A few of our favourite things... - Caz's Take

Okay, it’s not winter - but summer term is still a high-stress term here in Imperial, we’ll grant you that. Everyone’s got their own comfort foods/snacks (season be damned), favourite eateries, kitchen gadgets they’re biased towards. Even us as Food editors - we’re not going to pretend we don’t have a few favourites of our own; things that keep us going when the chips (hurr!) are down.

Here we’ve compiled our lists of personal favourites - eateries, gadgetry, dishes, foodie tips etc. Perhaps they’re here because they’ve got impeccable service. Perhaps it’s because they make our life over 9000 times easier when it comes to prep work. Perhaps it’s because they’re just plain cool, or simple. In any case, we hope they give you a few ideas - none of these are sponsored features!

We’d also love to hear about your favourites, so tweet us @feliximperial with #FelixFood - or Instagram your picks - and we might just feature it! Guilty or not, a pleasure is a pleasure.

CAROL ANN CHEAH

Between myself and Mike, I’m more likely to eat out (though not very often either.) Being in a relationship with a fellow foodie means that discovering new places with good grub in London is one of our go-to date ideas; as a result, I’m more open to eating out as a social thing than I was before. I’ve lived in SW6 near North End Road for almost two years now; it definitely feels like home - which would explain why a lot of my outlet picks on this list are my “locals”!

As an engineer, sometime baker and a cocktail waitress/aficionado, I’m a downright sucker for cool kitchen gadgetry. Get me anything quirky from the Joseph Joseph line and I will weep with joy.

MY PERSONAL GADGET MUST-HAVE

Citrus squeezer, Eddingtons

RRP: GBP 7.50-9.50, various sizes. Cheaper on Amazon, of course.

To me, summer screams citrus. Not the green-bottled crap “juice”; FRESH citrus. Think sangria, fresh still lemonade (not the sugary soda pop a la Schweppes - one thing Americans actually do better!) I’m a summer baby, and cooking/cocktail-ing with fresh citrus this season is right up my alley. You could just hand squeeze sans gadgetry/use a wooden reamer; but I find this squeezer (us bar folk call it a Mexican Elbow) gets maximum juice out of my fruits with minimum effort/time and keeps it mess/pip-free. Seeing as my hands are prone to small nicks and cuts from crafting - where splashes of citrus juice on them would burn like hell...well, you get the picture.

Personally, I’d get the lemon one (medium sized) as it does limes, lemons and even smaller oranges quite well - it’s a good all-rounder. The only reason I recently got the larger orange counterpart is because I’ve been juicing oranges more regularly, and the larger size sure helps with them. Hmm - I hear fresh breakfast grapefruit juice calling...

DON2 Cafe

6 Farm Lane, Fulham, SW6 1PP

Tue-Sun, 1200-2200

I’ll say it again: Japanese food is more than hoity-toity sushi. If you’ve patiently queued in Chinatown to sample the lovely chicken katsu rice bowls at Misato before (a favourite with a lot of our Asian readers), you’ll probably agree with me.

That said, if Misato is the rowdy “gimme everything tonight - and fast” fresher, Don2 (some say don-two, some say dondon) is the sufficiently chilled and settled-down postgrad. If we used cocktail analogies, Misato would be shaken - Don2 patiently stirred. Basically, both these places have entirely different atmospheres; Misato has quick table turnaround, Don2 on the other hand screams - no, whispers “chillax” through every homestyle-chic dish of theirs.

Digression aside, Don2’s namesake alludes to their specialty/strength: donburi rice bowls. Chef Hiro has run the simple charming cafe for a number of years, also offering some nice home soba/udon bowl staples, rice burgers (a balance between quirky and healthy), plus your usual sushi suspects (albeit more understated, but no less yummy.) Some of their donburi bowls are sushi-based, so you can satisfy both sushi and homestyle Japanese cravings in one.

As a testament to how much I love this place: I almost know the whole menu back to front, and I’ve brought three different people (bestie, mum, boyfriend - at least twice!) here to dine on separate occasions. I’ve also orded their stuff to go a number of times.

Another reason to love them: you get 10% off if you flash your student card - so keep your Imperial ID handy. #studentswag

Shot Espresso

11 Jerdan Place, Fulham, SW6 1BE

Mon-Fri 0530-2300

Sat-Sun 0730-2300

Anyone who’s familiar with Jerdan Place will appreciate how that area feels somewhat like a Little Venice - what with the cobbled streets and atmosphere. Jerdan Place in general houses a number of my favourite cafes (hi Moosh!); however, Aussie-Italian-run Shot takes top prize when it comes to my favourite independent all-round cafe. Just shy of a year old, this cozy little nook has been such a success that they’ve recently opened a second outlet at Parsons Green approximately 4 months ago.

Whether you’re eating in or grabbing a cuppa and food to go, Shot’s wares are consistently great. The coffee and food speak for themselves - I’m not a major coffee fan, so you’ll have to take my mum’s word for it (she happens to be very discerning with her caffeine.) Drinks were a lovely balance between flavourful and light, rich and easy-drinking for the coffees/hot chocolates. As for the juices - they’re freshly made to order, and the lovely baristas have been known to go off-menu by combining different fruits/veg (one of them made me a carrot/apple/ginger concoction when I was run-down!) Doesn’t hurt that their baristas provide the best customer service I’ve come across - and I work in the industry myself!

I can personally vouch for their breakfast sarnies and pastries; fillings and breads are top-notch (go for their piadinas!) Next on my to-try list would have to be their homemade lagsanas and soups. Shot keeps a select stable of suppliers - most of which are family-owned.

If you’ve got your family visiting, Shot’s great (whoever’s footing the bill.) If you’ve got a first date, bring them to Shot - perfect atmosphere, plus some lovely Italian aperitivos if you both need some classy Dutch courage. If you want a way-cooler alternative to Starbucks for drawing/writing - well, you get the picture. (I may or may not have written part of this review blurb in Shot itself...)

Whole Foods Market, Fulham

2-6 Fulham Broadway, SW6 1AA

Mon-Sat 0800-2200, Sun 1100-1700

Okay, okay. With all due respect to my student budget...most of the time I buy my produce from the various supermarkets (Co-op, Waitrose) and the cheap fresh market on North End Road, or the Fulham Broadway Sainsbury’s. I’ll get my meat and fish from cheap and cheerful Dickenson’s and Ocean Catch. Once in a while though (read: if I’ve had a good week in tips) I like to treat myself just by upgrading my ingredients - and WFM is perfect for that. As a clinical depressive, eating cleaner/better helps me somewhat.

Say I might want to cook something a little better-grade for a special occasion. Or sometimes I’m looking for one or two bits of “exotic” fruit to experiment with for drinks (I’ve found blood oranges and some tropical favourites there!), or as an occasional after-meal treat. Or the North End Road market produce for the day is looking way too sad to be used within the same/next day (it happens sadly - and I give a wide berth to my ingredients), and I just feel like going organic for the next couple of days.

Most of us would be familiar with the mammoth Kensington store, so WFM needs no introduction; granted, I think it’s a bit too big to comfortably shop in. The Fulham store has a Goldilocks-esque “just right” feel to its size and selection. Of course, if there’s something you want that isn’t immediately available, their team members can source it for you given adequate notice. For produce, it doesn’t necessarily have to be something the other stores sell!

One thing I like which other shops in Fulham don’t do is their vast selection of grains, seeds, pulses and nuts. In fact, I’m a sucker for their grind-your-own nut butters. I quite like almond butter but I only need small batches. Since I don’t have a decent machine to make my own, I just grind what I need for the week there.

Upstairs, there’s a seating area for customers to enjoy the grub from the downstairs counters - whether it’s the hot or cold stuff. Small touches like these certainly make the Fulham store more intimate and less bewildering than its bigger Kensington brother.

Brompton Food Market

33 Thurloe Place, SW7 2HQ

Mon-Sun 0800-2000

If Whole Foods Market is quintessentially American, then BFM is the British/European counterpart that reminds one of a bite-sized Borough Market (albeit cleaner and calmer.) Probably apt, since one half of the duo that owns it is the talented chef/food writer Luke Mackay, who’s done demos at Borough itself. Congenial co-owner/longtime friend Dave Turcan comes from a business and marketing background.

Soft-launched in April, it’s a beautifully designed, well stocked one-stop independent - they’ve got everything from staples and snacks to specialty ingredients. Be warned: prices might make your eyes water a bit if you’re used to student budgets; just remember Borough quality and you’re good. Again, one delightfully easy-to-navigate place to keep in mind for special-occasion cooking!

Brompton’s USP is that its service is WAY more personable - bar none. They’re the sort of people you want to know by name, who will happily write down recipes for you and can advise you on 101 ways with bresaola (okay slight exaggeration, but you get my point.) They’re also awfully witty - check out their tweets with customers! (@bromptonfoodmkt)

BFM’s other ace is thevalue-for-money lunchtime menu, with stuff like sarnies made fresh out of the stuff they sell in-house - naturally, the menu varies depending on their stock. Think of it as a serving suggestion for their produce you can enjoy then and there! While you’re at it, bring your grub to their lush secret garden out back with one of their coffees - perfect for relaxing between exams, maybe with friends/a date. Just tell them we sent you.