The first thing you think about when someone mentions the capital of the United States of America is either the White House, the President or a US memorial. If not, then you've probably already been exposed to the more relaxed side of the city. Just 7 miles south of the city lies Alexandria, which is also referred to as Old Town. This town technically is a part of Virginia and it is full of character; almost new European, with boutiques, bistros and antique shops. Think Covent Garden, London without the roof. What's most amazing about this place are the scenic views of the Potomac river.   

We were lucky to have such good weather during our stay there, that too in February! It was unusually warm so, we made the most of the trip by spending the evenings outdoors. 

The capital centre seemed very bureaucratic indeed. We were surrounded by what felt like a never-ending series of government buildings. Although for museum fanatics, this place is a haven of American history and even some Renaissance art. One of our favourites was the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Unlike many quiet museums, this one immediately grabbed our attention as soon as we walked in through the help of some very good jazz music.

The exterior of the National Museum of African American History & Culture with Washington Monument near the site.

D.C. is also filled with rental bikes to make your sightseeing plans easier.

Another must visit place, a favourite of mine, is the area surrounding Georgetown University. The town reminds me a little bit of Oxford and a little bit of Shoreditch. The Waterfront Park is very beautiful with a relaxing vibe but unfortunately, we forgot our dslr camera for the day so couldn't take as many photographs from our phones. These next pictures around Lincoln Memorial were taken using our mobile phone cameras.

Views from and in Lincoln Memorial, where Captain America was seen running around.

Lastly, on food, we ate a lot. A lot lot. I remember drinking almost every night followed by eating out as well as in, all thanks to our super hosts, my ohana in D.C. There is also a Korea Town nearby so we had an absolutely amazing Korean BBQ meal along with my sister's fabulous feasts. Her cheese omelettes are delish~ I also got to try American Chinese takeout that come in pagoda boxes. I haven't come across one in the UK yet so that was another treat. Again, we were very lucky with the weather, it got to almost 27 degree Celsius which was bizarre following how cold it was is New York, where my next post will be about! Fin. 👋

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by Sarah

Camden food market

     Last year whilst interning in Kentish Town, I discovered this nestle of Camden Food Market around the canal banks, hidden from the main street. To be honest, it is bit embarrassing about how I found this place only recently, even though I've frequented Camden Market many many times.

      I suppose people, or rather me, only visited stable market and considered that as the hub of Camden. After the discovery of this food paradise, the inner epicure of mine forced me to indulge on these delightful foods. Just like Brick Lane, another food haven of London, it's a perfect place to satisfy your palate with diverse cuisines.  

Polish Cuisine

Polish frankfurters with potato dumplings, salad and bread. I do love frankfurters and these polish ones are to be commended. I have tasted Polish food before as well and I do have to say they are quite to my liking.

Smoke 'n' Roll : with a name like that, it had to be tasted. 

Pulled pork wrap.

My love for meat is immense and let me just say my whole family loves pork. Sooooooo, nom nom nom, Aaaahh.. what a feast. 

Shrimp Up Your Life

Shrimp burger with avocado

Taste wise, it's brilliant. I mean who doesn't love shrimp, specially when battered and fried, with crispy exterior yet moist and succulent on the inside; and garnished with salad and avocado. Of course, they gave an option for grilling as well but this time, its my old nemesis; deep fried. I have a love-hate relation with fried food and this time, I lurveeed those crispy fried shrimps. 

However, I do have to say that it was a struggle to keep the shrimps in place. Always trying to roll out of the bun, or it could be my inexperience on eating these sort of burgers. 

Mulled Wine

So, this was the first for me. I am still contemplating whether I am into it or not...

Mmmmmm....Cake......

Not the best carrot cake I've had but still digging it. 

A Michelin Star Experience

Note: Apology for photo quality. Taken from Iphone and under low lights. 

I consider myself a big foodie and try my utmost best to taste all the delicious cuisines around the world. I love the simple and mouth-watering delights of street food and now after trying it for the first time, I wanted share my very first michelin restaurant experience.

I am no food or restaurant critic; just a regular guy with an insatiable appetite, conquering one food at a time. This world is full of delicious food to be enjoyed and travelling is just my method to get my hands, or shall I say "mouth", on these delicacies. It fascinates me how 1 simple ingredient can help create various flavours depending on where and how it's being prepared. To all the masters of culinary, I salute to you for providing with your masterpieces. It was only after much contemplation that I thought I should savour these blissful moments and jot them down in my blog and now, here I am, writing about it. 

The food pictures below are from me and my girlfriend's Valentine's dinner! I thought we should celebrate the ocassion somewhere special (where we've never been before). So, after googling, I booked us a table in a French restaurant; Galvin at Windows. Just the perfect place in London for a romantic night out with spectacular views of the whole city from the 28th floor of Hilton at Park Lane. 

As for the food, we each selected a 3 course meal, from Menu Prestige and Menu du Chef. Beautifully prepared. Full menu available at www.galvinatwindows.com 

Menu du Chef

This was a complementry dish from the Chef; tasted of salmon and parsley, very fresh.

Casterbridge steak tartare, pickled vegetables & grain mustard mayonnaise

Kimchi risotto, slow cooked hen's egg, sesame & Permigiano Reggiano

Warm chocolate fondant, praline, yoghurt & dill sorbet

Menu Prestage 

Marinated Iberico pork, pickled radish, puntarelle, soy bean paste & chilli

Fillet of Casterbridge beef, braised ox cheek, glazed vegetables, smoked bacon

Nougat parfait, persimmon, Muscovado meringues & blackpepper ice cream

Cappuccino

Some chocolates

It was a pretty amazing experience; the service was top-notch, so much so that they made sure our glasses were never empty and at one point we started getting worried that they might even feed us right in the mouths too. No wonder its called a Michelin "Star".