TRAVEL - London Calling

Happy New Year to everyone out there. I've just barely recovered from a hectic holiday season that involved over 7000 miles on the road seeing two different sets of family and an incredible trip to London to ring in the new year. 

Despite being pretty familiar with the city and the many (many, many) food and drink options, it's always a ton of fun revisiting old favorites and discovering new ones as well. Here are some of my favorites from our six day trip.

Leong's Legends (and Leong's Legend Continues)
I've been coming here since I was a grad student and the place looks exactly the same every time I go back for reliable, good quality Taiwanese noodles and dumplings on the cheap. If Leong's Legends is too full, hit up "Continues" around the corner. Same owners, same food, same prices.

Spicy beef noodle soup cures what ails you because #science

Taiwanese pork belly rice

The Delaunay (and the Delaunay Counter)
The Delaunay on the Strand is a great choice for Viennese-influenced brunch but the more casual, cafe-style Delaunay Counter next door really came through for us on a rainy evening after a long day battling crowds (and hysterical small children) at the museums. Stop in at Delaunay Counter for some excellent Viennese pastry, a double cappuccino and feel your strength (and humanity) return. 

Get some people watching in with your caffeine fix

Pain au chocolat because what else is vacation for

Ottolenghi
What else is there to say about the amazing Ottolenghi that hasn't already been said? It's hard to believe the hype but the food really is that damn good. If all my vegetables could always taste this good, I would go vegetarian with no hesitation at all.

Even the bread is better here, especially if it's chili focaccia (!)

Unbelievable appetizers, especially the roasted aubergine

Grilled pork neck and lamb koftas were unreal

Chiltern Firehouse
Yes it's mildly overrated but when we were cripplingly hungover on New Year's Day, being able to sit in Chiltern Firehouse's buzzy and welcoming dining room and recuperate over solid brunch food and a Bloody Mary was a treat in itself.

Tuna tartare deviled eggs

There's a fancy name but this is Eggs Benedict with ham, basically

Crab noodles (with what I suspect was XO sauce)

Dishoom
We had quite a lot of Indian food in London thanks to our "When in Rome" strategy and Dishoom definitely managed to stand out. Our server seemed *very* concerned that we would over order which ended up not being the case for once. It's a good spot to hit up with a group so that you get to try a bit of everything on their rather extensive menu. 

The Dishoom version of a "chip butty" and their excellent lamb samosas

Deep fried is definitely the best way to have okra

Kulfi on a stick and their take on an Eton mess

Leaving London is always so depressing and especially true this time. I'm already looking forward to my next trip back. Let me know if you have any London favorites!