Caravan - Exmouth Market EC1

The Kiwi machine charges on - Caravan has recently opened on Exmouth Market (one of my favourite London streets) with Miles Kirby from Marylebone gem The Providores at the helm.  It's a really lovely space - a big airy room, buzzy but cosy.  I went there with my friend Rob for breakfast and I felt like I was back in Melbourne - it had that great breakfast vibe that is rare in London.  I was always frustrated here that for all the amazing restaurants, cool bars and clubs, there were very few places you could have a relaxed weekend breakfast - it was either greasy spoon or high-end.  I admit that has changed for the better in the last few years but a lot of the places are tiny so unless you are there bright and early it's tricky to get a table.  Caravan is big enough so that getting seated seems easier - having said that it is relatively new and it is really great so I'm sure word will spread and it will get trickier. Coffee is a focus here and the guys roast their own beans and create special blends for different times of the year.  The results are absolutely top notch - I had two of the best coffees I have had in a long time - a flat white and a cortado (which is increasingly becoming my coffee of choice) with a really fruity flavour to the beans and perfectly steamed milk.  Check out these little beauties (how cute is the cortado?!):

I had such a tasty breakfast - grilled ham with bubble and squeak, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.  How good does that sound?  Well let me tell you it tasted even better.  There was a slight mix up with our order and it took a little longer to come but they were so charming about it that it really didn't matter and it got us talking to the friendly Kiwi couple sitting next to us so it all got very chummy and chatty and added to the whole experience.  I really loved this place and I can't wait to go back.

Medcalf - Exmouth Market EC1

I had wanted to go to Medcalf for ages. Firstly it is on wonderful Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell (which I will blog about at a later date) which is one of my favourite streets in London, secondly it looks cool and thirdly I'd heard good things about it. So I was super excited to go there for lunch - it didn't disappoint.  It is a cool space, in an old butcher's shop (with the signage remaining) and one of those funky, yet relaxed interiors - old wooden tables & chairs, pendant lights and original artwork on the walls. Given the weather outside was freezing we demanded mulled wine as soon as we walked in - which came from a steaming pot on the counter. Nicely warmed up, I proceeded to turkey and ham hock terrine which was meaty and tasty and really good. I followed with grilled lamb cutlets on some sort of mash with "brussel tops" (which tasted a bit like kale and gave me the sense I was eating something healthy) which was also great. As good as the desserts looked, we had to pass as the main courses had taken a while to get to us - but that was a small niggle in an otherwise really great lunch experience. Next time I go I want to try the haddock, colcannon and crispy poached egg - it looked like the perfect Winter warmer. Colcannon is something I have come to love - the mix of mashed potato and cabbage is so comforting and goes perfectly with meaty fish or corned beef or even on its own as a quick supper (with lots of butter and pepper). Oh man - I want some now! Anyway check out Medcalf, it's great and if you want some of London's best cocktails - after dinner head to Dollar Bar just round the corner and order a rockstar martini, dangerous AND delicious.