London 2016 - staying in the borough of Islington

As our UK adventure of summer 2016 is off to a fine start on our first day, I thought I would give you a brief introduction to where we are staying and eating.  Our choice of budget hotel, Easy Hotel chain, came through for us at the "Barbican" location at 80 Old Street in the borough of Islington. The location is near the Old Street tube station (a 5 minute walk). There are lifts in the building (yay, a big deal for us with heavy luggage in tow). Not all locations have lifts. The room is rather "spacious" compared to other locations, meaning that we don't have to stack our luggage against the door due to lack of space. We can put it beside the bed. There is air conditioning in the room that you can control.

All of these things are pluses. We have enjoyed staying at the Earl's Court and South Kensington locations in the past. The rooms there were more expensive than here this summer.

The search of a good pub (priorities!) was essential for dinner on our first night. After comparing menus and walking around the neighborhood, we found Singer Tavern on 1 City Road. It had a nice spacious feel (until the young urban professionals showed up after work). Then it got crowded and noisy. It must be a popular place for them to hang out after work. I ordered the standard pub fare -  fish pie. This pie was a bit different than others. It had fresh wilted spinach in it (in contrast to the usual peas). That was tasty. Also there was no sauce of any kind. Usually there is a cream sauce. It needed some sort of sauce, as it was a bit dry. However the flavors of the smoked salmon, smoked haddock, mashers (mashed potatoes) flavored with mature cheddar cheese were amazing. The fish and spinach formed the lower layer of the pie. The mashers covered it. I ordered Mortimer's Orchard premium hard cider from on tap. The bar tender recommended it. It was smooth. The alcohol taste was not overwhelming. It was served room temperature (which I think is a European thing). In the U.S. I tend to drink it chilled. They were out of my favorite dessert - sticky toffee pudding (a moist cake made of dates, topped with caramel sauce and served à la mode).

Here is a photo of the pie and cider.

In this area there are a variety of eating places - Italian, Thai, Chinese, British cafés and pubs as well as several small grocery stores. I tend to eat cheaply for breakfast and lunch by going to the grocery store and purchasing food. Many of the groceries stores have a "meal deal" for lunch that costs around 3 GBP. It includes a choice of selected items from their sandwiches, snacks and drinks. It makes a nice portable lunch for those of us who want to keep moving and see a lot of London. Take a break from your sightseeing and find a spot in the park to eat it. There are many local parks around the city.

Dinner time is a great occasion to unwind and enjoy eating out. There are lots of restaurants in London. I enjoy walking around on the side streets and finding the hidden gems of restaurants back in the alleys.

Stay tuned for more posts on London and Cornwall from summer 2016.