July means one thing...BBQ!!!!  A grill was purchased in prep for a backyard celebration at the beginning of the month.  We had a bunch of Americans and Brits over to party it out July 4th weekend! 

I wrote about the London food festival a few posts back and below is the BBQ Wing sauce I bought at the "Made in the USA" tent.  In a word....TASTY!!!

Moving on,  we ventured to Brighton last weekend as I was desperate to be close to the water and get OUT of London.  You can see on the map below that Brighton is located on the South Coast of England and about a 2 hour journey from London.

Here are some photos of the day.

No sand...pebbles.  I loved the striped chairs that were scattered all over the beach.  You hired them out and then relaxed.  They added such a great splash of color.

Some stands sold ice cream...some sold fresh seafood by the bowl!  Take a look at the LOBSTER TAIL!  YUM!  Next to the display case was a table with all sorts of sauces you could spread over your treat!

Well, we know I'm going to love this place...DISCO balls over the tables!  LOVE IT!!!!!  Oh yeah,  the crystal clear water isn't bad either!

Relaxing on the pier.

Not a bad view from the pier...but I'm hungry...let's have some lunch!

YUM!!!  Where can you get the freshest FISH and CHIPS?...I would say go to the beach...and you're on the right track!  We ate on the pier where the food (and beer) was amazing!

Time for Dessert!  Ice Cream is much better when a flake chocolate bar has been thrown into it!

Just a cool photo of some lollipops.

I really love these chairs.  This shot might have a frame in its life one day.

The West Pier ruins sit out in the ocean.  The West Pier was a staple in Brighton over the last century but was closed to the public in the 70's for fear it would collapse.  It did as was expected in 2002 and restoration was scheduled to begin so it would be rebuilt and opened to the public.  Unfortunately,  the remaining structure caught fire (no one knows how but arson was suspected) in 2003 and the pier was never re-built.  The ruins from that fire remain in the ocean and are quite beautiful in a strange way.  To read more about the West Pier...click here!

Brighton was a fun day out....but all good things must come to an end and we headed back to London.  This week we went to dinner at a new restaurant on Great Titchfield Street Called "Riding House Cafe".  Their website is here.  

Dinner started with some beautiful fresh bread that I welcomed given I was just coming from Bikram Yoga!  The hummus looking dip on the left was an Artichoke Puree and it was just amazing.  It had the consistency of a butter but the hint of artichoke flavor. 

These cups that had a touch of blue reflecting were beautiful and I love that water was served in such small glasses.  It felt like you were in someone's home.  The kitchen is also exposed so you can see the chef and his team at work.  I love that!

The tester (my better half) had Chorizo Hash Browns with poached eggs for his main course.  The man goes weak in the knees for chorizo!!!!

I enjoyed the 8 oz Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak with Bernaise Sauce.  Bernaise sauce is known as a relative of Hollandaise Sauce and is made with butter that has been emulsified in egg yolks.  It is spiced up with shallots, tarragon and vinegar...PERFECT for dipping steak and extremely rich.  

On the side, we enjoyed roast butternut squash with chilli and sage.  These were one of the highlights of the meal as they had the density of potatoes and were flavored beautifully!  The meal was complimented with a South African Chenin Blanc.  Who knows if it was the "right" wine selection...but it worked just fine for me.

My steak was cooked to perfection...Medium Rare as I have come to LOVE my meat!!! In my world steak rankings...this was a close second to the steak I enjoyed in Bologna, Italy back in March.

For Dessert, the tester opted for the hot fudge sundae with macaroons and honey comb. (Yes, I'm drooling too).

I had my go to finishing dish...a lovely cheese plate consisting of French and English Farmhouse cheeses.  I don't know why...if cheese is on the menu...I HAVE to try it!  The crackers in the lower left were AMAZING.  They had sea salt on them and were crispy complimenting the cheese perfectly.  I wasn't a fan of the circular cookie like crackers as they were too sweet with the cheese in my opinion.

The meal was lovely and the best I have had in London since moving here a year ago.  I look forward to more exciting adventures in the coming weeks.  I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer...see you soon!