mmm-yoso – Page 39

Honolulu – Izakaya Uosan

November 14, 2024 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Oahu, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

There was a reason we didn't go overboard at SXY Szechuan. I had made dinner reservations at a restaurant in walking distance from the Ala Moana Hotel. Of course, this was yet another place I read about on Kathy's awesome website Onolicious Hawaii. Having read Kathy's posts for almost two decades now, I've learned to trust her recommendations. Plus, the photos, and the menu at Izakaya Uosan just seemed right for us. It was interesting to note that the restaurant doesn't do online reservations; I had to call to book us two seats.

Izakaya Uosan is located right on Kapiolani Boulevard, between Piikoi and Pensacola. It was a nice little walk to the somewhat discreet location.

We were instantly greeted upon entering. The small place is quite low-keyed, but filled up quickly. One of the gentleman working; I believe his name is Daniel was awesome.

Looking at the photo of the menu on Kathy's post, I just got the feeling that this be a meal the Missus and I would enjoy.

A quick look at the menu and I was rain' to go. But first things first…..we need to start the meal on the right foot. Which meant an ice cold and refreshing Asahi. Heck, even the Missus enjoyed Her “biru(s)”. Yes, She actually had more than one!

We placed our orders and food started arriving.

You know if there's Foie Gras on the menu….well, how about Foie Gras with O-toro ($13.50/each).

My goodness, the texture! Rich, decadent, the tare wasn't over-powering and really complimented the dish. The sweet-offaly foie gras was wonderfully creamy. The rice was prepared decently, the shari not too strong.

The next item to arrive is the restaurant's version of Shirasu Chips; basically Baby Sardine Chips ($9).

Crisp, light, very savory!

The Kani, Kani Miso Gunkan Maki ($13.50) was slightly sweet, umami bomb.

For some reason; the rice here seemed a bit drier and harder.

Our least favorite dish of the evening was the Gyutan ($14.50).

It hadn't been grilled to our preference and was rubbery and lacking in the smokiness that we associate with binchotan. The flavor had a bit of a metallic "edge" to it as well.

Of course we had to get the Braised Daikon with Foie Gras ($19.50), right?

Think of this as Daikon no Nimono crowned with a sizeable piece of seared foie gras and caramelized onions. As Kathy noted in her post, this skewed toward the saltier side, even though the onions tried to bring a hint of sweetness to balance out the flavors, it was not up to the task. This might be a case of "too much of a good thing"?

We didn't have much time to dwell on things because the next item to arrive was the Uni – Truffle Butter – Egg Yolk -Rice ($24). Oh my goodness!

One could imagine that a dish like this could get a bit "out of hand"; but in this case the preparation was so balanced! From the soft and tender rice, which had a nice gave off that wonderful aroma of truffle. The truffle added a earthy-mushroomy-floral component and didn't overwhelm the dish. Ah yes, the egg yolk, one of the Missus's favorite food items; when mixed in added another layer buttery-creamy texture. Speaking of creamy; good lord, the Hokkaido Uni, the oceany-sweetness took me to a very happy place! We loved this dish!

Wanting to actually get some fish; we asked Daniel what he would recommend. He told us that the Sumagatsuo (Mackerel Tuna) was super fresh, wild caught, so we went with the Tataki ($28). Oh man, I know folks who used to diss Kawakawa, which is what we called the fish growing up, but man, this was delici-yoso!!!!

This must have been a good sized one; the fish was firm, yet yieldingly tender. Quite refreshing with the onions and shoyu!

The Missus loves Her Chawan Mushi; so when She saw a version with Uni ($19.50), She had to order it.

My goodness, the delicate-velvety texture; the creamy-umami chawan mushi, crowned by that oceany-sweet-savory uni. That says it all.

After this we were done for the evening! We liked the laid-back, friendly Service. And guess whatthe tab was with our drinks and food….$190 for two! Can you imagine what this would cost in San Diego? This was our favorite meal of the trip. We can't wait to return!

Izakaya Uosan
1221 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 200-5077

It was still fairly early, so we walked down Piikoi and then along Ala Moana Park back to the hotel.

Which gave me time to contemplate how lucky I was. To be able to have such a wonderful meal, to call Hawai'i my "home", to be able to travel, and to be able to "share" this wonderful meal with you all!

And also, to have gotten to know folks like Kathy over the years, whose opinion and recommendations I can trust!

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Juewei Food – A Quick Look

November 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Chains, Chinese Restaurants

**** Juewei has closed

During our last visit to Yomie’s I noticed that Juewei had opened.

Juewei 01

So, with Matcha Red Bean Yogurt in hand, we decided to see what was up. Having been to Jue Wei Kitchen in San Gabriel we kinda knew what to expect. And yes, there were all the duck and pig parts in trays in the counter.

Juewei 02

Suddenly the prospect of some duck tongue or intestine sounded like a good addition for dinner. I’m not the biggest fan of duck neck, so we’d be passing on that for now. The menu also includes various fried items and like Zhengxin Chicken Steak down the street there were a number of skewered items for sale as well. Though, based on our previous experience with Jue Wei, it was all about the duck and piggy parts. Our idea of getting both duck tongue and intestine was derailed when we saw the prices; each was priced at $79.99 a pound! Yikes!

So, we decided on a small portion of duck intestine, and small orders of pig ear, pig head, and yuba bean curd. The young lady working was really nice; she told the Missus “it is good to try and have a taste since we have only been open for a few days”!

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As I thought, we really enjoyed the duck intestine.

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It was cartilaginously crunchy; almost hard. Think of super crunchy nankotsu “noodles”. It was sneakily numbing-spicy and soon I was actually sweating! We really enjoyed this.

The Pig Ears ($11.99/lb) were cuts a bit thicker than we’re used to. You can purchase whole pig ears and chop them yourself if you’re up to the task.

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Quite crunchy with a good “ma-la” (numbing hot) – sesame oil flavor as well.

The Pig Head ($11.99/lb) was milder in flavor, fairly meaty with crunchy bits.

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I do enjoy Yuba Bean Curd Skin ($11.99/lb) and this was decent, crunchy and refreshing.

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Mild spice, the sesame oil flavor seemed more upfront, light sweetness, though perhaps a bit on the salty end of the scale.

We had our cold dishes with Pidan (Century Egg) and cold tofu for a nice, light dinner.

Juewei 08

We enjoyed checking our Juewei and thought the duck intestines were good…..though was it $79.99 a pound good? Not so sure about that!

Juewei Food
4690 Convoy St. #103
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 11am – Midnight

Juewei 00

Soi 30th Revisited

November 11, 2024 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

The Missus had been craving Thai food during a recent lunchtime. Of course one of the first places that came to mind was Sovereign, but it was a Thursday and the place doesn't open for lunch until noon. After some back and forth, we decided on revisiting Soi 30th. The Missus took some convincing since our last meal from there was disappointing. But, it had been a year-and-a-half since that visit and we had done takeout to boot. So, in my mind, it was time for a revisit. This time we'd be dining in.

We arrived just after 11 and there were already a couple of tables filled. The menu has changed a bit over time; the Thai Sausage hasn't been on the menu for a while and another favorite; the Larb Moo Krob was not on the menu either.

Still, for me, it has always been about the pork belly here so I ordered the Ka Na Moo Krob ($16.95); the pork belly with Chinese Broccoli (i.e. Gailan). The Missus surprised me; not by ordering the Pak Boong; i.e. Morning Glory/Ong Choi, but ordering it with chicken ($15.95)? You know, based on my recent experiences with basic takeout Thai places, the prices here seemed quite reasonable. Though they did charge us $3 to add an egg to each dish……

Both dishes were quite good; the Ong Choi perfectly stir fried; crisp, mildly sweet, not bitter, but quite earthy.

Soi 30th Rev 01

The chicken was ok, nothing special, but the dish had some decent heat….we ordered medium spice. Good savory tones; I think they put Oyster Sauce in this, a hint of sweetness. The rice was fragrant and moist. We both cracked up (no pun intended) with regards to the egg….it was tiny. I joked that Soi now serves "quail eggs" on their dishes! At least it was nice and runny though it also had that fishy finish I don't care for. Still, this was way better than what we'd had on our last visit.

The Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli was back to how it used to be. The pork perhaps a bit more sauced, but nicely crisp-chewy.

Soi 30th Rev 02 Soi 30th Rev 03 The rice and egg were the same on this dish as well. The Missus loved the crisp, earthy-vegetal gailan. The spice was quite good for just a "medium". The sauce was closer to the saltier side of the scale, but was quite enjoyable. The hints of garlic, sweet, and the spice balanced things out nicely.

Soi 30th Rev 04

We enjoyed our meal and were really happy that Soi 30th is back on our "list" of Thai places to eat at!

Soi 30th Rev 05

We look forward to returning!

Soi 30th
3442 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 3pm, 430pm – 9pm
Fridays 11am – 3pm, 430pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 12pm – 930pm

Soi 30th Rev 00a

Guadalajara – Tikuun Comedor Local

November 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Guadalajara/Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Travel

I thought that this post was already done, but was mistaken. I'm so behind on travel posts, but just wanted to make sure to get this one done as it was our favorite meal in Guadalajara.

After a nice, busy day of exploring Centro Historico, we took a nice break. When it came time for our last meal, I went with a place that no less then five people, all locals recommended to us. A place located in our favorite neighborhood; Colonia Americana, which I briefly mentioned here.

The restaurant was described as Modern, yet very Mexican, relaxed, with an interesting menu. Tikuun Comedor Local. The restaurant was located near the University, closer to the Northeastern side of the district.

The restaurant had a nice outdoor patio area overlooking the quiet street, so we decided to dine there. The service was quite friendly, though it got a bit slower as customers started coming in. It's quite a popular place.

The menu featured traditional Mexican cuisine with international touches. Which can sometimes really disrupt the soul and key flavors of dishes. Here at Tikuun it seemed to work well in most cases.

I stuck with a couple of cervezas with dinner and the Missus enjoyed the house win here.

As we will often do; we went with a meal of all starters as those dishes seemed the most interesting to us. Like the Pellizcadas de Chicharron de Pork Belly.

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For those not familiar with Pellizcadas; it's masa based, sort of like a sope; though I believe these have the "boundary edges" like a like Picaditas. The maize tones came out so clearly; as did the porkiness. The black beans "grounded" the dish which had a bit of acidic heat. This was out favorite dish of the evening.

The Sea Bass Aguachile with Katsuobushi was a nice dish.

While we initially had doubts about the freshness of the fish; this was wonderfully fresh. The brightness of the marinade went quite well with the uber-savory, umami katsuobushi. Nice amount of spice in this one as well.

Of course, we couldn't resist ordering the Sweetbreads; even though it was prepared with Ssamjang!

While the sauce was a bit much for the dish, the pickled onions and radishes were essential in balancing things out. Still, the buttery texture of the sweetbreads contrasted nicely with the greens and veggies. The addition of the spicy-fermented-savory Ssamjang and the Chiltepin chilies made for an interesting heat. The blue corn tortillas were really good as well.

The Scallops were so sweet, tender, and briny.

The firm, nutty-earthy fava beans added an interesting texture and a nice layer of flavor. Good acidity as well. The gremolata had peppermint in it which kind of rendered pungent tones out of the equation.

As you can see; this was an interesting dinner, which we really enjoyed. The sometimes novel combinations worked more often then not. And heck, if Tikuun were here in San Diego we'd be eating here every once in a while.

Tikuun Comedor Local
Calle Emeterio Robles Gil 50
Americana, 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Well, we had really enjoyed our time in Guadalajara and really can't wait to return!

Yes, there are places that seem a bit on the "gritty" side…..

But folks were so warm, kind, and welcoming. We took a short walk after dinner. We started noticing some interesting places…..

As we walked thru Parque Revolucion; instead of heading back to the hotel, we headed north a bit up Calz del Federalismo. This busy district was again a total change from the other neighborhoods we'd visited on this stay. Which made sense since the metropolitan area of the city is home to over 5 million.

This had been such a fun stay!

We can't wait to return. But on this trip, our next stop was Tequila, the town, not the drink. Though we'd have our share of that as well!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt

November 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Australia, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Sydney

It's funny how doing a bit of travelling will expand your life and even add new items into your routine. Take for instance, Yomie's Rice x Yogurt which opened off Convoy back in May of last year. Honestly, I'm not much of a Boba drinks kinda guy and I just put Yomie's into that "bucket". Plus, ever since our return from Taiwan, the Missus has gotten some major sticker shock regarding the prices in tea shops, with one notable exception. More on that in a future post.

Before heading back to Oahu we stayed in Sydney for four days. Instead of staying right in the middle of CBD (not, it's not what you think, CBD = "Central Business District" here), we stayed right on the Southern edge of the district in the area known as Chippendale (and no, it has nothing to do with what just came to your mind either). It was close to transportation and I thought we might enjoy the area. Which we did immensely. We spend a good part; or even most of each day just wandering and exploring, and there seems to be a boba/tea/frozen yogurt shop on every corner; which totally reminded us of Taiwan.

Anyway, on one of our "walks" we passed this place.

Yomies Sydney 01

Look familiar? Anyway, the Missus was fascinated, it was a warm day, and so we went in and ordered two Jujube Yogurts, one with the purple rice, the other without. We both enjoyed it; though that Purple Rice is quite filling….well, it was quite filling period as we could only do half of each cup. It looked somewhat pricey at $6,7 AUD….BUT, with the exchange rate it was like $4.40 US! Anyway we returned a couple of days later and split the Haw version. Sadly, as we enjoyed our treats while walking, I never took photos. I actually never thought I'd post on the place as we were quite "busy".

Upon returning, I found out that this location was the original as Yomie's was started in Sydney!

Yomies Sydney 02

I mentioned to the Missus that Yomie's had a shop in San Diego; in Plaza del Sol off Convoy and She seemed quite interested! We also went to check out the location in Ala Moana Center and the prices looked good; being in the mid $6 range. Unfortunately, they didn't have Jujube or Haw which is what the Missus was craving.

To my surprise, after lunch one day, the Missus instructed me to drop by Yomie's Convoy. The place opens at 11 and I was thinking the parking lot might be crowded, but with China Max and other businesses having not reopened yet, we easily found parking.

Yomies 01

The place was quite empty….in fact, we've been the only customers in the place on all our visits….yes, we've been back like four times already!

Yomies 02

The menu looked similar to that in Sydney, which made the Missus happy. Though, we got major sticker shock at the prices.

Yomies 03

Most everything is over eights bucks? Yikes! More expensive than Ala Moana Center, how can that be? At that moment, we decided on the "Yomie's rule". Since the yogurt smoothies are pretty filling; we get one and share.

Here are our current favorites.

We always go with the "less sugar" option. Our current favorite is the Matcha Red Bean Yogurt ($8.50).

Yomies 04

The matcha adds a nice earthy-chlorophyllic flavor and is a good foil for the sweet-nutty red bean. We usually get this without the signature purple (forbidden rice). It's quite refreshing.

Other than that; we will usually get the Red Bean; sometimes with the purple rice ($8.50), sometimes without ($8.25).

Yomies 05

Yomies 06

The Missus also enjoys the Jujube versions as well. We haven't tried any of the fresh fruit versions; perhaps during the summer?

Yomie's touts the health benefits of both the yogurt (the probiotics) and the purple rice (antioxidants) and claims everything is made fresh inhouse.

Well, it is the current favorite of the Missus and we've developed the "Yomie's rule" to deal with the price. And even though I don't have much of a "sweet tooth" I do enjoy the refreshing "less sugar" option. And heck, we've even been to the original location!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt
4688 Convoy St. Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Takeout from Village Kitchen (Again)

November 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Recently, when we've been going out for our biweekly Chinese food "fix", it's been Taste of Hunan. Well, a few days back we wanted some takeout and didn't feel like making the drive out to Scripps Ranch. The Missus was wondering how Village Kitchen was doing, so, like on our last visit over a year-and-a-half ago we decided to do some takeout.

Upon arriving we went with our "regular" dishes and tried something new as well.

We were really feeling like a couple of dishes with La Rou, so we went with the LA Rou with Radish Skin ($19.75) and the La Rou with Bamboo Shoots ($19.75).

VK TO 01

These were dishes that we've ordered several times. It would be interesting to see how things were on this visit.

The Smoked Pork with Bamboo Shoos was the better of the two dishes.

VK TO 02

The smoked pork was a bit chewy, but imparted a good porky-smokiness to the dish. The bamboo shoots were nice and crunchy, while still being tender and moist. Most important was the flavor, good savory-umami soy sauce tones, not overly salty, it perhaps could have used a bit more "heat", but was not bad.

We've had the Smoked Pork with Radish Skin many times. It had earned a spot as an item we'd regularly order. But this time, it was not very good.

VK TO 03

This time around we really didn't enjoy this, as the dried radish had not been properly prepped; it was super hard….not crunchy, but really hard. Along with the chewy smoked pork, the overall textures just weren't pleasing. There was not enough heat in this and it just seemed bland overall, like it hadn't been seasoned well, nor stir fried properly and just "thrown together".

The one item we hadn't noticed before; I'm thinking it's a rather new dish is the Stinky Tofu with Pork Intestine ($18.75). A great "cloud" of offaly fragrance rose above our dining table when I opened this.

VK TO 04 VK TO 05 I'm thinking that the Chou Doufu is not really needed in this dish as it appeared charred, wasn't really overly funky-smelly-"toe jammy"-rotten smelling. It was quite mild. The pork intestine was very tender and had kept the funky-offal-ly flavor, it was quite savory. While this dish could have used more spice; it had good peppery-soy sauce tones and was quite enjoyable….if you're a pork intestine kinda eater. Which we are.

While not as refined, without a broad array of flavors, and not as spicy as what we've been having at Taste of Hunan; two of the three dishes were tasty and the portion sizes were quite generous. I'd say the food at Village Kitchen is a bit more rustic, the taste a bit more simple. It's not a bad thing at all. Sometimes that will just do fine.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Thaipan Kitchen (In the Pyramid on Miramar Road)

November 5, 2024 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

It's funny how things sometimes turn out. In the comments of my post on the Cuisinery moving to Miramar Road, "FOY" Sandy happened to mention that there used to be a Chinese Restaurant in the Pyramid; currently known as the San Diego Innovation Center. I'm sure you'd recognize the structure if you've ever driven on Miramar Road.

Thaipan 01

A few weeks ago, when heading home after shopping at the Cuisinery, I noticed something on the signage for the Pyramid.

Thaipan 02

Do you see it? It says "Thaipan Kitchen". Hmmm…… So, after doing a bit of research, I found that it's owned by the same folks as Ping Yang in the Market on 8th. I also noted that they are only open from 1030 to 330 Monday to Fridays.

I like the 1030 opening since I enjoy an early lunch these days. Plus, the Cuisinery now opens at 10, so I could coordinate my visits! A few days later, I dropped by.

Thaipan 03b

I saw the sign and decided to step into the Pyramid. Funny thing, we've lived in San Diego for over 20 years now and I'd never been in this structure. Never had a reason to visit I guess?

I opened the door and walked on in.

Thaipan 04

The bottom floor was a huge space. There didn't seem to be much going on, I'm not sure what the occupancy of the building is right now? There even seems to be coffee stand that doesn't seem operational?

The tiny shop was open and I walked on over.

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The gentleman was hard at work in the kitchen, so I had a look at the menu; which features standard Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Tom Yum, and also Japanese items like Karaage, Gyoza, and Tonkatsu.

Thaipan 06

And looking at the register, it seems like they are venturing into Filipino dishes. Right now they do Spamsilog and Tocilog….it seems they also do Katsu Sandos. I asked the guy worknig about the hours and he told me that they tried to open at 830 but things were too slow. All of the dishes are available from 1030 to 330 in spite of what the menu says.

Thaipan 07

I mean, there's no way you can do "everything" well, right? So, knowing that the owners are Thai, I decided to stick with that side of the menu.

I wasn't feeling like Pad Thai or a curry; the Ka Prao with Pork Belly ($16.50) sounded good. It was also the most expensive item on the menu. I was given one of those buzzer things and just cooled my heels in the dining area.

Thaipan 08

Soon enough, my lunch was ready to go. I had decided on takeout…..I just didn't feel like eating at the cold and empty dining area.

Once home I unpacked the fairly hefty bowl.

Thaipan 09 Thaipan 10 The fragrance really got my stomach growling. In terms of portion size, this was way bigger than the takeout I'd had from Thai Test Kitchen. I got this medium spicy and it wasn't bad, not dumbed down for sure. Loved the crisp, sweet-anisey fried basil. I could make out a hint of fish sauce, it wasn't overly sweet, loved the flavor of the pork, which was a bit too chewy and tough though.

I'm not sure if it was the drive home, but the egg was overcooked for my taste.

The rice was fragrant, but on the chewy side.

Thaipan 11

Overall, this was not bad, definitely not overly "Ameri-Thai" and in terms of flavor and all that basil in line with Thai Test Kitchen in my mind.

A couple of weeks later I returned. This time, I went and placed my order then went to the Cuisinery to shop before returning. But that's not before I saw something interesting. If you look closely at the photo below. You'll see the microwave below what looks like a portable griddle. Well, I noticed as I walked toward the entry to the building that a large plastic bag of rice was bein put in the microwave. That explains the texture of the rice.

Thaipan 12

Anyway, this time I went with the Thai Omelet over Rice ($13.50). For some reason I was just craving some Kai Jeow!

This really looked lovely when I unpacked it at home.

Thaipan 13 Thaipan 14 It usually has Sriracha drizzled on the egg, but the gentleman nicely asked if I'd prefer to have it on the side. I really didn't even need it. The egg was slightly crisp and quite fluffy. Nice savory tones; the ground meat used, I'm thinking it may be ground chicken was moist and tender. Nice savory tones; quite "eggy" without any off flavors. Quite nice!

The rice though, as you can see was dry and chewy.

Thaipan 15

Overall, not bad. In spite of the rice, I enjoyed the omelet enough that it managed to push the dish over mediocrity.

I'll probably be back. As for a comparison to Thai Test Kitchen; I think the overall quality at TTK might be better, though the prices and portion at Thaipan seems better. Thaipan 16

As for the location; well, wouldn't having a food hall in the Pyramid be a great idea? Not sure if it would make it; but I believe there are so many businesses in the area, along with MCAS Miramar that perhaps it would succeed?

I do need to make it down to the Market on 8th one of these days. I tried twice, but the parking situation was terrible.

As for Thaipan; well Sandy, you see, there's an actual restaurant in the Pyramid now!

Thaipan Kitchen
7310 Miramar Rd. Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 330pm
Closed Sat/Sun

Thaipan 17

London – Afternoon Tea at the Terrace at The Dilly, Westminster Abbey, and The Church of St Margaret

November 3, 2024 mmm-yoso British/Irish/Scottish Restaurants/Pubs, Desserts, London, Sandwiches, Travel

It was still fairly early when we crossed the Westminster Bridge. We had afternoon tea scheduled for 230pm, back at the hotel where we were staying.

I had always wanted to check out Westminster Abbey It was just before 10am. Because I wasn't sure what our schedule would be, I didn't purchase advanced tickets. It was just past 10, the line to get in didn't seem very long, so we decided to see if we could get tickets. Surprisingly, there were tickets available. I went ahead and got us tickets for 1030 entry into the Abbey. We decided to check out St. Margaret's Church which is on the grounds of the Abbey.

According to Britannica, there had been a church on this site since the mid-12th century. But that structure was demolished and this church was built between 1486 and 1523. It is the "official" church of the House of Commons (i.e. the Parliament), which happens to be right next door. In fact, Winston Churchill married Clementine Hozier in this church in 1908. They were married for 56 years, until Churchill's death in 1965.

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The church is also known for it's windows. The famous East Window has quite a story.

It was also interesting to see who's been entombed here.

Speaking of entombed. Well, according to Wikipedia, there are over 3,300 people buried or commemorated in the Abbey, which was housing Benedictine Monks back in the 10th Century!

There's so much that has happened here; every coronation, since that of William the Conquerer in 1066 has taken place here; the High Altar is where those take place. This post could be many pages long; so I'm just going to keep it simple.

Of course, I was much more interested in who was buried here. It's a who's who of history.

There are a total of 17 monarchs entombed here. For instance, Elizabeth I and Mary I are buried next to each other.

There are familiar names everywhere and folks seemed to be entombed together in sections.

Poet's Corner features some familiar names.

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Remember I used the term buried or "commemorated" above? Well, I found it even more interesting folks who have memorials or statues here, but are not buried at Westminster.

Like this rather well known fella'…….

I really appreciated some of the "pairings"….for instance, Stephen Hawking.

Is buried next to…..

And nearby resides….

From people I've read about in history class.

To those who future generations will read about in their history classes.

And even those whom I just remember for certain things; like the quote "Doctor Livingston I presume?"

I really enjoyed just wandering thru Westminster Abbey. There's an Audioguide available, but we just decided to "wing it".

I'm thinking we'll return and perhaps do a private or Verger tour. This was a lot of fun.

Exiting Westminster Abbey, we headed up Parliament Street.

Passing the Cenotaph, a memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars. Unfortunately, those photos didn't turn out.

My photo for the Monument to the Women of World War II did.

As did that of the Field Marshal Earl Haig Memorial.

Whitehall is indeed a street with so much too see.

At the intersection of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue is a very popular gate. This is where one of the ceremonial entrances to Saint James and Buckingham Palace is. This is also where the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment guards the gate. You can figure out what the draw here is, right?

Everyone wants a photo with the Equine Soldier, but like they say for the Tube, you need to "mind the gap" as some of the horses, like the one above enjoy their "personal space". It was quite a crowd.

This is also where the entry to the Household Cavalry Museum is located, along with the Horse Guards Parade. It had quite a line on this day.

We walked thru the passage to Horse Guards Avenue. And came upon the Guards Memorial.

Like I said. There's so much to see that it can be overwhelming. By this point we had seen so much that it was time to head back to the hotel and take a short break before Afternoon Tea.

I put my phone away and we took a nice stroll back to the Dilly.

I had made reservations for Afternoon Tea at the hotel's restaurant, the Terrace. One thing I did learn was the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea. Afternoon Tea is earlier with supposedly lighter fare….you'll see why I say "supposedly" soon. The Terrace is a lovely, somewhat stylish, very bright restaurant.

Since we wouldn't have time for dinner until later this evening; I thought 230 might be a good time for Afternoon Tea. The restaurant was busy, but not super crowded. We thought the prices were quite reasonable as well.

We really weren't prepared for how much food this was. That said, nothing was memorable; the sandwiches dull, the scones quite bland….

The "sweets" tasted like mass produced chocolate; though we thought the theme and presentation was charming.

The service was quite attentive; though we were underwhelmed at the quality and flavor of the food. Still, you were in London, you had to do Afternoon or High Tea, right?

Terrace at The Dilly
21 Piccadilly
London, United Kingdom

London – Le Deli Robuchon and a Walk Around “the Mall”

November 1, 2024 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Desserts, London, Travel

One of the main reasons the Missus wanted to stay in the Piccadilly area was to check out Le Deli Robuchon. She had been following a ton of influencer/social media posts hyping up the "Cube Croissants". I really don't follow those, but the Missus really wanted to try them. Which is why I went and booked the Dilly for our initial stay in London….though I'm fairly certain the Missus would have preferred the Ritz.

On weekdays this location of Le Deli Robuchon opens at 7. We walked on over and arrived at about 730am. The place was fairly busy, but not crowded.

Ordering is via a line, first past the regular pastries; I decided on some Gougeres and Coffee, Double Espresso for the both of us. You then go to a separate counter for the "cubes".

The Missus decided on the Pistachio version of the Cube which went for 9£; about $12/US at the time. We took our pastries to the table and soon after our espresso were delivered.

The espresso was a nice "jolt" to the system. The gougere were too doughy and sweet for my taste.

As for the "beast"…..

Well, I wasn't a fan, it was too sweet and doughy for me. I'm for lighter, flakier, less sweet desserts. The missus agreed as well.

On the table next to us, the woman, exclaimed in the finest British accent, "My god! This is terrible!" So, I'm guessing we weren't alone in not caring for this. At least on this morning.

In case you're wondering what story is behind the "cube", you can read this article. We would go to several places hyped up by the "gram" and the "tok" during this trip and not enjoy any of those meals. Since then, the Missus has double checked places hyped up on these sites.

Le Deli Robuchon Piccadilly
82 Piccadilly
London, United Kingdom

This being our first full day in London, we decided to just enjoy and explore before our reservation for high tea.

We headed down St James Street to Pall Mall……

Then headed toward Buckingham Palace, making a stop at the Queen Victoria Memorial.

And taking a quick look at the Royal Residence; Buckingham Palace.

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We then turned around and decided to head down The Mall, the ceremonial route to Buckingham Palace. This is where you'll see all the royal processions on television.

Lots of lovely ornate gates and a wide tree lined road.

And on this morning; not only were the police marching down the avenue….but it seemed like the ducks were as well!

Down the street we noticed this column.

This is the Duke of York Column, a monument to Prince Frederick the Duke of York, the second son of King George III. It is said that Prince Frederick was King George's favorite son and did much to reform and modernize the Army.

In fact, shortly after Prince Frederick's death, in 1827 all British soldiers donated one day’s wage for the building of this monument which was completed in 1831.

We took a right on Northumberland Avenue and headed toward the River Thames. There's just so much to see in London! From the Golden Jubilee Bridge we had an awesome view of the London Eye.

We then walked along the East side of the Thames to the Westminster Bridge where we proceeded to cross back over the Thames taking in a classic view!

Crossing over, I noticed that we still had a good amount of time before our reservations for Afternoon Tea, so we decided on making one more stop.

At a place I had always wanted to check out!

Stay Tuned!

Have a fun…and safe Halloween

October 31, 2024 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Something we've noticed over the last couple of years. Not sure if you've noticed it too?

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It seems like decorating has really grown in size and scope! Man, some of the yards in our neighborhood!

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Of course, we were out of the country last Halloween, but I think it's been really expanding ever since the times of Covid. I've noticed the same with Christmas as well.

Even the one house that really used to go all out, now has the entire corner going and even the roof!

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And they've got this "show" going on at night?

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Though perhaps this represents a change in demographics and gentrification?

Perhaps you've noticed the same thing where you live?

Regardless, we here at mmm-yoso want to wish you a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Thanks for hanging around…..

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And I know everyone is kinda busy. And when you gotta go…..well, you gotta go!

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Happy Halloween!