just over a year later, and there i was again, in london.
with the same main purpose, to eat.

only this time it was a little bit different, i wasn't there by myself, i was there with a friend.
a friend who's from london.

which made the trip a whole lot different. someone who knew her way around was showing me the best of food scene in london!

we started at our beloved market—broadway market—on a sunny saturday with 16 degrees and plenty of sunshine (which was quite unusual for late december) we were well-prepared to eat our way through the market by having just fruit salad for breakfast after a light morning yoga session.
and by the time we got to the market at twelve, our tummies were already rumbling with hunger.




one great thing about travelling with a friend (who also loved food) was the fact that we got to try more food because we just bought one portion of everything and shared them. a great way to save money and be kind to your body. (even then, i found myself lying in bed at midnight with a full stomach almost every night in london)

the first thing we went for was heavenly halloumi burger from the veggie table, flo's favourite veggie burger.


the memory of visit to london last year came back, when i got myself a veggie burger from this stall and it was very soggy and messy to eat on lettuce. that was vegan chickpea burger. this time, however, it was halloumi burger in a proper bun, a lot easier to eat and a lot tastier. though i guessed i wasn't too keen on it still and would like to try something else from other stalls next time. maybe the savoury wrap nearby!

overwhelmed by the choices of food available, we walked around till the end of the market, turned right and entered the little market in a school. we just felt like we needed to see everything before make a decision of what to eat next.

and then i saw this rather mysterious coconut pancakes stall with no photos or samples or queues or whatsoever that would indicate what the food look like. out of curiosity i asked the guy at the stall he told me it was basically a stack of 3 american-style pancakes made from coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut water, coconut meat and banana (maybe the only thing in there that wasn't coconut), topped with salted caramel sauce made with coconut milk and coconut sugar.

how on earth could it get any more coconuty than this?

and of course it got me, a true coconut lover.



while the pancakes were nice, they weren't as coconuty as i hoped they would be (and i knew why...they missed some toasted coconut flakes!) and being a good pancakes-maker myself (reasonably) my pancakes, maybe not made entirely with coconut, were possibly tastier. the only thing i didn't have was the salted caramel sauce which was quite nice (and sweet)

not a bad experience overall but maybe not again.

though we were quite determined to go back for something savoury from the main market, we decided to explore the last bit of the market, netil market, first. and we got hooked.

by victoria's yum.

a very dangerous place indeed.



all the cakes looked amazing, and the price was unbelievable (for london, the size of a slice) we were, once again, overwhelmed by the varieties of these beautiful and mouthwatering cakes and couldn't decide to buy just one.

simple solution, we got a slice each and shared them.

i was torn between spiced orange chocolate cake and the raspberry, pistachio and rose 4-layer cake. i decided to went for the latter (main because of it being a 4-layer, and the baker said it was her favourite) while flo went for another 4-layer salted caramel chocolate cake.

the first bite was heaven. sweet and moist, just lovely. but as we were finishing the first slice, we realised only one slice would have been enough.

nevertheless, we finished everything, and were properly stuffed afterwards.
the salted caramel chocolate one was nice, but the raspberry one wasn't quite my taste. it was just sweet where i prefer either something sweet and sour (like lemon cake) or sweet and bitter like chocolate one. though i would love to go back there and try some of her vegan and gluten free stuff next time.

just before we left, i saw my favourite chocolate shop, dark sugar, and i couldn't help but stop and tried a few pieces of chocolate from them. everything was so lovely. the plain dark chocolate, orange and cardamom, stem ginger and honey, and the salted caramel bomb.


the next day was sunday, which meant another market day. we started of with ally pally (alexandra palace) farmer's market, five minutes down the road from where flo lived. i didn't expected the market to be so big. well, it wasn't as big as broadway market but bigger than i thought it would be, and the selection of food there was amazing.

we sampled a few things, like really fresh british walnuts (which tasted so much better than any walnuts i've ever had, so sweet and fresh), lovely goat's curd from narnia goat's cheese, and a few things in-between before buying ourselves a starter: lentil and mushroom scotch egg. despite the fact that it was cold, the egg was amazing.  perfectly cooked and just lovely.


we skipped our main and went straight for dessert, cannolis from casa cannoli. we got three to share: original, hazelnut and pistachio. it was the first cannoli i had ever had, and it was delicious. crispy shell, creamy filling. my favourite ones were original and hazelnut. i would love to try lemon next time (again, i was sweet & sour kinda person)




and one of the best savoury food i had from markets in london was this mushroom spring roll made by a philipino.

yes, a mushroom spring roll. and i come from thailand.

the mushrooms smelled like umami and it was just incredible. no dipping sauce needed and no words could explain what i tasted in my mouth.

i would definitely get this spring roll again. there's no doubt about that.



not too far from the market was a lovely cafe called nati's, owned by flo's aunt. the place was bright and lovely with a small counter full of baked goods. they also serve deli-style lunch and breakfast.

we got some chai lattes (mine was matcha chai which i really liked), chocolate bun, brownkie with pistachio and some kind of spanish almond and pine nuts cookie. and even though i wasn't too keen on the spanish cookie, the brownkie was amazing, and so was the chocolate roll, tradition pastry the hungarians have for breakfast (that's what nati, who was from hungarian, told us) everything was freshly baked, especially the yeasted roll which nat herself baked every morning. i would love to go back there for breakfast or lunch (which flo told me was really good as well.)


we went on a cannoli hunt later. and flo took me to this italian deli on wardour street called princi. we bought a huge (and very expensive) cannoli and enjoy every moment of it while it lasted. unfortunately, it didn't last very long.

all the salads there looked mouthwatering, as was the arancini which we might go back and get it one day.


and those were our two heavy-eating days. the rest were lighter (my tummy was thankful for that. i don't think it could handle any more sugar-heavy market days for a while)

the next day, we took a bus to green lanes and went to flo's favourite turkish restaurant called haha. there, we shared a fried aubergine dish, Imam Bayildi, which was more than enough for the two of us. this due mainly to the fact that they served complimentary salad with freshly bake bread and yogurt sauce, which was almost as good as the main dish itself. and hummus that came with the dish was one of the best i had ever tasted.

and the bill was a tenner for the two of us.

clearly there was no reason for me not to go back there.
no turkish meal would be completed without a few baklavas. so we crossed the street and went into a big bakery selling so many different types of baklavas cookies and bread. we asked the staff and a turkish customer before deciding what to get. at the end, we bought three (way too much considering the state of our tummies), a pistachio one, almond one and walnut one (with noodles wrapped around, that was my favourite!)


the pistachio, pretty classic, was drenched in syrup. the almond one was alright. the walnut noodles was amazing. not too sweet with the crispy noodles texture outside. and it was huge.

can't wait to go back and try more varieties of them.



walking through the market, i tried one of the best rye bread i had ever had from karaway bakery (the black rye one.) at was dark and slightly sweet. i think rye bread was growing on me slowly, as was my interest for scandinavian cuisine.

and i tried a lot of olive and truffle oil. like a lot. it was my first time tasting truffle oil which was super intense, as well as the fresh, first-press olive oil. at the end of the day, throat was filled with the scent of truffle it was overwhelming. my favourite, though, was olive tree tea which reminded me a little of chinese oolong tea.


and i tried loads of cheese...goat's, sheep's, raw and all sorts. that was very satisfying.


sampling my way through the market. that, i believed, was the best way to experience food when you're travelling by yourself. rather than being one thing and feel stuffed afterward, just a bite of everything was enough for me.

and of course, i saved some money doing so!


because flo's sister was a head baker at brick house bakery, we paid a visit to the artisan sourdough bakery and cafe in east dulwich. situated in a bright warehouse-like building, the place has got this hipster vibe, it felt less cosy but rather communal with the big long tables. what i found really cool was the fact the customers could look over the counter and see the bakers at work.
we got a grilled cheese sandwich and some salad from the deli counter. they sourced all the ingredients really well, using high quality veg, cheese and meat. my grilled cheese with chopped spring onions inside was amazing, and so was the salad. they had a great selection of mouthwatering-looking pastries as well. their sourdough loaves looked amazing (and was amazing, my favourite ones were multigrain and peckham rye) but they sold out really fast. go there after twelve and there's very little chance you'll be carrying a loaf of bread home.

if everything was not so expensive (or I start to earn more money, if at all), i would definitely be back there. though i supposed i can go to places in leeds like sheaf st. cafeteria for brunch and the food would be as good.

though the morning buns there would draw me back for another visit...


to round of our culinary tour in london, we went to golders green for some jewish treats on christmas eve. flo wanted to show me jewish bakeries and all the interesting things they had in there. unfortunately, it was not the poppy seeds and hamantaschen season (which would be during easter time) so instead of those, we got some pastries, biscuit and rugelach-like pastry which was really nice. the cheesecake there was also amazing.


there were an abundance of japanese restaurants in golders green. to round up our culinary tour in london (before the big christmas feast begins), we stopped by at flo's favourite japanese restaurant called cafe japan. to flo's surprise, the place was renovated and it changed a lot, less friendly and more formal (from her memory.) we ordered spicy salmon inside-out roll and enjoyed every bite of fresh salmon. oh how much i missed fish (and japan)

followed by a big christmas feast with loads of cooking and eating christmasy stuff including brussels sprout, nut roast, christmas cake and our homemade, sugar-free ginger salted chocolate banoffi pie (which was divine) i left london and ended my year (unknowingly) at the 10-day vipassana course.

london was great (and money consuming.), partcularly all the amazing food and farmer's markets. it was so nice to have a 'local' showing me around all these great places and trying different food from all around the world. i can't wait to go back there, and on my next-to-visit list are...

sunday ally pally farmer's market
brick lane weekend food market
saturday malty street market
golders green and the jewish bakeries
turkish at green lanes
and so the list continues...

after two months of student life and self-catering, i felt like i was going to london to eat

vantra vitao—25-27 oxford street (tottenham court)

vegan restaurant with quite a lot of raw food and dessert, food are a little pricey but i went for lunch 'buffet' which wasn't too bad. there buffet line had a lot of different food. from something like three curries, three stir fries, 5-6 sides (quinoa pride, brown rice, fried rice, roasted potato, mashed potato) loads of different salads (vegetable and pasta, cooked and raw) with four dressings and hummus.

now that sounds like an amazing buffet isn't it? the only thing i didn't like was that it's not really a buffet because you can only fill the food in your box once, and everything kinda mixed together in that box which was a pity for so many different kinds of yummy food.

i had a small box (6£, and bigger box for 7£ eat in) which i wished i had stuffed more food in. the food, i must say, was extremely tasty. even better than 222 veggie vegan (and cheaper! but again, it wasn't really a buffet) though of course not every dish was good and some dishes tasted a bit weird. but overall it was an awesome meal and i loved it so much. really wanted to have something sweet afterwards but their raw desserts were way too expensive.

i ill go back there and stuff more food in that little box!


sunday upmarket—brick lane

i entered this food hall and i was lost in the world of food. literally. there were countless food stalls from all over the world; japanese, chinese, thai, tibetan, malaysian, indian, persian, spanish, mexican, italian, caribbean, venezuelan, and of course, ethiopian.

the food was to tempting and the price was so affordable that i wanted to try everything. so i had to walked around the market like three times before deciding what to eat. there was pad thai, my favourite thai dish back home, spanish omelette and this huge ethiopian plates i wanted to try.


i opted for the ethiopian vegan one, simply because it was unusual and i was unlikely to get to try it elsewhere. the plate was so massive (everything was 6£) and i could hardly finish it. there was couscous, beans, chickpeas, lentils, salad and different sauces along with 'injera', this ethiopean yeasted flatbread made from rice flour. either the food was good or i was very, very hungry i couldn't be sure. but i finished the whole thing except this injera bread. i personally thought it didn't taste really good. it was too sour and it absorbed water from other food which made it soggy and a little disgusting. i wished i chose the plate without this bread but overall it was yummy. would be a perfect dish to share between two persons (because it was way too big for one) but too bad i was travelling alone.

well, that's one thing i didn't like about travelling alone: i didn't get to try as much food as i wanted to because there was nobody to share it with me!!

no meal is over without sweet ending, that's my motto. and even though the ethiopian food filled 99.99% of my tummy, there was always a teeny, tiny room for dessert.

always.

i wandered around the food hall two more times, trying to find my sweet ending but i couldn't found one. they were all either too big or too expensive. i was giving up and walked out of the market. just as i turned on a little alley to backyard market, i found was i was looking for...

this argentine food stall!

the sold empanadas (meat and veg) and this small biscuit filled with dulce de leche in the middle. so i bought one of those and expected it too be too sweet. well, it was sweet, but not to the point that make me didn't want to eat it. in fact,  i did like it a lot.


kahaila—135 brick lane (shoreditch high street)

i haven't been to a lot of cafes in london, but this is definitely one of my favourite cafes ever. one thing because this place is so unique. it's not just a cafe but also a community. there are events, workshops, yoga classes, and even church service! the cafe is also a registered charity, so the profits go towards local projects and charity. they source their products ethically and locally wherever possible. and they have such a lovely, big space to sit and work, decorated in a natural, handmade wooden style.

i had chai latte (2.2£) with soy milk. even though it was way too sweet for my liking, i will still firmly say that i'm going back to that place again.


Dum Dums Doughnuts—unit 31, box park (shoreditch high street)

i love doughnuts but they are always fat and fried. but this, these doughnuts are all baked! and baked doughnuts are seriously the best kind of doughnuts (exception is tofu doughnut in kyoto which i really, really want to try) i went for classic choice like peanut butt jelly donut (2£) and it was amazing. they also had special doughnuts and cronuts (3£ each) like strawberry and cream or hazelnut chocolate which looked really mouthwatering. might have to revisit the place for those goodies!


books for cooks—4 blenheim crescent (lad broke grove/notting hill gate)

it's not a vegetarian restaurant. in fact, it's not even a restaurant but it's my favourite place in london.

the name tells it all, this is a cookbook shop where the whole place is filled with cookbooks and nothing else. it is a place where a cookbook-obsessed like me can never resist. i believe i can spend a whole day there looking through all the cookbooks from around the world.

but wait, why am i writing this in a food guide post? well, following a very special concept, they also serve food! though they only cook one meal a day for lunch so you can never choose anything from the menu (tuesday is always vegetarian and it's fish friday) they cook recipes they have never cooked before straight from cookbooks. that's how much they trust cookbooks. the menu normally consists of soup with home-baked bread, main dish and three amazing cakes.

good news is that it's only 5£ for two-course and 7£ for 3-course...in the middle of notting hill and portobello road! this place is such a precious gem.


i went early (twenty to twelve) on a fish friday. they started serving at twelve. the recipes that day were from two of jamie oliver's cookbooks; roster celery soup and smoked haddock risotto. the soup, served with a slice of homemade focaccia, was nice and warm. while the risotto was too salty for me, the texture was very lovely and i finished it all. as i had a very small belly, i was full by then. but how could i say no to a piece of cake for only 2£ extra. so of course, i went for it after a little break. they had almond poppyseed layered cake with mascarpone, dark chocolate and raspberries, brown sugar cheesecake with caramelised nuts and oreo cookies layered cake. i chose the first one.

i was very surprised when the waitress brought me the cake, the slice was so big!!! it was served with dark chocolate sauce and chilled yogurt. the bitterness of chocolate balanced the sweetness of the cake very well. it was truly divine. i spent almost an hour on that cake because i was so full (very bad habit of eating too much food...) and i was sad to leave a little bit of the piece behind.