The past 10 months of being with Oliver have not only expanded my taste buds but also my waistline! 2017 has brought with it so many different eating experiences it is hard to choose only 5 for this post. Here is a concise a run down as I can make.

SNAPS AND RYE
Having a grandfather who hales from Denmark I feel like I have an inherent love for all things Scandinavian. I point out Danish design constantly and praise their style so often that Oliver decided to treat me to a wonderful evening eating at a Danish restaurant. It was such a thoughtful surprise. After a blissful afternoon wandering around various galleries, we headed to our reservation. On arriving we felt like we couldn’t be at the correct place. It looked more like a cafe than an establishment to serve evening meals. Don’t let the deli counter or size of Snaps and Rye fool you though, it was a delight. We were seated close to the door on entering, however as it was a fresh January evening there was quite a draught coming in through the window and door. I felt a little too foolish to wrap myself up in one of the provided blankets so we asked to be seated a little further into the restaurant. I’m so glad we did. We were tucked away in the back, near the kitchen. The atmosphere as other guests nestled into tables around us was so lovely and friendly. The design of the place made us feel immediately at ease and the lighting was sublime and very Danish. Once we were settled the set menu for the evening was brought out to us so we could see what food we would be tucking into, and in what order. Then the food followed. I Lost count of a number of plates brought out for us. Each of our courses was exquisitely presented and packed with the most wonderful flavours. It was so much fun to chat over and discuss each course, and the experience was as lovely as the food we were eating. I would highly recommend Snaps and Rye, particularly to celebrate a special occasion or maybe just to treat a loved one. We definitely plan to return and are keeping it on our list of fancy places to go for birthdays.

DUCK AND WAFFLE

The duck and waffle is an experience. Prior to going, we heard so many good things about this restaurant. Oliver was especially excited to see what the fuss was about. The process of booking a table resulted in staying up until midnight and deciding what time we wanted to eat 2 months in advance! We thought it must be worth the wait! After booking so far in advance our reservation crept up on us out of the blue, like finding a £10 note in the back pocket of an old pair of jeans, it was a lovely surprise. We dressed up for the first time going out on a date together and headed out. It felt like such a special evening. Because we had booked in advance we were able to skip the queue at the bottom of the heron tower. The glass fronted lift rose at speed and London was laid out before us. We were seated at a table by the window and had spectacular views of the city in all its brilliant nighttime glow, watching little London buses like ants working their way through the streets below. Now, this is the part where I have, to be honest. If we hadn’t been given a window table I would have been quite cheesed off. 

The view made the experience memorable, but unfortunately, neither of us particularly enjoyed the food. We asked the waitress serving us what she recommended, and how many plates to go for (it was a tapas-style small plate place). After this discussion, we settled on creme brûlée foie gras, ox cheek doughnut, sourdough bread, apple pork skewers and the classic duck and waffle. Firstly there was about twice as much food there as we needed. If we were to go again we both agreed that the duck and waffle alone would be more than sufficient. As for the other dishes, they were very difficult to stomach. the brazen mix of sweet, sugar and bitter savoury did not suit our taste buds and we struggled to hide as much as possible under our cutlery and around our plates to look like we had given it a good go. So it was a mixed bag, we may return, we may not… I hear that the best time to go is actually for brunch, the menu is different and a little less unusual which probably would suit our taste more.

PING PONG 

There are Ping Pong’s all across London, and unlike the title might suggest it is not a table tennis place (I was a little disappointed when I found this out). We went to the ping pong on the south bank. It was a spur of the moment meal choice as we were hungry one evening and wandering around looking for a place to eat. We were sat near the kitchen on a sharing table, though none came to join us which was nice. We had a brilliant view of the dishes being prepared and popped on the counter ready to distribute to their allocated tables. 

Oliver had a great time taking photos of the business. The buzz and atmosphere of the restaurant was contagious and we had an enjoyable evening of wonderful conversation and merriment. The food came all at different times as an when it was ready. It is Chinese cuisine, where you order several small plates to share for your meal. As with the duck and waffle, we enquired as to how many dishes we would need, and again found there to be much too much food for us. I was a real fan of the food and Ollie took some pics so you can check out the deliciousness of our meal. As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol there usually isn’t much exciting on offer in the soft drinks department… not at ping pong! There were so many cool drinks to order, we chose quite a few! My very favourite was a homemade lemonade with separate raspberry and strawberry syrup you add yourself. It was amazing, I highly recommend Ping Pong!

OZONE

 
Shoreditch is such a great place to mooch around. After a morning of people watching, window shopping and just generally feeling pretty cool, hip and smug with ourselves we decided it was time ‘do brunch’ and search out some food. You know an establishment is good when the queue is out of the door. The wait was so worth it, Ozone doesn’t disappoint. We were sat next to each other on the bar table which surrounds the kitchen so were able to see all the plates being laid and food prepared. I could have happily chosen anything from the menu, there was a lot of indecision before we came up with our final choices. I went for eggs benedict and Ollie, an English breakfast with scrambled eggs. It was a gorgeous taste explosion, the memory of this place is making my tummy rumble. The staff we spoke to were all from Australia and New Zealand and were so super friendly. Go eat brunch!!

ON THE HOOF

On The Hoof was one of those places we discovered by accident. In our search for a property, we decided it would be a good idea to check around areas where we might potentially be able to afford to live before buying. One evening after work we looked on the tube map and decided to start with Sydenham. The high street was pretty bland shop wise with a plethora of estate agents, in fact, it was like the Hatton gardens of estate agents! We walked up and down looking for an eatery, there was one sit-in place. It looked pretty empty but we decided to check it out. 

The decor inside was so interesting. I’m assuming that at some point it was an optometrist because the walls were covered in framed black and white photos or people wearing opticians lenses. One wall was covered in mirrors. The bathroom had an eye test in it and a reading card on the back of the door. A touch I enjoyed the most which tied the theme together beautifully was the bill arrived presented in a glasses case. That all said, I’m not sure why it was called 'on the hoof’, without asking we might never know! The service was great and the place had such a lovely homely feel. I think it was only lacking music for the atmosphere maybe. It was quite quiet while we were in there, it became about half full but the close proximity of guests felt like we could hear other people’s conversations and I was conscious of being overheard. Our plates were piled with decent portions of wholesome food very reasonably priced. I hope this place stays in Sydenham for a long time and receives lots of custom. It is definitely the jewel in Sydenham high street!