Where to start....with food ;)
For the past week I have been eating out a good few times, well, more than I had anticipated and consequently done sufficient damage to my wallet. But the money has been well spent on trying the various, impossible number of, restaurants here. One thing I like about London is the diversity of cuisines you get here. I mean I regard Melbourne as a pretty 'international' city but come to London and I find Middle-eastern, Mediterranean, Caribbean, African foods to name a few. I dont mean the odd restaurant here or there, but streets that have become famous for the various cuisines it hosts. So, this is what I have been filling up with of late:
Thurs - hot steaming noodles @
Soba Bar in Soho -
just what we needed on an unusually cold, I have been told, November night. Quality-wise? prehaps wont revisit gelato @ Bar Caffé Ciao - for their unfailingly good [huge] sundaes
Fri - Egyptian food @ Meya Meya on Bell Street, just off Edgware St - good thing Ali was with us (he lived in Egypt for several years) to advise us what to order. We tried Koshary (a strange mixture of lentils, rice, macaroni cooked together), Shami (looks like pizza) and some other things I cant recall the name of. All in all, I have to stay it was an interesting meal
Sat - yum cha @ Jade Garden in China Town - the ever reliable dim sums. One of my friends had never had it before and needless to say, she liked it
Mediterranean food @ Mam & Lez in Angel (Upper Street) - prehaps the best meal yet in London. I couldnt find fault with the food. Moreover, the decor was amazing. The place had a buzzing and cozy atmosphere and all the decoration seemed to have come from Morocco or Turkey. Because there were 10 of us, we were able to try a good range of items on the menu. I think the best of the starters were deep-fried brie and char-grilled vegetables. The best mains were the spinach filo pastry and apricot chicken.
Sun - hopefully a sabbatical from going out
Mon - theatre-set dinner @
Tiger Tiger off Picadilly Circus-
TBA (A=anticipated). And then it is off to see Les Miserables. Im excited!!Photos of the food will be up later!
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Some belated street photos:
Festive lights all around: Oxford St; Regent St; Merry-go-round in Covent Garden
Selfridges: creative manniquin displays
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I am really excited for this upcoming month of December. My parents are flying into London on the 9th December. Its going to be so fun! Ive been trying to plan their stay here. The difficulty is that they have lived in UK before, well Scotland mostly, so they probably wont want to visit the major tourist landmarks like Westminster, Harrods etc.
The plan is they will be staying with me for the initial three days (9th to 11th), spend three days in York (which I have been told is even more beautiful in winter because the town is blanketed with snow), then on evening of the 14th return to London to catch a flight to Barcelona the following morning.
Oooh here is what I have planned so far. My mum loves markets (yes, its genetic) so I have thrown in some great markets on each day and we will be visiting all the musuems and sites that I have purposefully avoided up till now so I can visit them with my parents. Here is the proposed plan:
Friday 9 December -Primose Hill – where you can get a broad view of London
Camden Town Market
Covent Garden
Tea at French patisserie,
Paul Trafalgar Square (Christmas tree)
National Portrait Gallery
Leceister Square
Madame Tussards
Turkish dinner somewhere on Upper Street, Angel
Saturday 10 December -
Portabello Market in Notting Hill
Borough Market near London Bridge
Do the Thames bank walk
Cross the bridge to St Pauls Cathedral
And back again to Tate Modern
City Hall and the Gherkin
Tea @
Sketch ParlourFortum & Mason near Picadilly Circus
Woman in White at the Palace Theatre
11 December Sunday -
Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch
Brick & Petticoat Lane
Yum Cha in China Town
UCL
British Museum
High Tea @ The Montague on the Garden in Bloomsbury
Kings Street in Chelsea
Knightsbridge
They are going to be so exhausted after this packed weekend! Im exciteeeeed.
