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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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

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: 5.5/10

Price: €€€

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

Staroměstská Restaurace (Prague, CZECH) ★★☆☆☆

As the temperature slowly dipped under freezing point, we finally decided we could no longer stay outdoor. It's time to hop into Staroměstská Restaurace at the Old Town Square to catch our breath.

Located in the heart of Prague's historical centre, Staroměstská Restaurace is a restaurant specializing in classic Czech cuisine and Pilsner beer. 



From what we've heard, the premise used to be a popular inn from the medieval times.



There will be no beer for us this afternoon. Just an order of pancake with fresh fruit, whipped cream and vanilla ice-cream to stay warm.



Luckily, we managed to snap a few shots of the famous astronomical clock before it got dark.



Also managed to see the Charles' Bridge. Surprisingly it's not particularly crowded despite it's Christmas' Eve.








Food Rating: 3.5/10

Price: €€

Address: Staroměstské náměstí 19, Prague 1 110 00, Czech Republic
Closest Metro Station: Staroměstská
Tel: +420 224 213 015
Website: www.staromestskarestaurace.cz

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Čínská Restaurace Taiwan 台灣飯店 (Prague, CZECH) ★★☆☆☆

After our month-long research, Jelloman and I finally decided on the destination of our honeymoon trip. It's going to be a 9-day Eastern Europe tour covering four different countries (Czech, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary). Starting off the trip, we first transited through London before finally arriving in Prague just before Christmas Eve. It's our first time in the Eastern part of Europe so we were both very excited about it (despite the lack of sleep). But first thing first, it was time for a quick bite.

Like most tours we joined recently, our first group meal was Chinese food at a run-down place called Čínská Restaurace Taiwan (台灣飯店).

We were so hungry after the long stopover in London so despite the fact that it was a very simple, home-style lunch with mostly vegetarian dishes, we didn't really care. At the end of the meal. we were both stuffed.

Vinohradský Pavilon on Budečská, an iconic marketplace (or shopping mall depending how you look at it) was just around the corner so after the meal, we went over for a look. Everyone seemed to like the medieval architecture a lot. Of course, I didn't waste anytime taking a few photos with it in the background.







Price: €€

Address: Vinohradská 2165, 120 00 Praha 2-Vinohrady, Czech Republic

Closest Metro Station: Náměstí Míru

Tel: +420 224 247 579

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 11:00pm daily