You guys. Apologies for the radio silence on the blog these past couple of weeks.
If you follow my #feedfeed, you won’t doubt me when I say that it’s been more than just a little busy recently, as I’ve had legions of friends and family from India visiting. And yes, it is a standing joke that I see them more frequently here than I do when I’m back in Bombay!
Of course, it inevitably fell upon me to make sure that they had as tasty a trip as possible…
But, first.
A spot of sightseeing.
Albeit from a distance…
Inspired by my heady experience sipping cocktails in the cloud at GŎNG earlier this year, we sprung a spontaneous flight up the Shard, this time to the Shangri-La’s capacious restaurant/ lounge, Ting. The hotel’s affable staff were quite quick to welcome my three-year old nephew too, with a comfortingly rich hot chocolate and generous refills of the scrummiest petit-fours!
We had a wander around Borough Market as well, with Padella our first port of call for pici cacio – plump hand-rolled strands of pasta, coated in an exquisitely simple but sharp combination of pecorino cheese and butter with a kick of cracked black pepper.
Much to my brother-in-law’s chagrin, Kappacasein was closed and so we were unable to continue the carb fest with their much feted melted cheese toasties and racelette… but we did lay our hands on devilishly deep-fried empanadas, pumpkin pie and *those* donuts from Bread Ahead!
Heaps of scrummy treats were also enjoyed over afternoon tea. When in England…
Although on this occasion (timed in between a shopping expedition to Harrods), the age-old tradition was served up with a deliciously chocolatey twist.
Chocolate-chip scones with chocolate cremeux anyone?
A tea-time visit to Dominique Ansel’s new bakery in nearby Belgravia was in order too, where we got a bit carried away, going for one (or two) of everything including his signature s’mores, cookie shots, Welsh Rarebit croissants and the uncompromisingly-sweet DKA… (to name just half of what we had!)
In keeping up with the latest and greatest eats in town, we also braved the mammoth wait at the Barbary – the 24 seater restaurant in Neal’s Yard arranged around a highly-charged open kitchen.
This was actually my fourth visit to the thrilling new venture from the folks behind the Palomar, and the Berber-inspired riot of flavours consistently hit all the right notes yet again!
But we made time for old classics too, like my cosy local Italian.
And the pizzeria at Harrods, a rather convenient pit-stop during yet another afternoon blissfully lost in the myriad of corridors and halls making up my favourite department store.
And then there was dinner at Kai, for it’s meaty take on veggie food.
Think wasabi chai (mock prawns); three chilli chai (mock chicken) and even beancurd-based mock-duck rolls.
Probably the closest this party of vegetarians will come to eating the real thing.
And the ever-so-trendy Roka Mayfair, an all-time favourite for Japanese fare not to mention their formidable cocktails and matcha fondant…
It’s not everyday that I see this particular set of cousins and so lots of reunion drinks were also on the cards.
I know, I know.
Any excuse really.
Looking back, it almost seems as though I was on a holiday myself!
For more tips on where to eat and drink in London, have a read of my previous guide here.
Do you have any favourite spots for entertaining friends and family when they visit?