Eats around London

Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 3:46 PM | Posted by K
     Pizza Hut was our first stop for lunch while we were in London. We ordered a medium-sized Seafood Lovers pizza (GBP 10.99) with the Italian base crust. From the menu, it was stated juicy prawns and crayfish tails, cherry tomatoes, fresh seasonal leaves top the pizza. The base was expertly hand-stretched in the kitchen to order (that explains the long wait!) and was done in traditional style. Ok, let's just go straight to the point. The pizza was a complete letdown in terms of toppings, not to mention the service too. I found that the pizza had too little ingredients. Here's the proof:


I dare say there's only a piece of prawn, craytail fish and a slice of cherry tomato on each slice.


The seafood pizza actually tasted quite nice and it was not oily at all unlike those back in Malaysia. Note the buffet lunch (all-you-can-eat style) is for GBP 6.99 per person. Definitely worth it if you like all kinds of pizzas, pastas and salads.

Went to this cafe but didnt buy anything from there.



LOL! I didnt know how to pronounce the name.


Yummy! My friend bought the milk bread on the right that looks exactly like croissant for only 30p a piece.


Jam brioche. (One of the many pastries)


Traditional oven to bake traditional snacks =)

After that, we went to a famous frozen yogurt store called SNOG in Soho that my friend claimed to be very famous. I tried the Bittersweet Dark Chocolate yogurt with granola bits on top of it. The first bite was full of chocolate flavour then later on the sourness of the yogurt sipped right in. To order, choose your Snog first. There are three choices: Natural, Green Tea, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate. Then choose the size and toppings. There are Little, Classic and Big. Lots of toppings to be chosen too. Popular ones are chocolate brownies, oreo cookies, all kinds of berries, chocolate hearts and much more.





Lots of toppings to choose from


This costs GBP 3.55


The Menu


Cool lights that change colour



SNOG
9 Brewer Street
Soho, London
Tel: 020 7494 3301
http://www.ifancyasnog.com/

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Patisserie Valerie, London

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 12:22 PM | Posted by K
     The first day I was in London, my Chinese friend, Lisa, recommended us to have dinner in Patisserie Valerie nearby Covent Garden. It is a cosy little shop with very lovely decorations in it. And the cafe has an European feel to it. When we got there, we had to wait for nearly 30 minutes to be seated. And I think it's not worth it if you just want to try their cakes and pastries. Why? Because take away is cheaper and you pratically dont need to wait to be served. (Well, I didnt know that. I have learnt my lesson. XD)



The outside view


The menu


The cake display


Artsy Deco


Plentiful of pastries like quiches and scones at the counter


Another artsy piece


Berry Mousse (GBP 3.75)

I had a bite and didnt really like the mousse. I thought it's a little too hardened to be called mousse. My pick was Double Choc (GBP 3.75). This was sinfully delicious and I enjoyed every bite.


I'm salivating now just by looking at it.


The cake was soft and had a rich chocolatey taste.


The cream puff on top of the cake.




Fruit Scone (GBP 2.25)

I also had this plate of scones which I thought it's a little bit expensive for just two miserable pieces without butter and jam as stated in the menu. Nonetheless, I still like the scone just the way it is. It was soft, buttery as well as fragrant and baked to perfection. The raisins in the scones did not overpower the original taste of the scones too. The scones tasted just as good without the butter and jam!



Selva (GBP 3.75)


Strawberry Slice (GBP 3.75)

Nothing to shout about these two pieces of cake. Just the ordinary strawberry taste. Or is it because I dont really fancy strawberry cakes?

Total bill rounded up to 21 pounds for all the desserts above. Besides pastries and things alike, the cafe also has an extensive menu on continental breakfast, brunch, lunch, grilled sandwiches and much more. There are 20 branches around the UK but most of them are located at London or south England. I will definitely come back for more.



Patisserie Valerie
15 Bedford Street,
Covent Garden,
London WC2E 9HE
Tel: 0207 379 6428
http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/



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Of Cute Buns, Holland, Costa and so much more...

Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 5:21 PM | Posted by K
So, this is a quick recap of what I did the whole reading week (meaning is exactly what stated on the tin: read for the whole week!)

No, I didn't go to the Netherlands, but my friends did. They were on a study trip to explore the buildings there. One of them, Dayang is very thoughtful to bring me back a souvenir.


Keychain of the famed clog (Thanks, Dayang!)

Went to Tesco in Market Street to collect my new all-in-one Canon printer. At only GBP 29.97, it is really a steal!





Bought Warburtons Milk Roll for 70 pence from there as well. It got a really sweet milky flavour unlike the normal bread. You will end up eating more than you should! Though I must say, wholemeal bread is still a healthier version.


Never see such cute buns before! Brunch for today (Butter and strawberry jam buns)

Yesterday went window shopping whole day. Bought nothing, just a cup of traditional tea (GBP 1.60) from Costa. Walked home feeling nice and warm.


                                     



The tea tasted great, btw.

Assignments and assessments apart, this is how I spent my reading week. Still have lots to accomplish!


Meanwhile, this is how it looks like from my room in Manchester during fall. Winter is just around the corner!


Tree on the left: Hey, why are you bald?
Tree on the right: I'm preparing for winter, you weirdo. Why haven't you drop all your leaves?
Tree on the left: Oh, really? I don't know I need to do that.

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Kettle Chips Sour Cream and Chive

Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 10:38 PM | Posted by K


Bought this from Asda in Hulme for 1 pound. Quite a good deal because I couldn't finish it in one go. Its portion was really big.







The chips are full of little bits of chives which I think it's really nice. First bite was fantastic but it can be a little salty to my liking towards the end. Definitely a great snack for those who are not on diet. ;p

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Hence the name

Monday, October 19, 2009 at 12:31 AM | Posted by K
Why AsterRuby, you may ask?

Aster is a kind of flower which comes in abundance of colours and cues. It is also known for its outstanding flower heads. It symbolises love and daintiness. In Latin and Greek, it means 'star'.



This is what aster looks like, isn't it pretty? ;p

Ruby, on the other hand is derived from the Latin word 'ruber' meaning red. It has a special meaning to me, but I choose not to disclose it. *wink* I like the combination of these two lovely words. And my main reason for putting Aster is because I want this blog to have as many varieties as possible, just like the flower. I will blog about anything that comes to my mind. So please stay tune for more!

p/s: I know this blog may be more on the food part, but trust me it will get better. Please give me some time, thanks!

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First Post Ever!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009 at 4:39 PM | Posted by K
My first post! Hooray, I finally did create a blog after ages of contemplating.....

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