Hard to believe but my last taste of Indian food was at the iconic Bombay Brasserie back in June. And, what a meal it was! 😉

Bombay Brasserie in South Kensington has been around since 1983 and is a family favourite. I had my baby shower at Bombay Brasserie a few years ago and since I used to work in the area, I would visit whenever I needed a real Indian food fix.

Bombay Brasserie has just gone through a massive revamp and is looking better than ever with an alfresco terrace and brand new decor. The menu has been reworked too to include some fantastic cocktails and new dishes.

A few weeks ago, Zomato UK selected me as a winner of one of their Twitter competitions. The prize was promptly sent across and included a £100 meal at Pont St, a restaurant at the boutique Belgraves Hotel near Sloane Square.

Pont St – Belgraves is overseen by Sophie Mitchell, Britain’s youngest female Executive Chef. She is also part of the team behind Gorgeous Kitchen at Heathrow Airport and makes regular TV appearances. Sophie has also been a private chef to Claudia Schiffer and Leonardo DiCaprio!

Lunch got off to a great start with some Riesling to whet the appetite.

I’ve struggled to find time for myself these past few weeks. With increased work hours, a driving theory test (I passed, hooray!), half-term and a preschooler who’s brought home all kinds of nasty bugs, the blog has sadly taken a bit of a backseat.

I did manage to sneak out for a ‘me’ day a few weekends ago and spent it with some friends shopping, eating and strolling through Chelsea.

Poilane Cuisine de Bar, just off the Kings Road was chosen as our carb-fix for the day.

I try my best to avoid red meat. I’m not a fan of messy food. And, I don’t have the time or patience to queue for food. A few good reasons why Burger & Lobster was always overlooked as a dining option. Until now.

I finally had my first Burger & Lobster experience earlier this week thanks to a friend in town who had the popular chain of restaurants at the top of her London bucket list.

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since my last blog post. A lot has happened and if you were wondering where I’d disappeared off to, here’s some big news – we’ve said goodbye to London life and moved a quick train ride/drive out to Ashtead, a quiet little town in Surrey!

Becks (our English Bulldog) enjoying the new garden.

I’ve been a city dweller all my life so this is certainly an adventure of sorts. As much as I miss the buzz and excitement of living in the best city in the world ;), I’m already enjoying Surrey life and look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

Apologies for my silence the past couple of weeks. I’ve had a lot going on but it’s finally time to catch up on a long overdue blog post.

I was invited to attend the Taste of London Festival held in Regent’s Park a few weeks ago.  Taste of London is an annual event celebrating London’s buzzing restaurant scene. Held each year at Regent’s Park, the festival showcases signature ‘taster’ dishes from some of the city’s best restaurants as well as special cooking theatres and workshops offering Londoners the opportunity to get up close and personal with popular chefs.

It’s been a busy and hazy couple of weeks with a spectacular Indian wedding, a friend’s 40th birthday celebration and a spa getaway to Wales all crammed in with ridiculous amounts of champagne and many plates of delicious things.

An invitation by Zomato to a Portuguese and Spanish tapas tasting at the Notting Hill Kitchen came during this incredibly busy time but there was no way I was missing it. One can always trust Zomato to put on a great event and the glorious London sunshine on the day made it the perfect weather for tapas and wine.

Image by Alexandra (Zomato)

I have always been curious about San Lorenzo, a local Italian restaurant located steps away from Wimbledon station. After 5 years of living in the neighbourhood, we finally decided to give it a try a few weeks ago.

San Lorenzo’s first restaurant in Knightsbridge celebrated 50 years last year and the Wimbledon branch has been around for 45 years.  Believe it or not, they also have one in Mumbai – Maritime by San Lorenzo at the Taj Land’s End.

Some of you know that I spent a significant part of my childhood in Tokyo and would move back there in a heartbeat. I get quite nostalgic about my time in Japan, the country, the people and of course the wonderful, varied cuisine that I can’t get enough of.

I was invited to dine at Chisou Knightsbridge a few days ago and chose the always willing Mr. A to join me for the review.

Chisou is an Izakaya style restaurant located on the well-known Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge. An izakaya refers to a casual Japanese drinking establishment serving food. Chisou has an intimate sake/cocktail bar upstairs (open on weekends) and a cosy dining area on the main floor.

I can’t believe I dined at Chicken Shop in Tooting back in February and am only getting the chance to blog about it today. Yes, things are busy these days and time really does fly!

We discovered Chicken Shop while driving through Tooting one evening. If you are familiar with the south London neighbourhood , you will know that the main high street is full of Asian shops as well as South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants. Tooting also has a growing number of trendy bars and restaurants with Chicken Shop being relatively new to the vibrant scene.

Be:Fit is London’s largest exhibition devoted entirely to women’s health, nutrition and fitness. Formerly known as the Vitality Show, Be:Fit London was held over the weekend and I attended the show for a few hours on Friday.

Old Billingsgate Market (the venue) was buzzing with excitement on the first morning and from what I hear, the energy only got more electric as the weekend crowds rolled in.

Here are a few photo highlights from  Be:Fit London featuring my favourite discoveries and moments!

A postcard view of Tower Bridge outside Old Billingsgate Market (the venue).

My only experience of Greek food in London has been at the popular chain, The Real Greek. While I love dining there, I’ve always been eager to explore other authentic Greek restaurants in the city. This  is exactly why I responded to a food tasting invitation from Ergon, a new Greek restaurant in London, with a quick and enthusiastic ‘YES!’

Ergon means ‘vocation’ in Greek and the name simply represents the owner’s belief that everyone should do what they know best and love most in life.  The idea for Ergon was conceived in Thessanoliki, Greece by the Douzis brothers in 2011 and has seen tremendous growth despite the turbulent economy.  They now have 6 restaurants in Greece, their first international location in London and restaurants in Belgium and the United States on the horizon.

Any global foodie will tell you how exciting it is when popular restaurants from around the world cross over to your city.  Balthazar was an old favourite during my NYC days. The French brasserie opened in London almost a year ago and has been on my list of ‘restaurants to visit’ ever since. Finally made it to Balthazar for dinner last Friday with some friends visiting from Hong Kong.

Located in Covent Garden, Balthazar London is an exact replica of the restaurant in New York City. The famous owner, Keith McNally, spent a reported £14 million on recreating the original space – from the huge pillars and mirrors to the sepia lighting that warms the entire dining room making everything (and, everyone!) look beautiful.

In my recent interview with Gourmandize UK & Ireland (click here for the full interview!), I was asked to name a specific dish or food that I can’t live without. This was a tough one for me to answer as like many food lovers, I have not one but several favourite cuisines with Japanese food ranking high on the list.

Mr. A is constantly raving about the sushi and katsu at Tsuru, his favourite lunch spot in the ‘city.’ The glorious sunshine this past Friday combined with the promise of excellent Japanese food was a good excuse to trek into town and meet him for a quick family lunch.

February has been all about striking a balance between lavish feasts and healthy January resolutions. From Chinese New Year festivities to an indulgent Persian supper club along with my daily juicing experiments,  I have lived up to my blog name this month.

I was invited to the Zomato UK Food Blogger’s Dinner last night held at  Gaylord, one of my favourite Indian restaurants in the city. Zomato is a popular restaurant discovery site from India now operating in 11 other countries across the globe, including the UK.

Kung Hei Fat Choy. Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Wishing all my readers celebrating the Chinese New Year this weekend a very happy and prosperous year of the horse!

Our friends Chris and Emma invited us to celebrate Chinese New Year with their friends over a dim sum/yum cha feast this weekend. The big lunch was in the elegant private dining area at Grand Imperial restaurant in the Grosvenor Hotel. The location couldn’t have been more convenient than literally next to Victoria station – there is an entrance to the hotel from the station itself.

The party season kicked off for Hungry Aphrodite last night with an exclusive invitation to sample the new range of Christmas cocktails at the Dirty Martini bar in Bishopsgate. Mr. A works nearby so it was the perfect excuse for a much-needed date night.

Dirty Martini has bars in Covent Garden and Hanover Square and has recently opened another one just a stone’s throw away from Liverpool Street station – a great drinks option for those who work in the area.

Dirty Martini launched their Christmas Cocktails a couple of weeks ago, in time for the party season.

I attended the BBC Good Food Show held in London this past weekend with my first ever Press Pass for Hungry Aphrodite! This was definitely a milestone for my blog and I was super excited to experience one of London’s largest gathering of food lovers.

A view from the top

The BBC Good Food Show is an annual event held in London, Birmingham and Glasgow. The London show held at Olympia featured interviews with famous chefs, live demonstrations, wine tastings, and a Producers’ Village showcasing some of the best food products and gadgets in the market.

Warm scones, pretty cakes and dainty finger sandwiches – what’s not to love about a traditional British afternoon tea? What started off in the early 19th century as an inventive way to ward off royal 4pm hunger pangs is now a hugely popular ‘activity’ enjoyed by  tourists AND locals all around the UK. 🙂

I love tea and scones so when a friend invited me to join in for a birthday celebration at an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party, my answer was a very quick YES!

Here are some snapshots from the lovely Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel in London’s West End.

Rayaan and I spent a gorgeous day at Kensington Gardens with our friends who are leaving London in a few days for an exciting adventure in Singapore. Another week, another sad goodbye. 🙁

We had a great day complete with ducks, swans, tributes to Princess Diana, and lobster noodles!

Here are some highlights:

Arriving at Kensington Gardens on a very quiet and peaceful morning.

En route to the Round Pond – it’s going to be a lovely day!

My little monkey chasing ducks at Kensington Gardens.

The London food scene is bursting with Latin American flavours this year. From the Peruvian cuisine at trendy Coya to the incredible fusion at Sushi Samba, we are spoilt for choice with some fantastic dining options.

The latest on my list of favourite London restaurants is Zoilo, a lovely little Argentinian restaurant by renowned chef Diego Jacquet and Alberto Abbate. The duo also run Casa Malevo, another popular Argentine restaurant in London.

I was stung by a ruthless bee outside a Middle Eastern restaurant in Fitzrovia called Honey and Co this past Saturday. Strange but true…and rather painful. Ouch.

However, this post is not about the mean bee. It is about the gorgeous food at Honey and Co. Food so incredible that even a nasty bee sting is almost forgotten.

Honey and Co is all about fresh, simple and delicious food from the Middle East. The husband-wife team of  Sarit Packer (former head chef at popular Ottolenghi/also former head chef at Nopi) and Itamar Srulovich (Israeli chef trained at several eateries in Tel Aviv) took inspiration from their childhood to create the gorgeous, wholesome dishes served at Honey and Co.

El Bulli was probably one of the most imaginative and experimental restaurants in the world. Ferran Adria, the chef that transformed El Bulli, is credited with inventing the concept of nouvelle cuisine and molecular gastronomy.

Located a 2 hour drive from Barcelona, El Bulli promised the gastronomic experience of a lifetime through a 35-40 course tasting menu costing 250€ per person. El Bulli was only open for 6 months of the year and needless to say, it was next to impossible to book a table. Despite 2 million reservation requests/year for 8000 ‘seats’, El Bulli closed its doors to the world in July 2011 due to consistent financial losses.

Wishing my lovely friends and readers from around the world a very happy and blessed Eid!

Eid marks the end of the month long Ramadan fast and is celebrated with family, friends and indulgent feasting, just like Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas and other wonderful occasions.

I love festivals and can’t help but think of food today, specifically kebabs and biryani…yum!

The celebrations going on around me have inspired me to finally have a go at a couple of recipes I saw on Rick Stein’s India show on BBC last month.

Chicken & Rosewater Biryani (click for recipe)

It is my birthday today!! And I have had too much fun and a shameless amount of dessert over ‘birthday week’ that kicked off with a delicious meal at Sushi Samba London a few days ago.

My American readers may be familiar with Sushi Samba, a popular Brazilian-Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant with locations in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Chicago. Sushi Samba used to be one of my favourite restaurants during my NYC days and naturally, I was beyond excited to finally try out their new London branch.

Imagine your local farmer’s market on steroids. Borough Market is beyond that. It is where both Londoners and tourists come together to experience fresh, delicious foods from Britain and the world. It is a foodie’s paradise!!

My first visit to Borough Market was as a new Londoner back in 2006.  It quickly became a monthly ritual as well as a top ranked British tourist attraction whenever friends and family came to visit.

11 degrees Celsius. Thick, dark clouds, rain and HAIL! Isn’t it almost the end of MAY?? Someone please tell me why I choose to live in London?

The best way to fight this miserable weather is of course, to escape it! But for those of us with no such fun in the sun plans, here are some ideas to make it feel a little bit like summer.

• Host a BBQ – Nothing like freshly grilled corn-on-the-cob, a delicious burger and some Pimm’s to make it feel like summer. Who cares if it isn’t 28 degrees and sunny. You can sit and whinge all weekend OR throw on a jacket, call some friends over, fire up that grill and let summer in!

My mother-in-law is in London for a few weeks and that always means a daily overdose of great food! 😉 We were all in the mood for something different this past weekend: A quick Google search and a couple of reviews later, a table was booked at Asmara, an Eritrean restaurant in Brixton.

My first experience of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine was as a college student in Boston. I remember falling instantly in love with the flavours and the unique, communal dining experience. The memory certainly hasn’t faded and the craving kicks in every now and then.

What I love most about living in London is exploring the vibrant cultures and cuisines from around the world. The culinary scene over here is bustling – there are always new flavours to explore and of course, the old favourites that are practically  institutions for some of us!

We had some friends in town from India this weekend and decided to try out Coya, a trendy new Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Mayfair. Peru is home to a very significant immigrant Japanese community  and we were all very eager to explore the unique fusion cuisine.