borough market

On our one free day to see Central London, we decided to take it easy and hang out at Borough Market. We had an appetite when we arrived so our senses were completely overwhelmed. The intoxicating scents of melting raclette cheese and bratwursts on the grill filled the air. Booth after booth offered samples of everything from cheese and charcuterie to Turkish delights and hummus. My mom taught me not to shop when hungry so getting our bellies full became the top priority. When we smelled the burgers being grilled at Bermondsey Bangers we screeched to a halt. Mika and I each took a venison burger with some salad and cranberry sauce (£4.50).

In a word, YUM. The venison was juicy and not too gamey, and the tart cranberries perfectly complemented the flavor of the meat. The thick leavening on the bread was a little annoying, as it went all over my hands and face, but all is good when your belly is satisfied.

After eating, we were in a better position to shop. Walking around markets always makes me so happy. I love seeing booth after booth with fresh produce and wonderful artisanal products.

As we ventured further into the market, we started wishing we hadn't jumped the gun on the venison burger. There were so many things we wanted to eat, like fish and chips or ostrich burgers. The stand that sold ostrich burgers also sold a variety of exotic meat like impala and zebra. Holy cow, zebra! How I would have loved to try that ... Maybe next time. We had been eating Indian food everyday so we weren't particularly enticed by curry, but I had to take a picture of the massive heaps of curry being cooked up!

We took a break for some prosecco and wine so that we could process what we needed to buy.
We were looking to buy snacks to bring to Mika's half-brother's place that evening. We settled on some deliciously nutty Parmegiano Reggiano, delicate slices of unctuous Parma ham, incredibly fresh mozzarella di buffala, an English stick, and some drunk cheese. Yes, drunk cheese. The cheese is fermented in either red wine or champagne, imparting a wonderfully distinct flavor. We went for the red wine inflected cheese.

I refused to leave without sampling some of the oysters. I bought a big fat oyster for a quid. A bit stronger taste than the sweet, fresh oysters I'd grown up eating in the Philippines but yummy nevertheless. Oh, and if I thought I was free from my aunts and uncles who would keep me from eating oysters on an empty stomach when I was a kid, I should have known better. Mika wouldn't let me touch the stuff til after I had my venison burger. *sigh*

It was a great way to spend an afternoon in London, I thought. No stress, just a leisurely time wandering in a market and sampling some goodies. But on the next trip, I say we meander through Harrod's!