Damson Cafe

It's not much of a surprise if I tell you that this has become one of my more favourite coffee joints in the past few months. I used to frequent the Russell Square- Holborn area a lot, but now I've been searching for different pastures. 

Damson, I only have 3 words to describe it really - I love it. 

I love how when the sun sets and the warm glow from the lights inside the cafe draw you in. It's captivating. Your hands are icy, your ears are hurting from the wind, and you spot that little cafe sitting somewhere on St. Giles High Street... The warm glow and the thought of... coffee. 

Oh yes, the coffee is good. I never really bother writing about places I don't deem good enough. 

I come in from the cold and say Hi to the people behind the counter. They're friendly folk. They take notice of how their customers are feeling. 

There was once when I was squeezed to a corner at the long table you see up there. When the smaller table-for-two tables were free, they came to me, tapped my shoulder and said, "I'll clear that table up for you to use so that you don't have to squeeze in here." 

Service with a smile. And I like them for it. 

A fruit salad..... I was feeling guilty about having a super unhealthy fried chicken lunch. Haha. But in any case, I've taken to calling mum and dad from here. It's quite enough, and I get to stare out the windows and watch people go on by. Another nice little touch I think, is the fact that they serve you water with your coffee. It is a nice touch, because in most cafes you have to self-serve your own glass of water. Here they serve it to you personally on your table. Perhaps it could be that I'm making a fuss out of nothing... but.. it matters. To me at least.

They serve some pretty good sandwiches too. And brunch! Golly. Eggs florentine and brioche? Haha. I think they give Lantana a run for their money. But Lantana is much bigger and established I guess. Damson's shop is rather small - and they've only been around for a year or so. 

I took that picture about 10-15 minutes after I got my coffee, so the froth was already starting to lose it's shape. But you know what, I love it when the art goes beyond just the typical heart. 

Now back to the books.

Oysters at Borough Market

Wow. It looks like I've really been kind of ignoring this page for a while. Truth be told, I've been enrolled in this really busy course that takes away all my waking hours.

But as I have just a little bit of free time now, let me take some time to promote the Oyster Stall down at Borough Market.

I'd just like to say that these are probably one of the best oysters that I have eaten in my life.

Ok, well, I don't eat Oysters all that often, coz I don't actually like how they taste (some are not all that fresh either). Ether that, or they're too big and induce some sort of gag reflex when it tries to go down my throat, or some various other reasons.

Anyway, these ones are really fresh and tasty. Succulent, if that's the word. They're in the same section with the Raclette stall and the Pieminster stall (both really awesome things to try too). It's not that cut-throat, like most oyster bars are. Probably just 8 pounds for like.. 4 oysters? It depends on whether you order the medium sized oysters or the large ones though. I always order the medium ones.

Then the guy loosens the oyster from its shell and then gently rests it back on. He does this so you can slurp it in your mouth a lot easier I think. Then he passes it to you and you can help yourself to the tabasco sauce, the lemon wedges and the special sauce (which I assume they prepare themselves) at the side.

Add some of the special sauce. Not too much, but don't be stingy either! Squeeze some lemon.... and VIOLA.

THE AWESOME OYSTERS!
(I put a little too much special sauce here. Opps)

And you get a happy eater. :)

Espressolab - Gardens

Another place worth noting back in Kuala Lumpur:

So there's this place (which debuted in Solaris Dutamas, but it ain't the one I went to!) at the Gardens, Kuala Lumpur that serves some mean dessert and coffee. 

Actually, I'm not too sure at all if it's at the Gardens, or at MidValley Megamall for this one reason - it's somewhat on the interlinking bridge between the two malls. But then again, the easiest way to find it is to head to level 1. It's right outside the TGIF. 

Again, the coffee surprised me. I'm used to having some pretty sub-standard quality coffee when I return to KL for my breaks, but this sure ain't sub-standard. It's really good (though not as good as RaW!) and really rich. The milk is frothed well and the coffee art (which is really important) looks great! I didn't really manage to get a picture here. I didn't bring my phone, nor did I bring a camera of any sort.

The dessert here? Simply to die for!

While it's really good on those fronts, I must say that I wouldn't really feel like coming back here again because of the atmosphere and the layout. 

The benches for dine in customers are really limited. I would say that they could serve about 10 customers at most, for the tables and chairs are situated just below the escalators that go up to the second floor of Gardens. Besides that, there is the constant human traffic passing by you at such close proximity, you'd kind of feel like your personal space is being invaded - not to mention that you'd also feel like your belongings will get stolen any second. KL is quite prone to petty theft. 

But even if that doesn't bother you, you'd have to (and I invoke my inner chinese Malaysian slang) ask the 'aunties and uncles' to please move (because they didn't buy anything and are just sitting there) so that you can sit down with your coffee and cake. It's pretty ridiculous, holding your coffee and cake in your hands, wanting to sit down to eat, for grumpy people who didn't even buy anything so give you a face when you want to sit at the tables provided for customers. Aunties and uncles can be really difficult sometimes. 

Unless Espressolab has a real store somewhere, instead of a simple coffee stand by a busy link bridge, I don't think I'll be coming back to this place. It's too much of a hassle, and I feel quite suffocated. Nevermind that a cup of coffee costs me RM12. I'd rather go to my regular 'kopitiam' for some 'Kopi ping' at RM2something than to completely hate my surroundings. 

Ok, scratch that. I'd come back if I want good coffee - but I'll only have it for take-away. 

Food Foundry, and RaW Coffee

So while I was home, Sam brought me round to really nice places for food and drinks. One day, after we picked her sister up from work, we headed to this new place called 'Food Foundry' (Happy Mansion, Section 17 (Jalan 17), Petaling Jaya, Selangor)

My brownie at Food Foundry

One thing I gotta say about this place. The coffee ain't fantastic (yes, sometimes this really is all I'm looking for), but the CAKES and the FOOD are really quite worth the trip. 

It's funny though. I never would have thought that there was a cafe in the area it is situated in to begin with. We were driving round a housing estate, getting a little lost, and then we turned in to this block of apartments. The cafe at that particular block of apartments, next to some sundry shops and other food places. Turn the corner and bam! You find a nice little cafe that serves good food.

The prices are fairly reasonable. The brownie you see in the picture? It was SO DENSE! Ended up sharing it with Sam (and not being able to finish it even after that). 

Food Foundry - layout. 

The place is nice and quaint - there's one section with air-conditioning and the other without. I think they're working on that issue for now (I'm not sure, so don't take my word for it). But the seatings are nice and spaced out, and they definitely have got the deco right. It's something like what the Gardens cafe looks like (but not as extravagant) mixed with Muji.  

But one other place that I've absolutely come to love - R.A.W (Real and Wholesome) Coffee at 150 Jalan Ampang, KL. 

R.A.W. Coffee

Apparently this place has been getting a lot of reviews - something I'm oblivious to. But I'm glad to have been brought here. 

Counter on the left, seating area in the corner

It's a little awkward cafe that is situated at the lobby of this office tower. Not exactly the most cosy of places, but at least the seating area has been separated from the 'openness' of the lobby by the wide counter. The cakes and all look a little unappetising from the inside of the glass refrigerator.. But they're pleasant enough. 

THE COFFEE WAS EXCELLENT THOUGH. REMINDED ME OF LONDON! And that's a celebration in itself! I would come all the way to KL (I live in PJ) to get coffee. I'm that much of a nut!

So where Food Foundry lacks in coffee, R.A.W. makes up for it. And where R.A.W. lacks in cakes and dessert, Food Foundry takes the trophy in this little battle. 

Sam obviously gets happy whenever she manages to satisfy my fussiness. Here's her smiling. 

Win!

You don't say.

Changes

And so when I went home this time round, I noticed quite a lot of changes. 

First of all, greeting me at the airport was WHSmith. I'm used to only seeing this at British airports (or train stations and the like), and I must admit that that was pretty strange. 

Then, heading on to MidValley, and I noted that RadioShack will be opening there soon as well. Not to mention that H&M has sprung up at Jalan Bukit Bintang, and that every single person I know is flocking there for goods that are not exactly worth the money if you ask me. It's more expensive than how much it would be in the UK, and the material ain't exactly great. At the end of the day, we're paying for a brand and fashion. 

Not bad for a store that's lower on the food chain. 

But one thing I'm actually quite glad for are the cafes that have been springing up just about everywhere. 

FInally! Good coffee in Malaysia!

More on that soon - I'm actually already back in London. The only problem is that my free time is being sucked away by work. 

Now that's another thing that's changed. I'm actively doing work every second of the day. 

The Resident Tourist

I've stumbled across another blog before, and the blogger called himself 'The Resident Tourist'.

His story is simple enough. He's a Singaporean man who has gone abroad to study. When he goes home to his home country, he finds it strange, almost like being a stranger in his own country. So much that he has to discover it all over again.

I know how that feels. I went home for what was left of my summer holidays. As usual, I felt weird. So much has changed over the past 3 years. I needed a GPS to get around the city I used to know so well! Haha.

Anyway, I'll be posting soon about my adventures at home.

I'm actually already back in London - but then again I don't exactly like posting about things when I actually am at that place. Some people would argue that I would then miss out the little details that make a place interesting.. Oh well.

This resident tourist will update this blog soon.

US Graduation Trip - Part 2

Part 2 begins with our trip to Miami!

Lincoln Road Mall

The first thing that we thought to ourselves upon arrival, was how the Miami airport was so much better than JFK. Surprising in the sense that the buildings are newer, better maintained, and that there are more shops and entertainment stores in general. It's pretty dismal in JFK. Disappointing in the sense that it was the airport that welcomes quite a number of people into America. 

Anyway, we checked in to our hotel to offload our things. We stayed at Crest Hotel Suites. I do recommend this place. The people at the reception are really friendly. Not to mention that when you ask for extra towels to bring to the beach, they'd both give them to you, and give you extra towels upon your return for use in your hotel room. The location is perfect too - It has a CVS pharmacy (which houses ALL your needs available) nearby, and it's located really close to the Lincoln Road Mall, and it's just a stone's throw away from the clubbing scene. The last point is really important I think, because the clubs and pubs can get REALLY noisy at night, and this place is situated just far enough from all the commotion. It's also really near Ocean Drive- the main beach. 

We would then spend the next few days shopping (Lincoln Road Mall is somewhat like an Oxford Street of London), eating ice-cream, sun-bathing and watching movies. 

I loved the colourful umbrellas that people brought. So cheerful. :)

And then there are the cool stations - marking the streets. This is the 13th street station

Miami really is a place to just chill and relax. We didn't do anything other than that. But there are some amazing food stalls that I'm still thinking about up to now. It's really good!

The Meatball Joint

The Meatball joint. It's a new shop that just opened for 2 weeks when we got there. You get a choice between different kinds of meatballs, and what kind of dishes you would like to have it with (pasta, soup, etc). It's brilliant. They have a wide selection of  (alcoholic) drinks too. I ordered a Ginger Ale. Lol. 

The bar at the Meatball Joint

Then there was the 11th Street Diner. And holy moly, they have the best Southern Fried Chicken that I've ever eaten in my life. It's juicy, it's tender, it's tasty... KFC needs to move over. I'm not exaggerating this. 

T standing in front of the 11th Street Diner

How it looks like on the inside

It was a fantastic trip all right. Some would say that there is absolutely nothing to do in Miami. That kind of made me a little fearful about all the time that we would have empty and wasted. BUT, I must say, that it doesn't matter if there are little attractions besides the beach and the clubbing scene. T and I went for 5 days, and it didn't bother us. We went clubbing (or tried to, at least) for a night. But we spent the next few days running along the beach, swimming, sun tanning, reading our books, watching movies every night, eating really good food, talking, shopping... what more can you ask for really? The point of this being our graduation trip was that we were celebrating a few months of being able to forget our busy lives and just do... nothing. And Miami really does that for you. It's great. 5 days of oblivion? 

Perfect.