London Restaurants

A review by Liat Bird

Oh, London. Land of large clocks, big palaces, great accents, and, oh yes, purportedly terrible food. But fear not, ye travelers to this island across the sea, for those who like to bash on our neighbor's perceived culinary deficiencies simply do not know which establishments to frequent. There is hope, there is potential-there is food. My mother and I recently flew across the pond on a sort of goodbye-you're-going-to-college-don't-forget-us-and-have-some-food trip, being that I leave on September 15th for chilly Chicago. While in England, you'd better believe we were well fed, and here, for your future pleasure, are some of the gems.

Shepherd's Market: This is an area where good food abounds; a sort of nook buried in the spaghetti that is London, bursting with excellent options. Wander around here and you will surely find something to eat, and if you can't decide, here are some suggestions:

1. Al-Hamra: Just envisioning this Arabic restaurant makes me salivate; the dishes here are fresh, delectable, and plentiful. Every time we go to London we visit this eatery, usually as our first meal. The feast commences with the mezze (mezze is Arabic for "lots of little plates of appetizers that are delicious and fill you up before you even get a chance to eat the main course"); try the falafel, hummus, baba, and Lebanese salad. The family technique is to pile as much food as possible on the pieces of pita that comes steaming out of the kitchen, which is then followed by a ludicrous attempt to eat the whole pile in one fell swoop. Needless to say, eating at an Arabic restaurant with the Birds is quite an experience, in which hands are heavily involved. Nobody really speaks for the first 10-15 minutes while all six of us fall upon the food as if we hadn't eaten for weeks, and when the dust settles—nothing but bits of debris. It's a great family restaurant, especially if you happen to be a family of vegetarians, because a lot of the food (especially the mezze) doesn't include meat. If you are harboring a carnivore in your midst, like my brother Gil, then the mezze is sort of pointless, but the grilled meats will surely satiate. Lamb, beef, chicken—all is good, so I'd start with the mix and then pick a favorite. Trust me, you will be going back.

2. L'Autre: Now, brace yourselves—this is a weird one. It's actually my number one pick for Shepherd's Market, because the atmosphere is just as good as the food, and a really large part of the charm this place exudes. Don't let the name mislead you; it doesn't serve French food. Nope, L'Autre is a Polish/Mexican restaurant. Yes, a Polish/Mexican restaurant. My mother was skeptical at first too, but the thing is, they don't blend the two cuisines together—they just make Mexican and Polish dishes. It's this tiny little building, and once you go in you realize there is very little seating. The whole place is covered in Mexican or Polish decorations; think “Arrrriba” meets “Oy vey.” There is a plastic figurine of Speedy Gonzales on a shelf, right next to the army hat of a Polish officer, and sharing wall space with all of that is another shelf covered in money from all over the world. But the real draw of L'Autre is the pirogi, dumplings filled with meat and potato. It's an incredibly filling, incredibly amazing dish—I like to think my Polish ancestors would be proud of my affinity for it—and it's cooked by this tiny Polish woman in the downstairs kitchen, who we suspect is the proprietor's mother. One warning: the owner is a cranky, white haired man who is a little quirky, sometimes not in the good way. Ignore him, and enjoy the dumplings, awesome red cabbage, your surroundings, and the sheer insanity of the place in which you are eating.

Outside of Shepherd's Market: Yes, there is a world outside of this scrumptious little place. It's where all the people in the red uniforms and big furry hats are, so it's kind of required that you venture out there. Here are some pit stops to make along the way to ensure that nobody goes hungry (Heaven forbid!)

1. Amaya: This is a new restaurant that Mom and I tried for the first time this summer. It's an Indian place—sort of. It's a little hard to describe; kind of a modern take on the older cuisine, but it comes out fantastic. The idea is to order a lot of little dishes, so as to be able to try a lot of different flavors. We had shrimp flavored with spices to start, followed by some broccoli in a yoghurt-esque sauce, and rounded it out with some lamb chops, chicken, and (my personal favorite) lamb (not veal) osso bucco. To be perfectly frank, the food, while good, wasn't stupendous—that is, until we got to the desserts. I do not know who they have in that kitchen back there, but that chef knows his stuff, at least when it comes to the sweets (which is, of course, the most important part of the meal.) If you go to this restaurant and don't try the coconut crème brûlée, you have committed a heinous crime. It is literally one of the best things I have ever eaten, and the delicious-ness doesn't stop there. There is a pomegranate granita, served sans sugar, which is absolutely out of this world, to use one of my mom's favorite expressions; plus a chocolate plate comprised of a small cake, a tart, and a glass of hot chocolate. The tart has a bit of cinnamon in it; the cake is fudgy and sweet; and the hot chocolate is just incredible. I could keep raving on, but talk is cheap. If you're ever in the neighborhood, give this place a go. You won't regret it.

2. Porters: Want some good English food? Hearty, filling, and amazing are the adjectives for this restaurant; seriously, you are going to want to come hungry. When my mom and I went there, I devoured a Shepherd's pie, which is a sort of stew with mashed potatoes covering the top; first the stew is put into a bowl, then the potatoes are spread over it, after which it is baked in an oven so that there is a bit of a crunch. It is beyond superb. My mother took care of an enormous plate of bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes with superb gravy and fried onions to boot). Now, these are fairly large dishes, but were we daunted? No! When the waitress assumed we wouldn't be having desserts, we set her straight and polished off a chocolate chip pudding (puddings are what they call cakes; I have no idea why, but it really confused me at first) and a bowl of whipped cream with copious amounts of chocolate sauce. Aside from excellent and voluminous food, Porters also happens to be a fabulous family place. When the whole clan was there we had a great time talking, laughing, and ordering the spotted dick. Yeah, it's juvenile, but you know you'll do it too.

Well, I haven't written this much since the AP Literature test; good practice for school, I guess. Hopefully this little review helps in some food decisions on your next vacation, or at least was kind of fun to read.

Until my mom asks me to do something like this again,

Liat Bird