Cafes

Experience a Bombay Café at Dishoom|Shoreditch, London

Dishoom Tented Patio Shoreditch London

Modeled after the Irani cafés in Bombay, Dishoom is full of tiled floors, brick, bentwood style chairs, old-timey photographs and delivers great Indian and Irani flavors in a bustling atmosphere.

Need to Know:

  • Get here before 6:30pm to avoid a long line, sorry, queue
  • Reservations available for 6 or more
  • Tented patio is a bit mellower, inside dining room is lively and basement is absolutely buzzing with the extra activity, sounds and smells the kitchen provides.
  • Make sure you check out the cocktail list – Hunterwali’s Julep is tasty
  • Near the Shoreditch High Street Station
  • 8am – 11pm – Good for dates and groups

Let’s eat!

Dinner Dishoom Shoreditch

Dinner Dishoom Shoreditch

Garlic Naan Dishoom London
Pau Bhaji Dishoom London
Chicken Ruby Dishoom London
  • Pau Phaji – Bowl of mashed vegetables with hot buttered pau bun, Chowpatty Beach style. “No food is more Bombay.”
  • Chicken Ruby – “A good and proper curry redolent with spice and flavour. Tender chicken in a rich silky ‘makhani’ sauce, best mopped up with a Roomali Roti.”
  • Garlic Naan with coriander sprinkle.
  • Spicy Lamb Chops had good flavor but were a bit too charred, so many other options I’d skip this one.

I will be back to try their breakfast. If this picture doesn’t do it for you, the promise of bottomless Chai should.

Image via Dishoom.com

Image via Dishoom.com

The restaurant:

Dishroom Entrance | Shoreditch London
Bar| Shoreditch London
Line | Shoreditch London

Walking the Cultural Trail on Brick Lane – East End, London

Let’s Adore and Endure Each Other Great Eastern Street London

Named for the brick kilns brought by the Flemish in the 1500s, Brick Lane has a wealth of history brought by the many Russian, French, Muslim, Jewish and Bengali immigrants throughout the years.

Maps of 20 historic sites are provided on Brick Lane and online for you to plan your time. With only two hours to spend I concentrated on the street art and whatever popped up along the way.

Brick Lane London | AliciaTastesLife.com

Brick Lane London | AliciaTastesLife.com

Graffiti

‘Drinking problems’ on the Truman Brewery Gates. Brick Lane, London

‘Drinking problems’ on the Truman Brewery Gates. Brick Lane, London

There are many street art tours available but setting out on your own and discovering the art on and off Brick Lane is Continue reading →

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Las Olas Café – Miami Beach, FL

Tortilla Sandwich - Las Olas, Miami Beach

Tortilla Sandwich – Las Olas, Miami Beach

Las Olas Café on 6th street in Miami Beach is one of my favorite spots for cheap and delicious Cuban food. This hearty tortilla sandwich is enough for two people and the flaky bread is heaven. Bonus: Great people watching and café con leche. Come prepared to speak Spanish and/or point out what you want.

 

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Lunch at Henk – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Walking down the Prinsengracht, one of the three main canals dating to the 17th century in Amsterdam, on our way to the Rijksmuseum hunger hit us right as we passed a cute cafe called Henk. Amsterdam Prinsengracht Canal HenkThe sun was out and it was a beautiful day to people watch so we grabbed one of the two tables out front. We sipped our delicious cappuccino while we decided between the quinoa or chicken salad, vacations can be so stressful…

Henk Amdestram Netherlands Front

Henk Amsterdam TableWe decided on the salade met kip, doperwten, tomaat en avocado a.k.a. salad with chicken, green peas, tomato and avocado. It was fantastically simple but packed with flavorful with the extra kick of the rich parmesan shavings. The green peas were edamame and the tomatoes tasted like they were picked from the garden that morning.

Henk Chicken Salad AmsterdamHenk is small with a bar featuring wooden boxes for shelves in the front of the restaurant and a small dining room with white walls and wooden chairs. The vibe guarantees this is a cool place for a drink or dinner. If you find yourself on Prinsengracht definitely stop by Henk.

Henk Amsterdam BarHenk Amsterdam Dining Room

Floriole Cafe & Bakery‏ – Lincoln Park

Image via floriole.com

My friend April brought me to Floriole Cafe & Bakery because she thought we would both like it. She has a knack for picking good eating spots.

We ordered the Tartine of the Day: Grilled Sourdough Topped with Goat Cheese, Squash and Herbs. It was served open-face with a side salad. I love squash and this was fresh, hearty and filling. I would definitely get this again.

Also the B.A.D.: Bacon, Arugula, Almond Date Spread and Goat Cheese on Grilled Yeasted Corn Bread. A light take on a BLT. The almond date spread gave it some sweetness that was a nice change. If you have a really big appetite the B.A.D. may not be heavy enough satisfy you. In that case I’d get a side of mac and cheese.

My picture of the B.A.D. did not turn out well but there is a good picture on their website for reference.

The cafe itself is on two levels and has a very spacious open feel to it. The top floor has tons of natural light and makes a good spot to enjoy some coffee, lunch and even use as workspace as I saw a few people camped out with their laptop. I was here on a Friday afternoon and it was busy but plenty of seating.

I am looking forward to going back for some sweets (Creme Fraiche Tea Cake, Pecan Sticky Bun, Savory Galette) and more savory, want to try the grilled cheese (Spring Cheddar, Butterkase and Cheddar Spread on Brioche) — they were out when we were there — must be really good.

I also included some other pictures from Floriole’s site to give you an idea of what they have to offer.

La Colombe Torrefaction — New Coffee Cafe on Randolph

 

 

 

Image Via lacolombe.com

 

 

I was reading Time Out and saw an article on this new coffee shop that opened on Randolph. What caught my attention was this description from the article, “The latest is La Colombe’s Pure Black, an endurance-strength bottled iced coffee in which Corsica grounds (a blend of Brazilian, Colombian, Honduran and Mexican beans) steep for 16 hours in stainless-steel wine tanks before being pressed, filtered twice and bottled by hand at the roastery’s headquarters in Philadelphia.”

I’m not an avid coffee drinker and that description made my mouth water. I wonder if all of those steps really make a coffee taste better?

 

La Colombe Torrefaction — Cafes.