Wright Brothers & Borough Market

Before I completely forget about my trip to London last year, I want to quickly write about Borough market and the lovely lunch I had at Wright Brothers.

Every country I visit, I like to nip down to the supermarket or grocery store just to browse the aisles and decipher strange words in mysterious boxes. Something about all the colour and shapes. Borough Market is a must for me. Its not the best market but its the one most convenient. Don't be fooled that a market means "cheap" by any means. The produce here are noticeable pricier. Many tourists (like me!) come here to browse and buy English produce which we would normally not have access to. After all, where in Oxford Street or Old Brompton Road can you find a specialty butcher that makes his own sausages? Or wine-cured cheese by the wheel and assorted homemade relishes?

I always make a beeline for the cheese stalls first. We bought some gorgeous Comte (also known as gruyere de comte) cheese which is my favourite! And we also got some seriously spicy roquefort. It was so spicy that every time I ate it it made me cry! Now thats strong! We also bought some sinfully creamy foie gras terrine and nice crusty bread to go with it. As usual, I spent more than I expected to. I think we spent £50 just on that and some crappy coffee we bought as one of the stalls. I think it was called Maria's. Don't have the coffee unless you like it instant. Pictured below - our spoils from a Sat morning outing to Borough Market.

Apart from the fresh goods, there also quite a few restaurants here. We didn't make it to Roast this time but will definitely come back for that. We did manage to have lunch at Wright Brothers around the corner on Stoney Street. Its a well-known establishment that promises fresh, juicy and deliciously plump oysters and more importantly for all you alkies, an inspiring list of booze! I can't believe I've never been here before but then again, I didn't really earn quite enough to be blowing £££ for lunch. Okay, okay, I'll admit it! I didn't want to splurge on the food when there was so MUCH to buy at H&M, Accessorize, Selfridges, FCUK,... You get the idea. Anyway, what I love about his place is in its simplicity, in both decor and menu. On the menu are oysters of course, a good variety of starters and a board of daily specials. We were the only people in there under 40 and not dressed in a suit. Hmm... Not surprising given the bleak economic outlook at the time. Cousin S knows this play well and I suspect she frequents this place. We ordered a selection of rocks and an extra dozen of Maldon and Wild Colchester because they are her favourite. I have to say that I don't eat enough oysters to know the difference. For me, I like them small, plump and sweet. The ones that fit this description were the Speciales de Claires. Yum! I found the Wild Colchester to be a little fishy at the time. We also ordered grilled monk fish tail with garden pea and girolle mushrooms. For all you fish haters out there, I know you will not be able to get it when I say that it was fucking gorgeous! So flavourful and rich! Hunky's starter of baked scallops with cream and bacon was lovely to start with. It was a small but sufficient portion. I don't think we could've managed the grilled monkfish otherwise. Wright Brothers is the perfect indulgent Friday lunch. Simple and gorgeous!

Below: the simple decor at Wright Brothers; gorgeous, creamy baked scallop with bacon bits; the most delicious fish I've had in a long while - grilled monkfish tail with garden pea and girolle mushrooms.

Wright Brothers at 11 Stoney Street. Click here for more information.

For more information on Borough Market, click here