Taste of Surprise

Taste of Surprise Recipe Developer, Content Creator, and Foodie! Baking, cooking, reviews & local eats!

22/06/2026

🐧 THE ULTIMATE ICELAND PUFFIN GUIDE! 🪶👇
If seeing these cute, clumsy little “sea parrots” is at the top of your Iceland bucket list, you need to know exactly when and where to find them. They spend 8 months of the year alone on the open ocean and only come to land for a tiny summer window to lay a single egg! 🌊🥚

June & July (PEAK SEASON): This is the ultimate time to visit! The cliffs are completely packed, and you’ll see the parents constantly flying back and forth with rows of small sand eels clamped in their orange beaks. 🐟

Morning & Evening: Puffins are most active at their nests in the early morning (7:00 AM – 10:00 AM) and the late evening (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM). During the middle of the day, most of them fly out to sea to fish, leaving the cliffs much quieter.

📍Dyrhólaey Cliffs (South Coast): 100% FREE parking and entry! You can see them nesting right in the grassy cliffs by the lower lot or up by the lighthouse.

13/06/2026

If you’re planning your Iceland Golden Circle road trip, you cannot skip the Geysir Hot Spring Area! Watching the earth literally shoot boiling water 100 feet into the air right in front of you is insane. 🤯

💰 Cost: 100% FREE! There is no entry fee and parking is completely free.

🚗 The Setup: Pull into the massive lot right across the road at the Geysir Center (it has huge souvenir shops, great food courts, and free restrooms!).

⏱️ The Timer: The historic “Great Geysir” is mostly quiet now, but its neighbor Strokkur erupts like clockwork every 6 to 10 minutes. You don’t have to wait long at all!

07/06/2026

🗺️ SAVE THIS for your ultimate Iceland Ring Road Trip! 🇮🇸👇
Tackling the full 822-mile loop? 🚗💨 Watch the full video to see how to hit all 20 of these epic locations, how to get down into the hidden canyons, and exactly where to find the puffins and seals!
Here is the quick breakdown of every location covered to copy-paste straight into your travel spreadsheet:
📍 GOLDEN CIRCLE & SOUTH COAST
Blue/Sky Lagoon 🧴 (Blue Lagoon = Free Parking)
Þingvellir National Park 🏔️ (Parking: 1,000 ISK)
Geysir Hot Springs 🌋 (Parking: FREE)
Gullfoss Waterfall 🌊 (Parking: FREE)
Kerið Crater 🔴 (Parking: FREE / Entry: 600 ISK)
Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfrabúi 🥾 (Parking: 1,000 ISK - Don’t skip the hidden canyon waterfall!)
Skógafoss 📸 (Parking: 1,000 ISK)
Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck ✈️ (Parking: 750 ISK / Shuttle: 3,200 ISK)
Dyrhólaey Cliffs 🪶 (FREE! Best spot for Puffins)
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon 🌱 (Parking: 1,000 ISK)
📍 THE EAST & NORTH
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach 🧊 (Boat tours from $55 USD)
Stuðlagil Canyon 🦖 (West Side Parking: 1,000 ISK / East Side Hike: FREE)
Dettifoss ⚡ (FREE! Europe’s most powerful waterfall)
Hverir Geothermal Area ☄️ (Parking: 1,200 ISK)
Goðafoss 🌊 (Parking: FREE)
Húsavík 🐋 (Whale Watching Capital!)
Hvítserkur & Ósar Beach 🦏🦭 (FREE! The “Rhinoceros” rock and a massive wild seal colony right next to it)
💡 QUICK ROAD RULES:
• Use the Parka app to easily handle your parking payments.
• Bookmark SafeTravel.is for real-time weather updates.
• Headlights must be turned ON 24/7 by law!
📌 Hit SAVE so you don’t lose this list, watch the video for the full visual guide, and drop any questions below! 👇
🇮🇸

30/05/2026

The team behind Brat, Kiln & Mountain just opened Impala in Soho and the cooking here is elite! 🪵🔥
Instead of roaring flames, they use massive fans to cool the charcoal into soft, white-hot ash. It’s a traditional Egyptian technique that smokes the food low-and-slow rather than burning it. 🪶💨
The Must-Orders:
🥖 Aish Baladi (£6) + White Bean Dip (£8): Pillowy flatbread baked fresh in a wood-fired oven. Pure heaven.
🦆 Loomswood Roast Duck (£68): Stuffed with black lime & Aswan chillies, then slow-roasted. Easily one of the best ducks in London! 🤤
The Catch: 💸 Portions are tiny. We spent £250 for 4 people and left plotting another snacks run. 😂🍔
Go for the incredible culinary storytelling, just order extra bread to fill the gaps!
Have you been yet? 👇

16/05/2026

Covent Garden’s Underground Bao Den 🥟🔥
Flesh & Buns is tucked away in a basement on Earlham Street, and the energy is always great, we even sat next to two different bridal showers! 👰‍♀️✨
What we ordered:
- The Snacks: Salmon & Tuna Ceviche, Soft Shell Crab, Pig Yaki, and Tempura Veg. 🍤
- The Buns: Crispy Duck, Japanese Fried Chicken, and the melt-in-your-mouth Beef Short Rib. 🤤
- The Finish: Table-side S’mores and a very cute Taiyaki for dessert. 🐟🍦
The perfect spot for a loud, fun dinner with a group in Central London. 🥂
📍 Flesh & Buns

10/05/2026

Finally made it into Chargal and the interior is just stunning; moody, architectural, and perfect for a proper sit-down dinner.

The Food:
🥗 Mixed Mezze: Don’t sleep on the crudités. The radish and carrot are so crisp, and when you dip them into that house sauce... honestly, OMG.
🍞 Sourdough Pitta: It comes with burnt butter and it’s basically mandatory.
🍗 The Mains: The Janti Veli chicken was a highlight for me; so tender and actually juicy, which isn’t always easy to find. The seasonal mushroom skewers were also a huge surprise; really well-seasoned and soft.
🧑‍🍳 The Open Kitchen: I loved the vibe of the open kitchen. Watching the chefs work the charcoal mangal while the place is buzzing adds such a cool energy to the night.

We aren’t usually the biggest experts on Turkish food, but everything here felt so fresh and elevated. We finished with a decadent dessert that rounded everything off perfectly.
Definitely one to add to your Mayfair list if you want a spot that’s as delicious as it is beautiful.

This is Chargal. 📍

09/05/2026

Chinatown just got a major upgrade and my carb-loading schedule is officially ruined. 🥐✨

The wait is finally over! Arome has officially landed in Chinatown! If you’ve ever smelled that signature burnt sugar and butter scent wafting through Covent Garden, you know the obsession is real. I’m calling it now: the Honey Butter Toast is still the undisputed GOAT, but that Miso Bacon Escargot is a very close second.

It’s already busy, so get down there before the queues hit the around-the-block level. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🍯🧈

04/05/2026

🌿 Italian Tapas Experience at Como Garden
Finally ticked this one off the list! Love the concept here, instead of one big main, you get a table full of small plates to share. 🇮🇹
The Standouts:
• Truffle Pasta 🧀 | Swirled in the cheese wheel. Yum.
• Arancini 🍘 | Perfectly crispy & golden.
• Zucchini 🥒 | Thin, crunchy, and surprisingly light.
• Octopus 🐙 | Tender with just the right char.
• Tuna Carpaccio 🐟 | Fresh and zesty.
• Tiramisu ☕️ | The ultimate classic finish.
The garden vibes are 10/10, but the service made it. Huge shout out to Evelyn for being so attentive and making our experience extra special! ✨
📍 Como Garden, High St Ken

26/04/2026

Sunday brunch at Straits Kitchen, Pan Pacific London. 🥂

Found this new set menu for £49 pp. For a 5-star hotel in the city, the value is actually decent.

What you get:
Unlimited access to the cold buffet, plus you pick one hot dish and a side.

The standouts:
🧇 Fried Chicken Waffle: The winner for us. Properly crispy waffle and juicy chicken.
🥞 Buttermilk Pancakes: Exactly how they should be—crispy edges and fluffy inside.
🍞 Wild Mushroom French Toast: Good if you want something savory and earthy.
The catch: The sides (like the bacon or extra toast) are a £4 top-up, so just keep that in mind for the final bill.

Huge thanks to Katarina for looking after us, easily some of the most attentive service.

Good shout for a chilled Sunday that still feels a bit fancy.

📍 Pan Pacific London
💰 £49 pp (+ £4 sides)

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