3D2N solo trip in Edinburgh

Hello!!! Apologies for not updating this space... I had every intention to write abt my Taiwan trip, and continue on abt my trip to Seoul, Taiwan, Prague, Rome etc but evidently, it's not gonna happen cos I'm soooo busy with school! In case you're wondering, I'm currently in my final year in dental sch!

Anywayz I'll try my bestest to keep this blog alive by updating once in a while (Eg. whenever I go on a trip) Even if it's just one entry, it's better than nothing right? Hehe so anyway I had a long weekend since it was Bank holiday on Monday. Decided to visit Edinburgh by myself since I haven't been there and it's too much of a hassle tryna find someone to go with me. I'd like to think that I'm pretty independent!

So it's my second time traveling alone! My first solo trip was almost 4yrs ago to Amsterdam! You can read abt it here! Edinburgh is a rather safe city so if you're looking to travel somewhere alone for a short trip, Edinburgh would be a good place to go!

Made a short video of my trip to Edinburgh! It covers most of the things I did on my 3D2N stay! Pity I didn't get to to the top of Arthur's Seat cos it was simply too windy and I gave up halfway (well I was approximately 10min frm the peak but it was drizzling and the wind was so strong, I really thought I was gonna be blown away!)

Anyhowz, here's the video, hope you enjoy it!



The honey-lemon lookalike drink at 2:14 is called Hot Toddy which is basically hot whisky with lemon and spices! It's the best drink ever! Plz try it when you're in Scotland, tastes nothing like whisky! Very sweet! And of cos featuring deep fried mars bar (and my greedy face) and the best baked potato ever with mushroom and sour cream and cheese! Yum!!!!

That's all for now! Till the nxt time! X

London: Borough Market

Following frm my last entry on my visit to London in May 2013, I'm gonna be blogging abt Borough market today!

 

Borough Market

8 Southwark St

Nearest tube station: London Bridge

 

Opening hrs:
Thurs -- 11am to 5pm
Fri -- 12pm to 6pm
Sat -- 9am to 4pm

 

My mom and I spent so much money here. I always tend to overspend when I visit a market cos everything looks so yummy! Must have spent at least 30pounds there.

The first thing we bought was the seafood paella! It was yummy but I wouldn't say it's a must try. Tastes just like any average paella you get off the streets of Barcelona or in any authentic Spanish restaurants. But it definitely tastes better than the paella I had in Serenity/ Don Quijote in Spore which is super pricey and really bad. I'd suggest that you share a portion with someone so you can save your stomach space for other food.


Seafood paella!

My mom insisted on getting a juice at the smoothie bar. There was a long queue and we were really thirsty. I can't rmb which juice we ordered but they were expensive enough -- 4pounds (SGD$8) for a small cup. Nothing impressive, just tastes like normal kinda juice you get out of a blender.

 

Next up, I couldn't resist the urge to try the scallops!!!! I hardly get to eat any proper seafood when I'm in Dublin (except for prawns) So I knew I had to get the scallops even though it was pretty ex and looked rather oily. But in all honesty, the scallops were really worth the price! It was huge and very very delicious!!!! The lady grills it front of you, so you will have to brave the smokey BBQ smell and wait for a bit before your order gets served.

 

Grilling scallops in progress...

Yummy scallops

And finally, my mom and I decided to find the legendary toasted cheese sandwich and raclette frm Kappacasein. We actually walked arnd the whole market at least 3 times trying to locate this stall. Finally decided to stop our blind search and ask one of the stall owners lol.

The queue at the stall was insane! We waited for at least 20min before getting our food! Ordered the 2 things this stall is famous for -- their toasted cheese sandwich and raclette.
 

Kappacasein

 

 

Raclette with potatoes and gherkins

The cheese sandwich consists of shredded Montgomery cheddar, diced onions and leek. They toast it on the spot for you and the result is a gooey mess between 2 slices of sourdough bread. At 5pounds (SGD$10), it was definitely pricey enough. I was expecting some sort of heavenly taste but sad to say, I was utterly disappointed. The toasted sandwich tasted pretty bland to me? I actually couldn't bring myself to finish the sandwich cos it really wasn't that nice and I was pretty full by then.

 

As for the raclette..... It was my first time trying raclette! Raclette is a type of cheese which is heated in front of a fire or special machine and the melted part is then scraped onto a plate. It was served with potatoes and gherkins (which are pickles lol) Once again, I had high expectations for this dish after seeing the man scrape warm gooey melted cheese onto plates after plates of potatoes.
And of cos, expectations only lead to disappointments. The raclette was fascinating but it wasn't tasty enough for me. It's the kinda food you'd eat once and be like, "Oh so this is what it tastes like..." and you'll nvr ever crave for it again.
I mean the raclette just tastes like normal cheese to me, somewhat like cheddar? Sorry but I'm not a cheese expert but yeah basically it's similar to the kinda gooey cheese you get on your pizza. Anyhowz, my mom and I couldn't bring ourselves to finish the plate of potatoes and gherkins with raclette piled on top of it.

Having said that, maybe it's just me and my taste buds becos this stall's definitely one of the more crowded ones in Borough market. And everyone else seems to love the toasted sandwiches/ raclette. I guess you could always try but don't say I didn't warn you!!!
Once again, you might consider sharing with someone since it isn't cheap and it's really filling!!!

 

 

 

 

Saw loads of cakes and pastries on sale too. Heard that the duck confit sandwich and beef burger are really good too but didn't get to try them! Partly cos I don't like burgers haha.

Apart frm food, Borough Market also has stalls selling homewares and decorations and some florists. It is definitely a nice place to check out when you're in London esp if you're into weekend markets and stuff.

Gonna end off with a pic of me taken the min I arrived in London!

 

Till the nxt time, bye! X

London: Hummingbird bakery

Wanted to do an entry on Lisbon but there's just too much to write abt (done with half the draft but I'm too lazy to complete it) So since I visited London over the weekend, just thought I'd post abt London instead!

Well, prior to my weekend trip, I made a mental note of the places I wanna visit. Hummingbird bakery topped the list! I've heard so much abt this place and its amazing red velvet cupcakes. So with the help of google and some maps, I decided to visit the outlet in Soho! It's abt a 10 min walk frm Oxford Circus/ Picadilly Circus/ Tottenham Court Rd tube station. But I got lost lol, I'm just really bad with directions.

Anywayz was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the shop cos it wasn't too crowded! The shop has limited seats available but I'm glad that my mom and I managed to get a place. I think most people get take aways and FYI, it's cheaper if you do a take away!

Hummingbird Bakery

155a Wardour Street

Soho, London

W1F 8WG

They sell cakes too!

Red velvet cupcake.

Carrot cupcake.

We ordered the red velvet cupcake (lol obviously a must try based on multiple reviews online) and a carrot cupcake. They're pricey enough at approx £3.30 per cupcake (I think it's £2.65 if you eat out) That's like SGD$6 for a small cupcake yikes! And my mom got an Americano too so the total bill was arnd £11.

Sad to say, both cupcakes tasted pretty average to me? The icing was very sweet. Felt somewhat cheated after eating the cupcakes, it really isn't that legendary as the reviews made it out to be! Sigh, all the wasted calories....

Don't think I'll visit Hummingbird bakery again! But well, the restaurant nxt to Hummingbird bakery in Soho seemed pretty packed and I think it sells mains + desserts too. I might try it the nxt time!

Check out http://hummingbirdbakery.com/ for more info. Their other oulets include Notting Hill and South Kensington.

Will post abt the other places I visited in London over the weekend + Lisbon soon! X