The Scones At High Tea of Highgate

Sunday, 29 September 2013

I came across scones about 9 years ago when I visited Cornwall. Since then it has become my favourite Afternoon Tea treat. So far, I have tried scones from Harvey Nichols, Marriott hotel, Le Pain Quotidien, Balthazar , Sainsbury's and High Tea of Highgate. Among those places, my least favourite is Le Pain Quotidien. The scones I had over there was not only hard, but the cream they used was more of like what you would put on your hot chocolate. In other words, it was not clotted cream. On the other hand, my favourite scones so far are the ones from High Tea of Highgate.

One of my friends introduced me to this little teashop in the heart of Highgate Village 2 years ago. And although I have been to other cafes after that, I would always go back to High Tea, not only for their scones but also for the cosiness of the place. Whether you would like an "alone time", catch up with friends or have a good tea-time experience, High Tea is the place to be.
High Tea's scones are freshly baked. You could actually smell the freshness of it when it's served. For me, a good scone should be fresh, soft and crumbly....
And of course, it is served with my favourite cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam.

When I attended my friend's baby shower, some British folks asked me what the proper way of eating a scone is. Having no idea at all, I showed them how I would normally eat my scones.

I don't know if there is another way, but I cut my scones in the middle then I spread my clotted cream first, always.

And then I spread the strawberry jam on top. I eat them one after the other. Again, I am not sure if there are people out there who put them back together and eat that way like a sandwich. But, however you would want to eat it, what matters most is that you enjoy your scones. And the best I've had so far are the ones from High Tea of Highgate.
50 Highgate High Street
London N6 5HX

Since I am talking about scones, I might as well tell you what I think of Balthazar's scones. Well, they are beautiful. They are served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. But I think they are too commercialized. They are so beautiful to look at, but it actually doesn't give you that authentic texture and taste of a true scone. It's always worth a try I suppose.

I love their packaging though.

I was actually glad we ordered their French Onion soup because it was amazing!! This, I would recommend. No doubt about that.
Balthazar
4-6 Russell Street
London WC2B 5HZ

My good friend H actually recommends Delaunay's scones, so I probably would try it there next time.


tintin x


London 10k at Finsbury Park

Thursday, 12 September 2013

A couple of weeks ago, my friend invited me to run the Women's Running 10k race at Finsbury Park. I was hesitant at first because I have already ran 10k before, so I wanted to level up. But then I heard the bad news that my good friend's cousin has been diagnosed with a throat Cancer. I wanted to help in any way I can so I decided to run so I could raise funds for her, and of course so I could run for Keith again.

Although I only live 8 minutes away from the park, I turned up late because I had to wait for my friend. By the time I got to the park, the race has started but my friend hasn't turned up. Worst of all, I was not ready. I have not put my chip and my number on, so Don was getting really angry at me.

My friend eventually turned up and we started the race on our own. We were 6 minutes late but I felt really special.
The lady in black looked familiar but I couldn't remember her at that time, then I later on thought that it could be Nell McAndrew.

Since my friend and I haven't seen each other since July, we had some catching up to do.

But that didn't last long, because at the end of the day we were there for the run. So it wasn't long until we both started running and I went ahead of her.

Six minutes late, but soon enough I was ahead of about 200 runners and it felt great! 

To be fair, most of the runners probably haven't ran in Finsbury Park before. I have done it a few times and I must tell you that the hills in the park are killers. I would normally slow down a big deal on my regular runs, but at that time, I had so much energy that I was racing up the hills.

Although I have ran 10k before, this was another level as I managed to finished in 62 minutes despite the hills. And now I can perhaps run on flat surface faster than before. I have yet to try since but I know I can run faster now.

There you go, my second 10k race in 62 minutes.

Since I started running, I have always ran with Keith's favourite toy, Meowmeow.

Keith has always been my inspiration in joining races.This time, I did it for him and for a friend. Two inspiring people.

Have you challenged yourself lately?


tintin x

A Trip To Heraklion, Crete in September

Sunday, 1 September 2013

I can't believe that it's been three years since our last trip to Greece. It was the year 2010 when we did a lot of traveling. We gave traveling a miss this year because we're preparing for something big, but as soon as we get things sorted, I'm sure our itchy feet will be back on track.

It was September 2010 when we decided to visit Greece. In fact, we only wanted to go to Santorini, but since air fares to Santorini were quite expensive, we looked for cheaper alternatives. We found a cheap flight from Bristol to Heraklion, Crete. So from there we took the ferry to Santorini. As we didn't really plan our trip to this place ahead, we only managed to visit a few places.

Our hotel wasn't exactly in the centre of town but it was close enough, about 15-20 minutes walk. It was also about 6km or 10 minutes bus ride to Knossos.

The Knossos is an archeological site and is considered as the oldest city in Europe. It is located about 5km south of Heraklion.
                                                                                                                                           
After a couple of hours in Knossos, we headed to the Venetian harbour to pick up our ferry tickets to Santorini. Then we had lunch at a restaurant by the harbour. Unfortunately, I was not able to take down the name of the restaurant where we ate because I didn't think at that time that I would be blogging about our travels one day. But I can assure you that the food is very good and the price is just right. Besides, you will have a great view of the harbour.
 
The  Venetian Harbour
 
Souvlaki
Grilled Octopus
Greek Salad

Although we didn't have enough time to spend in Heraklion, we still managed to see most of it. From the harbour we walked to the centre of town.

For sure we also had a wee bit of time to go the beach, but unfortunately the resorts were closed at 6pm.

Heraklion is so worth of a lay-over. Whether you are looking for a weekend get away, or just an overnight stay in Greece, think Heraklion.


tintin x

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