First Dinner in London

First Dinner in London

After a long day and a half of traveling, including sleeping on the plane and a premade ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast, I was ready to be at the hotel. Unfortunately, we weren't able to check in right away, so I first went to Sainsbury's, a British grocery store, to get a snack. We finally checked in, put our stuff away in a very European-sized hotel room, and headed off to dinner, taking the long way and passing so many restaurants I now want to try. We ended up at Hobson's Fish and Chips. I (along with almost the whole table) ordered regular cod fish and chips, and I got a side of green beans and a ginger beer. 


The ginger beer, which was from a fancy British brand, was pretty good and spicy, but I could definitely taste the stevia in it. However, I know I tend to be really sensitive to artificial sugar flavor, and no one else seemed to have a problem with it. The green beans were supposed to be "pan-fried" which I assumed meant crispy, but they were unfortunately not crispy and a little bit over-done from what I tend to like. Finally, the fish and chips. I hadn't tried malt vinegar on fish or fries before, but I ended up really liking it on both. For the fish, I just dipped it in the vinegar, and I poured both vinegar and salt onto the fries and ate them with a fork. Overall, this was a pretty good fish and chips experience that seemed authentically British, but I have no way of knowing. 
After fish and chips, we went as a group to Pierre Hermé, a fancy Parisian macaron shop. I shared a box with Izzy, and we each got two flavors. I got the top two in this picture, which are, in order, dark chocolate, and olive oil and lime.


I started with the lime, which kind of tasted like and had the texture of lime Jelly Bellies. I didn't taste the olive oil at all, which was probably a good thing. The dark chocolate was much better. I could tell it was high quality chocolate, and there was a layer of thicker chocolatey frosting, along with the normal macaron filling. 
Overall, it feels like we did a lot today, even if that doesn't come through on this post. From leaving MSP at 6:30 PM central time on Friday, having a short layover in KEF at 1 AM central time, and finally making it to LHR by 10:50 AM, it has been a long journey to get here and I'm looking forward to the next week. 

Comments

  1. Juli BergmanMarch 8, 2025 at 1:03 PM

    The fish and chips looks so good! Perfect first meal in London!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clark BergmanMarch 9, 2025 at 7:41 AM

    Hi Elsa! You are probably recovered from the long overnight flight(s) and a first day with little sleep. What is the name of your hotel. Russell Square and the British Museum are just a few blocks SW of a bike store (Bikefix on Lambs Conduit St.) where I bought my Pinion 18-speed gearbox. Nice neighborhood with access to street buses and the Tube (Russell Square I think).

    Have fun. The time goes quickly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElsaMarch 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM

      Hi Boppa, I am mostly recovered now, but I think one more night of sleep in a bed will help! We're staying at the St Giles London. I sent Grandma a video of the room if you want to see. It looks like Bikefix is still there, and we're under a mile away. We used the Tube for the first time today, and it was super easy to get everywhere!

      Delete
    2. Clark BergmanMarch 9, 2025 at 2:26 PM

      The Tube and double-decker buses are very convenient. I thought you might have taken the Tube from Heathrow (LHR). You might be able to get a pass to ride both for the rest of your stay (cheaper?). But you are all fast on your legs for a lot of touring.

      Delete
    3. ElsaMarch 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM

      We took the Elizabeth Line from the airport, which was a fancier subway and was above ground for a lot of the time. They gave us all a metro card to use, but I'm not really sure how much is on it; I guess I'll know when it doesn't let me in to the train!

      Delete
    4. Juli BergmanMarch 14, 2025 at 6:12 AM

      Have you figured out the Metrocard?

      Delete
    5. ElsaMarch 14, 2025 at 4:05 PM

      Yep it's super easy and so far we haven't had to add any money to it.

      Delete

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