Review: 26 Grains

I love porridge. Like seriously adore it. It’s pretty much a hug in a bowl and with so many different toppings to choose, the combinations are endless!

I heard about 26 Grains when it first opened and was intrigued by the concept of a café solely dedicated to porridge: it sounded amazing.
They are nestled in the wonderful Neal’s Yard and offer a selection of sweet and savoury porridges (as well as a few other dishes). The menu is the perfect size, offering plethora of choices.

We started off with the matcha almond milk lattes which were  so delicious. I’ve recently been getting into matcha lattes since I’m not the biggest fan of coffee and they are delicious, especially when made with almond milk that gives them a natural sweetness to offset the ‘green’ taste of the matcha!

Then we were onto the good stuff!

We settled for a savoury porridge bowl with kale, avocado, egg and sriracha. I had a bit of the creamy oats that were perfectly seasoned. Although the bowl itself may not seem too filling, looks can be deceiving! It was the perfect comforting bowl and savoury porridge is something that I’ve loved for a while. For those you haven’t tried it, it’s like a Japanese rice porridge or congee.

My dish filled with rainbows and textures. Amazing is an understatement. It was like an explosion in your mouth, in the best possible way.
The bowl was filled with quinoa, turmeric roasted cauliflower, samphire, pickles and the best beetroot hummus ever. I’m drooling just thinking about it now! I mean, the bowl really says it all.
I would highly recommend this bowl, I would travel there again just to get my hands on it.

I can’t believe I hadn’t gone to 26 grains earlier because although the concept sounds simple, it’s far from it! I can’t wait to go back and try the waffles and the buckwheat wrap *heart eye emoji*
Here’s the full menu for those of you that are interested!

26 Grains
Website: www.26grains.com
Address: 2 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday: 8am-6pm, Friday: 8am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday: 10am-4pm

Advertisement

Review: Hemsley + Hemsley Cafe

I met the lovely Hemsley sisters on their ‘Good and Simple’ book shoot last year (wow, how time flies!) and I’ve been eager to try out their cafe ever since I heard about it (especially after trying their food and knowing how delicious it was)! I’m such a big fan of their ethos of eating whole foods that do good and make you feel good.

Their cafe, situated on the new Body studio on the third floor at Selfridges, embodies their positive attitude towards healthy eating with bright and flavoursome dishes.
They have a wide range of choices to cater for any dietary needs. I’ve heard that the slow cooked chicken stew with cauliflower rice is particularly delicious and the salmon burger in the flaxseed bun caught my eye. However, on the particularly sunny day in London I was craving a salad. Knowing the Hemsley sisters, I knew I was in for a treat.
Because of the many choices (it was too hard to pick just one!) I went for the mix of the three: puy lentil salad with thinly sliced beetroot, tart apple, dried cranberries with a light maple vinaigrette; sesame soba and carrot noodles; and quinoa with roasted vegetables and brazil nut pesto.

I loved that I was able to try all three and the generous portion for £10 was a steal! My favourite was definitely the quinoa with roasted vegetables. It was packed with different flavours and textures and the pesto added a basil punch to the dish. Next time, I will definitely opt for a large serving of this.

They had a range of drinks and I went for the hardcore green juice as I’m a sucker for it when I see it on a menu! It was filled with green vegetables and herbs which gave it a lovely light flavour. Don’t worry, if you’re not so keen on the liquid vegetables, they also have a range of smoothies and hot drinks.
As well as this, of course they have some desserts options such as chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake and their famous paradise bars.

I highly recommend checking out the cafe as it’s a place that anyone can go and enjoy the food on offer. Although their food is free from gluten, grains and refined sugar, the meals they serve are packed  with flavour and substance and their wide range allows anyone to enjoy the food. But be warned that it’s very small so I would say to go early if you want to get a seat!

Hemsley + Hemsley Cafe
Website: No website, but read more about it here.
Address: 400 Oxford Street, Marylebone, London W1U 1AB
Opening Hours:

Link Love Sunday

Happy new year to you all! I can’t believe how quickly 2015 went and it was a truly fabulous year, filled with so many highlights. I hope your year was great too 🙂 Here are my link loves of the week, delicious recipes to start your year right (and a great documentary)!

What a warming cinnamon spiced lentil and chickpea soup!

This jap chae is filled with colour and flavour!

I want to cozy up with these mediterranean baked lima beans.

This falafel slider with hemp tabbouleh and maple tahini is like woah.

This green quinoa salad is perfect for the new year, as is this one! (second link pictured)

This kale salad with avocado tahini is a great lunch idea.

I’m going through a serious noodle phase and these soba noodles look perfect!

One of my favourite combinations of roasted sweet potatoes and sprouts.

This green olive, walnut and pomegranate salad is so interesting.

In Defense of Food. A great book that is now in documentary form!

Be sure to follow me on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook  and bloglovin’ for all the latest updates!