Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (Thames River)

After a lovely visit to the Richmond local market (read Part 1), we headed to the Thames River nearby. I heard many wonderful stories about walking alongside the beautiful Thames River. I remembered a friend told me that he often spends a few hours strolling along the Thames River if he has time. It’s a place where he gets a lot of inspiration.

We had to go down a couple of flights of stairs. Suddenly something interesting caught my eyes. A small crowd gathered at the edge of the river, peering down into the river below. Out of curiosity I joined in to take a look. And WOW! there was a pair of black birds with 2 little birdies. That was such an awesome sight! The birds must be enjoying all the attention from the crowd above.

A family of black birds, The Thames River, London

Then next to us where we were standing and admiring the beautiful family of black birds was a boat under construction. That was the frist time I saw boat-building. What an awesome experience! Then opposite the boat was another boat which was apparently under repair. Both boats spoke to me about life which I will share in my next post.

A boat under repair, Richmond, London

Well, the weather was so boiling hot that you just feel lethargic and lazy to walk. We were lucky to find an empty bench to sit down and relax. It gives me a happy feeling to see everyone enjoying the sun. But I think it was just too hot. I could feel the heat piercing through my thick jeans. I hope people remembered their sun screen.

Strolling along the beautiful Thames River, Richmond

A beautiful scene beside Thames River, Richmond.

We were not able to stay any longer. The heat was intense and suddenly I felt so hungry. So, another food-hunting adventure began. I will share in my next post…..very good Chinese food!

Do share your experience about Richmond and the Thames River in London if you have been there. You can subscribe to my RSS (orange button on the top right) or through email for free if you like this article so that you don’t miss out on future articles.

Thought of the day……

“I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose!”

Woodrow T. Wilson

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Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (local market)
Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (Chinese Food)

Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (Local Market)

On a recent visit to London, I went for a very short visit to Richmond, London. On arriving there by bus, I was greatly fascinated by its beauty and history. I learned that Richmond is a favourite of the rich and the famous. The Thames River runs through the town.

It was a Saturday and the town centre was buzzing with activities as shoppers throng the streets on a sunny, hot summer day. I was really delighted that it was a local market day. I always love to go to local market day as you get to see a lot of various fresh local produce and food that you don’t get at the supermarket. As a Malaysian, I am always eager to know what other cultures do and eat. A lot of the British foods are actually very delicious. I love all the different types of roasts and its accompaniments.

These are a few scenes at the local market.

A hot, sunny day at Richmond local market, London

Bright, colourful vegetables and fruits stall.

Carving roasted pig for burger

A bakery stall with a wide variety of baked food.

The farmer actually roasted the whole pig there, a scene that you hardly get to see these days. In Malaysia, that happened decades ago during big festive seasons like during the Chinese New Year.

Well, the hot weather just killed my appetite. All I want at that moment was ice-cream….cold and refreshing! It was just such a lovely visit to the Richmond local market. With ice-cream in my hand, it’s time to move on. Next was to walk along the Thames River which I’ll share in my next post.

What places in London have you visited? Do share and comment. London is such a famous city, known all over the world and it’s great to be able to visit it and just see it with your own eyes.

Thought for the day……

“The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.”

Mozart

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Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (Thames River)
Richmond, London - An Attractive Town (Chinese Food)

The Most Expensive Egg!

Goose eggs at £2 each

What’s the most expensive egg you’ve seen? For me, it is the goose egg. My parents kept about 15 geese at one stage when we were young. They were very fierce and used to chase us around. They could run very fast & they often caught up with us. A peck on our leg is a guaranteed bruise. No wonder people said that geese can help to keep robbers away from your house. Besides my parents said that goose droppings can keep snakes away from the compound.
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Chinese Food in London

There’s really never short of Chinese food in UK. Not Malaysian food though. Met up with a friend in London recently. We were so hungry that we just decided to eat at the nearest Chinese shop. You can see that I must be so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of the shop - only the food! These are what we ordered.

Fried crispy noodles

This fried Chinese crispy noodles, ordered by our friend, cost £5.50. It does look impressive. He said it’s nice, especially with the chilli oil. The chilli oil cost 80p for half a small little bowl.

Fried kway teow (fried rice noodles)

This plate of fried kway teow was ordered by Steven. Cost £5.50. The colour looked dull and unappetizing. It tasted quite average. Only the chilli oil brought some kick to it.

Vegetarian rice

This is what I ordered - vegetarian rice. Cost £5.40. I had quite a bad throat so I decided that some light and vegetarian food would be best. Won’t be what I would normally order. Well, I was quite disappointed. The taste was very bland. Well, I was so hungry that I finished almost the whole plate despite the bland taste.

Fried spring rolls with sauce

This plate of fried spring rolls came free for the 3 dishes that we ordered. It was definitely so tempting but I had to save my throat. The 2 men were of course all too happy to have my share. Altogether, with the drinks, it cost about £20. Quite reasonable I think as the portions are quite big. Can’t compare to home cooked meals of course.

I like one-dish meal as it reminds me of all the wonderful food served in cafes or open-air food stalls in Malaysia. I just miss all the spices and well-blended flavours in Malaysian food. Well, there’s always next time and more adventures around UK for food.

Do share what is your favourite Chinese or Malaysian food.

Thought for the day……

“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.”

Laurie Colwin

Korean Food in London

Korea and its culture and food is still very close to my heart. My family stayed in Koje-Do, South Korea, for more than one year. It’s a very beautiful, quiet place.  Most Koreans are very slim . This must be attributed to the healthy food that they eat. There are a few Korean dishes that my family likes very much. 

In London, very near Chinatown (walking distance) is our favourite Korean restaurant, pictured here.

The Korean Restaurant, London

The 3 dishes below are our favourites ones. The Tokbokki is spicy but taste real good. It is made of rice and taste slightly chewy. The Bulgogi is a very well seasoned beef dish that goes very well with rice. Dolsot Bibimbap is another rice dish, topped with vegetables and meat. Korean chilli paste is stirred into the rice before eating which really gives it the punch. These are the 3 dishes that we would not miss if we ever visit the restaurant.

Tokbokki, spicy rice cakes

dolsot bibimbap

bulgogi with rice

Is there any particular Korean food that you like? Please comment.

Thought of the day……

‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’

Virginia Woolf

Chinatown in London

One of my favourite places in London is Chinatown. It’s always buzzing with activities, the best place to get all the Asian products, particularly FOOD! In fact, just walking around and watching people is enough fascination for me. There are a lot of eating places, mainly China or Hong Kong cuisines. They do taste great but very different from Malaysian food.

Here are a few photos that I took on a recent visit there.

Busy Chinatown, London

In front of a roast pork shop

Roast duck shop

There are so many roast duck shops in Chinatown that it’s hard to know which one is really good unless you try every one. The roast ducks look so tempting. They are so well evenly roasted. They go best with just plain rice, a dish of stir fried green leafy vegetables and a small bowl of hot soup. Well, Steven says there is only one that he likes. I will post that when I next visit it.

Well, while Steven really loves the roast duck rice, I just love Korean food. You’ll read in my next blog. Definitely one of the things in life that make me smile is FOOD! While eating out is fun, I’m still learning to be a better cook.

Have you been to Chinatown, London? What is your experience there? Is there any particular shop or food there that you like? Do share and comment. You can subscribe to my RSS feed (orange button on top right) or through email if you like this article and would not wish to miss any future articles.

Thought of the day……

‘One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ‘

~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Malaysian Hall in London - Near Beautiful Kensington Gardens

Malaysian Hall London

Malaysian Hall (Malaysian High Commission) Cafe not only boasts of its various exotic and authentic local Malaysian food but also its location in the very heart of London.

It is located near Queensway Tube Station. At the top of the stairs to exit the Queensway Tube Station, turn left to Bayswater. Keep to left and turn into the second road. After a very short distance you will see the Malaysian flag flying from the first floor. That’s it.  There’s a stairs outside the entrance that leads to the basement where the cafe is.
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Exotic, Authentic Malaysian Food in London

Beef Rendang Rice

Malaysian food…….the spices, the seasoning, the tastes……..oh, nothing beats that. There are some Malaysian dishes that lingers on in your mind even after a few months. That’s what I would call a great dish.

Got up this morning and really miss some of the Malaysian food. I mean I can cook well but the preparation can be very time consuming. It would be so easy to be able to just go out and eat. Sadly, it’s just my dream because there’s no Malaysian cafe in Aberdeen. Maybe my next dream should be to start one. It’s always exciting to dream. Dream….dream….dream…..I love to dream…..and see my dream come true.
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