London: Delicious Destinations.

As you may already know, I am a creature of habit. I travel but I am not a traveler. I have a keen memory for the senses but I am not a dabbler. When I find something I love, I go back over and over and over. And when I'm ready, I share my dot connecting with the right people.

I do not conjure press just for the sake of its inflatable ego. I don't just want you to know about a place I love, I want to introduce people I love to chefs and food and pastry chefs and sweet things and farmers and fruit to each other for long term relationships.

People evolve and change, and so will your favorite salad or peach or pork belly. Restaurants are bought and sold, killed and multiplied. Priorities change, as will the weather and economic climate.

And for every transition, every major move, every chapter of my wacky life, a theme is born. One dinner cooked ad infinitum, a restaurant is visited too many times. Fruits and veg come into season after a long awaited year, and everything is pushed aside in order to party solely with those who won't be seen or tasted for another long year.

I create plans so that my companions and I will walk by a certain doughnut stand, or I will make a weekly standing appointment near a particular restaurant. The point is that I will go completely out of my way for delicious food.

Whatever the habit at the time, I will stop at nothing to incorporate it as often as possible. And then, attempting to ensure it doesn't leave before I tire of it, I share. Well I don't always share, but most of the time I do.

I have begun compiling a list of my favorite spots. It's on the eggbeater page named 'Shuna lives in London now.'

But I wanted to share some specific reasons for my new crushes, my new loves, my secret lovers, my devout obsessions.

THE MODERN PANTRY Clerkenwell.
Four reasons:
Poached Tamarillo with Greek Yogurt & Manuka Honey
Beautiful location, interior, bathroom
Innovative, inspired menu
Square Mile Coffee

ANCHOR & HOPE The Cut, near Waterloo Station
always delicious, hearty, local, boistrous, friendly. loyal, long term staff. sublime desserts.

LOAFING Victoria Park
personal small bakery, made-to-order sandwiches, absolutely perfect lemon meringue cake, working proprietress, comfy, pretty glass cakestands, clotted cream & jam & scones.

TINA, WE SALUTE YOU! King Henry's Walk
I didn't want to tell you about this place.
It's a secret. I want it to stay that way.
It's around the corner from my house.
It's inconvenient for you to get to.
You'd have to take the infamous Overground and you wouldn't want to do that, right?
But if you must ~
homemade cakes, communal table, sunny corner spot, 3 blocks from Dalston Market, good sampling of savoury food & sandwiches or crumpets with honey, Square Mile Coffee with serious, dedicated baristas, neighborhoody, friendly, mine.

THE HARWOOD ARMS Fulham
I've only been here once but it made an outstanding impression on me. Service, design details, food, skylight, dessert: perfect. Perhaps it identifies as a gastropub but I would say it's being a very humble restaurant then. I've tried innumerable times to go back but it's always booked to the gills.

THE BROADWAY MARKET
five reasons {out of 5,000}:
small enough but packed without being claustrophobic, dedicated to local artisans of food & other, fantastic shops line street, Wild Beef, 20 minute bus ride from bus stop in front of my flat.

FLOUR STATION
The {only?} best traditionally made English Muffin, spot on & stunning Irish Soda Bread, real chelsea buns, my favourite London Eccles Cake.

BOMPASS & PARR jelly intersects with art installation
the most innovative, inspired, silly, outlandish, quirky dessert idea I have ever seen. i love it. i want to be a jelly roadie. fan for life. stalker. taster. anything.

ST JOHN  and ST JOHN BREAD & WINE
I don't believe I could ever tire of the menus, the humour, the aesthetic, the homage, the books. I am a tireless, resigned admirer and it is restaurants like this which make me feel humbled to be part of the industry.

All the websites & exact locations of these Delicious Destinations in London can be found on my continuously evolving Shuna lives in London now. page.

Have I missed any you think I should venture to? Do tell! I live for delicious food hunting..

Comments

[Camille]

Thank you so much for this, Shuna! I'm going to London for the first real time (the underground and three train stations hardly count) next weekend, and I can't wait to check sme of these places out!

[Jenny]

Oh cool, you live pretty close to where I used to live, I was just off the kingsland road (weymouth terrace) a bit closer to old street than you. Its an interesting neighbourhood, dalston. You're well lucky to be really close to the awesome bagels, great curries and I remember the viet hoi being really good too in that area.

Good times. I miss living in London, but it wasnt sustainable in my case, our landlord gave us very cheap rent but was very strange and I had to give it up in the end.

I hope to visit some of your favourites on my next trip home this autumn.

[Chelsea]

I'm really missing your insights on the Bay Area happenings!

[Jude]

May I ask what a "mince and tattie" is? :)

Hello Jude, I believe mince here would mean mince made with ground beef & tattie is a nickname for potato. Word-play and phraseology are some of my favorite parts of living in England! Great expressions, and the English have kept a lot of great words Americans have since discarded. ~ Shuna

[rachel]

Sorry chelsea but I am not missing the bay area highlights and simply loving the london ones.
Rome may be home but london is my home home and broadway market my hunting gound, st J my mecca, the H and A my watering hole and the flour station my favorite station after waterloo.
back home home soon to try out loafing.

[Uncle Hunty]

Broadway market is great. I visit Rob and Tuyen at Cafe VN every week for a couple of Vietnamese coffees. Strong and sweet and guaranteed to get your blood pumping. I spend hours jsut sitting and watching, it's a great way to spend a sunny saturday.

Come along ask ask Rob who I am and I will talk food and Aussie culture with pretty much anyone.

You can admire my dog.