London II: Camden Town, the V&A, and some good ole' pub grub

Day II in London started out with a shopping mission in Camden Town. I had been asked to find "funky belt buckles" by a certain Frenchman, and we decided that this would be the most likely place to do so. Camden Town has changed a lot since I was last there several years ago. It's still a bit grungy, and definitely quirky, but has cleaned up significantly. Also, I don't remember there being nearly as many shoe stores. And I should know, since we visited all of them. I came away with aforementioned funky belt buckles, as well as some inexpensive indian jewelry.

I have to say, between Camden Town and it's Parisian equivalent which I would deem the fleamarkets at Cligancourt, Camden Town wins hands down. The variety of shops and stands is refreshing, as well as the variety of tasty treats on offer. With so many options, it took us a bit to decide, but we finally agreed on Afghani food.

We started out with feta & olive salads, hummous and flat bread:

 Kabuli pilaw: traditional Afghan rice topped with lamb, raisins, julienned carrots and nuts:

And of course, the description for Kabuli Pilaw said nothing about this heaping plate of spiced kidney beans & spinach. The kidney beans alone would have made a perfectly satisfying meal:

 Manto: fresh pasta filled with minced beef & topped with yoghurt, ground beans, and a 'special sauce':

Some very satisfied lunch buddies:

 

 

After lunch, we tromped off through the rain and made an obligatory stop at Harrod's so I could stock up on my mom's favorite strawberry jam. We passed through the Animal Kingdom to gawk at 650 pound canopied dog beds, then scooted off to the Victoria & Albert Museum for tea: 

Orange & Almond cake + a terribly fluffy cappucino:

Millionaire's shortbread-shortbread topped with a layer of caramel + a layer of chocolate:

 CARROTCAKE !

After tea we headed down to Leicester Square to score some theater tickets for my travel buddy, and then I headed out to a local pub, The Horseshoe in Hampstead with my lovely host, who appears to be conflicted about the size of her beer compared to that of her husband's:

Still experiencing a bit of a food coma from the afternoon indulgences, we decided to split a perfectly crispy fish & chips with mushy peas:

 

After a few pints, we retired for the night with full tummies and a couple of blisters.