English Countryside Charm: Holbeck Ghyll

I'll be sharing about the two Michelin restaurants I brought my family to during our Summer road trip in UK last year (Part II coming up!).  I had been to both before with my own group of friends in Easter of 2013 and decided that they would make great stops for the family when they came up to visit.

I much prefer the Michelin restaurants outside of London because they are the perfect excuse to take a day trip out to enjoy what the English countryside has to offer, and their meals are generally very value for money without being too theatrical or pompous.  Just good ol' fresh ingredients, cooked really well and served in decent portions that would keep the men happy.

Date of Visit: 31 May 2014

First up is Holbeck Ghyll, the Michelin restaurant in a small hotel of the same name seated atop a hill with lush and tranquil surroundings.  It's the perfect kind of place for a getaway and to have the full experience of warm British hospitality.  It's also the one place that I confidently recommend to friends who are making a trip down to the Lake District, because I know the quality of their food and hospitality is consistently good.  If I were having my future wedding in the UK this would definitely be a top contender but too bad I have no such budget for that haha.  Okay enough talking, time to share the good stuff!

The winding road leading up to the hotel grounds

Hong Kong 'Ho Ho Sek'

Date of Visit: 12-15 July 2014

A very belated post, but I thought I should still share the goodies we had the privilege of trying when we went to Hong Kong over this summer.

Day One

Woke up bright and early to take our 9.30am flight to HK!!!  Was so excited and still packing away the night before so I slept really late, but that didn't stop me from waking up early.  This post comes really late but I hope the photos and rusty recollections will still do the trip justice!

I will miss trying to scramble away from the HK water dripping from goodness-knows-where and just feeling absolutely pleased that I was in foodie heaven.  From the cheap to the expensive, everything was simply sublime and every meal had me beaming with happiness even if it was something as simple as scrambled eggs or wanton mee.  Needless to say, the cheap prices made it easy on the wallet and was a great bonus.

Skirt at W Hotel - Sentosa Cove

I am finally back in sunny monsoon season Singapore for my Christmas break!  Feels amazing to be home, and I've been going on a whirlwind tour of my favourite restaurants and places ever since touching down.

K brought me to a steakhouse that I haven't been to yesterday evening and it was a refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Skirt is the perfect place to bring your date if he or she likes spending a good two hours sitting around and just soaking in the surroundings.  I mean, just look at the decor of this place!  From those dramatic lantern-looking lights to wooden cutting boards hanging behind us.  It was quite a sight to behold - every wall was covered with some kind of display or dramatic curtains that hung from the top of this restaurant's very high ceiling.

On a side note, I do see why 'staycations' have been becoming more popular nowadays after taking a stroll around W Hotel and Sentosa Cove.  K commented that for once he felt like he was in a different country, and I couldn't agree more.  Admiring the nearby developments that had tranquil views of the south coast and just strolling along with nothing and no one but the sea breeze for company ended off my night wonderfully.  It truly felt like a short getaway to a quiet island, and I won't be forgetting that feeling in a long while.