Continued from the Cotswolds and Edinburgh - UK - Food Talk Central thread.
Day 13:
The breakfast on the Caledonian sleeper was edible but otherwise wretched, and it arrives in London so early that we had to walk around for a few hrs b/f our hotel room was ready (thankfully, the hotel staff allowed us to leave our luggage there). We stayed in the Marylebone region of London.
First step was at No. 106 Baker Street, which is either next to or part of a high-end hotel. Just lovely (but not necessarily destination worthy). A respectable croissant and good sausage. @SpockSpork said that the eggs and coffee were also good.
We wanted more food, and partner saw that Le Fromgerie (https://www.lafromagerie.co.uk) had good reviews. It was EXCELLENT. Very good croissant (although perhaps not as good as Chaumont), and the crust of the toast was perfection. There’s a decent-sized market attached, as well as a small cheese “cave” (cooled room). We had a sample of the Abbaye de Citeaux (creamy, slight funk, wonderful) and the reblochon. The only reason we tried the reblochon was b/c Rachel Koo had mentioned it once on her show, and we of course can’t buy it in the US (unpasturized). The employee hesitated b/f giving us a sample of reblochon and said it wasn’t at its peak and would be a bit liver-y. And he was right. So we took a small amount of the Abbaye de Citeaux to go.
Barrafina (http://www.barrafina.co.uk) for dinner after “The Play that Goes Wrong” (the play was amusing but not amazing).
OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. OHMIGOD. This place was outstanding!!! I don’t drink much, but one wine I’ve enjoyed is Pago de Capellanes (which they had). Partner enjoyed his The Flower and the Bee white. We had morcilla croquettes, brill w/ a cilantro sauce, patas bravas, and arroz negro. It was all utterly delicious, esp the wonderful arroz that had an intense squid flavor infusing every bite. I would happily eat here again and again and again. Price (I think £88 including 2-3 glasse of wine) seemed reasonable, almost cheap, given the quality. I don’t know anything about London’s dining scene, but this is, IMHO, absolutely worth a detour.