Phở and Stroll
Yeah it’s good to go away and moan about London but this city is one heck of a place to live in. A regular Monday with a late start (might’ve missed an alarm or ten.. oops) finds me working on a bunch of different things in the Student Centre with the sun streaming down from the glass roof.
Wrapping up around 3, I stuff my stuff (noun and verb case of the same word – bear with me) into a locker and head out for a classic Regent’s Park run. I am meeting a friend for dinner and having to stick around uni till later, I decided to clock my run in. And its a fantastic one, clear skies to see the skyline from the top of Primrose hill and dry ground so I could hit the trails with getting muddy.
Showering on campus and ready to go, we met at Goodge Street Station and head down towards Soho. On our way, the iron throne (from GoT) on a window display caught my eye and we found ourselves entering a shop filled with Harry Potter and Game of Thrones merchandise, with the theme songs running in the background and the facade of Hogwarts. Its truly amazing what a turn can lead you to in this city.
Being a big traveler and an authority on Vietnamese culture, my friend recommend that we go for Phở – a type of noodle soup made up of a broth, rice noodles and a meat. Starved with only a sandwich for lunch (that had vanished during the run), I was keen to dig in and the portion size were definitely pleasing. Served in a huge bowl, I went for king prawns in a veggie broth. The meal is served with a tray of herbs that you add on, like coriander and mint, as well as a range of sauces to season/spice it up. The warmth in flavours (and maybe the fact it was a soup…) make’s the pho like a good warm hug.
Because there is just so much liquid, you feel super full when you are finished. Being a warm summer night, we strolled down Oxford Street and towards Covent Garden to top off the meal with a dessert. I’d found this ice cream shop a couple weeks ago and I just love it! The people behind it come from a Turkish and Persian background and they bring all those amazing aromatic flavours like saffron and rose into the ice cream! Went for Orange Blossom and Pistachio this time. Definitely not disappointed.
A drowsy journey home after a long day and tucked in with my next read, The Bronze Horseman.
