Going into London is never something that we really look forward to, mainly because of the horrendous traffic and difficulty in finding secure parking. And travelling by train and tube is not exactly easy when you have to carry one hundred and one things... the trip often ends up making us stressed and exhausted.
But today, we headed into London with a purpose, one that would take a load off our minds - to collect Julien's passport! And I have to say, going through the day now in my mind, we have enjoyed ourselves, even if we are still tired out.
Getting to the Singapore High Commission was a direct enough route, but the last five miles proved to be a struggle, as we battled traffic and tried to find parking. It did not help that their working hours run from 10am to 12noon only in the morning, and we had to travel earlier in order to make sure we would be on time and not held up by highway traffic - the M1 is notorious for jams and accidents...
To celebrate, we had a lunch date with my sister at this nice French restaurant she has been raving about. Supposedly a great wine list, amazing food (clams and snails always get me! :) and amazing atmosphere. And she is right. Everything was great, right down to the name of the restaurant and service. With servers who are clearly French speakers (their French accented English makes the dining experience all the more charming!) and a name like "Terroirs", surely, one can feel confident that the food is as French as it can be. And oh, the wine... a most beautiful, sublime Burgundy! My only complaint is that the servings could be more, but then again, I am eating like a hippo these days and this is after all, a French restaurant with every right to French portioning!
After lunch, we opted for a stroll to Chinatown. I didn't want anything particularly, but since it was within walking distance and would not involve the pains of trying to get a baby buggy into the Tube, it was the perfect choice for us. Once there, Yen decided to show me her favourite fishmonger shop with the freshest and reasonably priced seafood. I am a seafood lover, so followed happily. As she brought us into a dim and dodgy-looking backlane, Daddy Low and I started to have our doubts. But fresh and cheap seafood we found indeed. There were lobsters, crabs, prawns, snails, clams, fish (including live options) and even fresh vegetables! There, we decided we would have a homecooked seafood dinner and proceeded to make our purchases. Among our purchases - 3 seabasses for 11 pounds and 1 small-to-medium sized red garoupa for 5 pounds. Good value! And frankly, this was the first red garoupa I have seen in this country! Amazing! :)
One of the things that Yen and I like is food and cooking. And today, we had much fun cooking dinner together. After so many years apart after her relocating here, spending time together and reconnecting over yummy food - food that our mum used to cook for us in Singapore - was simply enjoyable beyond words. There is something about food that binds people together and cooking, exchanging tips and eating the fruits of our labour was just wonderful. On top of that, both her and my brother-in-law love Julien to bits and watching them play with Julien just adds to the contentment of today.
And I feel like today is just one of the best days ever in my life. And for the first time, I don't feel sorry for having to go into London! :)
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