Tis Me Michelle

I wasn’t quite ready to leave the Cotswolds. But I had a few more foodie spots I hadn’t hit up o try before I parted from Broadway. With checkout super early, I headed out and hung out a bit before the shops started to open up. As soon as I saw Tisanes Tea Rooms open their doors. You guessed it… I stopped in for tea and scones! A cute, kitschy shop with sweet women running it. After my scone + clotted cream fix, I went back to a couple of the shops I had eyed some things at the day before.

After a bit of shopping, I headed to the Swan Inn for my Sunday roast. The first time I was in London, I believe I had a Christmas roast, which I’m sure is very similar, if not the same thing. I’d been so excited to finally be in the UK for an actual Sunday roast. I could have done a repeat, but decided to try somewhere I hadn’t been on the main High Street yet. I really enjoyed the interiors, another transport to a different time. Felt like being in a cozy cabin. I wound up getting the roast sirloin, but immediately wished I tried the trio so I could have a taste of everything. I was honestly a bit underwhelmed. My favorite part was probably the roasted veggies. I was bummed, but super full.

And with that roast, my time in the Cotswolds came to an end. I caught an Uber to the train station. I was originally gonna spend a little time in Moreton-in-Marsh where the train station was. Somehow by chance luck, there was a train headed back to London that came just a few minutes after I got there. My original booking was only a couple hours later. I didn’t want to leave the Cotswolds… but I was stuffed, ready to chill, and wanted to get back to the city before it got too late.

My second hotel in London, The July, had a similar situation to the first. The hotel itself – gorgeous, beautiful, absolutely loved it. I picked it because it was super close to the London-Victoria line which went straight to the airport. I knew that’d come super handy for my last day. However, I did feel a tad unsafe in the area at night. It was only a couple nights and I was just fine, but probably not an area I would be staying in again. But if you do want to stay in this area, I highly recommend the hotel.

I freshened up after the travels and got ready to check out some more foodie spots. Because that is what your girl does. There’s a TikTok-er @JanieDevours, who I follow and love, she had given rave reviews about Kwant. I was sold! The bar has an interesting setup for solo folks, like myself, they have a couple solo seats right next to the bartenders. So you get a full on show the whole time. Janie had mentioned that her bartenders made special drinks based on their preferences and such, I didn’t get that kind of personalization. But I did really enjoy the two cocktails I tried, although pricey, very good. The food menu is limited, and the item I wanted to try wasn’t available, so I took it as a sign to try somewhere else.

Did someone say… Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded bao spot? I love bao buns, so I was so down to try BAO. The one I went to was super small and had a line. Once I got in, I ended up ordering far too much. Starting with the soy glazed aubergine crispy tempura. As for baos, I got the burnt garlic mackerel, classic braised pork and the specialty Malaysian Curry Chicken. There were elements of all of them that I enjoyed, but none that I loved. A tad less salty, the aubergine (eggplant) would have been fantastic. I found the mackerel a bit too fishy and the classic pork a bit too sweet, but I liked the toppings and preferred the regular bao buns. The chicken was nice and juicy, but I didn’t enjoy the specialty bao bun. It was too firm, and I most love the pillowy-ness of a bao bun. Underwhelming considering it’s a Michelin spot. At least it’s not a Michelin place that will break the bank.

Even though it wasn’t my best food day, I was beyond stuffed. I headed back to my cute little apartment style hotel room and relaxed ahead of my last full day in the UK!