Thursday 28 August 2008

Bank Holiday - Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill

My old friend, Nadia, came down from Manchester for a visit over the bank holiday weekend and one of her requests was a visit to the famed Notting Hill Carnival. Unfortunately... we went on the wrong day :) ... but we did manage to catch the Portobello Road market. Known for selling antiques, it also sells the usual fruit and veg, cooked food, etc.

Hummingbird Bakery, Notting Hill


I, on the other hand, kept an eye out for the The Hummingbird Bakery, known for its delectable cupcakes. Emmm.. and it didn't disappoint. Less crowded than I expected, the little shop did steady business in the short time it took the two of us to polish off our little treats whilst sitting on some uncomfortable high stools in a cramped little corner of the shop.

The Hummingbird Bakery - Red Velvet

My treat, the Red Velvet cupcake. The cupcake itself was delightfully tender and moist. The icing of a cream cheese frosting was creamy and sweet. In short, it was a pretty darn good cupcake - I call them fairy cakes , a little un-PC these days - plus Nadia laughed at me :) I thought it was worth the price tag of £1.85 and yes, I'll definitely be going back.

The Hummingbird Bakery - Vanilla Bling Bling

Nadia got a vanilla Bling Bling. Perhaps not the prettiest Bling Bling on sale :) Her comment was "it's not bad" and since I didn't try any, I'll have to take her word for it. The Bling Bling came in a choice of chocolate or vanilla for the price of £1.55 each.

Portobello Road Market - Churros Con Chocolate

I found churros! I haven't had these since my visit to Barcelona about seven years ago, where my friends and I went churros mad :) Fried to order I opted to have churros con chocolate over the cinnamon sugar from the Churros Gracia stall in the market. The deep fried pieces of dough were hot, crispy and slightly sweet from the sprinkle of sugar the girl behind the counter put over them. The hot chocolate was good, not too sweet. However, it's price tag is a little hefty at £3.50 a portion, though I have to admit the portion was rather generous.

*Nadia and I did actually go back the next day to the carnival. It was more for her benefit than mine, I had been in years gone by and didn't come away a fan. And sadly neither did she.

The Hummingbird Bakery
133 Portobello Road
Notting Hill
London W11 2DY

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