Category: Activities

Dining in Gaggan

We were introduced to Gaggan from watching Netflix Chef’s Table in 2016.  The series was introducing up and coming chefs from around the world.  The unique thing about the series is the fact that the chefs did not have any Michelin star (I think). 

So when it was confirmed we’re going to Bangkok for our holiday, it suddenly become a possibility for us to try Indian fusion food in Gaggan.  The only challenge was to get a reservation.  Based on online forums, a lot of people seem to struggle to either get a response from online booking or getting through the phone. 

I guess I was very lucky as I received an email confirming my reservation approx 1 month after submitting a booking request online.  The challenge came when I realised I have to provide my credit card details to confirm the reservation.  Clearly the restaurant management didn’t care much for online security as they requested for my credit card details to be sent via email.  The only workaround was to provide the details via phone.  It took me 4 attempts before I got through. 

On the day of the reservation, the restaurant called and requested for us to arrive earlier.  They also reminded us that it’s Friday & traffic will be bad.  They were not wrong.  It took us twice as long to get there due to the Bangkok traffic.  The exact location is also quite hidden therefore planning to arrive earlier is recommended. 

Our luck strike again when we were told we’ll be seated at “The Lab”.  Apparently it’s a new sitting arrangement / concept where you get to see how the food is being prepared and the chef will explain each dish as it is being served.  There’s also a menu which consists of an icon or emoji to describe each dish.  At the end of the 25 course meal, the chef reveals the name of each dish. 

The whole experience was pleasant, especially the food.  However we felt that the wine pairing by the sommelier was not great especially when he didn’t follow our specific request to pace our drinks throughout the meal. 

Overall I would recommend this restaurant if you get a chance but don’t try wine pairing.  Especially now that Gaggan has announced the restaurant will close in 2020 as he wants to focus on Japanese food. 

EVJD2675HSAE5866JABT3353

Easter holiday – 2017 edition

This year, for the first time we didn’t plan any outings or activities for Easter.  Strange considering we also took Tuesday off.  Nonetheless we managed to come up with a few things to keep us occupied.

First thing that kept us busy was my sis and her family visiting on Friday, while driving down to Southampton.  They were on their way to Paultons Park – Peppa Pig World and Lost Kingdom.  Turns out my niece love Peppa Pig and nephew loves roller coaster.  We had a good catchup while the kids looked for mini Easter eggs at home and then a hearty lunch at Steins (our family fav).  After lunch we head to Bushy Park to tired out the kids.  It was good to spend some time with the kids.

Next activities on our list was continuing our journey along London Loop (London Outer Orbital Path).  There’s 24 sections to complete and we only managed 1 so far.  So for this long weekend, we managed to complete 2 sections (totalling 12 miles) over 2 days.  As the weather gets better, I hope we can complete more and try to finish the Loop by year end.

The last thing we tried was bouldering.  Dav has always been a fan and did a course few years ago but he never continue doing it.  We saw that there’s a climbing centre nearby our place and so we thought we’ll check it out.  We took the £20 1 hour supervised induction course where an instructor gave us the safety rules and guide us through the different levels of difficulty.  Turns out I have a fear of heights.  When I look at others, it looks so easy.  The instructions also sounded easy, for example use your legs, don’t pull yourself up with your hands.  I think people forget we’re working against gravity!  Anyway it was that I tried it at least once.  Dav really likes it, maybe I’ll go back with him again to see if I enjoy it.

So that was our Easter break.  Hope you had a good break too!

Discovering Croatia

After almost 5 years of not having to do business travel, this year will be quite different.  In addition to the routine work trip to Bucharest, I’m glad that I’ve finally visited a new country AND learning new part of the business.

Recently I went to Croatia twice in the period of 4 weeks.  The first trip was to Zagreb and stayed for 3 days to close an Audit.  That means I didn’t get to see the city much except trying out some local food in the city centre.  So it’s quite uneventful.

For my second trip, I had to travel 2 hours by car to a small town named Virovitica.  The town is quite near to the Hungarian border, in the middle of no where.  The “hotel” is an old castle, 10 mins drive from office and only serve breakfast.  Luckily we had a rented car which means we were able to spend weekend in other parts of the country.

We managed to spend the weekend in Plitviče Lakes National Park, known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon.  The park was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.  It was an amazing site and due to ‘winter’ timing, we only managed to visit part of the lakes.

There’s lots of walkways and hiking trails wind around and across the water, and an electric boat links the 12 upper and 4 lower lakes.  There’s also bus service that brings you to different parts of the lakes if you’re not keen to hike.

Besides the National Parks, Croatia is also famous for it’s Adriatic coasts and not forgetting Dubrovnik (GoT – Kings Landing).  A few locals recommended a road trip along the coast to enjoy the beach and lagoons.

I will definitely go back with David to discover the country.

Overcoming fear

I have an irrational fear of water or rather drowning.  I’m not sure how this fear came about.  I remember distinctly going to my first swimming lesson with my elder sis when I was 5 (?) under the recommendation from my asthma doctor (apparently swimming is good for asthma patient).  I didn’t enjoy it and refused to attend the next lesson.

I’m not sure why I never attempted to learn again.  Strangely Dav also can’t swim.  So last year we agreed to acquire the skill as one of our objectives and finally we took our first lesson in November.

After the first lesson, I’m proud that I managed to float and submerge my whole head into the water with no fear.  I felt accomplished after the first lesson and look forward to the next.

It has been 4 months and 6 lessons later, we both now can swim freestyle BUT still can’t really breath while swimming.  I say that’s quite an achievement and hopefully by mid year we can attempt to snorkel/swim by the beach!

 

Nell Gwynn

We were a bit apprehensive after leaving the theatre in the interval of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds 2 weeks ago.  It was so strange and just not our type of show I guess.

But this one was a hit !!  The play is about how Nell Gwynn became the mistress of King Charles II and it won the best comedy in Olivier Awards this year. I would highly recommend this play to everyone.

4 stars.

Discovering our local public library

Dav and I are quite an avid reader.  We always have some form of reader with us when we’re commuting to work or going on holiday.  We have collected quite a lot of physical books over the years and that slowly transform into digital books when Kindle was introduced.  I’m even on my second Kindle (due to an accident – screen cracked).

So needless to say we spent quite a lot of money on this hobby.  When a friend told us about her frequent visits to the local library I thought it was quite an interesting thing to do especially if it helps reduced our monthly expenses.  But at that time, our local library was quite a distance away so we never did make it.

Now after moving to the current place we discovered the local library is only 5 mins walk away.  So last weekend we decided to check it out and we were quite surprised by the services available.

So besides the usual borrowing of books, they also provide the following:

  • audio books
  • e-books
  • music CDs
  • DVDs
  • children’s library
  • computers for public use with internet access
  • free WiFi
  • newspapers and magazines
  • IT tuition
  • adult reading group
  • children’s reading group
  • faxing and photocopying
  • printing and scanning
  • reference room

I was so excited, we ended up borrowing 2 DVDs (minimal cost and fairly new titles too!) and a few books.  I definitely want to try to borrow books rather than buying ebooks.

Yoga Camp

I love yoga.  I’ve been practicing yoga for the past 2 years.  Recently my company’s sports and social club started yoga lessons in the office after work, twice a week.  What a fantastic idea.  Not only is it convenient, it is also cheap (subsidised).

Earlier this month, I’ve also started to experiment whether I could practice yoga on a daily basis.  I found a Youtube channel – Yoga with Adrienne – and conveniently she started a Yoga Camp: 30 Days Home practice.  It is easy to follow and on average each practice takes 30-40 mins.

So far I’ve only miss a few days due to social outings and I generally practice in the evening.  The next challenge is to practice in the morning, before work.  I’m thinking maybe I start by practising once or twice a week to see how I feel.  Although I’ve been able to wake up early and get to office by 0800 – 0830, I’m not sure I can wake up even earlier to do yoga. 😛