Day 114 - May Day and Chippies!

I thought today is a public holiday, since it's May Day. With the Bank holiday on the coming Monday, I thought it would be a super long weekend.

But turns out, 1st May aren't any public holidays for UK. Perhaps it is compensated by the Bank Holiday that occurs on the first week of May.

Anyway, what's a Bank Holiday? I used to think that it's a holiday where only the Banks are closed, but elder brother told me that it's their term for public holidays. You see, they don't have much festivals here to have public holidays for, unlike Singapore where we have almost everything from Hari Raya to Deepavali. So they fix certain days as "Bank Holidays" to give the public some additional rest dates. They are usually on a Monday, probably to ensure long weekends I guess.

Joy mentioned that she wants to try Fish and Chips. Being here in London for close to 4 months, I still have no idea where are the good chippies (local slang for Fish and Chip shop). When I googled and consulted my Lonely Planet guidebook, they both point to one that is so near my area! And it's an old establishment in Bloomsbury!

So after picking up Joy from Kings Cross to tour UCL, I brought her to this place, North Sea Fish Restaurant at Leigh Street. To think that I walk pass the street parallel to Leigh Street everytime I go to school, not knowing that there is a 老字号 nearby!

The left side is the takeaway chippies, the right side is the restaurant. A fish and chips at the restaurant would cost you £10+. Heard that the place started out as a takeaway chippies, and expanded to include a restaurant in subsequent years.

Of course we went for the cheaper option. Nothing says more British Fish and Chips than holding them all in a paper cone on one hand, and eating off with a small wooden fork on the other right?

The portions are huge! My Haddock for £4.80, and the smallest chips portions (which are really big) is only £1.30! Cod costs £4.80 as well. I can't even buy raw fish at that size!

The bag that packed our fishes and chips. Ironically, the oil is soaking through the word "healthiest".

Our feasts at Brunswick. See how huge the portion is? Even I had problem finishing the chips when I'm sharing it with joy. It is that huge. And the fish is excellently fresh - kills all the memory of the horrible fish and chips I had at Brighton. This one is much fresher, tastier, and more goods for your bucks.

After feeding our stomach, Joy went off to watch "Wicked" at Victoria. In the evening, something happened when I went to pick her up at Kings Cross.

A fire going on?

Indeed it is!

The smoke bellowing and descending on the opposite side of the road. I have no idea why the crowd form up to watch when the smoke is descending upon them!