Kiasu Singapore/Malaysian Restaurant, Bayswater

When it’s cold outside, I crave curry laksa. The sweet, creamy coconut milk and the spicy chili oil warms me up. So last week, because it was cold and because – like many Londoners – we’ve been reading Time Out’s Top 50 Restaurants in London issue, Jon and I visited Kiasu, which was Time Out’s [...]

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The Brit Awards: My Brush with Coolness

On Wednesday night, Jon and I attended the Brit Awards, which is like the Grammys, but for British recording artists. Lest you think we got tickets through some cool, hip connection, I should disclose that we were guests of the event sponsor, Mastercard. What this means is that the front of the auditorium (near the [...]

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Barrafina Tapas, Soho

Barcelona was one of the first European cities Jon and I visited after we moved to London, and right now, as the temperature hovers at 40F, I can think of nothing better than the Mediterranean life of Barcelona. Second best option: a stop in Soho at Barrafina restaurant, which is modeled on the lively and [...]

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Mangal Ocakbasi in Dalston: All About the Meat

When Jon and I first started dating, we’d go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day, despite generally blah experiences. We finally had it and swore “never again” when, one year, we went to our local divey Thai place in New York and discovered that instead of enjoying the comforts of cheap pad thai, we could [...]

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Pearl Liang Restaurant, Paddington

4706 on the Chinese calendar started this past Thursday, and as tempted as I am to make a joke about this being the Year of the Rat, I’ll refrain because my parents both happen to be Rats. Anyway, because I’m lame and wouldn’t dream of organizing a celebration on a school night, I pretended today [...]

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Quick Summary Thoughts on Athens

Things I really liked about our trip to Athens: I never had to ask for tap water in restaurants. Servers immediately put out carafes of water and glasses when you sit down. The Acropolis. Sure it’s full of tourists, but that’s because it’s worth seeing. Even covered in scaffolding and missing the cool parts, the [...]

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Mamacas and the Athens Taverna Rounduup

The vast majority of restaurants in Athens seem to be tavernas, the Greek version of the bistro. Of course, like bistros, not all tavernas are born equal. Some are fancy and expensive, and others are almost-literally holes in the wall. And you can count on Jon and me to have tried a range of them.I [...]

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Varoulko Restaurant, Athens

There are three restaurants in Athens with a Michelin star, and based on my reading, only one of them, Varoulko, sounded like it served Greek food – or at least non-French food. So that’s where Jon and I headed one night. Three things we learned from eating at Varoulko: 1. Greeks eat late. Not Spanish [...]

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