{"id":27870,"date":"2013-12-28T22:15:24","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T22:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yousaytomatocooking.wordpress.com\/?p=1035"},"modified":"2022-11-17T15:51:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T15:51:22","slug":"a-taste-of-england-the-places-i-love-to-eat-in-london-and-manchester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/travel\/a-taste-of-england-the-places-i-love-to-eat-in-london-and-manchester\/","title":{"rendered":"Places I love to eat in London and Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update<\/strong> – This post was written in 2013, a lot has changed since then, not least the fact I’ve moved back to live in the UK. I’ve saved all my London and Manchester eats in a google map, one that I’m constantly updating as new places open.<\/p>\n

You can get the London list by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Get the Manchester list by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m finally getting around to writing about my recent trip home to England and wanted to share some of the places I loved along with a few photos of some of the gorgeous things I ate and saw. So many places, so little time and stomach space. There are so many other places I could add, and I will next time I go home.<\/p>\n

London<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barrafina<\/a> Best tapas in London and where I bumped into my friend, Mr Bourdain.<\/p>\n

Gymkhana<\/a> Amazing  Indian restaurant.  Not your usual high street job but stunning food that still feels like the real deal and scratched the itch I’d been having for Indian food for months.  Beautiful colonial interiors and food I still dream of.  Oh, and cocktails served in teacups.<\/p>\n

Providores<\/a> My perfect brunch spot on one of my top shopping streets in London.  Only steps away from the fabulous butcher, The Ginger Pig and ultimate cheese shop and caf\u00e9, La Fromagerie<\/a>.  The only tricky bit is that I also love lunch at La Fromagerie so a visit to this area often results in squeezing in an extra meal that I actually don’t need (but want).  On the upside, it is only a brisk walk to Regents Park so you can walk off your indulgence.  Or if the weather was lovely, and it often is, you could pick up picnic supplies at the butcher and cheese shop then take them to the park.<\/p>\n

Franco Manca<\/a> I used to go to their original Brixton location when I lived close by. Since we moved Stateside they have mushroomed and expanded into new locations, including one which is handily a few minutes walk from my lovely friend, Fionnuala’s house.  The pizza is still delish and I crave it constantly.  My poor family have to cope with my dramatic sighs and ‘sad face’ whenever we try somewhere new for pizza and I tell them its not as good as Franco’s.<\/p>\n

Bone Daddies<\/a> Best ramen I’ve had so far.  And I’ve had a lot.<\/p>\n

Bills Cafe<\/a> A chain but done in a good way.  Their scone with jam and clotted cream washed down by a giant pot of tea in the Soho branch has become my re-charging tradition when I’m charging around town.<\/p>\n

My secret cocktail spot is the bar at the Connaught<\/a>. Its expensive so we used to go there and make one cocktail last for a very long time! It’s is the most beautifully decorated little bar and the bar staff are constantly voted the best. You also get free yummy olives and nuts. Go dressed up and prepare to speculate over who all the other customers are.<\/p>\n

St John <\/a>– Iconic and rightly so. This is the guy who got us all eating roast bone marrow back in the day. One of my fav places for dinner and where my now husband took me for my first year date-iversary.<\/p>\n

Leon<\/a> A lovely little chain serving healthy fast food. I really hope this is the future of fast food. A great lunch spot if you’re out and about with children.<\/p>\n

The Dairy<\/a> This is a newish place near where I used to live. The food is stunning and it is well worth the trip south of the river.<\/p>\n

The Wolseley<\/a> I don’t always remember leaving this restaurant which I take as a sign of how much fun it is. Breakfast is the time to go to see the deal makers in action. Afternoon tea is blissful. Dinner is naughty.<\/p>\n

J Sheekey<\/a> A lovely fish restaurant in theatre land. My girls and I once saw Orlando Bloom in there, fresh off stage. Have the fish pie.<\/p>\n

Scotts<\/a> A very grown up fish restaurant in Mayfair. Wonderful service – you and your tummy will feel very special.<\/p>\n

The River Cafe<\/a> – Where Jamie Oliver started out. One of the nicest places for a sunny lunch or a glam dinner. Stunning Italian food unlike anything that came before it. Also next door to where I used to work!<\/p>\n

Polpo<\/a> Wonderful small-plate Italian place, they have a few locations – all are good.<\/p>\n

Mishkins<\/a> A really fun New York deli style place with an English twist. Fab cocktails and brunch. The corned beef mac and cheese is the perfect hangover food.<\/p>\n

Pizza East<\/a> This is where we had our leaving lunch with all our friends and where my oldest son had his first ever taste of pizza as a baby so a special place for us.<\/p>\n

Borough Market<\/a> Aim to visit mid-morning on a Friday or Saturday, grab an early lunch to go and eat in the grounds of Southwark cathedral. The chorizo sandwiches at Brindisa and the felafel wraps at the felafel guy are my favourites. You must get a brownie from Flour Power stall – probably best to share one with someone else as they are huge. Great coffee at Monmouth coffee and amazing cheese at Neils Yard (down the side of Monmouth coffee. Also a great place to grab fresh fruit and veg.<\/p>\n

Cafe Boheme <\/a>Grab a seat outside and people watch. They do yummy French inspired comfort food and are open till very late at night so you can either grab coffee or something stronger and watch the characters of Soho go about their business. If you are lucky you may get invited up to Soho House as night falls.<\/p>\n

Canteen <\/a> A very reliable small chain of English comfort food places. The south bank and spitalfields branches are my favourites. Great with kids.<\/p>\n

Itsu <\/a>A great little chain of sushi and noodle places scattered around London. A good place for a healthy quick lunch.<\/p>\n

Manchester and around<\/strong><\/p>\n

The city of my birth and where most of my family still live.  When I’m not eating at various relatives’ houses I make sure to fill up on good Northern comfort food at some old favourites and new openings.  Manchester has a brilliant food scene, despite what Londoners say.  The city is surrounded by amazing countryside and wonderful locally produced food.  I love the fact that now, when I go back, it is so easy to find places that are proud about their heritage and are serving fabulous food from close by.  Here are some of my favourites.<\/p>\n

You can get all my favourite Manchester places by checking out my google map. Click here to see it.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update – This post was written in 2013, a lot has changed since then, not least the fact I’ve moved back to live in the UK. I’ve saved all my London and Manchester eats in a google map, one that I’m constantly updating as new places open. You can get the London list by clicking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":29023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2207],"tags":[68,902,677,2209,2210,2211,2212,2213,2214,2215],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlaces I love to eat in London and Manchester - Cook with Gem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cookwithgem.com\/travel\/a-taste-of-england-the-places-i-love-to-eat-in-london-and-manchester\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Places I love to eat in London and Manchester\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Update – This post was written in 2013, a lot has changed since then, not least the fact I’ve moved back to live in the UK. 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