So, in honour of my 10th post, I decided to go for the triple crown of new things today.  This morning began with a leisurely tour of Borough Market, where the plethora of cheeses gave me a full on cheese-gasm.  There is a stall that has four raclette machines, and a few griddles that make the most delicious toasted cheese and onion sandwiches, which I begrudgingly shared with my hosts – pure bliss!  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s 3k (the third is from a magazine cover in a wonderful cheese shop that well, just speaks to me on so many levels):

From Borough, I took the tube and DLR (light rail transit) to the Cutty Sark, a boat, sorry, ‘tea clipper’, that is being lovingly restored (the fire a few years back didn’t help matters any).  This was also the departure point for a City Cruise along the Thames.  It was a gorgeously sunny afternoon, so this was the perfect vantage point for seeing some of London’s best architecture without having to dodge black cabs and bobbies.

The recession does not seem to be affecting London very much, with no less than a dozen cranes on the horizon.  One of the soon to be completed projects is the Glass Shard building, that will be Europe’s tallest.  On a side note, some tourist fell in the water on one of these cruises today, and you may be delightfully surprised to learn that it was neither my companion nor I.  After the river cruise, we stopped in at the National Gallery for a quick view of some of London’s treasures, where admission is free.  Bravo, London!  I feel more culturally enlightened, seeing some of my favourite paintings up close just that wee bit more.

Now, the final stop on this glorious day is one that I have been savouring for about a month and a half, and that is Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.  To my fellow foodies, you will be familiar with this gastronomical master of disguise, who is known for his ingenious rendering of foods that are not exactly what they seem.  More recently, he painstakingly researched recipes from the past few hundred years to inspire his menu at this barely year-old restaurant, made up of things like ‘Meat Fruit’ (chicken liver pate in the shape of a mandarin).  I personally indulged in Hay Smoked Mackerel (circa 1730), Cod in Cider (c. 1940), and quite possibly the tastiest dessert I have ever eaten, Tipsy Cake (c. 1810).  Gawd, reality is so going to bite when I go home tomorrow and have to fend for myself once again in my own kitchen…  But that’s tomorrow’s problem.  For now, ignorance truly is bliss.  Burp.