Author: Bao Bao Qiu

HiGuys 盖市茶饮 (Bubble Tea) – London, Walworth Road

On By Bao Bao QiuIn drinksLeave a comment

Ah hah! There’s a new bubble tea shop on the Walworth Road!

With the increasing decline of the main shops and businesses on Walworth Road (for example Barclays Bank – still can’t believe that Barclays are closing this branch thinking that not many people use this branch! There’s so many people in the community who still rely on face-to-face services, I’m sure their stats are all wrong… then there’s a temporary closure of the Post Office! So angry!).

Well, if you’re fired up from all this chaos of high street closures, and the increasing strikes in the UK, I think a bubble tea might cool you down. 😅

HiGuys 盖市茶饮 (Mando: Gai Shi Cha Yin; Canto: goi si cha yam … literal meaning: lid/to build – city/market – tea – drink) is a bubble tea brand from Taiwan. From research on the Internet it looks like they started up in 2018 in Taiwan, and have expanded throughout the world. There’s 3 branches already in the UK (Derby, Nottingham… and Walworth Road), but not sure if this is a very popular brand… best thing to do is just try it out!

The menu on the screen is a bit small to read, but there are menus at the counter for you to decide on your drink, and there’s a menu at the window in case you’re too shy to go in.

And whilst you’re waiting, you can watch the video about this bubble tea shop… with English and Chinese subtitles.

I wasn’t given a bag, so I carried these home. It felt a little warm at the bottom as they had heated up the brown sugar tapioca bubbles, which started to cool down with the ice.

Here I ordered the “Night Elves” and the “Dream Chaser”. Guess which one is which.

If you haven’t guessed yet, well here’s the Night Elves which is basically the brown sugar tapioca pearls in milk. I forgot to shake it before I started to drink it. This had 75% sugar and less ice… Whoops. Too sweet! But so good! I had a long morning, and this one instantly cooled me down.

And this one is obviously the Dream Chaser. Maybe it’s because of the light colours at the top that make it all dreamy… not sure! They ran out of the blue tapioca pearls, so I had the brown sugar ones instead. Not a problem! This one reminded me of drinking an iced slushie. Like crunched up ice with a mix of different flavours. I didn’t check out the ingredients properly, but it looks like it’s got cranberries, coconut jelly and the white part is probably yogurt… not sure. This was amazing! So many sweet flavours in little cup…

I can’t wait to try more in the future!

Total came to £9.45. Not a bad price if you’re not heading into China Town for this stuff.

Address: 231 Walworth Rd, London SE17 1RL

Telephone: 07447978989

Facebook Menu: https://www.facebook.com/100057608882805/menu/

Just Eat Menu: https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-hi-guys-walworth/menu

Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/store/higuys/okiZjOejVwKYntHBWEuvAA?diningMode=DELIVERY

p.s. It was my birthday a few days ago… here’s a mini birthday cake bought in Kowloon Bakery in China Town.

Pot and Rice – London, Elephant and Castle / Walworth Road

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Have you tried Chinese claypot rice? It’s a very popular dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Hong Kong and China.

I’ve been watching lots of Chinese YouTube videos of food vloggers in Guangdong, China. There’s ones on claypot rice… and my parents said there aren’t any places in London that make this… and I said there is, it’s near Elephant and Castle, I just haven’t tried it yet!

So on Deliveroo, I ordered to claypot rice to pick up from the restaurant. (These days since the covid restrictions have been lifted, I try to go out and walk more to the places rather than sit and wait at home… A lot of people are doing the same thing (I hope) and going out to make up for the lost years of not exercising 😆).

So, Pot and Rice not only makes claypot rice, but also sell udon noodles, cheung fun and other Chinese (Cantonese) favourites. They’re expensive, so I would rather buy the frozen stuff from the Chinese / Asian supermarkets, and steam or make my own version of whatever.

My order was already waiting for me when I got there, and I was five minutes early too!

When I got home, the food was still hot, and they were impressively wrapped at the top like a flower. The sauces were neatly packed, wrapped with clingfilm and cellotaped to one of the claypot dishes.

This is the chicken and mushroom claypot… All I could say was woooow when I opened it. The smell of the sauce already in this was aromatic, you could see a lot of the ingredients on top which is typical of a claypot rice dish.

You wouldn’t think there was not a lot of rice in this, but when you scoop it out, you can see how deep or the depth at where the rice is.

This was a very flavourful dish even without the sweet soy sauce, but I still recommend adding the soy sauce after the first bite!

The beef and mushroom was also a delight to see at first opening the cover. It looks very plentiful at the top. It didn’t smell much of anything compared to the chicken and mushroom.

And again the rice was very deep. So if you’re a hungry person, just eat one claypot. If there are two of you, one is also enough… but order another one just in case!

The beef and mushroom one is quite bland, so I do recommend adding that sweet soy sauce on top just to make it more flavourful.

Unfortunately for both takeaway dishes, the rice was slightly on the raw side, not totally raw… I think they were trying to get the bottom to be a bit crispy and burnt, which is what a claypot rice is supposed to be, however there was probably not enough water to cook the rice properly… Oh well. Maybe eating in would have been a better option?

Anyway, later on the evening, MummyGeek steamed the leftovers, and the rice was edible! 😅

Total came to £32.80 without any delivery charge as I walked to collect it.

My geeky rating: 4.5/5 – I really liked the flavours, but it was unfortunate about the rice (the takeaway version).

Website: https://www.potandrice.co.uk/

Address: 3 Sayer St, London SE17 1FY

Telephone: 020 8063 5173

Momotu Poke and Bento – London, Camberwell

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Recently, I’ve had not many reasons to make a blog post, but finally, there’s a new eaterie in Camberwell, London. A Japanese style takeaway (and eat in) that sells poke and Japanese style curry.

I’ve been eyeing this place for a while and waiting for it to open. Sometimes after work I forgot it was even there, so one day I decided not to make lunch the night before and go to this place Momotu.

As I entered there’s a self-service like till area with the menu on the wall, where you use a touchscreen to choose what you want to eat, and you can pay either at the counter or at the self-service area. It’s the first time I’ve encountered one of these in a small restaurant in London. Most will take your order at the counter, or well-known fast food places will have those large touchscreens.

There’s a seating area right in front of the window so you can stare at people who pass by…

I chose a large poke with white rice and various toppings, here’s the counter area which is neatly equipped.

So back in the office, I closed my office door to not be disturbed in this moment of eating time… My colleagues are quite noisy and nosey during lunch time, and sometimes I can’t rid of them unless I say I’m busy and can’t talk to them… The many times I get disturbed in the office is ridiculous!

I chose tuna and salmon as the main fish which tasted fresh. I asked for edameme beans, carrots, kale, seaweed, tofu and fish roe with a slightly spicy sauce. The mixture of ingredients I chose was incredibly amazing…

By the time I finished this I was practically full, next time I will try it with the brown rice with different toppings…

I would be happy to buy this again than eat the M&S versions, as the refrigerated versions can taste a bit stale (and sometimes not enough to fill one’s stomach).

Total came to £12.90 with a can of diet coke (I think there was a discount at the time I bought this).

My geeky rating: 4.5/5 … and will try and remember to test out their curry next time!

Address: 69 Denmark Hill, London SE5 8RS

Telephone: 020 7967 1435

Deliveroo menu (it says Peckham, but it’s actually Camberwell!):

https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/london/peckham/momotu?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=google_maps_link

December Frost and Snow 2022

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Last month was rather cold and frosty, and apparently we’re expecting more cold nights but I haven’t felt them yet. I’m feeling rather warm these days. We’re expecting more snow this month, and I actually can’t wait!

London and most of the UK had snow from the start of the second week of December. My colleagues and I were texting each other in the night trying to work out how to get into work the next day. Well, we knew the trains would be cancelled or delayed, and the buses would be running but slowly on the roads. It was cold! And for the first time I saw London’s temperature going down to -6 degrees Celcius. That’s bloody cold for London!

The cold nights and the snowy days meant it was a good time to take pictures! I love photography. 🥰

We saw some frosty cobwebs, and these were amazing!

A fox at night looking for food in the snow… it ran off as there was nothing to eat.

In the morning, the trees were filled with snow! Everyone was taking pictures.

I was on the bus to my work destination, and passed the Salvation Army base in Camberwell. The statue of William Booth was bombed with snow. 🤭🤭🤭

And the road heading to East Dulwich was just beautiful with the snow!

Nearer to home, this was how much snow that piled up on a wall… and no one touched it!

Loved how a bird just left it’s footprints in the snow. 🐾🐾🐾

Waiting for the January snow to come into London…

The 2022 Christmas Get-togethers!

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

December 2022 was a time of festivities and a display of gratitude (for most).

This time I did not back down on the parties and went socialising with my colleagues and friends. One colleague from my team wanted to do Secret Santa and have an early get together before the many other parties and get togethers started. So she decided on where we were going and there was a random (sort of) name given.

One late lunch (and practically dinner) we all went to Cote Brassiere in Hays Galleria which is situated opposite London Bridge Station. I went in with another colleague and waited for the others to arrive… There was only 5 of us, but we sat there for over 3 hours during the lunch rush hour, do our secret santas AND have an alcoholic drink. 😁

Most of us had the Christmas meal, and there was just one of us who had to have a burger and calamari. Hahahah!! Very filling meal… I actually slept for 2 hours when I got home. Was so sleepy from the steak and chocolate pudding. 😆

It was a pricey lunch! But I shall not complain, as I’ve had expensive meals in my time.

I added this book to my wishlist for the secret santa, and one of my colleagues got it for me! Woohoo! I read Bob Mortimer’s The Satsuma Complex in 3 days the following week. It’s been a long time since I sat down with a hardback book, and read during the evenings

There’s a section on page 18, last paragraph… and my manager and another colleague said almost exactly the same thing about this book. I actually enjoyed as it’s set in South East London. When I pass Camberwell on the bus in the mornings, I look at the gambling arcade, and think is there really a detective agency up there? I very much doubt it. Hah!

Before the above meal, I went on a Toot bus tour with Miss Pinky and one of her uni friends to celebrate Miss Pinky’s birthday. One thing’s for sure, I don’t think we’ll be ever doing the roofless bus tour ever again together… and I will not take them together to eat Chinese food in China Town ever again… the amount selfishness was going up, and my tolerance was very high that day. 🤪

Mrs Hen invited me to her department’s work party (I worked with them before but left them many years ago). We went to Latin House in Camberwell. It was a bit cramped for the amount of people who were invited. Thankfully I had something to eat beforehand because there wasn’t enough food for everyone to enjoy… I got quite tipsy afterwards, and not sure if Mrs Hen was enjoying herself though, so I said to her that we should meet up before Christmas, and just enjoy a meal together. 🤭

And the last work party was a bit too formal (as one colleague said) at Camberwell Arms… but after I left, I think they all went a bit crazy… I’m thankful I wasn’t there to see another drunk team. 🤣🤣🤣 It was a very expensive dinner which I didn’t have to spend a penny.

What disappointed many other colleagues was that they weren’t even invited. Not even the managers who does this team’s dirty work… I felt a bit lonely being the only managerial person in the room, so I was texting another colleague telling her to gatecrash (obviously she didn’t gatecrash), and then I was unshamelessly tweeting my disappointments… 😅

The food was so-so. Those roast potatoes were really salty! Cut down on the salt peeps. And the dessert was meh.

I’ve had an enjoyable December … I had one more get-together for January 2023 but unfortunately I got hit with Covid again. My family caught it and passed it on to each-other. Thankfully, I have the mildest symptoms ever compared to the first time I had it.

Here’s wishing and hoping 2023’s Christmas get-togethers will be a much better one!

The Hallyu Wave Exhibition @ The V&A Museum

On By Bao Bao QiuIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Alright, I admit that I’ve been lazy to blog last year! I’ve lost interest in the Christmas adverts and so I won’t blog anymore on those ads, but hopefully I will regain my momentum in this new year. (I’ve been reading a lot as well… 6 books in December, and I’ve even joined Goodreads to review the books and keep an eye out of what I’ve been reading. It’s been a good challenge to myself after many years of not reading intensly as I used to. So on the sidebar of this blog shows the books I’ve read so far).

Last year I went to the The Korean Wave exhibition in London!

I haven’t been to an exhibition for a few years, so I thought why not break the ice, and go back into my once upon a time very geeky adventure mode. I’m still studying the Korean language, and my classmates and teacher said we should go and have a look… so I went. ^_^

It took longer than expected to reach the V&A via bus, was there something going on or did I just go in the wrong direction? I went in the wrong direction! I also bumped into a French tourist couple who wanted to go to Camden Town from Baker Street… that’s far, so in my very limited French, I said to take the Bus number 27… And then off I went via Tube to South Kensington! I arrived maybe 30 minutes late, but I was thankfully allowed in. Woohoo.

The best parts of the exhibition were seeing the costumes from Squid Game, a replica of the toilet from the film Parasite… and all the amazing costumes and dresses worn by Korean celebrities.

It was a short exhibition, but if you reviewed every single exhibit, for example, the paintings, the history of Korea, screens, explanations of how the Korean Wave came into effect over the many years etc., etc you’ll be admired by how much one small country has won so many fans across the world.

After the exhibition, it was time to go around, take in the after artworks and monuments at the V&A, and then do a little Korean Wave shopping. I bought a keyring (now on my office door key), a badge, a wallet and a book called The Pachinko Parlour, which I haven’t read yet… It’s on my reading list for this year.

As I was leaving the V&A, I had a craving for Kimbap from Oseyo. I arrived to the one in Charing Cross Road, and there was none, then I went to the one in Tottenham Court Road and there was none… so I had a Kimchi Honest Burger, with coleslaw and a weird tasting diet coke. ㅋㅋㅋㅎㅎㅎ🤭🤭🤭

Ticket Price: £20 (adult price)

https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/hallyu-the-korean-wave

Address: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! (I copied that from Google Translate 🙃)

The Elizabeth Line

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hey Ho, it’s outrageous that I’m only posting about the Elizabeth Line right now, but I didn’t have a reason to get onto it until a few months ago when one of Miss Pinky’s nephew had a birthday party (following Baby B’s birthday party!).

Have you been on this line yet? If not, go now! It’s clean and not many people are using it at the moment. Is it because it’s pricier than the rest of the London Underground, and taken an extra few years to build?

The Elizabeth Line has that Hong Kong and China metro feel. Smooth running and modern style transport.

I hope in the future there will be more lines like this. Not sure if the line is running from end-to-end, at the time we went people had to stop off one stop and get off to get another train.

John Lewis Christmas Advert 2022 – The Beginner

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

It’s the John Lewis moment!

(I actually viewed a leaked video on YouTube in September, and my mouth just opened at how it picked up the harsh reality of the UK’s future. Was this video for real?

And thankfully no, the “leaked” video was not the Christmas ad!…)

Hmmm… Every year, John Lewis changes their style to fit whatever they’re campaigning for… In this one, I felt a little sympathy but a bit annoyed (?). I put a question mark there because I don’t know how I feel at the moment..

Well, it’s not a fun Christmas advert. It’s cut down to 1 minute and 30 seconds compared their very long ads in the past. The music is depressing as it has been in their previous Christmas ads… if they were trying to make this ultimately sad (as in make you cry), then it hasn’t ticked off many items on the sad list. Unfortunately the Foster Dad who was learning to skateboard did not break my heart at the end (shouldn’t that be the case when you watch a sad ad?) …

Follow up story needed with the Foster child. Did she get to skate with the Foster Dad at Christmas… that’s probably what I wanted to see at the end of this advert.

Better time next year John Lewis??

p.s. I’ve just realised the guy sang Blink 182’s song! Not a fan of the slow version!

Supermarket Christmas Adverts 2022

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Ho ho ho, it’s time for more Christmas ads!!

Sainsbury’s – Once Upon a Pud

My arms were crossed when I starting watching this. Don’t know why… was probably expecting the worst. Is this really Sainsbury’s Christmas advert? Christmas pudding?

Set in the probably 16th-17th Century (that’s 1500’s to 1600’s), a countess dressed like Queen Elizabeth I who seems to dislike Christmas pudding and wants a new dessert. The pastry chef is then set a task to create a new dessert. Does he succeed?

Not the greatest from Sainsbury’s. I think they could’ve glide a camera over the food at the end before the Sainsbury’s label came up.

Morrisons Farmer Christmas Advert 2022

OMG! Did Morrisons just listen to my thoughts? Seriously, I didn’t watch this before the Sainsbury’s one! Hah, at the end the camera just glides through the food on the table whilst Mr Farmer is talking, and before the Morrisons logo comes up.

Gammon seems to be a popular dish so far. I still have this gut feeling that the supermarkets liaise with each other to promote certain foods during Christmas.

Morrisons always comes up with good adverts … it’s like a docu-advert in 1 minute!

M&S – Fairy is back and is joined by her new sidekick Duckie 2022

Ok, skip all the talking and just look at the food! I love M&S when they do the food close-ups, it’s my favourite part of their adverts.

So much babbling in this advert 🙄 but I guess the food and drink makes up for the Fairy and sidekick Duckie. Maybe I should pop down to the local M&S and get one of those bottles of gin to drown the noise!

LIDL – The Story of Lidl Bear

Lidl is always up-to-date with the times of our modern lives… TikTok, fame, parties, early autobiographies, advertising with food… the lot.

Forget fame and go back home to celebrate Christmas with the people who love you!

I did giggle at the end of this advert, as it reminded me to not forget the people who were around you from the beginning.

Tesco – The Christmas Party #StandForJoy

Every year Tesco become more political with their Christmas adverts!!

They’ve listened to the Government, they’ve listened to the Public and now it’s time for them to act to help the Public with our cost of living and bring some sort of joy to Christmas… Will Tesco deliver their Christmas spirit with discounted food prices in store? We’ll see…

Did they also had to mention about Bin Day at the end of the ad? What the heck was that all about?! 🤷‍♀️

More adverts coming soon! I can’t wait to see the ALDI ads… they’ve released a 50 second clip, but it looks like there’s more to come!

Barbour Christmas TV Advert 2022

On By Bao Bao QiuIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Annnnd the Christmas TV ads have started!

Here we’re going to start off with Barbour, the men’s clothing store. I guess it’s hard to shop for men these days, so they might as well start off with the Christmas advertising. 😁

Gone are the days of The Snowman, and now we have Paddington Bear for the second year running re-introducing the world of Barbour jackets.

Paddington Bear wants to cheer up a grumpy neighbour, Mr Curry (he was missed out the Bear’s list in last year’s ad), with marmalade but is diverted to the Barbour shop of old unique jackets… Will this cheer up his grumpy neighbour? Watch and find out.

An old style advert transporting you back to the old days of the one door London buses, when people were probably nice to their neighbours and Paddington Bear who appears to be the nation’s favourite bear at the moment.

Very lighthearted. Simple and not over the top. I’ve watched it three times already. 😅