In this post we are talking about our hotel, dining options and places to have some fun in London.  We didn’t waste any time during our short visit back and we are already excited about another visit!

ME London

In addition to SPG loyal travelers, we are also Melia members.  The ME London is a great hotel and we would highly suggest staying here if you want to be close to everything.  It’s walking distance to Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben.  Upon checking you receive a glass of prosecco and are escorted to your room.  The rooms are big, clean and modern.  In the hotel there is STK along with Radio Rooftop bar which is a great place to grab a pre-dinner drink or end the night.  A DJ comes in and the bar turns into a lounge.  Best part, its just an elevator ride down to your room!

Dishoom – Covent Garden

We have been reading about Dishoom for a couple months now and discovered it through one of our favorite bloggers – Rosie Londoner.  It plays tribute to the old Iranian cafés in Bombay that are now obsolete.  The food is authentic, spiced to perfection and we would have to say it was one of the best Indian Food experiences we have ever had.   There are no reservations for small groups, so we waited in line outside and once we got to the front, we were able to go downstairs to the bar and order drinks and appetizers.  The samosas are fabulous! Once our table was ready, we were taken upstairs and seated at our table.  The service was excellent along with the cocktails.  Be sure to put  Dishoom on your list of places to eat in London! Needless to say we didn’t walk out of the restaurant hungry.

The Cross Keys – Chelsea

We spent Friday night in Chelsea and started off with dinner and drinks at The Cross Keys.  It was a vibrant restaurant and pub serving seasonal, traditional Euro-Brit food in a historic, yet modern setting.  We ordered flatbread, arugula salad and salmon which was cooked to perfection and flavorful.  Don’t forget dessert – we decided on the chocolate mousse since they were out of the roast banana, peanut butter parfait. Yum!  After finishing our meal we moved to the pub side since that seemed to be the place to be.  They served food there too, so next time we will just have to try that out – more small plates that looked amazing.   It was a fabulous night in Chelsea and we ended meeting some new mates at The Pig’s Ear – and even met the captain of the English Rugby team, Joe Launchbury and didn’t know it.

 Fleet River Bakery

Coffee and pastries are two things that we can appreciate in the morning, especially a flaky, well-cooked croissant.  Fleet River Bakery did just that.  We enjoyed some skinny cappuccinos, an almond croissant and a chocolate croissant before we started our day exploring London. It was a small bakery that was popular with the young professionals on their way to work.  We sat at the counter and enjoyed our treats while mapping out our day.  Best part of waking up – is seeing  coffee in your cup!!

Farm Girl (Notting Hill)

Another breakfast spot in Notting Hill, Farm Girl was the perfect spot to dine.  We almost missed it walking down Portobello Street, but thank you Trigere, she saw the small sign.  We walked through the gate and were immediately excited since we could tell it was going to be the perfect brunch.  Avocado toast with two hearty salads – YES PLEASE! We opted out on eggs since we were hitting the lunch hour and the salads looked too tasty to pass up.  But let’s back up to that avocado toast – WOW.  They didn’t skip on the avocados or the pomegranates that topped the peppered deliciousness.  The bread was lightly toasted and so fresh.  Farm Girl is a A+ in our books!

The Ivy Chelsea Garden

A great restaurant located on King’s Road in Chelsea serving modern British menus and offering a sophisticated atmosphere. Best part about The Ivy Chelsea Garden, there is a garden outside so if its nice out you can enjoy the sunshine whiling dining.  Though we didn’t dine here, we were able to grab a glass of rosé and take a break from shopping!

Blue Bird Café

Call your girlfriends up and let’s brunch! Blue Bird Cafe spot to be on the weekend! Blue Bird serves European food and cocktails in a trendy space that you will be sure to see many well-dressed fashionistas.

Polpo

Our first lunch in London this trip was spent at Polpo.  We sat at the bar and ordered the zucchini, parmesan and basil salad, followed by the meatballs and ended it with the pizzette bianca which was fabulous! For drinks, of course rosé!  That day, their special was £5 for each pizza, which was great! We also go the chocolate ricotta torte for £3 which was worth every bite.  If you are looking for a fun lunch spot with tasty food to share, be sure to check out Polpo.

Cicchetti – Covent Garden

Cicchetti was on our list of places last time we visited, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to dine here.  Luckily, we made it a priority this time around since we heard so many great things from our friend.  Cicchetti didn’t disappoint, but make sure to make a reservation! Our hotel, ME London was right down the street from this small modern, Italian gem.   We were lucky and only had to wait 15 minutes for a table! The wine, bread, bruschetta, spaghetti vongole and steak were fabulous.  For dessert – Affogato!! We didn’t want it to end.  It was the perfect last supper in London…till next time!

Cheerio,