Saturday, June 21, 2014

Mile High Shot 20thJune2014 (Exiting Singapore during the Golden Hour.)



*photo credits to K.Khong*
20June2014
Out Of Singapore at the Golden Hour
"Halo over aircraft type"


20June2014
Golden Hour
"Painting of Light"
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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

London - To Do 11June2014 (Madm Tussauds, 221B Baker Street, Wicked play, British Museum, Victoria Albert Museum)

London - To Stay
London - To Do
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Madam Tussauds
11June2014
Getting There

The quickest and easiest way, shared by the concierge, was to take bus 74 from along Gloucester road.
Bus 74 takes you along Harrods, Hyde Park and other major shopping stretches.

 
ABBATip: Purchasing at hotel counter saves you £2 for the entry.
There's no denying it. The one and only, original wax museum, that allows visitors to get up close with stars, personalities and political figures from all over the world. A grand collection to hopefully fulfill the masses.
Click here for ABBA location of Madam Tussaudes, Madame Tussauds London, Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LR, United Kingdom
 *From Geniuses. to Celebs and Sports Personalities*
 *An entire section dedicated to Marvel with its own 4D movie experience.*
*Along with a London Ride Along, giving users a brief glimpse into London's Rich History*
Definitely worth the cover entry. The original Madam Tussauds. The museum allows you get to see both old and new personalities, with a interactive rides, a scare house and more. This is the next best thing to meeting the celebrities themselves.
p.s. I never knew Morgan Freeman stood that tall!
Click here for ABBA location of Madam Tussaudes, Madame Tussauds London, Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LR, United Kingdom

221B Baker Street
(Home of Sherlock Holmes) 
£10 per entry
The home of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. We didn't have the time to give the museum a tour, but we did take a walk in their gift shop. Finding fancy smoke pipes and magnifying glasses aren't a problem here.

Wicked
at The Apollo Victoria

Click here for ABBA location of Wicket at The Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Rd, London SW1V 1LG, United Kingdom
 We had purchased tickets at approximately 5pm on the same day from any of the many ticketing booths found in London. These were the best seat tickets for that night's show.
*Too bad my seats weren't that close to really see all that detail in the costume. But amazing!*
*Tickets placed us about 10rows from the stage to the left, as seen in the picture without zoom, far right*
Amazing stuff. From the exterior, the theater didn't look all that impressive, but once inside, the place was huge. Wicked tells the Witch's side of the story from the classic Wizard of Oz novels.

The story and character development were beautifully done and the chemistry between the main leads were enticing, engaging and loveable. The sets were beautiful in fitting to the genre and the singing... enchanting. Like how Walt Disney movies have you humming the tunes long after the show, so does Wicked and their musical pieces.

Well worth the £42 paid per ticket paid. A heart warming story, with a good spread of comedy accents, drawing from the familiar and telling a refreshing story. A story line similar to Disney's latest movie, Maleficent.
British Museum
(Free to Enter)
12June2014

Known to have the largest collection of Egyptian relics. Though that accolade does come with it some controversy in how were many of them obtained.

With that aside, there's no denying that the extensive collection, beautifully curated allows for everyone a microscopic glance, at the Egyptian times and glory days. Amazing!
*Pictured from Left, the Huge Library and center, the remnant torso's of Greek Gods*

*The museum does also feature other cultural relics and I must say, that their Asian collection does stand out from other's colletion. Pieces with great detail and done in mediums I've personally never seen before.*


*Pic left, ornate time pieces in the a ship. Center, a  bowl cast from live animals. Right, the beautiful engraving of weapons.*
 
 *Seen above is the clock room, where this marvel of human ingenuity and mechanism, times precisely 60seconds before tilting over to the next 60seconds.*
Half a day is definitely insufficient timing to cover all corners of the museum. Even a whole day, one might struggle to cover everything. Even their museum shops are a treat to explore. One can even purchase replica relics if they so wish!

The place was a little bit stuffy, but it was possibly due to the large school and tour groups roaming the exhibits. However despite that, it is definitely worth to take a trip down to the British Museum!
ABBATip:Get a quick look at the museum map to get a simple flow of the museum grounds so you won't miss anything and won't have to back track through exhibits.
visited on 05March2015


Click here for ABBA location of the British Museum, Great Russell St London WC1B 3DG United Kingdom

Victoria Albert Museum
13June2014

*Focussing largely on the Renaissance, these were some choice pieces I came across.*

*I must say their halls of marble statues were impressive and truly detailed*
The Victoria Albert Museum seems heavily focused on the Renaissance era, featuring a large number of Marble engravings and choice pieces, all stemming from the era. I must say that their glass piece entry is a sight to behold. Absolutely stunning.

The Victoria Albert Museum also covers other generes like metal works, Asia artifacts, wedding fashions, photo exhibits and more, but sadly, because of their horrible design layout, there is absolutely no flow to exhibits.

One would always find themselves popping into another time period or genre, and the only way to continue on your journey of exploration, is to backtrack. Even so, that doesn't guarantee you'd continue on the same time line and could have missed a few 100years of history.
The place seems popular with groups of art students/lecturers or enthusiast, whom, like in the louvre, setup their canvases to sketch the amazing sculptures littered throughout.

Worth a visit? Perhaps, but definitely not my first pick. They have the goods, just that their design layout is so convoluting and misleading that its a frustration to go through the museum.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

London - To Eat 11June2014 (The Globe, Young Cheng, Burgers and Lobsters at Harvey Nichols, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Meat Licquor, Bosphorus Kebabs)

London - To Stay
London - To Eat
London - To Do
London - To Eat
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The Globe
11thJune2014
(Located at Barker Station,
near Sherlock Holmes Museum and Madam Tussaudes)

Ordered:
Full English GBP7.49
 *To Standard.*
The place, to our guess is more popular in the nights. A typical English bar with bar pub food.
Young Cheng
(The original age old ABBA joint)
11thJune2014
Best deal has got to be their GBP8.80 Set meals
Ordered x2 sets
- Choice of Soup (Yes there's like 6 choices or more)
- A Dish from the large menu selection
Complimentary Chinese Tea in the Afternoon
*Pictured above are the servings for the individual set meals, which in all honesty can easily feed two. Both dishes were really good, and for all you duck fans out there. This place did not disappoint! One could taste that delicious citrus-five-spiced rubbing found in any, good roasted duck.*

*Super solid Chilli. The only pairing with hot rice and hot dishes*
Fed 2
GBP8.80x2 sets.
Cheap and good. A great place to go for an individual set meal, or I'd say even for up to 4 or 5, with everyone ordering a set and you've got 5 large potion dishes to enjoy family style! Great value, and good tasting dishes! Seating is available both upstairs and downstairs. 
 Burgers and Lobsters
(Located at Knightsbridge London)
12thJune2014
Click here for ABBA location of Burgers and Lobsters, Fifth Floor Harvey Nichols 109 - 125 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7RJ, United Kingdom
Possibly the closest Burgers and Lobsters located to Millennium Gloucester Hotel. (2km) Located on the 5th floor of Harvey Nichols. Pictured center is the queue, 15mins before opening at 12noon. Apparently, all other outlets, to avoid disappointment, go early.
Click here for Review of other location branch from Green Park Station and ABBA contribution by Denision Tan
Apart from the Drinks menu, their dine-in Menu is simple.
at GBP20 each
- Burgers
- Lobster (Grilled/Steamed)
- Lobster Roll
Ordered:
Lobster Grilled GBP20
*Upsize is available but we went for the standard.*
With choice of Butter Sauce or Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce. Free-flow and no additional charge.
*Grilled came recommended by other crew who had tried this. But that again, views are quite diverse. Grilled perfectly, but with their one-two chomp, you've got to get down and dirty to excavate all that mouth watering meat from the cerevisiaes of the lobster. Definately a heart stopper with the liquid gold of clarified butter, but it's just so good.*
 *In my opinion the best deal of them all. Hassle free, more meat, incredibly delicious with the squeeze of lemon and drizzle of Lemon-garlic-butter sauce. A warm, lightly toasted, buttered bread wraps this chilled, chunky lobster filling. Incredible stuff and very filling*

So with two reviews from two different branches, this is the verdict and my humble opinion.
Sides: The salad is nice and refreshing with a light vinaigrette. The fries, served hot and crispy.

Sauces: ABBA Recommendation: Go for the Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce. P.S There's no charge for their sauces so you can go ahead and try both.

Burgers: Don't even bother trying. Nothing to scream about and you've definitely overpaid.

Lobsters: A little bit pricy, but that's the market price you get for fresh lobsters I guess. There have been reports of inconsistancy of grilling but that's a matter of preference. Would the steaming do any better, that's anyone guess. You will definitely need to get your hands dirty trying to maximize your dollar, but in the end, you'd probably end up having to fill up on the fries and salad served along side just to walk away full.

Lobster Roll: The best value for money and best tasting. The lobster filling was not cold but chilled, preserving the intergrity of the meat, allowing for it to still be tender. Also, whole lobster claws, probably the most tender part of the lobster is found within the filling. One would probably get more meat out of the Roll as compared to a lobster whole. 

Wait staff are friendly and attentive. One gets to watch the orders fly out the window and straight to hungry diners. At GBP20, it is a little bit steep, but if I were to go again, the lobster roll would be the dish I'd re-order! 

*(ABBA Contribution 6Dec2013 Txt and Pictures by Denison Tan)*
 Burgers and Lobster
Views differ on this place.
'Must-try' say some online commentators.
'Tourist trap' remarked a suited gentlemen waiting in line.
The menu is simple, and verbally communicated.
3 choices: Burger, Lobster Roll and Lobster, all for 20 Pounds.
A larger lobster is available for 30 Pounds, and on the board behind the bar are the rates for lobsters with weights approaching that of a new-born... Lobsters come either boiled or grilled.

While waiting, utensils are laid out, including an apron to ward off messes and an earpick-like tool to get at the hard to reach areas.
.
*The lobster was large and enjoyable for a first timer, with hunks of meat substantial enough to fill one's mouth. The garlic butter sauce was also delectable. Sadly, dining conventions and good sense prevented slurping it all from the dish.*
 
*While considered to be rubbery by some, I had no issue with the example served on my visit. Then again lobster is hardly one's staple diet...*
Have a visit and judge for yourself. Burger and Lobster is located at 4 different areas, the nearest of which is at 29 Clarges street, Mayfair London W1J 7EF. Take the Underground to Green Park Station nearest to the restaurant.
ABBATIP:
Queue before the door opens, which means showing up about 15-30mins earlier. The tables fill fast and on my departure, a prospective customer was informed that there would be a 45min wait for a table...
Click here for ABBA location of Burgers and Lobsters, Fifth Floor Harvey Nichols 109 - 125 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7RJ, United Kingdom

Dinner
by Heston Blumenthal
2 Michelin star
(Click her for Review)
What's so special or unique about Dinner, despite its 2 Michelin Star standing and listed number 5 in the top 50 restaurant of the world.
Its probably their "Yee-old menu". Dine on dishes, referenced from 1700-1800s and re-imagined using modern day cooking techniques. Have a taste of what royals in the past used to dine on in this beautiful restaurant with large windows looking over Hyde Park.

The wait staff was so kind to bring me around the restaurant to snap some photos and even into the chef's table to have a view of the kitchen. One instantly gets a sense of the great service and pride in their work and great food they'd deliver. He was even so kind as to give me a copy of their lunch set menu and dinner menu.

Will definitely return for a detailed review in future.(Click here for Full REVIEW OF DINNER!)
Click here for ABBA Details about Dinner.
Click here for ABBA location of Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA, United Kingdom

Meat Licquor
12thJune2014

Click here for ABBA location of Meat Licquor, MEATliquor 74 Welbeck St London W1G 0BA United Kingdom


Ordered:
Hippie Fries GBP5.50
Fries, Grilled Onions Hippie Sauce &
Onion Rings GBP3.50
*The fries got soggy fast with the caramelized onions drenched over it. The awesome onion rings were good at first, until the heat got sapped away from it. They turned to cold, oily rings in a relatively shot time. They were good mind you, but probably when they first came out.*Dead Hippie GBP8.50
2X Mustard-fried Beef Patties, Dead Hippie Sauce,
Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Minced White Onions
Mushroom Swiss GBP8
2x Beef Patties, Swiss Cheese, Shrooms,
Red Onions, Pickles, Lettuce, Mustard, Ketchup
*Both burgers though juicy but nothing really distinctly WOW about it. Apart from the mushroom swiss, their signature double fried mustard beef patty with dead hippie sauce tasted like any other beef patty. Nothing special about it. These burgers would be what I'd call a 4biter. Maybe an 8 for the ladies. Small, single hand sized burgers stacked high, with fillings falling from all sides.*
Shared from the staff, the place does have a following. If you were to arrive from 730pm-930pm, expect to wait for 20-45mins for a seat to free up. As seen in the video, the place is a little loud for a diner and its suited more as an after dinner, chill with friends place.
Click here for ABBA location of Meat Licquor, MEATliquor 74 Welbeck St London W1G 0BA United Kingdom
Bosphorus Kebabs
(600m from Millennium Glouster)
Another old crew joint
13June2014
Click here for ABBA location of Bosphorus Kebabs, Bosphorous, 59 Old Brompton Rd, London SW7 3JS, United Kingdom

Their kebabs made fresh daily.
Ordered:
Lamb Doner Kebab GBP6
The open grill top looks invitingly good. This small establishment is quite highly revered on trip advisor's food reviews and is touted by other users to have the best Kebabs in town. It even has its fair share of celebs coming to this humble shop for a bite.

At 6GBP for a Larger serving (pictured above), this dish with flat bread, is super great value for lots of meat and a little salad, by way of onions, lettuce, red cabbage and tomatoes. Although the lamb is a little on the salty side, but with the salad and flat bread, not a problem.

People having coming for the balance diet of meat and vegetables and off course their unmistakable, delicious, spicy chilli. Worth the try for a quick and easy meal. They do take-aways as well!
Click here for ABBA location of Bosphorus Kebabs, Bosphorous, 59 Old Brompton Rd, London SW7 3JS, United Kingdom
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