Reviewing Food We Sampled in London

    London's diverse culinary world is unparalleled by any other. Each restaurant provides both quality and uniqueness in their dishes. The bustling metropolitan city had some of the best meals during our vacation. From elevated South Asian cuisine to flavorfully cooked steaks, your stomachs have better be growling by the time you arrive. Today, I will review some of the restaurants and desserts we sampled in London. 

Kricket SoHo Score: 9

    Kricket is a unique restaurant serving Indian street food at an elevated level. The restaurant has a renovated ground level area so reservations are rarely needed. We sampled a variety of their smaller dishes as well as two breads. The Bhel Puri and Samphire Pakoras were served first. I found myself snacking away at the Pakoras and also enjoyed the texture of the Puri. Afterward, we enjoyed the Keralan Fried Chicken, Butter Garlic Pepper Crab, and Bat and Ball Curry. The fried chicken was cooked to perfection with crispy skin covering a tender chicken. The Bat and Ball was a close second (don't worry it wasn't actually bats) with its deliciously thick sauce. While I was not a fan of the crab, others in my group enjoyed the dish. While all of these plates surmounted to be a great meal, the star of the show was the Date and Pistachio Kulcha. The bread was fluffy and sweet; a great way to cleanse your mouth after some spicy dishes. Overall, Kricket proved one of the best restaurants we've tried while on vacation.

Flat Iron Marylebone Score: 8

    On our last day in London, we tried Flat Iron, a restaurant whose food lives up to the hype. However, we did have to wait approximately one hour before being seated. Once seated, we ordered the Wagyu Flat Iron, Scottish Bavette, and the Flat Iron Steak. The steaks were served fairly quickly with a heavy seasoning of salt. The Wagyu Flat Iron clearly outshined the other two steaks. It was even comparable to the Florentine Steak (a.k.a. the best steak ever). While the other two steaks were still delicious and well seasoned, they were slightly more chewy and less tender. After you finish your meal, collect a miniature meat cleaver that can be traded in for free soft-serve ice cream. The ice cream was a great way to finish a delicious meal and was quite refreshing. The restaurant was overall very enjoyable with a delicious wagyu and welcoming ambience. 

Lahpet West End Score: 8

    Lahpet provided a delightful introduction to Burmese cuisine and flavors. Its flavorful sauces and soups are trademarks of Myanmar street food and modern cooking. Lahpet is located near the heart of Covent Garden, which is ideal for tourists walking through that area. While I didn't find Lahpet as memorable as Kricket or Flat Iron, it was a nice place to relax and enjoy a meal. 

Buckingham Palace Ice Cream Score: 8.5

    If you are visiting Buckingham Palace on a trip to London, make sure to grab some ice cream on the way out. Not to be confused with the Garden Café, the ice cream parlor sits past the gift shop and near the exit. We were all surprised by the ice cream's fresh taste and creamy texture, quickly devouring the custard. In addition to the ice cream, we also ordered apple juice. Unlike store-bought apple juice, this drink was light-colored and fresh. The juice was downed even before we exited the castle. Although you must enter Buckingham Palace to reach this shop, we highly recommend it to anybody planning on visiting. 

Note: London is a massive city with over 15,000 restaurants. Because of our short stay in the city, we could only try so many restaurants. While these were our favorites from those we've sampled, there are many restaurants that we haven't explored yet. One example is the popular Indian restaurant, Dishroom. Dishroom has amassed hour-long lines at each of their sites. We didn't have time to wait but I would recommend trying the popular restaurant. 

Thanks again for reading Flavor Fusion @ Tales, Tastes, and Travels. If you have any recommendations, questions, or tips, make sure to write them below in the comments.