And Now for a POSITIVE Culinary Experience...

Not all was yukky in London, though. I was thrilled to find extremely good matcha ice-cream for a very decent price at Wasabi's Knightsbridge branch. The picture makes you think it's actually wasabi-flavoured ice-cream, but thankfully, it wasn't: 

Lethal. Well, Almost

WARNING: If you come across this innocent looking box of vegan and gluten-free cookies, give them a wide berth. Seriously. 
Last Saturday, MC showed me her old hunting grounds, which included a "Planet Organic" store where she loved to eat and shop. We weren't yet in lunch-mode, but decided to stop for a tea and cookies. The above cookies cost almost 4 GBP and contained 5 individually wrapped biscuits. MC was about to tear the wrapper off hers when I stopped her, having just taken a bite of mine. She took a bite and was just as disgusted as I was. We both agreed that they tasted of a very potent kind of bleach or nail polish remover. I'm not exaggerating. We half expected our stomachs to disintegrate. I have no idea whether they had just gone off and hence gave off this utterly revolting taste, or were supposed to taste like that. In the latter case, who are these people who actually like such cookies?

It's those Little Details...

I was quite impressed when I saw that there were sockets for electric appliances with UK, US and European plugs in my hotel. I know it's a business hotel, but I had never previously seen that anywhere. Nice detail, don't you agree?

click to enlarge

On Sunday, I Visited the Edge of the World...

After MC had left for the airport, I decided to give myself a bit of a culture-fix. I ended up visiting the Hayward Gallery, where I hadn't been for a very long time. The "New Décor" with several Austrian artists was good, too, but I particularly liked the Ernesto Neto one. It reminded me of my visit to the ZOOM children's museum. Basically, the whole indoors exhibition space (there also was a little swimming pool outside) consisted of various "tunnels" and canopies that were covered with net lace and had stones, herbs or books inside that you could reach through glove-sized mini-tunnels where you could stick your hands through, or through holes you could poke your head into. Interesting and great fun for visitors of all ages

(H)Eye in the Sky

On Saturday, we took a "flight" on the London Eye. For me, it was the first time. On previous visits, the weather wasn't clear enough for me to want to pay the hefty ticket price. After all, I've got a ferris wheel "at home", don't I? This time, though, the weather was perfect and produced impressive shadows of the wheel on the Thames, making it look like the boats collided with it:

On Thursday Night, I Had a Brazilian

No, not a waxing, dinner! Karel, who was staying at the same hotel in London, and I had arranged to go out for dinner. He was quite familiar with the neighbourhood and its choice of international restaurants. We both fancied Brazilian cuisine most as none of us had never tried it, plus Karel's wife, who's a flight attendant had ardently recommended it. We went to this place, where we ate copious amounts of different types of meat, all of them roasted on a long spit and sliced directly at your table, Kebab-style. Diners get small discs of paper which they place next to their plates. When the green side faces up, waiters know that you're up for more. When you turn it to the red side you show that you are (temporarily) full. I felt fit to explode when we left and was quite impressed when Karel picked up a 500 ml tub of Ben&Jerry's on the way home.

MC Squared

I'm in London for training until next Wednesday, the Firm kindly paying my hotel room for the weekend, too. Yesterday, I immediately picked up my favourite glossy (so tempting with not one, but 5 different designer bags) at the airport. Tonight, MC joining me for a girly weekend. More soon!