Benjamin Franklin House, London

On my way to last Friday's Proms concert, I came across a little pavement sign for Benjamin Franklin House near Charing Cross Station, London. 

As someone with a mild interest in history and science it was screaming for me to come in and have a look around. So the next day I went for a visit. It was £8 to get in and I bought a little leaflet cum guide for £2. 

The museum was an early eighteenth century house which was home to American founding father, scientist and philosopher Benjamin Franklin between 1757 to 1775 with a short break in between. 

There weren't many artefacts on display, instead the rooms provided ample text explanations about his life and what shaped his beliefs.

The ticket office doubles as a gift shop but you need to bring your own refreshments. The little back garden is a great place to relax and reflect. 

Bob’s Cafe

 Bob’s Cafe 

I’ve decided to review a restaurant I recently patronized for lunch with a friend. So here goes.

Sitting on Salisbury Road, in the middle of London’s leafy Queen’s park is Mediterranean style eatery Bob’s Cafe. Despite a nice Summer’s day, we booked an inside table.  An airy interior with ceiling fans giving a 1950s vibe and an open view of the baristas. The small tables reminded me of a Paris bistro somewhere on the Rive Gauche. However the place had a big echo, so we can clearly hear the conversations going on in the table half way down the room. As it got busier it felt like a din. 

Now to the menu, there were lots of breakfast options, along with dishes meant for evening dinner.  It had a good choice with ample veggie dishes.

I ordered the goats cheese salad, whilst my friend ordered an all day veggie breakfast. It turned out to be an ample serving with a light dressing so the flavours of the ingredients shined through.  The sweet potato cut to bite size pieces was a good touch and the halloumi cheese was grilled just about right, with a gentle crispy bite. The friend’s veggie breakfast had tempting crispy hash browns. You can choose the type of bread for the toast and she chose sourdough. For drinks, I chose the homemade lemonade, which was very tart and my friend a smoothie.

The service was calm and attentive, waitress came over to ask the customary “is everything ok?”. 

All in all not bad, only downside was the acoustics of the room.

I went there on Monday 28th July.

 

The last London by Iain Sinclair - very brief review

 I’ve just read Iain Sinclair’s “The last London”. Great informative book by historian and friend of walking Youtuber John Rogers. Sinclair takes us on a journey across London in a series of walks, sharing personal anecdotes and history of the sites he came across. Much recommended.

The last London by Iain Sinclair

 After finishing John Roger’s “This other London”, I went to Hong Kong’s city hall library for the first time to borrow Iain Sinclair’s “The last London”. I first heard of Sinclair from John Roger’s youtube videos where he sometimes joins John on his walks. Iain Sinclair offers a deep understanding of many places in London, so I decided to give one of his books a try.  I will write a review after finishing the book.

City Hall library, in a listed building in Hong Kong’s Central district that was built in 1962 during the British administration. The whole building reminds me of the schools I attended back in the UK with its brutalist facade. 

Imperial war museum - a review

During my recent trip to the UK, I visited the Imperial War Museum for the first time in nearly a decade, and below is my review for Tripadvisor.



This is an institution that I have visited more than a dozen times but which I have not been to for nearly a decade.  I was pleasantly surprised that even though it was re-decorated it was still the same and enhanced with new technology to improve the learning experience.  In the main foyer there was a burnt and bombed out vehicle from Baghdad which was caught up in a suicide bombing, a very apt reminder of the troubles facing the world today.  I only spent the morning there this time and I used it to re-acquaint myself with the WWI exhibition.  It now has touch screen displays and various interactive items.  I was particularly moved by the trenches display since it was the 100th anniversary of the battle of the Somme.  After viewing, I availed myself to a very good value and tasty main course for lunch at its restaurant.  Very well recommended for families and history buffs alike.