Up in The Shard @ Hutong

 It is pretty incredible knowing that the tallest building standing in the whole of Europe is just a mere 15 minutes drive away from my house! Being a Londoner I don't really take advantage of all the 'touristy' things to do as much as I should, so a visit to The Shard for lunch was surely a pleasant trip.

 

As it was lunch time there was the Dim Sum menu available. The menu was simple but missing the classics of 'ha cheung fun' a prawn chinese noodle roll and chicken claws. Nonetheless the dishes still served its purpose. For those who has never had Dim Sum before they are several little dishes that you will order and they're normally steamed or fried dishes and comes in bite sized portions of threes or two, which gives you a great sample selection to taste a bit of everything on the menu. 

Normally with Chinese restaurants that are of high end tend to be quite western and the taste of the dishes lack in its authenticity, but this did not apply here. So brownie points to Hutong! The pastry meat puff (above right) was delicate and fluffy and the meat melts in the mouth with first contact *licks lips as I continue typing* 

And if the food won't do you justice (for the hard pleaser's) then I am pretty sure that the view would most definitely make up for it. Situated on the 35th Floor, a  beautiful panoramic view of London is in the background whilst your'e dining. If you are lucky enough to get a table for the timing of the sun setting then I can only imagine it'll be amazing. Or even for dinner at night the lights of London will set a romantic scene for those first dates, anniversaries or special occasions. 

I could say this was a pre-anniversary brunch (it was a month away from it) but my boyfriend had somehow told them it was our anniversary and so our desserts came with a cute chocolate plaque which gave it a nice little touch. If you do plan on dining up here, a booking in advance is always a good idea as I have heard people have had to book months in advance for their dates! Yikes!

     

Follow me!

Hey guys!

I have a Instagram page purely dedicated for the food lovers!

@SUSANSTASTEBUDS

Follow me to see all the other food I don't post about :)

*WARNING* Do not scroll through it before bed, tends to make people hungry!!

Dim Sum @ A.WONG

Being Chinese, I'm not really that much of a fan of going Chinese restaurants unless it is for a quick bite to satisfy my cravings of chicken and sweet corn soup or Dim Sum. However A.Wong is quite the little gem hidden in Victoria. A modern twist to the traditional Chinese Dim Sum. Presentation of the dishes makes you not want to eat them and just stare..but that would just be rude! It was My boyfriend who had met the owner and  (knowing that I love trying out new restaurants) decided to take me here. Yay! :)

As we were seated, the staff were really friendly and organised. They had our reservations (I'd recommend making a booking just to guarantee yourself a seat because it got really busy!) and there was no fuss even though we turned up a bit late. From the Dim Sum menu we ordered two of each dish (they come as 1 pieces FYI, we're not THAT greedy..)
*I tried to name all the dishes correctly, if they're wrong let me know! And the blank ones also.

Jellyfish Salad

Shanghai steamed dumpling, ginger infused vinegar

Clear shrimp dumpling, sweet chilli sauce, citrus foam  

                   




                                         

Like a Shrimp having a bubble bath, it just instantly melts into your mouth

Shanghai steamed dumplings with truffle topping and fish eggs

Scallop puff 3 ways

Steamed duck yolk custard bun. Simple yet creative little touch with the leaves

Salt and pepper French bean fritters

Add caption

Foie gras sticky sesame dumpling    

Longjing tea, garlic and chilli prawn

Asparagus with pear steamed roll

               

The only downfall was when it came to desserts. We had to rush off and thought we could get away with ordering desserts but was then told they are freshly handmade so it can take up to 10 minutes.. 10 minutes we didn't have :( I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a more up-street version of Dim Sum.

Shame on me!

OK So its been a while since the last post! Sorry! I do intend to start posting a bit more often (not like much people will read this *sobs*)  I have a feeling the next post will be about food..what else duh.

Aqua Kyoto for Lunch

So there are many perks you get with a job. The best types? FOOD. Thanks to my boyfriends company we had the chance to dine in Aqua Kyoto and all on the company's' tab ;) JACKPOT.

The only issue I found with that was the size of my stomach! I would have loved to try every. single. dish. However do not underestimate us because we sure had a good go at that! 

This was one of their Sushi Platters, which I must say was pretty disappointing, more ice than fish! I guess with fine dining you eat with your eyes more than you do with your mouth. And for £32 a plate, I'd rather head down to HiSushi for the Sushi Buffet for £18pp. 

                            

Next up, the Salmon Roll topped with Lobster & Miso bisque.

What you can not really see with this is the skin on the sushi, I'm not too sure what it is but it is almost like rice paper fried, the amount of lobster was almost non existent although, altogether in your mouth and it still tastes delicious with every bite, esp. with those fish eggs popping in your mouth. Yum. 

Soft Shell Crab Sushi Rolls

If I can remember correctly this was still warm when it went in my mouth,which is a good sign that they had freshly prepared the sushi. This was delish :P

Fresh Japanese Mugwort Tofu cooked with Truffle Ankake.
Presentation wise? Pretty cool, a small little hot stove with a live flame which you are told by the waiter to let it cook for a minute or so in front of  you. The taste? Not to my fancy.
I love tofu. Fried tofu, boiled tofu, steamed tofu, I love tofu. But this. This now made my face pinch when I put a spoonful of it into my mouth. I think the flavour was too rich? Or unusual? Or maybe because I expected it to taste nice and sweet so my taste buds were thrown off when it was sour and saucy.

Salmon Sashimi - A must have when you eat sushi. Nice cuts of the fish,  not too fat not too skinny.

Wagyu and Foie Gras

This was delicious, I really need to find another word than delicious. But the meat was just soft and melts in your mouth..ahh sublime! And just a little bit of FYI..Wagyu Beef are cows that are fed organic food and are massaged so that they are nice and tenderrr..something the boyfriend taught me..and something else..basically its some good beef!

Wagyu Beef Gyoza

I weren't too keen on this dish, the beef inside seemed too raw for my liking even though it could have been the same but it felt wayyy too soft and just..raw. The presentation is pretty on the side note.

 Grilled Boneless Chicken Wings with Ginger Lime Miso, Wasabi Sesame.

This was one of my favourite dishes. Not only because it is chicken but they were stuffed! Hence why they're so fat. I didn't manage to take a  picture of what was inside, but all the flavours were complimentary of each other and you can taste the honey on the grilled chicken as if fresh from the BBQ stand. This was definitely a hit with me.

Crab Salad with Tomato Dashi Soup Bubble

Now this was a surprise, presentation was nice. I saw 'Crab' on the menu and thought hmmm..(being a seafood lover) The egg shaped jelly you see on top is what I would describe (don't judge) a placenta. You poke a little hole and it oozes out a tomato flavoured soup base which covers the plate completely. The crab is cold, as a salad should be, and tasted quite sour? You can even eat the sticks! Which didn't really taste of anything much. 

Salmon Sushi with a Lobster Bisque

Salmon, check. Sushi, yes please. Lobster bisque? No thanks. It felt as though you have a spoonful of left over oil that has dried up and you're left with the fat..I'm a bad describer but yeah fat and lard feel in your mouth. The rest of the sushi was nice.

Last but never least,desserts! Always room for desserts!

We were offered a selection  of  tea, which I just got the standard Jasmin tea and the Boyfriend had two double espresso..which apparently is over the daily intake? 3 Flavours of Mochi Ice cream, Mango, Strawberry and Green tea. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sponge and something else I can''t remember but you can't really go wrong with dessert! 

And to end the meal there is a terrace which overlooks the busy street of Central London, so it'll be a good idea to go for dinner, even if for just drinks to enjoy the view at night. Im glad that  I can tick this off my 'Places to eat' List :)

Smallest things.

There is a well known tradition in Korean couples when celebrating their love for each other. Some people mark their anniversary yearly or monthly. However, the Koreans like to celebrate every 100 days. I didn't know about this but my boyfriend enjoys the Korean culture very much and for our 100 days he placed 100 handmade stars into a jar. Bless him because he's never made them before and the stars are all uneven. But it's the imperfection in them that makes them so perfect to me. It shows he tried (very hard!) :) 

It's something sweet and thoughtful as this that makes me appreciate him even more so. It's simple, but simple is enough :) 

Fitness + Friends = fun!

As therapeutic working out alone can be, working out with my friend sure does make it easier! So I'm sweating out the bad and inhaling the good!

So, my friend knows this personal trainer who's training us..for free! So good! Definitely taking advantage of him whilst we can. He's pretty harsh too so that's good, gives us that extra push. So far, so good. Been working out twice a week *pat on back*  I don't get how people can train every day (or so they say) because the next day my body was in paiiiinnnn! It took me about 5 days to recover fully but I'm sure I'll slowly build my strength up if I'll keep it up! Never too late to start working on that 'summer body', but I want to make it an 'all-year body' ;)

It's so nice to work out with someone because we motivate each other and help each other out. My friend has a dog which she brings to the park too and running around with that mutt is fun! 

The only difficulty with this whole keeping fit is the eating healthy part. Had a major cheat day last Friday (as it was payday) my sisters and cousins decided to have fish and chips, KFC and kebab for dinner, yes, all at the same time! How can I say no! It tasted like heaven on the lips :*  

Next time I must remember 'moment on the lips, forever on the hips' 

Don't worry, give me 2 months and I'll be back with some progress pictures! 

Gotta go get it!