July 2008
10 posts
The best chocolate cake in London
Welcome to Maison Bertaux. Situated on Greek Street in the Soho area in London, it is a patisserie with a chocolate truffle cake (I don’t know the official cake name) to die for. If you’ve been reading my blog and my disdain for English M&S half a centimeter thick icing (and for that matter, I think cakes sold at Chinese bakeries in Chinatown with coloured butter cream ghastly...
London bus drivers want higher pay
In the news recently - London bus drivers rallying for a uniform pay of £30,000 accompanied by a 38 hour work week. How ludicrous does that sound? Some graduates start on a £15,000 salary; you’re lucky to get £22,000 as a fresh grad. I’ve never seen so many strikes ever before in my life - the Tube strikes are the best because transport is already so expensive - a single paper ticket...
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For people who don't like water
It’s strange for me to see people not drink water. Water is so basic. But recently, just last week in fact, I was in the kitchen at work and a lady in her 40s said with regards to the recent addition of Oasis concentrate in our kitchens, “… it sure makes drinking water easier…” and walked out with a pint glass of Oasis cordial.
It’s even worse to see kids not...
I can't write
I realize, as I read, and I write. that really I can’t write. I don’t have the drive in me to write and the thoughts that gather in my mind don’t want to be put into written form. When I was much younger, like my 12 year old cousin, I used to write short short stories and I used to jorunal. My dad once took me to Sentosa to explore the magic grove something-or-other so that I...
Necessity
Now that I’m in London, it’s absolutely necessary for me [to learn] to cook dishes that I take for granted back ome in Singapore. Olive fried rice is one of my favourite dishes. I think its roots are Thai. My mom started cooking it in recent years and it’s a favourite dish of my dad’s too. I never thought of making it till my aunt asked if I liked olive fried rice and I...
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Cupcakes
I love cupcakes. To look at, that is, not eat. The cake bit is usually too bland and the icing too sweet. This cupcake is from the Humming Bird Bakery on Portobello Road where it is every man for himself, elbow to elbow to tooth on a Saturday.
London unforgiving
London life is really fast paced. The tubes are overcrowded and always delayed. Accommodation (rentals and owned) is exhorbitant. There are too many people in a given space. There are too many people finding it tough to make ends meet. Especially in the current economic climate.
Tonight on the tube, a man stepped on the toe of my boot and didn’t bother to apolgize. He then tried to...
Cooking to new heights
My aunt being here has been a culinary experience altogether. So far, I’ve learnt to make [the best] tonkatsu I have ever tasted (better than many if not all) the restaurants I’ve been to which might not say a lot for the restaurants I frequent but), black forrest cake (again, much better cake than English crap cake) and today, I made char siew. I don’t usually eat cha siew...
Twilight London
It’s been such a long time since. Or maybe it just fees like it has. Work’s been busy but I’ve generally been able to leave at a reasonable time the last 10 days or so that my cousin Adeline’s been in London. My aunt and other cousin Desiree arrived a few days ago.
Last night after a satisfying dinner at Masala Zone, we trooped down to Caffé Vergnano at the Southbank...