Camden High Street on the wall from 1903. 

You may have noticed that I've gone on for a bit about the food and neglected the comedy night.  I've only gone to their comedy night once, and maybe I came on an off night, but it wasn't that great of an experience.  We spent £5 to sit in a crowd of maybe 7 people, 3 of whom were the acts for the night.  I've been to free comedy nights that were astoundingly better.  

I love The Camden Head; the food is delicious, the atmosphere is relaxed and the cider on draught is crisp and refreshing. Definitely one of my must-visit pubs.

The Camden Head can be found at:

100 Camden High Street

London

NW1 0LU

Nearest Tube: Camden Town

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  

Local North London

Tufnell Park, Archway Station, Holloway Road: this is part of what I call home.

A few weekends ago, I tackled the very long walk from Camden Town to Upper Hollway via the route the 134 bus takes North.  Surprisingly the walk actually didn't take as long as I had expected - and it happend to be one of the warmer nights of this lovely London 'summer' season.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I really like the area of North London where I live, because it boasts a sense of community with shops for the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.  During this walk home, that realisation became even more apparent as I walked past joiners, and dry cleaners and places that sold everything you need for a home including the kitchen sink.

I find it really impressive that businesses like this can exist in a world of ASDAs, B&Qs and Primarks. Once this blog becomes a bit more established I'd like to interview the owners of these businesses and see how they feel about owning a local shop in a globalised city.  (It's good to write your goals out, right? That means you'll actually do them!)

If you are a local business owner in the Northern London area and you would like your business featured on this blog feel free to get in contact with me. I'm really interested to hear and share your stories!

North London - Camden Town - Chaboba

Well friends, here we are again. I seem to be on a quest to find as many bubble tea shops in London as I can. Unfortunately, Bubbleology was not the shiny treasure chest of bubble tea that its PR has made them out to be.

You know, Twitter is a lovely place, I find. Just when I was weeping into my over-priced, and incorrect bubble tea order from before, I received this tweet:

Well, it just so happens that I in fact love bubble tea and live near/love Camden Town! Sounds perfect! I was a bit weary as I had been fooled by friendly tweets from brands that didn't deliver in-store before.  However, I am happy to say, that Chaboba's Twitter account is just as lovely as the Mango milk tea I ordered!

Walking through the stables market in Camden Town is a great way to spend an afternoon in London.  If you have a lot of time on your hands you can get lost in the hundreds of stalls.  Although, it's a good thing that I have been to the stables so many times, otherwise I might have completely missed Chaboba.  Even with the address given and using Google Maps, to someone that's walking through the market for the first time, they would completely miss Chaboba. Just after you cross the bridge near the market, there's a small walkway along the canal.  Turn left here, and climb the stairs to the building on your right. Chaboba is tucked away waiting for you to discover its deliciousness.

When I finally stumbled upon Chaboba I was surprised by the size of the location. I think I was expecting more of an indoor cafe, as atmosphere is equally important for my bubble tea experience as is the tea itself. Luckily it's surrounded by all of the beautiful shops that make Camden Town the awesome location it is today, so there is no lack of great atmosphere here.  

Outside, someone was offering samples of bubble tea to other market-goers and tourists. I may be generalising a bit, but nothing makes me laugh more than British people being confused by the concept of something called 'tea' that isn't PG Tips + milk. 'What is that? TEA? Really?!' Teehehe, silly Brits. :)

Inside, in comparison to the other bubble tea location I sampled which was very busy and showy when it came to the interior design and service, Chaboba relishes in simplicity and minimalism. I like that; no gimmicks, no begging to be accepted as something 'hip' and 'cool' just simple and delicious bubble tea.

Chaboba's simple design

Chaboba offers a variety of flavours in their Milk, Fruit and Crush Bubble Teas where the Crush is a smoothie type version.  They also offer hot teas and snow ice, but my next visit will most certainly include a taste of the Bubble Waffle.  I have no idea what to expect but it sounds amazing!

I have two go-to flavours when it comes to my bubble tea: it's always a milk tea and it's either Mango or Almond.  I was a bit heartbroken when I didn't see Almond milk tea on the list so I hope that's coming soon guys! At the end of the day, I can't complain much about Chaboba at all.  I had a satisfying mango drink, with decent tapioca pearls (they were a bit on the small side) for an acceptable price.  

I was getting a photo of the logo but just realised I captured my order as well!

Would I go there again? Most certainly and it's not just the great tea and the fact that I love Camden that will bring me back. Hats off to the team (or person) running their social media accounts.  I have to say, you are doing brilliantly and not many brands get it right.  You deliver your message well both online and in-store.  Your friendly encounters, fun banter and constant awareness of what's being said about bubble tea online has certainly gained you a new loyal customer and I'm sure others will follow.

Chaboba can be found at:

8 East Yard

Camden Lock

London

NW1 8AL

www.chaboba.co.uk

UPDATE 11 JUL 11:

I returned to my beloved Chaboba over the weekend to introduce my friend to Bubble Tea. We both enjoyed it and I''m glad I've shared it with someone new. I didn't go for the bubble waffles like I planned, but I  DID try popping boba's in my tea.  This was the first time I had them and it is seriously like a party in your mouth.  They literally pop when you eat them! Popping bobas have changed my life and are a new staple in my bubble tea now! :)

Mango milk tea with tapioca pearls and lychee popping bobas!!

North London - Holloway Road - Indian Ocean

My first North London discovery since revamping the bloggy structure!  This wasn't much of a discovery as I didn't happen upon it, but rather used the lovely Yelp app on my iPhone to find a relatively cheap place to eat around the N19 area.  I was meeting a friend I hadn't seen in a while for dinner so it had to be somewhere we could chill and talk.

Luckily it was found and we made plans to meet at Indian Ocean for 8pm.  The many reviews I came across online seemed to put them as a top notch Indian restaurant in the area.  Arriving fashionably late (the joys of getting out of Central in a timely manner), the first thing I noticed was the design. I suppose because I was actually looking for the place I was able to appreciate the effort they took in making it look like an Indian escape from the bustling city high street. I've walked past it so many times and never really noticed it before.

Taken from WhoseView.co.uk

When you walk in there's a reasonably large open seating plan and a wall lined with cosy booths separated by hypnotising cutout patterns. My friend had taken a spot in one of the booths which was perfect for our three hour dinner/catchup session.  The servers tried to make you feel like royalty even though the prices are made for the pesants, so that was appreciated as well.  They were quite accommodating to the fact that we spent the vast majority of our time talking and not spending much money, so I'll forgive one of the servers for hinting that it was time for us to leave when we had finished our meal about 30 minutes prior.

The detail in the booths

I'm not much of a curry eater, which I'm sure is some sort of living-in-England sin, and the reviews seemed to praise Indian Ocean quite a bit; but I would say for the price, this was a pretty good meal! I even walked away with some leftovers.  I've been on a coconut kick when it comes to my curry so I had a Murgh Korma while my friend ordered a beef dish with mushroom rice.  We were both very satisfied and it was a brilliant setting for catching up.

Indian Ocean - nothing spectacular but decent for the price. I will more than likely make my way there again if I'm in the area and craving a curry or showing friends around.

Indian Ocean Tandoori Restaurant can be found at:

359 Holloway Road
London
N7 0RN
Nearest Tube: Holloway Road

Beef and Mushroom Rice

Chicken in a creamy coconut sauce

North London - Hollway Road/Holiday Road

Anytime I'm walking down Holloway Road, which, as I live in Upper Holloway I do on a regular basis, this gets stuck in my head.



Your homework children, is to go and watch as many National Lampoon's Vacation movies as you possibly can. Class dismissed