My sister came to visit me in London in 2022, and every time we talk on the phone since then, the trip always - without fail - comes up in conversation. Amalia arrived on my 9th month living by myself for the first time, and lets be honest, I was nowhere close to having achieved financial responsibility. To sum it up, it was a trip of extremes: from scavenging Clio’s pantry for any food she could leave behind for us before leaving London for summer to 3 star michelin restaurants, it was a trip that I hope to tell my grandchildren about.
I was 20 at the time and my sister was 17. I was very much enjoying all the thrills that come with living alone for the first time (and learning how to cook for myself properly) and she was enjoying the thrills of getting a preview of that too. I learned a lot about my sister and I hope she learned from me as well, but together we learned a lot about London (one thing being all the basic spots to hit when in London).
Talking about food, the star of this trip was Gail’s Bakery: Amalia developed a deep obsession with their iced chai lattes, begging to stop everytime we passed by a franchise. Those who live in London will know, this is a trap because Gail’s will slowly take ALL your money! We found ourselves quickly having to budget, and while I do believe every other food checkpoint we marked along the trip earned its badge for its own forte, it was the fact that it felt like putting down a deposit everytime we got food that made those checkpoints even more special.
It’s worth mentioning another place we went to at Harrod’s food hall: Kama by Vineet, the Indian restaurant which sadly closed two years ago. I’m glad we got to go, because while I’m sure it might not be the most “genuine” Indian food (it was clearly targeted for tourists), it was still speechlessly good. Like good tourists, we got the butter chicken with garlic naan as a main to share, and the samosa chickpea daal as a starter. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
Fourth unforgettable checkpoint was L’entrecote in Marylebone. Amalia and I queued, but I can’t even remember how long! That must be a sign that it’s worth the wait. A classic probably anywhere it has a franchise, this restaurant only serves one thing: a salad entrée with a dijon mustard vinaigrette and a main of french fries with grilled steak bathed in their famous sauce. The best part is when they serve you seconds, and the amount of food you eat proves itself worth every pound you pay. Coming from Mexico, this is not how we’d usually think of eating a steak (I do think a steak taco is one of the best things on the planet), so for Amalia and I it became particularly memorable.
Next up is my personal favorite: La Fromagerie. Their store in Marylebone holds a special place in my heart, since it’s where I shared a moment over how good the cheese selection was with my dad when he helped me move to London in 2021. I celebrate my birthday by getting brunch here every year, and take only my closest friends. It’s a bit of a sacred spot for me, so it was a must on my list of places to go to with Amalia. We went for the french cheese board (my favorite) and a side of charcuterie.
The last highlight of our trip was on the penultimate night before our trip together came to an end. Sponsored by our dad as a treat to celebrate that we had this trip together, we booked a table for two at Core by Clare Smyth. Amalia and I first heard of her when we saw her on The Final Table, and having dinner here made me understand all the reasons why she’s so esteemed. We were served a despicable amount of food, all presented in unique little plates and presentations that made it feel like a TV show binge watch but for our tummies. We got two set menues, the dynamic being that the menu’s dishes were inspired by the seasons of the year. I often get messages from Amalia to talk about how good one potato with beurre blanc dish had been (too good to be true). Eating at these type of restaurants is such a treat, and I feel beyond lucky that I got to share this experience with my sister.
That’s all for this post, but to sign off I leave you with this interview I found while writing this post: Click here for the link
(...we may be basic after all)