Best Restaurants Around the World 2011

To me Chinese is one of the best cuisines in the world.  However I understand that food is a personal choice.  Some, although not many, can live on crisps and toast only.  Yes they exist!  I have seen them on Discovery channel.  To them they are fed to survive rather than to a bigger extent that it is also something to enjoy.  Food plays an important part in Hongkie's life, 42.3% of Hong Kong people travel in search of good food.  One of my favourite local weekly travel magazines have recently invited some influential foodies to select their best restaurants around the world and I would like to share with my readers which one I would love to try:

1. Tickets - Barcelona - Spain 
   One of my holiday destinations in 2012 is Spain.  What I remember about Spain is their delicious tapas bars, the stylish Madridians, Gaudi and their way of living.  So I am definitely tempting to try this tapas bar. 
   
   The godfather of molecular gastronomy and one of the best chefs in the world, Ferran Adrià, announced the closing of his 3-Michelin star restaurant el Bulli few months ago.  It has disappointed many gourmet eaters especially those who had been waiting for a year to try to get a table.  But fret not, he has opened a more 'down-market' molecular tapas bar - Tickets in Barcelona and the head chef is his brother Albert.  If you want to book a table, you only need to wait for three months.
   
   Try The Oysters with its Pearl, The Olives, Jamon de toro
   
   
2. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - London - UK
   Blumenthal's food is impressive and fun but too much of a trouble to try it yourself - watch his TV series Heston's Feasts and you will know what I mean.  It's just not something you will do at home.  For this reason, I would love to visit one of his restaurants.  Dinner is nested in Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London.  It has earned its first Michelin-star just after ten months it has opened its doors.  I do like the thrill of molecular food and besides Adrià, nobody else does better than Blumenthal.  BUT I think the attraction of this recently opened restaurant is its 'gentrified' traditional British menu.
   
   Try Meat Fruit, Mandarin, Chicken Liver Parfait and Grilled Bread and Roast Scallop, Cucumber Ketchup and Borage
   
   
3. Noma - Copenhagen - Denmark
   Noma has been voted the world's No.1 restaurant by the reputable British gourmet magazine - Restaurant.  I have never been to Scandinavia nor tried their cuisine but now I have noted this restaurant down, I have a good reason to make a trip there in the future.
   
   
4. El Celler De Can Roca - Girona - Spain
   Roca is another successful molecular gastronomy restaurant situated in the outskirts of Barcelona.  Currently holding a 3-Michelin star, their food is theatrical.  I like it that you have only got two menus to choose from - either the Tasting Menu or the Feast Menu.  The average waiting time for a table is six months so I guess if I do decide to go there in 2012, I should book now. 
   
   Try Caramelized Olive Tree, Campari Bombon
   
   
5. 三田牛 飛苑 - Kobe - Japan
   Okay by now I am kind of wanting some 'normal food'.  Hien does not have any Michelin star but nothing beats a nice piece of char-grilled marbled Kobe beef steak.  Slightly different to molecular gastronomy, the chef here focuses on simple preparation of quality ingredients.  Sometimes less is more, I will be very happy just having this beef with a bowl of plain rice.
   
   Address: 神戸市兵庫区松原通1-1-69. Tel: 0786816529　
   
   
6. 吉士酒家 - Shanghai - China
   Xin Ji Xhi group has a few branches in Shanghai and the one on Tian Ping Road is their oldest branch.  I have been to the one in Xi Tian Di and personally much prefer the decoration and atmosphere there.  I was taken there for my birthday and the food was absolutely scrumptious.  It is Shanghaiese so expect something perhaps greasier with strong flavour.  This is definitely on my list if I ever travel to Shanghai again.
   
   Address: No.41 Tian Ping Road. Tel: 21-62829260
   
   
7. The Press Club - Melbourne - Australia
   Geroge Calombaris is one of the presenters of Master Chef Australia and he's also one of the top 40 chefs in the world.  He owns five restaurants in Australia and one of them is The Press Club which is a Greek restaurant.  Greek food isn't that popular in Hong Kong.  I guess there just isn't much demand for it here.  I always enjoy the food when I am in Australia because they have rich fresh produce which makes a huge difference for a dish.  Much of the western ingredients available in Hong Kong are imported and I remember the first time I could really taste a tomato was when I was in Perth. 
   
   I enjoyed my 2-day visit in Melbourne when I visited a few years back so next time when I am in town, The Press Club will definitely be one of my dining choices.  Their food looks really appertising and it will be indulging to try their 4-course set.
   
   Try Larisa "Kotopoulo" slow-cooked chicken breast, Naoussa Arni-Lamb
   
   
8. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
   I would have enjoyed Thai food much more if it's not that spicy.  I have visited many famous local Thai restaurants and just couldn't finish a meal without drinking ten gallons of water because of too much hot spice!  I always wanted to visit Nahm during my visits to Bangkok but never got around to it.  The chef of Nahm actually comes from Australia.  So I think he will go easy with the spice, this is one top of my list when I visit Bangkok next.
   
   Try Fresh crabs cooked with turmeric and coconut sauce
   
   
   
   
   
   

London (Part 5)

Day 5 : Monument –Eastcheap – Fifteen – Tate Britain – Leicester Square

• Monument (Tube: The Monument) – When I was doing my research, I saw some amazing photos taken inside the Monument on Flickr and thought I must go there. So the reason for my visit had nothing to do with its history really. You have to pay £3 for admission, since no drink is allowed inside the tower, I had to leave my husband with my cup of coffee as I walked up by myself! It is a very narrow tower which can only fit for two thin persons at a step. So if there are lots of people visiting, you will have to keep walking instead of blocking the traffic. Be warned, it is 33-stories high. I think I reached the top within 15 mins. and luckily there weren’t too many people as it was still early. The 360-degree views of London really worth the walk. Photographs also indeed looked great inside the Monument. It was a £3 well-spent!

  

  [ Swirling stairs inside Monument ]

  
  

  

  [ View from top of Monument ]

  
• We continued to walk along the alleyways in Eastcheap; it was a good walk to see the true old London architecture such as the St Mary-At-Hill and All Hallows-by-the-Tower. The latter is a really old church with interesting decoration inside. Make sure you visit the crypt too. We finished our walk at Tower Hill tube around an hour later and made our way to lunch.

  

  [ Eastcheap ]

• Lunch at Fifteen (Tube: Old Street Station exit 1) – I love the naked chef Jamie Oliver. Some people in the UK may have a different view about him but I think it’s great that he has done so much to change how we view food and the lifestyles of modern families and kids. By showing my support, we visited his restaurant.
  Fifteen is located in a doggy area in Hackney. As soon as you step out of the tube station, you can almost feel the different vibe here. Interestingly half of the people eating there were Asian and probably tourists. The decoration of the restaurant is modern and the atmosphere is quite casual. For my starter, I had sardine wrapped with Prosciutto which was tasty and it was better than my main course, seafood risotto. My husband enjoyed his beef carpaccio with plums for starter and home-made gnocchi for main. Portions were generous even for my main which was supposedly a starter size! It was a shame that my risotto was really salty, the flavour was nice though but just way too salty – I could really taste the sea but probably the dead sea! All in all, even though service wasn’t great still I would come back again if I had the chance as the food was delicious.
• V&A Museum of Childhood (Tube: Bethnal Green) – The 2-storey building was the reason why I wanted to visit here. It’s very interesting and old-looking. My favourite exhibits probably were the ‘flamboyant’ doll houses because they were a bit spooky. There were lots of kids in there and all seemed to be enjoying the activities they were doing there. 

  

  [ V&A Museum of Childhood ]

• Tate Britain (Tube: Pimilco) – After we had seen the new exhibitions, we took the boat to get across to Tate Modern as it would bring us back close to Leicester Square. 

  

  [ Exhibit in Tate Britain ]

• Shopping in Primark – I did say that I was disappointed with the high street shops but you can always get a thing or two in Primark as they are just so cheap! I bought three cardigans and I think each was around £10 only. 
• Duke of York’s Theatre – This was our last night in London and I had booked us tickets to see Ghost Stories. It had really good reviews on-line. The three ghost stories were simple but combining with the effect, it was actually quite scary especially it was staged in an old theatre.
• For a pre-theatre dinner, try the Mediterranean restaurant, Terroirs on 5 William IV Street.

London (Part 4) - Cotswolds

Day 4 – Cotswolds

• Our friend was skeptical weather we could see Cotswolds in a day but it’s really doable. However, I would have loved to spend more time there even though we still did a lot in one day.

[ Our Sat Nav worked really well ]

• Hire Car - The best way to see Cotswolds is by car. I got a driving map from this site. It’s comprehensive and gives really clear instruction. I have changed the route to suit my scheule so I couldn’t cover all the destinations.

• There are lots of car rentals (e.g. Avis, National, Europcar) in the UK so if you do need to hire a car, shop around first. We picked up our Peugeot with Europcar from their Waterloo Railway Station outlet which was only 10 mins. walk from where we lived. I think we got a pretty good deal, it was around £88 with a Sat Nav (Tom Tom) and insurance cover.

• We spent the first half an hour trying to find our way out of the city as it was the first time we used a Sat Nav (*you will need to enter a postal code into the Sat Nav for driving direction), I could only hear the instruction but can’t see the route map on the screen. I only figured it out how it worked when we actually arrived Cotswolds! Not bad I suppose only relying on the verbal instruction. Once you hit the highway, it’s actually pretty easy. The weather was beautiful once we got out of London. The English countryside is just so beautiful.

• Bourton-on-Water - We arrived our first destination Bourton-on-Water. This small town is known as the Little Venice of the Cotswolds because of the waterways. It is very romantic and picturesque but can get very busy with tourists. As we were really pushing on time, we only managed to have a quick stop here then we drove to Snowshill and had lunch in Snowshill Arms (Zip: WR12 7JU)
  

  

  [ Bourton-on-Water ]

  

• Snowshill - The hill was full of traditional English limestone houses. The pub was really cute overlooking at a small cemetery. It was quite busy and full of retirees. The food was unexpectedly excellent. We both had smoked trout with salad and chips. We didn’t stay for long as we had to manage our time, but it’s the sort of places you would like to stay and relax.
  

  

  

  [ Snowshill Arms ]

  

• Broadway Tower - We couldn’t find the way driving up the Broadway Tower (Zip: WR12 7LB) so we just parked our car near the foot path and walked up the hill. It was a muddy road and we bumped into a lady walking with her two dogs who had told us it would only take 20 mins. walk up to the tower. Man it was over 40 mins.!! I was a bit agitated cos’ of time but nonetheless, it was probably highlight of the day because the view up the hill was amazing. We walked pass a field with a heard of sheep. I was tempted to touch them but they looked filthy and frigid. The tower itself looked like it came out of a fairy tale! We didn’t go up, so soon after made our way back to the car. We did see a carpark near the Broadway Tower so there must have been a way up for cars. 

  

  [ Half way towards Broadway Tower - amazing view ]

  

  [ Finally arriving our destination ]

  

  [ the fairy tale like tower ]

• Lower Slaughter – As we left Broadway Tower, it was 4pm already. To save on time, we drove to Lower Slaughter directly so we had missed the town Broadway and some other small towns along as listed on the route map. Lower Slaughter is a quaint but affluent looking town. We had afternoon tea in a very smart hotel, Washbourne Court (Zip: GL54 2HS). The scones with clotted cream were delish.
  

  

  [ Lower Slaughter ]

  

• Arlington Row – since we have still got a bit of time before heading back to London. I squeezed in one more destination which was not on the route map. The main attraction of Bibury is the row of old cottages built in 1380. They are the reason why I wanted to go to Cotswolds. The cottages are small with tiny entrances, like a house for hobbits! It would have been nice to be able to see what it is like inside but they are currently still being occupied.
  

  

  [ Arlington Row ]

  
  

  

  
  

  

  We spent around 20 mins. walking around and took a few more snaps before making our way back to London. We were doing very well until the Sat Nav was losing signal before we hit the highway and we lost half an hour there. By the time we dropped the car, it was already 9:30pm.

London (Part 2)

Day 1 : Borough Market – Oxford Circus – Tate Modern

• Borough Market - After settling in our friend’s flat in Southwark, we took a 15-min walk to Borough Market (Tube: Borough) and planned to have a traditional English breakfast at Roast. We arrived at 10:30am and the restaurant was empty but we sampled a few things in the market instead. The market isn’t big but all the food stalls sell quality stuff, no wonder this is where Jamie Olivers does his grocery shopping!
  

  

  [ Borough Market ]

  

  We followed the recommendations from my research and had fried scallops & bacon from Shellseekers. Two grilled scallops were plated on top of a scallop shell, the scallops were very fresh and tasty, I didn’t expect that! I think it could easily be the best scallops I have ever tried!
  
  Also we had raclette (melted Swiss cheese on top on boiled baby potatoes, gherkins and pearl onions) at Bill Oglethorpe's cart which was divine! Furness Fish & Game near the entrance of the market does seafood curry on big woks. It looked amazing but we didn’t have any. We also had a sausage bap but it wasn’t that nice. We didn’t buy anything from another famous Spanish shop/restaurant, Brindisa, but I had tried their olive oil which was rich and full of flavour. A big tin of 1000ml of oil is sold at £9.95 but I didn’t buy it cos’ it was very heavy. If you like cheese, Neal’s Yard, the famous cheese shop, also has a shop in the market.
  

  

  [ Bill Oglethorpe's ]
  

  

  [ Super delicious raclette ]

  To finish off our tour, we had a delicious cup of coffee from Monmouth and I also bought some white raw sugar from them as it gives the coffee a rich caramel flavour. It was a good start for our holiday as the sun started to come out in rainy London.
  

  

  [ Monmouth Coffee ]

  

  [ English summer ]

• Retro clothing – Second hand clothing shops are popular in Tokyo and London. Whenever I travel there, I will always try to sell my second hand clothes there. So this time, I brought a black gown by Viktor & Rolf and a top by Emma Cook.
  We took the tube to Oxford Circus. It was really warm travelling on the tube. The seats were filthy and the stations looked very tired. The sun came out when we were in Monmouth but by now, it started to rain again. I had two second hand shops in my mind. The first one was Bang Bang (9 Berwick Street) but they weren’t specialised in women’s clothing so I didn’t get an offer from them. The other swap shop on that street is Retro Clothing. This shop has both men and women sections. They offered to pay my black Victor & Rolf asymmetrical dress which I bought over ten years ago for £30 but £60 if I swapped. I had my eyes on a vintage brown Burberry leather shoulder bag but it was £200 so I settled with a new Preen black clutch for £80 instead. I thought I would be to able to sell it online as it’s a brand new item and hopefully getting more money for it. Unfortunately I have received zero offer on e-bay!
  
  
• After we had been to the shops, it started to pour heavily. So we went to HMV on Oxford Street briefly. Didn’t buy anything as the listening booth wasn’t working properly so I couldn’t listen to any new music. Honestly iTunes look much more interesting. Then we quickly had a look at H&M and Topshop. Both were a bit disappointing to be honest. Topshop’s clothes aren’t cheap and their accessories are a bit tacky. I vaguely remember I used to like shopping on the high street (ahem around a decade ago!). I think I must be getting old.
  Then we tried to walk to Covent Garden but ended up in Carnaby Street instead. By now, we were very tired because of jet-lag but we dared not rest as we wanted to acclimatise ASAP.
  

  

  [ See big switch on the wall - art installation in Carnaby Street ]

• Tate Modern - So our next destination was Tate Modern (Tube: London Bridge) – I like modern art and Tate Modern is one of the best museums for it. There used to be a Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery next to the London Eye but they have moved to Chelsea now. They used to have wicked exhibits by Damien Hirst and other great artists. Personally I am not a big art fan but when you are in Rome, do what the Romans do. You can admire the beauty of a classic art piece but I like to be surprised and engrossed sometimes by some of the modern art pieces.
  Our friend lent us his Tate Modern members card so we could sit down and had a rest in the Members Room. My husband had his third coffee of the day and I had a very nice pot of English tea. Not sure why the bar/café was so busy at that time of the day. Wasn’t it supposed to be the recession and everyone should be working? We found a seat on the sofa looking at the Thames and just slumped on it. The view was really brilliant and it was the first time I visited the bar. Maybe worthwhile to check if it opens for public too. 

  

  [ View from Tate Modern's Members Room ]

• After we recharged, we had a delightful walk back to our friend’s place. Dinner was at a gastropub nearby, food wasn’t great but price was reasonable. The sky stayed bright til 9pm so we got lots of daylight, I think it helped us acclimatised.
  

  

  [ Fish and chips with mushy peas ]

  * What I would have instead: Tapas Brindisa (18-20 Southwark Street). They were the Best Spanish Restaurant voted by Time Out in 2009. I already sampled their olive oil (fat is the essence of good food!) earlier in the afternoon so I would have loved to try their tapas!! Dinner service starts at 5:30pm til 11pm.

London (Part 1)

Trip made in Summer 2010 (5 days)

Introduction

I have been to London many times so each time I would do lots of research and find out new places I could explore. London is my favourite city and honestly there is so much you can do and they have things for everyone. 

I have included many new places as well as my all-time favourite in this 5-day itinerary. However, I must say the highlight of this trip is hiring a car for a day to Cotswolds. I wish I had more time as it would have been great to at least spend an overnight in the countryside.

Practical Information

From Airport to the City

Most people will opt for either the tube or Heathrow Express. We however took Heathrow Connect which was easy to find at the airport. Although the journey is 15 minutes longer than Heathrow Express, you only pay half as much and it’s less busy. At the time we took he train to the city (very early in the morning), there were literally just two of us in the whole carriage! Heathrow Express terminated at Paddington. One thing to note is for some reasons, the ticket counter for Heathrow Express at Paddington isn’t that visible.

Travel Around

At Paddington, purchase a 7-day tube pass (£25 + £3 for deposit). It was a really good deal as the minimum single tube fare is £4. The travel card is also valid for buses. Buses within Central London are frequent and it’s a better way to see the city. Bus map is available at any tube station.

Tipping

Many restaurants in London now add a ‘discretionary’ service charge to your bill, so you needn’t add a further tip. However in places that don’t, you are expected to leave a 10% to 15% tip unless the service was unsatisfactory. You never tip to have your pint pulled in a pub but staff at bars often return change in a little metal dish so expect to leave them.

VAT Refund – LEARN FROM MY EXPERIENCE!

Usually department stores and some high street stores offer a VAT (Value added tax) refund for a total purchase worth more than £50. This is London's sales tax at 17.5%. It's already added into the price tag so you only pay one price. After you pay for your purchases, ask the Merchant to fill in the VAT refund form for you. The form needs to be notarized and stamped by the store and to be attached with the sales receipt. The merchant will ask if you prefer cash or credit card refund. Make sure you choose cash refund as when refund is made to your credit card, you will be charged a large sum for service by the UK Tax Refund Office! It really is a rip-off. I got an expensive handbag at Harrods with my credit card, so naturally I thought it was a good idea to get the refund back on the same card as I didn’t want to spend the extra cash. Their customer service staff asked me for the refund methods but didn’t inform me that if I chose the credit card option, a service charge would be applied - it was something like a ridiculously 12%! I think she had an obligation to tell me about that. I unhappily found out about this when I was queuing up to process the refund at the airport, by then I couldn’t go back for cash refund as it was stamped by the merchant. So learn from my lesson.

Okay when you are at the airport, you will need to present both the documents and all of your purchases to the customs desk before you check-in. So, get to the airport early so you can handle this before you check your bag. Alternatively, there's another desk after security check. In this case, pack all the items to show in your carry-on. For cash refund, cash will be given to you on the spot, but credit card refunds will take a few weeks. If you choose this option, then you just have to drop the mailer in the mailbox located at the airport.

Accommodation

I have previously stayed in both Bed & Breakfasts and hotels in London but for this trip, we stayed at a friend’s place who lives near Southwark tube station in central London and it’s of walking distance to Tate and the Borough Market. It is really an excellent location. We managed to save a lot on accommodation but we sacrificed by staying in a small place and stayed in and be with our friend in the evenings. It was a good experience and I enjoyed our friend’s company but next time, I think I’d rather pay for the extra in order to have so privacy and having our own time.

B&Bs are great options in the UK. The highlight is of course the home-made English breakfast. Make sure you choose a central location near the tube station or a ‘cool’ neighbourhood as it will make a big difference for your holiday. My favourite neighbourhoods are Primrose Hill, Hampstead and Notting Hill.

When I used to be a backpacker long time ago, I always stayed in this B&B in Brixton owned by a guy called Nigel. It was a really popular place with Hongkies! Back then, there was no Tripadvisor and we relied on guide books only and Nigel’s B&B was listed on a popular local guide book hence all of the fellow lodgers were from Hong Kong. 

My English colleagues from Hong Kong used to tell me how brave I was for staying in Brixton. Brixton is now an upcoming trendy suburb but back then, apparently there were lots of crimes. I remember there were used to be lots of loonies and drunk hanging around the tube station but we nearly got any trouble. It may sound a bit ‘politically incorrect’ but I guess it was because we are Asians so we were fine.

Nigel was a nice guy even though he used to complain how much toilet paper we used! I remember his revolting toilet seat which was a ‘cushion’ lined with pink PVC. One evening, we spent in his dimmed living room watching a movie together. I noticed all of his windows were sealed with wooden floor boards. I didn’t think how doggy it looked. I thought they were just broken! No wonder his place was so cheap. Anyway, I stayed there twice for over a week each time and we survived! We used to come home on the night bus after clubbing in Heavens. It was totally fine so I am glad I wasn’t prejudiced as I have a good story to tell now!

London (Part 3)

Day 2 : SOHO – Hampstead – Highgate – Broadway Market – Primrose Hill

• Brunch in SOHO - Our friend took us to one of his favourite café in SOHO – Milk Bar (Tube: Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square). I think they are owned by Aussies. The food was very good even though I didn’t have an appetite. I had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on ciabbata toasts and my husband had bircher muesli and fruit which was really delicious and healthy! My Macchiato was too strong for me though. There were only a few tables in Milk Bar. Everyone was very quiet, the streets were deserted on Saturday morning. It was a very difference feel comparing to busy HK on weekends. 
  
  
• 2 Willow Road, Hampstead – “This unique Modernist home was designed by architect Ernö Goldfinger in 1939 for himself and his family. With surprising design details that were ground-breaking at the time and still feel fresh today, the house also contains the Goldfingers' impressive collection of modern art, intriguing personal possessions and innovative furniture”.
  We took a bus from SOHO to Hampstead and it was refreshing travelling on the bus instead. The property is a 2-storey building situated in a really quiet street. You would easily walk pass if not because of the sign. Unfortunately, we were ten minutes late for the 12:30pm guided tour and the next tour was full so we had to give this a miss. 

  

  [ Hampstead Heath ]

  

  [ Couple fishing in Hampstead Heath ]

  
• High Gate Cemetery – we walked to our next destination via Hampstead Heath. It was a nice walk and we had so much space around us. We walked through a lake with an old couple fishing and feeding the ducks and passed the hill. With our friend’s phone navigation, we managed to arrive the cemetery 15 mins. before the next guided tour in the cemetery.
  I had been to High Gate Cemetery before and liked it very much. It was interesting to know the meanings of the statues and the tomb stones and it’s a nice hourly walk around the woods. It’s the rest place of a lot of famous people such as the philosopher, Karl Marx and Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian dissident turned critic murdered by poisoning in London. The cemetery is atmospheric and I enjoyed learning the history from tour guides.
  We had a very good guide this time and he’s knowledgeable and funny. We were also taken inside two mausoleums which I didn’t see before. It was a bit spooky cos’ it was a very narrow room full of old coffins. Even though our friend has lived in London for years, he had never been to the cemetery so it’s nice for me as an ‘outsider’ to show him the ‘secret places’ in London.
  

  

  [ Highgate Cemetery - West Gate]

  

  [ The Mausoleums ]

  

  

  • Highgate Cemetery West Cemetery tour: 
    On Weekdays at 2pm (please book by telephone 10am-5pm Mondays to Fridays only)
    On Weekends hourly from 11am - until 4pm (no advance booking)
    Tickets (cash only): £7 per adult

• Afternoon Tea at High Tea of Highgate (50 Highgate High Street; 11am – 5pm, close on Mon) – Very close to the cemetery. High Tea of Highgate specialises in typically English home-made cakes and scones.

• Broadway Market (Tube: Bethnal Green) - We walked through the canals to the Market after a short ride on the bus from Highgate. The apartments alongside the canal were really stylish so the walk was nice. As we got closer to the market, I noticed that people dressed more stylishly. Broadway Market is very popular with stylish young adults on weekends. It is definitely the place to see and to be seen. Along the market is full of trendy bars and cafes packed with people. The market itself is full of delicious food stalls. I bought a box of ‘vegetable ribbon salad’ and ate in the park nearby. I wish we could spend more time here but our friend had to rush to Borough Market and get groceries for dinner!
  

  

  [ Nice apartments along the canal ]

  Click here for the Broadway Market Guide.
• Here’s another tip for those will be eating out for dinner – Try the Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, Lemonia on 89 Regents Park Road in Primrose Hill and afterwards lie on the hill and watch the stars. It’s a very romantic place.

Day 3 – East London

• Brick Lane - Day 3 was a Sunday. I always love going to the markets in London. I had a few treasures which I have been keeping for years that I got from Petticoat Lane. I used to like Camden Stables Market, Petticoat Lane and the renowned Portobello Market in Nottinghill. They are still great but I like to discover new market and for this trip, I visited Broadway Market and Columbia Road Market the first time! Both were good but size-wise not as big.
  We took the bus to Brick Lane and walked through windy alleyways and reached the Old Spitalfields Market which was ‘unrecognisable’. It’s been gentrified! I think I would prefer the old market but then there were lots of good stalls in this modern market. We didn’t get much time to walk around but we sneaked back after lunch!
  We walked to the SundayUp Market & Backyard Market (Tube: Aldgate East). The food stalls looked very good. It was a nice day out to walk around. Then we walked to Columbia Road Market (Tube: Hoxton; 15 mins. walk from SundayUp Market). There are lots of cool shops alongside the market stalls such as Ryantown, Lapin & Me, Treacle and Bob & Blossom. This market only opens on Sunday and it looks a bit like our flower market in Hong Kong. I bought some home decoration from a small shop called Shelf.
  

  

  [ Cafe in Brick Lane ]

  

  [ Columbia Flower Market ]

  At Columbia Road Market, seek out the small yard-market around the back of Ezra Street for more goodies and vintage bric-a-brac. They have some great 50s enamelware in pretty pastels from £6.
• Shoreditch - We probably finished walking around at 1-ish and was on our way to Albion Caff (2-4 Boundary Street) in Shoreditch but the café was fully packed. So we tried the restaurant, Boundary on the rooftop. Not surprisingly we couldn’t get a table on a busy Sunday as our friend didn’t book for a table! We were quite disappointed as both of us are foodies and both the café and the restaurant have good reviews!
  We ended up having a Sunday roast in a fancy gastropub nearby. The pub was modern and trendy but food was mediocre. It wasn’t cheap neither. After lunch, we went back to the Old Spitalfields Market.
  

  

  [ Albion on Boundary Street ]

  

  [ Sunday roast]

• In the evening, we joined the Jack the Ripper Tour with London Walks (No need to book. Just meet the guide outside the exit of Tower Hill Tube at 7:30pm). Prior to visiting London, we saw a documentary about the case on TV and was fascinated to see the murder location and hear more about the details. So you can imagine we were really looking forward to the tour. At 7:30pm, there was a big crowd waiting outside the Tower Hill tube station so we had to split into two groups. One led by a woman and another led by the famous Jack the Ripper book writer/investigator who we saw on TV. Don’t ask me why but we chose to follow the female guide cos’ it’s a smaller group and I thought they would be giving the same information. After all, we wanted to hear another expert’s perspective as we already saw the other guy on TV. It was a big mistake. The tour was more like a history tour, didn’t give much about the events or the suspects. It was personal and literally a bit boring. So it was really a disappointment. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see sites in relation to the murders and walking in windy alleyways in Whitechapel. The tour finished at around 9:30pm, so we went home and ordered pizza in. It was a wicked pizza, ironically probably the best meal I had in London up to that moment.

  

  [ The Ripper's territory ]

• For those who’s eating out, try Princi (135 Wardour Street) in Leicester Square. They were voted Best Cheap Eat in 2009 by Time Out.