foodporn
Before I start sharing my love for food and Borough Market, let me try (yet again) to clear something up - you may skip the next chunk of text if you just want to read about food.
The most common phrase friends and family members from Singapore say to me when I meet them in London or talk to them via text/skype is "You have been traveling a lot!" To which I sheepishly smile and say "Hahaha really? Just a little!" I don't really know how/what to feel or respond sometimes, after hearing it from different people, I just accepted it, and stopped feeling bad for so doing. I gave up denying that I travel too much or justifying why I travel, I gave up telling people how I afford it, because some people just assume my family is rich (NO I don't take money from my parents to travel).
Anyway, I think the main reason why people tell me this is because I keep blogging about my travel adventures, and sharing images on Instagram of the places i've been to around Europe, and I barely mention about my life in London (apart from the outfit photos). But this is because I don't know what to say about my life in London. When I'm in London, I go to school, sometimes I eat out, other times I binge watch american dramas, and most of the time I'm hooked on instagram, youtube and pinterest. Apart from dressing up to school - my way of dabbling in something creative so that part of my brain doesn't rot from all the intense science and engineering - there really isn't much I do that is worth sharing (in my opinion!)
Honestly, compared to other exchange students, I must say I don't travel as much. When you get 1 year to stay and live in Europe, you MUST travel. If not, it is a colossal waste of opportunities. My friends visited 35 cities in their half a year of exchange, I doubt i've gone to 25 thus far. So, I will be traveling MORE. Just because I can, it makes me happy, and I WANT TO. There are many many MANY more places I would love to visit, explore and document my experiences. You're most definitely welcome to join me and hear about them.
Now that that is out of the way. We can go back to talking about London. You might think travel and clothes are my weakness, but my true weakness is actually food. It may not seem like it, but it is. I HAVE to eat out when I'm in a different city. It's as if it is a crime when I don't. And I get very upset when I miss out a chance for good food. In the same way, I get very excited when I do eat good food, and one of the places in London with AWESOME FOOD is Borough Market!
I went to Borough Market with my family, in December. They loved it so much they wanted to go back the next day! My impression of (and experience back home with) markets are that they are crowded, rowdy, noisy and in general just all over the place. I expected Borough Market to be a typical open air, street markets with pushcart like stalls being set up side by side. But no! It was one of those partially covered, considerably neat (I mean they had a map - of course I got lost anyway, but when there is food all around, I don't mind getting lost), each stall was beautifully set up and decorated, and they had sections for different types of food. Not to mention, the market is HUGE. I wished i had a super huge stomach so I could sample all the different food there.
For the first 10 minutes, I didn't get anything because I was afraid i'd be full from eating it and "Something better would come along". Eventually, I saw a stall selling Egyptian food, and decided to try it. My mum and siblings were hesitant because we had no clue what Egyptian food tasted like. But it was so good we finished up that bowl almost immediately after taking this photo!
*I realised the image of the roast hog is pretty... explicit for people who are against eating meat/pork, sorry for that!
After trying several different meat options, we proceeded to walk around to the other side of the market with the help of the map. When we saw this stall selling Fresh Oysters, my brother and sister insisted the HAD to try it. After we bought 3 oysters (my mum doesn't like seafood), the queue got long. An older couple in front of us bought 8! This young man was just busting open those oysters like it was a piece of cake. I doubt it is as easy as he made it seem to be.
 |
| A we-love-oysters-and-this-is-awesome shot taken by my mummy and suggested by my sister. |
Those oysters were really fresh and just so much juicy goodness. I don't even fancy seafood that much (with the exception of chilli crab), and I thought the oysters were so good. Zara and Isaac went for seconds, obviously.
After having lunch and so much savoury food, there is no way we would leave out deserts! There were so many different sweet treats available to choose from, my sister went for cookies, my brother said oysters were a good enough desert, and my mum and I decided to try the Thai Style Coconut Pancakes.
I was expecting it to have a mild artificial coconut flavouring, like most coconut cakes and sweets, but no it was completely authentic! The texture of the pancake was thin and crispy, and the coconut centre was soft, jelly-like, and exploded when bit into. I would highly HIGHLY recommend trying this if anyone is planning to visit Borough Market in London.
I think this was my mum's favourite dish of all the different food items we tried.
Generally, eating out in London can be pretty expensive. So a good way to not break the bank, but still have nice interesting food, is by visiting markets such as Borough Market. I have yet to hear a disappointing story from anyone who has been to Borough Market. I think there are so many options that it is hard to not find anything that you like. From fresh fruits and vegetables, to meat and cheese. Even bottles of honey, biscuits, cookies, and of course various savoury food from around the world. Paella, thai curry, african food, you name it, it probably can be found there! Having a meal in a market is definitely a great way to have a variety of food in one location - something I dearly miss from Singapore.
Even though the food prices aren't too cheap, and the portions may not be big, it is still cheaper than eating out at a café of restaurant. Plus the atmosphere and the aroma of food is just heavenly! I am getting hungry just talking about this.
Borough Market
8 Southwalk Street, London SE1 1TL
Opening Hours
Monday - Thursday: 10am - 5pm
Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 8am - 5pm
What do you love most about food markets? Are there other markets in London I should visit? Suggestions please :)
Awesome-st Food in Borough Market
5 March 2015
Despite having my birthday fall on Halloween, I never really had any elaborate celebrations for it, neither have I attended any halloween parties. You would think being born on the 31st of October would give me a free pass to any halloween party, but i've never been into celebrating halloween.
This is because,
a) I don't do spooky/gore/horror very well - nope i've never watch a horror film, and I will never
b) Halloween isn't that big in Singapore, at least not when I was younger.
So, while many londeners (and people around the world) dress up, paint their faces (I must say some of their self painted scars and wounds were so real. Props to them!) and head for parties, I had a nice quiet dinner with 2 of my favourite people from school, who just so happen to come down to London to spend some quality time with me.
(btw, to my other classmates - thank you for the midnight surprise and the cake. No wonder Jerald refused to let me go to sleep!)
The Bleeding Heart is a nice french restaurant located in Holborn.
According to the New Yorker, it is "Bleeding hard to find, but worth it." And it is true. It was pretty confusing trying to find the restaurant, but the bleeding heart bar is pretty prominently located, so the waiters at the bar were really nice and directed us to the restaurant.
I was so excited to finally go for a fancy dinner after having self-cooked meals for so long (not that I don't enjoy cooking with my friends).
Stepping in and being greeted with "Bonjour" and "Mademoiselle", plus waiters saying "Bon Appetite" after every course is served, really brought back memories of Paris. The whole ambience was amazing, the food was good, and the company was definitely the best part of my night.
Jerald and I both got wine. He got White wine and I got Rosé, and of course, they were both tasted pretty good. Not that I have any form of knowledge of how to judge the quality of wine, but my palette was very very happy with what was served.
Our starters, mine (top) and Jerald's (bottom)
Fungyee's Sea Bass and Jerald's Halibut respectively
This is because,
a) I don't do spooky/gore/horror very well - nope i've never watch a horror film, and I will never
b) Halloween isn't that big in Singapore, at least not when I was younger.
So, while many londeners (and people around the world) dress up, paint their faces (I must say some of their self painted scars and wounds were so real. Props to them!) and head for parties, I had a nice quiet dinner with 2 of my favourite people from school, who just so happen to come down to London to spend some quality time with me.
(btw, to my other classmates - thank you for the midnight surprise and the cake. No wonder Jerald refused to let me go to sleep!)
The Bleeding Heart is a nice french restaurant located in Holborn.
According to the New Yorker, it is "Bleeding hard to find, but worth it." And it is true. It was pretty confusing trying to find the restaurant, but the bleeding heart bar is pretty prominently located, so the waiters at the bar were really nice and directed us to the restaurant.
I was so excited to finally go for a fancy dinner after having self-cooked meals for so long (not that I don't enjoy cooking with my friends).
Stepping in and being greeted with "Bonjour" and "Mademoiselle", plus waiters saying "Bon Appetite" after every course is served, really brought back memories of Paris. The whole ambience was amazing, the food was good, and the company was definitely the best part of my night.
Jerald and I both got wine. He got White wine and I got Rosé, and of course, they were both tasted pretty good. Not that I have any form of knowledge of how to judge the quality of wine, but my palette was very very happy with what was served.
That evening, I was having a meat craving. So I went for a duck and chicken starter, and suckling pig for mains. Jerald, who loves seafood, went for a lobster and avocado salad for starters, and both Fungyee and he got Fish for their main course.
Before our starters arrived, we were served some smoke salmon on a crispy toasted biscuit. Which was REALLY good. Like a burst of flavour in your mouth. All three of us loved it.
On a completely different note, the heart shaped lights in the ceiling left really nice heart shaped reflections on our plates!
Jerald swapped his starter with me halfway through the course because I realised finishing a whole meat starter would result in me being unable to finish my suckling pig. That is not the way it should go.
Our starters, mine (top) and Jerald's (bottom)
I actually think the portion was big enough for an afternoon snack, or even a main course. But disclaimer - I'm a small meals many meals sorta girl, I had to skip lunch that day to make sure I was hungry enough during dinner.
The waiters were really nice and kept checking with us if we were enjoying our meal, which made me feel warm, welcomed and at home.
I remember bubbling with delight upon the arrival of our main courses - the smell of the roast on the suckling pig was divine. It has been ages since I've had suckling pig, hence the joy.
I wished the skin was crispier and less hard, but the meat was nice and tender, and to my surprise, it really blended well with the apple sauce.
I've never really like mixing my salty and sweet when I'm hungry - it's just an unexplainable preference. But I thought the slight sweetness from the apple sauce balanced very nicely with the suckling pig.
Fungyee's Sea Bass and Jerald's Halibut respectively
I liked how they served the sea bass with something like a potato puree instead of regular mash potatoes. It was called saffron pomme mousseline. I thought pomme means apple in french, but I swear it tasted like potatoes. Regardless, it was different and I liked it!
Dinner ended off with complimentary madelines dusted off with icing sugar. Oh how I miss having croissants and madelines!
On a whole, we had a really good time, and a great meal. It wasn't cheap, but the ambience and good service made it an A-worthy experience.
Disclaimer: I wish my meal was sponsored, but no, I was not. Opinions are entirely my own. Ok, Jerald settled the bill, so technically I did not pay for my meal.
Birthday Dinner @ The Bleeding Heart, London
9 November 2014 Bleeding Heart Yard, London EC2N 8SJ, UK
I hardly ever eat my money's worth at buffets and I can never finish a three course meal without skipping lunch.
Another thing is, I'm really fickle when it comes to food. Every time I open a menu, I feel like having 3 different things on it. Thats just because I want to try how different dishes taste like.
I've always had problems with finishing my food. Somehow, portions just come too big, and I have trouble stuffing my face without puking.
When I was in secondary school, I had friends who didn't like me because I couldn't finish my food and refused to hang out with me (?! till this day I don't get it.) From ages 5 to 9 whenever I couldn't finish the breakfast given to me - which was double of what my siblings had on their plate - I would have to sit at the front door with my plate and not be allowed into the house unless I finish every bit of food - thinking back, its pretty hilarious!
This is why, ever since I was young, I LOVE having huge chinese style dinners with my whole extended family because it means having the liberty to control how much food I want to eat, and stopping when I'm full.
Eating out in European countries has not always been pleasant. I cannot, for the life of me, comprehend how people can finish a starter, a main plus a drink, and a basket of bread, all by themselves. When Jerald and I eat out in various european countries, and when we met up with my friends in Belgium, we faced a certain kind of judgement from waiters taking our orders when we don't order "enough". For a guy, Jerald does not have a big appetite, neither does he have the habit of finishing others' food (my younger brother does that for me a lot) because he's the only child. So most of the time, we share a main course and 1 or 2 side dishes. Whenever we order 2 main course dishes, We end up leaving 1/4 of mine behind because the portion is too big, which is such a waste.
Can I just digress and say - THE CHURROS WERE AWESOME.
Sharing main courses doesn't seem like a norm in to the places i've been to - say Paris and Brussels. People don't say anything to your face, but you know you're being marginalised/seen as less affluent/judged by the "insufficient" quantity of food you order, or for sharing a main course with another person. On more than one occasion, it led to very unpleasant meals, and dampened our day.
I seldom eat with people who don't have the ability to share food. Not to be rude, but I think food taste ALOT better when its being shared. This is probably due to upbringing. A huge part of my childhood was spent hanging around my siblings and my cousins, so food was always being shared.
Besides, it's not my fault I get full after half of such a big portion. And, what if I want to save some space in my stomach for dessert! :(
The great thing about our experience in Barcelona was, we could go to a restaurant or a café and just order 3 Tapas and 1 Paella, and there would be NO FORM OF JUDGEMENT. Nothing.
The waiters will not questioned if you want more food after you say "That's all!" They just get right on serving you, and asking if you had a great meal, or if the food was to your liking.
Since Tapas come in smaller portions, there was once Jerald and I had 10 different tapas dishes for dinner - It was AWESOME.
The waiters will not questioned if you want more food after you say "That's all!" They just get right on serving you, and asking if you had a great meal, or if the food was to your liking.
Since Tapas come in smaller portions, there was once Jerald and I had 10 different tapas dishes for dinner - It was AWESOME.
I love Paella as well, but after eating it for few meals, I get bored. Plus the portion for Paella is huge - like any other european food portion to my small asian tummy - it nice to be able to share!
I absolutely love the concept of Tapas. I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE ONE of my meals in Barcelona! I really liked how I could sample different dishes and keep going without feeling like I'm about to burst my tummy. It kind of reminded me a little bit about Dim Sum. Every time Jerald asked "What do you want to eat?" I just went "TAPAS!" it was always Tapas. And I was not tired of it because there were so many options!
I think all restaurants should serve food in small portion size - Tapas style. Its such a genius idea. I reckon restaurants will earn lot more from this, and it also makes it easier to achieve a healthy balance diet for each meal.
Food in order of appearance - in case any one wants to know - Bread and Hummus // Pulled Chicken Burger // Mussels and Fries // Spanish Omelette - I love! // Churros with Hot Chocolate and a Slice of Lemon Curd Tart // Mushroom Risotto with Cheese // Bacon with Paprika // Fried Baby Squid - so so good especially with lemon! // Amazing Pistachio Flaky Goodness I don’t know the name of // Chicken and Seafood Paella // Chicken and Sausage Noodles Paella // Potato salad with Salmon // Lemon Pound Cake // Apple Tarte Tartin.
My favourite of all would be the toasted bread with hummus. I don't think its traditionally spanish, but the bar did an amazing job with the hummus! I generally don't like chickpeas, but I finished every last bit of that hummus. My food experience in Barcelona was not shot of amazing - I felt really good and happy after every meal!!
I LOVE TAPAS
4 November 2014 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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