The British Sweet Tooth - Bakery Treats in London

One of our favorite activities on vacations is exploring local bakeries.  London has many from which to choose, but the good news is that if you are in South Kensington and you have just eaten at Byron, you are only a couple of steps from Hummingbird Bakery and a couple more steps away from Ben's Cookies.  Now, you may ask yourself, who on earth shops at a bakery after eating an enormous hamburger (complete with cheese and bacon), fries, a large beer, a large chocolate malted, and courgette fries?  Why, Major Obvious, naturally.  And the offspring of Major Obvious.

So, what to get when you arrive?  How to choose?  Our favorites from Ben's Cookies are Coconut and Dark Chocolate Chunk.  My university Big Sister swears by Lemon.  At Hummingbird Bakery, the Red Velvet Cake is extremely attractive, but not particularly flavorful and tragically lacking pecans on the cream cheese frosting.  The Carrot Cake, on the other hand, is pretty tasty, if tooth-achingly sweet.

Byron - The Sequel at Old Brompton Road, London

It was very naive of me to think that I could partake in a euphoric Burger Experience all by myself without any consequences.  My family insisted on trying Byron out for themselves, so we skipped over to the Old Brompton Rd. one which is conveniently located to those great South Kensington museums like the Natural History Museum or the Victoria & Albert. 

Major Obvious had the Byron Burger complete with homemade special Byron sauce and bacon.  Little Man tried the Macaroni & Cheese while Sweet Pea had the Mini Cheeseburgers (both children's meals came with generous helpings of fries).  Everyone loved the Courgette Fries.  To cap everything off, we also ordered a chocolate milkshake with malt.  The shake came served in the tin canister, large and in charge.  Super chocolate-y, super decadent.  We had 2 servers and both were extremely friendly.  When they asked, "How is everything?" Sweet Pea responded (pointing to the shake canister), "This is YUMMY!"  Our server responded with eyes lit up, "I KNOW!  You know what's even better?  OREO."  Well, we had to leave something to look forward to next time! 

The Best Sushi I've Had In The UK - Atari Ya, London

I've FINALLY eaten sushi here in the UK that I find noteworthy!  To be fair, I haven't conducted an exhaustive search.  I tend to shy away when someone comes up to me, "There is a new sushi joint in X, we should try it out."  Rather, I'm more inclined to research and poll, asking questions such as, "Is it Japanese-operated?"  (Although I am Chinese, I do not trust my people to prepare raw fish for my consumption.  We are too inclined to cut corners).  "What are they known for?"  (If it's a place that does mostly rolls with imitation crab, I will run in the other direction).

I am pleased to report that Atari Ya is definitely Japanese.  On an early Saturday evening, my family and I attempted to eat here, only to realize that every table had a little "Reserved" sign on it.  One Japanese family after another came in and happily ordered lovely looking meals.  The waitstaff was particularly gracious to them and us, even though we had opted to just takeaway.

We ordered sashimi (yellowtail, tuna, salmon), nigiri (fattiest tuna), rolls (spider, spicy tuna, cucumber avocado), chirashi, chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, and edamame.  Ok, I will admit that I was really hungry when I was ordering.

Everything was delicious!  Everything was awesome!  I can't wait to go there and sit down to eat.

Byron - A Tasty Burger in London

The quest for the perfect burger in the UK poses a fun challenge.  Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant chain gives you a fine one, but unfortunately, the burger changes.  Sometimes it's Italian-inspired, other times it's more American.  The quality of ingredients is always high, but often the flavor isn't exactly what I'm seeking at that moment.

Byron, the London chain that has multiple locations, offers a consistent burger that thankfully pushes all my buttons.  It's like someone picked into my brain and came up with 3 characteristics that I most love about hamburgers, putting them all together.  From the American school of burger-making, the meat is not manhandled too much into a dense hockey puck.  The sandwich takes advantage of its British roots and comes with a sharp, tangy mature cheddar cheese.  And the coup de gras is that the burger is charred on the outside, pink all the way through and even a little bit raw in the middle, which the French embrace.

Now, not everyone would want mature cheddar or a rare, bloody hamburger.  Byron thoughtfully allows you to specify how well-done you'd like the meat and allows you to choose from a variety of cheeses that include Monterey Jack and American.  You can also get bacon, portobello mushrooms and avocado.  You can choose the condiments.  A default burger comes with iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a bit of mayonnaise.  There are a million choices to be made, which I think also comes from the American school of dining.

But wait!  Your choices aren't over yet!  What sides do you want?  You can have french fries, special skin-on chips, courgette fries (gorgeously straddling the line between tempura and beer-battered), and macaroni and cheese.  There's also milkshakes and fun American-inspired desserts like cheesecake, brownies or a sundae (which the Brits insist on calling Knickerbocker Glory). 

When it comes to describing this marvelous culinary treat, I think Homer Simpson says it best, "Mmmm.....burger."

Hyde Perk Bistro - London

Somehow I ended up with the chance to see Totem, the latest Cirque du Soleil show, at the Royal Albert  Hall in London.  Amanda and I had an hour to kill before curtain, so we wandered by Hyde Park in search of some munchies.  We dodged the raindrops and came across the Hyde Perk Bistro, a cozy little venue with a surprisingly extensive menu.  There were pre- and post-theatre meal options along with breakfast served all day and specials like the lovely leek, potato, and rocket soup I enjoyed.  Amanda got the pain au chocolate and hot chocolate (gotta give props to a girl who lives large and orders everything chocolate).  After our meal, we ordered takeaway sandwiches for our journey home after the show.  I happily chewed my brie, cranberry and lettuce on walnut bread as we drove through Old Brompton Road and saw the National History Museum, the Victoria & Albert, Harrod's and Harvey Nichols.  My compatriot's sandwich looked just as delicious with its mozzarella, tomato and pesto goodness inside an enormous ciabatta.  Hyde Perk was such a great, lucky find on a rainy afternoon! 

More London Finds

While hanging out in Knightsbridge for a few days, we found some more yummy treats in London.  My mother uncovered the treasure that is Harvey Nichols' Lime and Coconut Curd.  Completely sublime and utterly decadent!

We also loved dining at Da Scalzo on Brompton Road, a dream-come-true Italian restaurant that manages to tick all the boxes.  They serve breakfast (heavenly Eggs Benedict), make wonderful pizzas, turn out the best mushroom risotto I've ever tried, and are somehow child-friendly.  How do they do it?  I have no idea, but it's amazing.  They also have an incredible bakery that turns out fabulous almond croissants, eclairs, tiramisu, homemade donuts and chestnut meringues that you are more than welcome to take home with you in case you ate too much Italian sausage and mash.  It's the perfect stop after marveling at the Chihuly sculpture at the Victoria & Albert, having butterflies land on you at the Natural History Museum, or checking out Lewis Hamilton's F1 car at the Science Museum.

If you'd like to enjoy the famous Fortnum & Mason experience with kids, skip the St. James room at head to The Parlour Restaurant.  You can partake in quail egg and ham or rare roast beef sandwiches while the kids devour grilled cheeses, then dive into fabulous ice cream sundaes or ethereal coffee drinks.  With unique flavors such as stem ginger honey and old favorites like chocolate, mint chocolate chip or toffee, nobody will be disappointed.