A Whole Foods Experience

I love Whole Foods. My favourite activity is grocery shopping and back home Whole Foods was the place to be. Mum and I usually went out to Whole Foods for grocery shopping and some delicious food. So today I was really looking forward to going to Whole Foods at Piccadilly Circus for some shopping and food. I looked around the buffet and the food looked amazing.

I went with beer battered haddock, mushroom fricassee, roast brussels sprouts and thyme roast potatoes.

The haddock was terribly dry. It felt like I was chewing a tyre. I couldn't even taste the haddock. 

The mushroom fricassee wasn't any better. Though the mushrooms were in a sauce, they were surprisingly dry. How did that happen?

The brussels sprouts were tasteless. I love brussels sprouts and was most disappointed about this failure.

As for the potatoes, they were creamy and fragrant with butter and not so much the thyme. They were delicious however.

Come to think of it, I should have asked for a refund for the food, especially the dry haddock. 

Though the food was very disappointing the shopping made up for it. I picked up some of my favourite things, pomegranate, avocado, sprouts and coconut.  

So will I go back? Maybe not for food, but if I do, I'll be sure to notify the staff and ask for a refund if the food is a fail.

H & H

The Betsey Trotwood Pub

I am still adjusting to the super crowded British pubs where unlike Canadian pubs, people like to stand rather than sit around a table. That said, most pubs I've been to here are quite small and there aren't enough seats for people to sit. Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell is no different. It is a Victorian-style pub with some nice vintage-looking furniture and wall decor in a small cozy space.

I went for a private function on a busy Friday night. I ordered a mushroom, spinach and goat cheese burger with chips on the side for £9. It was quite expensive in my opinion, so while waiting around the small bar counter for 20 minutes for the food I was praying that it would be worth it. You know, pub foods aren't usually that great. However, I am pleased to say that Betsey is definitely an exception. My burger was very tasty. I had a nice chunk of creamy delicious goat cheese with lots of crunchy spinach. The mushroom was juicy, thick and flavourful. The burger sauce had this smokey flavour that went very well with the mushroom, spinach and goat cheese. The chips were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and just the right portion as a burger side dish. The food was nicely presented on a wooden board which made it seem comforting, rustic and homemade. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to take a photo of the food as I had to quickly dash upstairs for my event. I was very impressed with the food quality and do recommend it.

As for the service, though staff aren't particularly friendly or welcoming they are attentive and keep themselves very busy.

Note that you can't use your card for purchases under £10, so make sure to take some cash with you. Then again, order a drink and some food and your order would easily be over £10.

Overall, I highly recommend Betsey, especially for the food. Whether you choose to stay indoors or sit outside on the wooden benches you will be pleased with the social feel and comforting atmosphere.

Check out the website for more details, especially the music & events section: http://www.thebetsey.com/

The Betsey Trotwood
56 Farringdon Rd
Clerkenwell
London
EC1R 3BL

And as always, to health & happiness. :)