Night Out with the Boys

It was the co-op's last weekend here in London, so a bunch of us decided to send him off (or celebrate him leaving) by going to dinner and drinks afterwards. For some strange reason, they decided to eat at Wong Kei in Chinatown. This infamous restaurant is known for their "service" and "food quality" - which definitely shocked a few people in our group. One person claimed he was "assaulted" when the waiter pushed his arm aside to put a dish down, and his order was mysteriously "missing"..

After dinner we went to the Porterhouse for a few drinks before a few people retreating home. Not me! We continued to Fabric, a dance club in north London. I didn't get home until a few hours ago..

Shopping Mall

After being here in London for a while, I have realised the lack of the ginormous shopping malls here. Perhaps it's the lack of space in central London, but all the so-called "malls" I've been to feel like those crappy ones with six shops and no major labels.

I think I just broke the myth this weekend by stumbling upon Bluewater. It is actually located about an hour away from central London by train, on top of a bus connection for ten minutes. Despite the traveling distance, I enjoyed the day thoroughly. It felt just like home - all the familiar labels (both in UK and Canada/US) were there, and it was HUGE!! Probably because it is located so far away from where land is expensive. In any case, I didn't buy anything (too poor to do that).. but I enjoyed a full day of indulging in window shopping again..

Weekend Destination : Amsterdam!

I must have talked about Amsterdam so many times in my journal here that you, my faithful readers, start to wonder when I'm ever going to stop. Furthermore, you are probably wondering why I keep going back to Amsterdam. (get your mind outta the gutter!) This time the co-op at my workplace wanted to go, and I didn't have much to do on weekends anyway.. plus, I think getting away helps keep me sane! :D

I won't bore anybody with the details of the trip, as I probably have said a million times what's worth seeing. It's worth noting this time I stayed at the Flying Pig Palace, a famous hostel in Amsterdam. I also went to the Holland Casino, the only "legal" casino sanctioned by the government. Lost a bit of money playing roulette (knowing when to get out is a GOOD strategy), and walked around town for a bit. Enjoyed spending some time in Teasers (those been to Amsterdam would know).. and walked around in the flower market and shopped for some tulips.

Today was a write-off at work. (duh) Fun weekend, nevertheless.

Chef's Table

Last night I was invited to dinner at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's along with a few of my colleagues. For those of you only familiar with Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay is the true celebrity chef. A football player turned chef, he is the only one in the UK to hold 7 Michelin stars. The restaurant itself was already really fancy, but we got something even more special - the chef's table. It's a table situated at the heart of the kitchen, allowing interaction between the patrons and the kitchen staff. In short, it had to be the best meal I've ever had in my life. We were served a bottle of wine for every course that came out (and we had almost 9 courses including dessert), so needless to say I wasn't my usual composed self by the end of the night.. My most memorable part of the meal was touring of the kitchen, and tasting that white mushroom truffle.. mmmmmm..

Now I have a headache (from the hangover) and a tummy-ache (from the eating)..