Diary: A Girly Weekend in London of Shopping and Brunch
October 2024: An afternoon in Notting Hill, London.
Being on the train is my favourite form of meditation. There is nothing better than staring out onto a foreign terrain, especially the beautiful rolling hills of England. Headphones in, letting my mind just float…It is like a prayer.
I say that with some terms and conditions. First of all, I need to actually have a seat (not be on an oversold train and be squatting on the ground across from the toilet for two hours!!), it needs to be a window seat, and nobody trying to yap my ear off.
I don’t know what it is about me, but whenever I am on a train, a plane, you name it, people always try to chit- chat with me. It’s like I am wearing an invisible sign that says, “Annoy me!”
That’s my tip for Americans. Talking on the train is a big no-no.
Nonetheless, that’s how this trip started. A five-hour train ride from Durham south to London St. Pancras.
I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and took the tube to Notting Hill Gate. There is something so freeing about being in one of the biggest cities in the world on your own, getting around by yourself. I absolutely love it.
I was feeling a bit peckish (for my American readers, this means faint, hungry) so I stopped in at Leon’s: a new-age, fast-food restaurant that is supposedly healthy, one of my guilty pleasures in London.
My Lovely, Lovely Friends
October 2024: Walking around Notting Hill with the girls.
I enjoyed a greasy order of chicken strips while I waited for Arohi and Sarah. When they arrived, we all squealed and embraced. After a little catching up, we trotted over to Portobello Market to meet Maddie.
Maddie, Arohi and Sarah (and Lizzy) are some of my best mates from Nottingham, where I attended for my undergraduate. They are all fiercely independent, loyal, and know how to enjoy life.
They are all the type to revel at a small animal keychain like little girls, but then also be in the top of their cohort at Deutsche Bank. They don’t skip out on wine because of a diet, and they will come to your rescue when you’re only in a towel and have gotten sick after a night out…That’s a story for another time.
They have truly seen me at some of my best and my worst, and still want to be friends with me. It’s a small miracle! I digress.
Our Saturday Afternoon
Anyways, on this afternoon, we looked at bits and bobs (British for small items) at Portobello Market, which is one of London’s top flea markets. It is, respectfully, full of shit no one really needs but is certainly fun to look at: 80s photos of Princess Di sprawled out on a folding table, piles of jewellery that look like they were shaken out of a bag, stacks of fur coats, tote bags that say “I love London”, etc.
Eventually, we got tired and got a tea at this little Japanese place, and then took the tube back to Golder’s Green: a family-packed, upper-middleclass borough in the north of London.
We went to a Turkish restaurant around the corner for dinner.
On Aging
It’s certainly odd to turn into an adult with friends you went to uni with. Conversations about club nights have changed to gossip about co-workers, and the five-year-plan-question seems to have a lot more weight. One of the girls is someone’s plus-one for a wedding, and another is working for a promotion in two years.
Maddie said she feels like she did when she was 19, and I do as well, which is funny because I turn 23 in a few weeks.
An Instagrammable Brunch
October 2024: Sarah and I at brunch.
In Westminster, there is this cafe with a bubble-gum pink facade. Literally, the whole place is pink, so you can’t miss it: CA Pancakes.The seating arrangements are tight, so you need to go in small groups of two or four.
The place is famous for their Japanese pancakes. And you will need to scran (British for eat, gobble) them quickly before they collapse to the right or left.
They are so fluffy that the engineering doesn’t quite work and the pile tilts sideways.
We already knew what we wanted and placed our order right away. Maddie cackled at how demanding, bossy and particular we can all be.
I ordered a latte and caramel-banana pancakes with a side of strawberries. I, admittedly, ordered the strawberries because I thought it would make the meal look more aesthetic.
October 2024: Our brunch at CA Pancakes. Maddie and I are convinced they changed the recipe.
The experience was a tiny bit disappointing in that we all had to wait a good 15-minutes for Sarah’s pancakes to come out, and Maddie and I were sure they changed the recipe for ours, (they weren’t as “eggy” as normal, too sugary).
However, given how adorable the pancakes are, and how fabulous my previous experience there was, I’ll let it slide.
As we departed, I told the girls I couldn’t go to Buckingham Palace because I needed to do my readings.
Arohi said, “Ahh! This responsible-Charlotte era is scaring me!”
London Quick Tips:
If you are in the UK (or in another major city, like New York), and you need a quick coffee, try Pret a Manger (colloquially just “Pret”). This is the best coffee and sandwich chain by far.
The London Bridge, Borough Market area of London is overrated. But, Notting Hill is spectacular! If you have the time, jump over to the Design Museum which has exhibits in categories ranging from product design to fashion design. When I went in Janaury 2022, there was this stellar Amy Winehouse exhibit.
