Better Late Than Never

Time for a foodie break! It's pretty much torture going through these photos on my computer when I'm eating something like soup in my lunchtime. A lot of my recent eats are places I'd been meaning to go to for a while but never managed to get around to visiting. They're all visually exciting in their own ways, Gail's because of the sheer amount of loveliness on display, Bird for it's vibrant décor with exposed brick and Bathazar for its timeless feel.

Gail's

I have no idea why it's taken me so long to visit a Gail's. Perhaps it's because I'm always spotting them and thinking 'Oooooh never knew there was a Gail's there' before going back to my business and completely forgetting to go back. Never again. On the morning of the bloggers' brunch I wasn't feeling too well, but wild horses wouldn't stop me from catching up with friends and trying shakshuka for the first time. Baked eggs have always scared me purely because I'm fussy and don't like them runny but when combined with feta cheese and pepper stew, I can get on board with it. I rarely mention goody bags, but we actually got to take some of the sourdough bread home with us, which made my lunches all the more interesting that week.

BIRD

Interesting fact, I have a secret food related Pinterest board full of recipes and interesting places to eat but it is pretty much fried goodness. I guess all of the 'healthy' recipes on my visible board are an illusion, in reality I crave things like fried chicken encased with waffles. Back in the day (okay maybe on a recent night out) I've eaten some dodgy stuff that is miles away from what Bird serves. For starters it's free range and doesn't get sickly if you eat too much. I popped here with Winnie after deciding where to go based on Instagram, as I'm one of those people who secretly wishes that menus had pictures and I knew how much food to expect. We ordered a mixture of pieces, wings and glazes as well as a refreshing Korean cucumber salad. It's up there with CHICKENliquor (a.k.a Wishbone), though I may need to visit again soon just to make sure...

BALTHAZAR

I got to experience Balthazar for the first time last week for a Lipsy fragrance event and it transported me to a world away from busy Covent Garden. French themed but by way of New York, we sat down to a Winter kale salad with roasted butternut squash, almonds and cranberries, before tasting a cocktail inspired by the perfume itself. The bread was also amazing here and is well worth picking up in their boulangerie next door. Although we had a set menu, I was pretty happy with my chicken basquaise as it's something I wouldn't usually have chosen (it's a hearty sauce that is perfect for Autumn). This is the kind of place to bring friends who are visiting London or a family member who you want to treat.
That's it for this month's eats! In November I'm looking forward to the Moretti Gran Tour pop-up, a spot of tapas and hopefully exploring what Crouch End has to offer.