My first thoughts after getting off the first train stop from the airport yesterday were that London looks and feels exactly like I thought it would. My initial impression of London was one of melancholy, rainy, and cold weather, and also bland, tasteless foods. I could not have been more wrong though.

London, for me these past couple of days has been a haven. Leaving the prejudice and uncomfortable environment that was Tiburtina, I now feel somewhat comfortable. London is so diverse. I’m seeing happy, smiling black people. I’m smelling the incredible flavors of Indian, and Turkish foods. When I walk by people smile at me and acknowledge my presence (this is noteworthy having spent a month in southern Italy). Even when walking around I asked for directions from a couple and they both mentioned that I was handsome. That in itself is a rare occurrence (lol) so it’s showing some great signs about London.

The first thing I ate when I got to London was this Chicken and Veggie pie from a British bakery and coffee shop. Some mixture of Bell Peppers, tomatoes, and chicken breast with swiss cheese was put together in between a phyllo dough (flaky crust) and baked till crisp edges formed. After being re-warmed, it was served to me. It was delicious and it held together. Kept my stomach full for the next few hours.

I had asked my sister and a bunch of others for recommendations about what food to eat in London. Most people told me to get Fish and Chips which I thought was a little corny because I assumed most places serving it would be quite easy on the seasoning and probably not do anything to make it special. But a lot of people recommended me to try Peri-Peri chicken. Peri-Peri is a style of grilling and saucing that comes from Mozambique. The term “peri-peri” there is synonymous with “pili-pili” which in Swahili means spicy pepper, as they refer typically to a bird's-eye chili. Nando’s is the most popular spot in London for that.

I stopped in Camden Town while touring and discovered a chicken spot that apparently has really good wings. Not your traditional british chicken spot but a spot that served wings in a Nando’s style peri-peri fashion but they were spicy. Grilled, sauced with a lot of acidic, fresh flavors, and were fall-off the bone tender. I don't remember the name of the spot but if you go to Camden Town center and ask about wings close by, it's right there as soon as you get out of the train station.

One thing that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time is a traditional English Breakfast. I remember at the hotel I stayed in Australia in 2018 there was a breakfast buffet with a traditional English type of setup. It had the beans and the ham with the tomatoes but was not a traditional plate. Now that I am in London, I was determined to go for it and go to a restaurant to find what I was looking for. I went to a spot that I passed up the previous evening while going for a stroll called “Nara Thai Cafe” where they advertised a traditional English breakfast for around 10 pounds.

My last morning in London I went there and got the plate that I was so anticipating with a cappuccino instead of tea. The look of the plate as you can see was very nicely presented and was executed well, props to the chef but it was not an impressive meal to me. I’m not sure what I was expecting to taste or how it would be different but I just recall everything being sub-par and under seasoned. The Sausage and the ham were not flavourful, the beans tasted a lot like ketchup and were for sure to be from a can. Next time, I’ll go to a better, maybe more acclaimed spot, this one was not impressive.

My last meal in London, however, was not one I will forget easily. Upon recommendation of all my foodie friends who had traveled to London, I went to the highly acclaimed Indian restaurant called Dishoom. There are a few locations in the city and I went to the one closest to Hyde park. The service level was immaculate, the drinks were phenomenal, and the food was to die for. I did not leave hungry.

I started off trying the mango and fennel lassi. I still think about this one every night before I go to sleep and I don't think I will forget about it anytime soon. When I was seated I had vegetable Samosas spiced with cinnamon for the aperitif. Next up was a bowl of sauteed greens in some sort of lemon citrus sauce, a huge bowl of coconut basmati rice, and then a bowl of Mutton Curry served in a black handi. Those chunks of mutton were cooked to perfection. So tender, yet still had a nice meaty bite to them. The curry stew itself reminded me a lot of Zigni in its strong cooked onion flavor. I often try to draw the similarities between Indian and east african food. The use of flat bread to eat, the strong uses of onion to make stews, the common occurrence of food so spicy that it causes you to want to bring a packet of tissue paper just for wiping your nose at the dinner table.

I can't wait to come back and visit London. The only thing I would do differently next time, is come to Dishoom earlier. And Also get some more Peri-peri chicken… like a lot more.

Off to Sweden to spend time with my little cousins now! Peace