london - day 2 - a nap in the park

we landed in london in the early morning. of course, our room was not yet ready so we checked our luggage and went out to explore the big city. we walked to the nearby natural history museum, science museum, and v&a museum, knowing full well that they'd all still be closed. then we went to the laduree in harrods to buy macarons. would you believe they were £9.80 for 6 small macarons. would you believe we actually bought them.



we bought sandwiches from a chain bakery called paul and searched a long while for a bench to sit on. we eventually planted ourselves on a ledge on the side of a store and devoured our sandwiches. i had the mixte (ham, emmantal cheese, butter) and the boy had the pavot poulet (chicken breast, tomatoes, batavia leaves, mustard mayonnaise). we finished eating and headed to hyde park. we visited the serpentine gallery and saw the jeff koons exhibit. then we were so exhausted that we took a nap in the park.



(flavours from left: lemongrass, violet and lavender, coconut, rose, red fruits, salted caramel)

when we woke up, we tried a couple macarons - lemongrass and coconut. i was a slightly disappointed because i had asked for bergamot but they were still good. a little too fresh so they weren't chewy enough. then it was time to go. we had a long walk in the park and finally reached the marble arch. then we went to selfridges for some shopping. we didn't do much in the department store except take a photo with a giant chocolate elephant. then we headed up to 221-b baker street - imaginary home to imaginary detective sherlock holmes.



we were hungry again soon after so we walked down marylebone high street to a chowhound recommended fish'n'chips place called "the golden hind". it seemed to be filled with tourists but the owner was kind and the food was decent. i had cod with chips and the boy had haddock with no chips. but of course i shared my chips with my hubby. that's why i had so few on my plate.




after our late lunch, we walked along oxford street and noticed that literally everyone had primark bags. we happened upon the store and went in to check it out. holy moly, cheap clothes! i bought a scarf and a top for 2 pounds each. insane in the membrane. then we walked through kensington gardens and headed back to the hotel to check in. our room was lovely - bigger than i thought it would be given the reviews we had seen. we even had a tv, which my sisters did not have when they were in london a few weeks ago. we were so sleepy that we had a nap (despite my best efforts to stay awake - i even had a shower - but to no avail). however, we did set the alarm so we wouldn't miss our free glass of champagne served in the lobby at 7-8 p.m.



(bottom image courtesy of the boy)

we were famished again after the champagne so we went out in search of food. the boy wanted indian grub and the concierge recommended a popular spot called bombay brasserie but it looked a bit too pricey for our taste so we walked up and down gloucester street until we settled on byron. this place serves "proper burgers" and we knew nothing about it except that the prices were okay and it looked like a decent place to eat. we certainly had no idea that we would be enjoying the best burgers of our lives... literally. there was nothing fancy about the burger, just plain old fashioned simple ingredients, cooked to perfection (we had the recommended medium - still pink inside). the burger was juicy but not runny. we later found out that the burgers are considered by brits to be "american style" and are quite highly regarded on chowhound. what a find!


(images courtesy of byronhamburgers.com)

we both had cheeseburgers - i had gruyère and the boy had blue cheese. the "aberdeen angus beef" is "sourced exclusively from select farms in morayshire, scotland". while i still thought the price was steep for a burger (£6.75) and fries (£2.75), the meal was worth every penny.