Bon Voyage!

I've been in London for just over two weeks now. I can now navigate the tube like a local and have learned some relevant bus routes, both a result of my impeccable sense of direction (one of my two best personality traits, the other being modesty) and my ridiculously long daily commute. I've mastered the local supermarket setup and learned where every M&S in the city are to grab lunch or pre-made dinner. I've visited many of the essential tourist attractions: the Tower of London, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, several parks, a chippy, and the Tate. And now I'm off to Paris for the weekend! Paris! The city of lights! And French cafes, and markets, and boulangerie, and fromageries, and crepe stalls, and macrons, and croissants. Needless to say, I'm ridiculously excited. Luckily for all of you, I'll write a delicious entry when I get back to leave your mouths watering and your tummies rumbling with envy.

Fish & Chips

Yesterday I embarked on a mission to find the best of England's arguably most famous food, fish and chips. Although I've had fish and chips countless times in the states, I was very excited for my first real British fish and chips. I imagined them to be a world of difference between the authentic local favorite and that served in random restaurants in suburbia USA. To complete this challenge, I decided to eat at The Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden. During a walking tour of London our guide pointed it out to us, describing it as a "world famous chippy," as did the restaurant's large outdoor umbrellas. Trusting out guide, we chose it as our first chippy experience. It is located on a cute, quieter, cobblestone side street. The outside dining area is comprised of about 5 heavy wooden tables all covered by a large green and white umbrella, boasting Rock and Sole's fame. Gas torches warm the outdoor seating area and give it a more secluded feel from the mix of tourists, cyclists, locals, and everyone in between brushing past on the street. The inside has several tables and an open kitchen, of sorts (they only really make fish and chips so it's essentially just several deep friers and a small prep area). The restaurant does have a few more tables downstairs but charges less money for food ordered to go, an incentive of small restaurants here that I've noticed quiet a lot. The restaurant sounds awesome right? World famous, quieter area of Covenant Garden, outdoor seating, a neighborhood hippy since 1871, an ally to the homeless during World War II...

Not so much. Firstly, I was expecting a more pub atmosphere where I could enjoy a nice draft while I noshed on my fish and chips. They only had one beer, in a bottle (!), and even ordering water was a pain, we had to ask three times for one refill! The food was also a slight disappointment. The chips, fries for all my fellow yankees, were delicious. I poured some malt vinegar over them and they were the perfect combination of crispy, tart, and salty. The fish however was less impressive. The waitress told us, despite offering 6 choices for fish, that Cod and Haddock were the classics so I ordered Haddock and my dining companions all ordered Cod. The breading was great! Both types of fish were breaded in a crunchy, flavorful breading of ground nuts that really gave a flavor to the fish and not just a fried taste. However, after biting into the delicious breading, all you tasted was the oil and grease. It was like a separate layer completely between the breading and the fish, and it was very difficult to overlook. The haddock was well cooked and I thought paired better with the breading than the cod, which seemed completely overpowered by the nut mixture. Despite being a well cooked piece of fish with a delicious breading, we all felt a little ill after eating only half of our fish serving because of all the grease.

My first attempt at finding great, authentic, life-changing fish and chips was not a total fail but not really a success either. At least I have a new mission: to find London's very, very best fish and chips. And I'm off on my mission!

I've Died and Gone to Heaven

Or Harrods rather. I've spent the last hours wandering from floor to floor in the uber famous department store. And despite the outrageous prices, gaudy decor, and interestingly mixed crowd of tourists and people spending upwards of 10,000 dollars on clothes, I love it! I'm sure it's no surprise but my favorite part was hands down all of the restaurants and food halls. Almost every section had a trendy themed restaurant in it, ranging from a Korean eatery to a diner to a wine bar. But the best area was the food hall: room after room of different dining choices: a sushi bar, a raw and seafood bar, a coffee shop, a tea shop, a packaged food shop, a warm inviting bakery, and a market. Oh my god this market! It had everything from raspberries to pasta salads to miniature crab cocktails. But the best part of the food hall was undoubtedly the chocolate room. I felt like I was in the Willy Wonka factory, if instead of burp-inducing soda and other wacky concoctions, it was full of deliciously heavenly chocolates. There were easily 10 "normal chocolate store" displays of truffles and little chocolate squares filled with every option under the sun. There was a giant chocolate fountain and all of the counters were decorated with copper and silver. Basically, it was heaven! For my foodie, my chocaholic and my shopaholic. And don't worry mom, I didn't buy anything. Besides a few chocolates.

Just Touched Down in Londontown

Sorry this update is so delayed the hotel where I've been staying has not had wifi and to upload on my phone is expensive but... Better late than never!

It's Friday morning now and the third day of the IFSA orientation. After arriving in London Wednesday morning, struggling through customs, standing around the airport for our group bus, and driving through awful traffic, we finally arrived at the hotel to take naps and shower (possibly the most gloriously deserved nap and shower ever). Since officially beginning orientation Wednesday night, the food has lived up to it's British expectation: mediocre and bland, but in fairness, we've been having mainly catered and hotel food, which tends to taste that way in the states too...

Friday night we went to this "trendy, new hotel" that basically had a giant buffet food court with different stations. The best part of the meal was definitely the orange chocolate cheesecake with berries on top, although it was more like rich orange mouse with a crumbly chocolate crust. After the dinner, we went out to our first British pub, which also lived up to it's reputation only in a much better way! It was definitely a neighborhood pub and had pictures of the royal family all over the walls and ceilings. Plus, we were the only tourists in it!

The next day of orientation, Thursday, we ate more bland hotel food but then went  to dinner on our own. I went to a little Thai place right across from the British Museum. The noodles were good and the place seemed really authentic, I can't wait to try all the ethnic food!

One thing I was warned of, and am definitely noticing is the quality of service. No waiter is going to come over and make small talk while you consider his or her menu suggestions. They'll come up to take your order, fill your water glass once upon asking, and be off to wait another table. I'm guessing the practice of more practical service is also a reason for the 10% standard tip instead of 15-20%. Or is the lower tipping standard the reason for more straightforward service? Either way it's very noticeable.

Last night I went to the best meal yet, and the first real "foodie-worthy" eatery. I went to a restaurant called Zizzi Ristorante. I'm not sure if it's a chain but I've seen two around London. The inside was really artsy-modern with big light fixtures covered in brown industrial paper, a small artificial tree in the middle of the restaurant and a big open kitchen. The walls were covered in paintings by a local artist. The menu seemed to have fairly typical Italian offerings: flat-bread pizza, pasta, salad, and entrees. The bruschetta and flat-bread looked incredible but I didn't get any. Instead, I ordered a pasta with spinach and goat cheese filled ravioli covered in a tangy and light tomato sauce. Fresh and juicy cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, a small drizzle of pesto, and fresh Parmesan were on top of the perfectly cooked ravioli. It was delicious! The sauce was just right and the pesto brought out all the flavors from the ravioli. Or maybe the wine did. Regardless, it was a great meal!

Today I'm moving into my dorm so my next post will probably talk about some places near campus not in the middle of the city. I'm off to brunch and move in!

Preparing to Go Abroad

Ever since 5th grade, being vegetarian was my thing. It was my fun fact, my dinner table conversation, and more importantly, what I ate. I was very happy exploring new restaurants and recipes while sticking to my comfort zone of fish, seafood, tofu, sushi, and delicious Mediterranean food. But, in the spirit of starting a new adventure abroad, I decided to embark on my own eating adventure before I even left the country: I would eat meat. Now, after being veg for 10 years, one cannot just decide to go out and order a steak, unless of course you want to spend the next three days sick at home (being sick IS the best diet). So, like any sane person, I started my adventures in meat slowly; and like any foodie, they involved delicious stops along the way.

I began simply with a little turkey, bland, then worked up to grilling chicken breasts with rosemary and garlic. Chicken was getting a little boring so I thought it was time to go big or go home and that was definitely the philosophy at Sweetie Pie's at the Mangrove in St. Louis. This famous fried chicken ands soul food joint, as seen on the Food Network's "Triple D" and the Travel Channel, was not a disappointment. I gorged myself on huge servings of perfectly tender yet crispy fried chicken, rich creamy mac and cheese, and boiled cabbage. The fact that they were filming a reality show for the new Oprah Winfrey Network while we ate there, just added to my delight.


Once I'd conquered my giant plate of fried chicken and soul food, it was time to move on to red meat. I made a great 7 layer greek dip from a recipe I found on the How Sweet Eats blog, one of my favorite, and made skewers to accompany the dish. The skewers were mainly different colored peppers and onions with a little steak then smothered in the dip; they were great! Next, I went to Arthur Bryant's famous BBQ institution in Kansas City, Mo. There I feasted on BBQ turkey as well as succulent, juicy ribs. Then it was time for the true challenge/euphoria: the burger! I knew my first burger experience needed to be great or I'd never want one again so I went to Annie Gunn's in Chesterfield, Mo. The whole restaurant really emphasizes local, fresh, and natural ingredients (the waitress went so far as to tell us the chickens for the wings were defeathered on site). So I ordered a big juicy burger made of their special blend of beef, with local cheddar cheese, homemade ketchup, and a brioche bun. NOW I know what I've been missing for the past 10 years! The burger was so good!

Arthur Bryan't (left) and Annie Gunn's (right)

I considered the burger the commencement of Eating Meat 101 however my work outside of class continues. In the week since that proud day (my mother and grandmother both bragged to their friends about my new meat eating) I have ordered meat several times in a few restaurants and I think I'm going to have veal picatta tonight. The best dish I've had so far, besides the first burger, would probably be the chicken potstickers at Nooshi in DC. I'm off to continue preparing in more practical ways for studying abroad next week.

Happy eating!