← Life Outside the Kitchen

Day 1

I can't believe we made it to London. We took a red-eye flight and landed with barely any sleep, but when I saw M&S at the airport, I knew instantly what I wanted: their famous prawn sandwich. I don't know if any other country makes a better shrimp sandwich, but it was absolutely delicious, and my only regret is not getting more.

After about an hour-long train ride, we arrived at our hotel. We were there early and thought we could drop off our luggage, but I couldn't believe they charged 15 pounds per bag. In the end, we just paid an extra 60 pounds for early check-in, which was disappointing. We quickly dropped our bags and headed out to Borough Market. We'd heard so many good things about the market, and as a foodie, it felt like the perfect way to make up for the earlier hiccup in our trip. Borough was packed, not just lively, but so crowded we had to shuffle sideways through the crowd and even lost each other at times. Some stalls really do live up to the hype. If you want to know more about my favorites, check out my Skip It or Worth It post!

Once we finished at Borough Market, we headed to Marylebone because I had heard so much about the neighborhood, even though we're not coffee drinkers. It was definitely a cute area, but I wouldn't say it's as special as Notting Hill. The shops were charming but priced so high that we just put things down gently and walked out. What saved the visit was the famous Daunt Bookstore. We always go back to Daunt when we're in the city. The architecture is stunning, with beautiful shelving, a long green room, and books stacked to the ceiling. It's definitely one of our favorite bookstores we've visited.

By then, we were exhausted, so we wandered back to our hotel to rest and reset before heading out again to end our night at Chill Since '93 for pizza and beer (at least for Dan, since I'm not a beer drinker). The pizza was more like focaccia, thicker and chewier than expected, but still very good. Dan had the peach lager, and it might be one of the best beers he's ever had in London. We went back to our room and were fast asleep by nine.

Day 2

We woke up bright and early. Although it was a wet and gloomy day, it didn't stop us from getting to 26 Grains early. 26 Grains is the one place we visit every time we're in London. They're famous for their porridge, but I'm definitely here for their savory dishes. This time, we got their whipped burrata omelette, and to this day, it's one of the best things I've ever eaten. We also tried their lemon loaf with ricotta and blackberry jam, which was so tangy and zesty that I now crave lemon loaf every day.

Since we were already in the area, we had to check out Neal's Yard, which is a cute and beautiful spot with lots of cool stores and shops, before heading to St Paul's Cathedral.

We jumped on the tube and headed to St Paul's Cathedral, which is absolutely beautiful, but I was hit with jet lag and even started falling asleep while we were sitting inside. The church itself was breathtaking, and we walked up 500 steps (yes, it was exhausting) to get a stunning view of London from the top of the dome.

Afterward, we walked to Shoreditch and enjoyed fish and chips before exploring the trendy neighbourhood. There are tons of cool clothing and art stores around there, so it was definitely a highlight. I even found sunglasses that looked good on me! The area is extremely busy and hip, so I actually felt a little old there. We then went to Jenki for matcha, which I'd heard a lot about, but honestly, it was overrated and doesn't compare to the matcha I make at home. We ended the day with delicious pasta at Padella before heading back to our hotel to pack for the next leg of our trip.