Dining at Providores (the queue was too long at the 'steak frites' place again!)
Two nights in a row the queue was disgustingly long at the steak frites place, not sure its name but you will know it, it's the one on Marylebone Lane with a horrible queue outside ALL the time. The alternatives were Italian or tapas at the Providores. We chose the Kiwi-owned, Spanish inspired latter. The mains were great as usual, a nice blend of different flavours but my favourite was the dessert.

Sticky banana and date pudding with salted maple caramel sauce, served with cardamom ice cream (this was gross and on the side). Why not just plain vanilla ice cream? I guess some people like the taste of cardamom with their ice cream, not sure who though. We ate very well and had lovely wine too, although you can't really go there if you are too hungry as you would need to order a lot of tapas to fill you up. I was quite happy about that as it meant that I had space for the delicious dessert. Ed watching over the pudding, not eating too much of it as he is on a dairy free diet - this was good news as it meant more of the sweetness for me!

Prova - ProvidoresTurkish eggs from changa restaurant in Istanbul - two poached eggs with whipped yoghurt and hot chilli butter.
This is what I had for breakfast today at The Providores! It was divine and we were very pleased to get a table as the queue is always very long to get inside. Once inside it was lovely and the service was fabulous - you can tell Kiwis own it as customer service is a priority as opposed to some British establishments who put that very low on the list.

In Italian prova means - try - so - you must try this place - I will definitely go back for other menu items and to try some of their New Zealand wines - my brunch parter was kiwi and was admiring their wine collection.


The three owners of The Providores created a unique dining experience in the heart of London’s Marylebone Village - the union of an award winning relaxed fine dining restaurant, and an all-day cafe and wine bar with one of the best breakfast offerings in London and the most delicious coffee. (from their website - am still on a mini typing ban!)

Get there for some great food and great service and to hear a lot of kiwi accents around you!