Fish & Chips

You can't go to London and not have fish & chips. Seriously, you can't... it's the law. O.K. maybe not, but it's just one of those 'When in Rome" kind of things. Of course, me being me, I had to do extensive research on where to find the best in London. I had a short list of little take-away joints, including the awesomely named Fishcotecque. Well, plans are just that. Plans. Things went differently than planned and that's o.k. If we never stumbled across the Porterhouse in Covent Garden, I would have never left my hat there (I'm convinced that where it defected) and I never would have had an excuse to buy a funky, furry new hat!

Back to the food... Porterhouse is an Irish gastropub. Four locations in Ireland and one in London. Lucky us! This was our first day in London with Jeff and Melissa, so we had some catching up to do. We didn't eat before they came, figuring we'd do what we do best together- EAT! So we were good and hungry. Three of us went for the classic fish & chips and Don opted for Bangers and Mash. Our portions were huge pieces of beer-battered (what else?) cod, thick chips and mushy peas. I'm not a pea person, but I had to at least see what this whole mushy pea thing was all about. Well, say the name- mushy peas. That's what you get. Not blown away, I focus on what I'm really there for- the fish & chips. Big, yes. Heavy, not at all. Delicious with tartare (sic) sauce and a nice pint. Cheers!

Porterhouse 

We never did get to Fishcoteque. I guess that gives us a reason to go back!

$7 Hot Dog

No, I'm not talking Yankee Stadium. This pricey tube steak was enjoyed in London. Seriously, who goes all the way to London to eat a hot dog? Not us, but when you need food sometimes good old street food just hits the spot.

It was a rainy day, perfect for visiting the British Museum and all its treasures within. As we left, there was a hot dog cart right outside the gate and boy did it smell good. We waited a little while to order and wouldn't you know it, just as I got up to order the Bobbies came and closed the cart down! Apparently operating without the proper license is a no-no. So, no bootleg dog for me. 

As we walked onward, the need for a hot dog still had a hold of me. All I needed was that initial whiff and I wouldn't settle for anything else. So we came across a tiny little hot dog stand. Not a cart, but not an actual food service joint. Basically, picture a newsstand that sells hot dogs, candy, salty snacks and drinks. Two hot dogs ordered, $15 spent. Were they worth it? Cost-wise, no. Definitely not the world's best hot dog. Hunger satisfaction-wise, oh yeah! When the food jones calls, you'd better answer it!

Christmas in London (part 2)

So Christmas Eve was enjoyable and provided us with a laid-back day to ease into London. Christmas morning greeted us heartily with a humongous breakfast (see English Breakfast post) and allowed us to venture out for a lovely day of walking most of central London.

A major concern in booking this trip was the fact that everything we read said that EVERYTHING was closed on Christmas Day. Figuring most restaurants would be closed, I did exhaustive research online to find something- anything- that would be open for a decent holiday meal. Along came Ozer, a Turkish restaurant. Indeed they were open, with a regular menu even. Reservations made. Of course it wasn't right near our hotel, so we had to walk as the Tube IS closed on Christmas Day. No worries- no snow and good food made it worth it.

Never having eaten Turkish food, we were up for the challenge. No challenge here except how to narrow down our choices! With it's Mediterranean location, Turkey offers many foods similar to Greek cuisine (which we love). To start, we ordered an appetizer sampler- falafel, salads, eggplant, spinach & feta and the like. Score one for Ozer. Don found a more classic Christmas dish- turkey- for his entree. Yes, Turkish turkey. I went for the house special of grilled meatballs in a tomato and yogurt sauce. Score two more for Ozer. We had to top it all off with dessert, so we opted for Baklava. Once again, Ozer delivered. A nice holiday feast that will surely be our only Turkish Christmas dinner!

Ozer @ Oxford Circus