Hilton London Kensington

A couple of weeks ago we were in London visiting a friend. Taking advantage of the "Any Weekend Anywhere" sale, we were able to get an affordable rate for the weekend at the Hilton London Kensington. Even if the name says Kensington, this one is not in Kensington, but conveniently located in Holland Park Avenue, a 3-minute walk from the Sheppherd's Bush Underground and Overground stations and, most importantly, Westfield shopping center.

Photo from the hotel's website

Literary tourism

As I've mentioned, we'll be heading to Rome next month and I'm so excited! I've been to Rome tons of times but still the magic of the city remains a magnet to me so everytime we can, we jump on a train or plane and spend a weekend having carbonara, tripe, or whatever wonderful dishes Rome has to offer and try to discover a new part of the city. Since we'll be going next month, I started doing some research and while browsing for sights, I bumped into a website offering the Angels & Demons' tour.

Visiting the places where the books you've read took place has become a trend these years. The first one that comes into my mind is Sherlock Holmes' tour in London or Jack the Ripper's.

Sherlock Holmes' house and museum, Baker St., London (taken from this website)

My first 30's!

Here's a little collage I made to symbolize my first 30 years in this world...

... and if the next 30 are as great as these were, can't wait!!!

Vietnamese, my love!

Another London restaurant post, I know, but what can I do?! I love London, and what I love more is eating Asian food in London!
This time we went to a street called Kingsland Road in Shoreditch (north of Liverpool St.) that is also called "Pho Road" after all the Vietnamese restaurants there; what Brick Lane is for Indian food, Kingsland Road is for Vietnamese. Anyhow, we were advised to visit Viet Hoa Cafe, which turned out to be a hidden gem. Not crowded, minimalistic decor (and not those cheesy oriental lamps that I can't stand), courteous (perhaps a bit clumpsy) service and absolutely delicious food! We had spring rolls, Banh xeo (a crispy pancake with prawns), the Bun soup with prawns, Prawns with tamarind sauce and the Viet Hoa noodles with prawns (yes, we love prawns!), hot & sour peanut butter sauce and lemon leaves; and of course some Vietnamese beer. The spring rolls were amazing, best I've ever had, crispy and not oily at all. The pancake was just ok, the soup was delicious but maybe a bit too spicy and I heard the prawns were very good, also a bit spicy but the noodles were great as well. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere is relaxed, perfect for a Sunday evening. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera but here are some pictures of what we ate looked like:

Bun soup

Spring rolls

Viet Hoa Cafe is on 70-72 Kingsland Road, London.
Delivery is also available. Their website is: http://www.viethoarestaurant.co.uk/cafe.html
A must if you like Vietnamese!

Wahaca? Sounds good!

Hey there! We spent this weekend in London but I'm not gonna bore you with pics and description about the touristic sights since probably most of you have already been there (if not, turn off your computers right now, ok, but not before booking a ticket to London!). Instead I'll write about Wahaca. What? Wahaca, it is a Mexican food chain with diverse locations in London serving market food or street food, stuff that you would typical find in a Mexican street cart or a market stand.
I must confess that after living in Italy for over 10 years, I have never found a real authentic Mexican restaurant anywhere in Italy so everytime I find the real deal the least I can do is write about it.
Anyhow, after wandering around Soho we found it in Wardour Street, what I would call "Foodie Street" after all the nice restaurants we passed by (and the bakeries like Hummingbird Bakery - one of the hardest things I've ever done was passing by and not stopping for a cupcake!). The place is casual, relaxed with friendly atmosphere, street art in the walls and minimalistic decor; visit the bathrooms downstairs, they are nice! and the tequila bar with foosball tables!

inside Wahaca Soho

 Your menu card is also your place mat and your reference list since when you order your waiter circles your orders in it. The menu has well explained dishes varying from appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, etc. a great selection of tequilas (please try the Don Julio!) and a not so bad selection of beers. They got me when I saw they had Pacifico beer, my favorite!

Pacifico, best Mexican beer!

So, together with our beers we had an order of guacamole, the Pork Pibil tacos (3), the chicken mole tacos (3) and a big chipotle chicken quesadilla to share. Everything was great, authentic market food, and if a Mexican tells you, then you should believe it!

Pork Pibil tacos

Chicken mole tacos (couldn't resist to eat one before the pic!)

Chipotle chicken quesadilla

 We could have eaten more (and I would have loved to get a glass of horchata water -almond and rice milky drink- !) but we were going to have dinner in a couple of hours so this was just to nibble. The total was around £25 including tip. They don't take reservations so be prepared to wait, it's totally worth it! Oh, and with your check they bring chili seeds so you can plant your own at home, how conveninent!

Wahaca Soho is located in 80 Wardour Street, London. Other locations: Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, Westifield White City, Westfiled Stratford and a street cart that moves around London! Don't forget to check their nice website: www.wahaca.co.uk