The Breakfast Club - Authentically English Breakfast

I came to know about The Breakfast Club during my research for my first trip in London back in 2017 but only got to try it now. The story goes that Vain Pot didn't feel they serve up anything we couldn't really find in Singapore so we ended up in Granger & Co back then. So later on, another friend dragged her to Breakfast Club and she discovered wonderful pancakes there. *rolls eyes*

Finally, I get to dine in The Breakfast Club! This is an awesome place that I really think every visitor to London should have a meal at. Yes, it serves a lot of typical brunch food you can find everywhere but it's authentically English. Dining here, it made me feel that most of the brunch creations we find in many cafes originated in these Western cultures. The Breakfast Club seems to bring out this culture so distinctively, it'll be a waste if you skip this place when in London.

Looking at the menu, there's a whole list of stuff I really want to try. I settled on the Salted Caramel Banofee Pancakes (9.50 pounds) because pancakes were the original reason that made me shortlist this place (I was googling best pancakes in London). It tastes really awesome! I found the pancakes to be soft and fluffy but a little bit doughy. It however went really well with the whipped cream, chilled bananas and salted caramel sauce. In fact, the balance was so good, I finished the 3 stacks of pancake which would have been too much for my Asian stomach normally.

Vain Pot ordered the Oatmilk Porridge, with crushed pecans, coconut and maple syrup (5 pounds), mainly because I wanted to try it too. I could tell it's not exactly her thing. I really like the western version of porridge because of the thick milky texture of oats in milk. I especially like the sweetness of the dish and the crunchiness of the fruits (usually bananas) or nuts that it comes with. I think it's an acquired taste but I really like it.

I found it a pity that it's my only visit there despite 3 trips to London. Then again, Vain Pot whips up really delicious brunch so I feel rather reluctant to have my brunch outside. I strongly recommend a visit to The Breakfast Club to experience the vibrancy of the cafe culture in London as well as the authentic English dishes that they serve. This single dining experience has certainly won me over!

The Breakfast Club
11 Southwark Street, SE1 1RQ

10 Most Instagrammable Shots To Take In London

Every trip I make to London, I get questioned why do you like London so much? Essentially, after being like a tourist for the first trip, London resembles Singapore a lot apart from the weather. I compiled 10 instagrammable places you can actually visit to make your holiday less touristy, more differentiated and definitely memorable.

1. Brown Hart Gardens

Brown Hart Gardens is actually a residential estate and there's nothing much you can do there except take this photo. It's one of my favourite photos in my collection because of its picturesque appearance. You know for sure you are in Europe with this postcard-like image. If you are sporting enough, you can convert your photos into post cards and write cute letters to your friends as a souvenir when you return from holiday.

2. Cereal Killer Cafe

This photo was taken before I bought my Olympus PEN 8 that's why the photo quality will look inferior to the rest of the images. Cereal Killer Cafe has beds in their cafe. How often do you find beds in cafes? The cereals at the cafe are worth trying out too. The article on the food is here.

3. Elan Cafe

Elan Cafe has more than one flower wall which you can take cool photos with. This heart shape wall is just one of them. They have one more flower wall inside with 2 seats available with the words "Coffee is the new black" but there'll be a long line to dine at that table. One more thing to note, the food is awesome but the service will make you feel like they want you gone in a hurry. You have been warned! *For a higher chance to dine in peace, go on weekdays especially if you are on holiday.

4. Leake Street Tunnel 

Not sure if you would consider Leake Street Tunnel to be a tourist attraction. As of now, it's still largely under discovered. Leake Street Tunnel is basically an enclosed tunnel with lots of graffiti art on their walls. The artwork is really impressive and nice. You can take poser shots, jump shots or simply admire the extensive artwork that covers the entire tunnel.

5. Little Venice

Walking along little Venice of London (Maida Vale) is truly enjoyable. The view by the riverside with beautiful boats is somewhat therapeutic. Ever since I started to take more interest in photography, the number of nice photos I can take from this little place can be really extensive too. One thing to note, the sun can be rather annoying in the summer especially when you wish to take evening shots and the sun refuse to set.

6. National History Museum 

This is a tourist attraction. I included it in because of the amazing architecture the National History Museum has. The whale fossil hanging from the ceiling has been a talking point between people who have visited this place. It's a classic. I'm not an arts person and I feel this photo can tempt me to come here simply because of its majestic appearance. 

7. Neal's Yard

There's really little you can do at Neal's Yard unless you work at Covent Garden and want to run some errands or grab a quick bite. It's a hidden street amidst the bustling offices in London's working district. Neal's Yard is extremely colourful, hipster and it breathes life into the boring solemn Covent Garden streets. I've got to say though, only make the trip down if you love taking photos.

8. Regent Street

Regent Street is also considered a tourist attraction because it's the Orchard Road of London. It's nevertheless worthy to join my photo collection because the street decoration always changes. I like this particular photo a lot with all the British flags laid out to commemorate events like their National Day, the Queen's Birthday, Prince Harry's Wedding, etc. It wasn't like that when I was here in December where the streets were alight with wonderful Christmas Decorations. 

9. Saint Aymes

The picture says it all. People come here to take beautiful photos for their grams. The purple wisteria decorated at the shop front is a clear winner among cafe-goers. People queue to sit at the front 3 tables outside the cafe and take display photos. The cafe even has to put a time limit for those sitting on these tables. I wrote an article of the food here. *It's best to visit on a weekday afternoon, I managed to grab a table outside without waiting even though I only had an hour to sit. 

10. Sketch

You are staring at probably the most aesthetically pleasing toilet ever. Stepping into the washroom of Sketch, I got somewhat disoriented. It felt like you got transported to some fantasy world dazzled with egg-shaped cubicles and luminated lights. It's really weird to be in a toilet where you can't find the sink but you see chambermaids (with full attire) walking around and lots of people holding up cameras everywhere. Sketch serves fantastic afternoon tea so not to worry, the toilet is really the icing on the cake.  

*I'm still more into food than scenery but I feel it's important to share awesome holiday venues and enjoyable experiences. For a more regular update of my experiences, visit my Instagram.  

Hakkasan Hanway Place - London's One Star Michelin Chinese Cuisine

One Star Michelin restaurant, Hakkasan, is known not only for contemporary chinese cuisines but also for their cocktails. The people behind Hakkasan has designed the concept to be one of mystery and grandeur. Their website described it as modern ethnic. A trip to the Hanway Place branch sees the restaurant located on an obscure run-down quiet street. You won't imagine there's a classy restaurant located there if you happen to pass by, let alone a Michelin Star one. The long flight of steps down the dark tunnel leads to a blue lighted poshly furnished walkway with well groomed reception. The mystery and grandeur follows through and through especially during my trip to the restroom. The restrooms are hidden behind the walls camouflaged by the interior designs. The food that awaits also lives up to the impressive setting they designed to greet all guests.

We ordered the Hakka Lunch Menu (30/pax) to kick off our lunch. We started off with the dim sum basket that consisted of har gau, scallop siew mai with topiko caviar, chinese chive dumpling with prawn and crab meat and soy crumble beancurd dumpling. I think what impressed me the most was how this dim sum basket doesn't shove you up with in your face premium ingredients to justify their Michelin Stars. I totally enjoyed every bite of the individual dim sum. The har gau's prawns were fat and robust in flavour. The siew mai with scallop was again understated yet excellently prepared. The chive dumplings carries a distinct chive flavour wrapped around the juicy prawns and the soy crumble beancurd was surprisingly light with adequate sweetness. It's really a culinary display of how skilled chefs can bring normal ingredients to life.

I was equally impressed with the puffs selection. Crispy smoked duck and pumpkin puff, baked venison puff and spicy mooli crab meat pastry. Each of the puffs were flaky and buttery without overdoing any part of it. I felt the ingredients were generous. It is faultless! I need to state though that I suspect the food are prepared in large batches because there's no room for customization of your order at all. I don't take beef but they refused to swap out the beef dishes.

This unassuming stir fried baby broccoli with goji berries and crispy seaweed is a silent killer. I found the entire plate extremely addictive and Vain Pot and I literally fought over finishing the plate. It's probably the winner of the day. I've no idea that vegetables can be this tasty, it definitely took us by surprise. Pardon the bad photography, I haven't figured out how to use the Olympus PEN PL 8 in the dark yet and I missed my free training. Whoops!

The Hakka Noodle which we couldn't finish and had to pack it up was equally good. It's just that this meal is simply too value for money they feed you so full and well, we really couldn't finish the noodles. The noodles were cooked well and delicious but I can't comment much because I was too full to truly appreciate the dish.

Once again, I am left totally impressed with London's Michelin Star restaurants. They totally dropped the pretense to impress you with expensive food and showcase their legitimate culinary ability with simple food. Awesome! Hakkasan is highly recommended.

Hakkasan Hanway Place
8 Hanway Place, London, W1T 1HD

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - 2 Star Michelin Dinner in London

This is by far one of the best Michelin Star experience among my limited global collection of Michelin Star exposure. Located at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, the restaurant carries a posh yet understated ambiance to kick off your dining adventure. The open kitchen concept also gives you a live view of how the dishes are prepared. Rated 2 Michelin Stars, their menu is inspired by ancient cookbooks. The repertoire of contemporary dishes exudes a lot of culinary history from the British Library. In fact, each of the dishes on the menu has a date next to it based on which year this inspiration is derived from.

Honestly speaking, I'm not much of a fine dining person. My personal experience has unfortunately been made up of pitiful portions of above average food with hefty prices that leaves me not completely sated after the meals. Vain Pot on the other hand knows how to appreciate fine dining. In fact, much of our choice of food is influenced by her knowledge of this 2 Star Michelin establishment.

We kick-started our dinner with warm sourdough bread and butter on the side.

Pardon the shaky photo, I realised that the Olympus PEN Pl 8 doesn't fare too well in the dark. (Maybe this is an excuse to mask my bad photography skills) Vain Pot started her meal with one of the much acclaimed Meat Fruit (£22.00). This mandarin orange looking fruit lookalike surprised me because it contains chicken liver parfait inside. The flavour of the chicken liver parfait was on point and goes excellently well with the grilled bread on the side.

My own starter of Frumenty (£23.00) was another mind-blowing experience. The grilled octopus is by far the most tender grilled octopus I've ever eaten. Looking at the fat succulent tentacles, my biggest worry of all octopus dishes is that it's hard and rubbery. Not this one. Going with the smoked sea broth, I literally cleaned my plate.

I was mildly surprised by Vain Pot's choice of Cod in Cider (£39.50). Felt a little too ordinary for this day but she wanted fish. It was served with chard and flamed mussels. I guess simple dishes are those that showcase culinary excellency. The cod was soft, tender and the buttery sauce that comes with it takes it to another level.

My personal favourite for the night is the Spiced Squab Pigeon (£46.00). I've never eaten pigeon before so my closest comparison are ducks, goose and turkeys. The squab pigeon is extremely tender, the knife cuts through easily. On it's own, the pigeon flavours stood out. I can tell because pigeon meat doesn't taste like the other birds I've eaten. With the onions and artichokes, the flavours surprisingly blended together well. With the malt and pigeon sauce, the pigeon dish stood out even more. I find it truly impressive that all the elements on the plate seems to complement each other to better the dish. It's unlike how some establishments use expensive ingredients simply to justify the price and probably to hide the actual value of the culinary skill at play. This dish has created a new found willingness to splash my cash on Michelin Star fine-dining in Europe.

We both ordered another of their renowned dish, Tipsy Cake (£17.50). It's Spit Roast Pineapple. While the dish is nice, I'm not culturally attuned to appreciate it. Vain Pot thinks the dessert is really good and this time we were both too full. So there's a little regret we didn't share one Tipsy Cake.

I've a couple of takeaways from this dining experience. The chef's ability to make ordinary food awesome is truly impressive. The 2 Michelin Stars is so well deserved. Most of the Asian Michelin Star establishments seem to focus on expensive ingredients and ambiance rather than the culinary skill to produce the food. When you pay the right price at the right places, fine dining doesn't leave you famish but totally full you need a walk to digest everything away. I'm definitely willing to spend on another such experience. Everyone who comes to Europe should try the Michelin Star food here.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

Four Seasons Restaurant - One of the 3 must try Roast Ducks in London

Four Seasons Restaurant stands as one of the 3 kings of Roast Duck in London. Standing on the same street in Bayswater as its other two competitors (Goldmine Restaurant & New Fortune Cookie), hordes of Asians flock to these 3 to try out their famous London Duck. As of now, I've tried both Goldmine and Four Seasons.

The roast duck at Four Seasons as of now stands in the lead. Always order boneless so that you can simply bite into the heavenly fat meat. The duck at Four Seasons was extremely tender and flavourful. I liked it better than Goldmine because it was less oily and has less fatty meat. The sweet duck sauce that comes with the dish goes excellently with the duck and whets your appetite even if you aren't too hungry. Makes me wonder why don't we have anything close to these delicious ducks in Singapore. The duck is packed in a box because I ordered takeaways. I must add that Four Seasons pack my takeaway in such a neat and easy to carry manner, I'll probably have a takeaway meal each time I'm in London from now on.

The cai sim was nothing spectacular. In fact, I felt the side dishes lost out to Gold Mine.

Sweet and sour soup wasn't strong in its flavouring either. While it wasn't bad, it was very very ordinary.

Wrapping up this post, I'd say that I rather order a whole duck and have it as my meal than waste calories and money on very average sides. The duck is a true winner and you really can't stop eating it once you put a slice into your mouth. You should really try London duck in London and compare it with the roast ducks back home. It's an eye opener.

Four Seasons Restaurant
84 Queenway, Bayswater, London W2 3RL
(apparently Four Seasons Restaurant have a few branches in Chinatown, don't waste time with those. the Bayswater outlet is the real deal)

On the Bab - Korean Casual Dining in London

On the Bab is a popular Korean casual dining restaurant serving Korean street and home-styled food. It is opened by restaurateur Linda Lee who has over 12 years of experience in London running restaurants. On the Bab itself has 4 outlets. Vain Pot recommended the place to me because I told her I wish to try somewhere the locals frequent. There was already a queue when we got there attesting to its popularity. (you got to forgive the shaky images because it's the first time I'm using my new Olympus PEN E PL 8 to take food at night)

We started our meal with the Yangyum Chicken which apparently is the highlight of the restaurant. Fried chicken is a classic Korean dish. I picked the Garlic Mayo which Vain Pot tried before, she said it is the best among the choices. I felt that the chicken was well fried and the sauce was really well concocted. It definitely gave an addictive kicker to the dish. As much as I enjoyed the dish, Korean Chicken in general rarely appeals to me, just feels like junk food. Having said that, I'm pretty certain Korean Chicken fans will be lapping this up just like Vain Pot did!

The On the Roll (Spicy Pork) appealed a lot better to me. I liked how the rolls were sliced thinly making each mini roll bite size. There's a good mix of vegetables typical in all Korean dishes with the spicy pork giving very good balance to the dish. I like how the crunchy rice rolls felt really light when I ate them and this meant I can consume more without feeling excessively full. I felt a little bit more Korean with every bite.

The Soondubu Jjigae is another very traditional Korean dish. It's a stew made up of tofu, seafood and egg. The weather was around 8 degrees while I was enjoying this meal so you can imagine how comforting a bowl of hot stew feels. Again, I'm typically not a fan of tofu stews in Singapore but this particular one saw me cleaning the bowl. The soup had mild spiciness and it's power packed with flavour. I love how the tofu and egg is cooked till creamy you can just slurp it up. In chilly London, having this stew simply added warm and fuzziness to our dining experience.

Covent Garden's On the Bab is not only known for food but also for its drinks. Vain Pot and I both had Soju Cocktails and it made the meal more satisfying. I'll certainly recommend this place for a good catch up with friends as this place offers not only comfort food but also a decent selection of drinks to chill out.

On the Bab (Covent Garden)
36 Wellington Street London, WC2E7BD

Food to enjoy while travelling solo in London

London, a city bursting with diversity in terms of culture, people and food. In my case, especially food. Having recently upgraded my iPhone camera to the Olympus Pen E Pl-8, I pretty much structured my itinerary around taking photos this trip. The photo you see here is the classic red telephone booth with the under-construction Big Ben in the background. Aside from scenery which might be reserved for another post in the future, travelling solo while Vain Pot works means that I've to find 1 person meals.

Shake Shack

Shake Shack is a fast-food chain originating from New York. Unlike other fast food chains I see in London like Subway, KFC, Burger King and Mcdonald's, Shake Shack hasn't found its way to Singapore yet. Hence, dining at Shake Shack feels like an affordable novelty for me. A beef free diet means a limited selection of burgers I can try from this fast food joint. Beef lovers will have no problems dining here. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my Chick n Shack burger a lot. It's sufficiently tender, fried till crispy without the excessive sauces found in other fast food burger joints. I'm happy the flavour isn't compromised as well. I liked it that I can customize my meal and I enjoyed the classic vanilla shake that I ordered.

Shake Shack (Covent Garden)
Covent Garden, 24 Market Building, The Piazza, WC2E 8RD

Tea Room at Bun House

Tea Room & Bun House are two concepts housed in the same location. On the top floor is the Bun House where it looks like a traditional Chinese Tea House. The Tea Room located on the basement looks really eerie for my first time visit. The green lighting coupled with the fact the place was empty when I was there made the entire experience unforgettable. I made the eerie trip to the Tea Room specially for the Fried Cheong Fun which is new on the menu. The dish met my expectations though some might find it leaning towards the saltier side. I felt that the dish achieved the wok hei taste and the egg with the runny yolk blended excellently with Fried Cheong Fun. Perhaps the owners of the restaurant can incorporate some XO sauce to complete the dish!

Tea Room at Bun House
23 Greek Street, WID 4DZ

Saint Aymes

Saint Aymes can be distinctively identified through its framed wisteria. One of the most instagrammable cafes in London, it stands out also because visitors prefer sitting outside the cafe rather than inside! Such is the popularity of the external tables, the owners placed a 1 hour dining time on them.

During my visit, I had a unicorn cookie, the cake of the day and the unicorn latte. Half the time, I was busier with my camera than pigging on the food. If you have a sweet tooth, this place is perfect for you. If not, you better love photography. I found sitting outside the cafe with delectable food while enjoying a good book (currently reading How to be a Bawse by Lily Singh) to be a very pleasurable activity. Some of the other patrons chose to people watch and simply enjoy some me-time.

Saint Aymes
59 Connaught Street, Connaught Village Hyde Park London, W2 2BB


Chin Chin Labs

Chin Chin Labs are best known for their nitrogen ice cream and hot chocolate with mashmellows. I actually went to Hawker Feast with Vain Pot. So yeap, dinner isn't solo. Still if you are alone and looking to try some street food, I felt that Chin Chin Lab's Hot Chocolate with Marshmellows to be a perfect treat to end the day. In this cooling London weather, Chin Chin Lab's hot chocolate adds a bitter sweet finale to the day. The chocolate has adequate thickness and has a hint of bitterness from dark chocolate. The thick slab of torched marshmellows offered a melted sweetness that blended perfectly with the bitter chocolate. It's an excellent beverage on a cold day.

Chin Chin Lab (Hawker Feast)
Canada Street, London SE16 7PJ
(do note that the Hawker Feast is only available on Fridays and Saturdays after 5pm)

9 Things to Do in London for Tourists

It's midweek and I decided to spend my time more productively. I've slacked off a week from contributing some food ideas due to my busy schedule. I decided to make up for it today with something slightly different from food. Here's some of the key highlights of my last London trip to give ideas to anyone travelling.

1. Go for an Afternoon Tea with your +1 or friends/family

In London, there's 3 kinds of Afternoon Tea you can try. The first is the typical walk-in parlours where you don't need reservations and still can enjoy wonderful cakes. The one shown in the photo is from Peggy Porschen cakes. While there's no reservation required, be prepared to queue. If you enjoy taking pretty food photos like me, this place is highly recommended. 

The second kind of dining experience is very similar to the third. It's basically afternoon teas that require reservations. This is split into two kinds. Quirky afternoon teas or traditional afternoon tea. The one I tried was the B-Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. You get to have your afternoon tea in a London red bus. It's a classic. The tour covers the key attractions of London and the service from the on-board staff is really awesome. This isn't to say that the food is cliche and gimmicky. In fact, Brigit's Bakery has a dine-in outlet in Covent Garden and the menu is the same. The quality of the food is definitely worth the money. I can attest to that. I'd like to try the traditional afternoon tea in London during my next visit. 

2. Wear your Cultural Hat and Visit Museums

Museums sound boring if you aren't particularly into art or history. I share the same sentiments most of the time. However London is known for being a home to many famous artists and also its cultural heritage. There're many museums you can visit and a good number of them are free. Given that I wasn't that into museums, I enjoyed the free to visit cultural venues while passing my day waiting for Vain Pot to end work. Unlike the museums back home, the exhibits here along with the architectural sophistication of the buildings make it worth the trip. It's quite an eye-opener even if you know nothing about appreciating arts or the historical significance of these venues. 

3. Go for Day Tours and Visit Castles

 

London offers a wide selection of day tours. My personal take is that castles are a must see because there's a living monarchy in the United Kingdom. The photo you see here is the Windsor Castle, the home of the Queen of England. Aside from this castle, there're many more interesting castles to visit with amazing landscape views. If you are into photography, it'll be a pity if you miss visiting a few. It's also these astounding architecture in Europe that is tempting me to invest in a better camera.. okay, I'm lying. It's because I'm going to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United versus Arsenal during my next London visit. 

4. Visit the Biggest and Oldest Toy Store in London

Hamleys in the oldest and biggest toy store in London. It has been around since 1760. Stepping into
Hamleys, it's a eye-opening experience compared with other toy stores I've been. First of all, there's staff playing toys everywhere in the shop. There's also a huge toy variety. The best part is, watching the sales staff giving demonstrations on the flying drones to the snapping balls to boomerangs, you really really want to own one of these toys yourself and be a kid again. Visitors of the stores are invited to try out most of the toys on demo and parents watching their kids have so much fun will also feel an urge to buy some toys. It's really an awesome experience.

As a tourist, experiencing the store on the consumer front is only one aspect. I see Hamleys also as a museum for toys with lots of photo-worthy toy displays. Lego royal family, WWE championship belt to crown jewels... it really brought out the kid in me and I actually bought a toy from the store!

5. Watch a Musical

London has many musicals which has gained global acclaim like Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. It's almost a pity if a visitor of London leaves without catching a musical. The musical I watched during my recent visit was Lion King. It's my first time watching a full-fledged animal character show on stage. I must say, the depiction is really good. The service at the theatre is also praise-worthy. They have ushers directing you to your seats and guiding you through the process if you are late. I've never experienced anything like that back home in Marina Bay Sands. Be warned, the show starts on the dot. Do not dally or you will miss the grand opening.

6. Challenge yourself to book Duck and Waffle at earthly hours

Booking Duck and Waffle, the 24 hours brunch place overlooking London, is an eye opener for me. I tried booking many weeks ahead. I tried different days and couldn't find a day where I can have a proper brunch meal at 11am, lunch time or dinner time. I ended up making a booking at 630am. That means leaving my home at 5 plus in the morning to eat breakfast. 

By the time I left the restaurant, I was treated to sunrise. Duck and Waffle is obviously famed for its duck and waffle dish. They serve brunch food at affordable prices even though I would say the food quality is decent at best. That said, patrons get treated to an astounding view of the London Skyline while enjoying your food. Try not to go in threes though, they don't like to offer window seats to people going in odd numbers.

7. Visit Harry Potter World

I do believe that Harry Potter World is a must visit for both Harry Potter fans and non fans alike (even if you haven't watched the show before). It's just an eye opener to see how such a massive production is filmed. I'm the one who knows nothing about Harry Potter prior to visiting. I enjoyed myself.

This particular set was what caught my eye and piqued my interest to visit initially. Looking at the set, it changed my perspective on how films are made and gave me new insights into cinematology.

The other part I enjoyed most was drinking the butterbeer and eating butterbeer ice-cream. Knowing nothing about Harry Potter, my initial thought was why they would serve beer in a place filled with kids. I even saw kids lining up for the butterbeers. Turns out that the butterbeer isn't real alcohol, It's butterscotch soda with a layer of ice cream on top. Butterbeer ice cream is basically caramel ice cream. I'd say it's an awesome visit despite knowing nothing about Harry Potter before the trip. It'll be best if you go with a fan so that they can give you some context for some of the scenes.

8. Eat Michelin Star Food

I visited Barrafina during my last trip. It is touted as the best Spanish Tapas in London. I don't have other experiences to compare with but I agreed that my experience at Barrafina was good. Before my trip there, a number of friends who have been there before told me to give it a visit. They mentioned that the Michelin Star food there is cheaper than in Singapore. Honestly, it's still pricey. But I think the presence of chefs with renowned reputations are more compared to back home.

9. Eat Fish and Chips

One classic dish if you must find one to associate London with is Fish and Chips. In my opinion, the type of fish that should go with every order is the Haddock.

There were two fish and chips I shortlisted. The first I tried was Golden Chippy's at Greenwich. It was voted the No.1 Fish and Chips on Trip Adviser.

The next one I tried was Poppy's Fish and Chips. It's probably the most highly recommended place online. Visiting Poppy's really seem to validate that point. The restaurant is full. I tried the Haddock for both places and to be honest, they tasted equally good. The sauce selection is wider for Golden Chippy's and they offered to refill my chips for free. On the other hand, I think I enjoyed the chips better at Poppy's. I'd say if you go to London, it's probably one of the must trys. It's indeed different from the Fish and Chips back home in Singapore.