London: Day 12

We woke up and I debated whether or not I was up for everything I had planned. I went back and forth on this, and then decided to just give it a go and see how far I could make it.

First up was a Street Art walking tour through East London. Our tour guide, a graffiti artist, showed us numerous pieces of work throughout the city, and explained why people “tag” and what those bubble letters are all about (it’s a progression of art…. And also to learn how to control the spray paint can!). We saw some really cool stuff. Eventually the pouring rain put an end to the walk and we headed back through the neighborhood for lunch.

During the tour, we spotted a taco place, so we backed track. We shared a tray of tacos and chips and guacamole. Definitely not as good as our beloved Lone Star at home, but it hit the spot and it was indoors and out of the rain.

After lunch we headed to Kensington Palace. This a bite size museum – and I’m so glad it was! We wandered through rooms built in the 17th and 18th centuries, and heard the other side of the Protestant vs. Catholic monarchy from the English. At the end of the palace tour, you have the opportunity to go through an exhibit of Princess Diana’s clothing. Definitely recommend. It was interesting to read about everything she wore, how her fashion evolved over time and the designers she worked with.

By the time we finished, it was around 3 pm, and so we decided to head back to our AirBnb to rest up a bit before dinner. I made reservations at the Kitchen Table – because how could I pass up the opportunity to go again?! This was one of the restaurants we went to during our honeymoon three years ago. The concept is simple: the chef and his team picks and forages everything, buys meat fresh, etc. and the menu changes daily. It is at minimum a 12 course menu. We had 15 last night.

I tried to capture everything down that they told us about each course, but I definitely missed some ingredients. That being said… you’ll get the idea!

Shrimp – served raw with slightly dried tomatoes that were marinated in brains of shrimp and shisho
Radish – potato puff servied with puréed yeast, dill and homemade ketchup, thinly sliced radishes, confit lemon zest and fresh dill
Kale – young kale dressed in salted anchovies dressing, sourdough bread crumbs and confit lemon zest
Chicken – chicken skin cracker with rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam (the only repeat from three years ago – it’s a pretty popular item!)
Parker house – rolls served with beef fat onion butter and shaved summer truffle
Green beans – cut and chargrilled served on top of peppered yogurt and salad of unripe strawberries and a granita made from vinegar marinated with lemon
Scallop – hand dived scallop brushed with teriyaki and torched served with pickled rhubarb and pickled rhubarb juice, fig leaf oil, cucumber and sesame seeds
Squid – served with roasted shellfish sauce, sweet corn, zucchini and tarragon butter
Lobster – Cornish lobster cooked with oil made from lobster head and seared and smoked with juniper branch; served on top of grapefruit confit, roasted beets and raw ginger
BONUS Duck – liver parfait with garlic ketchup, duck leg tartar, mushrooms and raw chestnuts
Duck – aged four weeks and browned in its own fat served with sauce made from bones, fresh elderberries and shallots and grilled spring onion
Fønix – a Norwegian blue cheese shaved on top of a red onion tartlet
Beetroot – cooked into a marmalade served on top of sweet woodroof ice cream, a syrup infused with sweet woodruff and sweet woodruff granita
Raspberry – meringue seasoned with peppercorn and charred, milk ice cream and fresh tarragon leaf oil served with fresh raspberries and a raspberry vinegar sauce
Blackberry – take on a trifle with blackberry jelly, raw blackberry with cream infused with blackberry alcohol, white chocolate shavings and ice cream
Canele – the famous French dessert, but I had caramel ice cream
Herbal tea with herbs from the garden

Green beans
Green beans
Scallops
Scallops
Raspberries
Raspberries

As always, highly recommend. It’s pricey, but it’s an amazingly unique experience. They also do a fabulous job with food allergies!

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