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London – Barshu

Chinese Restaurants, London, Memorable Meals, Travel

I had two specific meals in mind for our last day in London. Of course, with the Missus in tow, we had to have some Chinese food right? I also wanted to check out London’s Chinatown. I know that after our fairly mediocre visit to Dishoom, the Missus was a bit hesitant about my choices. But, there was one place I just needed to check out.

Folks who’ve read our little blog knows that one of my favorite cookbook writers is Fuchsia Dunlop. From the time I purchased Land of Plenty in 2005, I’ve enjoyed her cookbooks and writing style. And, I have made many items from or inspired from her cookbooks over the years. Several of which I’ve done posts on….though I do make adjustments for the Missus’s taste. As I’ve always noted, cookbooks are inspirations and guidelines for what I make. Anyway, I read way back in 2006, that Ms Dunlop had been a consultant with the Sichuan Restaurant Barshu in London and have been wanting to visit ever since. And finally, I had my chance.

Of course, the Missus wanted to walk the 2+ miles there from the hotel, but it was a mild winter day in London.

While walking thru Soho we passed the Chinese Church in London above. Formerly the Soho Baptist Chapel, according to it’s website, the Chinese Church in London was founded in 1950.

Barshu is located on Frith Street, one block from what is considered the Northern border of Chinatown.

There’s some modern interpretations of Sichuan here; but I really wanted to try some our favorite “foundational” Sichuan dishes.

Like the Dry Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork.

Whoa….a generous portion of minced pork on this. The beans were decently dry-fried. It could have used more garlic; but the texture was spot on. Decent porkiness and spice. This was quite nice.

The rice was fine as well.

Of course we had to try the Shui Zhu Niu Rou….the classic “water boiled beef”.

Really good ma-la…numbing “hot”. Almost perfect to my taste. The sauce was a bit on the “thinner” side, but packed with flavor…..great numbing-pungent tones, not overly salty, really delici-yoso! The beef could have been more velveted; but was quite tender.

The Fuqi Fei Pian was the only “clunker” for us.

While texturally, the tripe was nice and crunchy; this was almost bland. It really lacked the “la”, was not spicy enough.

The  Ko Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken) was also spot on.

The chicken was nicely prepped, so tender, and full of poultry goodness. Nice balanced ginger-savory-pungent tones, with a hint of sweet-sourness.. Loved the ma-la as well. This is one of my favorite classic Sichuan dishes and Barshu delivered on this one.

This meal lived up to expectations and made us miss an old favorite of ours which has now been closed over a decade now! My how time flies.

If Barshu was in San Diego; we’d visit quite often.

Barshu Restaurant
28 Frith St.
London, United Kingdom

After lunch we decided to check out Chinatown.

She enjoyed checking out this Chinese Herb Shop – Beijing Tong Ren Tang. Which has many locations around the globe and quite a long history.

We then took a nice stroll from the Newport Place Gate.

Down Lisle Street.

Back around the other Gate.

Then thru the “heart” of Chinatown; Gerrard Street, making a loop, before heading back to the hotel.

We were really enjoying ourselves. And I was starting to get a bit excited about dinner!

Midweek Meanderings -China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame (Sp?) Ramen, Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi, and is Poppy Boba Closed?

Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Here’s a bunch of “stuffs” I noticed while driving around the last couple of weeks

China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame:

Driving thru Liberty Park Plaza, on the corner of Mt Etna and Genesee, I noticed some new signage on the long standing China Quick Wok, so I drove on over.

And yep; it looks like the shop is becoming something called Fujiyame – hmmm….not Fujiyama Ramen? Whoa, China Quick Wok has been here forever, I recall the last set of owners taking over in 2011?

4310 Genesee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117

Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi:

This one was quite easy to see while driving down Convoy.

Shancheng Lameizi replaced Thai House in early 2022 if I’m not mistaken. Man, they didn’t last very long. Well, one chain is being replaced by another as Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House is moving in. I know they have locations in LA and also recall seeing one of their restaurants in HNL on Kapiolani. I know folks that really like the place. So, looks like Shabu Shabu replacing Hot Pot here?

4225 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Is Poppy Boba Closed?:

Taking the quick way home from Nijiya I passed by Poppy Boba Kitchen and noticed that the sign was gone. It was just after 11am, when they would usually be open.

It seems like they were closed? I believe they just opened like 7 months ago?

So, I did a quick search and Google and the four-lettered spot said Temporarily Closed? But why is the sign gone. And there was also this note.

Hmmm……temporarily closed for like 9-10 months? Perhaps someone is going to give birth perhaps?

It’s just kinda strange to have the sign gone though….

3538 Ashford St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Dao Xiang Noodle

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

**** Dao Xiang has closed and is now Spicy Duck Wang La Ya

Remember, I noticed back at the end of May that Dao Xiang Noodle was replacing Mama Lin’s in the Balboa 99 Ranch Market food court? Well, I noticed that the stand opened at 10am and waited a couple of weeks before checking them out.

I arrived at around 1015 and it looked like they were just getting set for the day. The menu was kind of “interesting”….

As were some of the “customers” milling around in the area at that time of the day.

I know I joked about Mama Lin’s selling everything from Corn Dogs to Ramen to Spam Musubi, which they spelled “Misubi”….and this menu actually did have Spam Musubi (would you believe the menu says $5 for a Spam Musubi?!?!?!) on it; at least the focus seemed on noodle, fried rice, and dumplings.

Now, thinking in terms of Dao Xiao Mian…..basically knife cut noodles; well you know I was going to order that, right? In the end, I decided on the Niu Rou Mian (Small – $12.50) and because I’m always interested in Jiaozi; I also ordered the Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($12.50).

The Niu Rou Mian was ok. The soup was too watery, lacking in beefiness, lots of white pepper and saltiness, but quite thin. The beef was quite chewy and lacking in flavor as well. The tendon was really crunchy chunks….not done to the buttery texture I prefer.

The saving grace of this bowl were the noodles; super bouncy, great texture, the definition of “QQ”.

As for the Jiaozi.

The wrappers were really thick and chewy. The filling was decently flavored, could have used more of the fragrant tones…sesame oil, ginger. Really coarse chop of the pork and napa cabbage making it also lean on the “chewy” side.

Overall, except for the knife cut noodles, fairly mediocre. Still, I wanted to do another visit. When I went for that visit, the place was strangely closed at past noon? This was when I ended up going to Potato Powder Love Noodle.

I had some shopping to be done the following weekend and when I peeked over at the food court Dao Xiang was open.

This time the Lu Rou Fan – Braised Pork Rice ($15.49) drew me in. Of course I’m still wishing for the Lu Rou Fan at Jin Feng in Taipei.

This was actually not bad. The rice was a bit on the hard side. Though the soy sauce eggs were nicely marinated, still warm, the yolks lovely.

The pork was on the chewy side, lacked the hint of anise-mild sweetness and of course the porkiness. Still, this was not terrible.

But not something I’d return for.

Still, I did return one more time. Because I saw this sign.

So, it looks like they make XLB….but it was only on weekends. Since I had shopping to do the follwoing weekend; I decided to try out the XLB ($13.99). I ordered it from the really nice guy working the counter. And since I was here; why not try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($12.49)

The guy actually delivered my XLB to the table….and it looked really strange.

Good lord, this was more of a Baozi, with yeast raised dough! The filling was strange as it was braised pork….very tender, but obviously no porky soup.

Kinda mild in flavor but very tender. I looked at the menu on my way out and noticed they have a “Traditional” Braised Pork XLB, but it’s $14.99 and I was charged $13.99? So maybe the kitchen made a mistake? I really don’t consider any of this as traditional at all. It should be on the menu as a steamed baozi.

The Wings were “Salt & Pepper” in name only. As it was more soy sauce focused.

A bit too wet for my liking as the crispness faded quickly. The flesh very moist, the flavor fine, with a decent mildly sweet-savory tone.

Though like the XLB, not quite what I expected for Salt & Pepper Wings.

The visits were interesting. I’d return for those noodles for something else other than the NRM. With places like Me Sen at the Clairemont 99 Ranch location and Potato Powder Love Noodle opening here next to Dao Xiang, it seems we’re getting some interesting new places. Which I think is a good thing!

You can read about Soo’s visit to Dao Xiang here.

Dao Xiang Noodle
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 8pm

Tid Din – A Soft Opening Visit

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Thai Restaurants

A few months past, I was driving down Linda Vista Road and noticed that Taco Bomb had closed and was being replaced by a Thai Restaurant named Tid Din. While doing a search, I found the place’s website here it stated:

And looking over the menu….even though it listed mainly English names; it stated Spicy Larb, Grilled Marinated Beef – I’m thinking Nam Tok, sticky rice, etc…. Needless to say; I was a bit excited about the place. I mentioned it to Adam who is one of JJ’s favorite “Uncles” at BHT who lives close by in Linda Vista. And wouldn’t you know, last week he texted me and said the place had opened!

So, when I had a moment, I headed on over.

I’m guessing word hasn’t gotten out yet, since I was able to get parking in the small parking lot. And I walked on in.

The young lady working was so sweet and friendly. I then looked up at the menu…….

And thought “what the heck”?

Make it a burrito? Edamame? No larb, no sticky rice…. This looked like a pseudo food court, fast foodish menu. With four different mains. Still, it said “On the grill” which had things like a good Mu Ping on my mind. It seemed weird that a “rice bowl” was an additional $5.50, but a side of Jasmine Rice was $3. I decided on two proteins; the grilled pork ($9) and grilled sliced beef ($12), with a side of Jasmine Rice ($3), medium spicy; with Tamarind and Thai Chili Fish Sauce.

It was a nice day and I had a seat on the patio until my name was called.

The nice young lady actually brought out my package…..I had gotten it packed to go since I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish things. A fork and napkins had also been packed.

I opened things up….and was disappointed.

The meat hardly had any caramelization.

The portion of rice was generous and while a bit on the harder-chewy side was fine except for one thing I noticed right off. Take a look.

There were several “streaks” of what looked like drippings or sauce or…..skid marks???? I removed all those areas.

Also of note; I ordered the meat medium spicy; but these were not. I can forgive that; since it’s a soft opening.

The beef was simply stir fried.

The beef was the typical 10up – 12up, typically used for bulgogi and such. It wasn’t marinated enough and quite bland and on the chewier side.

It lacked hints of sweetness or herbaceous, savory pungency and was basically like something drenched in soy sauce. Just salty.

While the pork was drier and chewier; it at least had some porkiness.

Still, like the beef, the overall flavor was one-dimensional. But I did prefer this to the beef as it did seem to be grilled. But it was definitely not Mu Ping.

The sauces were “interesting” as well. The Thai Chili Fish Sauce was just that….straight up fish sauce with some chilies. The proteins were salty enough.

The tamarind sauce tasted like a bottled brand…..but at least had some fruity sweetness which helped things along.

To say I was disappointed….well yes…I fully didn’t expect Pok Pok, but just decent Thai street food and got what to me, was low level shopping mall food court stuff. A bummer, because that young lady was so nice. Still, with USD near by, this place might do well….you know; like “Thai-potle”? You can now get your Thai chicken burrito and all that.

I’m hoping that the menu and food improves. And with folks like “FOYs” Denver and Junichi nearby; I’m sure they’ll keep me in the loop!

Tid Din
6725 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

London – The British Museum and Ruskin’s Cafe

Caffeine Fix, London, Travel

**** No food in this one. But if you’d like to see a bunch of stuff the British Stole (I’m joking) read on!

On our return trip to London, we had one full day. There was one item at the British Museum that I’ve been wanting to see. So, I went ahead and booked online tickets (admission is free) for the 10am opening time. One of the reasons I had planned on staying in the Paddington area was that the Elizabeth Line takes you to Tottenham Court Road Station in about five minutes after which there’s a nice ten minute walk to the Museum.

As with all our strolls in London; there’s always something interesting to see.

We were quite early so we headed up Museum Street to a cafe named Ruskin’s for some coffee. There seemed to be quite a few Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. We even saw a Din Tai Fung! And the name of this place caught my eye!

You know why, right? I think “FOY” Junichi will get a kick out of this photo.

You order at the counter and the really nice woman working brought out our Flat Whites. No big deal; on the weaker side of the scale, but serviceable.

Ruskin’s Cafe
41 Museum St.
London, UK

After which we headed up the street to the museum. It was 20 minutes before opening and good gosh, there was already quite a line down the block….of folks who actually had times tickets!

Things did move quickly once the clock struck 10 and we were inside in good time.

The British Museum is humongous and much like the Louvre, one should have a plan and to really enjoy things, perhaps not try to see everything during one trip. Heck we’ve gone to the Louvre three times and have only scratched the surface.

Over the years, the British Museum has come under fire for their collection having been plundered from other countries over the years. The museum itself has a page on “Contested Objects“. In fact, I’ve enjoyed the Podcast “Stuff the British Stole“……. In spite of this, there’s so much historical and cultural significance to the collections, that I couldn’t help but visit. Rick Steves likens visiting the British Museum to “taking a long hike through Encyclopedia Britannica National Park.” Of course, some of you younger folk may not know what Encyclopedia Britannica is……

And like I mentioned earlier; there was one item I needed to see….this.

Yes, that’s the one and only Rosetta Stone.

It’s discovery in 1799 allowed for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The text carved into the stone; which dates back to 196 BC is of a decree from King Ptolemy V and is written in three different scripts; the top is Hieroglyphic, the center Demotic, and the bottom Greek. Thus linguists could do a translation. I had first read about the Rosetta Stone in Elementary school and even though it was obtained during military action between the French and British, Egypt has called on the British Museum to return it. I was thrilled to finally be able to see it!

We spent our time between the Egyptian and Greek collections. Luckily for you, I managed to take photos of the signs of things I thought were interesting so you won’t have me droning on…..

Pretty cool, huh?

From here we headed to the Greek Collection.

And then it was off to the Parthenon Galleries.

Which were removed from the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce; the 7th Earl of Elgin during the early 1800’s. It is said the the Earl had his men chisel and saw the marble off the Parthenon. Thus these are called the Elgin Marbles. Though these were taken during the Ottoman rule of Greece, it has been a source of contention for many years. Having been to the Parthenon, it saddened me to know that only half of the sculptures are at that site, the other half here. I’m hoping they can settle this once and for all.

There was one other display that caught my attention; it’s a collection of 30,000 clay tablets, dating back to the 7th Century BC discovered in what is now known as Northern Iraq. This is known as the Library of Ashurbanipal, named after the “last great king of Assyria“.

The city where the “library” resided was consumed by fire as the Babylonians attacked the city in 612 BC. All the wood and parchment documents were burnt, but these clay tablets survived. At the time of our visit, it was being cataloged. We really enjoyed the translations. Especially this one; which has a statement I still hear today.

You’ve heard it or said it before, right? “I give, I give, I give, and what do I get????”

On that note….

The British Museum
Great Russell St.
London, UK

It was time to head on out and get some lunch! And I had a place on my “list” that I’d been wanting to try for years!

Thanks for stopping by!

London – Dishoom (Carnaby)

Indian Restaurants, London, Travel

After settling in and taking a nice afternoon nap; we decided to set out for dinner. After enjoying our meal at Tamarind and since well, we were in London, I thought we’d use that opportunity to have Indian cuisine again. Several folks I know recommended Dishoom and since we enjoyed strolling around London, I decided on visiting the SOHO location in Carnaby.

We enjoyed our walk on this winter evening from our hotel in Paddington.

Finally to Carnaby and then Kingly Street.

Arriving at Dishoom….well, the place was bustling, and would be even busier when we left as there was a small table available for us.

Service was on the slower side and pretty much all business….though I can totally understand based on the crowds. I ordered the one dish that came highly recommended, along with two others. There was a 30 minute wait for our first dish which arrived with a trio of “chutneys”.

The Chutney did have some heat to them; but for some reason seemed on the watery side. That Coriander and Mint Chutney reminded me of a weak salsa verde.

The first dish to arrive was the Prawn Koliwada – basically prawns tinged with the coriander and mint chutney.

The prawns were overcooked and on the chewy side. The charred edges provided some bitterness that we didn’t care for.

This was fairly bland in terms of Indian cuisine and we made good use of the Coriander and Mint Chutney.

The one dish everyone recommended to us was the Chicken Ruby, which is what Dishoom calls it’s Butter Chicken.

Hmmmm……we liked the texture of the sauce, it had some hints of ginger, but was very mild, except in the sodium department. The chicken was toothsome, but pleasant.

The Naan arrived with this.

Thin, but overly chewy, not very good.

The final dish was the Chilli Chicken which we were told reflects more of a Chinese-Indonesian influence as soy sauce was used.

This had a definite hint of sour-vinegary tones, not overly salty, decent savory flavors. It could have used more “heat” and spice. And the chicken was on the tougher side of the scale.

Hmmmm……not quite sure why folks seemed to like this place so much??? Perhaps it was an off night? But, to be perfectly honest, this really did seem like chain restaurant food. Oh well, you can’t win ’em all, right?

Dishoom Carnaby
22 Kingly St.
London, United Kingdom

Right around the corner from Dishoom is Liberty Department store and we stopped in to browse. The Missus loves the department stores in London!

And we had a nice stroll back to our room.

We had one more full day in London….and after Dishoom, the Missus was kind of concerned about the places I had chosen…..

Stay tuned!

Woomiok with JJ

Dog Friendly, Korean Restaurants

We had a pretty hot end of August – beginning of September. And for that reason, over the space of a couple of weeks, I was really craving Bi Bim Naengmyun. While checking for dog friendly Asian places….which is a rarity here in San Diego….I saw Woomiok mentioned several times! And while we’ve mostly done takeout from Woomiok since the days of Covid. It had been a while since I’d last visited. And I’d never had the naengmyun from the place….and even though I’ve seen the tables along the walkway. I had never seen anyone sitting there. So, this was going to be an interesting one!

We arrived right at opening and I peeked my head into the restaurant and asked if JJ and I could sit at an outdoor table. In my experience with Woomiok, folks have always been very nice and this time was no exception. I will say, that sitting on the walkway is kinda interesting…

As folks keep walking past…..though many of them smiled at JJ and a couple even asked to pet him!

The folks working were very nice….but as I’ve mentioned before; there’s “Dog Friendly” versus “Dog’s Allowed”; Woomiok falls in the latter category. But, no complaints as the service was very attentive considering I was sitting outside and a bit out of the way from folks.

I order the Bi Bim Naengmyun which is prices at $16.99 for lunch.

The panchan was better than I recalled; especially the baechu kimchi – so refreshing, fermented nicely, with good spice. And the Musaengchae was quite crunchy…..nicely pickled as well. This was a nice start.

Soon enough the standard accoutrements arrived. Pungent mustard and vinegar. I usually don’t need this for my Bi Bim Naengmyun, but for the version that Woomiok serves, it came in handy.

Of the three versions I had during that two week period; this was my least favorite version. For some reason, the noodles weren’t as “rubber-bandy” stretchy and chewy. Strange. The boiled egg was severely over cooked….look at the grey ring. I’m used to having the standard soup served with ice on the side….this was served in the bowl along with the usually spicy Gochugaru, which watered things down. For some reason, it seemed on the blander side of the scale and I actually added mustard and vinegar for some “zip”.

Well, I’ll pass on this in the future. As I mentioned earlier; the folks working were so nice and seeing the outdoor tables at Okan made me wonder if JJ would be welcomed sitting outside there as well?

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm

Chicken Wing Wednesday – Wei Wei Asian Express

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

One of the things I’ve always loved about having this little ‘ole blog for all these years are…well you all! It’s the comments; the great emails, and of course, the recommendations! Admittedly, I’m sometimes a bit slow on the trigger, but I do try to keep track of things via and ever busy Google Map. Recently, I was craving Salt and Pepper Chicken wings. Of course, the usual suspects came to mind.

But then, I recalled some recommendations that I’d gotten years ago from two very dependable “FOYs”; Bruddah’s James and Jack for Wei Wei Express. So, instead of heading down to National City, I was off to Rolando and finding Wei Wei Express in a strip mall (of course), right off University.

I had arrived right at 11am and the place; which screamed “ABCDE” (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) was already looking pretty busy. There were four cooking stations going full blast.

The set-up is interesting as half of the restaurant seemed like a pick-up. storage area with just a couple of tables. Those boxes on the counter were for trays of food being prepared.

While the “nicer” (it’s all relative) tables were on the other side.

You can tell how much stuff comes out of here by taking a gander at the ceiling….

Anyway, the prices are quite reasonable. Figuring I needed some veggies to go with my wings; I ordered the Sautéed String Bean – the lunch special, which came with Fried Rice and a Veggie Egg Roll was just $8.45, a bargain these days.

It was simple fried rice…with just soy sauce, decently coated. The Veggie Egg Roll was terrible, chewy, no flavor.

The green beans were adequately fried, still had a nice crunch and snap, but a bit under seasoned, in need of more white pepper, salt, and garlic.

That lack of salt and garlic on the beans made me worry a bit about my Salt and Pepper Wings – 6 pieces, $9.49, but I shouldn’t have worried.

The wings were crunchy, though starting to get a bit soft after the 20 minute drive home. The seasoning was quite good…..Wei Wei does not use MSG….which I kind of liked as the wings had a decent amount of sodium. Very nicely flavored.

The flesh was moist with just the right amount of toothsomeness. No dark patches, no off flavors.

I enjoyed scooping up the chilies-green onions as it it added another layer of flavor. Of course, I preferred the wings to the drumettes.

So, I guess I really don’t need to head on down to National City or Chula Vista for my S&P Wings anymore? I was pleasantly surprised!

This also made me wonder about the local ABCDE restaurant fairly close by; which I haven’t been to since we first moved here over 20 years ago! Hmmm…….I need to be less of a snob with regards to ABC type places, huh?

And, of course I need to thank “FOYs” James and Jack for recommending this place!

Wei Wei Asian Express
6465 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Wildflour

Breakfast/Brunch, Dog Friendly, Sandwiches

**** Wildflour has closed

Wildflour, another one of Phillip Esteban’s projects opened in Liberty Station opened at the end of February. I’ll head down to Liberty Station if I’m not hitting up Secret Sister for sourdough and I noticed that the place didn’t look too busy.

JJ enjoys walks along the Esplanade and I thought if I got here early enough, I could grab some breakfast with J and then take him for a stroll along the park. So, we headed on over. The hosts stand is on the patio which makes things really great. I often feel bad taking JJ into a restaurant when it’s just the two of us.

There’s an small indoor section with a bakery/deli area for takeout and some seating.

Though the patio is nice and stretches along Decatur Road.

We checked in and choose a table along the end of the patio. We do this to be mindful of folks who don’t like being in the company of pooches.

There was small and pretty limited menu for breakfast.

The two folks waiting on us were wonderful! They treated JJ so nice….like he was a VIP (Very Important Pooch)!

I thought my Americano was pretty good; fairly strong, but smooth.

Of course seeing Beef Tartare on the menu….well, I just had to try the Ribeye Tartare ($15).

The bread, a Country Levain was excellent…wonderful, more airy than I’m used to with Levain, but really good. A mild sourdough like flavor, it was quite satisfying.

The Beef Tartare was quite over-the-top; the Chemoula Aioli; basically a herb mayo, was fine, but there was just too much of it. The rib eye was nicely chopped, but too chewy for my taste.

The Bearnaise sauce was much too thick and gloppy, thicker than the aioli! It was also too sour for my taste. And like the aioli, there was just too much of it. This was like a mayo on mayo open face sandwich. Quite over-the-top!

Still, the service was so nice, that I decided to bring JJ over for an early lunch; arriving just at 11am.

And we sat on the patio; basically in the same location. The young lady working was quite nice, though not as friendly with JJ as on the previous visit. Still, he had no complaints, having a nice area to settle in the shade.

Having already had my caffeine fix for the day; I just settled on Half a Sandwich and some chips.

I really enjoyed the chips…though at $4 a small bag!!!!

Loved the texture and wonderful salty-sour flavor. I think I’ve seen this at Target, so…..

I had heard some nice things about the Mortadella Sandwich (Half – $10) so I ordered that. I cracked up when it arrived. Man, was it a carb load!

Again, the bread, a nice toasty focaccia was my favorite part of the dish, though there was just too much of it. I had really developed a taste for Mortadella while visiting Emilia-Romagna, gaining a fondness for the oinkiness of the salumi. The entire bread to filling ratio was skewed and the mild Stracciatella, of which there was a small amount really didn’t contribute to the sandwich.

I do think that Mortadella already is fairly mild in flavor and given the amount of carbs…well, it was nullified. I vote for “More – Mortadella” please!

I liked the relaxed and friendly service as did JJ, but having a meal where a bag of chips was highlight…… Though if you do need a “carb load”….

Wildflour
2690 Historic Decatur Suite 103
San Diego, CA 92106
Current Hours:
Wed – Fri 8am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 4pm
Closed Mon – Tues

At least J got to cruise around Liberty Station…..

Taking the Eurostar from Paris to London and Some Exploring

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, London, Paris, France, Travel

**** Not much food in this one, but if you enjoy trains as much as I do……

You know me and trains, right? Even though I was a bit sad at leaving Paris, I was quite excited to finally be able to take the Eurostar high speed train from Paris to London. Many years ago, I watched a documentary on building the Channel Tunnel and I’ve been waiting for a chance to finally take the Eurostar…and the time had finally arrived!

One of the reasons we stay in the 2nd and near Les Halles is easy access to the RER. In this case we caught the RER D and one stop later we were at Gare du Nord. Where we followed the signs to “Hall 2”. It was interesting as we had to check our ticket, then do both a EU and UK passport checks before getting to the departure hall….we were riding in Eurostar Plus, but not Premier, so we didn’t have lounge access and simply waited in the departure hall.

Though there we separate lines for boarding.

Plus has the same large seats as first class and because of when I purchased my tickets were only 10€ more than “standard class” and was cheaper than standard when I checked a month before our trip!

Quite roomy, USB ports, and a small meal is served.

And the Missus enjoyed the complimentary white wine.

In fact, the really nice attendant noticed how much the Missus enjoyed the wine, that she brought her another bottle. Which we saved for London. Our train departed at around 115pm GMT+1; arriving at London St. Pancras at 230pm GMT. The 2 hour 15 minute ride just flew by!

St. Pancras Station is huge. I believe when it was built, the station was declared to be the largest indoor space in the world!

We saw this charming sculpture named the Wild Table of Love on the way to the tube.

Once we found the metro station; it was a quick ten minute ride on the tube to Paddington Station. We were staying in a different area from when we initially arrived. I planned our stay close to Paddington Station, which gave us easy access to the Heathrow Express and was in a part of London we hadn’t explored yet.

Our room at the Mercure London Hyde Park Hotel was ready when we arrived. We dropped off our bags and decided to head out to explore a bit.

About 20 minutes later, we found ourselves on Oxford Street and this department store.

Named Selfridges, which apparently opened in 1909. The Missus had really enjoyed Fortnum and Mason, so I thought She’d enjoy shopping as well.

Selfridges was really a lot of fun…it’s a very playful upscale department store.

And seems to have “stuffs” for ahem, all ages and “stages of life”……

It was a fun stop!

Selfridges
400 Oxford St.
London, United Kingdom

We headed down Duke Street and came across this lovely church.

And we decided to take a look inside.

Looking at the signs we found out that this is the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral! And of course, after returning I started noticing this Cathedral in the background of various news stories regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We explored Duke Street a bit more, before heading back to our hotel.

It was time for a short break before heading out to dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!