Monday, July 9, 2012

Food walk through Notting Hill

This past weekend I went to England (instead of cramming for next week's exams). Having done most of the touristy stuff already I thought I should take it to the next level, and explore London's food. After some internet research I found a food walk through Notting Hill (here) which sounded enticing to my taste buds. So off we went to Notting Hill for a food-filled day!

The Diamond jubilee bunting is still everywhere.

I should mention that we went on a Saturday, and this meant that Portobello (or Portobelly) Market was on, and what felt like all of America and Germany was there. My plan to avoid touristy stuff was not working out ... due to my lack of London knowledge. By the time we reached our first food destination both of us (Oliver was there as well) were pretty annoyed. An instant sugar rush was what we needed and the Hummingbird Bakery delivered it. The Red Velvet cupcake (me) and the Jaffa Cake cupcake (him) were excellent and the world (and the other tourists) seemed a lot nicer.


We did the entire food walk but some of the best places were definitely:

Books for Cooks (opposite the Notting Hill Bookshop.... yes the one from the film Notting Hill... in case you wonder Hugh Grant was not there):

The Spice Shop (opposite Books for Cooks with shelves bursting with all kinds and varieties of spices):





El Camion (Very very good mexican food and great interiour):


Dri Dri Gelateria (which was surprinsingly empty especially for the superb ice-cream they had ... must have been because of the very British weather):


Left salted caramel, right sesame vanilla cream.


Our day in London ended with a visit to the Royal Albert Hall to see Laura Marling perform. It was fantastic. The building seemed so grand but once she was on stage it suddenly felt very intimate. Almost as if you were sitting right next to her rather than high up in the ranks. At times she was all alone on stage just her and her guitar. A perfect end to a very good day.









3 comments:

Tess Malone said...

I would totally go on a food tour of Portobelly too and it looks like you ate some delicious dishes. I'm particularly envious of Nic's jaffa cupcake.

Glad to hear Laura Marling was amazing, but that was expected. Your photos of Royal Albert Hall are great, I love how they are almost vignetted.

Studying all weekend is overrated and unnecessary. Looks like you had a much better time in London. Best of luck with exams!

Unknown said...

Hab alle Backbücher der Hummingbirds Bakery...delicious!

Kat said...

I would love to go on a food tour in Notting Hill! Red velvet is one of my favorites. Good luck with the exams!