Hitting the Big Smoke

When the opportunity to crash Ben's short trip to London presented itself, I leapt at it. I haven't been down for a couple of years, and with my dissertation handed in but no classes until February, I'm at a bit of a loose end. So on Monday lunchtime the two of us hopped on a flight for a little adventure. After a a bit of a diversion (read: we got lost) on the way to the hotel, we dumped our bags and headed out to explore the area Ben had to be the next day. The sun was just setting as we arrived, and London treated to us to a beautiful candy floss coloured sky as a greeting.

  

I think last time I was in London this whole area was a building site. The weather was so lovely that we had a big wander around. What I found really striking about this whole area was the stark contrasts betweens the new and the old, which coexist side by side. I said to Ben when we were walking, imagine if you transported a dock worker from 150 years ago down here now. They'd think they were on a different planet.

I think Ben thought he was on a different planet too. It was only as the plane was landing that he announced he hadn't been to London before, bar one day picking up a visa and another day at Wimbledon. So the pressure was really on me to show Ben the best time I could. Luckily, we'd planned to meet a couple of friends in Covent Garden for dinner, so we meandered down there a few hours early so he could have a good poke around.

When we found my friends we headed to a a restaurant they recommended, Homeslice. I don't know if this is already a thing in London, but if it isn't it should be. They serve thin based crispy pizza, all a standard 20 inches or by the slice. The slices are enormous, and I've never seen a pizza bigger. We had to wait twenty minutes or so for a table, so we sat outside wrapped in our coats and hats, drooling over the menu and the smell. When we got our table, we were ready with our order.

 

One pizza, half salami and rocket, half butternut, bacon, colston basset and smoked onions. Plus an extra slice of the mushroom, ricotta and pumpkin seeds, because it would have been rude not to.

The pizza was incredible, particularly the mushroom. Hands down the best I've had outside of Italy. At £20 for a 20 inch, you can't go wrong. The restaurant is beautifully tiled, and has big tables that you share with other diners. The wine is measured by the inch, and the atmosphere is fantastic. If you haven't been before, I can't recommend it enough. Despite the enormous amount of pizza consumed, we were ready for pudding. As Homeslice is a pizza only kind of place, we went for another wander and found ourselves at la Gelatiera. This must be a thing, it must be. It had so many awards stuck all over it. And boy did it deserve them!

I plumped for a slice of maple and pecan pie with a scoop of salted caramel gelato. A dreamy combination. The pie was moist and sweet, with a perfectly crunchy crust.

Ben had strawberry cream gelato and dark chocolate sorbet. Having stolen a spoonful of each, I can assure you this too was delicious.

With full bellies we wandered back to our hotel. A perfect start to a lovely few days. Have you visited either of these places? Are they amongst your favourites or have I inspired you to pay them a visit?