Catching up With Friends @ Vapiano

Chanel and I were overdue for a bestie catch up session which meant it was time to get our eat on! I was dying for some Tinsletown BBQ wings but Chanel was on the hunt for something a little healthier so we settled on Vapiano.

I'd never been but I kept hearing about this place from friends and Chanel who is quite the foodie said it was worth a visit too. We went to the Great Portland Street location which is a 2 minute walk from Oxford Circus station and absolutely huge. Think two floors of high ceilings and a variety of different seating areas which vary in design, giving the venue a very spacious feel.

The restaurant operates a self service system where each person is given a swipe card which you use to order food from the cooking stations. All food is cooked fresh in front of you and you even get to customize your meal by picking your pasta type and requesting how much of each ingredient they add. It's quick, easy and fun! plus I never spotted any long queues for the cooking stations for the entire duration of our stay.

I went for the Cognac (Chicken breast, bacon, peas, garlic, cream, tomato sauce & cognac) and Chanel went for a dish she had already tried and loved called the Estiva (Chicken breast, ginger, chilli, mint, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes & rocket). I absolutely LOVED the Cognac! It was right up my street! Creamy tomato delicious goodness with a great pasta to toppings ratio and such a big serving that I couldn't even finish my meal. I tried to though lol it was one of those moments were you're so full that you feel a little sick but the food tastes so good that you don't want to stop.

You can easily get a drink and meal for less then £15 and the self service swipe card system means there's no awkward splitting of the bill afterwards as everyone already has their own individual tab. The huge downside though is that you can't book a table. It's a free for all system that reminds me of a food court and I'd hate to deal with it all if I was in a large group. To be honest I doubt I'd go here if my group was any bigger then 4 people.
Other then that I loved it. It's a great alternative to the typical Nando's visit as it's in the same price bracket, easily accessible and everyone's bound to like pizza or pasta. I'm already planning my next visit as I've been craving another Cognac since we left!

Until next time, J xx

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