Kings Cross | katie sprog

31st October 2013

Have you been to Caravan in Exmouth Market? I am sometimes laughed at for loving brunch too much, but this place backs me up.

It’s about a fifteen minute walk from King’s Cross station – I met K there one Saturday morning before she jumped on a train to Yorkshire. If you’re craving proper breakfast food but want a refreshing upgrade on the standard fry up, Caravan is the spot.

Start, as lots of good mornings do, with a Bloody Mary…

Bloody Mary

Caravan

I had a fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice and it was scrumdiddlyumptious. I often think that fruit juices in London restaurants are a rip off – you get a small portion of something that doesn’t taste special for a big price. I was very pleasantly surprised by the juice here. A generous glass, and really delicious.

Apple Carrot Ginger Juice

Caravan Outside

Caravan Sign

Food arrived quickly – for me a countryside feel, carbier (can I use that as a word?!) twist on Eggs Benedict.

Ham hock hash, poached eggs, peas and honey mustard hollandaise.

Ham Hock Hash

K had avocado on toasted sourdough, with olive oil and chilli flakes…

Avocado on Sourdough

And she ordered some extra bacon to pop on top (fantastic shout).

Avocado and Bacon

Poached Eggs

Egg and Peas

Great eggs, and the potato hash was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Oh, did I mention we also had a side of sausages? Why not. I love it when a restaurant has a good selection of side orders – it lets you get more creative.

Sausages

All rounded off with one of the prettiest coffees I’ve had in ages.

Latte

Next time I go to Caravan I’ll be trying the coconut bread with fresh strawberries and lemon curd cream cheese. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

Happy Halloween everybody! If you want a giggle, check out these sexy food themed costume ideas…

5th September 2013

My friend E recently found herself in need of a place to stay at short notice. As luck would have it, I was off to Cervinia at exactly the right time.

So she moved in to my house and kept A company while I was away. Ideal.

Anyway, the point of the story is that E very kindly took A and I out to dinner to say thank you for having her. Totally unnecessary but extremely generous. So I can now thank her again in this post… and tell you all about it.

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We had been talking about going to Shrimpy’s ever since it opened last year, and somehow never managed to make it. This meant that it was with more than a little excitement that I approached The Filling Station at King’s Cross.

The reason it’s calling The Filling Station, is that it actually used to be a BP petrol station. How’s that for alternative? What’s been retained is a very cool, edgily industrial location for dinner and drinks.

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You follow the signs around the back and find Shrimpy’s with a long bar under an overhang ceiling, open to the air. There’s inside restaurant tables as well, in a quirky and welcoming space.

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Think painted walls, brass pineapples and spiky cacti on the windowsill. The tables are decorated with a mantra.

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I really like the retro water glasses.

Yummy popped corn nibbly things arrived, and I ummed and ahhed over the menu like always. Shrimpy’s serves Tex-Mexy/American/Seafood type food. Basically, it’s hard to put it in a box.

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And this is what we decided on…

Chicharon – if you like pork scratchings, you need these in your mouth. They are a spicy, smoky, crunchy delicious treat, and the guacamole that comes with them works perfectly.

Frickles – deep fried, pickled chillies – are you a gherkin fan? These are like the naughty version of gherkins. So, so moreish

And now for the main parade – E and I had the soft shell crab burger and A had the cheeseburger in a bonnet.

The crab came with avocado and chilli and it more than met my expectations. It was fab (fab crab, see) – if you go, definitely order it.

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Look, burger in a bonnet – too cute.

On the side we had hot macaroni and fries. The macaroni really rocked my world.

I thought the service at Shrimpy’s was great – the staff were all lovely, water was constantly topped up and all of my silly questions about the food were answered.

The view across the way…

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