Visiting England: an Autumnal Weekend In London

Another year, another mini weekend trip to London. 

When we were looking at ideas on where to go on holidays before the end of the year, a few places came up but we could not make up our mind on just one. 

So, we decided to split our time between two instead: starting with a weekend in London to catch up with friends we had not seen in a while and finishing with a visit to another European destination with a Christmas theme in mind.

Visits & Walks

Since we have been to London a few times already, the purpose of this trip was not to do a lot of sightseeing and visit museums but rather to spend time catching up with our friends there.

However, we did visit Japan House which is a cultural centre located on Kensington High Street. I had recently heard about this space and suggested it as a little thing to do after lunch on the Saturday. The exhibition when we were there was SUBTLE Takeo Paper Show (it runs until 24th December of this year). What we got to see were many intricate and delicate paper designs by Japanese creators. 

Afterwards we walked around the retail area of Japan House where many amazing Japanese things are available to purchase. It definitely had a lot of very interesting items and I would have happily bought a few things for our home if we had not been traveling with just hand luggage. Before leaving, E. and I ordered matcha tea from the stand in the entrance. It was made the traditional way and served in a very small paper cup. It really reminded us of the matcha tea we were served in Kyoto four years ago. To complete the experience, I also got individual mochis to share with our friends.

We noticed that you can attend some very interesting workshops at Japan House. All you need to do is book to make sure you have a space. If I lived in London, a lot of these would definitely be on my to do list.

Food & Drinks

On the day we arrived, we met our friends K. and M. for dinner and a good catch up at Terroirs (5 William IV Street). This wine bar is located near Covent Garden and serves French, Italian and Spanish small plates along with bigger dishes and a variety of natural and organic wines.

We ordered a bottle of Beaujolais nouveau since it had just been released and made up our minds on what we were going to eat (everything was so tempting!). We settled mostly on things to share between us: a charcuterie platter (Italian salame, duck rillettes, pork and pistachio terrine with a few cornichons on the side), a cheese platter (Bonde des Gatines, Comté Cyclamen 24 months, Langres and a very delicious Blu di Bufala), mozzarella (with peperonata and pine nuts), raw veal (with bonito, pickled samphire and cauliflower), delica pumpkin (with cavolo nero and savoury granola), radicchio (with pinenut puree, molasse, mushrooms and goat’s curd) and pork jowl (with broccoli, quince and verjus).

​It was all quite delicious with flavours nicely balanced in each of the small dishes. The pork and pistachio terrine, blu di bufala and small dish of delica pumpkin were definitely my favourites

After our dinner and catch up in Covent Garden, we all went for drinks at Merchant House (13 Well Court, Off Bow Lane), a bar specialising in gin and rum (with over 350 gins and 350 rums to choose from). The bar is hidden away in an old alley. Once in, it is very cosy, relaxing and a great place to enjoy an after dinner cocktail with friends. I chose from the gin list and had a cocktail called The Whisperer which had English gin, yuzu, gentian and wasabi tincture. It was quite tangy and fresh with flavours reminding me of cocktails I had tasted in Tokyo a few years ago.

The next day, we had a lunch reservation in the city but beforehand our friends and us headed to Bottles (67 Brushfield Street) for a cheeky pre-lunch glass of wine. This wine bar is located right beside the Old Spitalfields Market and specialises in sustainable, independent, organic & biodynamic producers. We were only there for a quick glass of wine but they also serve food and since it looked quite delicious, I know it is already on my list of places to go back to on a next trip to London.

Our brunch/lunch that day took place in Duck and Waffle (40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate). We took a lift that brought us quickly to what is the highest restaurant in London. And as it turns out, it is also open 24/7. From there, the view was definitely impressive. After a quick look at the menu because we already knew what we were going to get, all of us ordered the famous duck & waffle (a crispy waffle topped with duck leg confit, a fried duck egg and served with a small jug of mustard maple syrup to drizzle on top). I was a bit worried about the combination of all these elements at first but it turned out to be quite a delicious dish. Since we were all keen to try a couple of other dishes, we ordered two other things to share: a bag of BBQ-spiced crispy pig ears and a spiced duck doughnut (coated with paprika sugar and served with charred pineapple jam). I am glad we shared those because I would have never been able to eat all of this on my own. It was all quite delightful but definitely required a small break between dishes.

Later that day, after a necessary walk and a stop at Japan House, we payed a quick visit to Maítre Choux (15 Harrington Road) to get a box of éclairs and a bag of chouquettes. Joakim Prat's sweet creations are definitely delicious looking works of art: it was as stunning as it was appetising.

We kept the éclairs to have after dinner that day. Our selection was: two Paris-Brest, one coffee and one flavoured with tahitian vanilla and pecan nuts. I had a Paris-Brest éclair and it was even nicer than I thought it would be. The choux pastry was perfect, the éclair itself not too big, the praline pastry cream inside was delicate with hints of caramel, and everything was topped with a thin layer of light and crunchy hazelnut praline. The chouquettes (choux pastry buns topped with pearl sugar) were also delicious and a nice little thing to have while waiting at the Tube station on our way to our friends’ apartment for dinner (and to watch the Ireland vs New Zealand rugby game taking place that evening).

Sunday was rather quiet and on the slow side of things. Our only plan being to catch up with other friends who live in London, we had booked a table at The Prince Albert pub (85 Albert Bridge Road) in Battersea. We were sitting on the first floor with a great view of Battersea Park in its Autumn colours. We had a table for four hours and it was perfect for an extended lunch and a chat with friends we had not seen in a while (there was even the most adorable little addition this time around).

​Sundays being about resting, taking it easy and delicious roasts, The Prince Albert was the ideal place for it as their Sunday menu is adapted for the occasion. I ordered a chicken, ham and leek pie. It was a wonderful dish with lovely flavours. The pie itself had the most delicious pastry crust all lovingly shaped and served on top of a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and gravy. After ordering desserts (gluten free chocolate brownies, sticky toffee puddings with caramelised banana), coffees and fresh mint teas, we continued chatting until the sun was already setting and it was time to free up our table.

As well as eating out a few times while in London that weekend, we had lovely dinners cooked by our friends K. and M. at their home: porchetta with apple sauce, ciabatta bread rolls and a wonderfully fresh and crisp fennel salad with walnut dressing one evening; shakshuka with crispy chorizo and bread the other evening. Because holidays visiting friends is also this: good times sharing a meal in the comfort of a home.