I found myself in bloomsbury last saturday late afternoon. Not haven eaten or drunk anything all day i was looking for the perfect place to have a bite and seek shelter from the cold. I remembered a place i had visited a few month earlier, but only for take-away tea.
As soon as i walked through the door, the smell and sight of food and beverages literally made me go weak at the knees. You must know those moments when we could eat absolutely anything. Lucky for me, i was in the right place at the right time. I hit the jackpot!
The life goddess is an amazing addition to the london deli/café/restaurant scene. Best of all, it’s greek.
“In greek tradition and culture cultivating, preparing and sharing food is a ritual. The journey of the senses starts from mother-earth and finishes at a feast on a table where all the family, friends and companions share the same nourishment and enjoy the sublime result of their efforts. For greeks preparing a meal for someone is the ultimate token of respect, gratitude, friendship and love.”
Opened in january, this new venture was started by three greek businessmen from thessaloniki. Nick and george nyfoudis and elias koulakiotis. They travelled across greece for six months sourcing the best and most delicious products for this venture.
The shop design came from I.D.E.A and the branding was designed by beetroot design group. Depicting a goat, the illustrations and packaging designs are charming. According to ancient greek legends a sacred goat named amalthea was a descendent of the sun and her horns had the godly power to produce unlimited sustenance of superior quality for gods and mortals alike. The goat amalthea was and is a symbol of nourishment, abundance and life!
You’ll find everything you’d expect to find in a deli, all laid out beautifully.
The coffee is from ozone.
Additionally the counter is full of delicious home-made food to be taken-away or eaten in.
How lucky was i to be served by george, one of the co-founders? Generous, larger than life and completely passionate about food, life and his business.
He took me under his wing and fed me the most delicious grub. Succulent marinated chicken with some glorious mash. A feta salad to die for, with the best ingredients you can find. An aubergine dip that i’m literally still tasting in my mouth while writing this. The entire meal oozed freshness and abundance. Sadly i couldn’t eat the stuffed leaves or all the olives generously offered to me, for genuinely being far too full, but oh so satisfied.
George enthusiastically told me how they rotate dishes to showcase various different regions of greece. The menu for evenings is different and all food changes daily. During the week they supply a lot of the surrounding offices with lunch.
Before i left i wanted to taste their own olive oil. It was so delicious that i left with a 5 liters tin. That should last till the end of the year:-)
The place was heaving whilst i was there, predominantly with greek guests. Apparently during weekends it turns into a small greek community in the middle of london. It was full of atmosphere and abundance. I love being amongst people who love their food as much as i do. Once they finished eating, they picked up some deli goods plus a bottle of wine, probably stocking up for dinner.
There is another branch opening in soho in early 2014. They have plans for expansion and judging by what i saw i think their business model is a sure winner. I’m smitten and the life goddess is now a firm favourite.
The Life Goddess
29 Store Street
Bloomsbury
WC1E 7BS
open 7 days a week
Mon. – Fri 08.00-22.30
Sat. 10.00-23.00
Sun. 10.00-21.00
28 Comments
A Greek deli? Count me in, I love Greek food, after all I lived in Greece for a year. Pame mazi!
Haha! You would love it. I know that much!!!
You better come to London for a week..
Love greek food, and this one looks absolutely fabulous. Perhaps a location for that coffee/lunch at Xmas 🙂
Have a great day love,
Ax
Yes, can’t wait to go back. Scheduling all my meetups there before Xmas… be lovely to meet up xx
Oh – that looks like a place I need to visit on my next trip south. Big fan of Greek food – but this one looks quite exceptional !
Hi Rhiannon, if you like proper food, then this is the place to go. I can see a Bloggers Meetup maybe?
I loved how passionate and welcoming they were. I really felt that they loved feeding me and the others and the food is seriously delicious.
I’m enjoying their Olive Oil every day… so delicious.
Yes, I could eat pretty much everything on show there! How lucky that you’ve found that place at the right time, that chicken looks like exactly the right thing for this time of the year. Might be even better if it was actually in Greece with lots of sunshine… 😉
That’s where we’ll meet next:-) The Feta Salad was too die for and their Aubergine dips, Hummus and Tzaziki are meals in themselves.
Let’s put a date in the diary x
I LOVE greek food also and especially love places that ooze this kind of hospitality and passion for what they do. Fetta and Spinach pies are my fav but notice they also have meat and courgette! Yum! Everything looks so tasty!
I have a vision of you on your Vespa balancing a 5 litre tin of oil, but I’m guessing you were in your car! What a find and fantastic photos as always.
I feel the same way about preparing a meal for someone as the Greeks, it’s the ultimate token of respect, gratitude, friendship and love.
I knew this would be one you’d like:-)
Feta and spinach pies done the greek way are incredible. All others are not! I also noticed the meat and courgettes. Am sure it’s delicious!
Haha. I was on my Vespa but George, who is ultra generous, immediately gave me one of their bags for life and I was able to take it on the Vespa.
On Friday I popped in briefly and George, yet again, gave me a small bottle of their Olive oil with Truffels. can’t wait to taste.:-))
Glad you enjoyed this Catherine xx
What a reminder of how much I miss the Greek food from Astoria NYC…must make a note for next trip to London!!
Yes, bookmark. Maybe we can arrange to meet there:-))
Colourful, vibrant and a little bit crazy. All of the things I imagine when thinking about Greek culture. The Life Goddess – great name – looks just the ticket.
The spanakopita looks wonderful as do those various salads. And I love a great olive oil… I can just imagine how good the oil tastes.
I just hope they don’t do a ‘Tas’ and dilute their brand by expanding.
Gxx
‘Tas’ who? Never rated them but then never ate there…. I think this is going to be very different. Don’t know who owns Tas but George, his brother and one other guy own it. George and his brother rotate every month between Greece and here. When the owners are involved I think the quality remains high. Of course, this is their first venture so we’ll see how they do after their second and maybe third. I know George is a great fan of Ottolenghi and La Frommagerie so I imagine he doesn’t want a massive chain but keep it small and exclusive. At least I hope so.
The olive oil is amazing. I both cook and eat with it…
When you next come here, we’ll go 🙂 xx
One of my favourite meals is a good Greek salad, and this looks like it would be the best. Will keep this place up my sleeve next time I visit the British Museum.
Have a great weekend, Tina x
That salad was too die for… The feta is imported from Greece, so are the tomatoes. It was all so fresh, delicious and yummy.. and of course, with their olive oil.
Yes, maybe we can meet up again, I’ll join you:-) x
Sounds divine, Tina!
“For greeks preparing a meal for someone is the ultimate token of respect, gratitude, friendship and love.”
LOVE that. As an African who grew up nurtured by that philosophy, I wholeheartedly agree. 😀
You and I should totally gatecrash that weekend Greek party someday. 😉
It’s divine and you’ll love it Chi. Great meat dishes, great salads, everything we can eat. The aubergine dip is worth a trip itself.
Yes, let’s go there soon. bring the family xx
Amazing lamps! And the food looks good too. Definitely gonna try this place soon. Thanks for the tip Tina!
Lots of food for me and lots of sweet stuff for you. I’d say we can all go there:-))
This place looks incredible Tina! I love the simplicity of Greek food; its freshness, abundance and flavours. You are making me very hungry with this post, will def check out next time I’m in town! xx Michaela
So very true Michaela… “I love the simplicity of Greek food; its freshness, abundance and flavours.” And The Life Goddess embodies it all.
Next time we can meet there…:-) x
This place looks like it’s a real gem! Love greek food, and yes, they are so passionate about it, much like italians 😉 I often regret not paying closer attention to my grandma as she cooked and baked. She made THE BEST Fritatta. Her secret ingredient? Fresh basil. I still make it today, and the flavour is pretty good, but I just can’t get the consistency the way she used to. I miss my grandmas.
Great images! I just had dinner, but I’m salivating 🙂
Xx.
Ah, Italians, Greeks, Spanish, Moroccan, et cetera… All these cuisines are special. Grandma’s cooking is best and yes, it would have been great if you payed more attention LOL
Can’t wait to visit you in Berlin and for you to make Fritatta for me:-))
Basil… hmmm….
Next time you visit I’ll take you xx
I love deli’s, there’s just something about the smell that gets me everytime. The place looks great and I couldn’t stop looking at the lights in your first image. Of course, your photo’s of the food look good enough to eat and are making me hungry – must be dinner time :). xD
Tina, I love THe Life Goddess! From your fabulous photos I can almost smell the food, feel the vibe, and taste the sweetness of those muffins! As always, thank you for sharing your new finds and treats with us. Have a wonderful day. Jocelyn x
Thank you Jocelyn. Always happy to share and inspire. The food there is truly delicious x
Divine looking food. Those olives look so amazing!! xx