Megabus sleeper service

I met Raquel in Missoula for our last £1.99 cocktail before heading to Buchanan bus station, which will mark the start of my crazy 6 weeks down London.

I had a cosmopolitan and she had a modern sex on the beach. Their cocktails are not the best in town but they are the cheapest for sure, so that would do us for the night. Which reminds me I need to write a feature on cocktails (TBC).

But anyway, after a good catch up and two cocktails each, she returned to her flat while I walked my way up to the station.

Tonight I will be travelling on the Megabus sleeper service to London. I was quite excited as I usually take either the sitting night bus (pure hell) or the train- this should be entertaining.
Plus being a big Harry Potter fan, I had this image of the "Knight bus" in my head.

So I arrived in the station, showed up my tickets and was given a number for my bunk bed.
I made my way to the bed and "oh the horror": a tuna can, a human sized tuna can, a mermaid can (and can I remind you I am the tiny sort of human).


My bed was practically on the floor, and I would have to crawl to get under there.
Here is the deal, I suffer from a light claustrophobia, not the horrible type where I can't get into a lift, it's not that bad, but usually if I can't stretch my arm, I start panicking.
I am not very proud of what came next: I had to use the "puss in boots face".
I use it rarely as it can be quite powerful, but it worked and I got a middle bunk, which wasn't much bigger but at least I wouldn't choke.

I can't complain much about the bed itself , it was quite comfortable: nice bouncy pillow, thick duvet, mini light so I could read, and a pair of curtains for some intimacy (mine were broken, though).

I lost my phone somewhere in the bed and had to move like spider man for a good 10 minutes to find it.
I also banged my head on the ceiling 3 times and I am the size of a hobbit, I bet a normal sized man would barely fit in there.

Anyway, I fell asleep rather quickly (thanks Missoula), it was 23.30 and since the bus was due to arrive at 7 am I thought "yay, almost 8 hours sleep ahead of me!".

So I was quite surprised when I got woken up at 5.55 am. But I got up, went to sit on my allocated seat where a scone was waiting for me: "well how nice" I thought. I made myself a cup of tea and to my surprise, nowhere to put it.
I don't really see the point of giving out breakfast and not providing us with a tray or a cup holder...

So here I am, teacup stuck between my knees, trying to spread jam on the scone inside my bare hand, destroying it at every shake of the bus. Woops a sharp bent: "Yaaaouch! bloody tea!". I gave up.

I heard this Chinese couple moaning two seats away from me and I couldn't help but asking them what they thought of the journey. The man told me he wasn't happy because his girlfriend wasn't feeling well.
I turned to the girlfriend "this is too shaky, my head is spinning".
Believe me, I have been in a Chinese sleeper service when I lived in Shanghai: five people sharing one bed, men smoking inside, spitting on the ground. If this is bad to Chinese standards, this is really wrong.

I went around the bus and here is what other passengers told me "the toilets are a disgrace, there is no holder for the toilet rolls, so they kept falling on the floor, it's unhygienic!".
When asked about the beds, this Aussie lady told me "I was fine because I was on the top bed, but my boyfriend had to sleep on one of the low ones and he could barely fit. I didn't sleep at all myself, too shaky".

As for my experience, I did sleep but woke up every couple of hours, stressing that we would already be in London. But that's just me.
I wish I had known about their wake up call so I would have relaxed a bit more.
I was not happy with us arriving 40 minutes early- this is a sleeper service, you are paying for a night sleep after all.
When I asked the driver why, he said the roads were quiet at this time, well here is a thought pal, I mean , I only started driving myself last week but how about "slowing down"- the Chinese girl would certainly agree.

I arrived in London at 6.30 in the morning, it was dark and cold, and I could have done with an extra half hour sleep, even if it was not in a Hilton suite.

So this is me, in London now, exhausted, covered in scone crumbs, raspberry jam and tea, ready to take on London.

Happier than ever, though.


Megabus sleeper service

+ Way more comfortable than their normal night service.
+ Good abs workout.

- Sized for 12 years old.
- The price: for 35 pound one way, next time I will fly with easy-jet.

Wee Frenchy is relocating to London

Sorry folks, I haven't been writing in a while.
Between my placement in STV (subtle drop, I got published for the first time), preparing for London and my driving test , it's been a pretty crazy month.

So yes, London: I have found my dream work placement, 6 weeks in a London-based French radio station.
My first chance to actually read the news which is an amazing opportunity, but weirdly enough , I have never read in French, so this will be a bit of a challenge.

On Sunday night, I met Paul and Derek in the Butterburn pub in Hamilton for a last drink, and a surprisingly huge amount of tears from my side- I am blaming their French kiss shooter which is just heaven in a glass, two layers of Baileys and Chambord.

Then old work colleague Brian, who was rehearsing with some guitarist friends, started singing a song I had never heard before named "the green fields of France". Here went the tears again, I am going to miss Scotland so much.

There is a reason why Scots have such a good reputation worldwide. I have lived in France, in China, in Australia, and in London for a bit, I have never ever made so many friends at once, never felt so loved and welcome anywhere else in the world, and for that Scotland, I give you a "cheers, pal!".

But back to London (too much cheesiness for my blog), I will be down there for a minimum of six weeks, enjoying every minute of it, and I will of course share my experience online, so keep posted.

Masterclass with Lucy Porter

I wasn't early and managed to get a seat at the front , yes!

Everyone sounded really excited: a cooking masterclass with Lucy Porter, this is not something you can see everyday.
The comedian would be on stage the same day for the Fringe festival, and as a cooking aficionado she popped in the foodies as well.

As soon as she entered the tent I was surprised to see that she was as tall as me (which isn't a lot!), and she just enlightened the audience with her smile.

Lucy told us through the meal she was about to demonstrate, and for this she called out for single girls in the audience (I stared at my feet).
"If you are single don't eat this on your own because this is really fattening, however cook it for your date, it's a good aphrodisiac!" (Laugh from the audience).

The dish was a warm salad, with potatoes, chorizo, red wine and oysters. I say!

The rest of the masterclass was all over the place: it was more like a girlfriend showing you how to make a dish than a proper professional demonstration, but that's what everyone loved.

While chopping, Lucy told us all about her two babies, and how her husband made them pose with cans of beers taped to their hands for mother day: "we are bad parents" she laughed.

She also told the story of her wedding and meeting her in laws: "I swear it smells of lavender when they fart!".

The recipe? pretty simple:
Take some really good quality chorizo, the one you can cook, and place it in a pan with red wine.
Boil some potatoes.
When the potatoes are boiled, put them into the simmering chorizo and red wine.
Lay some fresh salad leaves on a plate, and serve the potatoes and chorizo stew on top.
Finally add the oysters on top of it all.

It looked and smelled great, a perfect autumn salad.

To hear my interview with Lucy:
http://audioboo.fm/boos/939787-lucy-porter-interview

Foodies festival

I arrived on the platform five minutes before the train was to depart, typical me.
Obviously there was only one seat left, backward facing, tiny window, next to a bunch of kids singing: "Mummy are we there yet? Mummy are we there yet?" with such ... angelical voices. Yes, I was smiling and happy, I was on my way to the Foodies festival.

I read the foodies magazine religiously every month, so there was no way I would miss the show.

I arrived to a jam packed Edinburgh: silly me, I had totally forgotten about the Edinburgh festival, man this will be fun.

Making my way through the crowd I felt like an explorer in the jungle: bikers with long grey beards, camera attached japanese tourists, "I wants anotha icecweam" chanting kids, purple hair, old couples, what a mix of people.

It took me about forty minutes to get to Inverleith park. The sun was burning my skin, and I wondered for a minute if I was going to get a tan on top of a great day out (I did in the end, yes!)

As I entered the festival, I was greeted by Sue Hitchen, the editor of the magazine who gave me a programme.
I signed for a cooking masterclass with Lucy Porter, this had to be interesting.

I then started my journey across the stands. What struck me from the beginning is how smiling people were. Sure the sun must have had some effects on the general mood, but no, it did felt like a massive family picnic.

People were lying on the lawn, laughing and drinking cocktails, or standing by the stalls, tasting and chatting with the merchants.








There was such a diverse range of products on hand, and it took me a good two hours to see them all.

I started off with what I will call the "producers alley", with mostly food stalls, then made my way through the"seasoning alley", with chillis, spices mix, rock salts.

More on that in my next article.

I ended my tour with the street food alley: what a choice! Basically, it saves you a £5000 round the world ticket: Jamaican food, Chinese food, French food, Spanish food, Morrocan food, cider stalls, coconut stalls (yes, fresh coconut water!).

At last I had a wee look on the west aisle of the show which featured some well known restaurant such as Glasgow's "Southern spice" who were offering taster dishes for between £3 and £5. Very mouthwatering.

Before I knew it , it was time for my masterclass...

York: Gert and Henry, my worst experience

Like every tourist destination, York has many traps that we need to avoid (in France we call that an "attrape- cons", basically a fish net for stupid people...)

In York there is a massive one (vulnerable people should now be put away from the screen):

Gert and Henry:

I had read a few negative reviews about this place, some people where saying how their standard had lowered over the years. But when Matt and I were dying for a drink and we passed it, I must say the cute facade made me want to give it a go. After all, how bad can it go with just one drink.
Answer is: very!

STAY AWAY FROM THAT PLACE, THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE!

We sat by the window, and ordered a pint of lager and a bottle of cider. We were chatting when the waitress brought us a free nibble: a plate full of greasy doughnuts.
"That's... strange" I thought, but then again , it was free so what can we say?

My cider arrived almost straight away. When the lager was still not there after ten minutes, I asked the waitress who said "yes, the draught is a bit hard to pull down"
"??"

When finally a tray full of beers arrived (after another ten minutes), I was all ready to just enjoy the moment and be cool, but our drink was not on it.
Another five minutes (yeah I was going through a phase of making efforts not to be a pain, but being patient hurts my fingers)

So that was it, I asked for the bill and said we were just going to leave it. The panicked waitress reported it to her manager (an angry looking wee Asian guy), who, true story, went to the table next to us, took their drink and put it on our table. I said "no, no thanks we don't want it, we are leaving now".
I looked at the menu, left the 2,75 pounds for my cider and we took off. I had barely stepped out the door when the manager lost it, shouting at us to stay inside.
-"excuse me?"
-"the bill, you need to pay the bill!"
-"I left the money on the table"
-"how can you have left it on the table, you don't know how much it was, I don't even know how much it was"
-"It was 2.75!" I said, raging.

We tried to leave again and he shouted at us even harder, in front of a room full of shocked customers.
When he finally made his little calculation (I guess something like 2,75+ 0 = 2,75) , he rudely waved us away.

-"well, thanks very much!" I said, still not believing what had just happened . He did not even look at me.

I guess I do not need to add anything to that, just stay away from Gerk and ... oops sorry, Gert and Henrys.

York do's and dont's

I have done quite a research about York: the place is packed with pubs , cafes and restaurants, so where go?

Confession: all my researching lead to nothing. I think in this kind of situation (a one day getaway), you've got to go with the flow and trust your instincts.

Let's start with my recommendations.

Crumbs tea room


After a look in the national trust shop in college street that sells all the kind of useless crap I am into (tea towels with the Queen's face on it, vintage cooking books, how to grow your own coriander kit ...)  I was feeling in the mood for a cup of tea. We passed a couple of cafes when the window of Crumbles caught my eye. The window featured a sweet exhibit of three tier cake stands and teacup hanging on ribbons.

Matt was wanting a milkshake, can't blame him with that heat. I happened to want nothing, and cursed the sun for stopping me from having a cupcake. They all looked so tasty, and what a choice!
The girl was very friendly and we felt so relaxed in this retro-looking wee place.
We sat in the couch, looking out the window, flicking through some cooking books (I copied some of the recipes, might as well).
Ideal for a cream tea break when touring the city.

+ lovely interior                                     
- so overly cute your brain might explode

Crazy bubble tea

We passed that place and suddenly, I was back in Shanghai.
I remembered how my Indonesian friend Chandra used to love those, and I thought it would be fun to share this experience with Matt.




This tea drink that originated from Taiwan has a tea base mixed with fruit or milk. You then add some chewy tapioca balls (or pearls). We chose a coconut milk tea with mango pearls.
It was just like I remembered: weird. I don't think Matt was such a fan, I thought it was funny.
I guess it's not everyone's cup of bubble tea.




+ something new                        
-  expensive                               

York hog roast

We walked past this shop a few times that day, drooling like crazy.
So when we had to leave for our train and had no time to sit for a proper meal, we decided to get a sandwich there. A bit pricey but my god, what a meat.
We both went for the pork sandwich which is basically a Sunday roast stuck between two pieces of bread :  roast pork with stuffing, apple sauce and crackling. I had read a review saying the meat was too dry, nope, can't agree with that, it was perfect. To my taste it would need a bit more apple sauce but that's not a rule.

+ quality meat                       
- not for dieters                     

York.

I can truly say that York is my favorite English city so far.

The shambles represent ,to me, the typical "cliched British scenery" you expect to see anywhere in the country.
So I was really excited to show Matt around.

I will obviously review some places but York needs to be seen not read, so here: 

Leeds: best breakfast at Primos

We had a few hours before our train to York and decided to have a nice filling (meaning fatty) breakfast.
We strolled around the calls and ended up at the corn exchange.



This Victorian building is host to many original shops, such as Teddy and co that caught my eye: they offer a large selection of collectible bears and homemade celebration cards.

I thought it was a great place for browsing, and perfect for finding that little special gift you would get nowhere else.

We stopped at Primos for breakfast, inside the corn exchange. They specialize in hot dogs but their breakfast menu sounded appealing.

I have to say, hot dogs are not my thing, I would happily pick a burger over one, but those ones sounded like masterpieces, hear this:
The Utah hot dog: Bratwusrt sausage with caramelized onions, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, tomato salsa and jalapenos.

Oh my. Let's stay focused, we're here to have breakfast.

I went with the "american pancakes and bacon", and Matt went with the "crispy bacon bagel", both 2.85 pounds.
"What a bargain" I thought, and "what a super ultra bargain" I thought again when my plate arrived. There was enough to feed two people there.

Yes I finished it all, why?

A great wee place to get lunch too, with 10% off for students and special offers going on almost every day of the week (damn I wish we were Wednesday for "bagel Wednesdays", why, WHY!!)

I would not dare naming it the "best breakfast in Leeds" as I have not had breakfast anywhere else, but it was the best one I have had in a while that's for sure.

+ great menu for great prices          
- only open for dinner on Thursdays

Night in Leeds/ dinner at Thai edge

Thanks to my young person's railcard, I got a two month free trial with the gourmet society, which gives you restaurant discounts in every city.
After some (22 hours) research, I decided to give a try to the brasserie at Bewley's hotel: the online menu looked incredible, and would be well worth the 30 minutes walk from our hotel.

I had already made up my mind on the "duck medallions served on a cassoulet of duck sausage, spinach & lentils with orange potato cakes" followed by the "almond Galette served with summer fruits, crème fraiche & mini strawberry daiquiri". Wow, the title itself is mouthwatering.

So imagine my disappointment when after walking half an hour (can't stress that enough) I arrived to a complete different menu. A two course prix fixed that was nowhere near as good as the online one. I asked about the a la carte, and I was told it was taken off a month ago because not enough customers were ordering from it.

Fair enough , but how about taking the menu off the website? We left.

Thank god I had a plan b: in a symphony of rumbling stomach we jumped on a taxi to Thai edge.

This Thai restaurant near Millenium square was cute as hell, and the service was out of this world.

The lovely waitresses were wearing elegant purple traditional dresses and were very attentive and open to questions.

 


The menu can please everyone with the classics like green thai curry, or for those more adventurous, you could go with one of their specialities such as the steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves in coconut milk and sweet basil.

We went with the Mussaman gai which is a chicken mussaman curry cooked in coconut milk with potato,
peanuts and onion and the mussaman gae which is lamb in mussaman curry cooked in coconut milk with potato, peanuts and onion.
But ... that's twice the same curry will you say. Well, that's what happens when you let the man order and he gets mixed up. Bless.

Did not care in the end as the curry was divine. The meat was really tender, to the point where Matt went:
"My god this lamb is so tender, hang on, no that was a potatoe..."

The presentation was a first for us: curries were served in two lovely candle heated pots that kept our food hot throughout the meal. Clever.

Glad we went there in the end, lovely dinner and cheap too, as my gourmet society card gave us two for one on mains bringing the total to 20 pounds, including drinks. Khawp khun kha!

+ Lovely decor   

- Expensive drinks

Leeds: First impressions

As Matt's plane was landing in Leeds Bradford airport,  I thought it was the perfect opportunity to visit a new place and decided to meet him there. It was also the perfect excuse to go to York once more as I had not been in years.

I had no idea what to expect from Leeds. In France you would hear about London or Edinburgh, but not much else unfortunately, so I was rather curious.

As I left rainy Glasgow, I could swear the rain stopped the second I entered England.
Two very chatty people decided to sit right in front of me (you know when the whole train is empty and people simply decide they want to sit next to YOU...) but I stayed focused on the scenery, blocking the noise.
I passed a place called Saltaire that caught my attention, and wrote it on my to do list.

I then arrived in Leeds and, I have to admit, it overcame my expectations.
The city is lovely, really lovely, and I wish someone had recommended that place before.
Of course, the fact that I had not seen the sun in a month must have had some part in my excitement.

We stayed in the Etap hotel near the calls.
This budget accomodation was good enough; there was a summer deal going on and the night was as cheap as 18 pounds. Can't complain.

We started the night by having drinks at the calls landing. This pub has a terrace that overlooks the river Aire. Matt and I sat there enjoying the sun, nibbling on fresh olives while drinking a pint of lagger (who am I kidding, I had a strawberry cider)

Mini break in Arran/ Lighthouse

The lack of sun does not mean I should not enjoy a bit of holiday this summer, so when I was kindly invited for a getaway in the Isle of Arran, I did not think twice.

I was surprised at how easy it was to get there without a car; I simply got on a train to Ardrossan Harbour which took about an hour, then queued up for the ferry.

I have traveled a lot in my young life, but weirdly enough, never was it on a boat. So I felt like a kid when I stepped onto the ferry for the fist time.

I could come up with a whole story of how I was touched by the beauty of the sea and how I had the deepest conversation with a dolphin, truth is, I fell asleep two minutes in.
When reaching the coast of Arran, Del insisted we got outside and watch. I was still cranky from waking up and my hair got all over the place, but yes the view was stunning.

We then drove all the way to Pirnmill where Del's family had rented a cottage for the week. It was purely dreamy, exactly how I expected the whole of Scotland to be when I first moved here.


I had barely arrived in the house when I was told we had a dinner reservation for the lighthouse, a seafood restaurant round the corner. "Oh well" , I thought, "I am really on holidays".

Because you see, I am a restaurant freak (no kidding) , I would never go somewhere unless thoroughly researched. So that was a first , and I could not wait.


The Lighthouse

I must say, the place was cute but empty, I wondered if it was a good sign. After a quick glance at the menu which was on the wall, my skepticism just melted: everything, I mean EVERYTHING sounded delicious.

Thank god I was craving for salmon or I would have spent the night choosing (did not want my hosts to hate me on the first day...)
So I went with the "cajun spiced supreme salmon with leek mash and prawn and chive cream sauce", while the rest of the table chose the "roasted shoulder of Arran Lamb with red wine rosemary sauce", the "pan seared fillet seabass with white wine mussel provencal sauce" and  the "chargrilled tuna served with a sesame roasted potato salad".

The starters sounded lovely too, and Del and I said we would definitely go back the next day in secret to try them  (we didn't).

How can I describe that dish without sounding over the top, I don't know, it was overly nice.
This was truly the best dish I have had in years. The salmon was perfectly cooked, could have been eaten on its own, but the prawn and chive cream sauce was just a delight. Our dishes were supplemented with some lovely vegetables and potatoes. Could not get enough.





So when desert was mentioned I was stuffed, but I thought "more, more, I want MORE!!!"
-Cec? desert?
-yeah sure, I mean if everyone else is...hum...

I went with the crumble and ice cream, rest of the party enjoyed meringues, creme brulee, and sticky toffee pudding.
"Everything is home made" the waitress said proudly. And she had every reason to be proud.
Perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Absolutely recommend that place, the service was warm and welcoming, the food was extraordinary, would be curious to know where the chef was trained.




A bit of shopping

As the shopping addict that I am , I could not leave Arran without some local goods. From cheese to fish and homemade soap, what a trip for my wee nose.

Arran cheese shop:

I have to confess, in France we think cheddar is not a real cheese, more like an orange plastic thing pretending to be cheese, so it was a grand surprise to taste some that was so delicious and properly made.
That wee shop was so cute, with four plates on the counter for us to taste: garlic cheddar, herb cheddar, mustard cheddar and I'm afraid I forgot what the fourth one was. Oh well, it was probably the least tasty or I would remember it.

I got some mini oatcakes with garlic cheddar (so French of me!) and raspberry and cranberry cheddar (so weefrenchy of me, I have a thing for fruity things)

Creelers:

Everything was just so fresh!, We got a mackerel quiche for our dinner, salmon and mackerel pate just for pigging out, and a lovely fish soup that I had back in Glasgow.

Arran aromatics:

For whoever loves original smells and luxury bath products. The place was full of nice gifts ideas.
I ended up buying a honey and oat soap that smells gorgeous.


So my trip to Arran was a total bliss, it was quiet and relaxing, the food was fresh and yummy. An overall magic experience.

Lunch at the Willow tearooms, buchanan street

When I first came to Glasgow a year ago, I had read any guides that ever existed on the city. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't miss anything.

I became obsessed with going to the Willow tea rooms as every guide described it as a must do, designed by Mackintosh in the 1900's.

For some reasons I had trouble finding it, until one day of shopping with Matt on Buchanan street:
"Oh my god it's here! Can we go please, please, pretty please?"
I wish I hadn't insisted.

Because you see, the Willow tea rooms is to me, the biggest disappointment of my career (I'm still young so I assume there will be many more).

So back to one year ago, we went upstairs. Matt moaned about the queue, I smiled and said: "This means the food must be fantastic".
So we waited quietly, I was really excited. When it came to us, the reception lady looked over my shoulder and asked: "two people?" to the next couple. I waved at her and said that we were here first and she totally ignored me. She asked the same thing again, and the couple behind me confirmed to her that we were here first.
How rude. What was the problem there, I asked. Seeing the irritated look on my face she finally gave us a table.
I never felt so insulted.
I wanted to leave but Matt said that after all the trouble we went through we might as well eat.
Which we did. Terrible. Matt ordered a cheese sandwich, which was basically two pieces of toast and some grated cheese for about 5 pounds. I was "raging". The food took ages to come, I still felt hurt, we left and swore never to come back.

BUT...
As Susan and I met in town today for a ladies lunch, I figured that now I am writing a blog on the matter, I should maybe give them a second chance, as I have to admit, the 6 pounds lunch deal was quite tempting.

So same again, queue etc... Not a problem, I was prepared.
We got a table pretty fast, and also ordered pretty fast as we knew what we wanted.
Susan went with the soup of the day, lentil soup, and I went with the lunch deal which was chili con carne with tea of my choice (I chose rose petal tea).

We waited half an hour. 25 minutes for the tea itself. I don't know, maybe they were waiting on a delivery from China.
When I asked what was taking so long, they said our particular meal was quite long to prepare.
"Oh I hadn't realized they were making my chili from scratch" I told Susan sarcastically.

But this gave me the time to stare at the Mackintosh chair. Yes, very pretty.

Giving me a table by the kitchen was not the smartest idea either, as I caught a glimpse of how the scones were prepacked. For a tearoom I think that's a bit big.
I was also delighted to see a tray full of cakes being put down on the top of a bin as there was no room elsewhere. Yummy.

We then enjoyed a feast of watery chili with microwaved pitta (you know the ones that are hot for 30 seconds  and then get hard and dry, deelish!), and an obviously not homemade soup.

The positive thing I will remember and want to stress though, is how lovely that young waitress was.
Susan is lactose and gluten intolerant, and the waitress came up with suggestions and made sure every food was safe. Good one.

For that reason we decided to order desert, which turned out to be lovely (no scones for me though, jeez!)
We both had the meringues, which I very much enjoyed.

So what I would say about the Willow tearooms is: go there for tea and cakes, and the chairs; not for the manager's attitude or the food or you would be as disappointed as I was.

As for me, I give second chances, but no third ones.

Hidden lane tearoom

The rain, always the rain.

I was sitting in my room with melancholy, watching the rain pour, hating my friends back in France who were probably getting a tan on the beach when I heard my Spanish flatmate Raquel in the kitchen.
"Surely she can relate to what I'm going through" I thought, then got up and met her for a chat.
"I would kill for an afternoon tea" I said. Seeing the surprised look on her face I talked her through what I can honestly say is my favourite British tradition. "And then you get the scones..." "What's a scone?"

That was it.

We grabbed our coats and took off.

Living near Argyle street, I passed the hidden lane a few times, and was always curious about the tearoom.

As I entered, it felt like I had finally found my dream tearoom. Everything screamed retro, pink and sweet.

A cute stand was featuring the cakes of the day which today included cupcakes and meringues.
We went upstairs and  grabbed a table by the balcony.
Just like downstairs, every detail was perfectly coordinated, un-matching chairs with matching floral cushions, mint-coloured walls, fresh flowers.

We went for the cream tea which was 8 pounds (different from what the website said but let's pass) which entitled us to a teapot for two and a scone each.


One negative point though, the table had been cleared but not cleaned, and was sticky from the customers before us.



Those scones were the best ones I had in Glasgow so far. Sugar coated and served in halves with fresh whipped cream and jam, topped with a strawberry. The teapot was massive, the teacups weren't. As part of the shop's collection (collected over 2 years the owner told me), the teacups were obviously a lovely retro set, but, for the huge tea drinker that I am , I wish I did not have to refill every two mins.
But at least the tea stayed warm all throughout, so I was quite happy in the end.



I was also pleased to hear that the cakes were freshly baked daily, so if I was to come back the next day (tempting) I would have a new range of cakes waiting for me.


An overall charming experience, bravo.

So charming that, as Raquel and I were chatting on our way out, the waitress called us in, we had forgotten to pay the bill. Embarrassing. But I guess this was the best compliment we could have made, feeling so cosy and nice that it felt like leaving a friend's house. Oh well, at least we all had a good laugh.

Taste of Edinburgh: the dining experience

One major aspect of the taste is that you actually get to taste some great restaurants food that you could not normally afford. I am gonna stop you right there, you still can't afford them, they just came up with one third of a portion that you pay one third of the price (around a fiver a course)

So it's basically like when you can't afford a car, well they will give you a third of it, let's say hand break, seats, and wheel for one third of the price.

I know I'm sounding sarcastic but I'm not, I'm just a cheeky person by nature.

No seriously now, I really liked the concept, as I was able to eat mini things which is my passion in life.

So here is what I chose for my own mini three courses:

For starters I went with a "pomegranate bellini and olives" from Whole foods market.

Ok it isn't a starter, it's more of an aperitif but let's not forget that my blog is about great food on a shoestring, could not possibly afford a three course meal that day.
The olives were lovely, very tasty. The bellini was nice, not too sweet.

For the main course I chose the "Confit of Kirriemuir lamb, caramelised celery puree and fondant potato, mint crisp and tarragon jus" from The Balmoral.


For some reason, I cannot stand mint. I mean, mint tea is fine, a mint leaf from time to time, but mint in a savoury dish, non merci, and yet, I was drawn to that one.
I must say, congratulations Balmoral, for making me appreciate mint with meat for the first time.
The lamb was so tender, almost melting in my mouth, the potato fondant was exquisite, I wished there was more in my plate. Makes me want to try their full menu. Good one.

And for desert I picked the "Summer berries, vanilla mascarpone, raspberry crumble" from Angels with Bagpipes.

When I first saw it I thought : "oh lovely, a barbie doll sized dessert!" but as soon as I tasted the mascarpone,  oh my god. It was light but so tasty at the same time, paired with the berries it was just an enchantment.

Taste of Edinburgh: actual tasting

Let's be serious now, I have some tasting to do.

When I entered the festival I thought "Mon dieu, where do I begin?"

Turns out it was a piece of cupcake, as some stalls just naturally caught my intention. And here they are:


Hamlyns oats



Liz and Tracey from Hamlyns were oh so welcoming, Their company uses premium oats, grown and milled in the Scottish countryside, using no additives or preservatives. They nicely gave me a porridge sample which I'm sure will do me an excellent healthy breakfast this week.






Yum yum tree fudge


I was greeted by a nice wee man. He talked me through Yum Yum's products which are made with local British sugar and natural flavours. He pointed out to the strawberry flavoured fudge, and asked me to smell it. It did smell like fresh strawberries. "What a delight" I thought, while the fudge was melting in my mouth. "We even supply Harrods!" he added proudly. I am no Harrods regular unfortunately but to me that's an extra reason to trust the wee man.


Melville's fruit craft lager


Ok I'm just gonna say it: I don't like beer. Aaargh I know, terrible, you are in the UK you must know how to appreciate a good lager, well I don't, I'm sorry, it's too bitter for me.
But (because there is a "but" ,of course), when I saw that Melville's craft lager were offering strawberry and raspberry flavoured beer, I thought I would put my fear aside for a second and give it a go.
How nice is this lager! It was sweet, fresh and fruity.
For the first time in my life I appreciated the taste of beer, so well done!
On top of that, they don't use juice from concentrate but only natural ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, water and real fruit.

JoJo's Danish bakery

I came across three cupcakes stalls that day. JoJo's was not only offering the cheapest ones (£1.50 compared to £3 pounds elsewhere), but she happened to be the only one who smiled at me.
I believe purchasing is not all about the products, it's also about contributing to someone's business.
So when I approach a stall and I am given a big smile , well, I am  pleased to give my money away.
The cupcakes also tasted great of course or I would not recommend them. The icing was so pretty and tasted like fresh vanilla fluffy butter.
I just wished she had more flavours in, as I was left with either chocolate or vanilla.