Brighton, UK - July 18 through July 20, 2008

Passing on buying Annie the customary gift of leather, I booked a surprise trip down to Brighton to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. Less than an hour away on the train it proved to be a quick, relaxing seaside (albeit chilly and windy) getaway. I also thought it was cool to get to see the setting of one of my favorite books of all time, Graham Greene's "Brighton Rock".


3+

1. You can get to Brighton in under an hour from London Victoria. It is a quick and easy trip, putting you at the seashore in no time. It was nice not having to deal with the hassle of getting to/from the airport and all the waiting that is involved. Instead we could just get on with enjoying our weekend. Little need to worry about your carbon footprint too!
2. There are lots of restaurants, especially vegetarian ones. We had extremely good meals at Food for Friends and Terre a Terre but also saw several other enticing cafes which we'd like to try in the future (such as Wai Kika Moo Kau).
3. Shopping in the North Laine was a fun and worthwhile experience. Annie really liked some of the shops and I was really pleased with the abundance of record stores. The antique store, Snoopers Paradise, was a lot of fun to explore with its mixture of stalls. The Lanes also offered great shopping but those stores were the normal run of the mill high street stores.

3-

1. Because of Brighton's location relative to London it is a really popular place for hen and stag parties (aka bachelor and bachelorette parties). At night the large groups come out in full force and really live it up. Nothing wrong with the celebrating but it can be a bit noisy.
2. Entry fee into the Royal Pavillion was ₤8.50 which we deemed to be too expensive given that you could not take pictures inside. We opted instead to enjoy it only from the outside.


3. We couldn't think of a third minus for Brighton!
   

Overall Grade: A

Angel Food Bakery - Brighton

While wandering around The Lanes in Brighton we came across a shop that looked very similar to one we have seen in London. The shop, Angel Food Bakery, looks very much like The Hummingbird Bakery in London, a place we have raved about for their delicious red velvet cupcakes. The window displays and the interior decorations of the Angel Food Bakery are so reminiscent of The Hummingbird Bakery. When we looked at the flavors of the cupcakes and even the packaging we were convinced that the two were related. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding, and the cupcakes at Angel Food Bakery did not live up to those that we have had at The Hummingbird Bakery. The cupcakes we had in Brighton, red velvet and chocolate, were much drier than their equivalents at The Hummingbird Bakery. However, the frosting on those in Brighton was delicious. We don't know the relationship between the two places, if there is any, but the similarities are so striking that it is hard not to compare the two.

Terre a Terre - Brighton

On our second night in Brighton we had dinner at Terre a Terre, voted the best for Vegetarian UK in the Observer, 2008. The restaurant definitely deserves the high praise. The menu is extremely creative, especially the written descriptions, and very well priced. When we arrived for our reservations at 7:30 the place was already in full swing and it showed very little sign of dying down by the time we left around 10. This restaurant is no secret at all but the quality is still very high.

My choices:
Smoked Sakuri soba (₤7.95) - loved this dish, especially the miso and white wine dressing. The pomegranate seeds were a nice touch as well.
Asta la pasta (₤14.65) - loved the broad beans and the wine thyme shallots. The pasta in this dish and the soba noodles in my starter were both wound into extremely tight little mounds which I found impressive.



Eddie's choices:
Soup of the day (₤5.90) - Caramelized shallot with peas and broad beans. Served in an absolutely massive bowl with a huge chunk of garlic foccacia bread.
Indi house (₤13.95) - Eddie thought this dish was good but had way too many onions.

To share:
Rain Vodka Cherry Chocolate Churros (₤7.70) - Three large doughnut sticks that were very nice. Cherrys in vodka had a little too much vodka.

Total cost for food, drinks and service: ₤75

All our food was extremely good but we both felt that the portion sizes were too big, especially the starters. Both starters we ordered could have been meals in themselves. Next time we visit we will know to maybe share a starter rather than each getting our own!

Service during our meal was very friendly and helpful, although very slow at times, which our waitress always apologized for. It was good though to have some time between courses to allow the massive portions to settle!

As the night wore on the restaurant got really hot. The place was entirely full the almost three hours we were there and while they had fans running it really was a little unbearable. I made the mistake of going to the even hotter bathrooms in the basement of the restaurant where the kitchen apparently is. Speaking of the bathrooms they need some serious TLC. They don't match the smart, sleek decor of the restaurant at all and were quite disheveled when I used them.

So, as a comparison to Food for Friends we found that Terre a Terre wasn't as intimate as Food for Friends. Both restaurants had very appealing menus with a ton of choices. They both offer great value for money with Terre a Terre serving massive portions of food and Food for Friends serving massive portions for drinks. Both restaurants were definitely some of the best we have been to in the UK and we plan on returning to both of them.

Food for Friends - Brighton

Brighton has the most vegetarian restaurants I have ever seen in such a small area. Most of the ones along Gardner Street and Kensington Gardens in the North Laine appear to be cafes but there are two proper restaurants in The Lanes, Food for Friends and Terre a Terre. We dined at Food for Friends on our first night in Brighton and Terre a Terre on our second.

Advertised as Brighton's oldest vegetarian restaurant Food for Friends clearly knows what they are doing as the place was completely full. The menu had a large selection and we loved how it was labeled with "Main food for friends" and "Salads for friends."

Annie's choices:
Sangria (₤3.95) - made with mulled wine and served in a massive glass (maybe 20 ounces?).
Stuffed portabello with asparagus and pesto (₤12.45) - absolutely delicious; something I could probably create at home but so much nicer when someone else does it for you!


Eddie's choices:
Soup of the day (₤4.45) - carrot, lentil and ginger - I contemplated getting a bowl for myself as the soup was so good. It was a creamy, spicy lentil soup that really warmed us up on the cold, windy summer night.
Special of the day (₤9.95) - green thai curry - served with green beans, potatoes and basmati rice. Eddie really liked this dish and thought the flavors were just right.

To share:
Sticky toffee pudding (₤5.95) - when we cut into the massive portion, steam escaped and toffee oozed out and we were loving it! The vanilla ice cream went so well with the cake.

Total including two beers, a coffee and service: ₤53.30

Dinner was great value for money as all the portions were quite generous. The atmosphere was really nice and the restaurant was adorable with lots of windows. It was divided into a few rooms but the one we were in didn't feel separated from the others. It almost felt like you were dining inside someone's well-lit house. The service was really good with the host taking care of us the majority of the time as our waiter was quite busy. It was nice to see the teamwork and to not feel ignored at all. Because Brighton is such a quick, easy trip from London we plan on returning to this fantastic vegetarian restaurant!

Moro - London

For our third anniversary Eddie surprised me with dinner at Moro, a restaurant I've been wanting to try ever since I have seen their cookbooks. I am a big fan of the cookbooks and one of my favorite recipes I have tried, a couscous with broad beans and greek yoghurt, has become one of our regular dinners at home. I even shared the recipe with my Mom who absolutely loves it too! Needless to say I was really excited to try the restaurant.

Their weekly menu online had some dishes I was really excited to try, especially the deep fried mussels. When we arrived at the restaurant though there was a menu of the day as opposed to the menu listed for the week online. I was slightly disappointed I didn't get to try the deep fried mussels but was super excited there was a soup listed that I had been contemplating making myself, ajo blanco.

My choices:

Ajo blanco with sultana grapes (₤6) - an almond soup. I was impressed by the level of coldness and it would have been perfect for a warm summer day. After trying it in the restaurant I think I will skip making it at home. The portion served at the restaurant was smaller than a bowl we would use at home and it was more than enough for me. I am not sure we could make a meal out of the soup.

Poached chicken and vegetables with farika, seasoned yoghurt and sumac (₤18.50) - good dish that had a ton of flavor. I loved the yoghurt sauce over the grains which calmed the taste of all the seasonings. The whole, large roasted carrot was perfect.


Eddie's choices:

Charcoal grilled new seasons onions and leeks with salsa romesco (₤7.50) - Eddie liked this appetizer with the salsa romesco being his favorite part.

Mixed vegetable mezzee (₤14.50) - a huge plate of vegetables and flat bread; too much that Eddie couldn't finish all of it. The vegetarian option almost seems like an afterthought with as many vegetables they could fit onto one plate. Although Eddie liked the food (loved the flatbread!) it would have been nicer to see something a little more creative and thoughtful.


Total cost for food, half a bottle of wine, one beer and tip: ₤75

Moro is located in Exmouth Market and is a lot farther from Farringdon Tube station than it appears on their map! When we arrived we were one of the first tables seated but when we left the place was completely full and extremely lively. Moro is definitely not the place to go for a quiet, intimate dinner. The decor of the restaurant was nice but sparse and was reminiscent of the tapas restaurants (with more tables) that we saw in Spain, minus the ever present leg of ham on the counter!

While the food was great and the experience nice I would have liked to have had a few more choices than those presented on the menu. I guess you have to go multiple times to see what they are offering that day or maybe order tapas in addition. I would love to go back with my parents when they visit next month. I guess I should try to make a reservation now!

Day trip to Whitstable, Kent, UK - July 13, 2008

Seeking a bit of fresh sea air Annie and I headed to Whitstable for a quick day trip. The trip there was extremely easy on Southeastern trains and the walk from the train station to the center of town is about ten minutes. Whitstable is a really cute town with lots of shops and plenty to eat - especially oysters.


It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people out enjoying the weather on the beaches and in the restaurants. We were one week early for the oyster festival but we still really enjoyed the trip. Next we want to visit Broadstairs which supposedly has nice sandy beaches, maybe someday when it gets above 75 degrees...

British Grand Prix at Silverstone - July 6, 2008

Annie's brother Pat came to the UK last week for his first visit since we moved over. As he is a huge F1 fan, we decided to surprise him with tickets for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

After hearing all about Silverstone traffic we were expecting a nightmare of a journey but were pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to get to the course. We booked tickets on Megabus for 20 GBP each out of Victoria coach station. It took a little over an hour and a half to get to the course and the return journey took a bit longer, mainly due to traffic in London. It wasn't as fancy as arriving via helicopter at the onsite heliport but it got us there just the same.

We arrived around 10:45, in the midst of horizontal rain and crazy wind, and tried to stroll around the F1 village. It was a difficult task in the weather and amongst all the umbrellas! Eventually we headed to our seats in the Farm section of the course. The course is not very well signed and it took us awhile to find our seats. Once we dried off our seats and got situated under all our rain gear we never made any attempt to leave our seats - too much of a hassle!

On a dry race day Farm seats may be slightly boring, but the soaking wet track provided lots of slipping, sliding and just general entertainment. We saw countless cars spinning out and 3 getting lifted out of the sand and off of the track completely. Most of the action that happened during the race happened right in front of us. Pat was extremely pleased with our seat selection!

Not being followers of F1 Annie and I found it very difficult to follow what was going on during the race. There was a jumbotron across the track but it was a bit too far away to read clearly and with our earplugs in and the loud cars we couldn't hear the voice of the announcer on the loudspeaker. After the race was over we had to consult with Pat as to who actually finished second and third!

While the weather was absolutely miserable at times and Pat's beloved Ferrari team didn't fare well, we all had a great time. It was pretty cool to see British driver Lewis Hamilton win his first British Grand Prix and to see the crowd go wild every time he drove by. It was an expensive day, about 512 GBP for three tickets, but we thought it was a great experience.

Jersey, Channel Islands - June 8 through June 11, 2008

Mont Orgeuil & Gorey

Inspired by the BBC show "Coast" Annie and I decided to take a short break, following my CFA Level III exam, in the Channel Islands on Jersey. Jersey turned out to be even better than we expected and provided us with 3 very enjoyable, relaxing days. We are already planning our next trip back!

3+

1. Jersey is very easy to get to from London. We took a quick flight (~30 minutes) from Luton on EasyJet and landed almost as soon as we had taken off.


2. Walking along the North Coast cliffpath from Bonne Nuit Bay to Rozel was the highlight of our trip. The walk provides some beautiful scenery and is difficult enough to provide a sense of accomplishment without killing you in the process! The path is well marked (except for at the very end in Rozel), well maintained and not too crowded, we saw maybe 10 or 15 people on the path during walk. The path runs along almost the entire North Coast and when we go back we plan on doing the other half.


The cliffpath along Bonne Nuit Bay

3. Elizabeth Castle in St. Helier and Mont Orgueil in Gorey are two of the best castles we've visited in Europe. The location of Elizabeth Castle 3/4 of a mile off shore in St. Aubin's Bay is its best feature. You can walk out to the castle at low tide or take the Norman's sponsored bus at high tide. The castle is a blend of old and new with a mixture of fortifications built in the 1600s all the way up to the modifcations installed by the Nazis during the German occupation. The castle also provides great views of both St. Helier and the bay. On the east coast of Jersey, Mont Orgueil is high above the town of Gorey. It contains several interesting exhibits (we learned all about how to use a halberd!) along with well maintained gardens. Great views can be had from the castle as well, it was so clear the day we were there we could see France! Mont Orgueil is definitely worthy of its spot on seemingly 90% of all the postcards in Jersey.

Norman's coming back from Elizabeth Castle

3-

1. The traffic in St. Helier was terrible! There seemed to be traffic at all times of the day. While we did not rent a car, we took the bus everywhere and it was always nice to be out of St. Helier where the bus could move faster than 2 mph!
   
2. While the bus service is very useful for getting around the island, it takes a good bit of planning as the hours are limited on some bus routes and service can be infrequent.
   
3. For such a beautiful place, Jersey has a serious lack of good postcards. We always send ourselves, and our families, postcards wherever we go, but the selection in Jersey was terrible. There was no variety and most seemed to be from the 1970s. All the ones we ended up sending were of of either Mont Orgueil, Gorey or both!

Overall Grade: A

Iron Maiden at Twickenham Stadium, London - July 5, 2008

We joined 50,000 or so Iron Maiden fans at Twickenham Stadium last night for 2 hours of great British heavy metal. This was our second time seeing Iron Maiden in London, the first being last year at the much, much smaller Brixton Academy. Seeing them in a stadium was a much different, but still great experience. 

This was my 3rd time to Twickenham Stadium (and Annie's first) and it proved once again to be a great venue. They have great food options (we ate at one of my favorites, Square Pie) and the staff are surprisingly friendly throughout the venue. On the whole it is a clean and comfortable place whether you are there for rugby game or for a concert.

Avenged Sevenfold, Within Temptation and Lauren Harris (the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris) were the opening acts. We didn't watch any of them, instead we arrived late and spent our time before Iron Maiden took the stage wandering around the stadium and checking out the Rugby shop. 

UFO's Doctor Doctor came on at about 8:15 signalling that Iron Maiden were about to begin. After a brief silence Winston Churchill's voice came out over the loudspeakers and Iron Maiden ran out onto the stage playing Aces High. It was a great start to the show. Both the crowd and the band were going berserk until the show ended 2 hours later with Hallowed be Thy Name. 

The concert proved to be a great one. Bruce Dickinson is one of the best frontmen in the business. A month away from his 50th birthday it is amazing that he can keep up such a high level of energy. The Somewhere in Time era Eddie made his appearance during The Clairvoyant and did battle with guitarist Janik Gers. Another plus of the concert was the Jumbotrons (Annie was a big fan!). The picture quality was great and the camera work was exceptional for the entire show. While we had a good view of the stage, the video screens really added to the experience. 

The only negative (other than Annie getting annoyed with people paying for seats but standing!) was that the sound seemed to be a bit off for most of the night. I know it is probably difficult to get the sound great in a massive stadium but there were times where it was on the border of being unacceptable.

Overall it was a great show. Iron Maiden proved once again why they are still one of the biggest bands in metal.  I am already looking forward to the next time they come through town. 

The full setlist for the night was as follows:

Aces High

2 Minutes to Midnight

Revelations

The Trooper

Wasted Years

The Number of the Beast

Can I Play with Madness

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Powerslave

Heaven Can Wait

Run to the Hills

Fear of the Dark

Iron Maiden

Moonchild

The Clairvoyant

Hallowed Be Thy Name