Bringing Sueshine Across the Pond

All was silent on my blog when I went MIA for a while last October. You see, by day, my husband is a hardworking (and overworked) locksmith. Seems like a normal job right? But by night though, I'm married to a "ninja." My husband started a somewhat traditional Filipino martial arts class in 2004 which evolved into a monster a few years ago when he started posting videos of his class on YouTube simply to explain the his style of martial arts called Libre Fighting. Long story short, he's managed to expand his business throughout the United States.

So Sueshine, what the heck does this have to do with a food/baking blog? Don't worry, I'll get to that.

In early 2011, Scott had told me that Libre Fighting was going international. Can you guess where judging by the picture to the left? LONDON, ENGLAND!! I instantly told him I was tagging along and that he didn't have much choice in the matter. Ever since I was a little girl, I had always wanted to go to London. I was obsessed with English literature (I wanted to be a British Literature teacher at one point) and royalty (not really the current monarchy but more along the lines of Tudors). Although we had been married for 3 and a half years, we never got around to going on our honeymoon (even though we had been gifted a vacation) because we're both workaholics. So in October 2011, a little "sunshine" was brought across the pond. 

Although the first part of the trip was work related for the husband, we still had time to go out to dinner every night and had the most amazing coffee every morning (note: Starbucks isn't on every corner in London like it is here in the States. There are so many options on where you get your strong coffee!). I was so excited to be in London that I actually forgot my camera several times when we went out to eat. I think you all will forgive me a bit for forgetting I'm a blogger and just let me savor my food just for a little bit, right? We had Mexican: good but come on now, I'm from Southern California, mecca of taco shops. We had pizza: A true New Yorker would FLIP OUT if they saw the version of "New York" pizza that I had - ham, grilled sweet onions, roasted potatoes, and sour cream! We also had a Sunday Roast with my friend from high school, her hubby, and her friends: Scott had a steak and I had bangers (sausage) and mash....so delicious but filling! Here are a few pictures when I didn't forget!

 

TAYYAB'S (Indian/Pakistani)
Mixed Grill with kebabs, chicken, and lamb chops....and that was just the starter!! Special thanks to the Libre London Chapter for bringing us here. We had great company during a great meal!
Be prepared to wait for a table and sit very close to your neighbor but so worth it.
Whitechapel area: 83-89, Fieldgate St. London E1 1JU



STRADA (Italian)
Rigatoni Speck: light cream and cheese sauce with Italian smoked ham and rocket
From what I gather, Strada is a chain restaurant but it's still very tasty. We went to the one in Royal Festival Hall right along the River Thames. Touristy but still a beautiful location for lunch.
Belvedere Road, South Bank, London SE1 8XX




THE MINORIES (Traditional Pub)
You can't go to London and not go to a pub! Fish and chips (and peas?) are available everywhere but I didn't have any until one of our last days while playing tourist.
64-73 Minories, London, EC3N 1JL

 

One of the highlights of the trip (the hubby would beg to differ) for me was going to Harrod's (www.harrods.com). If you are not familiar with Harrod's, it's a 7-level department store in the Knightsbridge area of London that carries designers such as Chanel, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, and so much more. But that wasn't what I came to Harrod's for. I went to Harrod's to visit the food halls. My parents visited London quite a few years ago and my mom had told me to visit the food halls because she thought I would enjoy it. After you walk through the ground floor past all the designer items, right in the center of the store are the food halls. The first hall I walked into was the boulangerie and patisserie (breads and pasteries) and I was instantly blown away.

The Boulangerie
Fresh baked breads, tarts, and pies....both savory and sweet.

The Patisserie

Pasteries and cakes.....that went on.....

...and on...

...and on....

 ..and on for days!

The next food hall was the charcuterie (prepared meats such as bacon, sausage, etc), fromagerie (cheeses), and traiteur (from what I gather its prepared food/dishes that you can "take away" or take to go).

Various Terrines. I explained it to my husband: "Think of it as a fancy meatloaf."
I'm probably going to get grief from you foodies but oh well. I was surprised by how many they had.

The last hall I wandered into was the chocolates and confectioneries which included various candies, truffles, and cookies (biscuts in the UK). I, of course, had to look at the macarons because I will be making them for my cousin's wedding this June and I always like examining/tasting so I can learn how to improve my version.

"Giant" (by macaron standards) Macarons made by Harrod's

Macarons from La Maison Du Chocolat. I bought a box and hand carried it on the plane for my cousin because I wanted her to have real French macarons. Sweet cousin that she is said mine were better! haha

There was also a food hall for produce, fresh meats, and seafood. Also scattered throughout the food halls are places that you could sit down and eat including a fresh oyster/caviar bar, sushi bar, cafe for coffee, dim sum, rotisserie, steakhouse, and grill. On other levels of Harrod’s, full restaurants can be found ranging from fine dining, to a diner, to a tea room, to an ice cream parlor, or to pure indulgence at Cafe Godiva. If you visit the Harrod's website, you can take a 360 degree tour of parts of the department store, including a few of the food halls. You too will be blown away. I wish we had more time to explore Harrod's but I could tell my husband had his fill of my foodie obsession. Next time I'll have to drag my one of my friends that live in London and spend the whole day there.

Scott will probably be making an annual trip to London to teach. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to tag along this year but I am making it a goal to go back soon. For now, I'll sit here and listen to my tummy rumble as I recall the wonderful memories I made in London.

By the way, the usually gray skies of London were surprisingly blue with the exception of one evening. We really did bring the sunshine with us!!