The Breakfast Club

The hub and I are not exactly early risers.  We're not even semi-early risers, if there is such a thing.  But on a city vacation, I like to get up with the pigeons and get going. Gene, not so much.  However, my family knows that if there's one thing Gene willrise and shine for, it's breakfast. In London, that means heart-attack-on-a-plate Full English: Sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, cooked tomatoes, baked beans and toast. That was fine in the past, but what to do now that his diabetes has become more severe and carbs are the devil ingredient?  The answer: reservations.

This trip I decided to scout out restaurants with healthy breakfast alternatives and reserve in advance.  Tip:  making reservations for the first meal of the day is also an excellent way to force yourself up and out. Another bonus is trying new, often hip, places for a fraction of the cost of dinner.  True of lunch, too, of course. 

So yesterday, a rare day of perfect weather in London, we took an uber to Kensington Gardens and enjoyed poached eggs and beautiful, thin ham on rustic bread with pumpkin seed pesto at The Magazine in the Sackler Gallery at the Serpentine. Trust me, this was amazing.  And, at around £9 each, it easily beat the hotel’s £22 .

Tip: uber is the way to go here if you're in a time crunch and/or the bus or tube route to your destination is not very direct.  A ride from Kensington to the Sackler, only about two miles, but a 15 minute ride through traffic, was £5.61 plus tip. A great deal. 

We decided to ditch plans for the Tate Modern and stay in the park, wandering Kensington Gardens, then through Hyde Park before wandering back into the traffic circle around Buckingham Palace to visit the Royal Mews.  

The Royal Mews are the stables.  But these ain't your rancher father’s stables.  These are over-the-top, fit for a queen horse lodgings (as, of course, they are).  Also stabled here are the royal coaches and cars. There's a whole lotta gold in them thar stables!  Gilt overload! And, not being a British taxpayer, I loved it all!  

Fun fact:  the term “mews” comes from the sport of Falconry. The “mews” was the cage (or stable) the Falcons were kept in.  Okay, I said fun fact, not fascinating. 

Today's breakfast will be at Dishoom Carnaby (thanks, AnnMarie).  Yes, this us the same Carnaby Street where Mary Quant started the Mod movement in the 1960’s. This will put us center city, just off Regent Street, so our day will be completely different from yesterday. 

Hmmm, I wonder if they sell white go-go boots and patent leather mini-skirts in a retro shop on Carnaby…  Dare me???