bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea at Penmaenuchaf Hall – Dolgellau, Wales
A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of having afternoon tea at Penmaenuchaf Hall.
As some of you may know I am a big foodie, and I adore tea so you can probably guess how much I enjoyed it there.
If the grounds and hotel weren’t stunning enough, the food was even better! We were served a large selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones – with cream and jam, of course. I definitely ate my fill, which was accompanied by a ton of Earl Grey…I’d like to say literally but I don’t think that’s possible, even for me.
It’s funny because when I was living in Tokyo one of the main questions I was asked by the Japanese people I met was “When do you have afternoon tea?”. It always made me laugh and I would tell them that ‘afternoon tea’ wasn’t really practised now as often as it was in the past, nor was there a specific time for it. Yet after having this I felt a little sad that ‘afternoon tea’ was now kind of in the background of British culture. However I have noticed a variety of tea rooms opening recently in lots of cities (Norwich has plenty), all which seem to offer ‘afternoon tea’. 
I hope the practise won’t die out just yet, because it’s so much fun, and incredibly tasty.
…not to mention, very British!
bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London 2

The Icecreamists | Ice Cream Parlour | Covent Garden | Website
– reservations not available –
Dream Bags & Jaguar Shoes | Dinner/Bar | Shoreditch | Website
– reservations not available –

Aubin Cinema | Cinema with Bar/Snacks | Shoreditch | Website
–  ticket bookings available  –

The Diner | All-day Menu | Shoreditch | Website
– reservations may be available –

Lola’s Cupcakes & Pinkberry Frozen Yoghurt |  Selfridges Food Court | Website 1 & 2
– reservations not available –

I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so I wanted to post a bit about food in London.
There are some amazing places to eat and pick up food, and these are just a few of the places I visited on my last trip.
Kind of like a Where to Eat in London – I have included the name, type of restaurant/cafe/store, the location of the place I visited, and a link to their website, as the bigger places have more than one location.

I had to split this series into two posts (you can find the first one here) as I just had too many places and photos I wanted to feature – even then I didn’t get to include them all. If you’re curious about what I ate feel free to ask but I didn’t write it as I think it’s self explanatory from most of the photos.

I wouldn’t have included these places if I didn’t love and recommend them.
So if you have the chance you should definitely check them out!

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Tokyo, Old & New

Central Shibuya and Ichigaya Fishing Centre – Tokyo, Japan

I wanted to do another photo diary post from Japan as it seems like I haven’t done one for a while.
As I was looking through my photos from my time living in Tokyo, I was reminded of one of the reasons I love the capital city so much – the mixture of old and new. It might seem a bit cliche or it may not even make sense, but to me Tokyo manages to perfectly mix traditional (or ‘old’) and modern culture. Of course there are times when the two don’t match, but it’s surprising how harmoniously they get on in such a bustling city.
The new
Shibuya is arguably one of the most modern districts in Tokyo, known as a mecca for young people.
In the photos I included you can see Shibuya station, which is constantly packed full of commuters.
I also included photos of popular shopping malls Shibuya 109 (aimed at young women), and Shibuya 109-2 (the male equivalent of 109, which also has a few women’s stores). The adverts on the sides of the buildings change constantly, keeping you up-to-date with the music, food and tv you should be partaking in.
The Old
Ichigaya Fishing Centre may not seem that ‘old’ but the past-time of fishing goes back a long way in Japan.
As you exit the highly modern commuter train (Chuo/Sobu line) and look out across from the platform you will spot the fishing centre hidden amongst skyscrapers, and high-rise office buildings/apartments – the set-up definitely stands out against its backdrop. The customers who frequent the centre use traditonal methods to catch the fish.
Don’t worry though, all the fish are put back in the pond after being caught and weighed.
bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London 1

Koya | Japanese Udon | Lunch/Dinner | Soho | Website
– reservations not available – 
Tina, We Salute You | Cafe | Dalston | Website
– reservations not available – 
Frae Frozen Yoghurt | Shop | Shoreditch | Website
– reservations not available – 
Laduree | Shop/Cafe | Burlington Arcade | Website
– reservations not available – 
All Stars | Diner & Bowling Alley | Lunch/Dinner | Brick Lane | Website
– reservations available – 
The Breakfast Club | Cafe | Hoxton | Website
– reservations not available – 

I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so I wanted to post a bit about food in London.
There are some amazing places to eat and pick up food, and these are just a few of the places I visited on my last trip.
Kind of like a Where to Eat in London – I have included the name, type of restaurant/cafe/store, the location of the place I visited, and a link to their website, as the bigger places have more than one location.
I had to split this series into two (maybe three) posts as I just had too many places and photos I wanted to feature.
If you’re curious about what I ate feel free to ask but I didn’t write it as I think it’s self explanatory from the photos.
I wouldn’t have included these places if I didn’t love and recommend them.
So if you have the chance you should definitely check them out!
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Sweet Candy

American candy package from Emily, part of my wardrobe, my bedside table,
New Topshop ring, macarons from marks & spencer, new necklace from Wavy Jewellery.

This post was originally going to be just about the candy that Emily sent me, and macarons.
Then I thought about the recent ‘eye candy’ I bought in the form of clothes & jewellery…see what I did there?
The candy from Emily was part of an exchange we did. I had mentioned how some chocolate she posted on Instagram looked yummy and she offered to send me a package. I love sending themed packages so I sent her one in return, full of English sweets – I hope they were tasty!
As for the macarons, Marks & Spencer have started selling regular 12 packs, but I picked up this special 9 pack for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as it had my favourite flavour – salted caramel. It’s quite hard to find macarons in British food stores, and these ones are limited edition so pick them up quickly if you’re a fan! 
Now onto the jewellery!
I’ve been after some more ‘delicate’ items to add to my collection, as I have way too many ‘statement’ pieces.
This ring was in the Topshop sale and it was perfect. They also have some lovely necklaces and earrings too, but I’m waiting for my trip to Manchester (when classes finish). The necklace was to replace my favourite stone necklace that broke recently. I happened to stumble across Wavy Jewellery (here) and this necklace called out to me. Such a gorgeous colour, and the silver (plated) chain really works well with it.
I know this is a bit of a filler post, but I have quite a few reviews to post 
and I don’t want to overwhelm people, or the blog. Sorry!
bloomzy /

Food and Architecture in Tokyo, Japan | Photo Diary

Food and Architecture in Tokyo, Japan

Looking through my photos from my times in Japan you will see a lot of food & architecture. Those are the two main things that I go a little crazy about when visiting another country, especially when it’s for the first time. Well these pictures were taken on my second trip to Tokyo (before I moved there), when the fiancé and I went wandering around Tokyo Tower, through back streets and temples. The food pictured above is a ‘traditional’ Japanese breakfast, with rice, miso soup, bacon, egg, salad and natto. If you ever get the chance to try natto, then do, because Japanese people love to know whether you’re a fan or not – it’s basically the Marmite of Japan. The second photo is of a bowl of ramen and gyoza, if I remember it was from a cheap-ish chain restaurant. Japanese ‘fast-food’ is similarly priced to the UK kind but doesn’t feel anywhere near as bad when you’re eating it – ramen, rice & meat and noodles are probably the most popular. I’d recommend Yoshinoya, Ichiran Ramen & Coco Ichiban Curry (my favourite!).

All these photos are making me crave Japanese food.
I think I will have to start cooking it more often…or head back soon!