Chinatown

Seeing as it's half term (finally!), I'm enjoying my well earned time off as much as I can - trust me...staff need it more than the students ;) I didn't get much chance to celebrate Chinese New Year as I was working solidly, but usually every year, we head to Chinatown to soak up the atmosphere, gawp at the gorgeous lanterns everywhere and of course, eat some rather good food. We usually go to the same restaurant in Wardour Street as we have a Chinese friend who insists it is the best, but my mum and I decided to delve into 'Bone Daddies' as recommended by Rosie. Authentic Asian food is so different to the greaseball stuff you get from your local takeaway so if you're put off by a bad Chinese experience, open your mind and head to Chinatown. It will change your mind, I promise. My Mum works solidly too so having a whole day together is a rarity these days, but we popped to Chinatown with a skip in our step and enjoying the London sunshine.

Bone Daddies isn't an obvious choice of restaurant from the outside - you'd easily walk past it, until you smelt the food wafting through the doors - I'm speaking from experience here. It's on a small road off of Wardour Street and it's the type of road you wouldn't have a reason to walk down - well now we do. It's a funky little restaurant and you sit on high stools and squash up to your foodie neighbour. Ramen noodles is the main focus so if you like big bowls of brothy noodle soup filled with veg and chinese spice then Bone Daddies is probably a winner for you. My Mum went for the Sweet 3 Miso Ramen which she dove into rather rapidly, and I went for the T22, which came complete with 'cock scratchings' - like pork scratchings but with a far better name. Both bowls were delicious and as much as we tried, we couldn't finish them.

We wandered Gerrard Street for a while and browsed our fav supermarket 'Oriental Delight' and bought a couple of authentic bits and bobs to make our own Chinese food with. Never be afraid to check out the oriental supermarkets..the owners are lovely, authentic produce makes better food, and it is a real snapshot of a different world of ingredients. By this point we decided we were thirsty and so headed to my fav bubble tea haunt 'Boba Jam' on Shaftesbury Avenue. Bubble tea is one of my fav sweet treats and I have been drinking it for years now. My Mum however had never tried it - it was an experience for her, but she loved it and can't wait to return for more!

Westfield Stratford was calling our names in the afternoon so we nipped there for a quick browse to finish off our day together. I didn't buy much..a couple of bits from L'Occitane and a few more Disney mugs for my ever growing collection. It was a lovely day together and Mum is now trying to reschedule clients on Wednesday so we can have another day out. 

If you're local to London or in the surrounding areas, make sure you pop to Chinatown whilst all the decorations are out..they're a beautiful sight!

-Tamsin xxx