London Travel Tips from Meg Abbott & Issy Croker of The Curious Pear

Conversations with Locals

It is no secret that Meg and Issy knows food. With a camera in one hand and a pen in the other, the very curious duo of The Curious Pear have travelled the world plate by plate. As Food52 columnists, they are bona fide insiders in the London culinary scene, eating at the tables of some of the finest kitchens in the city. They count red wine as their best friend, and are not one to pass up a good avocado dish. Meg and Issy let us in on a little secret called Hackney, the importance of having a Sunday roast, and why they think Italy is the unrivalled food destination. 

Photo: Issy Croker

 

What do you feel defines British cuisine?

To us, English cuisine is all about experimenting with different flavours from around the world. England has so much diversity, and the food really reflects that. We’re constantly amazed by the choices in London.

If we wake up and want a Middle Eastern breakfast, we can get it down the road. If we want Vietnamese noodle soup for lunch, it’s at our doorstep. If we want a South Indian curry for dinner, there it is! It really is amazing, and it’s getting better by the year. In terms of British food itself, it’s exciting to see chefs making use of the great produce we have in this country. Our seasons are so different; and bring so many flavours with them. It’s great to see British food go from slightly bland to wonderfully experimental.

What is the one local food you feel travellers can’t leave London without trying?

We’d have to say a good old Sunday roast. Nothing beats it. It is quintessentially English, and incredibly comforting. The thing is, if you get a bad one, it can scar you for life. So hunt down a good one!

Our favourite is at the Marksman in Hackney. It’s just down the road from our flat and has absolutely exceptional food, and a great selection of beers. We love the mix of old locals and young people -and sometimes their dogs – and tend to bed down there for an entire afternoon on Sundays.

Where are your favourite restaurants in the city?

We’re having a hard time leaving East London at the moment, mostly because the food is so damn good around there! Our favourite place is Hill & Szrok on Broadway Market – a master butcher’s that turns into a cookshop at night. It’s the best meat we’ve ever had with beautiful sides and good, cheap red wine. We also love Berber & Q. We love the lamb and pita, and all the cocktails! It’s very New York-y in there. St John and Lyle’s are still the best British restaurants around, and we love Ducksoup in Soho for romantic dinner dates (usually with each other…). 

Ducksoup in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

What’s a typical English breakfast for you? 

Shamefully, neither of us are massively into fry ups. We’re still hunting for one that doesn’t remind us of Withnail and I, but Londoners love trying different things at breakfast time. Poco does a great mackerel and avocado on toast, Rawduck is very cool and does a spicy daal with poached eggs, and NOPI has the best shakshuka in London. It’s that smoked labneh that does it for us! You can’t get much more English than crumpets and toast with jam, so for that we head to Burnt Toast Café in Brixton Village. 

Avocado and poached eggs on toast at Rawduck. Photo: Issy Croker

 

Poco Tapas Bar in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

Name one London dining etiquette most travellers miss

Getting very drunk on Sundays! Or perhaps the big family suppers you get in any British household. We love a big pot of food on the table for everyone to serve themselves from. That’s something you don’t experience as a tourist. Unless you make friends with us, in which case we’ll feed you up in our flat!

What would you recommend travellers do in London to experience the city as a local?

Go to the food markets. They show what London is about at the moment – fresh, local produce, good booze, global cuisine, and lots of fun. Our favourites are Broadway Market, Druid Street and Borough Market. Go hungry and grab as many samples as you can! 

Egg hopper at Druid Street Market. Photo: Issy Croker

 

What do you feel are the most common misconceptions about British culture?

Maybe that Britain is a little stiff and overly polite. It is true that we apologise about 174 times a day and get embarrassed very easily, but British people are also a lot of fun and a lot more relaxed than our reputation! That definitely feeds in to the food culture, too. London has been renowned for bad food in the past, but hopefully visitors get a pleasant surprise when they come here for the first time now.

When it comes to food, where in the world is your favourite destination?

That’s such a difficult question! Well, there’s nothing like the home cooking in India. The amount of spices and herbs that go into the most simple dish there is incredible. The lunches in Israel are amazing – piles of labneh, pitta, falafel and finely chopped salads.

But if we had to pick one place, it would have to be Italy. The standard of food there is just so high. We recently went to Florence and fell in love with wild boar ragu – which we ate every day for a week – and learned how to made pici and handmade gnocchi. Each region is so proud of their food. The produce there is bursting with flavour. And, any country where wine is a staple of the table is a friend of ours. 

Porchetta sandwich with truffle cream and rocket at All’Antico Vinaio in Florence, Italy. Photo: Issy Croker

 

WHERE TO EAT IN LONDON 


Marksman
Where: 254 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ, United Kingdom
For: Sunday roast

Hill & Szrok
Where: 60 Broadway Market, London E8 4QJ, United Kingdom
For: Meats

Berber & Q
Where: 338 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA, United Kingdom
For: Lamb and pita 

Lyle’s
Where: Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ, United Kingdom
For: A modern upmarket feel

St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield
Where: 26 St John St, London EC1M 4AY, United Kingdom
For: Nose to tail eating

Ducksoup
Where: 41 Dean St, London W1D 4PY, United Kingdom
For: Somewhere romantic 

Poco Tapas Bar
Where: 45 Jamaica St, Avon, Bristol BS2 8JP, United Kingdom
For: Mackerel and avocado on toast

Rawduck
Where: 197 Richmond Rd, London E8 3NJ, United Kingdom
For: Spicy daal with poached eggs 

NOPI
Where: 21-22 Warwick St, London W1B 5NE, United Kingdom
For: Shakshuka

Burnt Toast Café
Where: Argos Brixton, 36 Atlantic Rd, London SW9 8PS, United Kingdom
For: Crumpets and toasts
 
 

WHERE TO GO IN LONDON


Broadway Market
Where: Hackney, London E8 4, United Kingdom
For: Food markets

Druid Street Market
Where: Druid St, Bermondsey, London SE1 2AN, United Kingdom
For: Food markets

Borough Market
Where: 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL, United Kingdom
For: Food markets

Amsterdam Travel Tips from Bart van Olphen of Bart’s Fish Tales

Conversations with Locals

Fishermen pal around with him. Home cooks bookmark his Youtube channel for fish recipes. Meet Bart van Olphen, the hero of sustainable fishing. From clam-diving with fisherwomen in India to salmon fishing with his friend Maxine in Alaska, he has made it his mission to feature the faces behind where all our seafood comes from. Catch what Bart has to say about how you should explore his hometown of Amsterdam, where to go for bagel and smoked salmon, and what you should do when eating raw herring. 

Photo: David Loftus

 

What do you feel defines Dutch cuisine?

For a long time, we were used to eating simple meals with lots of potatoes, in particular mashed potatoes with veggies and meat. Nowadays, the Dutch cuisine is much more multi-cultural thanks to all the different kinds of cultural food influences.

Bart van Olpen with a fisherman in The Netherlands from Bart’s Fish Tales. Photo: David Loftus

 

What are some local food you feel travellers can’t leave Amsterdam without trying?

Definitely kibbeling, those are deep fried fish nuggets. Then you have to try the lovely raw herring that you eat in one large bite. Okay, you don’t have to, but it’s the way you’re supposed to eat it.

For something sweet: poffertjes. Those are small pancakes topped with icing sugar and a lump of butter. As an alternative, croquette (kroket in Dutch) or little croquette balls (bitterballen in Dutch) with some mustard is also very nice. Last but not least, a dish you really have to try is green pea soup with smoked sausage or meatballs. I’m sure you’ll get addicted!

Boquerones and Tomato Bread from Bart’s Fish Tales. Photo: David Loftus

 

Grilled Tuna with Sesame and Soy Mayonaise from Bart’s Fish Tales. Photo: David Loftus

 

Where are your favourite restaurants in the city?

One of my favourites is Restaurant Bordewijk if you’re in for some pure and high class food. If you’re in for some fancy seafood, you can go to The Seafood Bar at Spui. On the other hand, you could eat at the lovely Le Petit Latin restaurant. The most famous Chinese restaurant is called Nam Kee, they even made a movie named after the restaurant; Oysters at Nam Kee’s. If you’re more into a nice brown café, Café Hoppe at Spui is the one. It’s very authentic with old-fashioned barrels behind the bar. The typical Dutch way is to order a fluitje (a flute). Another cosy but more modern café is Bar Spek.

What’s a typical Dutch breakfast for you? 

We don’t have a particular breakfast culture, but if you want to have a nice breakfast, I would refer you to Bagels & Beans. There, I really like to eat my weekly toasted bagel with smoked salmon. Delicious!

Bart van Olphen from Bart’s Fish Tales. Photo: David Loftus

 

Name one Dutch dining etiquette most travellers miss

If you eat a raw herring, you have to eat it in one piece! You grab the herring by its tail, throw your head back, let the herring slide in and enjoy the delicious taste of this lovely fish.

Another thing we are world famous for is Going Dutch. Most of you guys know this expression, which means every person pays for himself, and in some cases this is true. But nowadays even the Dutch are becoming a bit more sophisticated.

What is one Dutch food you can’t live without? 

Pan fried sole with a classic butter sauce. Lovely, I would not know how to live without it!

Fishermen in the Maldives from Bart’s Fish Tales. Photo: David Loftus

 

What would you recommend travellers do in Amsterdam to experience the city as a local?

Rent a bike and enjoy the new upcoming spots, such as de Pijp, or take the ferry with your bike to Amsterdam North.

Where can we go to see your favourite view in Amsterdam?

The beautiful white sandy coast of the Wadden Sea. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a seal or catch some delicious cockles. During low tide, you can even take a fantastic walk on the seabed.

Follow Bart’s adventures on his website, Instagram and Youtube.

 

WHERE TO EAT IN AMSTERDAM 


Restaurant Bordewijk
Where: Noordermarkt 7 /HS, 1015 MV Amsterdam 
For: French food with a Dutch twist

The Seafood Bar
Where: Spui 15, 1012 WX Amsterdam
For: Fresh seafood

Le Petit Latin
Where: RV The Netherlands, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 306, 1012 Amsterdam
For: French food

Nam Kee
Where: Geldersekade 117, 1011 EN Amsterdam
For: Chinese Cantonese food

Café Hoppe
Where: Spui 18-20, 1012 XA Amsterdam
For: One of Amsterdam’s oldest pubs

Bar Spek
Where: 1057, Admiraal de Ruijterweg 1, 1057 Amsterdam, Netherlands
For: Fried bread and nutella

Bagels & Beans
Where: Van Baerlestraat 40, 1071 Amsterdam 
For: Bagel and smoked salmon

 

WHERE TO GO IN AMSTERDAM 


De Pijp
Where: De Pijp District, Amsterdam
For: Café hopping and shopping

Wadden Sea
Where: Wadden Sea, Netherlands
For: Nature and seal watching

The Eating Guide to Ko Lanta, Thailand

Asia

Somewhere south of Krabi, there is a secluded oasis away from the crowds of overly touristy islands in Thailand. At Ko Lanta, it’s all about enjoying life with simple pleasures. You’ll see tourists resting on hammocks in the island’s rustic Drunken Sailors café, restaurants opening as late as 11 am, and cars cruising along the deserted roads.

This little piece of paradise reminds us that sometimes, all it takes is to sit back and watch the world go by, to enjoy the true meaning of travel.

Look forward to: Removing your shoes before entering any place indoors, as is their custom.

Drunken Sailors 

Where: 116 Moo 5, Ba Kantiang, Ko Lanta 81150, Thailand
What: Pancakes and English breakfast set
For: Breakfast

It’s hard to miss this laid-back café with travellers lazing on the several hammocks and bean bags around tables with plates of American-styled food. You can often find cats lying around on the chairs at Drunken Sailors, seemingly unaware of guests dining just next to them. The homemade fries are top notch, but it’s their breakfast sets that made me fall in love with this casual joint. Two pages long of breakfast options, ranging from English breakfast sets, to fluffy pancakes with tropical fruits, to English muffins with homemade jams.

Red Alert Restaurant

Where: 272 Moo 5, Koh lanta yai, Krabi 81150, Thailand
What: Waffles and salami
For: European flavours

If you’re looking for European flavours, then Red Alert Restaurant is the place for you. The restaurant is located in The Houben Hotel, a boutique establishment owned by a Belgian family. Gourmet European food items such as smoked salmon and salami are part of the breakfast menu. The waffles and pancakes are absolutely delicious – what I would expect for Belgian standards. Enjoying your meal with those around you is extremely important, and the restaurant goes as far as to offer 10% off your bill if you surrender your phones to them.

Phad Thai Rock n Roll 

Where: Tambon Ko Lanta Yai, Amphoe Ko Lanta, Chang Wat Krabi 81150, Thailand
What: Phad thai
For: Local Thai food

The retro vibe is unmistakable in Phad Thai Rock n Roll. It felt as though I took a step back to the 60s, and the man manning the wok is actually a guitarist who used to be in a rock and roll band. It’s a small place with less than 10 tables. There’s no doubt that the ingredients right down to the limes are fresh, and the phad thais have that authentic Thai flavour.

Greek Taverna 

Where: 665 Moo 2 Klong Khong Beach, Ko Lanta 81150, Thailand
What: Grilled meats and seafood
For: Greek food

Walk along Klong Khong Beach in north Ko Lanta and you’ll find this Greek food haven. Typical Greek specialties such as gyros and moussaka can be found on the menu at Greek Taverna, but the grilled seafood and meat platters sure hits the spot when it comes to soaking in the beach atmosphere. The owner comes from Greece, and you’ll be hard pressed to find something tastier or more unique along this stretch.