Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

Carolers were singing in Trafalgar Square by the tree. The tree is a gift from Oslo, Norway each year. It's very simple and does the job!

Season's Eating - First Floor Restaurant

I went on a Christmas dinner date with one of my gal pals from Iowa at the First Floor Restaurant in Notting Hill. This place has dim lighting and candelabras that create a very romantic mood. The restaurant offers a two course and three course set menu for 20 or 25 pounds. We opted for only two courses. I had the roast pork belly with braised red cabbage with apple and raisins. I couldn't even finish the dish, I was super full by the time dessert rolled around. I would've liked to finish it, but it was just so filling, yet still quite tasty. I just can't handle larger portions. The cabbage was a bit on the sweet side and it tasted like dessert.



For our second and final course, my friend E, opted for the trio of sorbets, lemon, mango and strawberry. I actually liked this more than my dessert and oddly enough, E, enjoyed my vanilla cheesecake.



The cheesecake was presented well and had a lovely creamy texture. Our dinner took three hours from start to finish because we dined and chatted throughout the night and opted for coffees after dessert. First Floor Restaurant is definitely a gem and I'm glad my friend, C, recommended it to me! It's one of her favourite restaurants' in London...and mine (now) too! It's definitely worth booking ahead for dinner because the dining room is just one room, literally on the first floor above a pub. The neighborhood is Portobello Road, so it's ideal to go to dinner after a day of vintage/antique shopping.

London's West End

The other night E, M, and I finally booked tickets to see Priscilla of the Desert at the Palace Theatre in London's West End. The tickets cost 30 pounds each for Grand Circle tickets. We had a lovely view of the performers and it was really fun to sing along to familiar songs, such as Gloria Gaynor's, "I Will Survive," and Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer." I'm glad we were able to see this musical because it's on its final run in London with the last performance on New Year's Eve.

Season's drinking

Where: Tom's Skate Lounge, Somerset House Ice Skating Rink
Beverage and nibbles: Presented in blue Tiffany cups, the mulled wine and mince pie is officially a YAY!
Scene: Tom's Skate Lounge is super cozy. This place is officially on the top of my list for warming up with a lovely cup of hot mulled wine while watching ice skaters zip by. Somerset House's Ice Rink is my favourite place to eat and be merry this season! Open until Jan 22, 2012.



Where: Caffe Nero throughout the UK
Beverage and Nibbles: Amaretto latte with complimentary amaretto biscuit. Drink is sadly a NAY, but you can't go wrong with an amaretto biscuit! Amaretto flavor in the latte was tooooo strong. It tasted like medicine :(
Scene: I love going to Caffe Nero because they have a loyalty card and they have comfy sofas. I love going here to read the Sunday Times because I get a stamp each on my card for my coffee and paper purchase! Free wifi is a bonus :)



Where: Starbucks UK
Beverage and nibbles: My friend E and I love Starbucks Christmas Red Cups. I especially enjoyed the Egg Nog Latte and free mince pie on offer. Definitely a YAY! The butter mince pie had an especially flaky crust. Simply delicious.
Scene: Like most large cities, London is littered with Starbucks in every street corner. I pop in for seasonal specials and when I feel as though I want something from a major and familiar brand. Free wifi is also a plus!

Busker in London

I was passing through Liverpool Street station in East London today and I always enjoy seeing this busker.

He has Animal from the Muppets accompanying him on tambourine! He looks festive in his Santa suit.

Winter has arrived--BRRRR!!

Although it's not quite the Solstice yet, London is rather chilly! Last night I was supposed to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, but sadly there were long queues to enter.

Instead, I went to the next best thing, the Natural History Museum's Ice Rink in South Kensington. In the summer the Museum lawn is home to over 40 tropical butterfly species. But in winter it transforms into a 950-square-meter ice rink complete with a 'Cafe Bar' and 'Balcony' selling my favorites of mulled wine, hot apple cider, Viennese coffee with whipped cream, and of course hot chocolate!

Where does the time go?

Ok, I'm very intermittent when I do update this blog, but perhaps I will add more updates as a New Year's resolution with photos! So my cash-in-hand endeavors were super difficult and nerve-racking. The life of an anthropologist is never dull. I was offered a house cleaning job, but it fell through because the old lady whose house I was supposed to clean said I was too well spoken for the job! That would have been great 'fieldwork experience' because I could've interviewed the lady on her thoughts about employing Filipinos as housekeepers and why she preferred Filipino candidates (so I was told) over others. Well that's for another project I suppose.

On a different note, this Coke Ad really made me well up. It depicts what Coca-Cola is doing for overseas Filpinos abroad and touches upon the issues I discuss in my research.

Lastly, London autumny/wintery things!! I love London in winter, so what better place to spend the day than in Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park?! I'm going to eat carnival food, like bratwurst with sauerkraut paired with mulled wine. Yum, yum. I'll post pics. Promise. :P