As a big time lover of food and carbs, I must divulge that the main purpose of my travels is to indulge myself with good eats, haha, and discover wicked eateries. And apparently to check out gigs and meet people too – but never with the purpose to go wild at Topshop or Forever 21. Last week I went to London again. Thanks to google, various blogs, Instagram (yes, please continue taking photos of your delish food) and my friends in London, I discovered new places and revisited my perennial favorite food spot. Here is a recapitulation of my trip and some of my discoveries.

I spent at least four hours at The Albion Café in Shoreditch, sipping a pot of green tea, munching croissants, surfing on their free WiFi, and watching stylish East Londoners on the street before moving to a table inside for a change of scenery, while waiting for my friends who were running a few hours late. I didn’t try their food but from what I could see, everything looked extremely delicious and healthy, particularly the array of very tempting pastries and cakes. The Albion Café, Bakery and Food Store: 2-4 Boundary Street

Hand burger at Honest Burgers. Yes, I call the hamburgers which you eat with your hands a hand burger. Daniella and I checked out the one in Soho (the original Brixton spot seemed just a bit too far at the time). She ordered the veggie burger and I got the cheese burger with matured cheddar. We were supposed to check out the burgers over at Lucky Chip too, but the burger at Honest Burgers is by far one of the best I’ve ever had in my life so I didn’t feel the need to hunt out for another amazing hand burger in London.

In terms of size, the burger is quite compact and small, which facilitates the eating process – I swear, my hands didn’t get anywhere near greasy from eating it. The toasted glazed brioche bun together with the juicy medium rare burger with tender texture, topped with caramelized onions and melted cheddar, not to mention all that grease soaked up into the burger…. holy moly, a pure gastronomic orgasm with each bite (pardon my crudeness). Did I mention that the burgers come with rosemary salt fries that are even better than the burger? Honest Burgers: 4A Meard Street

Rose Bakery is one of my favorite spots in London and Paris. The food always inspires me to cook.. uhm yes, I never cook because I’m a spoiled brat. Daniella and I went there for brunch, and a few days later I had a big lunch accompanied by a bunch of magazines. I love everything they serve. The famous Rose Bakery carrot cake is the best and only carrot cake I like. It’s not too sweet and actually a no-brainer to make at home. Make sure that you get the table outdoors on Dover Street Market’s roof terrace if you want to enjoy the stunning rooftop view in central London. Rose Bakery: 17-18 Dover Street

I also visited a new noodle place in Soho for my ramen fix. I can’t go a few days without slurping some kind of noodle soup. Thomas and I ordered some delicious pork dumplings and a bowl of Spicy Tokyo each. So good but not spicy in the slightest. Don’t go here if you can’t stand sitting at communal tables. I, for one, don’t mind that at all. In fact, I love the concept of communal tables in restaurants. Tonkotsu: 63 Dean Street

Sunday brunch at The Ginger Pig Café in Hoxton before going to the Brick Lane market. A nice and unpretentious place. I’m not a big fan of full English breakfast with blood pudding and whatnot, but the vegetarian option at The Ginger Pig Café is super delish but way too big for me. Some guy who sat at the table next to us ordered the tallest hamburger I’ve ever seen in real life. The Ginger Pig Café: 231 Hoxton Street

Japanese udon in Soho at Koya. I went there for dinner alone and savored a bowl of udon with beef while listening to other people’s conversations. The broth and udon were tasty, but there was too much meat in proportion to noodles. Koya: 49 Frith Street

A trip to London is seriously by no means complete without crispy duck in China Town. The queue outside the famous Four Seasons was too long so we went to Imperial China Restaurant and swooned over the delectable crispy duck there. Imperial China Restaurant: 25A Lisle Street

And over to something completely non-food related… picture of me sporting my new trainers and a snapshot of the Margaret Howell store in Wigmore Street.

(Photos by me and Daniella)