Gene falls, Gene fell, Gene's fallen: The Saturday Agenda: Why I Keep Coming Back to Angel and Islington

Hey there, sweetie! How well have you spent your weekend?
It is rarely warm and sunny in London that whilst I originally planned to stay in my flat this Saturday (no Saturday agenda with friends this weekend), I wasn't able to help it but I just had to go out and bask in the precious warmth and sunshine!! Is spring coming soon? Please do come already :)

Hmm, what's my default weekend place? Angel and Islington. I never quite understand why this place seems to beckon to me whenever I need somewhere else to just be. Just be. Quiet. By myself. Mindless and mindful of solitude all at once.

As I have mentioned in previous posts here and in Instagram, this all started when I was looking for a butcher shop after finding the frozen meat at supermarkets too bland and quite tasteless. I found Turner and George and went there almost every Saturday to buy my fresh meat, and then sort of fell in love with Angel and Islington in the process.

2017 came and I decided on a (mostly) pescetarian diet. I had no excuse to go back to Islington anymore. :( Until now.

So why do I keep coming back to Angel and Islington? I tried to find answers to this question this Saturday.

Click to "Read more".

Coffee shops: There are several independent coffee shops here, which I prefer over popular coffee franchises like Starbucks and Costa (It's a personal preference). I picked up a take-away flat white and a vegan almond biscuit from the Coffee Works Project (I will probably go back and spend more time in their garden).
Curious shops and stalls: There are some that you'll find in most shopping malls or high streets, but most are one-off shops selling all sorts of knick-knacks and unique finds from everything craft-y to vintage.

I still don't know why I bought this timepiece in one of those stores.
But oh well, it keeps time and works as advertised, hahaha.

Meat shops: This time, I found Moxon's which sells fresh fish. Yay to a pescatarian's source of happiness!

Found you Moxon's!

I bought three slices from different parts of the salmon (as in most fresh meat shops, you get to choose which part).

Book shops: Some sell second-hand books which include hard-to-find ones at reduced prices (e.g., Book Warehouse, Oxfam).
Restaurant choices: There are lots of choices from several cuisines - Austrian, Afghan, Thai, British and more. This week, I finally got to eat at Tenshi! (Liza and I have attempted to dine here twice before but in both times failed because Tenshi was not open then.) I ordered the seafood yaki soba, and a can of cold sake (which was a first for me) to complete the Japanese experience.

Tenshi finally!

The vibe: I was about to call it a day at 7 pm. I made my way back to the Angel Station to buy my flowers and then head home. As I picked my flowers and paid my dues, I pulled down my headphones and heard music playing in the background. Aaah, I just had to sit down by the bench and listen. People-watching is kind of my favourite past time, strangely. Perhaps, it's because I am an introvert and I like observing the world in general.

The message of the universe for me. Okay, noted.

Plants and flowers: I've been seriously considering getting my own pot of rosemary or any fresh herb for my kitchen. But for now, I'm happy buying flowers :)