Eating Out in London

in cafés, pubs and restaurants

The beauty of staying in a flat is that you have more options when it comes to meals. Most if not all our breakfasts were prepared in the flat and two of our dinners were takeout meals.

Most of our dinners were prepared by our son. We would purchase some of the ingredients and I would make the occasional salad.

For lunches Kevin and I went to a variety of places. The V&A East and the Barbican had nice cafeterias. Close to the V&A East was a busy Brew Pub located on the Lee River, that made great pizzas.

When we went shopping along Upper Street we stopped at the Terra Rosss for a lovely Italian meal. I was having some issues with my jaw for a few days so I was looking for soup or soft food. The waiter recommended a sumptuous ravioli with a soft cheese filling. It was perfect. A few days later we went to another Italian restaurant where I ordered a delicious pea and mint soup….the Urban Cafe and Bistro,

At the Hand and Flower Pub, Kevin had the cauliflower bhaji burger and I had the Greek mezzo plate. We shared the Eton Mess dessert, a first for both of us.

Eton Mess

In Richmond we had lunch in the Princes Head, where many scenes from Ted Lasso were filmed. Kevin had the fish and chips (a great choice) and I had the chicken pie (not a good choice).

Our son really enjoys Asian food. One day we went to a sample sale and after a successful hour of purchasing some bargains we headed over to a Korean restaurant and ordered a platter with a variety of Korean delicacies .

Two weeks later we were in Chinatown and had lunch at a Noodles and Dumplings restaurant.

Two days before we left we took Brendan to a restaurant in his neighbourhood to treat him to a special dinner. Lupa is a neighbourhood restaurant dedicated to Roman comfort food from Highbury locals Ed Templeton and Theo James. Brought to life by head chef Naz Hassan, the menu features crowd-pleasing, ingredients-led regional favourites made for sharing.

Toasting with after dinner drinks

Thursday Trios – Trying to Catch Up

since returning from London

I usually don’t find jet lag to be a problem when coming back from London but my energy levels are down after returning from this trip. I’ve gone from waking an average of 12 000 steps to less than 7 000 since being home.

Today I realized that I missed Thursday Trios. In fact I haven’t posted anything since last Tuesday.

On this trip we wanted to see the new V&A East. Our son is the chief curator of this magnificent museum. On our second visit I found a couple of trios to share with you.

As you can see you don’t have to post your trios on Thursday. If you have any trios to share I’d love to see them. Just copy my link and paste it into your post.

A Day Filled with Art

May 5, 2026

Today Kevin and I decided to revisit an art gallery not to far from our flat, The Estorick Collection. Kevin went on line and checked the hours. We walked to the bus stop to catch bus 73. We got off at Essex Station and after a short walk we arrived at the gallery.

When we got to the gates a very official and beautifully dressed woman informed us the that the gallery was closed to the public because it was hosting a private function. We were very disappointed and I informed her that we had come a long way to see the Alessandro Mendini exhibition. When she asked us where we had come from I promptly told her “Canada”. She asked us a few more questions about where in Canada and we told her that we live in Toronto. Turns out that she’s been there and so had her sons.

I guess she took pity on us and she invited us to join the crowd and help ourselves to food and drink so we looked like we belonged there. It turned out that she was the organizer of the event. For the next 15 minutes we kept hearing her mention the couple from Canada and she even brought over her sons to introduce us to them.

We joined a group for a tour of the gallery. We learned about the history of the place and how the original owners were looking for Italian art from the early 20th century in the futuristic genre.

After this part of the tour, Kevin and I made our way to the Alessandro Mendini exhibition. He is one of Kevin’s favourite designers from Italy. It is a very playful and colourful exhibit. He is very well known for this chair.

Here are several more pieces fr the exhibit.

When we got back to Highbury Islington we did the school pick up for Sevin and took her home. At the flat Sevin and I made more art.

A Visit to St. Dunstan in the East

in the heart of financial centre in the city of London

If you didn’t know about St. Dunstan you would probably never see it because it is surrounded by high rise buildings.

It was first built by St. Dunstan in 950 AD and rebuilt by Sir Christpher Wren after the Great Fire in 1697. During the blitz in World War II much of the church was destroyed but in the 60s gardens were created for the public to enjoy.

Thursday Trios – My First Trio in London

April 30, 2026

A stunning set of sculptures at the Clarendon Fine Art Gallery on Upper Street.

If you have some trios to share just copy my post and paste it into yours. When I figure out how to make comments from my phone I’ll get back to you.