Now y’all should know by now whenever Robert and I go out of town, we eat local. I’ve mentioned it several times before but eating at local spots gives travelers a sense of what the city is really like…plus some cities have some bomb food scenes and London is no different. Because it is a hodgepodge of various cultures, it’s not uncommon to eat anything ranging from Indian to Caribbean.

Between watching plenty of food shows, my good sis Yelp and just walking around, Robert and I ate some pretty delicious stuff. The area of town we stayed in, Paddington, is full of places to eat any meal of the day. We never had to figure out where to eat in London from the time we landed until the day we returned back to the states.

Laurents

After being on a plane for at least 12 hours, we were both famished. Walking around the airport, Robert found this place. Laurent’s is a cute, small-sized deli offering breakfast and lunch. Quiche is a dish I didn’t care for too much as a kid, but grew to enjoy as an adult(I think it’s because I eat Robert’s version). I ordered the Spinach Salmon Quiche to try something different and to go against what I usually order for breakfast(usually something sweet and savory). The quiche is equal parts flaky, soft, and satisfying; honestly, if this was a local Tampa spot, I would be tempted to order a slice to-go. From then, I realized my fave fish to eat is indeed salmon. Idk what it is about the fish(thickness??) but I can eat it all the time if given the opportunity.

Mimos Cafe

Once we were finally able to rest, we officially started our trip off right with some breakfast at Mimo’s Cafe. It’s about a 10 minute walk from our hotel so again…more sightseeing and being one of the locals. This place was full of people from the front to the back with a line almost out the door. It was kinda weird ordering fries for breakfast since it isn’t considered a traditional breakfast food in the US. I felt like a kid almost eating them with a chicken omelette first thing in the morning. If you know me, you already know how I feel about green tea.

David’s Grill House

After a full day of riding the train and going around the city, we stumbled upon the Grill House. We like Meditteranean/Greek foods so this is right up our alley. We started off with some free hummus (shout out to them) followed by some wings. My main course was Lamb Kofta with rice and veggies. I always tell people lamb is an acquired taste since it’s more gamey than chicken and beef. My lamb dish was grilled and seasoned perfectly, not an overwhelming force. I’m guessing the restaurant is family-owned; the folks there were so nice and welcoming. Just before Robert and I left, they gave us a slice of baklava that was just so sweet and flaky from the honey and paper-thin filo sheets. Fortunately for me, Robert is allergic to pistachios so I got to keep it all to myself.

Taormina Italian Restaurant

We weren’t really trying to do too much our last day in London before heading to Iceland to head back home. Listen, after being on a plane for an hour plus a 2-hour bus ride back from the airport to our hotel, we were a bit hungry. I remembered Taormina from our first day walking around the area and put it in the back of my head just in case. We walked in to a small and quaint spot; it looks like Granny’s house on the inside. This might’ve been some of the best lasagna I’ve ever had. The layers were covered in the stretchiest cheese and a satisfying amount of meat. The funny part about eating here was a family with little kids who kept arguing about equal viewing space on an iPad or something so, of course, noise ensued. I think their mom felt bad for us because she apologized to us later for their behavior.

Wagamama UK

The morning of our flight to Iceland, we ended up at Wagamama, a Japanese-food restaurant chain. I’d never heard of it but Robert was familiar with it so he already knew where we’d be eating. Pancakes are on of my go-tos when I’m out for breakfast…maybe it’s the fluffiness that makes knowing I’m eating something more indulgent than usual better. Either way, I’m still eating them. The pancakes at Wagamama are different than the usual pancakes everyone is used to. These were more sand dollar sized but topped with apples, goji berries, and a drizzle of rice syrup and powdered sugar. Obviously, the dish looks healthier because of the fruit. I didn’t get the itis per usual and left for my flight feeling like they might be on to something with this. It sucks Wagamama isn’t in Florida though…

Going to London is a dream come true and once again, I’m grateful I was able to experience this with Robert. The London food scene is expansive and diverse. It’s funny…he and I even wondered what do people eat in London since their foods kinda paved the way to US foods(shoutout to colonization for that I guess). What are some foods you ate in a foreign country you’d make flight reservations to eat again?