the last days of summer

Summer, our encounter was all too brief.

london in springtime

I think I'm only 4 months late with this video, so it's not entirely inappropriate. London, spring, cherry blossoms and Thai food, only 55 seconds!

ox

I've been hearing so many good things about Ox so I called in on them last month. I loved the starter, the main was good but I probably would have passed on the lemon curd creme brulee.

I polished off the starter, every morsel was delicious. The roasted vegetables that accompanied the main was delicious but I didn't enjoy the halibut as much. No fault on the part of Ox, halibut is not my favourite fish.

The dessert was served by someone who I assumed was the pastry chef. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the dessert as much, probably because I am used to having cake to finish off a meal.

Overall my experience at Ox was enjoyable. Aside from the food, the service was excellent and I loved the music they played.

Scallop, white bean, bisque, oyster leaf

Halibut, clam, sea lettuce, fennel, bisque

Lemon curd, coconut, pistachio, bee pollen

 A short video I took in Ox.

deanes at queens

After our tour of Lyric Theatre and Riddel Hall for Open House Belfast, we had an early dinner at Deanes at Queens. And it was so good...!

Crisp squid with roquette, roast seabass with crab claws and mussels

Wild honey panna cotta, toffee cake and butterscotch

An espresso to cap it all

It's not a cheap place to eat in (we shared a three-course dinner) but it's well worth the splurge because everything was delicious and service excellent. I highly recommend Deanes at Queens!

belfast year two

I arrived at George Best Belfast City Airport on 15 August 2013. And after dinner with friends last night, I just realised that my second year here had just passed.

It took me two years to find my stride. Belfast is finally beginning to feel a little more like home, which is bittersweet, because Singapore feels a little less like home now.

Anyway, here's a quick look at what I did last year. 2014/15 has passed and there are no do-overs, so onwards and upwards then. 

open house belfast: lyric theater

On the second day of Open House Belfast, we went on a tour of Lyric Theater and it was wonderful! The space is beautiful, with lots of organic architectural elements like stone, wood and glass. And our wonderful guide, Marina, was lovely, charming and shared a lot of behind-the-scene stories. I'm quoting her here: the drama is always backstage. Now I'm really looking forward to catching a show here soon.

Backstage of the Danske Bank Stage, look at the Jackson Pollock-inspired floor

The bar area that overlooks the Lagan River

Look at that exposed brick wall

The Ridgeway Room has a gorgeous view of the area

My favourite space, the Costumes and Laundry Room

The sketches, I heart

Mannequins set against the concrete wall

Having a cup of tea at the cafe after the tour

open house belfast: centre for experiemental medicine

During Open House Belfast organised by PLACE, we got to visit the Centre for Experimental Medicine, which has not even officially opened. The building was completely empty, save for equipment and furniture. It was really interesting to see and hear about all the work that went into building this space.

The holes in the wall are supposed to help with the acoustics of the building

Participants on the tour

One of the meeting rooms

Drying racks for beakers in one of the labs

Looks at all the pretty lights

Giant pipes overhead

Exploring the roof area

A garden on the ground floor

Saying goodbye to our wonderful guide, Stephen

time stood still

I started filming my life a few seconds every day in May. Finally got round to editing and uploading them today.

london day four: exploring shoreditch

coffee

reminded me of mr tofu

by marlarky

my favourite piece in shoreditch!

Spent our last day in London exploring the street art in Shoreditch. Next time I'm taking a tour so I can learn more about the artists.

We also visited The British Library but they didn't allow photos inside. Then to Heathrow to catch the flight back home.

london day three

foggy morning

breakfast at bill's

spitalfields

spotted the gherkin from the bus!

ramen at shroyu

soft shell crab tempura

matcha roll with azuki beans

The forecast was clear skies but I woke up to fog. Breakfast at Bill's was a little disappointing. I didn't enjoy the Eggs Benedict but I had the pancakes on another occasion and that was really good.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Shoreditch and walking over to Spitalfields but there was nothing much to do. So we went over to Soho and spent too much at Japan Centre. Followed by dinner at Shoryu. Dinner was good, but I'm always partial to Japanese food.

london day two: what i ate

breakfast at the breakfast club in hoxton!

french toast with banana and bacon

the lovely little thai in hampstead heath

tom yummy

chicken satay

thai basil chicken rice

smack deli near bond street

seven samurai lobster roll

courgette fries

Breakfast at The Breakfast Club was lovely. I wouldn't have thought to pair bacon with sweetened banana but this combination with the french toast was pretty good. The prices were also reasonable for London too.

In Hampstead Heath, we chanced by The Little Thai and after looking them up on Yelp!, we decided to try out their food. And it was delicious and authentic.

We popped by Smack Deli for a snack later in the afternoon. They serve only a few items on their menu, almost all containing lobster. I ordered the Seven Samurai which is a Japanese-inspired lobster roll, it wasn't the best but still enjoyable. I would go back and order something else next time. The courgette fries were surprisingly good though.

For dinner, we went to Koya in Soho and were lucky to get a seat at the counter immediately. The smoked mackerel in hot broth was comforting after a long day wandering about in London. I would definitely go back again.

london day two: where i went

waking up at 5 in the morning

visiting highgate cemetery

"Of those immortal dead who live again in minds made better by their presence"

the view from Hamstead Heath

foggy view of London

Keats House

the view from Fanny Browne's window

the view from John Keats' bedroom

cherry blossoms in swiss cottage