Memoirs of Bee

  There are so many difficulties in escaping the never-ending demands of university and full-time work. To avoid the delayed headache of organisation a short-break whilst playing the waiting game with my manager about who wins the approval for a holiday request, I sought out new ways of how to relax with limited time. I tried several ‘relaxing’ activities such as spa treatments on the weekend, spending more time in nail salons, home facial masks – nothing seemed to feel relaxing enough. However, after booking an overnight stay in a nice hotel, Radisson Blu, it seemed to be a perfect short-break fix. I was feeling over-worked, over-whelmed and tired of the consistent pattern of work and university. On arrival at the closest station to the Radisson Blu – Canary Wharf, I was a little lost as it under a bridge and Google maps love to take you on adventure before reaching your destination. Once my adventure was over (also known as a detour) and I had gotten over my blon...

Hutong, The Shard Despite, the positive connotations given to this restaurant, I was not impressed by the food or the service. On arrival to the Shard, I was welcomed by a friendly hostess who checked for the reservation. Once the reservation was found, I was seated at a window-side table which was okay. The view from the table was the train tracks of London Bridge and a few other buildings. I went to the restaurant during the week at lunch time. It was quiet as expected which was nice because I felt the service would be very personalized and efficient. However, it felt like it took twice as long to get the waiter’s attention and even longer to wait for the food. The best dish I had at Hutong was the ‘prawn toast’. Now, this is not your regular frozen prawn toast which you will receive from a Chinese takeaway. In fact, the prawns tasted fresh, seasoned and were presented in a soft pastry parcel. I had really high expectations after eating this as a starter, but this was a...

On this social occasion, due to time and distance constraints, I was forced to look for a bar which was close by but still had similar aesthetically pleasing views. Fortunately, I was able to find Eighteen Sky Bar, a top-floor bar based in the InterContinental at 02 with views overlooking areas such as Canary Wharf. On arrival, my friend and I were met by helpful reception staff who explained how to get to the bar which was by taking the lift to the top floor. On a Sunday evening, the hotel seemed very tranquil and relaxed which I enjoyed thoroughly.  When we reached the top floor, there was a window to the left of the lifts which showed a beautiful view, another perfect spot for those who love to take pictures. As we arrived to the bar, we was pleasantly acknowledge by the host for the evening and shown to a table by the window. The bar was very quiet, which is surprising for a weekend evening, but was lovely as it meant the waiter was very attenti...

I had an ordinary working week, a bit more stressful than usual, so I decided to meet up with good friends for after work drinks. The destination was Madison, a rooftop bar based in St Pauls with views of the cathedral and a restaurant space for keen diners. On arrival, my two friends and I took the elevator up to the top floor and was met by a friendly hostess who asked if we were here for the bar or restaurant. After stating we were here for the bar, she kindly made us aware that we had a choice of two spots – inside or outside. With inside being so busy, we opted for this place first to see what the vibe was like on the inside. The inside restaurant and bar were very lively and busy which is expected on a Friday evening. There were a lot of business type attire which I assume is due to people who have come straight after work. Many people were standing in little groups with drinks in their hand and those who arrived early or reserved had a table by the window. On app...

Yauatcha, Soho I have visited this restaurant several times and it does not disappoint! As I have gotten older, I have moved away a little from sweet dishes and prefer savoury flavours. I used to find that within the Chinese cuisine, a lot of the dishes I would opt for were on the sweeter side. Thankfully, at Yauatcha, there is a variety of dishes which caters for my 'sometimes sweet, sometimes savoury' taste preference. For some context, did you know that Yauatcha is the sister restaurant to michelin-starred Hakkasan? As someone who follows restaurant groups, I was intrigued to discover that Alan Yu (the mastermind behind these restaurants) also created high-street chains such as Busaba Eathai & Wagamama. This means that regardless of your financial capability, you are able to eat and enjoy suited to your budget. So, why did I choose Yauatcha? Through research, I came across Yauatcha as I wanted to eat great food but something more relaxed than Hakkasan. I am very glad I ...

Despite the usual horrible weather in London, I was not discouraged to go out and I decided to meet up with a friend. The Oxo Tower has been on my list of places to visit for a while, not only does it have amazing views at the restaurant, it also has art exhibitions, shops and other bars and cafés to visit. When arriving at the location, I took a lift upstairs to the floor the restaurant was on. As expected, I was greeted by the helpful hostess who showed my friend and me to our table. Our table was placed by the window overlooking London from a height. We was given the menu, cocktail and wine list and asked if we would like water for the table. As per usual, I opted for still water and browsed the cocktail menu first. The tiki-themed glass was a big shocker – didn’t really seem to fit in with the expected atmosphere of Oxo but the cocktail was great all the same: rum-based, sweet with a passionfruit placed on the top. As you can see in the photo, there was a quite a few fr...