Bryan and I were supposed to be in England for 3 weeks back in April. A few days before we left Bryan broke his foot, forcing us to postpone the trip. It was a bummer. We eventually managed to get to London for a shorter visit in late May. Despite the delay, and shortened trip, there were some silver linings. The postponement meant that we were able to center the new trip around gardens. We fulfilled a long-time goal of attending the Chelsea Flower show (obsessed), and visiting Great Dixter and Prospect Cottage (life-changing?). We also returned to Charleston, one of my favorite places on earth. It was all pretty incredible.

We also ate. The postponement meant that a lot of our plans changed, and in some ways we got less precious with the trip and prioritized spending time with friends over making sure we were checking spots off of some list. Consequently, our meals on this trip did not represent the diversity of dining options that London offers. In fact, I think we experienced the opposite. We ended up eating at a lot of places that fall into this vague category of modern British (slash European slash Italian?) food that is ubiquitous, especially in certain neighborhoods in London. But it is a kind of food that we don’t have in Chicago, so it felt okay to lean in.

Despite our travel going remarkably smoothly (we were in and out of Heathrow in 45 minutes WITH checked bags!), the first day in a place is always rough going. It is the wrong time on your body clock and we all know to stay awake until bedtime for the best chance of adjusting. In this semi-zombie state we found ourselves on a tube to Bow to eat at Polentina, a small Italian restaurant with limited hours that is located on the floor of a textile workshop. A wall of the small dining room is glass and looks out on rows of sewing machines, piles of patterns and bolts of fabric. It was charmingly strange. And the food was remarkably good. It revived us. Our server helped us order and every dish that came out was spectacularly good and so satisfying. A starter of fried calf brains on toast was paired with a salad of whole citrus that was one of the best bites of the trip. It was an excellent start to our time in London.

My favorite meal of the trip was at Dalla, a new(ish) spot in Hackney that friends had recommended and that I fell hard for. The dining room is gorgeous, a word that I normally avoid using but seems most appropriate here. And it is the perfect setting for the chic Italian food coming out of the kitchen. Our server talked us through the entire menu (at our request, don’t worry) and helped us make sound decisions. The results were so delicious that by the time a small dish of wild strawberries topped with balsamic and zabaione arrived I had said “this is SO GOOD” like 37 times. I recently saw that Charli XCX walked over to Dalla for a post-wedding meal after her ceremony at the nearby Hackney Town Hall. So if you don’t want to take my word for it…? Ha

Bryan’s favorite meal of the trip (and I agree it was perfect!) was a lazy and decadent weekday lunch (the best kind?) we had at The French House, a Soho institution. We were there on a Thursday, which is the day they serve their beloved steak frites. It is a pretty perfect spot, and a pretty perfect meal. We ended with half a dozen of their madeleines, warm from the oven and accompanied by a pot of lemon curd. What a life!

Leila’s Cafe is one of my favorite places in London. Since I was last there Alex Jackson joined pastry-wiz Stroma Sinclair in the kitchen and the combo is really exceptionally good. We met two of our favorite Londonders for lunch and we ordered literally everything on the menu. Which is such a fun thing to do—feels kind of wild, even if the menu is relatively short. And everything on the menu was very good. Stroma is such a talented pastry chef—everything manages to seem effortless while also being so well-considered and thoughtful. She’s so good! Leila’s has recently come under threat due to a 300% rent increase that the community is currently fighting. I am hoping they have many more years ahead on Calvert Avenue.

We ate at many wonderful bakeries on the trip (Finks (love you forever), Quince, E5, etc—someday I will write a bakery guide?) but the spot that stole my heart was Toad in Camberwell. We joined the (surprisingly long!) queue of other pastry-hounds with our dear friend Charlotte. We were rewarded with a table full of pastries that were absolute perfection—fun and playful and perfectly executed. The Saffron and vanilla tea cake was one of the best things I’ve ever had and I have thought about it almost every day since we were there. You really must go. It was also the most Chicago-like bakery we visited, which is a complement because I think Chicago now has an incredible pastry scene. It is hard to not think of Sugar Moon when you’re at Toad (is this my dream collab? Come to Chicago, Toad!)

I love eating in London. Can’t wait to return. (Check out my last trip to London here)

xo