The Shard
After Borough Market, we walked towards the embankment and we went to The Shard, one of the newer iconic buildings of London. However, it began to drizzle. We went for the tour anyway as we will not be coming this way until many months later.
The ticket costs £30.95 each ( adult). As we did not bring the student pass, my daughter did not get any discount. If you book your ticket beforehand, you will get a discount as well. So remember when you go to London, forward planning can save you some money.
From the viewing deck on level 69 and 72, one can see the whole of London from all the directions of the compass. The view was interesting and the weather was murky and drizzly. So it was not a good day for viewing.
The view from Petronas Twin Tower was a bit more colourful as Malaysia is a tropical country. I suppose the view would be better in summer.
Jackson and Rye
After the tour, we went and did our business for the day. In the evening, we met up again and went for dinner in Soho area. My niece was raving about this restaurant that serves this fantastic combination of waffle with bacon and maple syrup. So we decided to go there.
We booked in advance. When we went there, we found out that the food that she mentioned is only available for brunch. It was the grilled maple slab bacon that she was raving about. But that was only available for brunch in the weekends. Too bad…
The restaurant is an up-market American Restaurant with a full bar. The atmosphere was great, without being too noisy, and a the lighting was a bit dim. The wait staff were friendly and efficient. We were shown to our table immediately.
We had the Evening a la carte menu. We only ordered 2 starters, I ordered the Salt and Pepper Squid and my daughter ordered the Pan Fried Scallops. For our mains, my niece, her hubby and myself ordered the Crispy Fried Buttermilk & BBQ Chicken. My daughter ordered the Miso Cod.
We did not wait too long before the starters arrived. the Salt and Pepper Squid was excellent with the squids crisply fried with a blend of pepper and chillies and other spices. The sauce was the house sesame and lime sauce which went well with the squid. I detected a miso taste in the sauce. It was served on a crunchy rice vermicelli noodles.
The Fried Scallop was served with crushed garden peas which was well seasoned and crispy Parma ham. Both the starters were delicious. The Squid was a generous portion and we shared it.
Then came the Mains. My daughter’s marinated miso Cod Fillet came with egg noodles, pak choi, ginger, chili, coriander, sesame & dashi stock. It looked good and appetising. However, the cod was under seasoned. The egg noodles was not very tasty and the whole dish was a bit bland. However, we could not make out what one of the vegetables was. It was round and shaped like the white stem of leeks. Hmm, we could not make out what it was. Anyway, we forgot to ask the waiter what it was.
Our Chicken came with Fried Buttermilk chicken breast and a succulent grilled BBQ leg with spicy slaw & fries. The BBQ chicken was moist and tender. The fried buttermilk chicken breast was lightly deep fried. What I meant was that the batter was really light and it went will with the tender and moist chicken breast. The BBQ sauce came in a little cup with a handle and a brush to facilitate brushing the sauce onto the chicken!! A bit of novelty here. The fries were normal American shoe strings and the coleslaw was tangy. On the whole, the chicken was excellent.
Verdict:
I would go to this restaurant again to try out the other dishes. Not all are fantastic, and the restaurant has got most of it right. The atmosphere was good, service quick and attentive, and food good value for money for this type of outlet.
Happy Days!!
P.s.
The photos are a bit dark and blur as the lighting in the restaurant is dim. I have tried to format it as much as I can.
