Last weekend, I got to attend a unique event in London… I’ve written all about it on Spoonfed!
In a dark warehouse in London Bridge, I cower before the heavily armed militia that’s just burst through the door. Full SWAT gear adorns our attackers as they shove flashlights and machine guns in our faces. I, and the others in the warehouse, are interrogated as to our reason for being huddled in the dark in the first place and those not brave enough to answer get thrown out into the blinding sunlight with a warning never to come back. Just your typical Saturday.
The problem, once I’ve passed a month of not blogging, becomes finding a way to get back into the habit with an overwhelming backlog of things to write about. But pushing 8 weeks of no content, I’ve got to bite the bullet and see what I can cover in an epic recap post. Here we go….
On 12 May, not long after my mother got to experience the amazing Fulham win against Hamburg at the wonderful Craven Cottage, Fulham travelled to Germany to play Atletico Madrid in the Europa finals. The momentum of the team, the belief of the fans, the absolute impossibility that they would make it to the finals at all left Fulham fans with every assurance of a win at the end… but it was not to be. In a pub in east London, I felt a true sportsfan’s despair as Fulham played a fantastic match but couldn’t overcome Madrid to take the final trophy.
On 20 May, I attended the first tech event for a long while and made up for lost time with the very well organised Social Entertainment and Tech Breakfast at the Edelman PR firm offices in London. A great lineup of speakers talked about the role social media is playing in the entertainment space, particular in broadcast entertainment.
26 May saw my rather impromptu decision to apply for the UK Apprentice (the show made famous by Donald Trump in the States) and with the help of my Top Floor Flatmate, I whisked off an application, under the vain delusions that I am clearly better than any of the other applicants in the country (that’s the California optimism coming through!)
I’ve been keeping busy at the gym throughout the last two months with 29 May marking the date that I smashed the girls’ record for the indoor triathalon at my gym, shaving about 1/3 off the previous top time. Was quite proud of myself and got to enjoy the rest of the day of an international food celebration with Ann in honour of Eurovision, a strange European tradition where representatives from a variety of European and non-European (but nearby) countries sing terrible songs while viewers from each country vote for the countries that would probably end up on their side in a war. It’s all very strange.
By 30 May I had decided that I would have to start seriously applying myself to GMAT studies if my vague plans for “oh business school someday” were to ever become a reality – more to ensure I don’t forget any more math than because I wanted to get going on the application. I took a break on 1 June to celebrate and panic at the fact that date marked two years since I arrived in England – and to fully embrace my new-found Britishness, I spent the evening on a rainy football pitch, trying out for an 11-a-side girls’ team (translation, I tried out for a girls soccer team).
Not to make myself out to be too healthy and cultured the last couple months, as 2 June saw me indulging in the sin of gambling at a PokerStars tournament where I was seated at a table with Victoria Coren, one of the premiere female poker players in the world (who in addition to robbing us all blind is a gorgeous, talented writer of both a fantastic autobiography and a weekly column in The Guardian). Despite my competition I still ended up placing 5th overall and picked up a bit of a poker bug. Fortunately there was no buy in and no cash winnings otherwise I would have been totally hooked.
To atone for my gambling sins, I surrounded myself with incredibly talented, driven and entrepreneurial women at the Women 2.0 dinner on 4 June where I met some fantastical ladies and had a chance to catch up with a few old friends.
My terror at realizing I had been in the UK for two years was only equaled on 7 June, the date that marked 24 years since I arrived in the world. I had a low-key birthday and the opposite of a low-key cake created by the incredible Top Floor Flatmate Ann.
Although my birthday day was quiet, I was going to make up for it on 12 June with a little celebration in honour of my birth and, more importantly, the USA vs England match in the World Cup. From then on out, the World Cup and work began to dominate my life. Group rounds proved an emotional challenge as the USA was robbed of goals, saddled with horrendous refs and still managed to pull through at the last minute. England was causing heartache for their fans as well with dismal performances against the USA and Algeria.
On 15 June I got to squeeze in a visit with a friend of mine from Colby. Chris was stopping off in London on his way back to America from Austria. He had joined us for my birthday celebration and we managed to catch another World Cup match in a classic British pub for dinner on a gorgeous sunny day. I can’t for the life of me remember what match we saw but it was great to spend the evening with a friend from Colby and his lovely girlfriend in a traditional, riverside pub.
I had a slight break from football on 21 June when Wimbledon kicked off in earnest with Roger Federer coming dangerously close to losing in the first round but fortunately he hung in long enough for me to turn my attention back to USA and England’s performances and on 23 June they both eeked through to the next round of the World Cup, USA amazingly leading the group and set to play Ghana in the match ahead. Landon Donovan’s goal with less than four minutes left to play was probably one of the top 10 sporting moments I’ve ever experiences, right up there with Fulham beating Hamburg and the Red Sox winning the 2004 playoff series against the Yankees.
Poor England was stuck with Germany and not even the loyal fans, generally ready to forgive them early performances, had much hope for the outcome of that pairing. The day wasn’t over yet as this also marked arguably the most epic Wimbledon match in history, the 10+ hour marathon of Mahut and Isner which began before the football and, as I incredulously followed on my phone, continued during my commute, through my walk home, until I got back to my television and so late that they had to postpone the match into the next day (the third day of play).
Sports continued to play a dominate theme in the month. While I was looking forward to the USA v Ghana match, I got some bad news about Fulham – it seemed their manager, Roy Hodgson, had performed so well with the team the season before, and so well as a pundit during the world cup, he was getting eyed by the bigger, and wealthier teams in the league. Rumours were flying that he’d soon be off to Liverpool, leaving us Cottagers behind.
Rumours were still unconfirmed heading into the weekend of the USA v Ghana match but before I could focus on football, I first had a visit from Nina, a close friend from high school who was in London for a few days between Oxford and Cambridge jaunts. Selecting some favourites from my London in 48 Hours tour, we raced around the city on her first day, then took advantage of the sunny weather to head out to Greenwich on 26 June. That evening, while Nina opted for a different kind of British culture (she was off to the Globe for a production of Macbeth) I returned to my local pub for an evening of white-knuckled USA supporting.
The eventual defeat of the Americans shouldn’t have come as a surprise but I was devastated when their World Cup trip ended. My only consolation was that, less than 24 hours later, on 27 June, Englanders would feel my pain (times four) as Germany beat the England team 4-1. A weekend of rubbish refs, the crippling confirmation that Fulham was to lose Roy, and too much pub food was balanced with how fantastic it was to have Nina visiting, and the glorious California weather she brought with her.
With all of the sports of June, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I had done very little work but despite my sports fixation, in fact 90% of my mental capacity was focused solely on Spoonfed and the upcoming product launch for Bullseyehub, our fantastic new bit of software which allows companies in the entertainment space to better communicate with their customers. My role at the company transformed into full-time bug tester as we barreled our way through June and to the looming launch party date, by which we needed to have tested, perfected and released Bullseyehub to the world.
I needn’t have worried as our incredible team pulled it off without a hitch and on 30 June, we got to show friends, family and London press what we’d been working on for the last 12 months. The launch night was incredible and something I’ll never forget – one of my proudest moments. I was so rewarding to have been involved in the project from start to finish and to be able to share that with the Spoonfed team as well as the attendees of our launch event.
The whole team was ready to celebrate and as a reward for all of our hard work, on 3 July the company directors had arranged a special day out at the horse races (yes, more gambling!). Ladies dressed to the nines (with hats that looked more like small allotment gardens than headwear) strolled through the green paddock while the nation’s top horses prepped for their sprints. The Spoonfed team, of course, celebrated in a private box overlooking the finish line, quaffing champagne, losing unfortunate amounts of money and generally having a wonderful time.
The 4th of July didn’t register on my American holiday radar until I got a text in the morning wishing me a happy Independence Day. I was more distracted by the Sunday Times, which featured Spoonfed once again – a whole article on grads making good with a big picture of our Spoonfed offices. The weather seemed to be celebrating as well and I got to take advantage of the sun with a tennis match on a clay court (the first time I’d played on anything other than a hard court) with Spoonfed director Alex before we gave up our own attempts at tennis greatness to watch the end of the Wimbledon final.
Whew! I knew I’d get there in the end! I’m all up to date with the exciting things that have been happening lately. While I hope to get a full commentary on World Cup mayhem from an England perspective, my most lasting and proudest memories from the last 8 weeks will be related to Bullseyehub, the Spoonfed Media team and our successes as a company. I’m so excited for what the next six months will bring us and am looking forward to the rest of my British summer.
Hopefully there’ll be quite a bit more time to keep my blog up to date.
Last night was the heartbreaking second overtime defeat of Fulham FC by Atletico Madrid in the finals of the Europa League. The feeling when that Atletico ball hit the back of the net with less than four minutes left in the second overtime - minutes away from a penalty shoot out - was absolutely devastating. But now, having given away the unhappy ending, I can focus on what was, without question, the greatest sports experience of my life and my mother’s last full day in the UK.
It was already set to be a very sporty day. We had plans to visit the Wimbledon grounds and museum to get a taste of the famous tennis venue, even if we couldn’t see any matches, and that evening we were off to see Fulham play a home match against Hamburg in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
The Wimbledon grounds had a great little museum, outlining the history of the club and the game of tennis however much more exciting was the tour. Although the Championships are still almost two months away, there was already a lot of activity underway to get the grass prepared, the facilities in top shape and the tournament going. In fact, both Court 1 and Centre Court had 24 hour guard staff and guard dogs to protect the grass. Our tour guide claimed it was to keep the foxes off but the speed of the guards’ reaction when someone on the tour got too close to the grassy courts suggested they were prepared to tackle bigger threats to the greenery.
The highlights of the tour were, of course, Court 1 and Centre Court but also, a surprise as I hadn’t expected this to be part of the tour, the briefing room. Mom and I got to spend a happy few moments pretending we were winning Wimbledon players in the press room, chatting with reporters about our successful match.
We ended the tour at Centre Court and it was probably the closest I will ever be to that lawn but even with empty seats, no players and guards watching the grass, the atmosphere was electric and I can only imagine how exciting it must be to watch the finals in that stadium.
The afternoon allowed us some time to shop around Wimbledon. While Wimbledon is considered part of greater London, it has a completely unique feel to the rest of the city. It is significantly more rural, the Wimbledon golf course adding some open space between the residential area and some of the busier parts of London, and the pace is a bit less frantic. Wimbledon Village still retains a village feel - and has some great shopping.
A long morning in Wimbledon left us just enough time for a quick tour through the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington before heading back to Fulham for dinner and pregame drinks. We found a perfect riverside pub, The Blue Anchor, for a last plate of fish and chips while I caught my mother up on Fulham’s incredible journey through the Europa League which had brought them to the semi-finals, briefed her on our key players, and generally talked soccer until she tuned out completely.
Finally it was game time. The whole Fulham riverside was buzzing and we definitely weren’t the only people heading from the Blue Anchor to the game. Fulham had to win tonight - a draw or a loss would see them removed from the tournament and the crowd was ready for a show.
Things got off to a rough start when Hamburg scored just before the end of the first half and my mother began to wonder how she would deal with a distraught daughter on the last night before her flight home should things continue to spiral downward.
She needn’t have worried. With 20 minutes left in the match, Fulham pulled ahead 2-1 and the Cottage exploded. Known for being one of the most calm, family-friendly and sedate stadiums and set of fans in the league, the Cottage and Cottagers were all in unison screaming their heads off - and the noise didn’t let up until the final whistle, sending Fulham through to the Europa finals. It was, without question, one of the greatest nights of my life and I’m so glad I got to share that with my mother (who didn’t entirely understand the significance of the event but was happy we won - even if just so as not to put up with me the next day).
And that officially ends my mother’s one week in England. I’ll try to do a recap post with all of the places we visited and links to attractions we saw. It was a crazy, busy, exciting, whirlwind of a week and although I may have tired her out immensely, I think we both enjoyed the whole experience.
On Wednesday, my mother and I had booked a tour with Spoke and Motion - London Bike Tours for a unique view of Greenwich in east London. We started in Bermondsey, headed east along the Thames, stayed on the south side of the river past the Isle of Dogs and finally north again as the river turned to bring us into Greenwich, the home of Greenwich Mean Time (the place where all time is made! Or something like that… I was too distracted by the amazing view to pay much attention to what 0.0.0 latitude meant exactly) where we spent a wonderful afternoon before biking back to our start point.
Here, in photo review, is our bike trip to and through Greenwich:
Start of the bike trip at the Old Justice pub which, surprisingly enough, is also a secret Korean restaurant.
Mom and our bikes as we begin our bike journey east. The Gherkin, Tower Bridge and City of London in the distance.
Mom and me at Greenwich, inside what is now a college but used to be a palace, then later a navy hospital. We're standing in front of what was designed to be the dining hall.
Inside the dining hall was the most surprising and impressive paintings and ceiling designs - it was an absolutely stunning room!
Mom in front of the Greenwich Maritime Museum - isnt she lovely?
Where time is made? I certainly could use a bit more myself... we're at the Greenwich Royal Observatory which also has an incredible view of London and Canary Wharf
A view of Greenwich and Canary Wharf from the Royal Observatory
Our trusty Brompton bikes at the end of our tour - while we sit with a well-deserved cider in the afternoon sun. What a great day!
If Monday had been the City of London: The Grand History, Tuesday was the Devil Wears Prada version of London Tourism. We were going to be hitting some of the top shopping the city has to offer. We first hopped a number 10 bus which would take us east through High Street Kensington, all the way along Hyde Park, and up to the western end of Oxford Street where we disembarked the bus to check out some of London’s high street shopping, beginning with Selfridges, the Harrods of central London. While the Gaps and Esprits and H&Ms of the street could be found in the US, there were plenty of brands that were a welcome change from the standard American shopping fare.
Where things got much more interesting, however, was on Regent’s Street, which offered many more boutique-like shops, as well as a Caffe Concerto which, while a standard pastry and ice cream shop, offered a European flair in display which caught my mother’s eye.
For lunch, we walked south to Covent Garden, which is situated in an area with plenty of its own unique shops and boutiques. We grabbed a pizza at the outdoor Italian cafe in Apple Market of Covent Garden then took a few minutes to enjoy the open air market offerings that surrounded us. Covent Garden is also home to the London Transport Museum, a museum I haven’t yet visited (aside from the gift shop which, in addition to being free to enter as opposed to the museum itself, has some really great unique London gifts) but have heard great things about.
Covent Garden could probably have occupied us for much of the afternoon but we pulled ourselves away to head back north a few blocks to Carnaby Street. This is one of the most famous shopping areas of London and is blocked to vehicles so it’s an ideal place to stroll through the shops. Over the past few years, pop up shops and restaurants, that is shops that only exist for a few weeks or months, have become increasingly popular and there was a pop up shop just at the southern end of Carnaby Street. Proceeds from the clothing and jewellery (made by local designers) was going to charity and we had a long chat with the jewellery designer, a friendly Canadian who swapped visa stories with me.
Finally, at the top of Carnaby Street, we reached a destination my mother was quite keen to visit: Liberty of London. The building itself is impressive enough, an old fashioned wooden structure that houses some of the best designer fashion in London. Oddly, my mother informed me that Liberty has recently launched a line of products they sell at Target in the US which seems to strongly counter their expensive, posh brand here in London but the store is still fun to visit, even if you’re not planning on shelling out £500 for a scarf designed by Vivienne Westwood.
It had been a long day of shopping (amazing how that can take nearly as much out of you as walking around the entire city!) and we were looking forward to meeting Spoonfed co-founders and my bosses, Alex and Henry at a highly traditional British pub for a highly traditional British dinner. We arrived at the Mall Tavern in Notting Hill eager for a glass of wine, some pork crackling, lamb scrumpets (they are exactly as delicious as they sound), mackerel pate, chicken kiev and pork medallions. It was a fantastic dinner and a great end to the day. However we had another early night as the next morning would be one of our most exciting outings yet….
Despite our brief foray in Kensington and Knightsbridge, my mother had yet to see much of London. I planned to fix that on Monday with a very ambitious tour of the centre of London, focusing on the famous historical and political centres of the city. With no regard for my mother’s poor feet, I launched us towards the city centre on the number 9 bus which took us to Piccadilly Circus.
We hopped off a stop early to visit Fortnum and Masons, home of, among other things, the Scotch Egg, Fortnum and Mason gift baskets and my personal favourite tea set in London. While my mother appreciated the tea set, much more impressive were the window displays – a giant mixer, a rocket ship of home goods and a giant cup of tea.
After Fortnum and Masons, we wound our way southeast towards Trafalgar Square, passing Piccadilly Circus and some of the small shopping alleys of boutique shops on the way. Trafalgar Square has fantastic views of the city and is home to the National Gallery (which we didn’t have time to visit) but helped my mother orient herself as we gazed out over the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Before heading there directly, however, we took a stroll down the Royal Mall, the long walk between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace where a crowd was gathered for an event we never could determine. It was so crowded, in fact, that we didn’t get too close to the Palace at all, but the view from a distance was impressive enough and a shorter stay outside the Palace gave us a few moments to enjoy the amazing flowers and gardens of St James Park on our way towards Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
We passed on a tour of the Abbey (I had done it twice already) and crossed the river to the South Bank where we first walked under the impressive London Eye then continued east, enjoying the riverside views before coming up on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern. We didn’t linger long, however, as we were getting hungry and Borough Market was just a few minutes walk away.
Borough Market on the weekdays is not the impressive bustling open air market it is on the weekends and despite the local sandwich shops and great view of Southwark Cathedral, we were keen for a place to sit down and relax after our long walk of the morning. Instead of opting for a sandwich and curbside seat, I introduced my mother to Nandos, a Portuguese-influenced restaurant chain that proved a huge hit (get the chicken pita with cheddar cheese and pineapple and be sure to load up on Piri-Piri sauce!).
Blood sugar levels restored to normal and our feet briefly rested, we started off again, taking the bus north from London Bridge to visit the Museum of London in Moorgate. This little museum is a hidden gem and has a fantastic local history. In addition to giving great information on the history of London from pre-history onwards, which a heavy focus on the Roman settlers in the area in the first century AD, the museum itself is built above the ruins of the original Roman wall that surrounded the city of Londinium. Parts of the wall still stand in and around the museum and are visible from viewing decks inside. The story of London continues up through the Tudors, the civil war and finally the last major outbreak of plague and the fire of London in 1666. In a few weeks, however, the Museum is going to be opening an whole new floor dedicated to modern London and I’m looking forward to returning to check it out.
Finally, after our Museum of London visit, we were reaching what was, in my mind, the highlight of the day – a visit to the Spoonfed office so my mother could see where I work. It was another short bus ride north and I got to introduce her to my co-workers, show off our office, and grab a coffee at our local coffee shop while we chatted about our busy, busy day.
After such a long day, I had a quiet but fun dinner planned at the Churchill Arms, a tiny Thai restaurant hidden in the back of a Notting Hill pub. The restaurant seems more like the cross between a greenhouse and a garden shed than a place to get a delicious, spicy Thai dinner, but we both enjoyed our meals immensely and I had definitely impressed my mother with my local knowledge of both city attractions, bus routes and places to eat.
With sore feet, full bellies and a plan to ditch the boring history and focus on shopping the next day, we were asleep early and excited for the next day.
Day two of our England exploration saw us hopping the green 401 bus west to Windsor where we planned to visit the Windsor Castle. Additionally, my mother had fond memories of shopping in Windsor from when we lived in the UK years ago so she was looking forward to getting a chance to acclimate to the UK shopping climate.
As it turned out, we weren’t the only, nor the most important, people to have the same idea – the Queen herself was also in town staying at Windsor for the weekend and we arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard at Windsor Castle. Although we didn’t see her majesty we did see a lot of red coats and furry black hats.
After the guard had passed, we made our way into the Castle grounds and aimed straight for the royal apartments. Fortunately we’d arrived early enough to beat most of the crowd and enjoyed a morning of touring some of the inner chambers of the palace which have been either recreated or restored to give an idea of how the royal family used the space hundreds of years ago. Of course, the palace is still in use today and some of the rooms, including the dining and reception rooms, are used regularly for royal functions.
After our tour through the castle, which included a detour to the gorgeous St. George Chapel on the castle grounds, we made our way into the little town of Windsor for lunch and, most important of all, shopping.
The rest of the day passed quickly enough, with numerous shop stops, before we boarded the bus back to London. We were making our way back to the Top Floor Flat to meet Top Floor Flatmate Ann for dinner at our favourite local pub and a big plate of fish and chips for mom. The fish and chips were a huge hit – and she was immensely impressed (significantly moreso than I was) that I found bones in my plate of fish. Apparently fish and chips in the US bears a strong resemblance to processed fish fingers than anything that ever came from the sea.
It was another early night as the next morning was going to be an early one… we had a train to catch.
April 23rd marked an incredibly momentous occasion – namely the arrival of my mother to the (surprisingly) sunny shores of the UK to visit me here at the Top Floor Flat. While she had been to England before, it had been nearly twenty years and I was going to waste no time in showing off my favourite parts of the city, my office, the flat, and some of the nearby attractions just outside London. With little regard for her poor, jet-lagged self, we set from the airport for a whirlwind week of tourism. I’ll give a day by day account of our travels but here is a sneak preview of all of the places we visited during her six and a half days in the UK. Not bad, eh?
Before we launch into the trip, here’s a list of the most important things to have as a tourist in London:
Oyster card: these travel cards allow cheaper and easier travel on all London transport. For my mom’s trip, I got her an Oyster card with a one week, zones 1 and 2 travel card and £5 extra. This would allow her unlimited travel through the centre of London on the underground, unlimited bus travel anywhere in London, and some extra to cover out of zone underground travel (such as to the airport or to Wimbledon, in zone 3).
Raincoat and small umbrella: although the weather cooperated with us while she was here, this is essential kit for any London traveler. Not only does it protect against the frequent rain, but London can be quite windy even when it’s not cold or raining so the coat can alternatively be a windbreaker.
Good shoes: London is an immensely walkable city. No reason not to take advantage of this but make sure you have comfy shoes! Good shoes are also useful when a task-master daughter insists on 8+ hours of walking per day on a crazy itinerary.
Water bottle: If you’re going to be walking all day, especially if you’re planning to partake in any aspect of Britain’s pub culture in the evening, better make sure you’re well-hydrated.
On Friday after her arrival in Heathrow, my mother was all for going straight to sleep however having had someone to do the same for me when I first arrived in London, I insisted that she drop her bags and come outside for a walk around Knightsbridge and Kensington. Not only would this help her overcome her jetlag by forcing her to stay awake through the afternoon, but it was gloriously sunny and I had no idea how long that weather would last!
We started by catching the number 10 bus which took us east down High Street Kensington. Public buses are probably the best kept secret in London tourism – for £1 with an Oyster card, you can see huge amounts of the most famous parts of the city and while you might not have a tour guide telling you about the surroundings, you do have a chance to get the upper front seat on the double-decker buses.
We got off the number 10 just outside the Royal Albert Hall, having passed by the Kensington Palace at the westernmost end of Hyde Park. My mother was immediately impressed by the Albert Memorial, a gigantic golden monument to Queen Victoria’s husband, Albert, which may be a bit gaudy by today’s tastes but is certainly a sight to behold. Just across the street was the Royal Albert Hall, where in the past I’ve attended the BBC Proms musical events. Nearby, a classic red phone box proved the perfect location for a cliché but absolutely necessary series of phone box photos. Check one tourist box and my mom hadn’t even been off the plane three hours!
We made our way south, through Imperial College and the many music and science buildings in the area, down Exhibition Road, and detoured west to admire the architecture of the Natural History Museum. The building is as impressive as its contents and we weren’t the only ones using the space as a photo stop. Although we took a quick look inside, the darkness and quiet of the museum we not going to be any help in keeping my mother awake so we headed back out into the sun and east into Knightsbridge.
Our next stop was Harrods and despite the dim lighting, I decided to risk a stint indoors to show of Harrod’s food halls. It was worth the lack of sunlight – the layout of the food halls is more of a feast for the eyes than the mouth (which is fortunate at £5 a strawberry) and each stall, especially in the desserts hall, proved a photo stop in its own right.
Emerging once again into the late afternoon sun, we paused for a bit of window shopping along the Harrods, then Harvey Nichols displays before catching the number 10 bus back west for a home cooked dinner and a good night’s sleep before the next day’s events. It was time to see if working at Spoonfed, Bullseye and events and local knowledge of London had turned me into the ultimate tour guide.
On my way back from Fulham Palace, I happened to notice a tiny cafe tucked away on North End Road. It wouldn’t have caught my eye except for the sign which promised authentic Ethiopian food. I had tried Ethiopian food once before, at a restaurant by Kings Cross, but it had been almost two years and I was excited to give it another go.
I coerced Top Floor Flatmate, Ann, into coming along with me, warning her that the possibility was high that this would be a disastrous meal. For starters, the cafe itself looked more like a greasy spoon than a location for a fine meal out, and that was just the outside. Upon walking in we were greeted by some aluminum-topped tables, a rather dingy interior and, fittingly, a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony which included a circle of low wicker stools, a central heating unit and a lot of incense.
Odd decor aside, we were warmly welcomed by an incredibly friendly woman who seemed to be in charge - she certainly took charge, waving away the staff’s apparent surprise at our desire to dine there, sitting us down and proceeding to talk us through the menu and, when we showed some hesitation, ordering for us.
A traditional Ethiopian meal is typically a spicy and flavourful meat or veggie dish served on a large flat round of bitter bread called injera. There are no utensils and the porous bread is used to scoop up, sop up and otherwise consume the meat or veggies, which are a stew-like consistency. While the bread isn’t too appealing alone, with the intense flavours of the meat and spices of the sauce, it’s a perfect balance and the Ethiopian style of food was just as delicious as I remembered. I had a lamb dish while Ann went with the vegetarian option but we both agreed it was a) amazingly tasty and b) way more than we could comfortably eat (though not for lack of trying).
The Ghion Cafe was certainly not a looker - and if you want ambiance, this is not your best bet. But don’t be put off by the simple surroundings. The food was authentic, rich and delicious; the service uncharacteristically friendly for London and the food arrived almost instantaneously (although we ended up having to ask twice for the bill before getting up to pay at the counter - a long, drawn out and well-enjoyed meal seemed to be encouraged) and it was an excellent opportunity to further discover food of another culture. Plus at under £10 per person for an incredibly filling meal and drink, it’s an unbeatable price. The perfect combination.
Ghion Cafe
248 North End Road
Fulham, London, SW6 7RS
020 7385 1287
Today marked the first sunny AND warm day of the year and it seemed that all of London was taking advantage. The number of people outside in frankly overly optimistic clothing (sundresses, flip flops, mini shorts) was indicative of how long we’ve been waiting for the weather to turn.
Eager to join them, I donned a tank top and made my way south west towards Fulham Palace, a former residence of the Bishop of London from the eighteenth century up through the 1970s. It’s a fairly unknown landmark and hidden within Bishops Park alongside the Thames in Hammersmith and Fulham, just across from Putney. It was a lovely walk but I was completely surprised by the Palace when I arrived. Apparently it was better know, at least by locals, than I thought! The cafe was absolutely packed and dozens of families were enjoying picnics all around the grounds. I had clearly been missing out.
The Fulham Palace is a gorgeous manor house, like you might expect to find in rural Kent or Essex (not surprising as, when it was built, Fulham was far enough outside London to be considered a bit of a hike and definitely a different, rural town). Initially it just served as the summer home of the Bishop of London but later became their year-round residence.
There is a small museum in the Palace that outlines its history and the role of the Bishop of London in the Catholic or Protestant churches (depending on who was in charge at the time) and a lovely little gallery that is currently displaying a series of botanical watercolours of local plants. There’s also a - apparently incredibly popular - cafe and small restaurant and an expansive lawn and set of gardens. The lawn was taken over by picnickers but the gardens, some of which were pleasantly overgrown and hidden behind crumbling walls from the original buildings, hid locals who had turned up with books to enjoy the sun and outdoors in a more secluded area.
Fulham Palace doesn’t seem to be so much a royal (or in this case clerical) tourist destination but a local secret enjoyed by the residents of Hammersmith and Fulham. I think the Palace gardens may join Holland Park as my summer destination of choice for an afternoon in the sun. A wonderful afternoon and lovely bit of local history.
The Top Floor Flat is a blog about an American girl who has moved to London and is working for a web startup called Spoonfed Media whose products include Spoonfed - Things to do in London and Bullseye. All commentary is heavily influenced by travel, the tech world and lots and lots of tea. For more information, visit the About page.
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