Need Some Help From Europeans or Euro-philes
- By Robyn Lee
- Apr 28, 2007
- Comments
Update (5/1): For those of you who visit this site regularly (!!?), I just want you to know that this is my last week of finals/presentations/academic goo, thus I probably won't update this week. I'll try, but I can't promise anything! GO AWAY, I HAVE NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE TO OFFER YOU! [goes into a corner and cries]
- not my burger, but it sure looks nice
My latest Gothamist post about Landmarc is up. Read more about Landmarc at The Wandering Eater and Ed Levine Eats. I'm relieved that for once my post hasn't provoked any trolls in the Gothamist community. (Or did I just jinx myself?...)
So...I'm afraid this isn't a foodie post. Next time I will l have one. I hope. You'll be rewarded for sticking with me at some point.
London and Austria, WAZZUP?
Adelyn, my friend in Paris who you may remember from entries such as this one, this one and this one, needs some advice for Europe-hopping. She'll be in Austria (Vienna/Salzburg) from May 14-21 and in London from the 22nd to 26th, longer if she can bum someone's couch. She's traveling alone and wants to know if any kind souls out there would feel like joining her on fooding quests or could offer any fooding advice. I unfortunately don't know much about London and pretty much nothing about Austria, nor will I be in either country when she will be there, SO...I am no help.
But you? [poke] Can anyone out there help Adelyn? SHE IS REALLY COOL, I SWEAR, and about as far from being an ax murderer as one could be, in case ...anyone was wondering (probably not). She's a lot of fun to hang out with (hence why I hung out with her so much), funny, smart, into films and art and other things besides food (can't say that about myself, haha!...ha!) and SHE LIKES FOOD, so she could use some fooding tips. Unfortunately her email is screwed at the moment, so if you have anything to tell her just leave a comment and I'll let her know (through the magic of facebook).
French people, stop playin'!
Update (4/30): The problem has been rectified! THANKS YANN for your help and kindness. You remind us that we love French people! And people in general.
- fat
Fluffy cat loves you.
Comments
OK, so, London. She must, must, must check out Borough Market - simply and completely different from anything we have here in the States. I recommend going on Friday, if possible, to avoid the Saturday crowds.
St. John, if she's willing to drop about 50 GBP on dinner. The scene is good fun, and the food is excellent.
Afternoon tea is obviously a must. Hotels tend to have great teas; I recommend The Stafford (in St. James) or The Dorchester (over near Marble Arch).
The restaurant on the top level of the National Portrait Gallery serves a good breakfast (their take on the traditional British fry-up is lovely, and includes juice and coffee for about 7 GBP), and their view across Trafalgar Square and the rooftops of central London is Mary Poppins-esque in its urban beauty.
Non-food-wise, the Tate Modern is a must, as is the aforementioned Portrait Gallery. The guided tour of Westminster Abbey is quite fun, if you have a spare hour and a half or so.
In London I would recommen YoSushi! first and foremost, especially if she is travelling alone. Its a chain of awesomely delicious and cheap (for London)japanese conveyor belt restauarants. There are a bunch of loactions throughout the city but I can only vouch for how good the one on Shaftesbury Ave was.
Ok this one is kind of tricky but I must find a way to tell someone going to London about it. I thionk its called Dumlping King... you see im not sure (but I'm pretty sure).It s just to the right of Leicester square entering into Chinatown. Its almost quite literally a hole in the wall with no sign over its door, but you will recognzie it by a woman standing behind a foggy glass shop window rolling out dumplings.Best bubble tea and dumplings (and I hav ebeen validate dby people that have spent a considrebale amount of time in London) in the city.
Porters is a spacious, comfortable, (tourist) friendly restauarnt that serves traditional british cuisine such as fish and chips, mushy peas, all sorts of puddings and pies. Very yummy, filling and fairly priced(for London) for a sit down meal.
I can second that Westminster Abbey is gorgeous and worth seeing.
Can't help with Austria or London, but if you have "safe" friends who want to eat Italy, I'm your chef!
I know french (as I am french, you know...) so I can help you if you want, the best thing would be for you to send me what you want to write and I could translate it.
Then I could send it back to you or send it myself, as you want.
I'm not so familiar with Austria but I guess stuff like Wiener Schnitzel (try veal instead of pork or chicken), Kaiserschmarrn, Apfelstrudel and the Sachertorte (chocolate cake with apricot jam) are must-try. Try Hotel Sacher at 4 Philhamnokerstrasse for their Sachertorte. It's pricey but they are supposedly to be the ORIGINAL.
For afternoon tea in London, I recommend the Liberty mansion. You have to go to the upstairs tea room, not the one on the ground floor, it's much nicer. Great afternoon tea, nice sandwiches, jams, scones, clotted cream I could eat with my fingers. Delish.
WAGAMAMA!! It's a relatively inexpensive noodle chain, but yummy.
Wong Kei in Chinatown, decent food, and well known for its rude servers. They have a dumb waiter, which is so cool to me. Alounak in Bayswater, or any of the small places in Bayswater for Middle Eastern food.
There are a few good Cornish pasty places in Covent Garden.
A good English breakfast of bacon, eggs, chips and beans. Can't recommend a good place, but they're all over.
Monmouth Coffee Company in Seven Dials, and one near Borough Market.
Chorizo sandwiches at Brindisa in Borough Market.
Malaysian food at Champor Champor - not cheap, but very good.
As for grocery store foodstuffs, Muller corner yogurts, Hobnobs, McVities caramel digestives, and apple and elderflower juice.
Doner kebabs are pretty big everywhere in Europe. My favorite one is on Southwark St near the Old Vic theater. They have the best chili sauce.
Tourist-wise the rotating photo exhibit at Victoria & Albert, a stroll along the South Bank from Westminister Abbey to Shad Thames (just east of Tower Bridge). If the weather is good, a boat down the Thames to Hampton Court Road. Second team Arsenal football at Emirates Stadium. Holland Park, which has peacocks.
wow, thanks everyone!!! and thanks robyn for posting this on your blog!
i'm in love with afternoon tea so all the places y'all recommended sound awesome. it's going to be a BUSY few days in london with all the fooding and sight-seeing!
judith - i am actually going to italy in june so maybe i'll actually take you up on that offer!
thanks again everyone!!!
and i'll be sure to chronicle my experiences there. :)
London: so many good things have already been recommended, but I have a couple to add :)
If you're at the V&A for the photos etc, try their scones with clotted cream and jam (I can never resist the raspberry), and sit in one of the lovely arts & crafts rooms off the main cafe, they're gorgeous.
If you're going to China Town you have to go to Mr Kong (I think it's on Lisle Street) and try the paper wrapped chicken, it's unbelievably good.
If you have the time to trek out to Stoke Newington, Il Bacio has the best pizza I've had in London (and they're huge, I don't think I've ever managed to finish one), and the eggs benedict at The Blue Legume makes a fantastic breakfast (they serve it until 5pm - my kind of breakfast place).
guess who else will be in london 21-25 may? I'll be happy to meet up with adelyn for fooding.
I have to recommend trying Wiener Schnitzel whilst in Vienna.
I had a particularly great one near the Spanish Riding School / Royal Palace in a tiny little 'pub'. It was just the Schitzel, a little potato salad and a slice of lemon. Yuuumm...
From memory, it was somewhere along Josefplatz.
I'd be happy to help with anything in Norway, but while London is relatively close I won't be able to help there.
Oh, and Judith; If you wish to show me some places the next time I go to Italy (I'm pretty safe, I'll let Robyn be my reference :p) I'd be very happy to be shown around. Never been to Umbria either :)
Hi Robyn,
If I'm back in London by then, I'm happy to meet up with Adelyn.
This cat is so cute I have one that he has underweight and I have to walked with him everyday because the veterinarian said that he will die if he doesn't loose his weight.