Out To Lunch

  European layovers are rough for flight attendants based on the west coast. No matter how you play it, you’ll miss one night of sleep each week. With a short 24-hour layover, you have two strategies: 

1. When you get to the hotel, you can nap for a few hours. Then, draggg yourself out of bed and go to dinner. 
2. Push yourself to stay up, go straight out, and do something fun. 

Mostly, I choose #2. But sometimes, all I have in me is dinner. Luckily, on my last layover, going to dinner = doing something fun. 

After a full (and short-staffed) flight to London, I met up with two of my flying partners, who I’ve known for 25 years. One of whom I hadn’t seen in 25 years! 

Several months ago, I worked first-class to Maui with a lovely flight attendant I thought I’d just met. A few hours into the flight, she turned to me and said, “I think I have a picture of you in Hong Kong in 1997.” What? After the trip, she texted me the photos. Sure enough, that was me in Hong Kong in 1997. 

The strange thing is that we don’t think we’ve flown together since then, but now, we’ve worked two trips together within two months. Even stranger: we share the same schedule to London for June. By the end of the month, we’ll probably be best friends. What a crazy job! 

Anyway, back to dinner/lunch …depending on your time zone. 

There’s a popular restaurant among flight attendants I’ve been meaning to try. Maggie Jones is a quirky, cozy, very British restaurant down a small alley in the Kensington neighborhood. 

Maggie Jones (I forgot to ask how the restaurant got its name) isn’t merely loved by flight attendants; it’s also popular among locals. In fact, it was a favorite former hang-out of Princess Margaret. 

Princess Margaret’s designated booth is tucked in the corner for privacy. 

The decor is eclectic and rustic and proves that one can collect just about anything and curate it in a charming and intentional way. As a junk collector, I found it inspiring. Hanging from the walls and ceilings were saws, branches, birdcages, watering cans, a rocking horse… 

I believe the atmosphere is just as important as the food. 

However, I’m happy to report that the food was just as enchanting as the atmosphere. (and the staff) 

You can order a la carte, or they have a two or three-course set menu. We opted for the three-course menu, each selecting different options so that we could try it all. Everything was delicious, but I was happiest with mine: cheese and leek tart, grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce, and a freshly prepared warm apple crumble served with a gravy boat of decadent cream sauce. But I think my favorite was the shared vegetables. They served dinner with a bowl of English peas and mint (which didn’t sound like it would work but did!), sweet squash that looked like baby food, and sauteed greens that I believe was cabbage. That “cabbage” tasted better than any other cabbage I’ve ever had. 

I paired all of this with a dry Riesling. Perfection! My flying partners had a local lager and a hard cider. Several hours later, the three of us stumbled out totally satisfied, informing one another what we planned on ordering next time.    

On the walk back to the hotel, we passed a different restaurant previously popular among flight attendants: Churchill Arms. It’s a pub with an excellent Thai restaurant in the back. I’m not sure why we don’t go there anymore? I guess we just forgot about it? 

However, I have never forgotten about their coconut rice! 

On my most recent layover, out to lunch, we chose to eat (of all places) at the Ukrainian Center. 

Flight attendants talk to everyone… discover everything… and then pass it on. My new best friend and I went to the Ukrainian Center on a fellow flight attendant’s recommendation. We dropped off some donations, purchased Ukrainian textiles (a fundraiser), and ate in the pub in the basement. 

Delicious! Potato dumplings drenched in sour cream and washed down with Ukrainian beer. Which, according to the can, is also funding Ukrainian relief. 

Good luck getting those recommendations in your London travel guide. Here’s another travel tip: Ask your crew for their suggestions on your next flight over to wherever. We’re happy to share our latest discoveries.