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Where to Eat in London: Bone Daddies

Bone Daddies | Japanese Ramen | Lunch/Dinner | Soho | Website
– reservations not available –

Bone Daddies is a ramen bar based in Soho. This is a rather spacious take on the Japanese ramen bar, with a simple interior.

I headed there on a Saturday afternoon, with 3 friends. I was a little worried we would be queuing for a while as we headed there about an hour after they had opened for lunch. Luckily there was no queue and we were seated as soon as we arrived. I’d heard a lot about Bone Daddies, and being a big fan of ramen (and deeply missing sitting at a noodle bar with strangers in Tokyo) I was really hoping the hype was justified. The food menu is simple yet plentiful, and the drinks menu were aptly themed, however I personally would have loved to see some umeshu on the menu. I choose the ramen salad as I fancied the asparagus and corn. My friends chose the Tantanmen (spicy!) and T22, with a side of fried chicken. My ramen was delicious but I don’t think it was clear enough as to what I would be getting, yet I didn’t mind…because it was so damn delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food too, making me wish I’d had one of everything. The service at Bone Daddies was friendly, and everything was dealt with promptly. Yet I was still left feeling like I’d missed something. The atmosphere just wasn’t there, and people were left queuing along by where our bags were hooked making it a bit cramped. My bowl was chipped, which isn’t a big deal to me but actually bothers quite a few people I know. The prices are close to extortionate, compared to the ramen bars in Japan (where the quality is just as good). I know this isn’t Japan, but I feel that if you’re going to run something so niche you need to do it justice. As much as I enjoyed the food I don’t think I’ll be going back, purely based on the price and atmosphere.

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Where to Eat in London: Village East of Bermondsey

 Village East of Bermondsey – Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch – Bermondsey: Website
– reservations available –
Village East of Bermondsey is a European bar/restaurant located on Bermondsey Street. The outside is welcoming, and inside the decor is simple and stylish. I headed there on a Friday evening with 3 friends. Bermondsey is not somewhere I head often. I’ve only been there twice and I never really expected to find any ‘decent’ restaurants. Luckily a foodie friend of mine just moved to the area and had already checked out the place. We had made reservations and were lead to our table as soon as we arrived. It turned out that we were sat directly opposite the kitchen, and this wasn’t any little ol’kitchen with a window. This was an open plan kitchen with chefs plating up the food right in front of you. I thought it might be a bit noisy and off-putting to start with, but it added to the lively atmosphere, and we all enjoyed watching the chefs and wondering if it was our plate heading out next. We ordered a main and a dessert each; I went for the Soft Shell Crab Bap, and the Pineapple & Mascarpone Trifle. My crab bap originally seemed like an odd choice for an evening meal but my woes were left behind me as soon as I took my first bite. The bun and crab were delicious, and the sauce & garnish complimented it wonderfully, whilst the chips were cooked perfectly. I didn’t want it to end. As for the dessert, I felt it was a fun and tasty take on the traditional British trifle, but it lacked a little extra something. I think next time I would go for something a bit sweeter.
The service at Village East of Bermondsey was perfectly on point. The waiters were friendly and fast with our food and orders, but didn’t make us feel as though we had to be herded in and out. I will definitely be heading back, most certainly to check out the brunch menu.
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Photo Diary: Hot Dogs, Street Art, W♥C & Polaroids

Looking at these photos makes me so happy. I’ve been having so much fun lately, and I’m so glad to share it on here. I went home to Norwich for a couple of days to sort some stuff out and see family. Whilst I was there I really started to feel like it really was going to be Christmas soon. I brought out my Nuxe travel set and fell in love with practically every item inside of it. I also brought out an old polish that felt slightly seasonal and got tons of compliments. I’ve been experimenting with layering shirts & sweaters at work, thanks to the recently chilling weather. I also popped along to the launch of the Drop Dead Winter Collection in their Soho store. That meant I got to bring a plus-one so Laura and I finally got to meet up – love her! My friend in Japan sent me some of the new W♥C items that have just come out. It really took me back to my time living in Tokyo and made me miss everyone so much. This weekend I also took a walk around Shoreditch and caught up with Anna over cake and coffee. I’ve really sucked at keeping in touch with friends lately (due to work), so I’m trying to remedy it. Also food. There was lots of food. Always with the food.

You can follow me on Instagram: @bloomzy

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Where to Eat in Chamonix, France: Mat’cha Tearoom

Salon de Thé Mat’cha | Japanese Tearoom | Hotel Cretes Blanches, 16 Impasse du Génépy, Chamonix

Never would I have expected to find a Japanese tearoom in Chamonix. However I was pleasantly surprised to find one on my recent holiday to France. I happened to pass a sign and saw the Japanese kanji for tea – 茶 – which peaked my interest. So we went back the following day and were greeted by a wonderfully serene setting by a hotel.

The hostess is a very sweet Japanese lady who speaks French, English and Japanese. We were both in such awe, especially as it gave us a chance to practice all of our languages. We were shown the wide range of teas, which she brought to us in beautiful red lacquer boxes. After carefully explaining the origins and tastes etc of the teas, we were left to make our decision. After choosing our tea sets we chatted with the lovely hostess in Japanese about our travels. I have to say she really made the experience worthwhile, and showed such kindness to us. You all know I’m a big fan of matcha and Japanese tea and this only fed my love for it. My set came with candied sweet potato too, which was absolutely delicious.

Mat’cha offers traditional Japanese tea sets, as well as regular tea and coffee. They also offer a small lunch menu consisting of one item, which is served Tuesday – Friday. The menu changes day by day, and includes popular Japanese dishes such as curry, sushi or bento. Also on offer are well known Japanese sweet treats, such as chiffon & matcha cake, taiyaki and more. We didn’t opt for a lunch as we had actually just eaten and weren’t aware that they did lunches. However we agreed that we would certainly go back again to try out the lunch menu.

Mat’cha is a part of and connected to Hôtel les Crêtes-Blanches.

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Where to Eat in London: Fabrique Swedish Bakery

Fabrique | Swedish Bakery Cafe | Hoxton | Website
– reservations not available –

Who would have thought that one of the best Swedish bakeries in London would be located in the railway arches underneath of Hoxton station? The setting is contemporary, and might seem a little odd, but ultimately adds character to the store. It’s also pretty easy to find – just exit Hoxton station and turn right, within less than a minute you will be gazing at Fabrique’s big red doors, ready for some Fika.

The artisanal bakery is the first outside of Stockholm, making Londoners very lucky indeed. Offering Swedish coffee by Johan & Nyström, and a large selection of buns, flapjacks, brownies, rolls and more you won’t be left lonely for choice. There are only a few tables to sit at, but most customers are on the go, so there’s usually the odd table to hijack with a friend or two. My friend and I visited on a Sunday afternoon around 3pm and whereas there were a few people sat at tables, we found a seat out front and enjoyed a Cardamon Bun and an Earl Grey tea with ease. It might seem odd that I choose a Cardamon Bun rather than Fabrique’s famous Cinnamon Bun, but actually I’d tried the latter before and wanted to try something new instead. Whereas their Cinnamon Buns have earned rave reviews, and I did enjoy mine, I loved the Cardamon Bun even more. I also now go back weekly for their sourdough rye rolls – honestly the best sourdough I’ve ever had. The staff are lovely, very helpful and always up for a chat.

Fika is open Tuesday-Sunday until 6pm.
You can find out more on their website, here.

 

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Where to Eat in London: Fika

Fika | Scandinavian | Lunch/Dinner | Brick Lane | Website
– reservations available –

I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so sometimes I like to post about food in London. This is an ongoing series (you can find the series here) as my love for food and discovering new bars, restaurants etc. continues to blossom. Lately I’ve decided to do special feature posts for places that really stand out to me. Today is Fika – a Swedish ‘Bar & Grille’ that has an amazingly relaxed atmosphere.

I’ve been before for Fika (Swedish for coffee break), when I had tea, gorgonzola & ginger biscuits. We were so impressed that I decided to take my fiancé back there for a post-Valentine’s Day meal. This time we had lunch and a very special treat of Semla, which is a traditional sweet roll eaten at Lent. It’s basically the Scandinavian version of Pancakes for Pancake Day, so I wanted to reserve a couple and enjoy it. The roll is very much like a bread roll (spiced with cardamon seeds), but hollowed out and filled with almond paste & whipped cream. It was certainly something different, and I didn’t dislike it, in fact it was nice as it wasn’t too sweet, although I think I would have enjoyed it slightly more if there had been extra almond paste – but it’s a favourite of mine, so I’m biased.

Before our Semla, we indulged in some lunch where I had Swedish Meatballs and the fiance had Lax Planka Salmon both of which were wonderful, and full of flavour! The meatballs came with the oh-so Swedish traditional accompaniment of mashed potato, red wine sauce and lingonberry jam. You might think that the lingonberry and red wine would counteract each other, as they’re both strong flavours, however both complimented the other, and the dish, very well. The portion sizes were perfect and left me feeling full, but not enough that I couldn’t fit in something sweet.

Fika are offering Semla for the whole of February, but you’ll need to book.