London faves

Hey guys!  I can’t believe my trip to London (and trip overall) is slowly coming to an end.  I head back to Mumbai in a few days, which is always a bittersweet feeling.  I’m sad to leave London, but I’m also looking forward to getting back to my other home.  While I’m still fully in a London state of mind, I thought I’d share a few of my current faves from the city I love so much:

• I am so grateful to my fellow blogger and friend Ayushi for introducing me to the superfood ice cream Oppo. You can read about how the creators came up with the product here but essentially, Oppo focuses on making ice cream a little bit more nutritious by adding in superfoods like cold-pressed coconut oil, spirulina, baobab & lucuma and replacing sugar with stevia.  Between them being too icy or tasting chemical-y due to the use of artificial sweeteners, I’ve definitely tried my share of awful ‘healthy’ ice cream.  Fortunately Oppo is an exception.  I’ve only tried the Mint Chocolate Swirl as of now and l was pleasantly surprised.  I’d actually put it on par with Baskin Robbins, which says a lot for ice cream that packs in various nutrients yet only contains 45 calories per scoop.  Here’s hoping I can get my hands on the Salted Caramel with Lucuma & Madagascan Vanilla with Baobab flavours before I leave. 

• After hearing that Poke Bowls (a.k.a. pokay bowls) are trending in London, I knew I just had to try this Hawaiian speciality. I had my first taste at the Eat Poke counter in the Selfridges Food Hall and it more than lived up to my expectations. I’d best describe it as a deconstructed sushi bowl.  Between the complex carbs & fibre in the black rice, lean protein in the marinated raw fish, probiotics in the homemade pickles and wakame, and flavorful miso & ponzu dressing, it ticks every box of mine!

• I’m more of a gym-goer when it comes to working out but I enjoy trying the occasional exercise class when I visit London.  I had the pleasure of taking a spinning class at Psycle over the weekend, taught by my cousin Aanya who is currently training to become an instructor.  I’ve only visited a handful of spinning studios but I was most impressed by Psycle, especially as it provides cleated shoes for everyone. Apparently these shoes are designed to increase the connection between the legs and the bike to really engage your hamstrings and glutes.  If you’re in London and trying out Psycle, look out for a class taught by Aanya.  Not that I am biased or anything, but I can almost guarantee you will have an epic ride.  It’s almost impossible not to feed off her energy, passion & killer playlist.

• Speaking of working out, I love that the ‘Athleisure’ trend is going strong in London.  Although the idea of wearing activewear outside a gym or gym-setting is just not a done thing in Bombay, I’ve definitely embraced it over the past few weeks.  Wearing trainers during the day means I’m walking so much more and overall, life has just never been so comfortable.

• I blogged about the quaint tea shop Amanzi off Marylebone High street back in the day, but it certainly deserves another mention. Although a steamy mug of tea is quintessentially British all year round, the warmer days have me favoring the iced varieties.  Despite Amanzi’s extensive selection of flavors, lately I’ve been gravitating towards the roasted almond over ice.  Made from toasted flaked almonds, beetroot pieces and cinnamon bark, it blows my mind that something that tastes so dessert-y contains no sugar.

What’s a current fave of yours?

What’s your go-to tea flavour?