my best foodie destinations in soho and chinatown, london.

I love exploring what London has to offer - especially when it involves food! One of my favourite areas for restaurants, bakeries and cafes is Chinatown, nearby the bustling atmosphere of Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Soho. From beautifully made bao buns to delicate dumplings, I'm in awe of anything Chinese or Japanese inspired. 

The thing is, I live in the Midlands and London isn't always on the cards. I love to visit on the Leicester to London St Pancras line but it's not always cheap - think £70 return before you've left the platform. So when Sn-ap got in touch to let me know they've started a new Leicester to London route with single fares starting from £5-7, I hopped at the chance. Hopped on a bus, that is. 

one aldwych, london.

One Aldwych is a five star hotel found nearby Covent Garden and The Strand. Built in the early 1900s, the impressive building has been described as a combination of Edwardian grandeur and Parisian elegance. These days the luxury hotel retains its original charm whilst bringing an up-to-date experience to travellers from London and beyond.

island grill restaurant, lancaster london.

Part of the Lancaster London hotel by Hyde Park, Island Grill is a contemporary restaurant which prides itself on fresh and sustainable cuisine. With beautiful food photography across their website, the gallery of imagery alone is enough to make your mouth water. In addition, the restaurant's accolades include two AA Rosettes and three stars from the Sustainable Restaurants Association.

sushi and robata, high street kensington, london.

Found on the second floor of High Street Kensington's Wholefoods Market in the Barkers Building, Sushi and Robata is the latest venture from Japanese Genji. Proud to offer up creative, healthy and authentic Japanese cuisine, the menu is roughly split into small sushi places and grilled dishes from the robata grill. Not forgetting bento boxes and sushi treats to takeaway! Opening it's doors back at the end of June 2016, I couldn't wait to whip out my chopsticks and give it a whirl.

charlotte's, w5, london.

Charlotte's W5 is the new kid on the block amongst the other London eating establishments of the same name. Unsurprisingly found in the W5 district of Ealing, the baby sister of the Charlotte's group serves up brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktails between the sandy walls of an old stable block. Depending what time of day you go, you might find business meets over breakfast, ladies what lunch or cocktail connoisseurs lining the bar. The cheeseboard is on all day every day, which is good with me.

k west festive afternoon tea, london.

It's not quite Christmas without a festive afternoon tea. Am I right? Getting truly in the festive spirit, I went along to enjoy the K West Hotel and Spa afternoon tea a few weeks ago. Amongst crazy Christmas markets, gut-busting brunches and photobooth snaps in Shoreditch, we jumped on a tube to Shepherd's Bush for lots of tea, cake, sandwiches and... did I mention tea? Usually a glam rock inspired affair, the hotel had put a merry twist on their usual rock 'n' roll inspired menu.

spanish cookery class at l'atelier des chefs, london.

L'atelier des Chefs, translating as the chef's studio or workshop, is London cookery school which runs a plethora of culinary courses. From learning the secrets of baking bread to macaron masterclasses, their St Paul's and Oxford Street locations promise a fun event where you can learn new kitchen skills and make a few friends too. 

Their courses would make for perfect Mother's Day presents or birthday treats, with vouchers available too. I've been to all sorts of classes with my mum - from Tunisian cookery to cake pop decorating - although this time the London class was a bit far away from her Leicestershire home. I went along with my foodie pal Grace to sample their Spanish cookery class; 90 minutes of creating calamari, patatas bravas, traditional paella and croquetas. Challenge accepted!

muga ramen dining & bar, london.

MUGA is a stylish, contemporary ramen bar found just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus. This modern London establishment serves up authentic ramen, your way, with a minimalist menu and interiors to match. Whether you're mad about miso or have a yearning for yasai, you simply pick your noodles and add on any extras depending how hungry/greedy you're feeling that day. 

one sixty, city, london.

One Sixty is the new American style smokehouse venture from restaurateur David Moore and Sean Martin. Found nearby Aldgate tube station, you'll find the quirky eatery on the corner of Stoney Lane. With edgy branding and a youthful feel, the interior is a mix of black chalkboard and monochrome prints with bright yellow accents. You'll find this continue along the bar, lit up with yellow neon lights, and through the yellow tiles and Belfast sinks in the bathrooms. A graffiti artist has made their mark with bold illustrations which run onto the menus and utterly cool marketing.

saka no hana, london.

Sake No Hana is a Japanese restaurant nearby London's St. James Park, which boasts market fresh seafood, a plethora of sushi and, unsurprisingly, a great sake list to accompany. I couldn't wait to treat my tastebuds to their variety of signature dishes, and so went for their five course Taste of Sake No Hana menu, which is accompanied by a bottle of sake to share for £29 a head.

tanya's, chelsea, london.

Celebrating all things raw, Tanya's menu features the likes of superfood salads, green juices and plant based puds across three London locations. Proud to serve up organic, raw living dishes, that are all free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar, I was intrigued as to how they could make dessert look this good. Meeting up with my food blogger pal Sophie Loves Food, we thought we'd catch up over a couple of matcha lattes and lunch to discover what Tanya's in Chelsea was all about.

the real greek, st. martin's lane, london.

Serving up the likes of moreish melitzanosalata, delectable dolmades and hearty herby gigantes plaki, you'll find The Real Greek in nine locations across London. From taramasalata to tzatziki, here you can find recognisable Grecian dishes right through to daring delicacies - of course washed down with a glass of Greek wine or a shot of cheeky Ouzo! 

I went along to the St. Martin's Lane restaurant, by bustling Leicester Square, to sample a few tiers of their famous meze platters. 

sushi & sashimi workshop at billingsgate seafood school, london.

A few weekends ago, I went down to London for a rather special cookery class - a sashimi and sushi workshop at the famous Billingsgate Seafood School. Although I suppose no cooking was to be involved for this one; instead we were led by talented sushi chef Silla Bjerrum through lessons in handling and sourcing seafood, flavour combinations, how to roll and all important knife skills. I couldn't wait to get started...

afternoon tea at fortnum & mason, piccadilly, london.

Fortnum & Mason truly does exquisite afternoon tea. Think fluffy sandwiches, delicate patisseries and a plethora of tea blends to choose from. There's no doubt this will be a positive review, but couldn't wait to share this fantastic afternoon tea in London's famous F&M at 181. Piccadilly.

bob bob ricard, london.

If you haven't seen this press for champagne button on your instagram feed yet, you're clearly following the wrong people. Seriously though, you can't miss it, it's the most talked about button since that one they push on the voice. I have to admit it was the very reason I looked up london's Bob Bob Ricard in the first place. Then I saw the enticing British and Russian fusion of a menu (not with the extortionate price tag I anticipated) and I was sold. think lobster macaroni and cheese, 28 day aged scotch beef wellington and truffled mashed potatoes.

the botanist, london.

With sleek black canopies, beautifully large windows and The Botanist etched in striking typography, this established eatery can be found at No. 7 Sloane Square in the affluent district of chelsea. Here you'll find a menu of brilliant breakfasts, light lunches, pre theatre menus and cocktails galore. I went along to try their brunch menu last week, and may have ended up with something a little more interesting than my usual avocado and poached eggs.

burger & lobster.

at burger & lobster, the choice is simple. burger or lobster? lobster or burger? or if you're feeling particularly indecisive, a bit of both when shared with a friend. i headed over to the soho branch when i was down in london last. having just been at the trek vs. food event, i'm still not sure how i had room.