Hoxton Hotel for 1 Pound!

This weekend I went to London's East End to stay in a four-star hotel called, The Hoxton, for just one pound! That's approximately $1.60! Every four months the hotel has a 1 pound room sale. I managed to nab one in January. The catch is you'll like your stay so much that you might return again or perhaps even spread the word to your friends. Really.

There were many perks such as free continental breakfast from Pret A Manger delivered to your room in the morning, consisting of yoghurt with fresh fruit compote and granola, a banana, and freshly squeezed orange juice! The room's mini fridge is stocked with free bottled water courtesy of Pret A Manger, and fresh milk for coffee and tea. Downstairs in the lobby, you can get a dental kit, shaving kit, international plugs, and candy bars for just 50p. or 1 pound!

On top of that you get FREE phone calls for one hour to the US, Europe, and Australia. Free wifi is also included and if you didn't bring your laptop/computer, you can log on from your room, using the television flat screen and the wireless keyboard provided to check your emails.

The lobby has TWO giant fireplaces to keep my freezing little body WARM! Considering that it was 32F/0C degrees outside, I sat beside one in a comfortable, plush crimson leather sofa, as D and I ordered a bottle of white wine, a dish with scallops, and calamari from one of the many merry wait staff milling about to serve guests!



The only thing keeping this hotel from its fifth star, I believe, are extra little perks such as 'free' room slippers, bath robes in each room, and 24 hour room service (they only offer it until midnight).

Great hotel with a very vibrant, urban, and young feel. It felt like a lovely 'get-away' even though it was in the heart of the East London. This place is a bargain without the 'bargain' feel.

Let it snow!

Snow is forecasted for tomorrow! I think snow goes well with a cold London. It makes everything look pretty for awhile before things turn ugly. I'm looking forward to the lazy snowflakes falling idly by and falling faintly, faintly falling to blanket the capital. (<--This is a *James Joyce reference by the way)

(*As an aside, James Joyce was writing about Ireland. But he described snow as such:
'His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end..' Isn't that one of the best lines of prose you've ever read about snow?!!? It is in my opinion and from one of my favorite short stories! You'll have to Google the line yourself to find out which story it came from.)

Ok back to London and marvelous snowy and wintry thoughts...

On Tuesday evening, E (one of my best London girl friends from America) and I are going ice skating at Somerset House. We asked all our British friends to join us but all of them weren't interested. We're excited because it's sponsored by Tiffany & Co. They'll have hot chocolate in special Tiffany blue cups! The falling snow should be the perfect back drop! I'm excited.

P.S. London Complaint of the Day:
Tube strikes cause looooong delays for my morning commute. I left at 7:45 and didn't get to work until 10am today. Normally this is a 14 minute journey on the train. Evil.

London Complaint of the Day No.3

London Complaint No.3
Public transport smells! On any given day, my sensitive nose rates the 'odor' in my train carriage. Some days it smells like urine, most days like cumin, sweat, or a mixture of the two, or like vomit on some late nights. During rush hour, when we're all smooshed together like sardines, someone taller is usually breathing on me. Usually this breathing smells like morning breath, alcohol, cigarettes, cumin, or the odd kimchee (that's very rare though). I'd have to rate cumin as being the 'usual' smell since many people here like to eat tons of curry! Stinkeroo!

Good thing about London No.3
This city is the portal to many other European destinations! I'm off to Barcelona for the weekend. www.ryanair.com is fab! I leave Friday night and come back on Sunday afternoon. Alas, I can escape the 35-40 degree weather for a couple of days and be in 60-50 degree weather in Spain! Perhaps I'll post pictures.

London Complaint of the Day No.2

Complaint no. 2 of 7:
Why must people who walk ahead of me in rush hour or any time of day for that matter decide to stop suddenly without warning? They should really 'pull over' to the side so that others or myself do not run into them. Usually when people stop suddenly, I stop right next to them until they move so I can proceed. Creepy, yes, but that's so they know not to do it again. Half the time people from the countryside and tourists do this. This happens to my friend, E, and I all the time. It's very frustrating.

Good thing about London no. 2 of 7:
I really enjoy the 'buskers' in the London Underground. From saxophonists, classical guitarists, opera singers, blind whistler-man, violinists, heavy metal rock wannabes', jazz musicians, these performance artists provide the everyday soundtrack to my London life. For some reason they always capture my mood, whether I feel down or blue, or light on my feet, they always lift my spirits.

London Complaint of the Day

So the thing for this week: I'm going to post a 'complaint of the day' related to London or my life in London. To balance this negativity, I will also post one good thing about this crazy City.

Complaint of the day 1: Why can't people on London's street walk in straight lines? London's population is approximately 7.5 million people. The majority of these individuals walk and take the public transport system. The majority of them don't walk in straight lines! When people don't walk in a straight line, it's the equivalent to drivers who weave in and out of their lane, and don't allow others behind them to pass. This is very frustrating during rush hour. Grrr. Also, I strictly adhere to the 'walk on the left, stand on the right' policy, others should too!

One good thing about London right now: The 'winter' season has arrived and with it comes mulled wine! I love mulled wine, which is served in most pubs throughout London. I don't like regular wine, but this wine is served hot with spices such as cinnamon, star anise, and fruit slices. Think of it as a hot sangria. Yum, yum.

£10,000--How would you spend it?

If I could spend it only on myself I would buy:

One roundtrip ticket on a Singapore Airlines A380 Suite from Los Angeles to Sydney. I could care less about the destination, but it's more about the journey. Upon boarding, they offer you 'pre-flight drinks' which include a glass of either Krug or Dom Perignon champagne. All table wear and bed linens are by Givenchy, and the his and her amenity kits are by Salvatore Ferragamo! The on demand entertainment system is on a 23 in LCD TV screen. I would elaborate further, but I don't think I'll be able to take this flight anytime soon...

Alternatively, I've been thinking about freezing my eggs. Yes, freezing my eggs! You read correctly. I'm 30, yes 30. I want to have children one day...and I don't see myself getting married anytime soon. (Sad face). My 10,000 pounds sterling can go towards cryogenically freezing my oocytes. They recommend harvesting at least three eggs, which costs 2800 pounds per egg, plus fertility medication, anesthesia, and storage fees. So the next time you hear me saying, 'I'm going to get my things from storage.' They'll be my frozen oocytes! This one seems more realistic compared to the first one.

Abeno Too, Okonomiyaki Restaurant

April didn't have many entries because I was in Los Angeles sorting out my visa. I think this entry will be dedicated to my dining experience at Abeno Too, your not-so-typical Japanese restaurant in Central London. Abeno Too is located near Leicster Sq., just off the Piccadilly Line. Abeno Too serves okonomiyaki, which is a type of Japanese 'pancake'.

All the 'pancakes' are savory and you can have it mixed with different types of meat. For our 'okonomiyaki' we ordered the London mix (how fitting!) for 12.00 pounds. A little pricey, yes, but you also pay for the experience of having fresh food cooked in front of you!! The London mix consisted of pork, cheese, bacon, and salmon topped with brown sauce and fish flakes. Pictured above are the raw ingredients.

For our starter we ordered mushrooms stuffed with cheese and topped with quail eggs. It cost about 6.95. Again, it may sound expensive, but you're paying for the experience!! AND the flavor is not compromised.

The finished product was served on a little plate presented with savory and sweet dipping sauces to accompany the meal. This dish was delicious and the mushrooms weren't too overdone when they cooked it for us. I'm getting quite hungry as I write this entry!


While we ate our mushroom starter, our cook prepared our 'London mix' okonomiyaki on the pan in front of us. This is a photo of the finished product. It may not look like much, but it is quite heavy. I can't imagine finishing one on my own!

This is straight from their website: 'Okonomi-yakis' are variations on a theme, the theme being a base of cabbage, egg and dough with spring onions, ginger and morsels of 'tempura' batter. You get a little bit of everything from each food group!

I highly recommend this place if you're tired of the usual sushi and sashimi combo. In the end you're getting a different dining atmosphere and tasty food. For more information about the menu, visit their website: http://www.abeno.co.uk/findus/index_too.html

Happy Eating!