London, England - part 2

We try to always go on a trip for our wedding anniversary in July and we had already flown so much this year that we wanted a trip we could take by train. Austin also really wanted to see the USA Olympic basketball team but we missed out on tickets for Paris. When he found out they were playing an exhibition game in London near our anniversary, we decided it was the perfect excuse to go to London together.

We had both been to London before separately, so we were excited to go back together. We had already done all the touristy stuff we were interested in so we spent the trip eating, relaxing and exploring.

Day 1

This trip started right off the bat with a bit of chaos - I caught COVID at the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour a few weeks before the trip, and was just on the edge of being all the way better when it was time to leave. Then on the morning of the trip, I snapped my glasses clean in half! I didn’t have a backup pair and had to rush to have them super glued back together.

Normally the train is direct from Rotterdam to London, but due to construction when we booked you had to switch over in Brussels and go through passport control there. When we arrived in Rotterdam we found that our train to Brussels had been massively delayed and then finally cancelled. We managed to get on the next train to Brussels which was also delayed, where we sat on the floor of the dining car because we didn’t have seats reserved. (This is your reminder that traveling is not always glamorous)

When we did finally arrive in Brussels, the last train to London had already departed. Very frustrated and tired, we booked a hotel next to the train station and planned to get up early to catch the 7:30 AM train.

The next morning we did manage to switch our tickets for the 7:30 AM train and arrived in London at around 10 AM. Since we already had our hotel room waiting for us, we were able to check in, get changed & then head to breakfast.

Savoy Cafe & Kitchen

I went to this restaurant on my previous trip to London for breakfast and I loved it so much that I wanted to go back. I got a veggie English breakfast plus a hashbrown which was so good and such a good start to the day.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

London is really well known for its theater scene, so we had to check out a play while we were there. Austin had heard great things about this Stranger Things prequel and it turned out to be great! Seeing how they managed the effects live on stage was really fun and the story was great.

Mikkeller Bar London

After some relaxing and exploring we had a drink at Mikkeller bar before dinner. We have been to Mikkeller a few times (they are from Copenhagen) and always really liked them so were excited to check it out. The atmosphere was really nice inside and they had great options for both of us.

Ma Petite Jamaica Shoreditch

I was really excited to take the opportunity in London to explore new kinds of food. Sometimes some of the best food you can find in Europe is by finding a restaurant of a country that was colonized by the country you’re in - that leaves no shortage of options in the UK!

This place was so good. We had lobster & crayfish mac & cheese bites, chicken tenders, and 2 kinds of curry. Everything had a bit of spice but not so much that we couldn’t handle it.

Day 2

Beigel Bake

We woke up early and walked to Beigel Bake to try their bagels. It was pretty good but my mind was definitely not blown. The mustard was a little too spicy and overpowering for me.

Spitalfields Market

This market is so nice inside with lots of great stands. We had a few snacks & treats here and wandered around the stalls.

Dishoom

Dishoom is one of my favorite restaurants in the world! I of course had to go and once again it did not disappoint. We got the house chaat, a shrimp curry, the broccoli salad and of course the black daal.

Brick Lane

After lunch we wandered around the vintage stores on Brick lane, which are always so fun to explore. They have so much cool stuff!

Ottolenghi Spitalfields

Since we were in London for our anniversary I wanted to have a nice dinner. I got a recommendation for Ottolenghi but unfortunately they weren’t open on the day of our anniversary. We decided to go the day before instead.

The food here was so good! We had hummus, grilled peaches, some turkish dumplings, and grilled shrimp. For dessert they had a big spread you could walk around and choose from. I got an orange chocolate cake and Austin got an amazing maple cake. The service was also amazing and super helpful. They helped me pick out a glass of wine and explained a lot of dishes to us. I really loved it!

Day 3

Borough Market

I went to Borough Market on my first trip to London but didn’t realize how cool it would be and unfortunately had just eaten. With Austin I had to make sure to fix that mistake! We got a sandwich from The Black Pig that I had seen on Tiktok and it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.

We also got the famous strawberries with melted chocolate, which seems simple but was honestly amazing. We also got some donuts but I wasn’t as crazy about those.

Puttshack Bank

We love to play mini golf at unique locations when we travel and I stumbled upon this one on Google maps that we had to try. The whole place is electronic so it keeps score for you and all the holes are really creative - some of them look like ski ball, beer pong, drums, etc! We had so much fun here and you can get drinks delivered to you on the course as well.

Aba-Ra!

We went to this Georgian restaurant on Brick lane and it was fantastic. It was Austin’s favorite meal of the trip! They were super helpful as well by making sure we knew how to eat the food as well - we sometimes get intimidated with trying new restaurants because we don’t know the right way to eat it, so it was so nice to be taught!

We had Khachapuri (bread filled with cheese), beef dumplings and crepe rolls. It was all so delicious and I got to try some Georgian wine as well.

We finished off the day with a drink at a cool pub near our hotel!

Day 4

Amber

Amber was another repeat from the last visit - I had a pita with aubergine and poached eggs and it was so good I couldn’t stop thinking about it! It was just as good the second time around. Austin got french toast and we shared some potatoes.

BOXPARK

This place is a bunch of shipping containers and also has a nice sunny terrace. We stopped here for a drink and to enjoy the sun. I also had an arepa here from a stand called Guasa!

Nando’s

We wanted to get something easy before our basketball game and I’d always wanted to try Nando’s since its so popular in the UK. We got halloumi fries and each had a chicken sandwich. Mine even came on a garlic bread bun which I was really excited about. It’s a chain of course but we really enjoyed it!

USA v Germany exhibition game

Our reason for coming to London was this basketball game because Austin wanted to see the USA basketball team play. It was pretty fun! We also got to see the USA team win :)

The next morning we got up early to take the train home. London is definitely a place I will go back to again - there is so much good food and its such a nice place to hang out!