Everywhere I ate + drank in London

home is where the food is.

Hello and welcome to The Adventures of Hungry Fifi!

A delightful tour de force of where I’ve been eating, what I’ve been seeing, reading, listening to, thinking about and whatever else happens on these adventures called life.

Though I don’t live in London anymore, it is my hometown and the place I grew up and the place most familiar to me. It is where I visit regularly, see old friends, spend time at our family home and the place that shaped me.

I’m now doing a bit more work with my marketing agency there which is exciting (huzzah!). Nothing beats being squished on the tube at rush hour to remind you that being a Londoner isn’t all glam and glitz!

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Where I ate + drank…

Fallow

The sweetheart of London’s dining scene, this St James restaurant is packed with hipsters drinking cocktails and munching on excellent ‘conscious gastronomy’ food. We ended up for dinner here after a pre-opening/end of construction phase tour of their new restaurant Roe in Canary Wharf (opening this Spring).

I started with an outstanding Rhubarb & Custard Gin Spritz (you cannot miss this), plus meal highlights such as corn ribs with kombu seasoning, shitakke mushroom parfait, confit of Jerusalem artichoke with a black truffle puree, flatbreads, mussels with a bacon butter sauce and their ridiculously good burger. If you haven’t been to Fallow yet, what are you waiting for!

Fallow, London

Dukes Bar

Renowned as Ian Fleming's favourite retreat, Dukes Bar offers the quintessential martini experience, famously stirring (or is it shaking!) the souls of its patrons. Nestled in the heart of St James, this iconic bar features white-gloved waiters who deliver an unforgettable martini service directly to your table from a classic trolley. Given the starting price of £25, each martini promises to be better than excellent.

Shaken not stirred.

Firebird

Soho’s bustling charm never fails and what could easily have passed as just another instagram/cool/minimalist-esque restaurant turns out to be a thoughtful, welcoming and excellent choice for a meal out. Flavour combinations here are outstanding; take the Halloumi with truffle and pears, or the Bloody mary corn ribs with parmesan. Don’t miss out on the duck breast with grapes and a black garlic cream either. It’s a showstopper!

Firebird, not just another Soho restaurant

Barrafina

An oldie but by god this place is a goodie. This Spanish restaurant now has 4 or 5 outlets around town, though I still seem to head to the original on Dean street. As you wait in line, starting ordering drinks and tapas, so that you can munch your patience away until it is time to sit at the bar. If you love a good Spanish tortilla then don’t hesitate to order the one from here, it is outstanding and worth the visit alone (pictured below and to the right).

Spanish delights at Barrafina

Other meals eaten include an outstanding ‘nduja bruschetta at Dear Jackie, mezze and cocktails at Arabica (which I wanted to hate, but just couldn’t), Bao in Borough for bites with my gals and a quick lamb Chenjeh skewer dish at Persian restaurant, Sadaf.

But the place that truly blew my mind and will be a must-visit this year in London, is the new and sparklingly wonderful…