Allons-y!

taste of familiarity



While I was really sad back when I learnt that Gento was relocating to London, I knew I would still get to see him again since London is a more accessible destination for me as compared to somewhere like... Mexico. Or even the U.S., actually.   

And here we are! Hope to see him again... next year maybe?? HAHAH

The next person I really want to meet is Shigeru, in Yokohama, I think. Next year as well, maybe? 

Fake umeshu which tastes exactly like the real one!! Omg I was so mindblown, because I didn't know it's a fake one. Fake because it's not made using ume plums, but with something else. 

Quarter Gin, which is perfect for lightweights like me lmao 

Had breakfast at E Pellicci on one of the days, per Bryan's request. He sent me a list of places and food to try, though I only managed to try two. Anyway, E Pellicci is quite popular and was even featured on Anthony Bourdain's programme. 

I ordered their breakfast fry up-

And Bryan was like "That's all you got meh?" " Never try anything else?" like okay broooo IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE YOU HERE SHARING FOOD WITH ME!! Hahaha

I highly recommend this place, not so much for the food, but the entire vibe. It's really a family restaurant where (almost) everyone knows each other. It's a communal dining style and most people seem to have no problem walking in and finding someone they know to share a table with. At one point we all even sang a birthday song together. 

It was quite intimidating for me at first, because it seemed like everyone knew how things work already except for me, and I was like ??? okay what do I do, where should I go??

But the family running the place was really welcoming, and I got settled after a while. Apparently there are diners who met as strangers in the cafe and ended up marrying each other, and now their kids are dining there too! That's so cool. (FYI I met no one.)

Neal's Yard

Cardamon bun from Fabrique. This SGD7 thing is apparently quite popular but I threw it away after two bites because I forgot I'm not a big fan of cardamon (I'm okay with it as a spice for the dish but not as the spice for the dish), and also it was sooo dense that it could be a full meal and I didn't want to waste my valuable stomach space / meal slot with that. 

And here's a usual sight of me walking down the street barely holding on to all my purchases from the supermarket because I didn't want to pay for a flimsy paper bag!! On my first day there I paid for a paper bag to hold my 2litre mineral water bottle AND IT TORE STRAIGHT THROUGH OMG AND I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR THE BAG ANYWAY (like sgd20 cents, STILL!)