So here’s to the beginning of (yet another) trip of a lifetime.
As I am typing this, my energy is hitting a critical level and my eyes brain can shut down at anytime. I thought the jet lag won’t hit me bad as I traveled from east to west, but obviously I was wrong. But I am determined to be living it up on London’s time right away, so hey, look, it’s only midnight, so it’s time to put down those memories in writing.
Jet Airways. A pleasant, pleasant surprise. The cabin, though old, was surprisingly pleasant. That was helped by the many unoccupied seats as I travel from Hong Kong to Mumbai. The entertainment unit even serves on demand movies; how cool is that? So I watched “We Bought A Zoo” and “Devil Wears Prada” while devouring my curry chicken meal. The transit at the Mumbai airport was more than harrowing so wasn’t something I’d like to commit to memory. But we arrived on time at London airport, and in record time I cleared the custom and off to meet my dear friend, Liping.
Granger & Co. After a quick freshen up, we were off to this iconic Australian restaurant. Despite the many “un”-recommendations by fellow foodies, I found the food to be surprisingly pleasant. True to its namesake I ordered the Aussie breakfast, and in each components I found great taste and wonderful cooking. Now isn’t that what it is all about?
Hummingbird Bakery. Continuing on my culinary adventure, we sauntered down Portobello Market. Summer in London was on its best behaviour, complete with sunshine and blue skies. I bought myself a Red Velvet and Malt & Milkshake cupcakes. Finished half of them in record time.
The Bull & Last. And so after a quick nap, we were off… to dinner. The Bull & Last lived up to all its hype. Wonderful food, in a leafy neighbourhood, and in a gastropub setting that I was quick to warm up to. We were lucky to be there early, as the seats was fast filling up halfway through our meal. Of course I would do a proper review.
Parliament Hill. As Liping was off to see her boys and I had an hour or so to spare, so I walked around the Parliament Hill trying to expense my newly consumed calories. Parks and fields in summer do seem different in London. I won’t say it was a glorious day, but at least the locals were out in force to enjoy the rare sunshine. Hey, even the sun was still up and it was close to 9 p.m. already.
Royal Oak. And then it was a bus-and-overground adventure to get to Kitson’s place for a quick catch up over wine. Ahhhh… nothing beats good old gossips and juicirific news as the wine poured. But my eyes couldn’t take it anymore, hence the early night back in Notting Hill.
All in all, a great start to my holiday.