London

Tuesday almost saw me not make it to London...but strong wills and a very cooperative mother came to my rescue. And so, my trusty bicycle (newly cleaned the day before in honour of this expedition) and I sallied forth on the 10.11am train to London. It was my first solo trip to London since Hector was born and had been planned for weeks in advance!

I felt totally liberated arriving in London on my own and headed for the first of my favourite hot spots - the old faithful Monmouth Coffee Company on Monmouth Street. Despite lack of sunshine I sat outside on a bench and rejoiced in the marvels of being in the big smoke. For those who don't know, the Monmouth Coffee Company is a beacon burning brightly in the world of global coffee chains serving perfectly adequate coffee. Monmouth serves sublime coffee. It is a small little place filled with like minded people seeking out independent spots who pride themselves on their quality and total commitment to the best. The counter is filled with cakes and tarts that might tempt you and then there are a series of communal wooden booths at the back. Their Borough Market shop is recogniseable by the long queue of people patiently waiting for their weekly fix before braving the frenzy of a Saturday morning at Borough Market. What I love most about this shop is the long communal table dominating the room that is home to a huge plate with hunks of baguette, ginormous jars of Bonne Maman and a slab of beautiful fresh butter. Help yourself for £2.50. It would be terribly rude to resist...

And from there I headed up through Soho to Marylebone High Street. Now, this really is one of my most beloved streets. The atmosphere is kind of villagey (I used 'kind of' deliberately) and on, or just off this, thoroughfare lie a cornucopia of shops that I would have on my Desert Island list of favourite places. La fromagerie on Moxon Street, Daunt books, The Providores, deli / cafe part of the Orrery, The Conran Shop, Cox & power, Skandium and the list goes on. If you haven't been, just go and make sure you have enough time to browse, eat and drink. My sole purchase here was a book obscurely named 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog', which was recommended to me by the lovely Naomi.

After an appointment at 2.30, I headed to Islington and walked through Camden Passage and along Upper Street. I kind of wanted a cup of tea but somehow didn't find the perfect spot and so just browsed. At 6pm my bicycle was bedecked with light, and I with fluorescent additions, and I hit Exmouth Market. This is a little pedestrian street just off Farringdon Road. It is occupied by a number of quirky, independent retailers of all things - cool bags and jewellery made by a Milanese man (Bagman Robin), high end unusual jewellery (ECone), Chorizo and the very best of Spanish foods (Brindisi) although this seemed to have closed down and I think that I read about its closure. There is a food market here providing all kinds of nourishment at lunchtime. But, the real reason for my visit was Moro. If I had to worship someone I think it would be a wacky medley of all kinds of people, but Sam and Sam Clark would be there.

A husband and wife team, who met at River Cafe (I only found out about Rose Gray's very sad death at the weekend), run the most wonderful of Spanish / North African influenced restaurants. I am sure if they put their mind to it they could have Michelin stars coming out of every silver dome, but they aspire to the antithesis of silver domes. The restaurant, and the food, is inspired by a tapas kind of bar and the zinc covered table running the length of it is one of the nicest places for a plate or two of tapas and a glass of fino (a secret lunch I occasionally treat myself to!) that I know of. The best bit is that there are a couple of mirrors opposite the bar from where you can watch the chefs in the kitchen doing their thing. But enough about the room (although the floor tiles on the way to the toilet and in the toilet are fabulous), the point is without doubt the food. I'll be back - have to go out for an hour so going to save this most hallowed of blogs!!!