{tasty morsels}

{photo courtesy of visitLondon}

Within a few steps of King's Cross Saint Pancras is the lovely Norfolk Arms. I've often passed it on my way to the station, observing the cured meats hung up in the window & wondered what was within. Well I found out last week when my good friend Melissa & I popped in for a Monday evening dinner. What a surprise! While it's got the charm of an old pub the food is anything but boring British. Indeed, it has an amazing choice of tapas that were seriously mouth-watering.
I didn't bring my big camera so only snapped a few pics from my iphone... but I'll certainly be back!

{gorgeous ceiling}

{the razor clams were divine!}

{endive and beet salad}

xo, 

L

{Tasty morsels}

I've found an absolute gem in Leighton Buzzard. It's called Oliver Hare & Co...and it's everything I love... mismatched tea cups, silver tea pots, dark blue & gold decor, fantastic service, & an extreme attention to detail. The food is fantastic too!

I think the pictures really tell the story of what it's like to dine at such a place...

{dainty little sugar pram!}

{fantastic decor!}

{yes please!!!}

They are now open on Fri & Saturday evenings...& they also serve a Sunday roast! I'll be back for sure!

xo

L

{tasty morsels}

On Sunday I had brunch with my friend Suzy at Sketch's Parlour. Truly an experience!
Sketch is well known for its more famous Gallery restaurant (restaurant and art gallery in one), dressed in fluffy pink like some sort of dessert from the '60s, designed by India Mahdavi (read more here):

{think pink}

The Parlour, however, is a stark contrast to this pink cotton candy. It evokes a gentleman's club/library, but equally with some quirky features, combining old with new, antique with modern. The Parlour is a great place to come for a relaxing brunch.

{fantastic mix of old & new}

 We sat drinking cappuccinos out of mismatched tea cups in comfy chairs around a low table with a brass cover.

 The portions were not large, but the food was good--I had '9 conduit street' (the address of sketch)

The menu is equally cute, dressed with various types of hats...

{love that menu!}

{quirky details}

I'll certainly come back, and really want to try The Gallery, or their other restaurants...

Oh, and the bathroom is an experience not to be missed. It's too hard to describe, so you'll just have to discover it yourself!

xo

L

{inspiration from a restaurant}

Yesterday, my cousin and I were out for coffee & cake in Chelsea. We ended up walking along King's Road and stopped into a few shops. We came across the Comptoir Libanais, which is actually a chain, but I loved the look of the pastel floral chairs outside: 

Taking the cue from the chairs, here are some images inspired by them:

{the queen of all florals, cath kidston}

{pastels}

{more pinks & greens}

{perfect palette}

{loving these colours!}

{florals on the walls!}

{some florals}

The interior of the restaurant looked really cool, with embroidered handbags from Marrakech:

{pic from eat out magazine}

I've never been in the restaurant, but would like to now...

the interiors are apparently inspired by the souk...which reminds me a bit of this blog post I did on hideous kinky years ago (& I'm aware that some of the photos are no longer visible on the post:( )

Anyway, yesterday was fab, because it really felt like spring--the blossoms are out, and so are the dafs and crocuses... I love England in the spring!

xo

L

{tasty morsels}

This will be fairly brief, as things are rather busy at the moment (I fear you'll be hearing a lot of that in the next couple of months)...but the important thing is I am getting out & eating my way across London!
So restaurant No. 2 on tasty morsels (for those new to this, I'm blogging about restaurants in London, the first being the modern pantry) is:

 Joe Allen

this features as number 7 on the Easy Living bucket list...

But first, before we get into the restaurant, my friend Mel & I went shopping at the annual Courtauld book sale, which is always fun...we then stopped off for a prosecco at the bar at Somerset House only to run into a lovely other friend who was celebrating handing in her PhD thesis. So that was great fun, and when I mentioned that I was blogging about it, I got some more recommendations for places to eat. So I think that this will seriously become a very long list!

so we enjoyed a prosecco amidst these lovely surroundings (I love my alma mater): 

{beautiful Somerset House}

& then we merely walked a block to Joe Allen. It's a very comfy, feel good restaurant, reminding me of something you might find in NYC. We walked into live piano playing & anywhere that there's live piano is simply wonderful! The decor fits well within its environ of Covent Garden and the few theatres nearby--plastered with old posters mainly from the 50s&60s: 

There was a set menu, that was a good deal, but it didn't interest me too much, so I went for something simple but oh so yummy--steak frites. There's a range of things, and I hear that the burger that isn't on the menu is the most famous item! We did ask our French waiter about it, but both Mel & I were in the mood for steak...which was delicious.

{their steak sauce was very good}

I'm off to Germany tomorrow, so not sure if I'll find the time for a quotable thursdays, but stay tuned...I was away this past weekend and went on some lovely walks, so I'll post on those when I find a second!

xo

L

{tasty morsels}

My first post under the new category of 'tasty morsels.' I mentioned I was going to do this--try out lovely restaurants in London & blog about it. Let me preface my post by saying I'm not a food-writer & not really a foodie. But I do like good food. I might be able to talk about a painting, but food is another thing. So you'll have to bear with me, and prepare yourself for a very plebeian way of talking about food.
The idea is to follow the 35 recommended restaurants by Easy Living.
So #1: The Modern Pantry
A wonderful little spot in Clerkenwell/Farringdon (which is in itself a fantastic little area of Central London).
The Modern Pantry is exactly that- like a country kitchen, but sleeker, & with incredibly delicious food (or as they state on their website: 'Together, these two words embody The Modern Pantry's philosophy: the desire to please and excite the palate by fusing everyday cooking with modern ingredients). The menu changes day to day so that you know what you're getting is super fresh (view a sample menu here). They also do afternoon tea. The combinations are often kind of strange, at first glance, but are wonderful when the food arrives. The pairing of interesting foods--such as blueberries with duck--is done to perfection. Instead of too many contrasting flavours, or too many strong flavours, it's done in a subtle way.
So, my friend  Mel & I decided to try it on a Tuesday after work. We got there early (around 530-ish). We didn't make reservations  (when I tried to book online that morning, the only reso they had was for 830) but we decided to go anyway. When we arrived, they were all booked up except for 2 spare tables. So voila, we plunked ourselves down & enjoyed...

{I love the grey & white decor}

{lovely etched marble tables}

{the day's menu}

{bread}

{my dish: lamb marinated in a cumin lemon yoghurt, aubergine & other delightful things!}

{Mel's dish: duck with blueberry salsa (which was not really a salsa, and very delicious)}

{lovely company}

{*amazing* dessert: chocolate & liquorice delice, with a tamarillo}

{au revoir}

fantastic food!
stay tuned for the next post on tasty morsels,
xo,
L