Yoojin Cho

Welcome to 221b Baker Street

Does this address sound familiar to you? “221b Baker Street”

How about this name? “Dr. Watson”

No? Then… “SHERLOCK HOLMES”

Yes! We all know the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and the fabulous tales of solving crimes and kicking criminals’ a**. We have seen the movie with Robert Downey, Jr., and we know the books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Subsequently, we now make the connection, Sherlock Holmes lived in London. On Baker Street. Right by the Baker Street tube. Indeed, extremely close to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum.

Oh. There he is! Obviously, I HAD to visit this museum. To me, it was already pretty awesome walking around Central London pointing out all the places I remember from the movie. I thereby wanted to see the actual house where Holmes lived.

221b Baker Street, a surprisingly small, narrow building, stands next to a Beatles store and Subway (…Eat Fresh!)

When Jack and I arrived at the museum, many people were already lined up to go inside. Because of its size, they only let about 10 people in at a time. Kind of annoying, but preserving the building and NOT letting it collapse may have been a good priority.

And voila! We finally entered the building. A bit amusing, but none other than Dr. Watson himself greeted us.

“Welcome! Welcome to the modest little place that I share with Sherlock!”

How cute is he?

After a little chat and a little photo sesh with Dr. Watson, we made our way through the tiny apartment. The study room… Sherlock’s room with all his handy dandy detective gear…

A letter Sherlock wrote to Watson also on display…

Then upstairs, suddenly the exhibit turned into a wax museum. They had recreated scenes from each Sherlock Holmes book.

Engaged in a serious staring contest… But those wax figures did look extremely real. When I first walked in and saw the “people” hanging from the roof, I almost let out a small scream.

Though 6 pounds for entry, I thought this visit to the museum was definitely worthwhile. Though not a place I would see multiple times, I had a great time walking up and down the narrow stairs and looking at all the furniture, artifacts and memorabilia dedicated to this “fictional” character.

http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/

MOUTHWATERING! Cheap Eats in Boston – From Boston.com

My, my goodness. All these look delicious!

If you know me well enough, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE food. Don’t care about the calories. Don’t care about the fat percentage. Don’t care about the carbs. I just like to eat tasty food, savor the moment and find fun recipes.

Well, lucky me. While surfing the web this morning, I stumbled upon this slideshow on the Boston Globe website: Cheap Eats in Boston.

http://www.boston.com/ae/restaurants/gallery/cheap_eats/

Yes. Yes. Yes!

I’m definitely checking out these places:

Genki Ya: They have a location in Brookline, not just in Cambridge!

Kowloon: I’m not an adventurous eater, but I actually might want to try this place.

Benevento’s: Shocked to find a North End restaurant on this list. Nevertheless, this pizza looks absolutely delicious.

Garlic ‘N Lemons:I really need to explore Allston-area restaurants more fully. There are so many hidden gems all along Harvard Ave. Also, kebabs and shawarma. My go-to late-night snack of choice. I miss them.

Posto: More pizza. I’m there.

The Talk: Looks like an Italian restaurant. Needless to say, I love everything Italian.

The Snug: A pint of Guinness and a steak pie. Definitely brings back good Dublin memories. Can I just confess here really quickly, Irish accents might be more amusing and more wonderful than British accents.

House of Kebob: I mean… Duh. It’s a house of kebabs? Oh man.

Parish Cafe South End: Anything patio cafe belongs to my “good” list.

Piattini Cafe and Gelateria: OMG GELATO. I consumed lots lots and lots of gelato in Italy. Seriously, to my heart’s content. And I think I’m now ready to search for great gelato in Boston.

City Girl Cafe: Is that… Scrambled eggs on baguette? It’s sooo pretty!

Ducali Pizzeria and Bar: Another North End restaurant on the list of cheap eats? Once again, very surprised.

Nourish: Two words, JUMBO WINGS. Sold.

Via Lago Cafe: The usual suspects on the kids menu… mac & cheese and pasta. Call me silly, but once again, sold. Oh I suppose the creative dinner menu for adults will be great, too.

Now, who wants to sample these dishes?

(Thank you Boston Globe for putting this list together)

La Liaison – the French/Portuguese Man's Latte

We don’t know for sure where he came from. We actually don’t even know his name. But we know for sure he makes darn good latte and croissant.

While we are on the subject of small, quaint, friendly cafes – see the previous post, The Muffin Man – it’s definitely worth taking a few minutes to reflect on my delicious morning routine almost every day before class in London.

La Liaison, located right next to the Gloucester tube, is really a hole-in-the-wall patisserie with coffee, hot breakfast, to-go sandwiches and a variety of pastry.

Unfortunately, I never snapped a picture of the place, so that’s the best I could do with some help of everyone’s trustworthy friend, Google Images. Regardless I suppose the picture does portray the vibe of La Liaison quite well.

It’s small. There are maybe two tables inside the cafe. But people are always stopping by, reading newspapers outside or chatting up their friends in front of the shop.

I first stopped by for an emergency dose of caffeine when I realized I could no longer stay awake in one of my classes. Ever since, picking up a small latte and a croissant became a ritual. More importantly, however, I only paid about 3 pounds for both the coffee AND the pastry. Considering the exchange rates and the high cost of living in the UK, what a feat!

I thought the coffee from La Liaison was always high quality. Though served in rather small portions, with foamy milk, what a perfect way to wake up and start the day.

Along with the coffee, I would always get the chocolate (or sometimes plain) croissant, too. The mysterious French/Portuguese man told me he made them fresh every morning, and yes, I totally believe him.

On top of that, the English Breakfast. If I remember correctly, it was only 3 or 4 pounds. For those not familiar with English Breakfast, the dish consists of eggs – sunny side up, sausages, bread, ham and beans in tomato sauce.

Wait, beans in tomato sauce?

Right. We never really encounter those in America. Next time you’re at a grocery store, stop by the tiny little British section most likely in the far back corner of the store and pick up a can. It’s absolutely delicious.

In fact, I concluded my journey in London with English Breakfast and a latte from La Liaison. I couldn’t think of any other way to leave the city I fell in love with so quickly.

Besides all those delicious goodies, the best part was probably the friendly French/Portuguese man who always greeted me with “Oh, hello beautiful!” with a slight French accent. Let it be a cheesy cliche, but I loved it!

Also, note that is how I came to call him the mysterious French man.

The “Portuguese” part followed soon after though, when I saw him cheering for a Portuguese football (soccer) team.

Confused? Me too.

My Love for Afternoon Tea

Do you knowwwwww the MUFFIN MAN? The muffin man? The muffin mannnnn?

Don’t worry, I’m not going crazy despite the high heat and humidity that have invaded Boston this month.

I’m simply asking, if you have ever experienced the magic of an afternoon tea at a little cafe called The Muffin Man.

Yes, it is a tea shop in South Kensington – in the middle of a residential area, quite tucked away in a corner. We stumbled upon this only because Jack saw it on his way back from High St. Kensington and remembered the name (I mean, why not?).

I’m extremely glad we decided to be adventurous and tried out the place out of blue because now, I can’t say enough great things about it.

The Muffin Man serves wonderful devonshire cream with freshly baked scones and delicious herb tea. But it also boasts a full flavorful menu – sandwiches, pasta, lasagna and even English breakfast.

Seriously, my mouth is watering as I’m recalling how affordable and delightful the afternoon tea was.

This tea cost us (Jack & me) a grand total of £10. Yes, for both of us. The tea at Harrods cost us close to £50. Ouch.

Obviously Harrods served a bit more fancy plate of finger foods, including smoked salmon sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches and fruit tarts, but honestly, Muffin Man’s scones are superb, compared to those of Harrods.

Also, the setting. While Harrods gives off the stereotypical rich, classy, elegant vibe, the Muffin Man welcomes everyone – casual clothes, a bit dressed up in summer dresses, stopping by for cupcakes or sitting down for a cute date.

If I’m ever back in London, I am definitely going back to the Muffin Man – for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. Not kidding.

It’s always the small, family-run, friendly restaurants that completely get me. They seem to know how to make perfect dishes and let you enjoy the food in comfortable, loving, welcoming setting, which, without fail, leads to a huge smile and the perfect level of fullness.

Oh, and one more thing. After a semester in London, I am totally addicted to tea. Thought my coffee addiction was bad? Well, now I grab a box of PG Tips or strawberry tea when I go buy a can of coffee beans with extra espresso. Oh well.