The Orange Public House & Hotel in London, England

The crowning food glory of my Olympic trip to London in 2012 was definitely the meal at The Orange Public House & Hotel. Located on Pimlico Road, it’s surrounded by art galleries and interior design firms. Window shopping was never so fun or outrageous!

If I ever move to the Belgravia neighborhood in London, (I’m talking hitting the Powerball multiple times) I have a few design firms in mind–not holding my breath though.

My parents discovered this restaurant while searching out a place to enjoy an Easter meal. In fact, while at this restaurant my mom fell in love with their champagne braised rabbit. The irony isn’t lost on me.

This place made a big impression on me. If I’m ever lucky to get back to London one day, I will make it a point to eat here again.

It was one of those meals where you left and realized you LOVED every single thing that crossed your lips.

It’s also the kind of place that has light, delectable sounding desserts that you KNOW you can make room for after an amazing meal.

Here’s the breakdown:
Appetizer: Crispy fried baby squid & prawns with chili & lime dressing
*no picture, sorry! We devoured it before I realized what happened*

My Dinner: Spelt base white pizza with Bresaola, sun blushed tomatoes, olives, & rocket. A radish, tomato, & cucumber salad with feta & mint dressing

Dad’s Dinner: Champagne braised rabbit, spinach gnocchi, green olives, & parmesan

Mom’s Dinner: Mackerel with beets

Desserts: Eton mess with cherry ice cream & mango. Blackberry, & mint salad with elderflower sorbet

As if the food wasn’t enough, one of the best parts of The Orange are their drinks. The Basil Fawlty to be specific.

Even if the drink wasn’t named “Basil Fawlty” I would still be head over heels for it. If the name does ring a bell for you, you’ll understand why it would make the drink even better.

Basil was a character played by John Cleese in the British TV series, Fawlty Towers and it is one of my all time favorite shows. There were only 12 episodes made but they never get old.

The drink has vodka, apple juice, passion fruit, and homemade basil syrup. What’s not to love?