Delightful Things

March 2023

23 Mar 23 🏢 Team off-sites. It's always nice to connect in person as a big group.22 Mar 23 🍽️ Trying a new cuisine.21 Mar 23 📚 World of Books. Second-hand books. Fast, cheap UK delivery. Ideal.20 Mar 23 ☎️ Chatting with Mum.19 Mar 23 ☕️ The spur of the moment coffee hang.18 Mar 23 🍿 Movie night. (Grand Budapest Hotel, baby!)17 Mar 23 🍗 Chicken Selects from McDonald's. As cheap, fast, and available fried chicken goes, it's pretty decent.15 Mar 23 🏃 Being able to walk to work.14 Mar 23 🍵 Green tea. Maybe my fave hot beverage that isn't coffee. Practically a daily for me now.13 Mar 23 🥛 Huel. Super easy to make. Super easy to eat (or, well, drink). And counts as a meal. (Probably.)12 Mar 23 🛒 Online grocery shopping. The time saving and stress reduction is unbelievable! Browsing websites > browsing shelves. And doorstep delivery > the wild west that is the self-checkout area.11 Mar 23 🌳 A relaxing forest stroll with a good friend.10 Mar 23 🍸 Hotel bars. Tonight's destination – Ginger Lily at the Pan Pacific. (It's not cheap, though.)09 Mar 23 🎙️ Review Revue. Or, more accurately, the comedic stylings of Reilly Anspaugh and Geoffrey James.08 Mar 23 ❄️ Waking up to an unexpected snowy view.07 Mar 23 🎙️ Pocket Casts. Because Apple's podcast app is inexplicably terrible. (And podcasts are great.)06 Mar 23 🫓 Hummus and flatbread. An ideal snack.05 Mar 23 🥪 Max's Sandwich Shop. This visit has been a long time coming. And it lived up to the hype. Split 1x poached chicken (not as bleak as it sounds) and 1x goat tikka. Both incredible.04 Mar 23 🎮 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Still one of the GOAT Switch games (and it's a Wii U remake!).03 Mar 23 🥖 Passyunk Avenue. I'm not sure there are a lot of cheesesteak options in London. But this is surely up there.

February 2023

24 Feb 23 🎲 Games night with some pals!23 Feb 23 🍊 Impromptu Aperol spritz spread at the office.22 Feb 23 💬 Slack. You ever stop and think about the old days of email-only comms at work? Wild. I couldn't go back.21 Feb 23 🥞 Free crêpe van at work for Shrove Tuesday!20 Feb 23 👁️ Routine eye tests. (Shout out health and wellness, yo!)19 Feb 23 🇮🇹 Italian day. (Specific shout out to Bar Italia for the vibe!)18 Feb 23 ☕️ The batch brew experience at Allpress. Little wooden tray, cute green cup, and a glass jug. Sparkling water on tap. The dream.17 Feb 23 🐈 Adventure days.16 Feb 23 🍵 Green tea Pocky. Unreasonably moreish.15 Feb 23 🌯 Mercato Metropolitano. Great food market. Loved the Syrian mezze platter, and the pistachio and la dolcevita gelatos.13 Feb 23 💨 Getting back out on a run. (In the sun, no less!)12 Feb 23 ☕️ Hardware Coffee + Kitchen. Gorgeous cafe in Liverpool. Opens early, too! The Toolbox, a cortado, and a dangerous Kinder cookie set my day off right.11 Feb 23 🏛 Liverpool. Cool city. Had a really nice time walking around, looking at buildings, and eating and drinking. (Shout out to American Pizza Slice for a great NY-style pepperoni!)10 Feb 23 👾 NQ64. An 'arcade bar' that makes for a fun alternative on a night out.09 Feb 23 🍸 Satan's Whiskers. Cocktail bar with great intimate vibes and good drinks. (One critique: being bothered by the volume made me realise I'm getting old!)08 Feb 23 🍵 Surprise* weeknight adventure for oolong milk tea at Lucky Tea! Chinatown is great.07 Feb 23 🥃 Cameron's Peach at The Bar With No Name. Laphroaig 10, Creme de Peche, Orgeat, Lemon, Soda. Delish.06 Feb 23 😌 Not having to cook dinner.05 Feb 23 🍞 Focaccia + olive oil + balsamic vinegar. Not the first time this GOAT of breads has featured here; won't be the last either.04 Feb 23 ☕️ Hanging with the boy.03 Feb 23 🍿 Mortal Kombat. It's not that great of a film, but being a fan of the games growing up, the nostalgia made this a bit of fun.02 Feb 23 📖 Reading in the sun by the pool.01 Feb 23 🍷 Sangria in a sunny plaza in Marbella's old town.

January 2023

31 Jan 23 🚗 Cruising around, seeing the Spanish landscape.30 Jan 23 🥪 Bocadillo de jamón. Almost odd how something so simple can be so enjoyable.29 Jan 23 🥩 Tapas in Spain! All delicious.28 Jan 23 ✈️ A little Euro getaway! Love how easy it is to get to so many incredible places.27 Jan 23 🍊 🤫26 Jan 23 🍶 Balzambārs. Instantly my fave spot in Rīga. Absolutely brilliant bartender.25 Jan 23 🇱🇻 Latvian night out! Traditional food, traditional dancing, dark beers, and balsam!24 Jan 23 ✈️ International work trips. As an occasional thing, they're quite a fun novelty.23 Jan 23 ☕️ A post-lunch espresso and stroll. (Bonus points for doing it with a friend I hadn't seen in a minute, as well.)22 Jan 23 ❤️ A friend.21 Jan 23 🥖 Pancetta sandwich from Wilton Way Deli. Possibly best baguette I've had outside France. And a great combo of flavours.20 Jan 23 🍟 BBQ beef Hula Hoops. There are a lot of UK snack foods I never had as a kid, but Hula Hoops are surely one of the greats. Great texture. Nice and salty.19 Jan 23 📺 Love Life. A 2020 romantic comedy anthology TV series about love and relationships. Very watchable.18 Jan 23 🍫 Free chocolate bar! (Cheers, Marc.)16 Jan 23 🍌 Bananas. You might be thinking "wow, Brad, you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one." You might also be absolutely right.15 Jan 23 ✍️ Journalling. I've done it sporadically in the past. But I think I might be on the cusp of getting into it proper. Lengthy, daily entries. It feels good.14 Jan 23 ☕️ Batch Baby. A cafe I've given love to here before, but which has recently been recognised by Sprudge as an honoree for best new cafe in the world! (Well deserved, gang!)13 Jan 23 🥐 Chocolate croissant from Wilton Way Deli. Best sweet, filled croissants in London I've found so far. (Not including pain au chocolat – I've got another spot for those!)11 Jan 23 🌯 Burritos from h.o.m.e.. An absolute hidden gem. I maintain a strong contender for London's best burrito (yeah, I said it).10 Jan 23 🍻 Seeing a dear, dear homie.09 Jan 23 🍩 Donutelier by Roladin. I'm undecided how great these doughnuts are, but great or not, doughnuts are still usually a delight.08 Jan 23 🍸 Too hard to choose, so I'm picking two. Wun's Tea Room & Bar (don't skip on the char siu egg rice dish) and Swift (don't skip on the Sandhurst).07 Jan 23 🍰 Luminary Bakery. Cute spot, good coffee, fab cakes. And a really great mission, supporting disadvantaged women.06 Jan 23 🐟 Sounds Fishy. All the joy of lying to your friends' faces, without any of the social blowback. (Because it's a game. They can't get mad at a game.)05 Jan 23 🍵 A pot of green tea. I love coffee, but not loads of it. Green tea, however, is delightful by the pot.04 Jan 23 🎙 Chameleon: High Rollers. After loving the first season of this podcast, I was initially disappointed with the set up of s2. But my tune has since changed!03 Jan 23 🥐 Pistachio cream. Nutella's lesser-known, absolutely delicious cousin. Buy a jar from an Italian deli; apply liberally to bready products.02 Jan 23 🥐 Pastries and coffee at Brunswick East. Today, a delicious aubergine/tomato/cheddar brioche, a brandy butter cookie, and a flat white. (But a tad underhwelming for the price.)01 Jan 23 🍷 Port and tonic. A lesser-explored drink for me, but necessity being the mother of invention, my unfinished Xmas bottle quickly became this delight. 50mL port to 150mL tonic seems to work nicely.

December 2022

31 Dec 22 🍕 Slice Club Pizza. Can't get enough of the slice game. I'll be searching every nook and cranny of London for slice joints in 2023.30 Dec 22 🍰 Cinnamon swirl from Ole & Steen. If, like me, you don't much enjoy the standard ultra-dry cinnamon buns of London, try one of these.29 Dec 22 🥟 Steamed buns. A tasty snack on the go.28 Dec 22 🎙 The Hunt for the Missing Cryptoqueen podcast. Really interesting story.27 Dec 22 🥃 The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Always a fun time visiting and tasting a few.26 Dec 22 🎤 Karaoke in an après ski-style hut.25 Dec 22 ⛄️ Cold, cosy Christmas. (Sorry, warm Christmas experiencers.)24 Dec 22 🎄 Christmas markets. Food, fun, and festive magic in the air.23 Dec 22 🍕 CIVERINOS slice. Walked past this place in Edinburgh a lot but finally found the time to try it. Delish!22 Dec 22 🏰 York. Cute city. (Although things seemed to shut down oddly early. Especially for Christmas.)17 Dec 22 🌳 Taking a break from the big city.16 Dec 22 🌊 A morning swim. Great way to start the day. And even better when it's icy out and you can access a heated, indoor pool.15 Dec 22 🇮🇹 1 € espresso (or thereabouts). Always a little delight.14 Dec 22 🇮🇹 Little local cafés in foreign cities. Not the kind of thing that will show up in online recommendations, but an experience worth having too.13 Dec 22 🇮🇹 Rome! Such a great city. Too many individual things to name here (but "food and buildings" sums it up well).12 Dec 22 🛒 24/7 supermarkets. Grazie, Europe!11 Dec 22 🌮 Food adventure days. One spot rolls to the next.10 Dec 22 🥟 Bun House. A great little Chinatown spot, with some tasty tasty buns. Best enjoyed with a pal.09 Dec 22 🎬 Video calls. Yeah, text messages are handy and phone calls are fine. But video is way more satisfying. Human connection and all.08 Dec 22 🍺 Office beers, featuring a proper in-office tap.07 Dec 22 🍽 Team Xmas dinners! It's always nice to get out of the office and have some fun together.05 Dec 22 🙏 The unexpected, unnecessary thank you. The most heartwarming of thank yous. Its rarity and sincerity is of utmost importance.04 Dec 22 ⛄️ Winter Wonderland. Bratwurst: check. Mulled beverages: check. Funhouse: check. Tiny doughnuts: check.03 Dec 22 🍻 Unplanned swift beer at the pub.02 Dec 22 👄 Bonjela. The mouth ulcer gel. Absolute saviour.01 Dec 22 🛵 Food delivery apps. I definitely have some problems with them, but the convenience can be a massive relief at the end of the week.

November 2022

24 Nov 22 🎙 LeVar Burton Reads. A podcast where the legend himself reads a great short story in each episode. Perfect for winding down at night (or helping you re-wind down when insomnia comes knocking at 2am).22 Nov 22 🧠 The mental health boost of working from the office. (Not a sentence past me ever would've thought I'd say...)20 Nov 22 🌊 Swimming as a means of exercise.19 Nov 22 🧠 Having someone you can share the weight of what's on your mind with.12 Nov 22 🇺🇸 Friendsgiving. Delicious food and good company all around.10 Nov 22 🥃 Milroys of Spitalfields for a few sips.08 Nov 22 🍽 Dinner with loved ones.06 Nov 22 🍜 Marugame Udon. Delicious. And perfect for this dreary, drizzly weather.05 Nov 22 🇩🇰 Danishes. (The pastry. Not Danes. Although Danes are great too. And funnily enough, the pastries are actually Austrian.)04 Nov 22 📅 Day off. Love a long weekend.03 Nov 22 🥘 Dinner at a friend's house.02 Nov 22 🍷 After-work drinks crews.

October 2022

31 Oct 22 🙂 Seeing friends.30 Oct 22 🍺 Craft beers. (And specifically the selection at Beer + Burger.) Such fun and different flavours on offer!29 Oct 22 🍕 Crisp Pizza. Touted as London's best. And while I can't say I'm enough of a pizza expert to certify that, it's certainly worth a trip!28 Oct 22 🎧 Taking phone calls with AirPods. It really crept up on me how much more I prefer taking phone calls with wireless earphones compared to wired, or just using the phone as-is.27 Oct 22 🍛 Putting a little extra effort in to make a special dinner. Miso soup, Japanese-style pickles, katsu curry, and a whisky highball.26 Oct 22 🎙 If I Were You – one of my fave podcasts to have on while doing housework. (Although I do wonder if you had to grow up on Jake and Amir to find it funny...)25 Oct 22 🍽 Dinner at a friend's.24 Oct 22 🇫🇷 Paris. What a city! Gotta love it.23 Oct 22 🍷 The good ol' end-of-day wine bar with cheese board.22 Oct 22 🗼 The Eiffel Tower. It is genuinely quite cool.21 Oct 22 🥐 Pastries in Paris. I shouldn't be surprised, but they're much better than London.20 Oct 22 🚂 The Eurostar. The whole train travel experience is leagues better than air travel.19 Oct 22 🍞 Focaccia. What a bread.18 Oct 22 📱 Apple Wallet. What a handy way of handling tickets.17 Oct 22 🏠 Being able to work from home when you want.16 Oct 22 ❤️ Seeing various top-tier pals. And having various top-tier foods and drinks.15 Oct 22 🎨 The Other Art Fair. Love the variety of styles on display. (Shoutout to Laura Jordan in particular!)14 Oct 22 📅 The relieving freedom of the end of the week.13 Oct 22 🥃 The "Perfect Scotch Old Fashioned" from Black Rock.12 Oct 22 👖 Lounge trousers. AKA pyjama pants with extra marketing. When jeans are too heavy and sweats are too warm, these fellas have got your back.11 Oct 22 👞 Walking to work. (No one's commute should have to be long, stressful, and sedentary if they don't want.)10 Oct 22 🍂 A crisp evening walk. Still not too dark out yet. Blue sky. Cool but not uncomfortably cold. This is ideal autumn.09 Oct 22 🎬 Jordan Studdard's YouTube shorts. Cute, unique, subtly magical little stories about his friends.08 Oct 22 👃 A workshop at Experimental Perfume Club. Very fun, very unique experience.07 Oct 22 🥃 Perfect Boys Night. I was a little tipsy by the time I had the Highland Park Dragon Legend, but it was as tasty as the name is ridiculous.06 Oct 22 🥃 Bull in a China Shop. Great Japanese-leaning whisky bar.02 Oct 22 🍂 Pumpkin spice latte to mark the transition into autumn.01 Oct 22 ☕️ Espresso tasting at Prufrock. A side-by-side of regular espresso and one pulled on a restored vintage lever machine. A fun, novel experience!

September 2022

30 Sep 22 🛋 Cozy end to a heavy week. Couch + blanket + Spirited Away.29 Sep 22 🍻 Goodbye drinks. Bittersweet.26 Sep 22 🌮 Taquería. I think this is my new fave London taco spot. (Although El/Casa Pastor are still incredible.)25 Sep 22 🍕 All Kaps Pizza. An NY-style pizza pop-up here in London. Love a slice joint. Why so few here?24 Sep 22 🥳 Birthday parties, baby!23 Sep 22 📅 A day off for no reason at all. Feels... luxurious.22 Sep 22 ☕️ Batch Baby. A superb coffee shop with a focus on batch-brewed filter coffee.16 Sep 22 🍷 Humble Grape. Not a bad little wine bar.15 Sep 22 🍿 Secret Cinema: Guardians of the Galaxy, baby!14 Sep 22 🤝 Catching up with a good friend.13 Sep 22 🍰 Bake-off team social!12 Sep 22 ☎️ Having a call with family back home.11 Sep 22 🍕 NY-style slice pizza. Sure, I didn't get any – the place I wanted to visit had sold out – but it is undoubtedly glorious.10 Sep 22 🎙 The Truth. The podcast self-billed as making "movies for your ears". My new fave background alternative to music.09 Sep 22 🕺 Getting a phenomenal groove on at a dear friend's wedding.08 Sep 22 🥟 BAO. Love the food, love the brand.07 Sep 22 🍝 Cacio e pepe. What a dish.05 Sep 22 🌐 There's a .baby TLD, babyyyyyyyyy!04 Sep 22 🍞 Using really good bread when having eggs and soldiers. (Seems I already wrote this earlier – it's just that good!)03 Sep 22 🍿 Bullet Train. Great film. Exceeded my expectations. (And the cinema is still the best way to watch a movie.)02 Sep 22 🍗 Wingstop. (Don't skip that Louisiana rub.)01 Sep 22 🍸 The one-sip martini at Tayēr + Elementary. Great flavour. Not too much. Not too expensive. Blue cheese olive. Perfection.

August 2022

30 Aug 22 🍛 Delicious, delicious leftovers. Tasty. No cooking admin. The dream.29 Aug 22 🛏 The comfort of home.28 Aug 22 🌳 Little Sparta. An unexpectedly surreal garden experience.27 Aug 22 🥧 Steak pie, beans, a yum yum, and a flat white. Breakfast of champions at Chums.26 Aug 22 😎 A day off. A short week. At the Edinburgh Fringe. And had one of the best sour beers I'd had in a very long time.25 Aug 22 🍻 Seeing an old friend I hadn't seen in many years.24 Aug 22 🎭 Coming Out of My Cage (And I've Been Doing Just Fine). More delightful Fringe quirkiness.23 Aug 22 🎭 Tarot: Cautionary Tales. An unplanned bit of sketch comedy at Fringe. Very funny.22 Aug 22 ✍️ The Reagan diary format. Saw a sample of this. Felt like an easy way to try a daily journal again.21 Aug 22 🥃 The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. A cool place to try some unique whiskies.20 Aug 22 1️⃣ Time for oneself. To rest, relax, and recharge.19 Aug 22 📅 A relaxing end to a long, hectic week.18 Aug 22 🍸 Cocktail nights. Anything short, dry, and a special of the house, please.17 Aug 22 💊 The NHS, baby! Universal healthcare is only way we should have it.16 Aug 22 🍻 Rooftop drinks with friends.15 Aug 22 🥪 A hot breakfast sandwich (feat. black pudding). What a treat.14 Aug 22 🏖 Lulworth. Gorgeous bit of coast. Sun, breeze, water, greenery. A good walk, and a tasty spot of ice cream.13 Aug 22 🏰 Weddings again! At a castle!12 Aug 22 🥚 Foccacia soldiers. Vastly better than your regular toast.11 Aug 22 🍊 Aperol spritz! The essential drink of summer.10 Aug 22 🍽 The wonderful hosting of a dinner party by lovely friends.09 Aug 22 🍕 Pizza Union. London's best budget pizza (until I'm proven otherwise...).08 Aug 22 🌮 Pork tacos from La Casa del Burrito. Not what I expected, but undeniably delicious.07 Aug 22 🍟 Scampi and chips by the seaside, on a hot, sunny day? You best believe it.06 Aug 22 👰 Weddings! What a beautiful and fun way of celebrating the love cherished ones share.05 Aug 22 🍕 The Hayman's Kitchen. A self-described "tiny, family-run pizza restaurant" that is phenomenally good.04 Aug 22 ☕️ Coffee cupping at the local. A fun alternative event to the norm.03 Aug 22 🍻 Free office beers. Every little helps.02 Aug 22 🍦 Hackney Gelato. Not bad for a pre-packaged tub of ice cream.01 Aug 22 🍕 Leftover pizza. It's like the food equivalent of falling back asleep and picking up that brilliant dream right where you left off.

July 2022

31 Jul 22 🍩 Crosstown Doughnuts. The UK can't do donuts like the US can, but I do love me a Crosstown every now and then.30 Jul 22 📅 A weekend with no plans. Gotta have one of those every now and then.29 Jul 22 🥐 Starbucks breakfast. Yeah, I said it. A ham and cheese croissant, turmeric shot, and cold brew goes down a treat.28 Jul 22 🎤 All Star Lanes. Karaoke, baby! Word around town is that the boys just might be back in it.27 Jul 22 😎 Meller sunglasses. Cool, polarised sunnies at a price that would make Luxottica execs scream.26 Jul 22 🍲 Bún chả. What I ate today wasn't quite it, but it was still incredible. God's own food, to be sure.25 Jul 22 🌵 Clase Azul Reposado tequila. You won't even believe this is tequila. Like drinking caramel.24 Jul 22 ☀️ A relaxed, sunny, Sunday morning stroll. Essential weekend activity.23 Jul 22 🍡 Blueberry mochi. Simple. Delish.22 Jul 22 ☕️ Ngopi. Lovely Indonesian coffee spot in London. And featuring my fave barista.21 Jul 22 🗳 Doodle poll. Great little free product to get RSVPs when you no longer use Facebook.20 Jul 22 🥟 My Neighbours The Dumplings. Prawn: great. Vinegar: great. Cold peanut sesame noodles: great.19 Jul 22 🎧 Discover Weekly by Spotify. Took me a while to get good recs from it, but now it's on a roll.