Cocorino

Today I'm here to talk about an ice-cream shop that rules. Even if it's still winter... Who cares? It's ice cream! This is Cocorino.

 

The shop is located on Thayer Street, and it's not just an ice-cream shop. There is also a focacceria next door, but since I haven't been there I can't talk about it... The only thing I know is I've read some reviews online and they aren't all that good so... you should just stick to the ice-cream for now.

I must admit I've never been a huge fan of ice-cream in general; I only like (well, really like) chocolate or hazelnut flavors, and I even find it hard to find a chocolate ice-cream that I really like, but the one I ordered here (chocolate and hazelnut) was fantastic. My friend Sara ordered a mint one, which she also really enjoyed (although she actually wanted a mint and chocolate one, but it's kind of hard finding that around here!).

They also sell cakes and the like, so as you can see there are more options. So if you are in the area and are a bit hungry or just want to get something sweet, this is a place where you could go!

Hyde Park

In the heart of London is located this beautiful park, which, just as Central Park in New York, is known by pretty much everyone. Even though it's cold now and winter is almost here, it's always nice to be able to wander around a nice park with a warm coat on (or not, I mean, if you'd rather go naked I'm not the one to judge...), and Hyde Park is quite big, so there's lots of corners for you to spend some time alone if you want.

Most people stay near the Marble Arch entrance of the park (as you can see in the image below), since it's close to the main touristic areas (Piccadilly, etc.), so if you want to be away from the crowd I'd recommend you walk a bit further into the park so you can sit in more isolated places.

Hyde Park is divided in two by the Serpentine Lake, and on the other side (if you're coming from Marble Arch) you'll find the little Serpentine Gallery, where they host modern art exhibitions (although I've been there twice and haven't found anything I liked, but then again, we all like different things so go see for yourselves). Close to the gallery are the Kensington Gardens, one of the royal parks of London.

All in all, this is a quite nice park that is really worth a visit, especially since it is right in the center of London. Another park that is not too far away from the center of the city is Regent's Park - I didn't take pictures of it when I went there but I also recommend it. And since I'm recommending stuff, you should listen to Selfish Whales, a great band from Bloomington, IN that plays songs as beautiful as this one.

The Diner

In Curtain Road, in the Shoreditch area, is located the Diner, an American restaurant (or, well, diner) specialized in (obviously) burgers, pancakes, and more. In these photos I'll show you the one on Shoreditch, but there are more across the city (Camden, Soho, Islington...). 

Basically, it is a diner located on a very interesting area of London, and the restaurant itself is very cozy, especially if you seat in a booth next to the windows. There are vegetarian options aside from the regular hamburgers, and the price is alright, as you can see:

I also have to admit that I've never had a burger there so I can't really talk about its quality, but I did have some pancakes as per a friend's suggestion and they were very good. If you order the "high stack" you won't need to eat in months, seriously... or I mean, until dinner. Also, the waiters are very nice. My friend ordered some pancakes with blueberries and maple syrup, but since I don't really like those ingredients, I asked for some chocolate and got some Nutella! Amazing.

So yeah, I really recommend this place. And it's much nicer to go have a burger here (on in Byron, a small chain of burger restaurants that have one in Angel, and it is delicious; you can also go to Haché, in Camden - it is also very good) than in McDonald's. I'm tellin' ya.

Forbidden Planet

I love comics - and manga, graphic novels, etc. I have to admit that if it weren't for my brother and some friends I probably wouldn't know anything about that, but since I was a kid me and my brother would always read Dragon Ball and Marvel comics, and later on I started reading Naruto and graphic novels from great authors like Craig Thompson or Nate Powell. 

All of this and more can be found at Forbidden Planet, a big store located next to Covent Garden. It's one of the most large and best-known science-fiction and fantasy stores in the world, and it has several stores in the United Kingdom, the biggest one being the one in London.

And indeed they have LOTS of things. For starters, as you go in there are stands with awesome candy boxes. I love the Nintendo inspired ones!

On the ground floor there are tons of action figures from Nintendo, World Of Warcraft, Animal Crossing, Nightmare before Christmas, Marvel, Transformers, and much more. There are also vinyl toys:

And on the basement they have a big selection of comics, manga, and graphic novels. I really don't know that much about it, so maybe if you're looking for something really exclusive you won't find it, but I think they do have a lot!

And that's pretty much it. I really recommend it!

Oriental Delight

Hello friends,

today I present you a small store located in Chinatown (specifically Gerrard Street), between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. This is one of the few stores of the street, which mainly consists of restaurants. There is also another store like this one close to this one, towards Tokyo Diner.

You'll mainly find food in this store, and in particular candies. This is probably just a regular store but if you're into Asian culture it's really nice, because all the candy wrapping is wonderful! I have to admit, lately I've been listening to and watching videos of Korean pop... Yes, yes, it's true. And it's AWESOME. So anything that reminds me of it is a plus.

That said, be careful and look at the expiration date on the products because a friend of mine bought some candy and some of it was expired! And so maybe you're thinking, so why the heck are you posting about this store? Well, because ...I guess not all of it is expired, and plus it's hard to find this kind of store in Spain, so... yeah. And, as I mentioned before, the wrapping and boxes have all these colorful drawings and it makes for a nice and simple gift. For instance, I like these:

As you can see they also have some "Hello Kitty" stuff so there's a bit for everyone (that is, everyone that is into these kinds of things). It might no be the best store in London, but it's in the city centre and around Chinatown, so if you're in the area it's nice if you want some pink and blue chewing gum or something...

By the way, I know I already posted about this but my brother and I just started posting recipes again on our cooking blog... We're going to try to update it as much as we can from now on! I still have to translate the last couple of recipes but most if it is already translated! Hopefully you'll find something you like. Enjoy!