Coffee, libations, London miscellany

Here are some left overs from my trip to London.

First, the coffee. There are so many places here that make excellent coffee with people who are devoted to roasting only high-quality beans. It reminds me of the coffee boutique scene in San Francisco. I only tried a handful during my week in London.

Tapped & Packed
26 Rathbone Place
London W1T 1JD
0207 5802163

 

This is London, Part II

I hadn’t seen Sean in almost a year and the first thing I say when I see him in London is, “What are we eating?”

It was only logical for me to start my first meal in London with a classic English fry-up. I saw them everywhere, from the dingy corner dives to posh, trendy eateries. It must be the national dish or the collective comfort food of an entire country.

There are aspects in life where surprises can’t be tolerated. The full breakfast is probably one of them. One can always expect a traditional fry-up with two eggs, sausage, bacon, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms, beans and toast with a big cup of builder’s tea.

 

Un vrai brunch américaine

When people say, “Let’s meet for brunch this weekend,” I usually pass. In general I’m pretty punctual for appointments but on the weekend, I just can’t do it. There’s no weekend buzz killer than having to set the alarm clock even if it means going somewhere to eat. But when the invitation is, “Let’s have brunch at my place,” that changes the game altogether. There’s no rush to arrive on time so that everyone gets seated at once and you know that there will always be a big pot of coffee waiting for you as soon as you walk in.

This weekend was my turn to invite people over for brunch. However, since the weather forecast said it would be a beautiful day in Paris and my friends Jeremy and Florent have a rooftop terrace in the 6eme, they were hosting and I was cooking at their place.