Foof adventure!

The Friday morning of 19 February was sunny. Very sunny, in fact, and seeing as though I cannot stand to be cooped up in our flat for very long, it was clear an adventure was imminent.

The previous evening's festivities were full of laughter, merriment, (attempted) sit-ups and the Olympics (ish).  To "celebrate" the completion of the fastest week yet (having Thursday become "Friday" makes it seem the weekend is always arriving), it was clear the only way to mark the occasion was with some proper fun. 

London euphoria continued until my "alarm" became a symphony of jackhammers feverishly obliterating concrete across the street.  With clear skies and curtains that don't actually block out all the light, the probability of sleeping in rapidly shrunk to zero.

However, all was not lost, because getting up early just means there is more day to enjoy! 

The view from our window on the 12th floor (hah)

I felt much better after showering and was ready to take on all of that London sun.  Our little epicurean adventure was to take place at the infamous Borough Market in the south bank.  If you remember anything about my last post that was devoted entirely to the glory of Borough, you probably have a vague idea of how excited I was about the prospect of gracing the foodie paradise with my presence once more.  

After a bit of a tube fail (we got off one stop too early) and a brisk walk through parts of London you don't see on the tourism websites, we arrived somewhat puzzled.  The sign clearly said "Borough Market," but everything looked unfamiliar.  

We took the sign's word and walked into what turned out to be even MORE Borough than we had seen in our previous trip.  Utterly confused, but very excited, we walked passed even more stands (this time with produce, a fish monger, cheeses, wines, curries, and so much more).  

Massive bowls of steaming Malaysian curried chicken stood in front of us.  The smells (despite my somewhat lackluster nose) still managed to penetrate my nostrils and fill my head with pleasure.  It was pretty obnoxious how excited we all were. Not willing to prolong my stomachs cry for sustenance, the massive bowls of steaming curry had my name written all over them.

After (surprisingly) taking some time to savor the flavor of the first few bites, my inevitable fear that the food was getting cold trumped the call of my taste buds to enjoy the deliciousness and I devoured the rest in a matter of minutes.  So good.

Zach, on the other hand, stood strong and passed the steaming bowls of curry in search of Kangaroo.  Yes, that famed marsupial that can be seen harmlessly bouncing around in National Geographic magazines, Discovery Channel specials and throughout the continent of Australia was now in burger form. 

Need I say more?

In case you are wondering, he splurged and paid the 50p for cheese.  I snagged a quick bite before the burger made its way to Zach's stomach, and I've gotta say it was pretty delicious.  Definitely more mild than I was anticipating, but I wouldn't liken it to chicken.  It was really thick and had a distinctive flavor that wasn't unappealing, it just wasn't something I would run out and bring home on a weekly basis. 

After our incredible lunching experience, I grabbed a bowl of Tom Yum soup before wandering back to find the rest of the group.

The Tom Yum broth sets itself apart with loads of fresh herbs and a distinct hot and sour flavor.  It is traditionally made with prawns, but in this instance it was only available with chicken which was just fine with me. To help tone down the spiciness, they poured in some coconut milk (which I think is pretty nontraditional) and it ended up being really well-balanced.  To clarify, I don't randomly know all about the history of Tom Yum, the manager of the stand gave me a really interesting crash course on how they made it.

During my passionate hunt for free samples, here are a few highlights of what I was able to get my hands on: chocolate chili truffles, cinnamon spiced/chocolate almonds, baklava (3 pieces lol), more of that balsamic glaze that was aged for 20920 years, cheese that was aged with red wine, some incredible fresh bread, chorizo and loads of jams/spreads.

Now that we have stumbled upon the real Borough Market, it is even more obvious why it is arguably one of the greatest food markets in the world.

I love London!

Thanks for the two pictures, Zach!

Cheers!!