31 The Circle, Broadgate, London EC2 Tel: 0207 256 5045 Food doesn't come cheap when you work in the City. A decent lunch with drinks can cost up to £10-£15 pp. So unless you're an investment banker, a hotshot lawyer or holds the company's credit card, you'll bound to have the occasional takeout sandwich from Pret, E.A.T. or some dubious corner café. At £2-£3 per serving, it's defnitely more affordable. However, that might have changed for those who work in the vicinity of... Read Full Story
Well, I wish I know. This blog was started within the first week of me setting foot upon London and I have been updating it daily, with minor slips here and here, ever since. In it, I documented my travels and my experiences in London. A dear friend of mine, upon knowing that I would like to increase the traffic to my site, suggested that I write about topics that have proven to be high traffic generators - sex and money. Not that these topics don't appeal to me, it's just... Read Full Story
After the writeup about Hakkasan, how does Yauatcha, which is just two Tube stations away, measure up to the competition? This Singaporean finds out. Yauatcha Yauatcha was Alan Yau's second dim sum venture after Hakkasan's runaway success. Although both establishments seek to present Chinese cuisine in a fusion environment, Yauatcha caters more for the high street customers while Hakkasan has a more exclusive air to it. Like Hakkasan, Yauatcha is not exactly easy to find. Depending on... Read Full Story
The next time you chance upon a London guide book, flip to the recommended section for Chinese food in London and you will almost certain to find the two biggest dim sum names in London : Hakkasan and Yauatcha. Incidentally, both of these restaurants are opened up by the same person (Alan Yau) and have a single Micheline star (the last time I checked). There's where the similarities end. So how do these two Chinese culinary titans measure up? Are they really as good as they are purported to... Read Full Story
Was feasting on my Pret sandwich during lunch the other day as I was strolling beside the Tower of London. when I saw the live demonstration of a trebuchet, more popularly known as the catapult. Though I'm sure the two devices here are very different but let's not go into the technicalities here, shall we? Anyway, they got burly men dressed up as medieval soldiers who entertained some tourists in what used to be the moat of the Tower, which has since been drained. Those... Read Full Story
West St, London WC2H 9NH [020-7836-1443] Remember the Crypt that I posted about some time back? I revisited the Crypt at St. Martins in the Fields yesterday evening for a live jazz performance. £8 for a reserved ticket and you'll get a line-of-sight view, £5 for a view partially blocked by the many columns supporting the floor of the church. Performances are put up in the Crypt every Wednesday evening from 8pm till 10pm with a 15min interval. T J Johnson Bourbon Kick was... Read Full Story
Sher was reminiscing of her time spent in London as a student who worried constantly about the high cost of living in London. For non-EU citizens, the cost of an undergraduate degree in London's universities can easily cost more than £10k per year and we are not even talking about the cost of reading materials and living expenses. That can be quite substantial unless you plan to survive on bread rolls and tea bags donated by your kind professors. Accomodation A studio flat in... Read Full Story
Notting Hill Carnival, purported to be the largest street festival in Europe, is one of the event marked on every revellers' calender. Last weekend saw the festival attended by nearly 850,000, a record number for the street party. However, as per previous years, the Carnival was mired by presence of street thugs who were determined to spoil it for everyone else. Arrest were made after a mob hurled bricks and bottles at police, which created a standoff. 500 were arrested and... Read Full Story
As the world watched the Chinese performed their magic once again in the Beijing Games closing ceremony, it turned its attention to London - the city hosting Games 2012. After its much talked about opening ceremony just two weeks back, the Chinese had another go at impressing the billions who were glued to their tv sets. The audience weren't disappointed. However, Beijing Games 2008, which comes with a hefty price tag of just over £20 billion pounds, didn't come cheap. Unlike... Read Full Story
