Eating in Kent

We've arrived in Kent and I'm exhausted but before I go to bed and get that 7 hours of sleep (keeping my fingers crossed for 7) I thought I'd post some pictures of my day of eating. Thankfully I had two workouts today so I can go a little crazy :-D

T's homemade guacamole w. spicy chili's for extra spice.

Yowza! Boy, did it have a kick to it!

Shephard's pie for lunch

Guac and chips on the side

We arrived in Kent at 5:00 and figured we should stop at a local pub for a drink. We caught the end of the Nadal v. Murray match. YAY! Nadal for the win. Ow ow... he's a sexy man ;)

 #1 rated restaurant in Trip Advisor for restaurants in Kent

I love open fires in restaurants. Such a nice extra touch on a cold cold evening.

Jug o' wine.

Toooooooooooassty

French onion soup. I should have sent it back but I have a problem w. doing that for some reason. I ate the croutons and left most of the soup. Something about the flavor was off putting. After our meal, another table ordered 3 soups and had them sent back. DARN it! I knew something was wrong! Apparently, it was too much vinegar. O well. Lesson learned.

Shrimp appetizer- bland and disappointing

the restaurant was so cute and service pretty good but I was highly disappointed w. their food.

Sea bass w. cream sauce

pomme frites

Roasted veggies- sadly, this was probably my favorite dish of the restaurant

Veal escalope w. mashed potatoes

 Creme brulee- the top was too torched and gave it a burnt flavor. Yuck!

Sugar free 7-up and a dark n' stormy (ginger beer and rum).

We stopped at another pub after our unsatisfying meal and ordered mas food. Oy vey!

Mini burgers w. onion rings and fries. I'll just slowly unbutton the top of my jeans thankuverymuch!

 

Ginger pudding w. raisin ice cream. Nice way to end the night. I am sosososo tired. Bright and early start tomorrow at 8 a.m!

Sweet dreams.

Persian on the menu

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:22407/tandis

BAH! I tried to take a picture. I blame the cold.

glass of wine in anticipation for my first persian dining experience. SO excited!!!

Appetizers: I don't remember the names but I know it was eggplant, hummus, a bean mixture, and chicken salad.

You eat the appetizers w. these thin breads called naan. It wasn't the usual naan I'm used to but all the better. They were thinner so I could eat more :). It was a perfect dipping tool for the apps. My favorite was the hummus and bean mixture. The flavors are lighter and more delicate than lebanese food but I could see the similarities.

Saffron marinated chicken, lamb, and kefta. Everything was so tender and juicy. Very delicious.

Fluffy white rice w. butter to mix. I started w. half the butter but then decided to heck w. it and used it all!

I chopped up all the grilled tomatoes into my rice for extra flavor.

Saffron flavored cubes of ice cream. T swears it wasn't saffron but rose water flavor instead. He might have been right. It was an interesting flavor but I don't think floral ice creams are my favorite. I want my ice cream sweet and creamy. This had more of an icy, sorbet consistency to it.

Breakfast before I get my study on:

Fried egg w. flax seeds on top w hanna banana and peanut butter n grapes

Day's agenda: study, attend street dance and zumba classes, showa, and head off to Kent for a bit of relaxation. I have my Zumba instructor all day course tomorrow!!! :-D

Where's the queen?!

Breakfast this morning:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• raisins
• goji berries
• honey
• leftover pumpkin

I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the unsweetened pumpkin mixed in the oats. I had pumpkin when I was back in Chicago but I realize now that it was pumpkin pie filling so it was pre-sweetened. 

 

Green monster muffin on the side. Can't get enuff!

I skipped my workout today (my body needed a rest-I listened to my body for once!!) and we went to Windsor instead.

Yay!! I love being in a car! I like driving more but I'm too much of a chicken to drive in London. It's the left side people. It ain't right I tell ya.

One thing I miss about driving is the radio (and the windows down when it's nice out)

Refreshments for the road. I don't really believe in the gimic of weight loss support beverages but this one had caffeine in it and its pretty tasty too :)

healthy snacking for the road

Lunch stop at La Taverna

I thought to myself that this would be the perfect wedding reception centerpiece.

glass of house white

Fresh baked bread and butter. I can't resist!

Eggplant w. warm gooey mozzerella cheese on top. Yuuuuuum.

 w. extra grated cheese on top

 Tagliatelle bolognese

 Chicken w. mushrooms, garlic, parsley in a tomato based sauce.

 w. fried zucchini and scalloped potatoes

On our way to see the Queen! Apparently, she spends most of  her weekends here at Windsor castle.

but unfortunately, the flag was red, white, and blue, which meant she was away on holiday, business, or doing other important queen like things. So disappointed!

Woo hoo! We have multimedia.

I was very curious indeed. What exactly does the queen do on the weekends here in Windsor? Does she watch T.V.? Knit on her couch? Have friends over for afternoon tea?

Perhaps she entertains curious korean american women for some tea and crumpets? Yes.. I bet thats it!

The audio tours are the way to go. I wouldn't know half the things I was seeing if it wasn't for the commentary!

the pictures don't really do the castle justice. This is something I've never seen in the states. So cool!

The guards doing their routine march. I swear one of em' was smirking.

 No entry

We weren't allowed to take picture inside St. George's chapel but the inside was so majestic and very peaceful.

Sort of want to tickle him...

but I'll settle for this guy instead! so much cuter (and cuddlier!)

I love the view from the top

As much as I wanted to stay outside, it was FREEZING cold. Too bad all the things indoors were no picture zones

 milk mustache anyone? We stopped at Esquire cafe after the castle visit for a quick cappuccino for me.

and a sweet tooth fix for both before we hit the road back to London.

What a fun way to spend a Friday afternoon!!

Song of the day: Miguel Jontel ft. J. Cole- "All I want is you" (thanks to a fellow FB who unknowingly prolly introduced me to a song!)