1:00 p.m.
Okonomi-yaki lunch
- @ Abeno with Liza
- Abeno claims to be the only one offering the authentic Okonomi-yaki experience in Europe.
- We dined in the Bloomsbury restaurant at 47 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. There's also another Abeno in Covent Garden, a.k.a. Abeno Too. Check out its website and book a table in advance.
- We ordered a deluxe Tokyo mix (pork, squid and prawn) to share, and requested for a gluten-free dough.
- For our side dish, we chose one from the Spring Menu - Kakiage Tempura, with scallops, asparagus, carrots and onions.
- Liza ordered her warm tea while I ordered a Calpico. I'm starting to like these Japanese drinks (last weekend, I had sake).
- The okonomi-yaki was mixed and cooked infront of us. There was a heated grill built in the table. I guess that this was all part of the experience. Tip: To keep away the 'grill' smell from your favourite coat, either leave your coat at the coat-hanger near the door (though that will not save it from the other tables' grill) or leave your best coat at home, especially the dry-clean type.
- Unfortunately, the lady who was cooking the okonomi-yaki mistakenly placed seaweed when Liza had specifically requested not to put any (literally just seconds before). She may have been distracted or it may have been automatic to her. We felt quite bad as it was towards the end already (the 'decorating' stage) and she had to redo the whole thing.
- I was quite pleased with the okonomi-yaki. It turned out to be a healthy pancake of sorts --- nothing complex, light and easy in the taste buds. I liked the kakiage tempura, too; it was tasty and completed the healthy theme for lunch.
- Service at Abeno was top-notch. Prompt, warm and friendly.
3:45 to 6:30 p.m.
Fresh picks
- @ Angel/Islington again :)
- First stop: Fresh flowers. I bought the hand-tied one with a yellow rose.
- Next stop: A cup of coffee in the garden (at the Coffeeworks Project)
- Next stop: Moxon's for fresh fish. It was quite busy when I popped in. There was only one staff as the other one had gone out for very late lunch. Typical of the British queue, we all waited patiently to be served. :)
- Final stop: Penhaligon's Secret Store for fresh scents on sale. It's called a 'secret store' for a reason. I found deals there that I didn't find in other stores.
- Side trip #1: I wandered around Islington and found Cass Art at Colebrooke Row. It's got this amazing assortment of art supplies!! I allowed myself to be lost in the art world for a while.
- Side trip #2: Waterstones. I'm still on the lookout for a collection of poems. I don't exactly know what I want but I know that I'll recognise it when I find it. :) Haha, yeah, that sounds confusing but trust me on this one. I'm waiting for my voucher and I might spend it here for a souvenir book. A Lang Leav maybe or a Pablo Neruda anthology?
Hmm...sidetrips #1 and #2, you've given me more reasons to come back. Let's see next weekend, hahaha.
Cheers,
Genefel
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