Soggy Sunday, London

If you read my post on Ffiona’s Restaurant, you might have seen my pledge to stop taking living in London for granted. It is one of the most exciting cities in the world, and you can end up going and doing the same things week-in week-out and overlook all the amazing things to do and see on your doorstep. It seemed however, that we weather was yet again set against us as we faced another rainy, Soggy Sunday. We decided to toughen up and after a short shopping spree on Oxford street we embarked on our afternoon walk through West London. We took (what was meant to be) a short cut through the Burlington Arcade down to Piccadilly, but ended up spending quite a long time ogling at the beautiful window displays and finding it very hard to tear ourselves away.

Eventually we managed to force ourselves back into the damp and headed down Piccadilly. We decided to skip the more touristy route via Buckingham Palace which was packed out with people taking selfies and squinting into the windows for a change to see the Queen (not because we don’t enjoy these activities but because it was starting to rain). We hopped up to Knighsbridge and rather than taking our usual route down the high street we ended up winding through the back streets on Kensginton, weaving through rows and rows of identical white houses, that opened up into beautiful squares with blossom filled gardens that brightened up even this cloudy day.

By the time we reached South Kensington the weather had taken the turn for the worse, so we took shelter from the now torrential rain in Muriel’s Kitchen. Situated on the corner next to South Kensington Tube station, we discovered is a brilliant spot for people watching and a hotspot for first dates… which are always fun to eves drop on. It has such a homely feel it was the perfect destination to warm up with a coffee. They change their menu each season to ensure only the freshest ingredients are used. We opted for a baked Camembert topped with roasted cashew nuts and cranberries and served with toasted sourdough bread. In summary it is both delicious and unhealthy in equal quantities (very).

Then, because clearly we hadn’t been bad enough already eating half a baked cheese each, we decided we also needed to share a toffee & apple crumble with extra custard. Although the top could have done with a little longer in the oven as it wasn’t quite crispy or golden enough in my opinion, it was tasty enough to remind me of my mum’s home-made apple crumble, which was a comforting end to our Soggy Sunday. Despite getting completely soaked, we reminded ourselves of how beautiful London is and how much there is to do and see without having to spend money, unless like us you feel the need to over-indulge in comfort food.

For more menu and booking information at Muriel’s Kitchen click here