A couple of weeks ago we ventured down to London for a weekend of wining and dining, It made a nice change to be going to London to see friends rather then for work trips. It had been booked in for months and Harriet ( in good taste) and I , had left it to our foodie boyfriends to plan where we would be eating.

Where we ate:

The River Cafe - Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London W6 9HA

The high light of our trip was dining at The River Cafe - a 1 star Michelin restaurant on the banks of Hammersmith. … Fancy hey!

They actually do a very affordable dining Monday - Friday lunch until 9th April so if you want to try the tastes of a Michelin starred restaurant you can do with out breaking the bank! I’ve popped the details below…

The River Cafe's Winter Set Lunch offer is back from 6th January until 9th April, offered alongside our usual a la Carte menu.

Two courses £28, Three courses £34, Four courses £42. The menu changes daily. Price excludes drinks and service

I had the Mozzerella di Bufala to start, the Tagliatelle, the Razza Al Ferno and for dessert? Of course I went for the Chocolate Nemesis!

My favourite dish was the Razza Al Ferno - but saying that every dish was just incredible - my mouth is watering just thinking about it. We had such a lovely afternoon, I think we were one of the first to arrive and last to leave as we wined and chatted our afternoon away.

The decor has a boat look with a modern touch, the bright pink wood fire oven which clashes in a brilliant way with the blues used through out the restaurant.

Service was impeccable and I would really really urge anyone to pay it a visit.

St John - 26 St. John Street, London, EC1M 4AY

The day we arrived we popped straight here for brunch. I recognised the name from the recipe book Tom keeps on the side next to the sofa and regularly uses to inspire our dinners. It was tucked away ( although we went on a Sunday so the surrounding area felt very quiet, although I imagine this isn’t the case Wednesday - Saturday)

As we walked in I was struck by the minimalist look - cream walls with black text. the building felt industrial and like it had a nice history to it. A passage way opens up to a bakery, bar and restaurant.

We tried a selection of dishes through out the afternoon, the show stopper for me was the Welsh Rarebit. boy oh boy is it good!!! I had never had it before but it shall now be my go to bit of naughtiness whenever I feel like it. As you can see from the pictures, it is a bit like a cheese toastie but so much better.

The bread was also very good and if I lived in London it would be the bakery I buy all my bread from.

PEG - 120 Morning Ln, Hackney, London E9 6LH

A small and cute wine bar in Hackey and the sister restaurant to Bright ( Which I also really recommend - we went there in the summer and they do deep friend lasagna, the pastas were also incredible) , P.Franco ( I recommend the Gamay Sans Tralala if you like red wine) and Noble Fine Liquor which seems to be the only one we havn’t been to yet.

We decided as a table that the veggie dishes they do stood out in favour compared to the meat dishes. We couldn’t get enough of the Grilled chanterelles with walnut miso and ginger scallion condiment, the chickpea tofu - which was vegan - oh my gosh it was so so good, I think we ordered 3 portions ( there was 6 of us). For me the duck dish we ordered didn’t live up to exception but if we went back I would stick to the veggie dishes because they were the best I’d had ever!

I didn’t take any pictures while I was there because it was dark by then and the candle light wasn’t the best lighting as I only had my phone with me so here is a picture of the chickpea tofu which I have taken from the Peg Instagram.

I did get a few of my own stories which I have highlighted on my Instagram under London so check them out if you get a chance.

You can also check out my friend Harriet’s instagram who goes by the name of In Good Taste - She is by far the best instagram when looking for food inspiration in London.

Where we stayed:

The Hoxton Hotel- Southwick

We treated ourselves to a night in The Hoxton, a chain of hotels which I find are constantly brilliant. I always find myself taking a million and one pictures of the interiors of the rooms, restaurants and lobbies. There is always a very chilled but busy atmosphere. The beds are so comfortable and I love the little quirks like Robert Radios in the rooms and water in beautiful paper cartons.

As Tom is a chef he has an app called Code which means industry professionals get a bit of discount at hotels and restaurants - we use it a lot and it really helps so if you are a chef too- might be worth getting it. I think its £50 for the year or something but you make that back very easily on your savings.