Original Recipe Chicken Nuggets from KFC

Happy Saturday! I'm still dealing with jetlag and a major KFC craving hit, so I decided to order some for delivery. In our order, I included 10 pieces of the new Original Recipe Chicken Nuggets and my trusty Variety Bucket, which comes with 8 pieces of chicken, 4 chicken tenders, and a medium serving of popcorn chicken.

Variety Bucket from KFC
8 pieces of Canadian farm-raised and hand-breaded Original Recipe chicken, 4 white meat chicken tenders hand-breaded in our 11 herbs and spices, medium Popcorn chicken, large fries, and 2 dips.

Unfortunately, the Original Recipe Chicken Nuggets and the chicken tenders turned out to be quite salty. Even after reheating, the saltiness was hard to ignore. Thankfully, the popcorn chicken and the classic secret recipe fried chicken tasted as delicious as usual.

10-piece Nuggets from KFC

I discussed the chicken nuggets with my sister, and she mentioned they tasted fantastic, much like the KFC back in the Philippines. I told her our experience was marred by excessive saltiness.

British Classic from Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen at London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

Leaving London today was both happy and sad. We started our day with a big breakfast at Hilton London Metropole's Tyburn Kitchen. It was filled with various breakfast foods like croissants and English breakfast items.

After eating, we returned to our hotel room for a short nap. But my husband woke me up because he worried we might be late for our flight. We also napped on the Heathrow Express train.

Steak & Ale Pie from Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen

After going through the usual check-in and security, we shopped for chocolates and biscuits. Then, we decided to have lunch at Big Smoke Taphouse and Kitchen in Terminal 2. Why did we pick this restaurant? It has British classics: Steak & Ale Pie and Bangers & Mash.

Bangers & Mash from Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen
3 Big Smoke ale sausages, creamy mash, onion gravy & crisp sweet potato

Food in airports isn't always great, but we were happy to enjoy these traditional British dishes before leaving London.

Pimm's Cup and Flourless Chocolate Cake from Bow Bar at Hilton London Metropole

Ah. It's our last night in London, and after such a satisfying dinner at Apoy, I decided to hang out at the bar in the lobby of Hilton London Metropole.

I asked the bartender if he could make a Pimm's Cup. It is the #1 must-try food item in Fodor's Essential England guidebook. A little background: Pimm's Cup is a quintessentially English cocktail, originating from England in the 19th century. It was created by James Pimm, who ran an oyster bar in London!

Pimm's Cup from Bow Bar

From a taste standpoint, it is sweet and something I can drink all day. I love it.

I also ordered their Flourless Chocolate Cake, and it was so amazing. How can chocolate cake be this good? It's sweet, decadent, and smooth.

Flourless Chocolate Cake from Bow Bar

After hanging out at the bar for an hour, enjoying my drink and cake, I went back to our room to continue packing. We're going back to Vancouver tomorrow!

Steak Pasty from Mrs. King’s Pork Pies in Borough Market

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I used Fodor's Essential England guidebook to help me decide what to eat in London. It lists ten foods and drinks to try in England, and #10 on the list is cornish pasty.

The night before, I searched for "best cornish pasty in London" and found this article from DiscoverWalks.com. The number 1 on the list is Mrs. King's Pork Pies in Borough Market, so I went there today. I couldn't locate Mrs. King's Pork Pies, so I chose Pieminister since I am famished.

With a bit more energy after devouring the Steak & Ale British Pie, I explored the Borough Market some more and found Mrs. King's Pork Pies. I chose the Steak Pasty since it looks the closest to the Google search image result.

Steak Pasty from Mrs. King's Pork Pies

The outside is crisp, golden-brown, while the inside is filled with soft savoury filling. It has well-seasoned beef, potato, and onion enveloped in sauce. It is a hearty and portable meal.

Steak Pasty from Mrs. King's Pork Pies

I should have read the article in detail because it says, "Cornish pasties are a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), meaning they have a protected status much like halloumi or mānuka honey. According to the guidelines, officially, only pasties prepared in Cornwall to the specific traditional standards can be named Cornish pasties, and they'll have a stamp of authenticity to prove it."

It further detailed that Mrs. King's Melton Mowbray pork pies (not the Steak Pasty) are PGI certified. Sigh, I ordered the wrong thing. Oh well, more reason to come back to London!

Steak & Ale British Pie from Pieminister in Borough Market

Happy Wednesday! It's our penultimate day in London, and I decided to take it slow. I realized that exploring two museums a day is too much in this city because they are ginormous with so many galleries and sections. My original plan for today is to visit and explore St. Paul's Cathedral, then cross the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Museum.

In my attempt to take it slow, I still took the train to St. Paul's Cathedral and took pictures of the outside. Then, I realized Millenium Bridge was closed for repairs, so I crossed the Thames using Southwark Bridge. I joined a 45-minute free tour on the second level inside the Tate Museum and learned about modern art and the different displays. Afterwards, I went up the 10th floor to view St. Paul's Cathedral on the south side of Thames. I did not even attempt to explore every gallery and every floor of the Tate Museum.

It was already 1:00 PM, and I only ate two small bags of potato crisps for breakfast while walking around. I continued my journey to the nearby Borough Market to explore.

The Borough Market in London shares some similarities in popularity and concept with the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, Pike Place Market in Seattle, and St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. These markets are renowned for offering fresh produce, artisanal food products, international cuisine, and a vibrant atmosphere, making them popular destinations for locals and tourists.

Moo Pie from Pieminister
Steak & Ale

I went here in search of Cornish Pasties but found something similar: British Pie from Pieminister. I ordered their Moo Pie, which is steak & ale, a classic British dish. It has tender chunks of beef steak with a flavorful ale-based gravy encased in a flaky pastry crust.

Moo Pie
Steak & Ale

Simmered in ale, the steak results in a tender, succulent filling, while the gravy imparts a deep, hearty flavour. The pastry crust adds a delightful textural contrast, crisp on the outside and tender within.

Filipino BBQ from Apoy at Market Halls Oxford Circus

After nearly a week in London and eating a lot of meat and potatoes (Sunday roast, bangers & mash, and fish & chips), I need rice and Filipino food.

I asked Google Maps to tell me the closest Filipino restaurant to our hotel,   and it suggested Apoy | Authentic Filipino BBQ & Street Food, which apparently is inside the Market Halls in Oxford Circus. The Market Halls has 8 kitchens and 2 bars.

Stairway to Food Heaven at Market Halls Oxford Circus

I ordered Pinoy Pork BBQ Skewer Meal, Kale Laing, and Calamansi Lemonade. For the 20-30 minutes I was eating my meal, I felt like I was back home enjoying Filipino food in Makati instead of the heart of London.

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I feel so satisfied and happy.

Bangers & Mash with Traditional Gravy from MotherMash

I used the list from Fodor's Essential England for Tuesday's dinner. I have already tried the following so far:

#2 Fish & Chips #4 Indian food

#5 Sunday roast #8 Full English breakfast

The #9 on the list of food to try in London is Bangers & Mash, so I searched for the best bangers & mash, and one of the recommendations is MotherMash. After an afternoon at the Victoria and Albert Museum, I arrived at their Soho (26 Ganton Street) location. I chose the classic mash, Cumberland sausage, and traditional gravy from their menu.

Classic Mash - Each order of mash is freshly prepared using only the finest British Maris Piper potatoes, the king of spuds, and natural mash with butter.
Cumberland Sausage - We use only butcher's quality sausages and locally sourced pies with no artificial nonsense or horrible bits; classic British pork with pepper.
Traditional Gravy - The reason our gravies taste so divine is they're made fresh each day using natural ingredients. Traditional is simple gravy using the juice from sausages and vegetables.

The mash and gravy were to die for. I am not a fan of the Cumberland sausage, but the mash and gravy were enough to satisfy my craving for bangers and mash.

T.rex Beef Burger from T. Rex Restaurant inside Natural History Museum

I spent the morning walking around and exploring the Natural History Museum. It reminded me of exhibits from the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the Royal Ontario Museum. I enjoyed Red Zone the most because I love information about volcanoes & earthquakes.

T.rex beef burger from T. Rex Restaurant
Baby gem lettuce, red onion, tomato, pickled gherkin, and spiced beef burger sauce

I was tempted to leave the museum for lunch and then just come back, but I was feeling lazy and tired, so I decided to have lunch at the T. Tex Restaurant inside the Natural History Museum. I ordered the T.rex Beef Burger.

It is a perfect burger - juicy, well-seasoned beef, crisp lettuce, zesty red onion, fresh tomato, and tangy pickle gherkins.