Save A Cheese

I'm all for good causes that also result in cheese eating.

‘Save-A-Cheese’ and help stricken cheesemakers rebuild their lives and warehouses by buying Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) from the devastated artisan cheesemakers in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy hit by 2 earthquakes in a short space of time on the 20th & 29th May 2012.

Go here to save a cheese!

MEATmarket

The Deck, Jubilee Market Hall
Tavistock Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 8BE

E and I have bonded over cocktails, the West Wing, and a deep love of burgers. When I saw that MEATmarket was opening in Covent Garden, we made immediate plans to lunch there. We each ordered a Dead Hippie (double patties fried in mustard, American cheese, Dead Hippie sauce) and I had the jalapeno poppers while E ordered fries. While it was all as filthily delicious as it looks, I would definitely opt for MEATliquor over MEATmarket, as the menu is just too limited at MEATmarket. All of the burgers are double patties, which is a bit overwhelming if you're just looking for lunch, and MEATmarket doesn't have the buffalo wings that I adore so much. Still - we didn't have to wait for our food here, and if you're in the mood for a burger that will make you feel guilty, it still hits the spot.

Yalla Yalla

12 Winsley Street
London
W1W 8HQ

P suggested Yalla Yalla for dinner, as he loves it. I'd been meaning to try it for ages and was happy to oblige. We didn't have to wait very long for a table, even though it seemed like the restaurant was rammed. P had many recommendations so I trusted him - we got lamb kibbeh (raw lamb mixed with spices and bulgur wheat) and grilled halloumi to start, and then I had a mixed kebab so that I could try both the chicken and the lamb. It was very greedy ordering, I will admit - I would have been fine with just a main - but it was all so delicious that we managed to polish it all off, except for the dish they brought out by mistake - an additional portion of halloumi. When we told the waiter we'd already had some, he just shrugged and left it with us - so that turned into my lunch for the next day. I'd definitely go back - just one warning, it can be quite loud, so make sure you go with someone who has decent hearing!

Daphne

83 Bayham Street
London
NW1 0AG

I managed to get tickets to Esperanza Spalding at Koko for A's birthday this year. Since it was a birthday night out, dinner seemed appropriate beforehand, and after a quick stop at Brewdog, we wandered into Daphne. It was a lovely evening and there was a nice table outside just calling to us, and the charming waiters quickly took our orders. We had some bread, olives and octopus to start - I still love the grilled octopus at La Vina more than anywhere else I've had it in London, but Daphne's version wasn't bad. We then had a mixed seafood grill and lamb kebabs for mains, with a little side salad. Nothing was remarkable, but it was also all properly cooked and just what we wanted for a sunny outdoor meal. The bill arrived with what I would call Turkish delight, but when I exclaimed "Oh, Turkish delight!" the waiter ran off and brought back the box proclaiming it "Greek delight". We ended the meal with a laugh.