New Year's Eve Dinner

Taken from Flickr. Had dinner with Maria and her friend Rosemary.
















Gratin de Crabe 'Thermidor' - creamy crab gratin in a rich mustard and brandy sauce, glazed with cheese. Sounds like it might be good. despite the whole seafood and cheese combo. But it really just tasted like a bland tuna melt.
















Salade d'accompagnement - mixed green salad, garlic croutons, and warm bacon "lardons." It was like eating a BLT?
















I had the 8oz Faux Fillet Prime Sirloin.
















Mi cuit au chocolat, compote de cerises - extra bitter chocolate fondant served hot with praline ice cream and cherry compote.



Watched the fireworks on TV because it was too damned cold outside. Not to mention crowded.

More London Stuff

Buckingham Palace
































The original Ministry of Silly Walks.
































A stroll in St. James Park





































London Eye over the Admiralty House... or Horse Guard House.
















Horse Guards House... or Admiralty.
















Jesus Birds
















Keeping the common folk out of Buckingham











London Victoria Station





















Checking a show.
















Tickets in SF are going to be hard to get and I'll assume the London performers will be better than the ones on the travelling tour.
















The thing about seeing a matinee is that you lose all your day light. Buckingham by night.
















Methodist Central Hall





















Westminster Cathedral





















Big Ben
















Admiralty?





















Nelson's Column
















Trafalgar Square by night.
















So that ends a day of wandering around. Me + Maria met up with Henry and his friend Helen for tapas at Cigala.
















Berenjenas de almagro - marinated baby Aubergine (aka Eggplant)
















Stuffed peppers.
















Chirizo a la Brasa
















Jamon de Bellota - acorn fed cured ham served with
















tomato-y toast - Pan con Tomate
















Pimientos del Padron - deep fried Padron peppers
































Paella de pollo y chorizo
















Tarta de Santiago - almond tart with vanilla cream.
















Flan de naranja - orange custard flan
















Henry + me





















Henry + me and KANYE WEST!





















Maria + Helen and KANYE WEST!

Fancy things, not so fancy things.

We had lunch at Alan Yau's fancy Japanese restaurant, Sake No Hana. Using some simple materials, architect Kengo Kuma makes for some pretty nifty decor.
















































Jumbo Tamago. Ack, this serves like 4 people.
















Maria's Beef bento "box"
















Fanciest Seaweed Salad I've seen.
















Yorkshire Pork Katsu with not-Tonkatsu sauce
















Tuna Cheek
































Pear tart with Lavender/Chocolate ice cream.
















Over in the Burlington Arcade @ Laduree
































Picking up some macaroons.
















And some more at Alan Yau's Yauatcha for a Macaroon-off.





















geek central - Forbidden Planet. A great comic and book store.
















Let the Macaroon-off begin! Left to right, Team Laduree: Coffee, Pistachio, Praline.
















Team Yauatcha: Sesame, ?, Black Tea





















Met up with Chien Tan buddy Henry in Blackheath for some Pub Quiz.





















Maria says "no pub experience is complete without Pork Scratchings.
















The big ones are not so good. It's like eating fluffy butter. And these would be the "not so fancy things."
















Proper Bangers and Mash (not mine)
















Henry's friend James.





















We got third place! (out of about 8 teams)