Minus 7, plus 7

As usual, I can’t believe the weekend has flown by at and is now in the past. And actually the whole of last week too.

Highlights of the past 7 days

There is a small possibility that I might be able to buy a KitchenAid from America if schedules coincide and luggage allowances permit. KitchenAids are waaaaaay cheaper in the States, almost half of what they are in London after factoring in the exchange rate. I’ll need a step down transformer but it’ll still be about £100 cheaper than buying it here. Ah but the important question is - which colour? Well, I’m thinking, #1 Almond Cream (mainly to match my retro-styled kettle and hand-held mixer) or #2 Empire Red (it appears that it’s $60 cheaper just for colour).
A night out with Julie for dinner and drinks. It’s been a challenge to say the least to arrange a date with Julie but we finally did it! Julie is vegetarian so I suggested Ottolenghi for their fabulous salads. I’ve only ever bought takeaway and sweet treats soi it was really good to actually sit down. We had some lovely mixed breads and olive oil brought to our (shared, long bench-style) table and I ordered the pork belly and Julie had the white asparagus. i was especially pleased with the house red that we ordered; when the wine arrived for the ladies next to us, it smelled really good. We only had the table till 8 and had so much to catch up on so we adjourned to a really old pub nearby. It was a lovely evening, finished by another 2 glasses of Merlot each.
We finally had a Saturday sleep in day! Because we’ve been looking at flats almost every Saturday for the past 6-8 weeks, we haven’t had the chance to enjoy Saturday the way it should be enjoyed. It was a low-key and subdued Saturday but I did find out some useful things - one can’t buy or would be hard pressed to find 14” cake tins in Central London; my oven can actually take a 14” cake tin which is good considering the order is for a 14” cake; the inflatable mattress borrowed from Sue & Sheldon for when my parents come works (or that we know how to work it), is very comfy and the sheet we bought for it fits.
Friday Night at the Royal Albert Hall was great fun. It was Philharmonic Orchestra playing tunes from the big (and small) screen. Aptly titled the “Filmharmonic,” we had favourites from Superman, Harry Potter and James Bond as well as Cagney & Lacey (OMG) and Dynasty (double OMG).
Kiasu (this is should be more aptly termed a low-light) has closed down. After the Filmharmonic performance, we headed to Bayswater for a spot of “local” food only to find the restaurant in complete darkness. On closer inspection we found a notice taped to the window in legal jargon. I can’t tell if the closure is the fault of the Kiasu owners or the people who own the shop space. I think it’s more likely to be the Kiasu owners as other restaurants, allegedly (part-) owned by the same people have also closed down - same notice. My chicken rice. I suppose I will have to go to Rasa Sayang and check it out as EL says that their chicken rice is good.

Highlights of the next 7 days

Parents’ trip is ON after scares of cancellation due to Swine Flu paranoia. I’ve managed to get a bunch of stuff from Phoon Huat that they’re bring over for me. Sponge flour, baking tin (I got my 14” baking tin for S$5). I’ve been looking but I haven’t found an equivalent of Phoon Huat in Central London. The closest I’ve found is Pages on Shaftsbury Avenue but they’re a lot more expensive and cater more to the mini restaurant crowd as opposed to home baker in need of access to wholesale hardware and ingredients.
We’re going to Lille… Lille… Lille! When I first found the cheap Eurostar prmotion (£45 to Paris/Brussels/Lille, retourn) my parents’ trip hadn’t been planned. Not only did they manage to book tickets on the same offer, my dad managed to select seats such that we’re seated together on the train. I can’t wait for the food, photography, and French. It’ll be a great way to practice my French. I hope the weather’s nice and sunny! I hope my mom will be able to eat the rich, creamy French food.
My team is going to Fortnum & Mason (just the ice cream parlour I think) for an offsite meeting some time this week. Regarding work, I’m still not 100% as I was (I knew everything about the brand and the competitive market) but I keep telling myself that it takes time and I’ll get there. One amazing thing about this team is that they really go places and I’m looking forward to actually sitting down at Fortnum & Mason and having a little ice cream.

C’est tout!