Finally – time to celebrate with a nice meal out!

If you are still reading this – congratulations! You’ve made it through the first half of this first term. While it’s not a big deal, I feel like I need a pat on the back every time I manage to get more than five hours of sleep, so… surviving for so long made me think that I actually have to celebrate. I mean, I only have three deadlines and two tests coming up, but if I can survive so far, I’ll manage to hang on a bit longer. Trust me, so will you. And now that you’ve realised what a great thing you’ve accomplished, I think you want to celebrate, right? I am not saying that you should go bankrupt for one celebratory meal, but I think that you should invest a little bit in it. Treat yourself! Go crazy! This is why it’s called “celebrating”, right?

“It sounds fancy, it’s delicious, nutritious, filling and, if you care about such things – very Instagramable”

So, here comes the list of best places to have a celebratory meal – places and dishes tested by the pickiest! Maybe you could just have a day in which you decide to try all these amazing places: walking from restaurant to restaurant in the search of the things that make you happy. Just remember that, if you actually manage to eat everything on this list, you’ll have to go to the gym. Or change half your clothes for a bigger size. But do try some of them!

Best breakfast

Having breakfast out is a bit weird for me as I wouldn’t normally wake up early enough to have time to go out and not be late for class when I can just sleep in a bit more and enjoy my cereal. But sometimes, when I have a free day and I cannot sleep, I like exploring what this city has to offer. The good thing is that, for breakfast, there are few places where you have to wait the same length you might wait for lunch or dinner.

This is how I’ve discovered Chiltern Firehouse (1 Chiltern St, Marylebone) and their a-maz-ing breakfast – biggest problems with it are that I don’t have time for it everyday and I definitely don’t have the funds. But it’s a great experience! I’ve only eaten there once and I still want to recommend it. And because it’s celebratory and it’s breakfast out, I’d say try something that you don’t normally go for – lobster and crab omlette! It sounds fancy, it’s delicious, nutritious, filling, and – if you care about such things – very Instagramable.

Celebratory steak is a must!

My best friend took me to have some steak after I finished my first year – he is a huge lover of steak – and I must admit that, even if the meal itself was somewhat out-of-this-world, the experience itself was more than I asked for. HIX Oyster and Chop House (36-37, Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street) is not something I would have picked for myself but after having the Glenarm Estate Porterhouse for two to share (yes, I had to Google the exact name), I keep telling myself that I need to go back at least once more – especially since I’ve heard that they have a Sunday roast.

I seriously cannot praise this steak enough, and before you take my word for it, you should know that I constantly complain about how tasteless most food is in London. You should seriously find some time and go give them a try – but double check the prices before ordering something as they tend to be quite high (I should thank my friend for also paying for the dinner, right?)

Celebratory dessert

Whenever I am talking about food, I try not to sound too pretentious, but I cannot constrain myself this time and I am going to recommend, in my opinion, the best cake in London – and trust me, I’ve eaten enough cake in London to know the best when I try it – it’s a Godiva cafe. Truth be told, I’ve only been to one Godiva cafe (the one in Harrods – 87-135 Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge) and I have no idea if there are any other around, but this one is perfectly placed as it is fairly close to uni.

I’ve tried all their cakes and I love most of them, but, my favourite by far is the white chocolate baked cheesecake. I eat it at least once a month and I have to admit that it’s been consistently good – not just once in while which can happen in some places. The chocolate is not overpowering and it matches perfectly the cheese flavour. You almost feel like you are not eating something sweet, and the consistency is just great – one slice is a bit too much for a single person and this is a shame. It comes with melted chocolate that makes it a little bit too sweet but it’s amazing on its own!