Dawn breakfast at Duck and Waffle

Lets start with yes, I'm crazy, and no, I'm not a morning person...This is the truth about what really happens when you go to a dawn breakfast at Duck and Waffle, London's highest restaurant sitting on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower.

9.43pm (eve of) Get into bed & set alarm for 4am. Your phone almost dies in shock. Curse your cockamamie ideas.
9.51pm Snug and warm in bed, realise you haven't packed your camera, don't get up, switch your watch to your other wrist so it's a reminder in the morning.
4.00am (day of) Alarm goes off. Swear. Hit snooze....Hit snooze a few times actually.
4.15am Roll out of bed. Swear again because the hearings not on. Turn heating on, get back into bed.
4.30am Sh*t, you're probably going to run late. Roll unwillingly out of bed. Grumble. Get ready in a frenzy and bolt out the door.

4.50am Text friend and ask how many times she has cursed you this morning.

4.52am Friend texts back. 'Maybe just twice since I got up'. Could be worse.
5.10am Realise too late that you forgot your camera* and swear on the bus. Get odd looks from the only two other people on bus.
5.17am OMG you can actually get a seat on the tube! Damn, forgot to bring a book.
5.20am Moan on Twitter that you forgot your camera. Twitter cares. Twitter loves you.
5.30am Scare Warn Duck and Waffle on Twitter about your caffeine-less state and tell them to ready the flat whites!
5.50am Geez it's quiet. And why are there other people around? They can't all be going to Duck and Waffle. Are they crazy?
5.53am Crap, still at Bank. You're going to be late. Swear, quietly.
6.02am Its still dark outside. You're definitely late. Stop and take a photo anyway.

pic
6.04am Made it! Say hello to equally crazy friend. Order a coffee STAT. Hide the crazy till it arrives.

6.09am Wow. Its really something up here....

6.20am 

6.30am Oh crap, I cant eat all that.

6.31am

6.34am

7.00am

7.06am

7.09am

7.15am Order a second coffee. You need a second coffee. The first one is just to keep you awake, the second is so you can function.

7.30am Defeated by a waffle :(

8.00am Grumble about having to go in to work. Have epiphany that work pays for Duck and Waffle and other crazy ideas. Take grumbling back and replace with grudging acceptance.
8.30am Arrive at work, gloat to workmates. Bump up grudging acceptance to "it's not so bad really". Don't worry, it doesn't last.

*A big thank you to R @wildgastronomy for lending me her phone to take some pics and lending me her pics!

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Koya: The best Udon in London

Koya in Soho : source

I am being biased, I haven't really tried udon elsewhere in London, but I have been to Koya three times now and I had lots of udon when I was in Japan. The noodles in Koya are as good as the ones I had in Japan. And that's saying something.

If you don't know what udon is, it is a simple dish, thick noodles in a broth with some vegetables or meat or both. Warming and filling it makes for a hearty winter dish.

The thing I like about Koya is that it does one thing and does it well. They have some side dishes of course but really its all about the noodles. But you cant get bored either - each time I've been there, they have had seasonal specialities and on my recent visit on Friday, I ordered both my udon and small plate from there.

Small plate - Char grilled tempura turnips

Udon with mussels - seasonal special

Koya is a small restaurant based in Soho. They don't take bookings and usually, there is a line outside, but it moves fast, on my last visit I only had to wait 15 minutes to get a table. It was worth it though, I got my favourite table which over looks the kitchen. I could watch the chefs prepare each plate, see the attention to detail in each cut vegetable, garnish and plating, hear the clanking of pots, roar of the gas stoves and bubbling of water cooking the delicious noodles while devouring my own noodles.

Seating by the kitchen

I love Koya, not just because it makes great Udon, I love it because it feels like a place I could have walked into in Japan. Its small and busy and has great attention to detail. For an hour or so, I feel like I've taken a trip back to Japan minus the expensive plane fare :) If you haven't been and you love Ramen or Pho, you should definitely give Udon a try. And do let me know what you think ;)

Have you found a restaurant that takes you back to somewhere you've been?

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Mama Lan at Brixton Village

The busy 'back entrance' to Brixton Village

Brixton Village is fast becoming a popular London "cheap eats" hotspot. It doesn't take much twisting of my arm to get me to try a new foodie spot so when my friend Em suggested we head there for a dumpling dinner on Friday I could not wait.

An impressive line outside Mama Lan

We must have arrived at the perfect time (just after 7pm in case you are wondering) because, not long after we placed our order, a line started forming. I kid you not. This was no fancy-pants restaurant but yes, there was a line full of hungry onlookers staring at or delicious dumplings.

Prime seats! Watch the Mama Lan chefs in action

The lovely thing about Brixton Village is that you can sit outside without actually being outside thanks to the covered market. The outside space is also useful for the restaurants as actual indoor space can be limited. This ends up creating a a really nice vibe for dining out amongst chatter and provides ample opportunity to steal glances at your neighbours food who are at the next restaurant over.

You have to try the Prawn dumplings at Mama Lan

Em and I plonked down at a table just outside the main door to Mama Lan and were immediately provided with their simple menu. We ordered the steamed prawn and water chestnut dumplings, the pan fried beef dumpling, seaweed salad with sesame oil dressing and the spicy fried tofu and  Chinese mushroom and noodle soup. Plus drinks of course. I love eating out with Em, she is a big foodie and is always happy to share food. By the way, if you are not a fan of spicy food, like me, you can ask for it to be left out of the soup. Everything was good. The prawn dumplings though, were by far my favourite. And at the end, the bill for everything including drinks was under £15 pounds. Not too bad for London!

After paying we took a wander around the market hall to see what else was on offer. The popular eats were easy to spot with lines clogging up the avenue. There were all sorts of cuisines, Caribbean, Asian, Italian French, Mexican being cooked up in restaurants, their tantalising scents wafting out to lure in the hungry. People were everywhere digging into a plate of yummy-ness, chatting over a drink or mulling over which delectable dish they should try. 

If you haven't been to Brixton Village, give it a try, you are bound to find something that will have you salivating - just take a friend, coz, lets face it, we all want to try more than one thing on the menu ;)

Tips for visiting Brixton Village:

• Don't confuse it with Brixton Market, they have different operating times
• Take cash! Some restaurants operate a cash only policy
• Most restaurants are open for dinner rather than lunch so its best to go on a Friday night
• Best station is Brixton on the Victoria line (Brixton rail station will also work) and its only a few minutes walk from there.
• All the info you need can be found on the Brixton Village website.

Have you been to Brixton Village? What did you think?

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