Recently, my boyfriend and I took a belated birthday trip up to London (childfree!) with the intention of trying a tonne of foodie places we had seen on instagram and tik tok. My boyfriend had booked to take me to Bao in Soho for the evening as he had previously visited and absolutely loved the food they serve there and the whole atmosphere. So, that meant that we had the rest of the day up until that to explore London – and, of course, pick up some snacks along the way. The main objective on our itinerary was to see Chinatown as I had never been before (despite having visited London countless times and also having lived there too!) and we both have a soft spot for Asian cuisine. Other than that, we just spent the rest of the time wandering around and seeing what we could find – it turned out that we found a lot including Somerset House and Covent Garden! So, I thought I would put together a little list of foodie hotspots that I would recommend everyone tries whilst in London – some are more recent discoveries and some are old favourite but all are absolutely delicious.
Taiyakiya20 Newport Court, London WC2H 7PRTaiyakiya is a place that I was determined to visit on my latest trip to London. I had seen the fish shaped pastries (named taiyakis) that they sell all over instagram and was intrigued to taste them for myself. They make them to order and you can have them filled with a range of fillings (they offer traditonal flavours like red bean paste or more western flavours like nutella and banana) or topped with ice cream with the taiyaki almost resembling the cone with soft whip ice cream in a choice of flavours. They also serve other items like bubble tea.We ordered three taiyakis from Taiyakiya – one in purple sweet potato for me and two in sausage and cheese. The pastry was quite soft – almost the consistency of a waffle – and slightly sweet too, even on the savoury ones. The purple sweet potato wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet – it was just like mashed sweet potato or sweet potato paste – but inside the sweet pastry, it tasted really nice. It just worked. The savoury taiyaki was filled with a small Japanese sausage that was similar to a small bratwurst style sausage. The cheese wasn’t hugely strong but helped bring the whole thing together. My boyfriend was a bit unsure on the sweet pastry with the savoury filling but I didn’t mind as it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet.If I ever revisited Taiyakiya, I would love to try the chestnut red bean paste filling and I would get myself a bubble tea to go with it.Ladurée1 The Market, London WC2E 8RALadurée is one of those places that feels like a little slice of Paris in central London. It’s classic sage green exteriors make you feel like you are stepping back in time – and the macarons make you feel like you are stepping into a whole new world. Of course, everyone knows Ladurée. It is no big revelation but, let me tell you, it is a classic for a reason – and should not be left off of your London itinerary. You can choose to sit down in their tea room and have a fancy afternoon tea or you can take a box of macarons to go. Just make sure you take time choosing the flavour selection as they have so much to offer! Personally, I love the rose jam one – it tasted sweet and floral without being overwhelmingly perfumey. The pistachio one is also divine!
Bao Soho53 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9ASOf course I have to include where we went for dinner on our little trip – mostly because a) it was blooming lovely and b) we literally ordered almost everything on the menu so I feel I can give a very informed review. Bao is a Taiwanese restaurant based in Soho (although they have multiple restaurants dotted around the city with different concepts – like their newly opening Shoreditch based noodle bar) mainly focusing on Bao buns of all varieties as well as drinks made with Taiwanese (or Taiwanese inspired) ingredients and some unusual and interesting sides too!First of all, let’s talk drinks. If I am honest, I had to make a stab in the dark when ordering my drink as I couldn’t envisage what anything would taste like. The drinks were mostly drawing on Taiwanese flavours and popular Asian drink trends which was super interesting. My boyfriend ordered both a sour plum drink which was really nice and refreshing whilst being a bit tangy and – the real star of the show – a yakult float with pineapple soda. This was so nice!! It had a cold yakult cream float on top and then a fizzy pineapple flavoured soda underneath. I opted for the pico fizz made with berries, calpis, and soda. Honestly, I still don’t know what exactly it was but it tasted really sweet and fruity.We tried almost all of the bao buns on the menu (although we didn’t try the fried Horlicks ice cream one because we ran out of room but I was so keen to give that a go!). They were all delicious but my favourite had to be the lamb shoulder. I also ordered Taiwanese fried chicken with hot sauce and that was my favourite thing out of everything. The chicken was so tender with crispy skin and not greasy at all and the hot sauce was really flavourful – almost like a sriracha sauce. I would deffo recommend getting the fried chicken.Edgware RoadEdgware Road is probably the one location that I would head if I was in Zone 1 and looking for somewhere to get filled up without spending extortionate prices – and I think it doesn’t get the hype it deserves. Edgware Road is essentially just a really long road that is full of Middle Eastern restaurants and international shops – and it is somewhere where I have always managed to get a really nice meal.If you are a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, you will find it in abundance here. I am talking big platters of rice and meat and breads. I am talking the most delicious baklava you will find in London. And I am talking great prices.Honestly, if you want to have a lovely evening, experience some authentic cooking at a good price, and not have to leave central, Edgware Road is the one for you.Where is your favourite place to eat in London?You may also enjoy:Visiting London On A BudgetWarner Bros Studio Tour: The Making Of Harry Potter
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