eat&drink: Flat Iron Steak

Flat Iron Steak is one of our faaaaaaavorite restaurants in London. Its laidback and cozy atmosphere, not to mention their delicious steaks, keep Londoners coming back day after day, AAAAND that's even with their no reservation policy.  Yeah. They have something serious going on here!

Be prepared to wait to eat at Flat Iron. The first time we went we had an almost 2.5 hour wait and the second time we went we had a 45 minute wait. The good thing is, when you show up to put your name on the list, they will take your phone number and call you when your table is ready. Now you have time to explore Soho and grab a drink at one of the many pubs, clubs or restaurants in the area! No harm, no foul.

Flat Iron does have a small bar on the bottom floor of the restaurant that you can grab a drink and wait at, but it's super small, so you might have trouble finding a seat. I was able to snag a table in the back the first time we came, but trust me, it fills up quickly.

Flat Iron is a no fuss restaurant. You will most likely be seated next to strangers at a six-top picnic table, but don't worry, no one is listening to your conversation because everyone is too busy scarfing down their delicious steak and sides! The menu is hung above each table for everyone to see and there aren't that many options, so the response time by the wait staff is pretty quick. You can basically get your order placed within 10 minutes of sitting down and then your food is ready maybe 15 minutes after that... Bon appétit! 

Oh! Did I mention the complimentary popcorn they give you at the table? You rarely get complementary anything  in London (free chips and salsa? NO WAY!), so this is a REAL treat.

Obviously, the best part about Flat Iron Steak is the perfectly cooked medium rare steak. It. Is. Delightful. I rarely EVER get steak that is cooked to my taste. I usually I look to my husband to cook a steak properly, but ordering here I don't feel anxious AT ALL. They know what they're doing and I know that it will come out perfectly.

Within minutes, we go from this...

To this...

le sigh. It always disappears too fast. 

Andddd to top it off, Flat Iron's price is on point too! You and a date can easily walk out of Flat Iron Steak with a bill less than £40--that's a steak for each and a couple of sides. (Sorry, drinks extra.) That's nearly unheard of when ordering a beef dish in London!

Beef is fairly expensive in the UK, so Flat Iron is a great choice that won't break the bank. I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you are a beef-lover like me!

Happy eating! xx

SCENES FROM CLUB MAHIKI

Every lady needs a girls night out every once in a while. 

My friend Ali was able to get us on the list at Mahiki, so that's exactly what we planned. We left the boys at home and set out to have a good ole 'throwback-to-the-college-days' good time.

In a true, 'girls night' fashion, we rummaged through each others clothes, listened to hype music, ate pizza and pregamed before getting a taxi.

 I apologize ahead of time for the blurry pics, and PLEASE just completely ignore the bangs (or, fringe for you Londoners) because they were not cooperating...

Once we got to the club we weren't sure if we were going to get a table or not, so we danced around and waited to find out.

Luckily, we were saved by this group of nice British gentlemen. They invited us to join them at their table and allowed us full access to their bottle service. SCORE!

 This is where the party started! Between the good company, the good music and the free booze, we were all having a great time. 

The club scene typically isn't my scene, but hey! when in... London? 

Mahiki was a blast! We had a great time, and we didn't pay a cent while at the club. 

Every day we hus-hustlin'! 

;-)

EAT&DRINK: KIPFERL (ISLINGTON)

I'm not all that great with food porn.

I am a hungry girl that is all too consumed with her need/desire for carbs. There is rarely a second in between my plate being placed down in front of me and me digging in. Not only am I always starving, I am typically "hangry". Definition: angry due to hunger.

I was especially lacking in self-control while on a date at Kipferl simply because the food was just that damn good! 

I apologize for the shotty and half eaten pictures ahead of time. In fact, you should probably expect shitty food porn from this blog at all times.

KIPFERL.

Kipferl is located on one of the most adorable side-streets in Islington called Camden Passage. Camden Passage has great furniture & clothing boutiques, coffee shops and vintage finds. It's so quaint; it literally has something for everyone.

I am smitten with Kipferl for a few reasons--
First, it's local. Second, it is a coffee house by-day and restaurant by-night.  Third, in the world of restaurants, culturally, it's different!

James and I are not picky eaters, and we enjoy trying different foods. We are hoping to visit either Switzerland or Austria for a ski weekend, so we might as well get acclimated with the food ahead of time! I was excited to get a good review of Kipferl from a local friend, so I went in with high hopes.

I found the Kipferl menu to be on the modest side which was a relief to me. No need to overwhelm your customers with choices-- no one can pronounce the authentic Austrian names anyways!

James and I ordered a couple of Austrian beers and a couple of starters. Unfortunately, the starters didn't make the photo sess. (Revert to that lack of self-control I mentioned earlier.)

We got the Grilled Goat Cheese on Red Lentil Salad and the Mixed Salad. Goat cheese is my JAM! I love it in any way, shape or form. Seriously, I could eat it every day. This appetizer was no exception. I wanted to get territorial about it, hoard it, but then decided to share since James just got back from a work trip. 

I had better be nice. 

The Mixed Salad was very refreshing. It was a combination of carrots salad, potato salad and regular salad? Not sure if I got that 100% right, but I would recommend it if you're looking for something lighter.

We didn't have to wait too long for our main dishes. Like I told you, mama's hungry. James ordered the Panfried Veal in a Mushroom and White Wine Sauce, and I ordered the Schweinsmedaillons, which is pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with paprika cabbage and seasonal vegetables. 

James loved his dish. I think he got it specifically for the mushrooms. I don't like mushrooms, so he never gets to eat them. Though he was thoroughly pleased with his meal, it wasn't the most photogenic plate, so we didn't snap a shot of it.

My pork dish was very delicious and visually appealing! Bacon wrapped pork, I mean, helloooo?! I will order this again before venturing onto something else on the menu. It was thattt good!

Other traditional plates on the menu were Kasespatzle and Wiener schnitzel. Obviously there is more, but you can check out their menu for yourself!

We settled our bellies with another beer for James and some sparking for moi. 

Once again, I am sorry for featuring the remains of what used to be a beautiful plate. This desert (Kaiserschmarren- thick, shredded pancake with raisins and morello cherries) passed by earlier in the night and I knew that I needed it. It looked like funnel cake, and I LOVE funnel cake! So I convinced James that I needed it and we made a little extra room for something sweet.

After feeling very satisfied with our first Austrian restaurant experience, I can tell you that I will seek out other Austrian restaurants.

Though I can not speak to the Kipferl coffee house, I am sure it is a lovely experience. I will definitely stop by soon!

For more information about Kipferl check out their website at:
http://www.kipferl.co.uk/

EAT&DRINK: PIZZA EAST (SHOREDITCH)

For me, every restaurant in London is a new restaurant. 

It is so exciting to learn of "new" restaurants in London that I need to try, or even better, places that I have tried and want to take my husband back to!

Pizza East definitely falls under the latter.

I am starting a new series of blog posts where I will highlight notable restaurants and pubs in surrounding areas of London. If you have any suggestions of restaurants that I need to try, please leave a comment or reach out to me via email or twitter! xx

I had a ladies lunch at Pizza East in Shoreditch a couple weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't just your run of the mill pizza joint. This place had character.

When you walk into the Pizza East, you're immediately taken aback by the openness of the restaurant. It is a huge, airy, obviously-converted old warehouse, and you feel a lightness come over you, like you can just now finally breathe. Deep, I know!  Some restaurants can be so stuffy, sometimes you just need a little bit of space!

Pizza East is definitely pulling off that industrial, rustic, farmhouse-chic feel. Between the exposed brick and metal air ducts, the inviting farmhouse tables, the down-home country napkins and the playful, sparkly lighting, you're definitely getting an eclectic experience.

We had a 1:00PM lunch date, so we had the entire back-half of the restaurant to ourselves.  It was lovely to be able to chat and goof-off without anyone sneering in our direction. 

At first, I was a little put off by how the wine was served, (in little tumbler glasses), but after round two, who cares! I will say, it totally grew on me! I love how unpretentious it is. I mean, you gotta drink it out of something, (the bottle?) and I think it goes perfectly with the rustic feel.

Tapas style food is my favorite type of food because I like to try a little bit of everything. Even though this isn't necessarily a tapas restaurant, we treated it as such and shared everything. THOSE ARE MY KINDA GIRLS!

We ordered the Soppressata, Burrata, Tomato & Olives pizza, the Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil pizza and just as a shout out to the Good Ole' US-of-A, the Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

Everything was delicious, and no, we did not need a takeaway box.

As we were leaving I got these shots of these two cozy nooks. I love the contrast between the whimsical chandelier lighting and the wood stacks.

I would like to sit back there next time I go with Mr. J! 

For more information about Pizza East check out their website at:

http://www.pizzaeast.com/