Today was another very chill day. (See a pattern yet?) Didn't really leave the house til 2pm, (I think that's a record for us) and I think literally all I did while out today was eat haha. Also, the rain is crazy here! This morning I went down to the kitchen and it was POURING! But then 5 minutes later, it had all stopped and the sun had come out! And luckily, it didn't rain for the rest of the day! (Aside from some sprinkling in the evening)
We left around 2pm, and took the tube to Piccadilly Circus for afternoon tea. As we got there before our reservation, we decided to go to Gelupo, a popular gelato place nearby. (It's actually made by the same people as the restaurant from yesterday, Bocca di Lupo) It's pretty pricy, but they have a lot of unique flavors and ingredients! I opted for a double scoop with Salted Caramel and Pecan, and Coriander Stracciatella! I was actually disappointed in the salted caramel, because I didn't feel like the flavor was strong enough, but the coriander stracciatella was super tasty! Not only is it such a unique flavor, but it just tasted super fresh! (And the texture was great. If you haven't noticed, I'm really big on textures in gelato)
*Sidenote: If you didn't know already, UK English has a lot of different names for vegetables (the reason for which I have no idea). For example: Eggplant - Aubergine; Zucchini - Courgette; Cilantro - Coriander! Totally forgot about the Cilantro - Coriander part initially when I was ordering (I was thinking Coriander was Clove...), and was expecting Clove-flavored ice cream instead of Cilantro! But good thing I like cilantro, so it was a neat surprise!
Next we went for Afternoon Tea at a cute little place called Soho's Secret Tea Room. Why secret? Because it's actually situated above a bar, and you have to go in and ask the bartender for afternoon tea before he'll buzz you up to the 2nd floor. The room was pretty small, and filled with little tables with cute, vintage plates and cups. The whole feel was very vintage, especially with their record player going!
We opted to go for the full afternoon tea, although it was pretty pricy at £17.50... It came with tea, sandwiches, scones, jam/clotted cream, and cakes! Stephanie ordered the standard English Breakfast tea, but I decided to try the Gen Mai Cha, which is actually a Chinese green tea with rice! Had a very nutty flavor, which was neat, but it also didn't seem like a typical tea you'd drink in London haha. When the cakes/sandwiches came out, it all looked SO cute on the cake stand! We shamelessly took our photos, and got to work eating! The one thing we didn't anticipate: Not having enough stomach space for so many sweets! We literally hit a wall after eating all the sandwiches and scones. Managed to finish most of the cupcake and berry tart, but then were way to full to finish the rest... What a waste! It really would have been more practical (and cheaper!) to order just tea, sandwiches and scones, a la carte.
Afterwards, we walked over to Covent Garden for shopping, but it wasn't as exciting as we expected... The Apple Market, which had actual stands selling wares wasn't that interesting, and the actual stores were pretty much all chains... They also have a Shake Shack there! (Which Steph was tempted to try for dinner, but then the line was super long) We also passed a Five Guys on the way! Apparently it just opened, and on July 4th too haha.
For dinner, I actually met up with Annie Pan! (friend from high school) She's currently finishing up law school, and I literally haven't seen/talked to her in ages (since like freshman winter break when I was back in Phoenix), but it was awesome catching up! And it's so crazy, she has a British accent now! (Guess living/studying in London for 5 years will do that to you... haha) We got drinks at a bar beforehand, and then went for Indian food at Dishoom. And I got to meet her roommate as well!
We left around 2pm, and took the tube to Piccadilly Circus for afternoon tea. As we got there before our reservation, we decided to go to Gelupo, a popular gelato place nearby. (It's actually made by the same people as the restaurant from yesterday, Bocca di Lupo) It's pretty pricy, but they have a lot of unique flavors and ingredients! I opted for a double scoop with Salted Caramel and Pecan, and Coriander Stracciatella! I was actually disappointed in the salted caramel, because I didn't feel like the flavor was strong enough, but the coriander stracciatella was super tasty! Not only is it such a unique flavor, but it just tasted super fresh! (And the texture was great. If you haven't noticed, I'm really big on textures in gelato)
Salted Caramel and Pecan & Coriander Stracciatella!
*Sidenote: If you didn't know already, UK English has a lot of different names for vegetables (the reason for which I have no idea). For example: Eggplant - Aubergine; Zucchini - Courgette; Cilantro - Coriander! Totally forgot about the Cilantro - Coriander part initially when I was ordering (I was thinking Coriander was Clove...), and was expecting Clove-flavored ice cream instead of Cilantro! But good thing I like cilantro, so it was a neat surprise!
Next we went for Afternoon Tea at a cute little place called Soho's Secret Tea Room. Why secret? Because it's actually situated above a bar, and you have to go in and ask the bartender for afternoon tea before he'll buzz you up to the 2nd floor. The room was pretty small, and filled with little tables with cute, vintage plates and cups. The whole feel was very vintage, especially with their record player going!
We opted to go for the full afternoon tea, although it was pretty pricy at £17.50... It came with tea, sandwiches, scones, jam/clotted cream, and cakes! Stephanie ordered the standard English Breakfast tea, but I decided to try the Gen Mai Cha, which is actually a Chinese green tea with rice! Had a very nutty flavor, which was neat, but it also didn't seem like a typical tea you'd drink in London haha. When the cakes/sandwiches came out, it all looked SO cute on the cake stand! We shamelessly took our photos, and got to work eating! The one thing we didn't anticipate: Not having enough stomach space for so many sweets! We literally hit a wall after eating all the sandwiches and scones. Managed to finish most of the cupcake and berry tart, but then were way to full to finish the rest... What a waste! It really would have been more practical (and cheaper!) to order just tea, sandwiches and scones, a la carte.
Afterwards, we walked over to Covent Garden for shopping, but it wasn't as exciting as we expected... The Apple Market, which had actual stands selling wares wasn't that interesting, and the actual stores were pretty much all chains... They also have a Shake Shack there! (Which Steph was tempted to try for dinner, but then the line was super long) We also passed a Five Guys on the way! Apparently it just opened, and on July 4th too haha.
Covent Garden
Goofing off...
PANDA SUIT ONESIE!!! I totally would have bought it if it weren't £35... T_T
For dinner, I actually met up with Annie Pan! (friend from high school) She's currently finishing up law school, and I literally haven't seen/talked to her in ages (since like freshman winter break when I was back in Phoenix), but it was awesome catching up! And it's so crazy, she has a British accent now! (Guess living/studying in London for 5 years will do that to you... haha) We got drinks at a bar beforehand, and then went for Indian food at Dishoom. And I got to meet her roommate as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment