Monthly Archives: October 2013

Sticky rice in lotus leaf – Yauatcha

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Sticky rice in lotus leaf - Yauatcha
With chicken and dried shrimp. A Taste of Yauatcha menu £28.88 for 2 people
Yauatcha, London ENGLAND

Sticky rice in lotus leaf - Yauatcha
Mmm, this sticky rice was very flavorful! I was happily surprised that we each got individual portions because I was enjoying all the delicious food and didn’t want to share, lol. I think I ended finishing up David’s portion too. 🙂 I liked the texture of the rice and it was fun discovering the little pieces of chicken and dried shrimp hidden within.

Tulips and statue of Trajan
Colorful tulips, statue of Trajan, and the Tower of London across the street.

Chicken curry madras – The Stockpot

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Chicken curry madras - The Stockpot
Chicken and mixed vegetable curry over rice, served with chips, carrots and cabbage. Set menu £8.20
The Stockpot, London ENGLAND

Ugh, you call this curry! I was really disappointed in this dish because I know that London has amazing curry, but I guess I ordered it in the wrong place. Shame on me. This madras curry was really sad and didn’t have any of the authentic flavors I was looking for. The fries were good though, thank goodness for that!

Tower Bridge decoration
Decorative side fence railing, Tower Bridge.

Croque Italienne – Patisserie Valerie

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Croque Italienne - Patisserie Valerie
Grilled granary bread sandwich filled with prosciutto ham, mozzarella and topped with sundried tomatoes, black olives and gruyere bechamel. Servied with a salad garnish. £6.70
Patisserie Valerie, London ENGLAND

This was a great variation on the a croque sandwich. I think it was the combination of the crispy granary bread and the “Italian” toppings covered in gruyere bechamel, all broiled to bubbly perfection that made this dish delightfully interesting. Noms! And the “salad garnish” was more substantial than I expected, score!

Raspyberry Heaven smoothie and OJ - Patisserie Valerie
Raspberry Heaven smoothie: raspberry, blueberry, mango and apple. £4.05
Freshly squeezed orange juice. £3.05

Monument of the Great Fire of London view

View from the top of the Monument of the Great Fire of London, including the 30 St Mary Axe building (the Gherkin).

Mixed appetizer platter – Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar

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Mixed appetizer platter - Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar
Thai fish cake, calamari, chicken satay, salt and pepper spare ribs, spring rolls and prawn crackers. Set Menu A £11.80 per person
Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar, London ENGLAND

Oh lord, this plate was large! And unfortunately, everything on it was overcooked, dry, rubbery and disgusting. The only thing that was actually ok even when it was over-fried was the prawn chips. They still had a great crunch and good flavor. We kind of just picked through everything else, took a small bite and that was enough. That was probably for the better because this was just WAY too much fried items for two people especially since there was plenty more food yet to arrive. It made me sad to look at the large pile of uneaten food on this plate though. I guess that’s why the set menu was so affordable – they sacrificed quality for quantity.

Diet Coke - Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar

Diet Coke.

Statue of Winston Churchill

Statue of Winston Churchill, bronze, Ivor Roberts-Jones, Parliament Square.

Olive and cherry tomato greche – Princi

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Olive and cherry tomato greche - Princi
Greek bread with green olives and cherry tomatoes. £2.20
Princi, London ENGLAND

This bread was pretty good. We ordered it because we didn’t recognize the name. It was jam-packed with olives which is great because I’m an olive fiend. They reheated it before serving so it was nice and warm! 🙂

Hungerford Bridge

Crossing the River Thames on the Hungerford Bridge.

Baked venison puff and sweet potato mushroom mei-si roll – Yauatcha

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Baked venison puff and sweet potato mushroom mei-si roll - Yauatcha
Baked bun filled with venision. Deep fried sweet potato and mushroom covered in fine noodles. A Taste of Yauatcha menu £28.88 for 2 people
Yauatcha, London ENGLAND

This was probably our best London meal during this visit. We were on a tight budget so we didn’t go to any fancy restaurants this time around, but Yauatcha had a really good pre fixe for 2 people. It was a great way to taste a variety of their dim sum items without breaking the bank.

We received these two items first, and they were probably our favorites of the meal. The baked venison puff was SO delicious. The outer crust was warm and buttery, and the venison filling was so flavorful. The mei si roll was really fun to eat because of its crispy fried noodle shell. The sweet potato and mushroom filling was super tasty and I would have never thought to combine those two ingredients. NOMS!

Dipping sauces and pickled cucumbers - Yauatcha
Dipping sauces and pickled cucumbers. Complimentary

Elizabeth Tower with Big Ben

The Elizabeth Tower with Big Ben.

Spicy chicken wings – The Stockpot

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Spicy chicken wings - The Stockpot
Braised chicken wings served with a side salad. £3.30
The Stockpot, London ENGLAND

As an American, whenever I see “spicy chicken wings” on a menu, I automatically assume that they’re going to be deep fried and unhealthy, and super delicious! This dish was neither deep fried nor delicious, but I’m sure it was still unhealthy, lol. The chicken wings were hard and of poor quality and the braising liquid (sauce) wasn’t spicy at all. I was surprised at how much you got for the low cost though.

Random parade procession
Random parade procession along Birdcage Walk.

Caffeine break – 34B

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Latte and Americano - 34B
Latte and Americano.
34B, London ENGLAND

This place was probably the most unrelaxing coffee shop I’ve been to in London (and anywhere else actually). The woman serving the drinks was really pushing the food, so we felt uncomfortable taking up space with only coffee. Hardly anybody else around us was eating, but there was that hanging pressure to buy food to justify your stay. Super lame! I will never go back to the place especially since it’s surrounded by so many great coffee shops.

Victoria Memorial

Man and lion statue guarding the Victoria Memorial, Queen’s Garden.

Tom khar kai soup – Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar

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Tom khar kai soup - Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar
Coconut milk chicken soup with mushrooms. Set Menu A £11.80 per person
Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar, London ENGLAND

Wow, this set menu was a great deal! Unfortunately, the food was horrible. This soup was probably the highlight of the meal. Everything else that follow was poorly prepared and odd tasting. Hmm, I would say that maybe I’m just used to American Thai food but I’ve spent a month and a half traveling through Thailand so I have a decent idea of what authentic Thai food should taste like. And this wasn’t even close! 😦

Water - Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar
Water. Coplimentary

The Sherlock Holmes Pub
The Sherlock Holmes Pub. We were walking from Trafalgar Sqaure to the London Eye when we passed this establishment. I thought it looked charming so I snapped a quick pic.

Valdostana – Princi

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Valdostana - Princi
Ham, cheese, artichoke and mushroom. £4.60
Princi, London ENGLAND

I didn’t know what a valdostana was, but it looked good and hearty in the display case so I thought I’d give it a try. Apparently, valdostana refers to a region in Italy and what I ordered was a torta valdostana. It was very tasty and rich. The inner layers of dough seemed a bit undercooked though. Maybe there was just too much butter in the dough. Look at me complaining about overly buttery crust, lol!

Americano - Princi
Americano. £4.60

Green Park
Green Park.

Peach verbena tarte – Laduree

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Peach verbena tarte - Laduree
Tarte peche verveine. Sweet pastry verbena panna cotta, roasted peach quarters. £6
Laduree, London ENGLAND

This tart was REALLY pretty and the verbena panna cotta and peaches were pretty tasty! I was expecting a thinner and more flavorful pastry shell though. This pastry was too thick and clunky, and very difficult to cut through. I expected a lot from Laduree, but they really didn’t deliver the goods.

Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge.

Lentil and asparagus soup – The Stockpot

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Lentil and asparagus soup - The Stockpot
Set menu £8.20
The Stockpot, London ENGLAND

We wanted to try this no frills eatery located across the street from our hotel. The dining room was basic and cozy, and our waiter was very outgoing and confident. The menu was really eclectic and all over the place so it was a bit hard to decide on anything. I’m always wary of restaurants with large menus filled with random items because I feel like they won’t cook any of the dishes REALLY well. In this case of The Stockpot, I was right. All the food we tried was marginal. This soup looked unappetizing and was really bland.

Cuvee Jean Paul house red wine - The Stockpot

Cuvee Jean Paul house red wine. Half bottle £7.50
At least the wine was really affordable!

Soho Square
Soho Square. This is such a cute park and a perfect location to picnic with friends. We met up with an old SF friend who lives in London now, and along with a group of his friends, partied with too many bottles of champagne at this park. It was a blast from what I can remember, lol!