The Wolseley (London, UNITED KINGDOM) ★★★☆☆

The Wolseley is probably one of the toughest reservations to get in London, especially around afternoon tea and dinner time. Luckily, we managed to get ourselves a table, although it's not the most ideal time of the day (5 pm).

This grand European café was once a motor vehicle showroom and bank hall until it was re-opened in 2003 as a café. Nowadays, the interior still maintains some of the original design from the 1920's such as the marble pillars, arches and staircases which were inspired by Venetian architectural philosophy.

The cuisine being served here was largely international but with some British influence. We had the daily special which was a traditional Borscht soup, a small crayfish salad and a hazelnut dessert.

It was indeed a shame that we were in a rush and thus didn't spend enough quality time here enjoying this beautiful piece of architecture.







Food Rating: 5/10

Price: £££

Address: 160 Piccadilly, London, UK
Closest Tube Station: Green Park
Tel: +44 20 7499-6996
Website: www.thewolseley.com

Tiffany Tuck Shop at Somerset House Ice Rink (London, UNITED KINGDOM) ★★★☆☆

I can't believe our honeymoon is almost drawing to a close and we are just days from going back home (and work!). With just a couple of days left, we decided to take it easy in London by walking around the British capital. Today, we happened to stumble upon Somerset House.



What really caught our eyes was the beautiful outdoor ice rink outside the building. I could only wish we have something like this in Hong Kong.



The rink was pretty packed as New Year was just around the corner.



One of my biggest regrets from my days in Vancouver was that I never really mastered my skating ability. I guess I'll just pretend I'm skating here!



Following our photo session, we took some time to chill out at their cafe.



Flashback a few minutes ago, we just visited the pop-up Tiffany Tuck Shop at the entrance area and got ourselves some cupcakes and drinks.



Why not take advantage of the space here and enjoy them altogether???



Time is never enough when I'm with you, that's what I told Jelloman. But this is going to be just one of the many trips we will share together. Better prepare ourselves for our long flight ahead~

Price: £££
Address: Strand, London, United Kingdom
Closest Tube Station: Temple
Tel: +44 20 7845-4600
Website: www.somersethouse.org.uk
Opening Hours: 9:00am - 10:00pm daily

The Square (London, UNITED KINGDOM) ★★★☆☆

Following our disappointing outing at Maze last year, we wanted to make quick amends on our trip to London this year. The two-starred Michelin, The Square, seemed to be exactly what the doctor ordered.



Ranked #69 in the world by the Restaurant Magazine, we came into the Square with fairly high expectation. We picked their tasting menu in order to do a better sampling of a wider range of dishes.



There were two amuse bouches on the night but both of them failed to impress.




Our fish course was also a major disappointment. The vegetable soup was too strong wasting a perfectly good turbot fish.



The meat courses, beef tenderloin and vension, were slightly better but still nowhere near the top of the class.




Our dessert was a soufflé. Well just average.



For the same price, I would rather go to Sketch or L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.


Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ££££

Address: 6-10 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, UK 
Closest Tube Station: Green Park
Website: www.squarerestaurant.com
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 69th (2008)

Radisson Edwardian Grafton (London, UNITED KINGDOM)

After spending a little over a week in Eastern Europe (Austria, Czech, Slovakia and Hungary), it was time for us to go back to where we first started the trip - London.

We took the subway from Heathrow all the way to Warren Street. Luckily, we didn't have to drag our luggage very long as our hotel was just a stone's throw from the station.

After a pretty nice stay at another Radisson Edwardian establishment last year, I was a little hooked to this chain.

They don't have the most spacious or luxurious rooms (not that we could afford it anyways) but I love their contemporary decor with the occasional Asian twist. This one called Radisson Edwardian Grafton, however didn't have the modern decor like the rest of the hotels in the chain. But I could live with it cuz of its super convenient location.

We managed to squeeze in a number of attractions before dinner including a brief visit to Regent Street. Looks like the entire city here is ready for the New Year celebration!

Rating: ❤❤❤
Price: £££
Address: 130 Tottehnam Court Road, Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom
Closest Tube Station: Warren Street
Tel: +44 20 7388-4131
Website: www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-edwardian-london-grafton

Café Kör (Budapest, HUNGARY) ★★★☆☆

Hidden behind these rustic walls is one of most lively cafes in all of Budapest. Café Kör started off as a small bar years ago but quickly established itself as one of the most popular restaurants in the heart of Budapest among the younger generation.

If you are into pure fine dining, Café Kör may just not be your cup of tea. But if you are into a cozy and bistro-like atmosphere with a lighter fare, it may be exactly what you are looking for.

Located just steps away from the famous Basilica of St Stephen, Café Kör is conveniently situated on Sas utca, home of some of the hippest cafes and coffee shops in town. Grilled goose liver with caramelized apple and steak tartar are must-try dishes that are not to be missed. Service here was good and prices were more than reasonable. Enough reasons to warrant a spot on the "The World's Best 100 Restaurants" list (No. 88) in 2007.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: €€

Address: 1051 Budapest, Sas Street 17, Hungary
Closest Metro Station: Arany János utca
Tel: +36 1311-0053
Website: www.cafekor.com

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Mercure Budapest Buda (Budapest, HUNGARY)

We arrived at Budapest from Slovakia rather late last night and other than the meal at a local McDonald's, we didn't have much to eat. But we did crash early in order to wake up right around dawn. Our accommodation in Budapest was a place called Mercure Budapest Buda in the "Castle Hill" area.

Honestly, I didn't remember much about my room other than the fact that the light was really dim. Another area of improvement came from the bed, or more specifically the mattress. It was so thin that it made my back hurt the next morning.

But of course, there was a reason why we were staying here in the first place. 

The hotel was just a 5-minute ride to Halászbástya, or Fisherman's Bastion, a 19th century fortified castle up on the hill.

The lookout towers, and there were a few of them, provided stunning panoramic view of Budapest and Danube River from different angles.

This was really well worth the early morning call.



Built in 1982, the entire Mercure Budapest establishment Buda badly needed a facelift and they finally got it in 2019.

Rating: ❤

Price: €€

Address: Budapest, Krisztina krt. 41-43, 1013 Hungary

Tel: +36 1 488-8100

DO & CO Restaurant (Vienna, AUSTRIA) ★★★☆☆

We took a devastating blow when we found out that Michelin starred Steirereck was closed throughout our entire stay in Vienna. But it was the Christmas holiday, we could not have hoped for such a miracle to happen. Scrambling to come up with a replacement, we eventually found an interesting alternative in the DO&CO Restaurant.

The DO&CO Restaurant is located in the boutique hotel DO&CO hotel Stephansplatz with a picture perfect view of the St. Stephan's Cathedral. We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before the opening hours and the host of the restaurant was very attentive in directing us to the DO&CO Lounge downstairs for a quick drink first.

Both the DO&CO lounge and restaurant boasted a wonderful view of the neighbouring St. Stephan's Cathedral and were equally impressive with their chic interior design. Although they might not have the same reputation and caliber as Steirereck, their offering of international cuisine including Japanese (sushi), Chinese (wok style), Middle East (kebab) and traditional Viennese dishes was something to look forward to.

We started ourselves off with two fusion dishes - pan seared goose liver with foie gras creme brulee and then the melon caviar and were pleasantly surprised with their fine quality. The Viennese-style dishes such as the boiled beef classic Austrian style were however a bit disappointing.

Despite the inconsistencies between different dishes (possibly from different kitchens), we did enjoy this lovely meal very much. There were some well deserved marks added to this experience due to the ambiance, outstanding service and incredible view of St. Stephan's Cathedral.

Dining room area

Entrance to the DO&CO Hotel.

Pan seared goose liver & goose liver creme brulee

Boiled beef classic Austrian style

Food Rating: 5/10
Price: €€€
Closest Metro Station: Stephansplatz
Address: Stephansplatz 12, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel: +43 1 5353969
Website: www.doco.com

Hotel Bellevue (Český Krumlov, CZECH)

We arrived at Hotel Bellevue very late at night so didn't get a very good look at it until the next morning after breakfast.



Formerly known as Hotel U Města Vídně situated in the heart of Český Krumlov, Hotel Bellevue will be our accommodation during our stay in the picturesque town. 

We gathered around the breakfast hall really early in the morning. It felt as if we had not slept at all last night when our alarm clock sounded.

Following breakfast, we went back to our respective room to pack our bags and put them out our room for collection.

That's when we finally got some time to check out Český Krumlov. It was Boxing Day and obviously, everyone in town slept in after the Christmas celebration late last night.

We didn't have the time to go up to the castle but did take a few photos by the river.

This has to be one of the highlights of the trip. Situated along the Vltava River, Český Krumlov offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside and well-preserved medieval architecture, making it a picturesque destination for tourists from all around the world.

Rating: ❤❤

Price: €€

Address: Latrán 77, 381 01 Český Krumlov 1, Czech Republic

Website: www.bellevuehotelkrumlov.cz

Tel: +420 380 720 177

Grand Restaurant Pupp (Karlovy Vary, CZECH) ★★★★☆

We followed the footsteps of James Bond, the famous British agent to this unidentified town in Montenegro and our mission, to locate the mysterious Casino Royale. Lo and behold, there it was !

This is really not Montenegro. It is in reality Karlovy Vary, a picturesque town and one of the largest spa town in the Czech Republic.

As it turns out, the beautiful neo-baroque building that was called "Hotel Splendide" in the 007 film was actually Grand Hotel Pupp, a 5-star hotel dating back to 1701.

We had the pleasure of sitting right here, exactly where Bond sat with Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. How special was that!!! It's Christmas day and dining in this palace-like vibe made it even more intriguing.

Our Christmas lunch started off with a small amuse bouche, a lightly seared prawn served with a cream sauce and dill. That was a simple dish but perhaps we were starving at that moment so we found it very tasty.

Next up was my deliciously creamy lobster bisque with a few shrimps on top.

The cream of wild porcini mushroom was also equal to the task. Very rich flavored and creamy texture.

My main course was squid-ink risotto with prawns (again?) and squid rings. It came with a creamy white sauce that looked strikingly similar to the one from the amuse bouche. Not the best presented dish in the world but nevertheless got the job done (We were fairly hungry, remember?).

Jelloman had the crispy duck from the old Czech recipes. The sauce was a bit too watery but the duck and the potato cakes were both fine.

 

Service has been excellent the moment we walked through the doors. We felt like royalties from start to finish and the fact that we were dining inside such a prestigious dining room on Christmas day made it extra special. 

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: €€€

Address: Grand Hotel Pupp, Mírové Náměstí 316/2, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Tel: +420 353 109 111
Website: www.pupp.cz