Enjoying Afternoon Tea in London

On March 5, 2024 By Travels with MelindaIn Food, London, Travel, travel tips, travelling, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I had always thought the cost of an afternoon tea to be absurdly expensive in London, but I finally decided to give it a go while on our latest trip. So glad we did! I researched the various popular places for afternoon tea (Fortnum & Mason, the Ritz, etc.) but finally made our reservation at St. Ermin’s, a gorgeous historic hotel near Westminster where we have stayed many times in the past. I have always been so impressed with their high level of service, so I felt sure that an afternoon tea would be special there, and it was indeed the perfect experience.

Our reservation was for 1 pm during the week and it was pleasantly not crowded in the cozy tearoom up the majestic staircase at St. Ermin’s. Settling into our comfy oversized upholstered chairs, we were able to consider the tea menu for our first pots. My first choice to try was a lovely Sencha Gojiberry and Pomegranate Green Tea that ended up being my favorite of the day. Thom went with the classic St. Ermin’s tea to try first. Arriving with our pots was also a timer so that we poured our cups at the perfect brewing time for the best cuppa. Enjoying our tea, our tower of treats came soon after. I was able to get a vegetarian selection of sandwiches (they can do gluten free too!) and Thom got the meat version. There were all delicious and while I originally thought there was no way we would eat it all, we quickly dispatched the savory AND sweet selection, enjoying every single bite and sharing so we could taste each item.

My favorite sandwich was a tasty combo of smashed avocado, tomato, vegan feta, cress and Thom loved the smoked salmon with lemon crème fraiche. As far as favorite sweets, Thom liked all the chocolate ones but we both liked the strawberry and basil trifle served in the little glass cup. Very British!

After the tower of treats was demolished, there was still more tea and food to come! Be sure to allow an hour or two to enjoy your afternoon tea. So much food and tea! Clearing away our dishes to refresh with new ones, our server delivered the final course of freshly baked scones, plain and with raisins, served with clotted cream and jam. We asked our server their preferred way to layer scones with clotted cream on the bottom of the jam or the top. She shared her favorite way to enjoy this UK staple, so we went with her expert opinion and spread the cream (thick like softened butter) and then topped it with jam. With this course, we chose the chai tea served with the milk already added. The spicy tea complemented the scones perfectly.

At $45 euros per person, the afternoon tea not only filled us up with yummy tea and food but gave us a lovely London experience we will never forget. For $55 euros you can add a glass of champagne. Other teas at fancier places can easily cost you up to $100 euros a person. Wherever you choose to go, be sure to make reservations in advance-here is St. Ermin’s site: https://www.sterminshotel.co.uk/eating-drinking/afternoon-tea/ When you visit London, find a lovely afternoon tea to enjoy one afternoon. Relax, sip and enjoy the journey!

London Eat and Drink-Girls Trip 2022

On February 22, 2023 By Travels with MelindaIn Girls Trip, London, UncategorizedLeave a comment

First night in London for Girls Trip 2022 and anxious to explore our Covent Garden neighborhood, we checked out the shops and cafes at Covent Market. After exploring and admiring the holiday decorations, we stumbled into Punch and Judy pub and luckily found some cozy inside seating. The pub had a “self-serve order at the bar” model, so I served as our waitress, clearing the table and ordering our food. We had to try the classic fish and chip with mushy peas, which we all shared, but the dessert was the star of the night-Sticky Toffee pudding with clotted cream. To. Die. For. Seriously, I need to return to London just to enjoy this again!

I’m not much of a foodie and when Thom and I travel, we eat on the run and rarely make reservations to dine. However, the ladies take their food seriously, so we researched and made reservations for each day. When in London, eat Italian? Sure! La Mia Momma-featured on Stanley Tucci’s show he did in London, which is where he lives, this Italian place in Chelsea was outstanding. Real Italian “mommas” take turns cooking and deciding on menu items from their local regions. Not sure which momma was cooking the night we were there, but my pistachio ravioli and pistachio Tiramisu were “lick the plate clean” good. We went to the Chelsea 257 Kings Road location, but they have several spots. Reservations are a must.

Next up for dinner the following evening was a London staple, the Ivy Mark Grill. Our location in Covent Garden was warm and inviting with delicious food and awesome service. “It’s the IVY, darling!” pronounced our waiter as he gave me a “look” and explained that they would NOT just “throw some vegetables together” on a plate for me for dinner as I had just asked because they had all arrived at the table on separate plates. He whisked away the offending plates and properly plated them for me, so they looked appropriately Ivy classy. All good!

Before the theater, we enjoyed an early dinner at Brown’s, an institution with all the classic British favorites right by our ARBNB. We enjoyed the warm paneling and attentive service. We all tasted from each other’s plates and, as we usually do and shared a fabulous dessert. Gin and tonics are a classic British cocktail. Patti had never tried gin so what better place than London to give it a taste. Gin and tonics all around the table. Cheers!

I would stay in Covent Garden again just for the delicious egg tarts at Pastel de Nata. Coming and going from various adventures, we would stop in and grab a few. You can watch them being made and eat them warm right out of the oven. This was my favorite food in Portugal and China (where KFC had the best!) but I’ve never been able to get them in the US. Yum!

Located just a few steps from the egg tart place was Mr. Foggs tavern where we enjoyed one of our most memorable evenings in London at the Cockney Sing-A-Long. To experience this very British version of karaoke, we reserved our table in advance and got our song sheets along with some cocktails and dessert when we arrived. Packed with patrons singing their hearts out, the friendly song leader with the amazing moustache went from table to table between songs to meet and greet and ask for any song requests. I would definitely go back to Mr. Foggs for a fun evening any time I am in London!

My sister is a hot chocolate connoisseur so on our Girls Trips, so we are always looking for the “best” hot chocolate. Close to Neal’s Yard, a charming colorful side street of shops and cafes, we walked by Hotel Chocolat – Luxury Chocolates and Chocolate Gifts and gave it a try. Oh, lordy! It was liquid chocolate with whipped chocolate mousse topping. Becky was in heaven. We also picked up lots of their house made chocolates (including boozy ones) for Christmas gifts.

Our last night in London, we just wanted to stay close to the ARBNB and luckily one of the hidden culinary gems of London was literally right across the lane from us on Goodwins Court in Covent Garden. Giovanni’s, a family run Italian restaurant with cozy tables overseen by the charming owner, Pino Ragona. We admired the wall of pictures of celebrities who have enjoyed this place, trying to name them all, as we ate our pasta. A few steps home after our fabulous meal and we were off to pack. Perfect ending for Girls Trip 2022. I’m ready to start planning our next trip in 2023 to Paris.

I would recommend Pret a Manger (on every street corner it seems) for everyday food for breakfast or lunch. They have cold options like wraps-my favorite was a spicy chickpea veg option. They also have soups and sandwiches they can warm up. All for under $10 and very tasty. They always seem super busy with the locals queuing up to get takeaway, so the food is stocked daily and fresh. For breakfast, they have pastries galore, yogurts and coffee drinks. Taking a train trip? Stop at Pret for a takeaway lunch on the train so you don’t arrive at your destination hungry. Most trains don’t have food service. Pret is my go-to place in London!

Places I’ve researched and want to go to next trip:

The George by the Shard traditional British food and great service. Classy.
Café in the Crypt across the street from the National Gallery (Fish and chips/huge portions/apple crumble and custard for dessert).
Bertie Blossoms owned by Ed Sheeran on Portobello Road in Notting Hill.
Gordon’s Wine Bar-the oldest wine bar in the city (in summer snag an outside table along the Thames River) near Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.
The Swan near Hyde Park. Pub and restaurant.
Cahoots Post-war theme speakeasy. Live music Friday-Sunday. Very popular-make reservations.

London is the perfect town for foodies to try everything from classic British fare to any type of cuisine you are looking for. Enjoy the journey!

Finally made it to Granville Island, Vancouver, BC!

On October 3, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Cocktails, Food, Seattle, Shopping, Travel, VancouverLeave a comment

As many times as I’ve been to Vancouver, I’ve just never made time to visit Granville Island, one of the top tourist attractions here. Yesterday, I finally made it! After researching the water taxi situation, we made our way to Yaletown and caught the water taxi, a cute little boat that holds about 10 people comfortably. After a quick 10 minute ride across the water, we hopped off ($7.50 each round trip) and immediately immersed ourselves into the market. WOW-what amazing fruit including a long dark purple grape thing I had never seen before.

Granville Market had lovely fruit including kinds I had never seen

We meandered around looking at exotic spices, breads, meats, pasta, etc. If I lived in Vancouver, I would shop here all the time! While there are a lot of touristy shops, we were able to get away from the main drag and enjoyed looking through the handmade broom store. Whether you’re riding one (no, not ME, Thom!) or sweeping away the cobwebs, they make a broom for every need and they were just beautiful.

Next stop was the glassblowing shop where we enjoyed seeing the young gent blowing a colorful glass cup that unfortunately slipped off. To say he uttered a few bad words under his breath is an understatement but he was resolute and announced to those watching, “It happens.” DAMN that glass is expensive in the shop but when you see how long it takes to make it, you do understand the pricing.

After that, we were tired and needed a drink but the distillery was packed so we decided to find the diner I had seen on Yelp with it’s magnificent milkshakes and burgers. Unfortunately, we found out that the diner was on Granville STREET not Granville Island so we took the ferry, walked awhile and finally found it in the gritty part of downtown Vancouver–right next to the TripleXXX Peep show. We only take our friends Patti and Larry to the best places! Actually, the Templeton diner had good food and we were able to introduce Larry to poutine. YUM! Of course, when Larry thought we said another word similar to poutine, we almost spit out our drinks. Correcting him and cautioning him to NOT use that word again in public, we proceeded to enjoy those fries covered in white cheese and thick rich gravy along with our eclectic mix of salads, hamburgers, coconut chicken strips with chili sauce, and Portobello mushroom sandwich plus, of course, candy appletinis for Patti and I and milkshakes for the boys.

Interestingly, they make their appletinis with vodka, peach schnapps and apple juice and they were delicious, served to us in wine glasses because all their martini glasses were broken. Enjoying the jukebox and good company, we had an excellent first day in Vancouver! Today we are taking a walking tour of Gastown and tomorrow we will explore Chinatown. Looking forward to a relaxing foot massage if we can find a place!

Eating in Amsterdam

On September 27, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Amsterdam, Europe, expat, Food, Travel, Uncategorized, vacation, walking3 Comments

I am probably not the best authority to write about the cuisine in Amsterdam but I will give it a shot. Thom and I have very simple tastes and are very happy eating a picnic on the train and don’t frequent fine dining establishments. Foodies we are not! As I think back on the best food I ate on our trip, the cheese with basil and dried tomato stands out as does the hot, buttery sugary poffertjes and waffles from the markets. Yum! I do like my dairy and sweets.

Poffertjes-little pancakes with butter and sugar!

That being said, if you have finer taste buds (and most do) there is a wide variety of restaurants for everyone’s taste in all the places we visited. As always, ask your concierge at the hotel for recommendations on their favorites. Here are some other observations:

Coffee–Screaming Bean (in several locations) delivers the best cappuccino in Amsterdam and maybe the world. Thick and creamy foam tops a rich smooth coffee underneath. Super friendly folks serving in a quaint coffee shop make it a must try when you are here. Many thanks to my friend, Kurt, for recommending to us.

Screaming Bean cappuccino... so rich and delicious! — Screaming Bean cappuccino… so rich and delicious!

Grocery–There aren’t many groceries and practically no competition in the city but Albert Haijn does have whatever you need for a first-rate picnic for the park or train or hotel room. Also a good place to buy chocolate for the perfect souvenir to take home. We got some awesome salads to go one night for a quick, cheap diner (under $10 euros for 2 people). I also saw some Aldi Food markets but didn’t go in to check them out. I also found a smaller Mqkt chain that had a cheese to die for–basil and dried tomato–that pared well with salami and pears and raisin bread. Perfect picnic!

We didn’t eat out many times but did stop at one German restaurant that promised authentic cuisine. Thom proceeded to have weinerschneitzel and fries. Initially, he said he didn’t want ketchup or mayo but decided he needed some mayo. Now, based on the waiter’s prior attitude and the steep stairs he had to climb to get to the kitchen on the floor above, I knew this would not go over well and it didn’t. “You said you didn’t want any!” the waiter growled at Thom. “Yes, but I changed my mind. Okay?” Grudgingly, ten minutes later Thom finally got his mayo and felt compelled to eat it fearing retribution from the waiter if he did not. Were we in Paris???

Pancakes with brandy-soaked raisins paired with red wine!

I got the brandy-soaked raisin pancake that filled a plate and paired nicely with a Merlot. Yep-when in the Netherlands, drink with your breakfast-type food. Every bite was enjoyed. No butter or syrup was offered and I was afraid to ask the testy waiter. They are tight with the butter here. At our great breakfast at the Andaz, when you ask for toast, you get barely warm bread, no butter. Today, I asked specifically for “crispy” bacon and got the limpest fatty slice of meat you would ever want to see. Really???? Crispy means fry that sucker! Same with eggs, unfortunately. I remember also having this issue in China and having to keep asking for “hard scramble” several times to get barely done eggs. Oh well-first world, five star hotel issues I guess.

We don’t go for fancy restaurants but we walked by many in Amsterdam including one, MoMo in the area near the museums. Swanky! There are many white-table cloth type places as well as many beer halls with outside seating and lounge seats and heaters for the cool nights-even blankets at some places. You can find all types of ethnic food easily too. Lots of Argentine steak houses along side the pancake houses. We even found a place today, Bagels & Beans, that is a chain around town and has great bagels served with the largest pile of cream cheese that you could ever eat.

So, whatever you like to eat, you can probably find it in Amsterdam. Happy eating!

2 Days, 20,000 steps and 1 Cougar

On May 19, 2015May 19, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Canada, Fashion, Food, Travel, Vancouver, walkingLeave a comment

Holy. Crap. Yep, I just noticed I am totally and utterly alone in a forest in Canada with not a soul in sight and this sign comes into view, like someone quickly attached it to a post and ran away… Wildcat spotted in area. Love the pictures to show you the differences between cougars, bobcats and kitties–duh! If you are that stupid and need a pictorial of the differences between a cougar and a cat, you deserve to get f&*king chewed on like a kibble. Just saying….

See Cougar Sign..See Melinda Run...Fast — See Cougar Sign..See Melinda Run…Fast

Looking around and, again, seeing nothing but trees, trees and more underbrush where that damn cougar could be hiding, I channeled my inner Hunger Games heroine and picked up an insubstantial branch to defend myself with and took off as fast as possible. Deep in the forest by a lake in Burnaby, this was my “peaceful” stroll to get in my 10,000 needed steps to make my new Fitbit animate, aka it rattles on my wrist when I hit my goal. Happy times staying fit and alive. Eventually, I ran out of the forest into suburbia and found my way back to the hotel in one piece, feeling fit to live another day and vowing to stick to the urban jungle from now on instead of the actual jungle. The kicker was that my Fitbit wasn’t working right so it didn’t even record my steps including the long climb back up the hill to home. DAMN! My calves are aching and telling me I hit that 10,000 step goal so we’ll just go with that unofficial count and charge it up for tomorrow.

Lost in the forest and never finding the lake, running away from a possible cougar...that was my peaceful walk — Lost in the forest and never finding the lake, running away from a possible cougar…that was my peaceful walk

I got my Fitbit for Mother’s Day and am enjoying challenging myself to get out and get walking even more than usual. Especially when I’m on the road working, it will get me out of the hotel in the evening and onto the streets. Last night when I got into Vancouver, BC, I immediately took off on the skytrain from Burnaby where I’m staying to downtown Vancouver. Only taking 20 minutes, it beat driving in traffic. After a lengthy wait to get through customs due to Victoria Day traffic, I was done with driving. I wandered through Gastown and enjoyed people watching. Lots of buskers playing their songs and people eating outside enjoying the warm weather. I finally settled in at the Water St. café and enjoyed amazing salmon risotto. Seriously, I almost licked the plate–crazy American that I am.

Salmon risotto rand BC local wine...how Canadian of me — Salmon risotto and BC local wine…how Canadian of me

Washed down with local wine, I was happy, happy to walk back to the skytrain and join the crowds returning home. Arriving back at the hotel with the Fitbit working, it synced and told me I had about 100 steps left to goal. Did I run in place and rack up those last few steps??? Oh yeah-BAM! 2 days and 20,000 steps and feeling good… my Type A personality likes hitting goals and my body likes the workout. Win-Win!

Fox Not Donkey??…Strange Meat, Shanghai Style

On December 26, 2013December 26, 2013 By Travels with MelindaIn Food, Shanghai1 Comment

Shanghai Daily posted this week that fox meat was substituted for donkey meat at Wal-Mart and the customer was so upset that they demanded compensation. That is SO messed up on so many levels that I don’t even know where to begin but let’s start with the fact that Wal-Mart sells donkey meat. WTF! The article stated that fox meat costs less than donkey meat though, which was a real problem for the customer because he was being cheated and, oh, it didn’t taste as good-you think? How about the real problem is that both donkey and fox meat are sold here to the masses at Wal-Mart, which is revolting and gag-worthy and really something I wish I didn’t know. Damn, I hate that I read and am too informed at times. But, there it is, and who am I to judge but now I have yet another reason not to ever meat in China or shop at Wal-Mart, not that I ever did. And you would think it couldn’t get worse than the donkey vs. fox meat debate, when it does because, after all, THIS IS CRAZY & WONDERFUL CHINA! BTW, here is the link to the story for more details if your stomach can stand it: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/national/Fox-flesh-found-in-donkey-meat-package-at-WalMart-store/shdaily.shtml

WP_20131225_040 — HEARTS & HOOVES ANYONE?

The ordinary vendors selling meat in their tiny Street shops seems normal to me as I pass it every day on my way to the subway. But yesterday, I saw vendors selling hot barbequed hearts and cloven hooves in the alleys of the ancient town of Zhujiajiao. YUM! Doesn’t everything taste good with barbeque sauce?

WP_20131225_024 — DECK THE HALL WITH MEATS & ORGANS, FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!

Then, I saw something strung up between the trees by the charming (albeit polluted) canal in the”Venice of China” water town we were visiting. Thinking, oh how festive, they have strung Christmas lights, I found upon closer inspection that it was instead a chain of mystery meat sausages and other raw meat festively dangling and attracting flies. DOUBLE YUM AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Movies & Fruit & Pastries, Oh My, Movie Night in Shanghai!

On December 21, 2013 By Travels with MelindaIn Food, Shanghai2 Comments

We don’t have to stray far from our Pudong apartment to find everything you could ever want for a cold winter night…fresh fruit being sold on the corner, bakery treats, wine and the latest DVD’s.

Tonight, we’re still recovering from being up pretty much all last night watching our daughter Hannah graduate college live in Boise, Idaho at 3 a.m. our time. While I can’t wait to show my son, James, who is visiting over college break, all of Shanghai, tonight the family was just intent on hunkering down to rest and cocoon.

I had heard all about being able to find the latest dvd’s in China. Being very sensitive to not buying “pirated” stuff prior to coming to China, you soon realize that this is the culture and the only way to get current movies is to buy what is available, which includes being able to buy movies like Gravity that are still in the theaters and not released yet, well except in the store on my block. I thought the quality might not be good but they are perfect and cost about $2 per movie to buy. Movie night marathon!

Then, it was off to buy movie night food. The abundance of fruit in Shanghai still amazes me. There are fruit stands on every block all over town. I have now made friends with the fruit vendor on our corner who sells out of his van. Last night, wanting to buy an assortment of what he had to offer from blueberries to rainier cherries to oranges and more, I was unable to negotiate a fair price so I walked away empty handed and instead went to the bakery to stock up on treats like red bean buns, coconut milk bread and iced airy cakes. Stepping out with my bag loaded with carbs, the fruit vendor and I began our negotiations anew and I ended up with a huge bag filled for 50RMB. I still probably paid A LOT more than the locals do but it seemed fair to me. That is until I saw him tonight and he immediately smiled and handed me two free bananas. Okay, now I know for sure he feels guilty for charging me too much but who doesn’t love free bananas!

Now, it’s back to cozy up on the couch and watch some shows while munching on fruit and pastries with a little wine to wash it all down. Heaven! Tomorrow we’ll be all rested up and off we will go to show James all the wonderful sights of Shanghai. I think a trip to Tianzifang Alley might be in order as well as Fuxing Park, my favorites to wander through on a Sunday. We’ve never been to Cool Docks so we might have to go there as well. So much to see & do in Shanghai!

Caffeine Culture in Shanghai

On December 20, 2013 By Travels with MelindaIn Food, Shanghai1 Comment

I can’t believe we were ever worried about finding great coffee in Shanghai. Not only is there a Starbucks on every corner in a pinch but also Costa Coffee, Coffee Bean, Gloria Jean’s, etc. plus some serious boutique coffee places all over town that we have been sampling recently-who knew?

Conveniently located by my office in Xintiendi, Original Coffee at 276 Ma dang Road is kicking up some major caffeine with their Victoria Anduro Expresso machine. They have a seriously friendly staff and a loyalty card-buy 6 get 1 free. Naturally, I have already earned a free beverage! The open air coffee bar was packed yesterday at 3 p.m. when I showed an office mate from Australia where it was for an afternoon pick me up. Creamy and smooth, the Americano was just the ticket to keep me going the rest of the day. Now, if they only opened up before 8 a.m.! Situated between my subway line and the office, I now time my arrival each day so that they are open by the time I walk by. Yep, I’m not addicted or anything to the bean…

Tucked away in a street full of bars, there is a tiny café known for it’s fresh roasted beans so we had to check out Café de Volcan at 80 Yongkang Road in the former French Concession area.

True to their publicity, the coffee was amazing. Offered the usual ways plus as pour over and french press, it had a high caffeine content and then some. Using a fancy machine from Seattle and giving little cookie bites with each cup, the brick walls and wood floors created a cozy feel to enjoy the brew. It felt so much like Seattle, especially when one patron walked in with her dog–you don’t see that much here in Shanghai.

Dianna, our barista, told me that Shanghai citizens are learning more about the coffee culture and appreciating the good beans they roast, grind and serve. One South African customer told us that he had enjoyed coffee around the world as he travelled and really appreciated this place. Me too!

I think we’ve found our new coffee “home away from home” places to absorb the caffeine culture in Shanghai.

Carcasses galore!

On November 9, 2013November 9, 2013 By Travels with MelindaIn Food1 Comment

> After checking out WalMart and Carrefour this week to get our pantry stocked for our new apartment, I found myself pulling out my phone to capture the display of the most horrendous assortment of mystery meat, heaped and hung for purchase. OMG-really! Do people really eat this? My stomach is churning and burning just thinking about the wall of carcasses that confronted me as I shopped for something to eat that wasn’t staring at me with beady eyes or cloven hooves.

I discovered that both locations, especially WalMart, are for locals and not Lai Wai’s like myself. No international food, aka Special K, peanut butter, etc. was carried and no dual signing in English/Chinese. I guessed on some cleaning products based on the pictures and just gave up for the most part finding familiar foods.

Now you would think that fruit is fruit but there are some crazy varieties in China that I have to investigate. I also learned that you have to get the produce weighed and tagged in the department or risk the wrath of the cashier upon discovering an unpriced item. Just as in other situations where you have to line up in China, you learn quickly to shove and push to get a place in line and then hold firm or be shoved to the back quickly by everyone else. Back in Seattle this week, I was definitely less polite than before due to this indoctrination with crowd behavior. Oh well!

But back to the mystery meat topic at hand, there was also a wide variety of seafood swimming in tanks and ready to be killed for dinner. I’m more comfortable not seeing my dinner alive so this is just not going to work for me. I just don’t connect with a fish wagging its tail in a tank–those are pets not dinner. For now, I have no idea what I will be finding to eat but I can guarantee you it won’t be from the wall of carcasses at WalMart!

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