Time past so fast, and we were now at the tail-end of our vacation!
You would have read about our London Part 1, and our 5 days in Iceland. After coming back from Iceland, we just wanted to take it slow and did not plan a lot of activities. The previous posts were some of the places we visited and ate.
Happy couple!
Another day, another breakfast decision. We Googled for a nearby breakfast place and The Regency Café (opened since 1946) seemed like a good option for some classic, traditional full English breakfast! It was voted as the fifth best restaurant in London by users of the website Yelp in 2013, and was included in the list of the top five less expensive places to eat in the UK.
But we have read many reviews about poor service, so we were also prepared to go elsewhere if things didn’t work out. Getting shouted at early in the morning is not the best way to start the day! (Apparently, the procedure of the day is to order your food at the counter first before you find a seat, or you will be shouted at!)
It was an easy 10-15min walk from our hotel and we managed to arrive close to 9am, and it was almost full, with only a couple of empty tables.
Bright yellow exterior
Hubby woke up bright and early today! Because we were going out for a proper breakfast! The wifey was still hiding under the bed covers when he was ready… Haha! What to do? It was very cold this morning!
Anyway, we made it out of our hotel and managed to arrive at The Breakfast Club (Soho branch) before 9.30am. It was almost full because it opens from 8am, but there was still one 2-seater available, yay!
The Breakfast Club Cafe has 7 branches spread all over London and there is always long queues in all its cafes. It is popular for its brunch menu which is served until 5pm. Hubby got the recommendation of this place from his graduate student who became a stewardess, and hence had numerous opportunities to visit cities all over the world and visit nice eateries, like this one!
War Horse play at New London Theatre
After visiting British Museum, we wanted to spend the evening catching another musical or play. We tried for Matilda but it was full-house, so we settled on the hugely popular War Horse at New London Theatre.
After getting the tickets, there was still enough time for dinner so we wandered around the streets nearby and found this Great Queen Street restaurant which serves modern British food!
There are quite some tables on the ground level and there is also an alfresco area, with a cellar bar that opens till midnight (possibly for post-theatre drinks). There is a pre-theatre menu that serves quite a decent list of food, catering to the patrons of quite a good number of theatres around this area.
Some dishes on the menu were good for sharing for 2 or 3, but we didn’t had enough time, even though the description on the chalkboard looked awesomely tempting!
Popular cafe
We were quite tired today, having spent the last few nights chasing northern lights and taking a late flight back to London, so today was supposed to be a chill out day.
We continued to roam around after lunch, checking out some shops in the Soho area, and then we saw SACRED Cafe, which is a New Zealand style artisan coffee bar, in front of us. It looked popular, so we headed in… Haha!
This is a cosy place which has both indoor and alfresco areas (which also meant smoker-friendly :(). It has piped-in music and free wifi so you can see people with a laptop and a latte occupying tables around.
We also saw stairs leading downstairs so we were guessing there is also basement seating, or it may just be a toilet. 🙂
Flat Iron Soho branch
While doing research for London eateries, hubby came across this new craft butchery (opened in 2012) that serves remarkable steak specialising in the flat iron cut but does not take reservations, and there are always long queues.
So on this day when we just returned from Iceland the night before, we decided that we should go try our luck!
Having just gone to the Apple Store nearby, we arrived 10 minutes before opening and there were already 2 people waiting in line. By the time Flat Iron opened its doors at 12 noon, there were 3 groups, and all tourists… In fact, all Chinese from different countries, haha.
There were a few long tables on the ground level for sharing (there is also an upper level with more tables), but since it was relatively empty, each group had a table to themselves. Decorations were minimal, with the food menu stuck to the wall by each table.
Wifey had to go for a work trip to London (and Birmingham and Gloucester) for first 2 weeks in Oct and the plan was for me to join her at the tail-end of her trip and to extend her vacation in London and Iceland for another 2 weeks!
Her work would end on 17 Oct (Friday) in Gloucester and she and her colleagues would travel back to London on 18 Oct where I would meet her. My plan (after factoring cost of SQ ticket, timing of flight, my work, etc., etc.) was to travel out of Singapore on 16 Oct night, and arrive on 17 Oct morning (after a 13-hr flight!) which would leave me with a full day in London before meeting her.
We would then stay in London until 22 Oct (tonight) and fly to Iceland early morning of 23 Oct and stayed until 27 Oct to fly back to London.
Cafe Latte
Hot Chocolate
Woohoo! Found this cafe as we were on our way back to Oxford Street, and we were glad that we came in!
The Cafe Latte (£2.60) was very good! The acidity taste seemed to swirl around within the mouth when I took a sip, very lovely!
The Hot Chocolate (£2.60) was really chocolatey and delicious too, so it was very good for such a windy day 🙂
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Simple pleasures
We had a late start this morning and decided we must go to Burger & Lobster for lunch!
Well, you see, everyone who has gone to London (and back) says this is a must-go restaurant whenever you are in London (together with Duck & Waffle and Patty & Bun)! The food menu is very simple, there are only 3 items. In fact, there isn’t a menu! The waitress simply come by your table and explain the very simple 3 items to the table. For £20, you could order:
Ah, £20 for a burger? No thanks 😛
Happy couple!
Deciding what to eat
We were around the corner at Oxford Street and figured that we should pop by for some burger goodness!
Patty & Bun has become very popular in London with their juicy burgers. There are 2 locations in Central London, one on James Street and one on Liverpool Street. The one on James Street is right in the middle of the famous shopping street, Oxford Street (this is like Orchard Road in Singapore). Which is just as well, because you can always drop by for a burger after your shopping spree!
Eat.Eat.Walk.Walk . 吃吃走走 