Team Bricki Just Touched Down In London Town- September 2021 DAY FIVE

[princessnicki]

No hangover for Team Bricki as we were up and out of the door again for 9.30am! We took an Uber rather than the tube today over to the Tate Modern as it was quite warm and it was only showing as £8 on the app.

We have zero idea about art but we were fascinated by what was classed as art and probably worth a fortune. These coloured blocks for example

I apologise if i sound completely ignorant about art but it was genuinely really interesting to see all the obscure unique pieces that probably had a deeper meaning.

We saw some famous pieces such as these works by Picasso

We found the exhibit about the oppression of the Gay Pride movement really moving- it was a split screen showing partly real life news coverage of the abuse the Gay Pride movement faced and partly four lone people expressing the opression via dance

There was an exhibit on racism expressed through photographs, which struck a chord with Brett as it was all focussed on South Africa. He grew up during the Apartheid and it only ended when he was in High School. It never really clicked with him as a young child that he wasnt allowed to school with black children but looking back it was such a sad time in history that wasnt actually that long ago in hindsight.

The way out was a little bit much for Brett. We took the stairs from the top floor to the bottom where there is a speaker on each floor playing a recording- it is called Raw Materials by Nauman, it is what i imagine they use for torture! One example was "It was a dark and stormy night. Three men were sitting around a campfire, One of the men said, 'Tell us a story Jack.' And Jack said, 'It was a dark and stormy night. Three men were sitting around a campfire. One of the men said, 'Tell us a story, Jack'... " and it played that on a loop. Another just said "Think" over and over again getting louder and louder.
I do think some exhibits should come with a warning for those with sensory issues. But Brett took it in good humour even if it did give him a bit of a headache by the time we got to the exit!

I have to say Tate was the one cultural place we booked that i was least looking forward to but we both agreed that it was the best! So interesting, so peaceful and we enjoyed learning about art

It was lunchtime now so we headed over the bridge on the short walk towards Borough Market. This was one place we were really looking forward to and were hoping to pick up a couple of cooking ingredients as well as lunch. We visited on a Monday so there was quite a lot of the stalls closed but we still found plenty of great places.

We started with a Salted Caramel Icecream Milkshake from Bath Dairy. This was delicious, very rich and creamy, the icecream was homemade

We shared a Mixed Grill Kebab from the Iraqi stall Kubba. This was packed with chargrilled Lamb Skewers and Chicken Tikka on a soft flatbread topped with Chilli sauce and Garlic Mayo. We loved this, it was a proper messy meal as there was so much sauce, the bread was soft and fluffy and the meat was so tender and juicy

We picked up a couple of Donuts from Bread Ahead- Vanilla Custard and Praline. Wow these were amazing, like proper seaside donuts made from fresh crispy batter. There was so much filling inside too, both were delicious!

We stopped at Alpine Deli to pick up some of their dried meats- we got a pack of sausage, Venison, Spiced and Wild Boar, as well as a pack of Bretts favourite South African treat Biltong

I love Truffle so we had to pick up something from Tartufaia. We got a Pate made from Cream Cheese, White Truffle and Black Truffle. Oh my gosh this was so good- we ate the whole thing in one go back home on some fancy Focaccia bread. It has such a strong rich flavour.

We found Spice Mountain- a stall selling herbs, spices, chillis, salt and other cooking ingredients. We could have spent a fortune here but settled on Burmese Curry Powder, Truffle Salt, Peri Peri Chillies and Ras El Hanout

We were feeling a little peckish again and decided to get the tube over to Camden to sample some food from that market. We didnt get many pictures over here as there wasnt a good vibe, Bretts very streetwise from where he grew up and could spot the pickpockets a mile off on the phones to each other looking for targets. We headed straight over to the food section and picked up a Sweet Chilli Chicken Chow Mein from Wok Boy to share. This was so good and hit the spot- there was a lot of crispy chicken on the top and a pile of soy noodles and brocolli underneath.

We wanted to get a boat down the locks but we wouldnt have had time before our next booking. Brett was feeling thirsty so we went to the Camden Lock Brewery for a brief pit stop. We had a Ginger Mojito (Sailor Jerrys, Fresh Ginger, Mint, Apple, Lime, Absinthe, Pernod, Ginger Beer)

And a Long Island Iced Tea (Smirnoff, Gordans, Havana, Jose Cuervo, Triple Sec, Lemon, Coke)

We had a quick look around the indoor market before heading back to the tube to Tottenham Court Road. We walked up Oxford Street and called into River Island to try and find some jeans for Brett. We were greeted by the best sales assistant ever Josh- he was so friendly and helpful and did his best to try ad find Brett a pair of jeans. We always struggle as Brett is like me with his short legs and we can never get him a 28 leg! Josh advised we keep checking online as they do sometimes get them in stock. Josh's Manager came over to see how he was doing and say hello- she was so friendly! When Josh was out of earshot we said how amazing he was at his job and she said she would give him a shout out and a reward. I think Josh was on the Autistic spectrum and it was lovely how his Manager looked out for him. 10/10 for River Island

We headed up to Hamleys to have a look around as i used to love this place as a kid.

Brett had a play with the Scalextric track

And we saw some cool Lego

The next stop on our list was Carnaby Street and we had a look in the fabulous shops down there.

We looked in Great Frog as we love the jewellery, it is all hand crafted with a 6 week delivery time. I really wanted to buy the skull ring with Mickey ears but wasnt sure if it was too big for my little fingers.

We had a look in Mallet which gave me a great idea for the last day of our trip

We looked in Rag and Bone which is a cool clothing store that we dont have up North. Brett was straight into smelling the fragrances and fell in love with Encens. He said if he could still smell it in the morning he would come back and get it as it is an aftershave nobody up North would have.

It was time for our pre-dinner cocktail reservation now at Swift in Soho. I had booked a table downstairs and the cocktail menu looked amazing. They are famous for their Irish Coffee so Brett had to start with that (Jamesons, Demerara Coffee, Hand Whipped Cream, Fresh Nutmeg). It was served at the perfect temperature with a lovely sweet taste- i dont like coffee and even i enjoyed a taste of this!

Evita (Belvedere Vodka, Almond, Mandorla, Orange Flower, Prosecco)
This was so nice and refreshing, very easy to drink and was in two layers so it was like two different drinks.

Praline Flip (Spiced Rum, Guiness, Hazelnut Orgeat, Egg)
Brett wasnt expecting to like this as he hates Guiness but was intrigued by it and he was so wrong, he absolutely loved it. It was very smooth and creamy with only a very subtle hint of Guiness flavours

North Star (Sparkling Sake, Noilly Dry, Canteloupe, Lime Sherbet, Creme de Menthe)
This was delicious, so refreshing with a subtle after taste of mint

Old Compton (Cognac, Jamaican Rum, Strawberry, Rhubarb Amaro, Lemon)
A big boys drink, this lasted Brett two rounds!

Jaguar (Mezcal, Lillet Rose, Watermelon, Luxardo Bitter, Fino, Lime)
I am loving Mezcal at the minute and this was no exception, smokey and fruity flavours mixed together are such a good combo!

Red Studio (Absolut Vodka, Strawberry, Hazelnut, English Tea, Lemon, Cream, Prosecco)
I was worried this would be creamy but it wasnt at all, it just had the flavour of strawberries and cream, very clever drink

On the next table were two lovely American girls who were over for a split stay between London and Paris. They had zero idea that we werent allowed to travel to the States and they said that made them super sad for us! One of the girls was from Tampa and she was impressed that we knew about Desantis and the Buckaneers. We asked them if they were going to Disneyland in Paris and they said no because they could go anytime in Florida. Brett pretended to give a sad face and she laughed and said they take it for granted how easy it is to visit Disney. We chatted about Boston and they agreed that it is the best city in the world. We asked what they loved so much about England and they said the buildings, the history and the people. As they were leaving they wished us an enjoyable trip and they were sorry the Buckaneers took Brady and Gronk from our team, the Pats!

We absolutely loved this bar, very chilled out and a fantastic cocktail menu. The focus down London in the bars we visited was very much on flavours rather than how much alcohol they could throw in and we loved that as it was more about the experience.

It was soon time for our dinner reservation and one i knew Brett would love- Blacklock in Soho. This was basically meat heaven and i already knew which dish we were going to get! "All In" which was a trio of appetisers, followed by a pile of pork chops, lamb chops, steak over flatbread, served with two sides and a sauce.

The appetisers were little canapes- Chicken and Horseradish, Egg and Anchovy, Cheese and Pickle- so tasty!

The meat feast with a pot of Gravy

Served with a side of Beef Dripping Chips and Roasted Sweet Potato

This was such a good meal- the quality of the meat was outstanding and it was served in its own cooking juices so they ran down to soak the flatbread underneath, some of the bread had a hint of mint from the lamb and some had a hint of the beef fat. The gravy had a delicious flavour, although it was more of a Jus than gravy, as a Northerner we know that gravy is supposed to be thick haha

The cocktails here were amazing- there was a selection that were a fiver! All day everyday what a bargain!

English Riviera (Gin, Elderflower and Cider Spritz)

Delaplane Coffee (Rum, Cold Brew, Maraschino Cherry)

The service here was fabulous too even though the restaurant was consistently packed as Monday nights are where they sell all their sharing steaks for Butchers prices. I think it was £5 per 100G so the Porterhouse was £35! Even at full price it was only £56. Will definitely come back here, such a great meal

As Soho is only 20 minutes walk from our hotel we decided to walk our meat feast off before falling asleep watching Seven on Sky Movies. Another amazing day

[P&S]

Another fab packed day How do you two manage to keep so slim the food looks amazing again

[princessnicki]

Originally Posted by P&S

Another fab packed day How do you two manage to keep so slim the food looks amazing again

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Thank you haha believe it or not we are very strict during the week with food- small portions and its mainly veg, we drink a lot of water (when we arent out), our walk to work is just under 2 miles each way, and Brett does the Gym once or twice a day. Luckily we did so much walking in London too

[Sparksy72]

Your Borough Markets treats all look fantastic, I love to have a mooch and a snack around there (but we haven’t been in the past 18 months!). Blacklock is not one I have heard of, their cocktails sound delicious and those dripping fries, just wow! I imagine that a nice stroll back to the hotel was a great finish to the evening.

[princessnicki]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Your Borough Markets treats all look fantastic, I love to have a mooch and a snack around there (but we haven’t been in the past 18 months!). Blacklock is not one I have heard of, their cocktails sound delicious and those dripping fries, just wow! I imagine that a nice stroll back to the hotel was a great finish to the evening.

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we loved Borough Market, probably more than Camden, could have eaten there all day

[WileyCoyote]

Another fantastic day - Borough is so good isn’t it.
I must show Andy the Blacklock pics - looks his kind of place.

Ready interesting seeing/hearing about the Tate and Carnaby Street looked fun.

[princessnicki]

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Another fantastic day - Borough is so good isn’t it.
I must show Andy the Blacklock pics - looks his kind of place.

Ready interesting seeing/hearing about the Tate and Carnaby Street looked fun.

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Blacklock is great, definitely check it out and so reasonably priced for London

We loved Borough, will definitely go when everything is open next time

Tate was amazing, something very different for us but we loved it, very interesting place

[WIGGYSMUM]

Borough Market is definitely on my list to visit , I’ve seen a few vlogs and it looks great !

I totally agree that Boston is the best city ever ! We visited in 2018 and I so want to return, hopefully next year 🙏🏻

[princessnicki]

Originally Posted by WIGGYSMUM

Borough Market is definitely on my list to visit , I’ve seen a few vlogs and it looks great !

I totally agree that Boston is the best city ever ! We visited in 2018 and I so want to return, hopefully next year 🙏🏻

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Its a great market, i wish we had tried more

Boston is my absolute favourite, im gutted we missed it this year, Brett has never been i know he will love it, its been pushed back to 2023 with NYC and Nashville

[WIGGYSMUM]

Originally Posted by princessnicki

Its a great market, i wish we had tried more

Boston is my absolute favourite, im gutted we missed it this year, Brett has never been i know he will love it, its been pushed back to 2023 with NYC and Nashville

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After many visits to NYC, our last being December 2019 we decided to leave it alone for a while, although we had planned on having Breakfast at Tiffany’s this month to choir daughters 21st , sadly not meant to be .
Next Boston trip we will definitely incorporate a bit of a road trip , so many lighthouses to see