A trip to London @ Boat Quay

Neko no niwa (Translated: Cat Cafe) has recently opened at Boat Quay. Being the cat lovers we are, we decided to hop down to Boat Quay area to check out the cafe (from the outside). Boat Quay is lined up with shophouses offering a variety of nightlife activities and food, making it hard or me to decide on a location for dinner. After some googling, I came up with a list of feasible dining options in the Boat Quay area. Perhaps we will visit these locations and have them blogged in subsequent posts :)

From my list of dining options, London @ Boat Quay caught my eye because of its guarantee of a great British food experience and no hidden charges! Their website (not very well designed in our opinion) provided sufficient details on the price and description of the food they have on their menu. There were little reviews to be found about the place, however, comments from their Facebook page as well as from random food review websites were mostly positive. One of the negative comments about the place was that serving timing is slow. We decided that we have time, so we can afford that risk and thus decide to head down to London for dinner!

First Impressions
Because there are so many shops along Boat Quay, it will be easy to miss London (and Neko no niwa). Fortunately, my little research online provided me a useful tip for locating the outlet - To lookout for the shop's sign synonymous to London - The London Underground (aka The Tube).

The London Underground (Source: Wikipedia)

Coming from The Central at Clarke Quay, the location was just a few shops right after crossing the underpass. The shop's signage was also pretty obvious (due to its colors and familiarity) and we were thus able to find the shop in no time! The cat cafe is conveniently located beside London! The place has a casual atmosphere with the crew dressed in T-shirt uniforms. There were probably around 8 tables inside the little shop with an additional few tables outside, along the walkway of Boat Quay. Most tables were already filled and we were fortunate to get a seat in the shop, right beside the bar counter. London is furnished with things symbolic to London - pictures of Big Ben, road signs of London's streets..

From the table where we were sitting

Check out the calendar featuring a player from one of London's football clubs - Tottenham Hotspurs!

Speaking of football, London screens LIVE football matches as and when the clubs are playing. Two of their TVs were kept on Singtel mioTV's football channel. Coupling with the variety of beer (draught beer, cider and even traditional British ale) that are offered in the menu, London will be a great place to watch soccer matches with a group of friends!

The food menu with the shop's logo

Anyway, back to pondering over the menu. The dinner menu had quite a number of choices, however, we were not familiar with British-styled food so we just ordered whatever that appealed to our palates. The one thing that I was definitely going to order was the "Cod, chips and mushy peas". There were some feedback that it was good! And for the second dish, we decided to go with "Bangers and Mash". Their description of the onion gravy that comes along with the dish is oh-so-irresistible! We placed our order with a waiter who took our orders enthusiastically and had plain water served to us in a short moment. Food was served in approximately 15 minutes time, not what I would call a long wait, still reasonably acceptable by my standards.

Reflection off the mirror beside us (TV was showing random MVs)

Traditional Cod, Chips and Mushy Peas

Beer battered Cod alongside our famous chips accompanied with our authentic 'mushy' peas with Tartare sauce on the side - $20

E: Cod that was fried in batter that was not too thick. Despite being coated with beer batter, there was almost no hint of beer, no worries about getting drunk over this dish! The cod had a strong taste to it and appeals to my taste buds. However, I will not recommend this dish for people who dislikes the "fishy smell". The chips were thick and satisfying! My favourite potatoes. The segmented tray that came along with the dish contains Heinz Tomato Sauce, Tartar sauce as well as a pickled onion. Eating that first sort of whets up your appetite because of its sour taste. The mushy peas were ordinary mashed peas, nothing particular to rave about.

A: The 'fish and chips' was unlike any that I have seen, being served in several pieces rather than a whole fillet. I am usually very particular about fish, rejecting those with a 'muddy or fishy' smell. While this fish has some of the 'fishy' taste, it was still tolerable for me. The cod had a rough texture and was tough in the sense that it does not break apart easily. Fries were large and long. I don't know why but it was fun to eat it! As for the peas, I think that they were ordinary. It would have been better if there was some kind of special sauce to go along with it! Despite the pickled onion being hard and very sour, it served to be a good appetizer.

Bangers and mash

2 authentic bangers on a bed of real mash potato in the best onion gravy you are going to taste anywhere! - $16

Menu description from the London menu

'Bangers and Mash' is a traditional British dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages

E: The sausages were sufficiently large but I don't think that the price justifies it. It was slightly salty but bearable. The mashed potatoes (MY FAVOURITE) were GREAT, especially with the onion gravy! The taste blends well together and leaves me craving for more! Well, it may seem that I may be overrating the mashed potatoes because I love potatoes cooked in almost any way. Drey thinks that the mashed potatoes were pretty good too! Check out her review of it below!

A: I think the sausages were below average. The onion gravy, on the other hand, was certainly delicious! I love the mashed potatoes and it's smooth texture!

Chocolate Volcano

Premium Belgian chocolate melts with vanilla cream and berries - $11

Chocolate lava that looked capable of flowing

E: This was the highlight of the entire time spent at London's. Expecting the chocolate lava to flow out, we captured a video while cutting the chocolate cake in half. To our disappointment, the chocolate did not flow much because it was too thick.

E: Nevertheless, the thick chocolate was warm, smooth, sweet and rich in flavour. I would say it slid down my throat with utmost satisfaction! Accompanying the chocolate lava and cake was a scoop (probably 2) of vanilla ice cream. The combination of warm belgian chocolate lava with cold ice cream is sure to make you crave for more!
A: I really looked forward to seeing the chocolate lava flow, like all the ones from TV. What a disappointment it was! However, the chocolate lava was damn awesome! The chocolate was really thick and filled the entirety of the cake. The ice cream that came along felt like sorbet... but it was not sorbet.

Thick Belgian chocolate!

Overall
Dinner for 2 pax - $47
Visited on 10 Jan 2013 @ ~715 PM

E: The main courses were simple and generally satisfactory while the dessert exceeded expectations. The price you see on the menu is exactly what you will pay (No extra service charge whatsoever). Staff were friendly, however they do not actively pay attention to your needs unless prompted. Perhaps it was due to it being the peak period and everyone is busy attending to everyone's orders. At least no one was standing by idly!
A: I think that the timing taken to serve the dishes was too kind of long. Slower than that of a restaurant. Fortunately there were TVs to help pass the waiting time!

London @ Boat Quay is a great a place to hang out/relax (or watch football matches) with friends for simple food and drinks (alcoholic) with British decor. Even if you are not into alcohol (like us), London is still a nice place to pass the evening, especially if you can get the seats by the riverside. If you are on a low budget of less than $15, London is not the place to go. One last note before concluding this post, London has a weekly Sunday event offering traditional British Sunday Roasts serving "Beef, Chicken and Pork roasted to perfection served with the best Roast potatoes in South East Asia" (reservations recommended). I have not personally tried this yet but it sure does sound good!

Date: 10 Jan 2013
Time: ~ 715 PM 
Dinner available from 5.30 - 10 PM (Bar food and snacks available until closing)

Location
London
55 Boat Quay Singapore
Nearest MRT: NE5 - Clarke Quay (Exit E)
*I came out from Exit C and walked along the river because it looked more convenient*

Photos taken with HTC Sensation XE and LG Optimus G