The Tower Bridge, dressed up for the Olympics
Conquering London in a day with a Travelcard.
The London Underground, breakdowns are a daily occurrence here.
My first Krispy Kreme, an original glazed donut purchased from a stopover at Oxford on the bus ride to London. A pity that it was cold.
I had a wonderful lunch and dinner in the city but let's leave the details till another time!
Pierre Hermé, I've missed you. His macaron shells are simply perfect- tender with a thin, crispy exterior- and come in the most magical flavor combinations. My old favorites- infiniment caramel (salted butter caramel) and rose- still wowed. But the flavor of the month, Jardin d' Eden (bottom left), was quite a revelation as well. Who knew that vanilla and basil would go so beautifully together?
Of course I couldn't resist lugging back boxes of assorted macarons back home. These gems are priced at £1.85 a piece, £15 for a box of seven, £25 for a box of twelve. Pricey, but I'll rather fork out for quality macarons instead of the sugary morsels ubiquitous in Singapore.
Of course I couldn't resist lugging back boxes of assorted macarons back home. These gems are priced at £1.85 a piece, £15 for a box of seven, £25 for a box of twelve. Pricey, but I'll rather fork out for quality macarons instead of the sugary morsels ubiquitous in Singapore.
I was hoping that the Belgravia boutique would stock Pierre Hermé's pastries but alas, there was only an array of chocolates, jams, pates de fruits and pound cakes alongside the macarons. Looks like I'll have to visit Paris to try his Ispahan and Infiniment Vanille tart someday!
Buckingham Palace
Can anyone resist Ottolenghi's heart-stopping window displays of pastries? The heart was willing but tummy space was limited, so I settled on a passion fruit meringue tart (£3.60). (Thanks Kaelyn for the recommendation!) Cuddled inside a buttery tart crust, the zesty punch of the luscious passion fruit curd was perfectly offset by the airy peaks of sweet meringue.
Hot chocolate from Patisserie Valerie. This was only alright- the chocolate flavors could have been much richer.
The Caffé Concerto tempted with its vast display of cakes but they were unfortunately mediocre, so was the gelato.
As long as the queues for the lift at Covent Garden station may seem, do not attempt to climb up the stairs unless you are a Vertical Marathon champion. I failed to heed the advice of the warning sign at the bottom of the spiral staircase and was tugging myself up the steps with my arms after after 70 steps.
He may resemble a statue but this busker at Covent Garden will wave to you if you drop him a coin.
Home to the infamous breast milk ice cream that made international news.
Thankfully they have more conventional flavors. There was one which contained guarana which I skipped. And if I remember correctly, there was chilli and lemongrass...
I was contemplating if I should give it a try until a saw the price. £19.95 for three scoops of ice cream, anyone?
The other flavors weren't cheap either, starting from £4.95 for a double scoop. The apple vodka sorbetto was pleasantly icy, and I liked how smooth and velvety the Jubilee strawberry ice cream was. I wasn't particularly impressed though- do visit The Icecreamists if you're keen on their unusual concoctions, but I would rather head elsewhere for my fix of conventional ice cream flavors.