London Visual Diary '16

Eat & DrinkTravel

Jun 20

Written By

Hey there! If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know I made a cheeky trip to London for the weekend earlier in February. Although I spent two years of my childhood in the UK, I actually never had the chance to explore until now. It was a fleeting trip, but I wanted to share with you the places I've been and plates I've licked clean. Enjoy!

Duck & Waffle London

duck_waffle_london_pamorama duckwaffle_bar duckwaffle_bar2 duckwaffle_spread Let me start off by saying that this restaurant is goddamn beautiful! Sat on top in an unassuming biz building, I was not expecting this highly-hyped 24-hour gig to be this spacious and non-pretentious.BUT then I'm going to also say that this highly-acclaimed hip joint is just another restaurant in town if it was without its view. Also - the view was just of building and the cityscape, which imo, aren't that impressive compared to say, a view from an infinity pool or a gorgeous beach. I definitely put this on my to-do list because of how much everyone talks about it, but again it's one of those things you go to because you have to, but might think twice about going back again (unless you have a friend visiting or something).Duck & waffle was good, but not anything mind blowing. In fact, I think what my friends had were better deals and looked much better in comparison! (Egg bennies / scrambled egg on toast)

Camden Markets

Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset camden_bookstore Camden is one of my fave (or only place I remember) because of its beautiful stalls, unique crafts and just the general buzz from locals and tourists colliding and mixing in the small streets and cold weather.Things you can't miss: those seemingly neverending food stalls, that little book store pictured above, the slightly overpriced but charming craft market, and the iconic lock that you just need a photo of.

Hawker House Street Feast @ Canada Water

streetfeast_1 street feast london streetfeast_2 streetfeast_3 In all honesty, this was probably my favourite part of the trip - or at least my favourite destination. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I found out about this event (?) on Time Out London when I was trying to think of things to do, and it was nothing short of spectacular.Situated in some far-off warehouse in Canada Water, about 5-10 minutes walk from the tube station, the unassuming venue hosted an insanely beautiful hawker house/food court. It was so hipster of me, but how could you not fall entirely in love with a concept like this?! Rounding up cool eateries around town under one roof, this place served as a shrine for all foodies and hip people, stuffing them silly with the likes of burgers, pokes, wraps and mediterranean treats. streetfeast_burger streetfeast_poke streetfeast_steak And we're not just talking about some off the street truck food. We're talking seriously good, seriously fattening, but seriously irresistible grub. Steak with caramelized onions and duck-fat fries. Streaky bacon and cheese burger. Canape-sized poke served on crispy seaweed for the health-nut. Lobster roll that sold out in hours. God guys. I'm SO hungry. Moving on.

Dishoom

dishoom_london Indian cuisine is parts and parcels of London's culture, and even though I didn't learn this lesson when I was twelve, I sure did when I visited Dishoom this time round. Gorgeous restaurant just a minute from CSM campus, this gem was, although pricey than usual takeouts, also very worth the money.It was full when we arrived without a booking, but drinking at the bar while we wait never hurt nobody! Drinks come expensive, and my glass of house white was no exception. We waited for about 30 minutes for a table, but the wait turned into a table of buttery red curry, deliciously warming lamb biryani, and conversations that made my trip so very special. 'mazing place all-round, and I highly recommend this not-touristy-at-all neat little spot.

Cultural finds

annie_leibovitz Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset harry potter store Thankfully, my short trip wasn't filled with cheesy visits to the London Eye or London Bridge. Save from the Harry Potter shop you can't possibly miss and the Camden Markets, I was mostly just chilling with my friends and doing hipster things like going to Brick Lane, exploring Shoreditch and checking out the Annie Leibovitz exhibition. (ya hk peeps u slow hehehe)

Is this supposedly the "real" way to eat cupcakes?!

Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset On my last day, I decided to wander around on my own and head to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was absolutely stunning, and I could wander in there for hours. And I literally did, towards the end, when I was desperately trying to find a goddamn post office but end up very, VERY lost. Eventually this led to me missing my flight just because I bought stamps and mailed my postcards at the airport. (UGH!?!)ANYWAY. I had a full English breakfast though, before my last day began. And I now have a limited edition poster at home, from the Shoes exhibition I narrowly missed by a day...Abruptly ending this post because I gotta head out for something. But yeah, that's basically my hurried trip to London. Thankful for all the peeps that came down/out to meet!