Since being in both London and Paris, I have been trying my best to eat as many different foods as I possibly can. I did fail the first couple of days by only getting McDonalds. I couldn’t help it, I work at McDonald’s back at home and needed to try out the menu. The McDonalds both in London and in Paris are so different. Did you know: you could get macarons as a dessert option in Paris.
But enough about McDonalds. The food options here are amazing! And in this post I am going tell you the places I been going to the past two months of my study abroad experience.
Kensington Crêperie
In my previous post explaining how I celebrated my 21st birthday, I talked about how I tried something new. That for the first time, I went out for breakfast by myself at a restaurant that I never been before. I went to this restaurant in South Kensington called Kensington Crêperie. The whole street the restaurant was on is filled with restaurants up and down the block that I 100% recommend you try out if you ever are in the South Kensington area. They serve amazing breakfast foods from crêpes, waffles, pancakes, and salads for affordable prices. I went to this restaurant twice, to see how busy it was at different times. In the morning, it is not as busy since they have just opened but during lunch it is super busy and filled with people both inside and outside. The servers were also so nice and friendly. So I 100% recommend if you are ever in the Kensington area.
Tiffany Blue Box Cafe
For one day, you should eat at the Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods and pretend to be fancy. I have never had tea time or finger food before so experiencing a moment like this with a friend on my birthday was truly something special.
My friend and I had afternoon tea at Tiffany, which meant that for around 65 pounds per person we got unlimited finger sandwiches and tea, and sweets. For tea, I tried their Tiffany signature tea blend. First trying it without sugar did not taste like much but strong tea water. But after adding a few sugar cubes in the bowl, it brought out the rose flavor that was hidden in the tea which tasted amazing. I am a simple Arizona Green tea type of gal so expanding my tea palette was needed. And I picked a great option.
The finger sandwiches was not my favorite part of the afternoon tea but I am happy to say if i didn’t try out the 5 different sandwiches options I would have never known I did not like them. My “favorite” out of the five was the Cucumber and Garden Mint sandwich. It was only a simple cucumber and cream cheese sandwich which was tolerable to me compared to the others.
The sweets were my favorite part of the whole afternoon tea (second to seeing Debby Ryan walk past me.) On the first two plates, we had the Tiffany Blue Egg, Chocolate Praline, the New York Cheesecake, and the Central Park Summer Berry Tart. And on the last plate, there was two types of scones: a plain and a fruity one. I do not have a favorite sweets out of the four sweets. I recommend this cafe as being the spot where you want to try afternoon tea for the first time or just do something different with a friend. The people there was so nice and because it was my birthday they gave me extra chocolate for me to go home with WHICH was delicious.
Tortilla
Everyone knows of the Mexican fast food chain, Chipotle. I am probably one of the few people who has never eaten from there. After, class my roommate and I came across this place when we are hungry after class. And after trying it one time, I have been coming back ever since. I always get their chicken quesadilla that is only available after 2 pm. Even though I have never tried Chipotle, Tortilla has it BEAT!
Pierre Hermés Paris
I never had macarons before, so when the opportunity came at my door while in Paris I took that opportunity to try it. While walking around the city of Paris, my group and I came across Pierre Hermés Paris and we HAD to stop for macarons. Since I never had macarons before so I tried picking out flavors that I was familiar with. So I picked out strawberry and yogurt, vanilla, and chocolate. I never expected how soft the macarons were. My favorite flavor out of the four I picked was the strawberry and yogurt. I had to get more before I left Paris. And I just found out that they have locations in London, so you know I am going to some more macarons before I leave the UK.
Try out Pierre Hermés Paris if you every want true macarons. You will not be disappointed.
Ink Fish Bar
Obviously, I had to try fish and chips while in London. So the first place I visited to try fish and chips was this restaurant called Ink Fish Bar. They give you the fish and chips that comes with a pink tartar sauce. And it was really delicious. The fish was nice and crispy and soft. I recommend if anyone is visiting the West Yard in Camden Lock Place.
These are some of the few places that I visited both in London and in Paris! Now go make some memory and try some new restaurants out.
A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:
The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.