A final day and a half to visit with Zoë before heading home is the perfect way to end this trip! We spent part of this time eating (of course) and part of this time shopping…Zoë has some important job interviews coming up this week!

To keep up with our restaurant reviews…we decided to try out Michelin Bib Gourmand “Bancome”, which was just a few blocks away from our hotel in Trafalgar Square. This place was popping, with lots of people trying to snag a table at the last minute. While the service was ”ok”, the homemade pastas were definitely a treat! We had a laugh each time we asked for a glass of water, and they literally gave you about an ounce in your glass…why?!

Starters were homemade rosemary and sea salt focaccia and cocktails, along with grilled artichoke, romesco and chervil; burrata, tomato, basil and crispy fregola; and iceberg wedge with mascarpone, soft herbs and lots of cripsy onions.

For the next course, we had a hard time choosing between the pasta options but finally settled on the pea & ricotta ravioli with courgette and fresh yeast; the bucatini cacio e Pepe; and the roasted tomato with smoked stracciatella and tagliatelle. We did not have room for dessert!

We returned to our hotel room for a little ”check-in” with the whole family…got to keep those communication channels open even while mom and dad are on the road!

During our chat, Riana shared updated photos from the wedding…they are sorting through 1,600 pictures! Here’s a sneak peak of some of their family favorites!

On the next day, after a full morning of shopping, we decided to sit down for a lovely 3-hour tea at the Orchid Lounge in the Pan Pacific Hotel. It was truly spectacular and I would highly recommend this spot if your looking for a beautiful setting, long and leisurely service, and spectacular food! The tea selection alone was mind boggling.

Gary and I started with the more traditional tea sandwich selection while Zoë indulged in their Asian savouries (a Sau Mai basket including spinach, carrot sesame; shiitake & maitake mushroom and corn; prawn, caviar and spring onion; and beef, onion & oyster sauce). This was followed by a steamed lotus bun and fried sweet potato bun (in the birdcage).

Next up were plain and strawberry chocolate scones with clotted cream, preserves and lemon curd. This was followed by an apple and Elderflower “ice lollie”, and finally a really incredible assortment of pastries (that plate was for each person). In addition to tea (lots and lots of tea), Zoë and I indulged in a UK based champagne flight with 3 different glasses of champagne. We were stuffed!

Time to say good bye to this sweetie. I am proud to announce that she has accepted a position as Development Manager with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (iwpr.net) based in London, an independent nonprofit that trains and provides publishing opportunities for professional and citizen journalists in order give voice to people at the frontlines of conflict and transition to help them drive change. So proud of her! I guess this means we’ll have more travels through London in our future!