The London Taste Test

I’m not an adventurous person when it comes to food, but in London I decided to go for it. Going to a foreign country and eating American food would take away from the experience.

1. I started with Nando’s. I ordered a chicken burger with medium sauce. I took off the tomato and lettuce because I’m not a vegetable person. I could’ve eaten Nando’s every day. I’m all about spicy things, so I would’ve loved to try more of the sauces.
2. Moving on from chain food, I went to a restaurant and ordered the very British chicken and leeks pie with mustard sauce. The leeks made me hesitant because they’re a vegetable that I’d never had, but I ordered it anyway. The crust was perfectly flaky. The sauce warmed my insides. The leeks didn’t taste much which was good. I’m a picky eater, so finding something that I like that isn’t a chicken sandwich or noodles is a big deal.
3. When I was waiting for a Jack the Ripper tour outside one of the tube stations, I ordered vanilla ice cream from a food cart. I usually prefer chocolate, but the vanilla ice cream in London is much creamier than in the United States. Plus, I got a chocolate flake in it so I was happy.
4. I’d passed so many Pret a Mangers that by the second week I had to grab lunch at one. I picked a ham and cheese sandwich from the cooler and they heated it for me. It was pretty average.
5. There’s the stereotype that British food is bland, but aside from less sugar in the cookies and muffins I hadn’t really noticed. Then I got a chicken and bacon sandwich in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I ordered it without tomatoes and lettuce as usual, but I left the bacon on. I don’t like bacon, so I don’t know what compelled me to leave it on. I’m glad I did though. The bacon was the only thing that gave the sandwich flavor, but even then the flavor was salt. That was the worst thing I’d eaten in Britain.
6. Fittingly, the best thing I ate in Britain was also in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I went to tea place and ordered a Cajun chicken and mango chutney sandwich. The sweet and spicy was perfect. I’d been hesitant since I didn’t know what chutney was and mango isn’t my favorite fruit. It was amazing, even though I had to get it to go and eat it on the train back to London.
7. The last thing I tried in London was a lemon tart for breakfast. My choice was between cherry and lemon, and the lemon tart looked more appetizing. I’d never had a tart before, but the gooey filling hit the spot.

I plan to go back to London in the future, and I’ll definitely try more things along with re-visiting my favorites.