Lately: 4 Great (Casual!) Places to Eat in London

Hello! Happy Friday. I can't believe another week has flown by! After an unusually mild January, it's now cold. As I write this, I'm wrapped up in a cashmere sweater from COS that I stole from John's closet (shh!) and I'm wishing it had thumbholes. Not sure he'd be thrilled if I fashioned those myself.

Anyway, this past week has been full of some delicious foodie adventures, beginning with brunch at Wood Street Coffee last Saturday, which - despite the name - is actually a stone's throw from Blackhorse Road station. I didn't realize that John had a hangover from the night before (he was home by 8! He seemed merry! But not overly so! He even cooked dinner!) and I dragged him out of bed for lunch at Wood Street Coffee as soon as they opened (9:30 a.m.). Enthusiastic, much?

The brioche French toast and smashed avocado on sourdough made our early start absolutely worth it though, and I love the space! There's a fermentarium, where you can sign up to make your own kimchee! There's a woodworking workshop next door! There's a market outside! And it all seems to just ... work.

At some point last week, it was World Nutella Day (apparently), so Udita and I met at My Old Dutch for pancakes and - oh boy - did we get pancakes!

I went a little bit crazy with my banana, Nutella, ice cream, AND chocolate sauce (which I proceeded not to touch for the entire meal) topping, while she went half and half with a savoury kid's pancake of cheese and mushroom (which basically tasted like pizza, without the tomato sauce) and Nutella and banana. These XXL crepes/pancakes were pretty darn good, I've got to admit.

I've been taking advantage of Udita's current close proximity to my office (she's finishing up her PhD thesis at UCL) by meeting her for lunch. We had a delicious salad and sandwich at Holborn Grind the other day.

I could seriously have that bulgar wheat and pasta salad for lunch every other day. It was so tasty, and I love beetroot! We sat on barstools and alternated between people-watching and talking about random things we'd been saving up to tell each other.

Finally, I tried the new(ish) udon bar, Ichiryu, that just opened on New Oxford Street. From the same company responsible for the successful Shoryu ramen bars in London, Ichiryu specializes in udon (which is made daily on premises!) - a type of thick, Japanese noodle served with a variety of toppings and in a delicious, clear broth. I personally prefer it to ramen, and it's been one of my favorites since I was a child.

I don't usually go for tempura, but I tried the prawn tempura anyway and it was so good: crispy, light, and not at all oily. I was also tempted by the sukiyaki beef, but I'll try that next time. The broth was the perfect cure to the cold weather outside. Plus, it was so tasty, I scooped up every last spoonful!

Have you tried any of the places in this post? Or have you found somewhere new that you've loved this week? Let me know!