Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Grub Crawl - UCF Area: Dave's Hot Chicken and J-Petal *England Travel Notes

I tried this two spot in or near the Waterford Lakes shopping center a week ago at night. 

Dave's Hot Chicken - Started in LA in 2017. Now a chain of overpriced chicken sliders and tenders and fries. I ponied up $7 for a single slider. It was like every other chicken sandwich. I didn't do a crazy sauce. It was bigger (being called a slider) than I thought it would be. Still smallish. Place was packed with hipsters and college kids. It's deep inside the market place. On the right. Opened a few months ago. *Saw some place called White Rabbit or something was being built in there. Desserts.

J-Petal - Across the road in a strip mall near some big box store. They said they opened three years ago. Don't know why I bypassed them. Weird combo of Japanese stuff (poke, misubi, ice cream in crepes, drinks, tacos etc). I had dinner and most things were pricey, so, I grabbed a spam and egg misubi for $7. It was good. Big. Good rice. Fresh. Even the fried egg was gooey. They have a barrier of plastic between you and them. However, it only goes up half way. Love these Covid alarmists. They won't let it die. I think they need it to make their lives seem important (or oppressive - so they can seem victimized and get pity).

*Travel Notes - England: I flew into London (the county) Stansted for the first time. Still a busy airport. Seemed like mostly Easy Jet and Ryan Air to European cites. Took a train (underneath airport) to Liverpool St (East End) for $32L round trip. Had to take tube to Paddington Station for $6L. Slept at Prince William Hotel for $82. Ate curry chicken at Prince of Wales. Walked to Somerset House and Court Auld Gallery. Didn't go in. Too much. Walked back to hotel. Took train to Oxford for $30L. Stayed at West Gate Hotel (near station) for two nights at $113 per. Took bus ($6L rt) to Blenheim Castle. Duke of Marlborough. Gift for beating Louis 14th plus Churchill's home ($20L). Came back. Walked to Christ Church College. Had salmon and cc bagel and Eton Mess ice cream at G & D's. Saw the clock tower and castle. Took train ($7L rt) next day to Warwick. Saw castle and cathedral. Didn't go in. It was cheezy and around $50L. Like a theme park. Back to Oxford. Went to covered food hall and had a lamb and mint slice at David John. Had pineapple gelato at iScream. Tried Christ Church again. Sold out again. Harry Potter dining hall is there. Walked to the other colleges. and Ashmolean Museum. Good and free. Train to Reading. Cornish Beef and Potato Pasty at Pumpkin. On to Exeter. Train cost $72L. Stayed at Holiday Inn for two nights at $92 per. Ate at a great gyro fast food chain called Original German Doner Kebab. Out of Berlin. Had a mixed Kiki. Got a croissant at Truffle Hounds. Got cheese and cider at Pullo. Saw the High St and cathedral. Next day ate cod pieces and salt and pepper squid at Hook Fish and Chips. Took train ($8L rt) to Okehampton and Dartmoor National Park. I could have picked a better entry point. Had strawberry milkshake and brownie at Love Brownies. Went to Paignton to wait out a train strike ($7L). Stayed at Berry Hotel for $51. Ate fried chicken and chips at Mariner's Fish and Chips. Ate a Bakewell Slice at Hallet's. Took a steam train to Dartmouth and back for $20L. Paignton is on the sea and has a pier. Took train to New Quay for $18L. It is their surf area. Lots of beautiful beaches and coast line. Was going to go to a King Arthur site. but, too much of haul. Stayed two nights at Beresford Hotel for $125 per. Ate lotus biscoff ice cream at Freddo's. Ate steak and Stilton pasty at Morris Pasties. Ate Pondicherry (a French part of India) cod curry at Rick Stein's at Fistral. He's a television star there. And I just bumped into one of his places. Took unlimited travel $5L bus to Penzance. Stayed at Union Hotel for $108. Took bus to Porthcurno. Pretty beach, outdoor theater on the cliffs and site of first underwater cable (to India). Bus to Mousehole. Cute harbor. Train back to London for $78L. Stayed two nights at Nayland Hotel (Paddington) for $115 per. Walked to Chelsea stadium and a cemetery. Walked to British Library (Magna Carta), British Museum (Rosetta Stone), Churchill War Room ($24L), Dickens Museum, Hyde Park, et al. Ate fried dumplings and pork rice dumpling (like misubi) at Lin Lin Crepes in Chinatown. Tube back to Liverpool St. Train to Stansted. Stayed at Radisson Blu at airport for $158.

**Some oddities I experienced: pop dots, pulled beef with bulgher wheat. Learned that John Dory may be Jaune D'Oree (the colors in French) and most English Indian food is really from Bangladesh because that's who cook it for them.

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