Where to eat in Canary Wharf during lunch - five tried and tested spots

Now that I'm spending most of my daylight hours in Canary Wharf, I too, like countless others, are let out into the underground mall looking for food during lunch. Well, while we do have our favourites lunch spots, the more popularly known ones often have ridiculously long queues. It doesn't help that those who are fortunate enough to get a table will spend the next hour gloating over those still in the queue while picking on the morsels on their plates.



After some hits and misses, I have reduced the pool of good and reliable lunch spots to just five and here they are.

Hazev

This Turkish delight is a short walk across a footbridge to Heron Quays. Though it's quite popular during lunch time, there is ample seating space so no need to worry about not having a table even without reservation. Good food and friendly service is what Hazev is known for, not to mention the good lunch deals (below £10).

Curve Restaurant and Bar

This restaurant at Marriot is across another footbridge to West India Quay. It was almost empty when I was there so no issues about getting a table. Great lunch deals to be had especially on Fridays - a starter, a main (fish and chips), dessert and coffee/tea for just £10.

Wagamama

This has always been a crowd pleaser. However, it's almost impossible to get a table for lunch on Fridays (don't ask me why). It's not too bad on other weekdays though. Ask for a window seat and you'll be staring down at the crowds milling about below. (below £10)

Nando's

This Portuguese's grilled chicken that hails from South Africa is no strangers to Londoners (and people from over 30 countries). There is a long queue during lunch regardless of which day it is of the week. Sometimes I wonder whether Nando's actually pay people to queue outside. The best time to drop by would actually be around 1.30pm when the line dissipates. (below £10)

Waitrose Curry Rice

When all else fails, there's always the reliable Waitrose. My personal favourite is the curry rice counter right at the back of the store on the ground floor. Curiously, even though the seating area is relatively small, I never encounter any problem getting a table. If you are starving, you can always get a roast chicken thigh to go with your curry rice. (below £5)

Have you got any other good eating places to recommend at Canary Wharf?

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Legally Blonde The Musical review (London Savoy Theatre) - superb cast with great chemistry let down by the props

I normally avoid watching plays that have spun off from successful movies and the last thing I want is for the favorable impression that I have for a movie to be spoilt by a sub-par play performance. The Chicago that I caught in New York didn't quite make the mark. Not that the cast wasn't competent, it was just that they didn't have chemistry that was oozing from Renée Zellweger, Catharine Zeta Jones and Richard Gere in the 2002 movie.

But after being pleasantly surprised by Sister Act even with my high expectations as the movie was a classic, I didn't raise too much fuss when Wife suggested catching Legally Blonde The Musical at Savoy Theatre.

Cast and Storyline

Mention Legally Blonde, the image of Reese Whitherspoon prancing around with her pink jacket, with a puppy (decked in pink) in one hand and an LV clutch in another, immediately comes to mind. Legally Blonde the Musical didn't disappoint a single bit. Sheridan Smith's Elle Woods was the wide eye blonde who had a keen fashion sense and her only weakness was Warner (Duncan James) whom she was determined to marry. When he decided to break up with her for someone more 'serious', she followed him to Harvard Law and there the story unfolded.

Other than Elle, the other notable character in the play was Emmett (Alex Gaumond), the underdog who fell for Elle when they met at Harvard. Gaumond was a convincing Emmett and when his dogged look lit up in the shopping mall when Elle picked up some clothes for him, he lifted the entire audience's hearts.



UPS guy added a comical touch

While Smith is not Witherspoon, she introduced a totally refreshing and irresistibly positive take of Elle Woods. Even with her petite figure, her stage presence was evident right at the onset. Look out for the UPS guy though. Legally Blonde The Musical added a superb comical dimension of the UPS guy who was the knight in shining armour for Elle's pal Paulette.

Props was a letdown

Pity about the props though. The backdrop failed to lift off five minutes into the musical and there was a further wait for a couple of minutes before the musical had to be restarted all over again. Not only that, the sequins were popping off Smith's dress during a step dance… her bracelet fell off in another routine. In a courtroom scene, the judge kept on thumping her hammer and bits of it flew off.

Other than the technical glitches, Legally Blonde The Musical was one of those uplifting and cheerful performances that you probably wouldn't really remember in a couple of months' time but boy, it was good while it lasted.

Legally Blonde is not sold at TKTS and is selling out for more popular time slots. Book your advance tickets at Theatre Direct now!

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The Sun, the tweed jacket man and the Page Three Girl

The man steps into the Tube train. He straightens his tweed jacket, removed his Paul Smith scarf, adjust his glasses and runs his hands through his thinning grey hair. Drawing to his full height of just over six feet, he exudes this distinguish air as he took a cursory glance around the train cabin as he seeks for an empty seat.

He spots one just a couple of feet behind him and strolls leisurely towards it. He sits down and lets out an almost inaudible sigh - it's good to finally rest the feet after an entire day of walking. He catches a glimpse of a folded newspaper beside him and picks it up.

He cringes when he realises that he has picked up The Sun. Well, it could have been the Metro or the Evening Standard - that would have been at least respectable. But nope, it has to be The Sun. Full of pictures, some of it a bit more offending (to him at least) than the others. On a normal day, he won't be caught dead with a tabloid but it will certainly look odd to the rest of the passengers if he discreetly tucks it behind him. The burden is his to bear at for the duration of the journey.

He flips it open, knowing fully what to expect. The Page 3 Girl, in her full glory is splashed across, well, page 3. His brows furrows as he concentrates really hard on the relatively thin column of the Amanda Knox trial. It's apparent that he has taken some interest in the ongoing trial as he ponders over every word in the article.

After a considerable amount of time, he flips another page and then another. The announcement calls for his stop. He looks up for confirmation, folds The Sun into half and tucks it under his arms as he steps out of the train.

After all, The Sun does write a lot about the Knox murder trial.

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Last minute Christmas shopping again? Why not do it online this time round?

If you haven't noticed, Christmas is here again. Then again, how can you not? Daylight hours are getting shorter, people are getting more jovial as they began to wrap up their work and prepare for Christmas, your inbox is flooded with email invitations to various Christmas parties.

If only you have gotten all your presents.

Well, if you are like most people, you are probably going to leave Christmas gifts shopping till the last week before Christmas. It's almost amusing to see how people go frantically around at Selfridges and John Lewis. These people will go rummaging through the remmants strewn across the shelves before realising that they are fighting a lost cause and begin to buy anything and everything.

I know because I was one of them. Secret Santa at the workplace was embarressing last year. Luckily the guy who got Boots' facewash for oily face didn't find out who his Secret Santa was.

However, if you really hate to go jostle with the crowds along Oxford Street, there is always online shopping. After some trial and error and bad experiences, I come to trust only two online stores -

Amazon

Over at Amazon, not only you will have access to literally all the books that you'll ever come across, they have a whole lot of other items as well. Invariably, Amazon's price beats those offered at high street stores even with the sales going on due to the already steep discounts that Amazon offers. If you are looking for even further savings, why not go for secondhand items that are available as well?

For this festive season, Amazon offers free shipping regardless of how much you order directly from it. However, take note that it can take a couple of days to arrive (mine have so far reached within the week) so do place your orders fast.


John Lewis

This Oxford Street mall offers a really fuss free and comprehensive online store. What I really like about John Lewis online store is its efficient delivery (within 5 working days but usually earlier than that). Also, unlike other major retailers, it doesn't use Royal Mail but Home Delivery Network instead - no need to worry about strikes and other delays due to high volume.

What's best about John Lewis is that the package comes nicely wrapped and if you are not satisfied with the item for whatever reason, you could always request for them to pick it up (at no cost to you) and issue a refund with no questions ask. What have you got to lose?

With these two online stores, all you need to do is to countdown to Christmas. Hmm, I wonder whether there'll be any snow this time round.

Have you got any other recommended sites for online shopping?

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London Underground Oyster card - why would you pay for a £4 single trip card?

An acquaintance of mine flew over to London from Shanghai for work purposes for a couple days made a remark about how expensive London's public transport is. I found out that he has been paying £4 for each tube ride. Granted, London's Underground is relatively more expensive than any comparable subway system in the world but paying £4 for a tube ride within zone 1 (even for a single stop) is ridiculous.


The great Oyster card paradox

That made me wonder why one trip tickets are still being sold.

Technically, you can go up to the ticket booths and get a stored value Oyster card, which requires a refundable deposit of just £3 and load it up with £1.60 (total cost = £4.60). That will allow you to take one trip within Zone 1 and then refund the Oyster card (and get back your £3) at the destination stop. Total cost of the trip? Just £1.60.

Tough luck if you happen to have only £4 with you - you end up paying that for your Tube ride. If you happen to have just 60p more, the same trip will probably cost you just £1.60. That doesn't sound right, does it? Or am I missing something?

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