Parents: Duck & Waffle and the Ritz

So the day was upon us. Mum’s 50^th Birthday!!!! Dad and I had been organising for months what we were going to do on this day. We wanted it to be special in every way.


We started the day with a lovely ride on one of the London buses, (yep mum was thrilled with that, haha) on route to Selfridges.

The food hall at Selfridges is amazing, another place I could spend hours in, browsing all the food. After ogling all the food, we settled for coffees and of course a birthday cupcake for mum.

Next stop on the MUM birthday train was Duck and Waffle!! And boy oh boy was I looking forward to this. I had found this place during a Google search and have been dying to go since. The main attraction to this restaurant was the location and the strange, yet delicious items on the menu.



I had misread the emails and the internet site and thought the restaurant was on the 4^th floor. Weren’t we shocked to find the restaurant was actually on the 40^th floor!!! The lift was a glass elevator and was like the one out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, it was pure madness.


Arriving at Duck and Waffle I had organised in advance to have a special table for mum’s birthday, and I had no idea they would give us a front row seat to the amazing view of London. The hostess walked us through the restaurant to the most amazing table. It looked directly out onto the amazing London views.

Mum was most impressed! We ordered practically everything from the menu, and my highlight was bacon wrapped dates, and beetroot with honeycomb and feta cheese. Soo much yum!! The serves was quite amazing and as a special treat the restaurant had bought out a little dessert with a candle for mum! The whole experience was incredible. Dad and I were worried how we would top this for dinner!



Dinner was a surprise for mum, and she had no idea where we were headed, her only instruction was that she had to wear something nicer than the local pub, FANCY!!!

So we threw mum in a cab in her fancy clothes, and whisked off to the dinner venue. She had no clue even when we drove through the streets of London. Even when we drove past the venue, she still had no clue.

It wasn’t until we pulled up to the front door of the venue and got out of the cab and she asked, “Is it the RITZ!!” Oh yes mum it is! We are FANCY tonight.


I’ve never been to the Ritz and I had no idea what to expect. Were the bogan Kearl’s going to be fancy enough for this place, and would dad even eat the food?

As we walked through the hotel lobby and through the high tea area, we were excited and yet stunned at all the gold and floral, the place was dripping in fancy. We made it to the restaurant and were seated at an oval table towards the back of the restaurant, where we could people watch, whoohoo! I love to people watch, especially the rich!

Dinner started with wine, and breads, and then starters, and then mains, and then dessert and then petite fours. Man, the food was delicious, and even dad loved every bite, and even drank Champagne. Mum got to feel like what the queen feels every time she dines!


The food was basic in idea, however fancy in presentation. It was worth every penny.

I had an amazing day, and I know mum did too.

Peace out for now.....

Bxxxx

Parents: NRL Grand Final, High Tea

So for those who know me, know I’m pretty awful at team sports, and I don’t have the attention span to stay focused for long enough to watch an actual game of sport on TV. However, being an Aussie, this changes when your dad wants to watch a game, particularly in my case a game of NRL, especially when the Roosters are playing. For that 80mins, plus the half time minutes, and the pre-match junk they play, I put aside my attention span and manage to sit there, and pretend I know the rules of the game, and actually end up enjoying the game. Heaven knows why my dad would organise a holiday to come to the other side of the world when his team is playing in the grand final. But he did. And my task was to find somewhere to take him to watch the game.......... The Walkabout is a chain of Aussie pubs, that tend to have a reputation for rowdy, drunk, flannie and thong (flip flops, not the underwear version, lol) wearing Aussies, drinking far too much beer. However with limited knowledge of where a pub would be streaming the NRL at 9am on a Sunday, this seemed like the best option. Upon finding out this would be the last day of trading at the Shepherd Bush Walkabout, it was advised to get there early. So 7am Sunday we head off to Shepherds Bush Walkabout, and to our surprise there were people already there lining up. By the time the game started at 9:30am, the place was packed to the rafters and almost everyone was drunk already. There were chicks buying jugs of beer with raspberry for themselves. I wasn't sure if I should feel proud to be an Aussie, or ashamed.......... Anyways the game went on, and the atmosphere made the game all that more fun and exciting. And minus a few issues with visible viewing of the screen, dad had a great time, and was rather excited for the Rooster victory!!!! Mum on the other hand........ Could not wait to get out of the place! Haha So not only did mum and dad organise their holiday around the NRL grand final match, they also made sure that mum could celebrate her 50th Birthday with her one and only amazing daughter, ME!!! I had organised for the three of us to go to a cute cake shop that does gluten and dairy free high tea. The shop was super cute inside, and had teacups and floral table clothes, and lace, and dollies everywhere, dad felt right at home, haha. They had over 15 teas to choose from, so many different varieties. Dad didn’t enjoy his ‘perfume’ water, lol, but mum and I had a great time sampling a few different flavours. FOOD TIME!!!! And boy oh boy was I surprised to find I had my own little tower of gluten and diary free deliciousness. It started with egg, and cucumber sandwiches on the bottom, followed by scones with jam and butter, followed by an almond and raisin cake, and finished with a cupcake and chocolate coated strawberries. DELICIOUSNESS!!!! I was chock-a-block full after this, and lucky for us, the train line was closed (-_-) so we had to walk most of the way home. Although this did allow my digestive system time to work its magic on all the yummy foods. And the most important thing was mum had a great time, and dad also tried new things.  So all in all Sunday was a success! Mum dealt with drunks at the footy, and dad drank tea with his pinkie up :) Next up: Happy 50th with a view and Fancy dinner Peace out for now.... Bxxxx

Parents: Portobello Road, Wholefoods

I've been living in London for almost 190 days, and boy oh boy has that time flown. It feels like just yesterday my parents told me they had planned to visit. Thankfully, being the organised person I am, I had the entire 10 days planned out ready for them to see everything I find interesting in London. And that basically means, I made reservations at all the restaurants I’d been dying to try, haha. Of course I think with my stomach first. There is nothing quite like seeing your parents in real life, after only seeing pixelated versions of their faces via Skype for a few months. So I was dying for work to finish so I could race to their hotel and meet with them. As I turned the corner of the street of their hotel I could see mum’s beaming face. There was loads of excitement in everyone’s faces. Okay so onto the fun things we did!!!
Mum was very eager to see Notting Hill and the Portobello Road Markets. Having seen Notting Hill the movie she was expecting something much different to what she actually experienced. For those who haven’t seen Notting Hill, let me set the scene. Portobello Road is this peaceful beautiful area of London, where the beautiful people hang out, and you can browse and stroll along the cute coble stoned streets, drinking coffee and window shopping in bookshops! Sounds absolutely amazingly perfect, right? Don’t worry I was fooled too!
	Welcome to Portobello Road, a 5-6 m wide road, filled with hundreds, no THOUSANDS of people with cameras, and prams, and kids, and stopping in the middle of the road for no reason. Stall holders selling the same old junk you see around Oxford Circus. The odd stall releasing the sweet sweet smell of delicious foods, however there were too many people crowded around to actually see what you are smelling.
So after what felt like a lifetime of dodging and weaving, losing each other, and stopping briefly to try and see a stall, we made it to the top of Portobello Road, and no oh no does it stop there. Notting Hill on a Saturday morning is AWFUL! So many people. Not sure if you’ve picked this up about me, but I’m not one for crowds and pushing my way through narrow streets. I like to stick to places that are off the beaten track. Finally we managed to get away from the crowds and find our way down a slightly quieter street for lunch.
Walking down Kensington Church Street with a growling tummy is no fun, until you spot the ever so magnificent Churchill Arms. This pub is definitely a sight. I’ve never seen so many flowers on a building in my life. They are everywhere; I mean how do they even water all of them.
	A few happy snaps later, and we are seated inside this pot plant, where the decor is just as flowery as it is outside. It feels like you are sitting in a greenhouse. There are flowers and pots and all type of living plants everywhere. And for such a style pub, you are served Thai food. Amazing Thai food at that! This was a nice place to rest our weary and worn out bodies, ready for the greatest place on earth........
A trip to London and South West in particular isn’t complete without a stop by Wholefoods, basically my happy place. Taking mum and dad to Wholefoods was risky as they aren’t foodies, quite like me. But oh man did they embrace it. Particularly my dad! He felt at home, exactly how I always do. It was great to have him enjoy this place as much as me. So after a thorough guided tour, we managed to escape with only one item each. A successful trip nonetheless.
Coming up NRL Grand Final and High Tea :D Peace out for now Bxxxx