A Gastronomic Tour of London

Christine and I

It's been a crazy but thoroughly exhilarating week with various Malaysian friends descending upon London. I haven't lived in Malaysia for 23 years but the foodie gene is deeply embedded in my DNA like every other Malaysian that I know. There was the day out with Fauxionista and Kelly where we explored the Hermes festival, discussed about the blogging world and slurped excellent ramen noodles from Shoryu.

I was back again in London the next day with Lil L in tow to catch up with Christine, a childhood friend of mine that I've known since we were both 7 (33 years of friendship!!). We spent the day reminiscing about old times, wrinkles, comparing the size of our pores (hers were microscopic sized while mine were crater like. pfffft) and turning 40 (major pfffffftt). We hugged each other tightly as we bade each other goodbye at the train station. 



Outfit: Etoile Isabel Marant parka, Alexander Wang t-shirt (or here), Zara boyfriend jeans, See by Chloe sandals (similar here. Use discount code MP569XE to get 30% off) , Hermes Cape Cod watch and Louis Vuitton Speedy.
Group photo of Heather's mom, Heather and I taken by Lil L (payment: lots of praise). She managed to make us all look skinny after 3 days of gorging.







Heather and her family arrived a few days later. Her family is beyond cool. Totally chill and hilarious to hang out with. You've probably noticed that I was dressed for eating. I was with a group of the most food obsessed people I've ever met. We began our journey at the Rose Bakery at the Dover Street Market followed by Shoryu Ramen where Heather's dad proclaimed that it was indeed authentic.

We feasted our eyes on the horrifically expensive clothes and accessories at Dover Street Market. See those furry yellow heels? Well, they're not for Big Bird. We just about keeled over laughing when we caught a sight of them and their black relative. This is what you call fashion? Seriously?

 





We dropped by Burlington Arcade while we gazed in wonder at the £100 000 watches. And here I thought Hermes bags were extravagant. I popped into the Globe-Trotter store to check out a cabin luggage. I was tempted. VERY tempted after seeing the original 18 inch Globe-Trotter trolley suitcase without the straps. The stiff upper lip service with just the right amount of disdain is a must at the old English establishments along Green Park and St James's Park. After all, they used to serve the aristocrats up until the rise of the middle class during the Industrial Revolution.

While I belong strictly to the Pierre Herme camp, it was a little hard to say no to Lil L who begged and pleaded outside the Laduree store. I have NOT let a single macaron passed these lips of mine since I managed to gorge 16 Laduree macarons in one seating years ago.






We've managed to cover Chelsea Market (friendly, posh and beyond delicious), Dishoom (awesome cafe style Indian restaurant), Gail's (the bread! The cakes!) and Princi (seriously good Milanese fare).  I've had such an incredible week.  I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky about the friends I have. Being rich isn't all about money but it's the friendships you've built and maintained and the experiences you've had (an attempt to be philosophical and wise).

**Photos taken with Samsung Galaxy Note as I was too lazy to lug around a big camera.