I live to eat, not the other way around. I love good food and I am the first one to dive into the delicious national dishes of the countries I visit. Every time I plan a trip to a new destination I make sure to research the traditional food as well as the best restaurants where I can try it. I leave home with a list and make sure to try everything on it – this is how all the food guides on my blog are created.
Before the pandemic I was a regular in London, trying out new restaurants and enjoying the best food the capital had to offer.
When the pandemic hit, besides being locked inside the house for such a long time, another downside was not being able to dine out. I live in a small town which doesn’t have too many choices when it comes to takeaways and, most of the time, the food I ordered was very disappointing. I have actually managed to perfect my cooking skills during the pandemic, and even opened up an online Friday supper club, where I would cook an international recipe together with friends, on Zoom.
I still remember when restaurants were allowed to open their terraces. I booked a table at the American restaurant in the park and shivered in the cold, outside, happily digging into their famous nachos platter and the New York steak burger. The cold, the rain, the white tent without walls didn’t matter – I was out with friends, eating good food.
How Things Have Changed from 2019 to 2022?
Tastecard, who has fantastic restaurant offers, has created a study to find out how the pandemic has affected our eating out habits, comparing the data from 2019 with how things are now, in 2022.
The study revealed that more of us are searching for “restaurants near me”, the search term increasing by 177% in 2022 compared with 2019. And I understand this so well – when you cook for yourself for months, you really want to enjoy a delicious meal cooked for you by a professional chef, not to mention, no dishes to wash and no kitchen to clean! Because let’s face it, no matter how good a cook you are and how delicious the food you make is, there is always that mountain of dishes to do, and plenty of counters to clean.
Whilst many restaurants didn’t survive the pandemic, there are new ones taking their place now. In my town there is a new Turkish restaurant, as well as a new steakhouse. Unfortunately, the Brazilian and Mexican restaurants didn’t survive the pandemic.
The Most Popular Cuisines
When it comes to types of restaurants searched for, the Italian, Chinese, Indian and Spanish cuisines come out on top, followed closely by French and Japanese. More people are also searching for vegan restaurants.
During the pandemic I took quite a few online cooking classes, where I learned how to cook different dishes from the international cuisine. One of the most popular one was the Japanese class offered for free by Sozai Cooking School, where I learned how to cook Katsu curry, Tamagoyaki, Sukiyaki and even Okonomiyaki. Thanks to this, after the pandemic ended, I’ve made a habit of meeting a friend in London once a month for what we call “noodle dates”. We are searching for Japanese restaurants, enjoying hot bowls of ramen, tempura prawns and vegetables, as well as Onigiri or Takoyaki.
When it comes to Chinese food, I now go more often to Chinatown for dim sum or Sichuan cuisine. There are a few great restaurants in Chinatown that serve authentic regional dishes from China – and let’s not forget about Opium, for an end of the night special tea based cocktail in their uniquely decorated upstairs living room. Some of my favourite restaurants include Wan Chai Corner for dim sum, Bun House for Cantonese style filled steamed buns, and the Chinese Tapas House for Chinese egg pancakes.
For special occasions, I usually choose French restaurants. My favourite is Mon Plaisir in Soho, which is family owned and makes the most delicious veal escalope with morel mushroom cream sauce. I discovered this restaurant just after the pandemic, when I was in Covent Garden looking for a special nearby place to eat. Since then I have returned many times because the food is incredible, the atmosphere intimate, the staff very attentive, and the owner always present, making sure every single guest is happy.
I am very fussy when it comes to Indian food – it has to be really good and authentic. I have been to India many times and I am used to a lot of flavour in my curry. One of the best Indian experiences I had in London was at Veeraswamy, the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in London.
My dining out habits have definitely changed since the pandemic. I like to eat out more often, and I vary the cuisines more frequently than I did before. Two of my new favourite cuisines, that I discovered after the pandemic ended, are Malaysian and Turkish. I can honestly say that a good bowl of laksa is like a big, warm hug.
About Tastecard
Tastecard is a restaurant discount card that can save you up to £226.56 per year if you eat out once a month at one of their partners. The card has offers such as discounts at the most popular restaurants such as Pizza Hut, Prezzo, Zizzi or Domino’s, 2 for 1 dining, 50% off pizza delivery, 20% off barista made drinks at cafes such as Nero or the Coffee Club, but also perks such as 40% off cinema tickets, 50% off days out or fashion, fitness and retail offers.
You can get a free 60 day trial when you sign up to Tastecard this autumn.
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This is a great read. Eating out habits indeed change and to be honest, we haven’t been eating out for quite some time. We now prefer takeouts and just eat at home. I think taking some online cooking classes is a great idea.