London – Page 6 – Scandelights

London: meat and bone marrow at Pitt Cue

Published on February 27, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

London restaurants. There are seriously too many to visit, unless you’re a food critic, which sadly I’m not.

I have so many restaurants on my list to try and it pains me when they close before I got to them. This happened with the very talked about Pitt Cue Co who brought BBQ to Soho back in the day.

But luckily they didn’t close for good, they opened a restaurant further east instead. One where you can book a table – which made it so much easier to go!

The Soho restaurant was tiny and always had a long queue, which was the main reason I never went. I tried so many times but the waiting time was always around 2 hrs and that’s just too long when you’re hungry.

The menu here looked great so it was rather tricky to decide on what to order, but I think we did a good job of it! Laura had the grilled aubergine with wild rice and almonds.

And as you can see, she was very happy with it! Lovely dish!

For me, the words ‘bone marrow’ jumped out at me and I just had to order the grilled sourdough and bone marrow.

Look at that beauty! It was just gorgeous; pillowy, salty and full of flavour. Yum!

For the main course Laura had the Aylesbury duck breast (cooked to perfection) with pickled endive and jus.

I had the onglet with marinated tomato and it was just perfect! Love this cut of meat! It has so much flavour but is really tender at the same time.

We also had some sweet potato to share, but half way through my steak I so regretted not ordering the bone marrow mash. (Mainly because I had already had the sourdough with bone marrow, but honestly that’s a silly reason when the food is this good. As somebody once said; you only regret the food you didn’t eat. So true!) So I gave in and ordered it and it was probably my best decision, like, ever. This mash (actually it’s more like a silky cloud of potato purée) is just heaven. The bone marrow on top is to-die-for delicious and I would have been so happy with just this for dinner (although the rest was delicious too!).

Moral of the story; do not not order a dish because you’re trying to be good or think there is such a thing as too much bone marrow. Order, eat and enjoy it and have salad the next day to balance it out.

Oh, and GO to Pitt Cue and eat all the deliciousness without queueing for a table!

Pitt Cue, The Avenue, 1 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YP

Cinema, theatre and a chilled weekend!

Published on February 26, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

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The week before last spring came to London. It’s was 12C and sunny every day and it was such a treat after the cold spell we had a few weeks before.

I also – finally – finished watching True Detective season one, which I thought was great but uncomfortable to watch when I first started watching it. But I’m currently ploughing through season three so really wanted to finish it. I’m not good at watching scary and uncomfortable series and films on my own. I prefer to read about them, somehow that’s easier. But I’m watching season three together with my boyfriend which makes it so much easier. Maybe because afterwards we talk about other things and it doesn’t stay with me the way it would if I was on my own. But season three is less scary over all. But so good!

On the Tuesday night we had a date night in Barnes with a pub dinner followed by Green Book at the nice cinema there, The Olympic.

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It has a nice bar, sofas (which we booked) with footstools, little tables for your snacks and blankets if you get cold. Love a cinema like that!

Wednesday I stayed in and made myself a chicken burger with cheese and pickled pepper for dinner. (Sometimes I get weird cravings like that!)

Thursday was Valentine’s Day and although we didn’t really meant to go out we ended up going to the theatre and saw Molière’s Tartuffe at the National Theatre. It had some great actors in it but was not a very good production. I don’t really like farcical comedy so it wasn’t really for me anyway, but still… It was the first week of it being put on though, so hopefully it will get a bit better. We just laughed at our first bad theatre experience (and we go a lot so it was bound to happen sometime!) and went home to enjoy a midnight feast of baked Vacherin Mont D’Or instead.

During the weekend I both cooked and went out for dinner.

And I made the most amazing cookies after Alison Roman’s recipe – the ones that almost broke the internet! Will post it later!

We also went for a nice walk and enjoyed the sunny weather as much as we could!

London: a night at the Opera (House)

Published on February 15, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Having lived in London for more than ten years it was about time I visited the Royal Opera House. I have been to the opera and ballet in London before, just never at this venue, so when I got invited to see The Nutcracker in January I was absolutely thrilled. And it certainly was a magical evening.

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A party of four we arrived with plenty of time to enjoy dinner in one of the restaurants beforehand.

We toasted in champagne and then tucked into our starter. Mine was a lovely mushroom soup with a dollop of creme fraîche in the middle. The menu was as classic as the surroundings. (In a good way, in case that wasn’t obvious.)

Next we tried the main course. I loved my generous portion of delicious smoked salmon with a side of creamy potato salad and all the trimmings (creme fraiche, chopped shallots, roe, horseradish, capers and bottarga). Such a treat!

The restaurant was so efficient we had time to chat and sip wine before making our way into the theatre. I was mesmerised from the start and enjoyed every second.

In the interval we made our way back to our table in the restaurant were puddings had magically appeared! My pineapple bavaroise was creamy and delicious and a perfect ending to the dinner.

After the second interval I reluctantly left this beautiful space and walked across the street for a night cap. I just wanted to savour the evening for as long as possible.

Royal Opera House, Bow St, London WC2E 9DD

London: amazing dinner at Hutong The Shard

Published on January 29, 2019 by Hanna3 Comments

What a splendid evening! The birthday dinner (for somebody very dear to me) in The Shard was just as special as I had hoped.

From the moment we were through the metal detectors on the ground floor we were looked after really well! It was a quick lift ride up to the 32^ndfloor and up a flight of stairs and we had reached our dining spot; Hutong. The interior with dark wood, red lanterns and low lighting felt very cosy and inviting but as we were shown to our table what caught my eye the most was of course the incredible view.

Hutong has a whole floor to itself so it’s a large restaurant, but it’s very cleverly divided into smaller sections. Not just a bar area and a restaurant area but smaller sections within those areas making it a very intimate dining experience. Out table was facing St Paul’s and after enjoying the breathtaking view for a moment or two (honestly I could look at it all day long) we turned the attention to the menu and our lovely waiter who came with a few good suggestions. The portions are very generous and with his help we didn’t over order.

We started off with champagne and the dim sum platter. The dumplings were all lovely and nicely presented with their pastel colours. My favourite was the prawn and champagne dumpling but the others (cod; cabbage and mushrooms; prawn and XO sauce) were delicious too.

The food was served very quickly so almost straight after the dim sum we got the next dish; their signature dish red lantern (I assume the name comes from the lantern like chillies that accompany the crab). The soft shell crab was fried to perfection offering that perfect mix of crunchy and soft with a subtle chilli kick to it. Absolutely delicious!!!

Next we had lamb ribs off the bone. Another generous portion and deliciously prepared, although I had expected them to covered in a sticky glaze but it was more of a dry seasoning. Still delicious!

The side dish we chose was egg fried rice with pickled vegetables. So moreish and delicious!

This was the perfect amount for two people, although we couldn’t finish it all, it was nice with the variety of both meat and seafood and less wouldn’t have been enough. So make sure you come here hungry!

After all that lovely food we took a break before pudding to drink wine, chat and of course, look at the amazing view some more.

The Shard has 95 floors and although the restaurants are only on floors 32 and 33 the view is still spectacular.

We could see Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and more. Just amazing!

After our little break we had pudding; sesame dumplings with apple and cinnamon and a complimentary mango pudding for the birthday boy!

After a nice long dinner we moved to the bar area to enjoy the slightly different view from there. And a nice drink.

It’s simply impossible to leave – you just want to linger some more and take it all in.

We sat down at one of the tables by the window and just enjoyed the scenery.

The intrior is beautiful too, with all the lanterns and the dark colour scheme.

I even lingered in the ladies room; taking in the view from there!

The whole evening was just amazing. Not just the view, but the food, service, wine and interior. The staff looked after us incredible well and made it feel like the special evening it was. Because this is not a place where you pop in for a quick bite; it’s a place for celebrations and special evenings!

33, The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY

Christmas party, drones and Sweden

Published on January 15, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The last week in London before going home to Sweden for Christmas was probably the busiest week of all. Sometimes it seems impossible to plan things well no matter how hard you try.

So after a weekend in the country we drove back to London late on the Sunday night so I could be back for work on the Monday. That evening we cooked up a storm for the Christmas party the following evening. It’s not ideal to be away the weekend before hosting a party but we did best we could.

The Tuesday Christmas party was great fun and it was lovely to see everybody before going home. Wednesday was then my last day at the office and it was a real scramble to finish everything off at work and pack for two plus weeks but somehow I managed. In the evening I went home to pack after work, with lovely company and champagne to make it more fun, before going out for dinner.

The next morning I was out the door early and although I had heard about the drones I made my way to Gatwick as my flight hadn’t been cancelled. But it was, halfway to the airport and so I turned around in my taxi while frantically booking a ticket for the following morning. When I came home I went straight to bed and slept for hours, but when the airport was still closed in the evening I decided to buy a ticket from Heathrow for the following afternoon. Lots of flights were full and the remaining tickets very expensive but I really wanted to go home which made it worth it.

That third ticket (the flight from Gatwick in the morning was cancelled) got me to Sweden. Finally! A day and a half later than planned. I had to cancel plans with friends and rearrange things and although the last thing I needed it all went well in the end.

It was lovely to get home to my parents and have dinner with them that evening.

The following day (Saturday) I drove to Helsingborg to have lunch with a bunch of childhood friends and their families and it was a lovely reunion. On the Sunday I finally unpacked, wrapped gifts, had glögg (Swedish mulled wine) and gingerbread with friends of the family and in the evening we had some traditional Christmas food. Because I could see this drone thing dragging out and making it difficult for me to get home I think I appreciated this visit home more than usual. It’s so lovely to be surrounded by dear ones at Christmas.

Christmas party, steak lunch and a country weekend

Published on January 11, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The second week of December was very busy and great fun! The office Christmas party was on the Monday night, at Smith & Wollensky as usual, and really nice.

And then the rest of the week followed in a similar pattern.

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On the Tuesday it was one of my colleague’s birthday so a group of girls went out for a nice lunch with steak and champagne at Flatiron. Wednesday night started with work drinks and after that I went to a lovely event at Tate Britain.

Thursday night was calmer and spent at home packing for the weekend. Because on Friday night we had a Christmas dinner in London (with turkey!) and afterwards we drove to the countryside to spend the weekend there.

It was Christmas carols in the village church, lovely dinners and time sat in front of the fire and on the Sunday we went out for a lovely dinner with entertainment before driving back to London again.

The week was pretty full on (avoid parties on Mondays if you can, is my advice) but great fun, and although it’s tiring I try to prepare myself that the three weeks in December that I spend in London and the UK are always full on like this.

London: wonderful sushi at Sushi Atelier

Published on January 10, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

When it comes to sushi restaurants, by best source is my colleague Matt. He introduced me to Yashin ages ago and earlier this year he suggested Sushi Atelier in Marylebone.

My first impression of the restaurant was that it was quite Nordic in its interior with a lot of light wood (birch perhaps?) and not much else. Like the interior was taking a step back so guests could concentrate fully on the food experience. The food presentation was also rather simple, but in a good way; most of the time less really is more.

We ordered a few different dishes, but I couldn’t resist ordering a classic salmon and avocado roll. I love them and this one was definitely among the best I’ve had.

The nigiri was amazing as well. Especially the butterfish with truffle, but they were all delicious.

The rainbow roll was another favourite and almost a work of art!

But my absolute favourite was the California roll, with crab, avocado, tobiko and Japanese mayo.

I came here with my friend Therese when she was visiting, but a dear male friend of mine came along as well and since he doesn’t love sushi as much as Therese and I do, we also ordered this more meaty dish. And I suppose we should be really grateful to him for coming along as this dish was utterly amazing and I’m not sure we would have ordered it if it was just us girls.

This divine thing was Iberico pork served on a piping hot cast iron plate with the lovely sauce still bubbling away. It had it all; amazing flavour, lots and lots of umami, wonderful meat and sweet mushrooms. Loved it! And it was really nice to finish off the sushi with something different. Yum! Top marks all round!

Sushi Atelier, 114 Great Portland St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6PA

London: tapas at Rambla, Soho

Published on November 22, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

The summer is always really hectic for me, especially since I go home to Sweden for two weeks in August, and that’s why this blog post is so late; I’ve been playing catch-up since then.

The last week in July is also extra busy because it’s both my own and my dear friend Gaby’s birthdays that week. Just before I go home!

The Friday night was Gaby’s night (and her actual birthday) so after doing my last errands for my trip it was so lovely to arrive to Rambla in Soho and have a nice dinner with the girls!

Rambla is a fairly new tapas restaurant in London, with mainly Catalan food and we were all very excited to try it!

We started with bubbles – always appropriate when there’s a birthday to celebrate! The cava was really nice, so I recommend you all to think of something to celebrate when you go here.

Then we ordered a bunch of dishes for all five of us to share around the table. First off were the classic padron pappers. They never disappoint with their saltiness!

Next we had these delicious croquetas with spinach and pine nut. Yum!

And chorizo! It was all about the classics to start.

Then we feasted on crispy fried artichokes with saffron aioli and the most tender octopus with fried garlic and herb sauce. Delicious! I so love to eat this way; picking from plates, trying little bites of everything while chatting away with friends sipping cava.

One of the favourites of the evening was this hearty and cheesy (yum!) oxtail canelones with navat cheese and caramelised onions. Drool!

The birthday girl divided it evenly, although I think most of us would happily have had one each. But it was too rich. Especially since we had more yummy cheese to eat…

This whole baked Navat cheese with crudités and bread to dip was divine too! We were scraping the bottom of the dish in the end, never letting a morsel of good cheese go to waste.

The classic patatas bravas arrived late as an after thought (I think they forgot them to be honest) but we happily mucnhed our way through these lovely crisp potato bites.

The food here is excellent (especially the octopus and the oxtail canalones!) but the service was a bit of a let down. Some things were forgotten and we had to keep reminding the waiters. After two bottles of cava they didn’t have any more cold ones so we had to swap to rosé cava instead. It’s all little things, but things you expect to run smoothly, and since it was a birthday celebration it was very unfortunate.

With this in mind I’ll still highly recommend Rambla – the food is worth it! – and hopefully they’ve sorted out these kinks by now. Race you to the baked cheese?!

Rambla, 64 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 4QG

Taking it easy

Published on November 20, 2018 by Hanna

I was ill again last week. So typical. So I stayed in bed Monday and Tuesday but felt better on Wednesday and could go to work. So the rest of the week I just took it easy after work, to rest as much as possible. I really don’t want to get ill again between now and Christmas (or on my Christmas break!), too much to do!

The weekend was quiet as well, which was nice. On my lunch break on Friday I went to Whole Foods to buy some nice things for the weekend. Love it there and it’s a treat to go now when I don’t have one close to me anymore.

I bought mussels that I cooked that night with white wine, cream and potatoes. So yummy!

On Saturday we slept until noon, had poached eggs for breakfast and then went for a walk around Wimbledon Common. It air was crisp but the sun was out and it was perfect weather for an autumnal walk.

When we got backed we watched a bit of the tennis and some rugby before going for a drink at the local pub followed by dinner nearby.

Sunday treated me to another lie-in and then I pottered around, making pudding for supper and prepping ahead. For dinner I made a lovely pasta dish I will post about later, and lemon posset for pudding. Then we cuddled up on the sofa watching The Handmaid’s Tale and when I couldn’t take it anymore, an episode of Stan Lee’s Lucky Man.

The next month will be busy, but I hope I can squeeze in another cosy weekend without plans. Sleeping until one wake up naturally is just the best!

Not the best week but at least the weekend was nice

Published on November 6, 2018November 18, 2018 by HannaLeave a comment

This past week wasn’t much fun, I must admit. On Monday I had to go home from work and then spent most of the week in bed with some kind of tummy virus. I was still exhausted towards the end of the week but managed to drag myself to the office for a few hours on Thursday before going home to bed again. I really don’t like being ill (but who does!?) and for me the worst part is not having any energy at all, and having to cancel plans. Last week I had to cancel both a book club gathering and a dear friend’s birthday celebrations, which pains me so much.

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Friday I managed almost a full day in the office and afterwards we went out for a quick bite to eat (I was too tired to cook) before going to the cinema to see Bohemian Rhapsody. Which was absolutely brilliant. I loved it so much and Rami Malek was excellent as Freddie Mercury! A must see!

Saturday I rested as much as I could during the day so I could go to a friend’s surprise birthday party in the evening. It was great fun to see her very surprised face when she realised she wasn’t having a date night with her husband but drinks and dinner with a large group of friends instead!

Sunday was a quiet affair with takeaway burgers, The Handmaid’s Tale and a good film. We saw The Founder about the McDonald’s empire and it was really good! A nice relaxing ending to a not so nice week.