Billingsgate Fish Market

Assalamualaikum...

when I came to London in 2013, I realise one thing....the seafood here is very very very expensive! thus I seldom buy fish not to mention others such as crab, prawn, squid etc...

but after almost 2 years in London, I came to know the existence of a fish market situated at Trafalgar Way, Poplar, E14 5ST

this fish market was mentioned to me by one of my friend and she asks me and my bestie to join her to go there...since its a "pasar borong" same thing like we have in Malaysia, so you need to be there very very early in the morning...

last Saturday, after Sahr, at 3am, we depart as with the aim that we arrive there early and so we can have the early catch of every seafood that we are aiming for ...since there is no direct bus from our house, we need to change 3 times to go there...end up, we reached there around 5.30am -_-" plus with so many roadwork along the way and the bus need to divert, we need to walk quite far from where we hop off

see the big blue Billingsgate Market? thats the main entrance...thats how far we walk...pfftt~

actually there is another friend of mine told me that her husband usually went out quite early because there are not enough space to park a car if you came late...but surprisingly when we arrived at 5.30am, there were loads of free space for car to park...

with the friend of mine that requested that we join her to come here =D tq k.zada!! sooooo worth it!!!!!

  

this is how it looks inside the market...so sorry there were not so many photos that we manage to capture since we were very busy looking around and comparing price as its just 5.30am in the morning but quite a few of the stalls already closed! and some of the seller already started clearing up their stock! note to oneself that we need to come earlier than that next time..huhu

and thats what me and my bestie were looking for when we decided to come here!! Mr. CRAB!! nyummy~

after an hour in the market, thats how much we manage to grab...some were actually on my possession while I was capturing this pix...and yes most of the seller will put in that big black plastic bag (the trash plastic) of your purchases...so thats what my bestie is holding...we did brought our very own IKEA blue rag bag and the big SPORTS DIRECT rag bag as well...and both are full with seafood!!

  

see how big the salmon is??? compare it with the mug beside it! its just GBP12 wohoooaaaa

  

so thats what we manage to catch! actually there is squid as well but it was with k.zada..huhu...we saw lobster at just GBP8 the same size as I ate at Burgers & Lobster!!! I was just about to grab that as well but my freezer is very very small...next time for sure!!!!!

so here are few tips if you are planning to go here:

1. they dont sell below 1kg, so make sure you have a very big freezer if you want to come here...haha just kidding...so what other people will do is they share it with other people...as in my case, I share it with k.zada...so for example, we bought the small fish for 1kg, but we divide it into 2: between k.zada and me + my bestie

2. the market is very big...so there are sooo many stalls inside...make sure you survey the price...for example the salmon fish, most of the stalls sell it at GBP18 and there are few stalls higher than that, but there are 2 stalls selling it at GBP12...

3. I can say that its soooo worth of your money! dont worry, you will have so much stock in your freezer for a month!

its so easier to go back from here than to come here...because the nearest tube station is Canary Wharf overground station...take 277 bus from the station just infront of the market to the overground station...from the station it just took us 30 minutes to reach our house...

I am sooo gonna come here again next time...but obviously not during winter with 2 main reasons:

1. its so dark when we went out at 3am and since its summer, so the daytime is longer so around 4am its already quite bright...but if its winter, even its already 6am, it will still be dark

2. eventhough its summer, but its quite cold early in the morning...so can you imagine if its winter??? hahah...I cant imagine myself...

Hope the tips help!

Bye~^_^

p/s: gonna restock again maybe in autumn...hehe...so that it can last until winter :D 

Shopping at Designer Outlet Junction 32, Leeds

Assalamualaikum...

early in the morning on the second day at Leeds, we begin our journey to go for shopping at 2 biggest Designer Outlets in Leeds and York...

our first destination was Designer Outlet at York which is situated at North Yorshire...we stop at York train station and then we took bus number 7 in front of Pizza Hut nearby York Castle to the outlet...apparently there is only 1 bus to go there and the interval between the service is short which is so convenient ^_^v ihiks!

the outlet is big! can you see the luggage? thats how eager we are to go for shopping!! ^_^v

we reached there around 1pm and we start our hunting!! first we search for Tefal since thats my first aim when I came to Leeds as my friends mentioned that Tefal products is very cheap at their outlet...however, the products that I'm looking for was unavailable at the outlet...and so we started to browse other shops as well such as Cotton Traders, Clarks, Fossil and many more~~

the outlet layout

inside view

sadly we didn't bought anything here...there are few shirts that I am targeting for my brothers in Cotton Traders however, there is G****** label on those shirts which I think is unappropriate for me to buy that for them...huhu... -_-"

then we headed to Leeds Designer Outlet, Junction 32 which is situated at Glasshoughton  >_<

we took a train from York, change at Leeds and hop off at Glasshoughton...the outlet situated in front of the station...very the convenient! 

here, the outlet is as big as the one in York as well...looking at the pix above might look that its quite small but its not! believe me! its so big in the inside...one thing different from York designer Outlet is that in Leeds the concept is outdoor...which I loike...hehe :D as usual, I forgot to snap pix...haishh =_=" (busy shopping! ahaks!)

there are lots of shops as in York as well...but there are few branded shops that are unavailable here such as Fossil, and you can find Cadbury Outlet here which is not in York and few more which I don't remember...sorry guys...my entry might not be a good referral...kah3! huhu -_-"

I think its enough for the long rambling of me...now lets have a peek what I bought~~

Tefal

Tefal Ingenio... £157 >.<

at first I thought of buying 1 set for each of my family members; ie my sis, my bro and my mom...however, when my bestie choose this for her mom, and it consists of 4 sets inside (if im not mistaken), I change my mind and bought this for them instead...will divide it into 3 and distribute it...haha...and I'm actually considering back 3 different sets because of luggage on flight issue ^_^ anyway they love it when I send the pix...ihiks! :*

the pot, wok and frying pan are for my future house later here in UK for my PhD...see how excited I am! I already use it...and I keep saying to my bestie that now, I love cooking! eh!? haha

next......

Cotton Traders

      

at last, I manage to find something nice for my brothers at Cotton Traders in Junction 32...I love it and they love it too! :D

Cadbury Outlet

variety of chocolate...heaven!!!~~ so cheap...its either £1 for each or 2 for £1...ppfffttt~~!

they call it mis shapes but it doesnt literally mean mis shapes but it contains variety of shapes and contains variety of fillings flavours such as chocolate and orange (so far that I have taste)...nice~ :D

seriously I forgot to buy more of the Cadbury chocolate to bring back to Malaysia...so some of it I have already finish it here including the mis shapes which you cant find it in Malaysia for sure...but have save some of the mis shapes for my family...huhu

so far, thats all that I bought for my family...for me? only Cadbury chocolate :D

planning to come here again next time...hehe...

tired shopping until 7.30pm, we had our dinner at Pizza Express as thats the only halal restaurant  at Junction 32 just in front of the building...

we ordered Francesco Mazzei Calabrese...nice! 

and milk.. :)

Alhamdulillah, now I am waiting to go back to Malaysia and make my family happy with all the items that I have bought for them...anyway still have some shopping to do in London...couldn't find suitable items for my nieces and my nephew at the outlets...so will shop for them in London... ^_^v

Bye~^_^

p/s: this week is a shopping week in London! but before that I have meeting with my potential sv tmrw morning....hope all goes well...ameen~

Post-thesis-submission Trip to York!

Assalamualaikum...

last week on Thursday, me and my bestie headed for a short trip to Leeds after we submit our thesis on 1st September...I call it as post-thesis submission syndrome...but I could say that me and my bestie are the lamest people as other master students ie our friends headed for eurotrip but we on the other hand only go to LEEDS! yehaa we win...lol!~ ^_^v

upon reaching at the bus station around 12.30pm, my bestie friend, Nadirah, a PhD student in University of Leeds fetch us and brought us to the market just nearby the station...I love the market so much! its like Shepherd Bush market just that its bigger...then we headed back to my friend house to leave all our belongings at her house since we bring 3 big luggage...hahaha!!

after we performed our prayer, she bring us to have our lunch+dinner at Chacho's...

after dinner she brings us to her university since she needs to ask permission from her sv for a day off the next day to follow us to go for shopping! where to? read my next entry ^_^v

nothing to rambling about, have a look at the pixsss~ :D

just in front of the Chacho's...

while walking towards my friend's faculty

my friend's faculty...shes a PhD student in Engineering... :D

I told her that I want to see how engineering students lab would look like...and wish was granted...haha...full of machines!

they have flight stimulator lab! woohoo..

after she met her sv, we went back home...but this time we didn't use the route that we used before, we use another route which we need to pass thru a cemetery...thats the entrance to the cemetery...

   

inside the cemetery...the big building behind my back is a cemetery as well...maybe someone powerful or famous is buried in that building...and as you can see on the floor, the rocks are engraved with the names and year of people who died and buried there before...we weren't sure whether its a grave underneath the ground...but we come out with a deduction that there weren't any grave under the ground but maybe its just their way of remembrance of people who have died since we saw many tombstone scattered around the cemetery...

finish touring and since we were so tired, we headed back home and rest....

the next day, we went out early to go for shopping at York...before shopping, we went for a short walk around York...lets check it out! ^.^'

York train station

right after we came out from the train station, we headed straight to look for the York Walls...it looks like a Great Wall of China which covers the York City area...

the description of the wall...we came about this from Nadirah's housemate...she mentioned that we can walk along this wall which we will came about the York Castle which is the second attraction of York...

and so we walk along the wall...

there are some part of the Walls that we need to go down thru the stairs and climb it up again on the other side as the Walls are not continuous...

the other side of the Walls...

then we walk again...

its such a long walk until end up so we know, we are already at the Bridge that heading to the York Tower...

at the bridge...my favourite shot! auuww so sweet~ ihiks!

we walk along the bridge to go to the York Tower...

The York Tower

there is an entrance fees to go inside...for adult is £4.30...but since we were in hurry, we didn't go inside the tower...

tired of photoshooting, we headed to find a place for lunch...my friend's housemate did recommend a restaurant which situated just infront of the tower, Queenie Restaurant...but sadly, its close! they only open for lunch on weekends...haiyaa~~ and so we straight headed to find bus number 7 that go to the venue for shopping...

the bus stop is just in front of Pizza Hut as you can see in the pix...where are we to for shopping? read my next entry... ^_^v

for me, York is such a nice city...their citizens were so friendly! all the way long we were walking at the Walls, they greet us either "Helo", "Good Afternoon" or "Hai"...love that so much! :D ihiks~

ok thats all for this entry...read next entry to know where I went for shopping~

Bye~^_^v