What I Ate | Baba Boom

Whenever a new restaurant opens nearby my home, I feel a sense of optimism like no other. Especially when it's a new place offering brunch.

We stumbled into Baba Boom for a Sunday brunch, after learning that food was 50% off for their opening week - mind you, this was a few weeks ago. Good brunch has been hard to come by in London, and being spoiled with Insomnia benedicts for the better part of 6 years has not made the transition easy. However, I am proud to announce, I think I've found my new favourite spot for brunch in London!

The decor is enough to draw me in, and though simple, the menu certainly caught my eye as I walked by Baba Boom during construction. I ordered their veg breakfast option, a toss up of avocado, eggplant (or aubergine as the Brits say), fried eggs, halloumi and a little spice. Their sauces are delightful and the food was cooked perfectly. I was completely satisfied with the portion size, and even without a discount I would completely agree the food was worth every last pence. Next step is trying their dinner menu - a task I will relish...

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Photography | Walking to Kentish Town

Fun Things | Drinking in our Neighbourhood

London is a mega city, knitting together many different boroughs/neighbourhoods/sections into a beautiful collection of fun things and cool people. I love my neighbourhood, but am always keen to explore a new 'neck of the woods' as they say (well, as I say...).

When we first arrived, it was a weekly goal of ours to spend at least one weekend day transiting to a new neighbourhood and walking around, soaking in the sights, trying a new restaurant, or having some drinks on our wander. New neighbourhoods like Chelsea, Angel, Putney, Greenwich, and Shoreditch are fun and full of new adventures. However, there are still some places close by us that we can't help but visit on a regular basis.

Pop Brixton lasts all summer and consists of bars, food spots, and some retail, operating out of shipping containers. (All the rumors are true - Londoners love their shipping containers). If you get there early you just may be lucky enough to score a seat and get your food / drink in under 5 minute waiting time.

We Brought Beer is an amazing find, nestled on the high street close to us, and not more than a 7 minute walk from ours. We stumbled upon it, and have been going back ever since for their eclectic collection of craft beers from all over, and their back patio. Sort of a hybrid bar/retailer, this place will sell you beer and then let you drink it in their 'garden'. They also have a rotating selection of draught beers to drink, or fill your growler with. Oh yeah - and they sell chocolate!

Click on for more pictures from our recent neighbourhood adventures!

Weekday Inspiration | Cool Toilets

Toilets can be cool.

I never liked the wold 'toilet' but have learned to use it quite regularly in my lingo, now that I'm living in London. And, perhaps because of this (not really) I've grown a next level of appreciation for cool toilets (or 'washrooms') since.

Here are some pics of my favourite toilets from these last few weeks. One at the ultra adorable Middle Eastern eatery Baba Boom, and one at the infamous Indian restaurant Dishoom. Delicious food, pretty cute toilets too...

Moving to London | Coins

If you live in London, and use cash at least semi-regularly, you will notice just how many coins you accumulate - and quite quickly! We got a fair sized jar to fill with left over coins, and within 4 months it was overflowing. Even with the occasional pound taken out for morning coffees! It was an excellent way to de-clutter and consolidate the leftover coins, but what to do with all that heavy weight money when the jar was full?

A quick google search yielded some excellent tips on what to do with loose British change. A bank here in London, Metro Bank, has these 'magic money machines' in every single branch. You simply take your coins, pour them into the machine, and it will spit out a little receipt with your full balance printed on it. Take that to one of their tellers and you're handed bills to that amount - maybe a few pounds or change back, but still good!

Before you put your money in, you're asked to make a guess at how much you'll have in total. I don't know what the specifics are, but apparently you get a prize if you're estimate falls within 2 pence of the actual amount. Ours was wildly off - in a good way! 38 pounds later, we were laughing all the way to the bank...well, we were already at the bank but you know what I mean....

Weekend Musings | Talking Culture

Happy Sunday!

This has been a topic on my mind since moving here, and I finally have enough thoughts on it to create a 'musings' post. British people speak very differently than Canadian people. I know, duh, right?! Let me expand.

So, both countries speak English. And we already know there are a number of different colloquialisms and accents when comparing Canada and England. But, beyond the different words and the different sounds of same words (e.g. 'tom-a-to' vs. 'to-mah-to'), there is a stark difference in the way people communicate using the English language.

Photography | King's Cross & Canal Walk

What I Ate | A Saturday in Soho

You know those days when you're just a bottom-less pit of hunger, and you spend all your time exploring and looking for good food?

That's how one Saturday started, as I made my way through Soho to have ice cream and ramen, both from new places, both with a certain Japanese twist, and both eaten probably in the wrong order - ice cream and then ramen muahahahah. Both were completely unexpected but very welcome.

First stop, Milk Train, tucked away on a side street in Covent Garden / theatre district area. We stumbled upon this, and after seeing happy customers walking out and photographing their beautiful works of ice cream art, we knew this was one opportunity we just couldn't pass up. I got the matcha and I have to admit it just wasn't really my thing. We didn't get the cotton candy halo, maybe that's where we went wrong?

Second stop, Shoryu Ramen, another completely random choice that we thought of when we saw it's exterior. And that we fully ran into once we noticed the 50% off deal in the window. The ramen was delicious, and any spot that gives you a half peeled head of garlic cloves as a topping will obviously rank highly in my books. I chose the Dracula Tonkutsu and was not disappointed.

Click through for me pictures

Weekend Musings | Beating Jet Lag

It's been almost a month since I arrived back into London from a brief time in Toronto. I was so paranoid about jet lag coming back, and knowing that I was starting a new job on the Wednesday. I got to my flat from Gatwick around 2pm (1400), and had a really productive few hours of cleaning, laundry, unpacking, showering off the airport grime, etc. Then 6pm (1800 :D) hit and I didn't think I could make it much longer. So, I went out for some fresh air. Re-acquaint myself with my beloved neighbourhood, and also wake myself up STAT!

So, there I was, strolling down Northcote Road, the opposite way I usually go when I head out for a walk. And I stumbled upon a little gallery, closed for the day, but featuring some beautiful pieces in their window. I stood for at least 5 minutes, taking in these works and maybe being a bit of a sleep deprived zombie...

I didn't catch the artist's name, nor the names of their works, but I did snap some photos. I love how well articulated the birds are, and the way such unexpected media was used. Old journal pages - this is such a good idea!!

My favourite part is the little glimpse into the artist's life that these works facilitate. I'm a very curious person, even about peoples' mundane happenings. After all, isn't it the mundane on which a well lived life is truly built? There is magic everywhere. My thought for the day...