Borough Market

Woke up extremely early on a weekend to visit a market?!?!?!
yeah, I must be having a fever or something...
head damaged probably.

You cannot miss Borough Market bcoz it is one of the largest + oldest in the world!!
it was built in 1851 situated at the end of London Bridge.

Jamie Oliver get his stuffs here!!!
hehehehe.
Pheasants.....they lurve to hunt these birds
these are extremely fresh with gun shot wounds.
erm...?????
All kind of cheese,
this place is so huge that we had to walk around twice to make sure we dun miss a single thing!!
Confirmed kiasu!!!

Actually we were looking hi and lo for some exotic sausage for Lawrence.
We went to the spanish meat shop, they asked us to go to the Germans..
and the german shop directed us to the Italian one...

ended we dun even know wat were we conversing!??!?!
spanggerlian perhaps???
wow!! artisan bread!!!
the aroma drives me crazy!!!
but nothing can beat this!!!
My nose lead me to this shop which sells yummy breakfast!!

They have all sort of combos
eggs + bacon + mushrooms
eggs + bacons + tomatoes
eggs + bacons + sausages
eggs + sausages + so many other things
just tell them wat u want!
JS had this!!
Guess he had enuff of bacons with our "almost everyday" Mcdonald's bacon + egg breakfast.
Lotsa herbs in their sausage
Most of the time they used thyme or rosemary
Oh yea, after breakfast kenot complain about being:
- cold
- can't walk
- hungry
- I smelled sumthing yummy hence I can't walk bcoz I am hungry
- cold
- cold
- cold
- I have yet to have bacon today
all the beautiful greens
Can u see the red chilis above??
the size of my face!!!
fresh oysters
they'll shuck it there and u just slurp it there!!
Can't get any fresher than this unless u go and catch it yourself.
crab claws....
This species is so endangered that u can only eat its claws
*then dun eat lar!!!*

they'll catch the crabs, break its claws and throw them back into the sea..
bcoz the claws will grow back.
ADOI!!!
freshly hand made chocolate truffles,
so many of them!!!!

THEN I SMELLED SOMETHING REALLY GOOD
really comforting and yummy
I can almost taste it.....
ooOOOooooo
TOASTED CHEESE SANDWICH!!!!!!
see how thick the shaved cheese were!!!!
the sourdough bread was so crunchy *can die*
so much of melted cheese with the occasional sweet onions in it.

One ain't enuff,
moreover I had to share!!!!
GBP 4 = RM 28
yeah food is expensive in London so pls compare dollar to dollar.
Best time to come???
Got to be Saturday!!!

www.boroughmarket.org.uk

Tom Aikens, the food artist

Tom Aikens is really an underrated chef with a bad boy image,
He's the youngest chef in the world to be awarded 2 michelin star at 26,
*pssssstttt that was 10 years ago*

Currently his restaurant, under his name has been awarded
the 8th best restaurant in the world,
So u must go!!!
JS bought his book like quite some time ago,
which I flipped tru uninterestingly...
coz it's sooooo about presentation.
I was WRONG!
Tom lurves froth.....I see them in almost every dish.
So this was the appetizer which u'll need to begin from left to right.
the lil red straw is actually made from grilled sweet red pepper,
which can be eaten whole.

I guess we didn't make a fool of ourselves by drinking the frothy soup with it,
it would have melted...
thanks to their well trained world class service,
every dish were presented professionally and well explained on how it should be consumed and enjoyed...

or maybe just bcoz we are asians,
we do not know how to dine in a civilised way?!?!?!?!
okie let's not be racist!!!
*I realised I just did....shoot me*
this was made from celeriac...
with shaved truffles on top.

Celeriac is in season now hence it's the star ingredients in his menu.
There were a selections of bread.....like a pandora box on a tray,
which was a bit too many for me,
by the time the waitress explained wat was this and this and this...
i've forgotten wat were they...esp the first few.
This was my starter,
lobster with lotsa truffles and lobster oil on the side.
JS had langoustine with pumpkin sauce on the side,
and a chili tempura on top.
I've alwiz enjoyed restaurants with proper sommelier,
forgotten her name but I supposed she's french with such strong accent...
and a classic french look.
Seriously forgotten wat JS had.....
even he himself can't recall.
This is the problem when u do not keep your receipts.

All his plates are from Wedgwood - Jasper Conran collection
Cutleries fr Laguiole.
Aren't they beautiful??

Well both of us soooooo wanted to buy beautiful china fr Harrods
coz it's so cheap as compared to Msia...
IF only we can carry them home.
This was wat I had.....porkie...yep!!!
on the left is a lasagna of bacon/prosciutto with caramelised onion on top of a crispy sourdough.
Top is the pork cutlet with the crispiest skin u can ever imagine sitting on top of a big chunk of crispy porkie skin.
and lastly on top of soft yummy celery was the loin.

Just as the head waiter said...I'll get to enjoy every good part of porkie.
Oh yes....and my partner was eye-ing my food!!!!
went very well with the burgundy....
*I was not allowed to drink a lot that nite*
and yes we had a rose billecart salmon champagne...a very elegant champagne
well it has about 200 years of history...so I lurve every drop of it.
our pre-dessert in a nice bottle,
made from apple to clean our palate before indulging in dessert.
he had panna cotta with mini lime crepes and caramelised pears
I had poached pineapple in spiced syrup,
all the cubed pineapples were stringed into vanilla beans,
with crispy carrots on the side.
petit four
wat came next were complimentary and I do not think I can finish them all,

IF....
IF ONLY I KNEW!!!!
I would have save more space in my stomach....
bcoz.....bcoz...
BECAUSE
I've never had the GRANDEST dessert in my life!!!!
5 different frothy flavours to tease my senses.
and we must consume them fr right to left....
orange with some other ingrediets,
coffee sumthing sumthing,
chocolate with vanilla sumthing
ribena and something infused with alcohol
and lastly passion fruit with another fruit..

OMG, my descriptions were so vague...
did no justice to Mr. Aikens at all!!!
CLAP CLAP CLAP
another 5 more testing tubes with lollipops!!!
this is every gal's dream....
we were given separate straws to drink it.
I must have gone berserk by then....
hahahahaha

very memorable dinner esp the roast porkie,
and dessert of coz!!
I would go again.

3 course dinner cost GBP 65 without VAT per person
Tom Aikens
43 Elystan Street,
SW3 3 NT
London.
Tel: 020 7584 2003
www.tomaikens.co.uk
Reservation: 2 months in advance.

outside my apartment at Gloucester Place,
check the day's temperature and be prepared!!!
all wrapped up and ready to go.
You'll find Nero everywhere as well as Starbucks...
I thought Britain supposed to be a tea drinking country?!?!?!?!?!
very good coffee there but can't be compared with the best - Monmouth coffee
I'll blog about it next time.
JS bought gingerbread for me,
knowing how "kiddie" I am!!!!
lil things like this made me adore him even more.
hehehehe
We practically visited almost all the foodhall/food market we can find in the city!!!
Hildon, most popular mineral water for Londoners???
Salmon caesar salad is so huge!!!
with the thick slab of grilled salmon on top.
Doesn't even looked like a starter portion to me.
Come on!!! Pasta King having pasta in London???
confirmed it's a big let down.
While I settled for a steak with a big glob of butter on top.
Fat Fat Fat FAt Fat fat fat fat fat fat
nvm...eat first.

Let's cross over to Piccadilly Circus!!

As I was snapping this pic,
a group of adorable school children on their field trip was doin some historical assignment
with their teachers towing them...

They kept asking me: "Wat's her name? Wat's the angel's name?"
Monkey: "errrrrrr.......uhmmmm....
*trying hard not to let them down*
....ehhhh this is Piccadilly Circus, I think that's her name.....bluek.....SORRY I AM A TOURIST...I DUNNO!!!"
*Ran away and hide*

Later I found out her name is "Eros" = The Angel of Christian Charity
It was built in 1819.

Sorry...I've only learnt about our TUGU Negara!!!!
*slaps forehead*
Oh yesssssssssss....I am in Oxford Street!!!!!
It was before 10am hence the street was quite empty.
try walking there at nite......u dun walk....u just push around with the rest of the pedestrians + shopping bags.

I lurve it when the weather is cool and crisp with blue blue sky.

Oh yea, the most efficient mode of transport in London = Tube
Fast, Cheap and easy.
A similar journey which will cost RM 2.10 in Malaysia is about GBP 5.50 there.
well, which translates to RM 38.50...
so msians, treasure your sucky crowded LRT.

Anyway we got unlimited weekly travel cards (Oyster card) which cost about GBP 23.20 a week.
the maid was so sweet
:))))

JS: "U must learn to fold table napkins like this."
Monkey: ".................-_-................"

Christmas 2007

My christmas pressie didn't sit under the tree for long,
or I would say it did not go anywhere near any trees...

from the boutique straight to my lap....
hahahahahahaha

it wasn't even wrapped!!!

JS went to pick it up from the Armani Collezioni boutique at New Bond Street.
I lurve it!!!
It is soooooo ME
from the 2007 fall winter collection.
Another pretty mother ship bag to store all my stuffs,
yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The gals enjoying their sexay lingerie pressie fr London!!!
*minus the crocodile, it's not mine*
I spent christmas with Sizuka, Nee Lee & Mee Mee.
Mee mee, Sizuka & Nee Lee
taken at Sizuka's new home.
We can't wait till you are done with the interior design.
with Monkey!!!

Nope we didn't have Turkey nor ham,
but KFC and lotsa lotsa laughter!!!!

and Nee Lee was so sweet to invite me over to her home for dinner
:))))))))))))))))
Wow seems like it's complete!!!
I've visited everyone's home.

Covent Garden

Know that some of u are dying to read bout the London trip post,
will absolutely do it in the next few posts...
promise promise promise.

I'm waiting for more pics fr JS's SLR camera.