Aagrah Indian Restaurant

It’s bizarre that you can easily find a really authentic Indian restaurant in North, especially Bradford and Leeds. I found Bradford sometimes like London’s Brick Lane.

Mel and I did go to Aagrah underneath BBC in Leeds once. The restaurant has an impressive luxury decor, however food is a reasonable price. Food was full of spice and flavours with a generous portion. Overall it’s pretty good.

On last Saturday night, we forgot to book a tablet and couldn’t find a restaurant anyway in Leeds City Centre except waiting for an hour. Then we drove passed Aagrah In Bradford, then we decided to try it again.

The restaurant in Bradford was not as luxury decor as the BBC one, but it has 3 floors, and surprisingly the first floor was almost full. It’s the most gigantic indian restaurant I had seen so far. We ordered a lot, but because it’s quite late,(about 10pm) and with their generous portion, all of us couldn’t manage to finish them all. Over all, it’s 3.8 of 5.

Girls night out

Colleagues became my good Leeds friends went out for a girls night out in Ho’s Chinese restaurant which they really like their food. With different religion of restriction food and different taste was quite hard to satisfy everyone’s taste. However Ho’s did have a lot of selection and they all went back home with a really full stomach and smile.

Then we decided to go to a famous gay pub in city centre to have few drink and dance. It was really a fun night, and I really treasure and lucky to have all my friends in Leeds. They are really good people.

Polish Food and Culture

Karolina is my working colleague, and we bond to each other so quick after few months working. She loves Chinese food more than I do sometimes. Both of us are seafood’s lovers, and normal I always invite her to my place, so I can cook good seafood for her. In the past few days, we had the most amazing Karaoke, German sausage nights together, and she decided to cook Polish food for me today as well.

She told me that they don’t do lunch, and normally they eat breakfast at 11am, then have a late afternoon big dinner, then have a small sandwich at night. This is Polish food culture. It was quite weird, but weird because we get used of three time meal system.

Karolina cooked a slow-cook beef with wild mushroom with some polish rice, and drink was butter-milk (sour yogurt) together. It was beautiful and they normal eat with a big portion as well. It was lovely to try some real Polish food without travelling there. That’s why I love living in different places, because you always meet some wonderful people from all over the world.

I am a lucky girl who always meet gorgeous people. It was the best few days in Leeds with all my friends together.

German Market (Christkindelmarkt)

Karolina and I decided to go to the German Market to eat some sausages and beer in Millennium Square in Leeds City Centre. Christkindelmarkt is open daily from Friday 12 November until Sunday 19 December 2010. The market and funfair opens daily from 10.30am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 8pm on Sundays. The ‘Frankfurter Scheune’ bierkeller and selected stalls open late until 11pm.

It was not that big but it was fun and we ate sausages, beer, potato pancakes, roast chestnut, and strawberries white chocolate and some candy. I think we were done pretty well. We had a lot of laugh and fun even it was a cold night. Food price is from £2.5-£4. Good atmosphere and fun to have a night out with your friends.

Karaoke Crazy Night

My colleague asked me join them for a Karaoke night in city centre. I never went to a Karaoke Bar in the UK, even though it used to my favourite place to hang out with my friends back to China. I always like singing and is a good way to spend time with your friends as well.

It was different comparing in China. People in China were more focus on the quality of the hi-fi and the microphone sound, and they want to to be professional sounds. However, the quality of the hi-fi of that Karaoke bar was quite basic, people were more care to have fun. We got the most crazy and fun night ever. We were dancing, singing and had so much laugh, even some people I judy met them in the first time. They were so open and just had fun, no matter what! I like that attitude.

Ho’s Best Dimsum in Leeds

I love Ho’s Chinese Restaurant in Leeds city centre. We have been there many times, and feel like that it is our regular dimsum place. I took all my friends there and they all said Ho’s dimsum is one of the best, even better in Guangzhou. Ho’s dimsum is certainly home-made Chinese with fresh ingredients and big portions as well. Most importantly, it is cheap and you will be satisfied when you walk out the restaurant.

My colleagues and I went there for dinner as well. The quality of the normal Chinese food was really authentic and I felt like I was in Guangzhou or Hong Kong. I will never feel home sick if we have good dimsum in Leeds. I gave 4.5 out of 5. If you like good quality of Chinese food in Leeds, go and try some.

Piccolino Restaurant

Piccolino Restaurant is a Italian chain restaurant, and you can see them everywhere. We hadn’t tried it in London, but there is one in Leeds city centre and they have highly reviews. I have been there twice. One was with John’s family and we ordered some pizza, and pasta. I ordered the spicy sausage risotto, and they were all really tasty.

My colleagues decided to have the dinner party in there last few weeks ago. We ordered starters, main courts and desserts – they were all so lovely and tasty. Personally I ordered a king prawn starter like the cover picture, seafood grill and chocolate trifle, and they were absolutely gorgeous. I wish the portion could be a little bit bigger, but it was acceptable. Piccolino is a high-end posh restaurant, so the price is quite pricy too. However, the food did deserve the price. John told me that their pizza was one of the best he had tried. He is a pizza expert and food critic too.

Who doesn’t love good simple and tasty Italian food, and Piccolino is one of them – simple, elegant, and most importantly very tasty. The red passionate interior and a fancy lavatory room with good food and service. 4.5 of 5 for sure. Cover pictures from their office website.

Brand New Hair Cut

John always said short hair suits me well, however, I never had a gut to try something new. I had my long hair for more than 20 years, and could not imagine how do I look when I have my hair cut short. Finally I decided to try one of the best salons in the UK Vidal Sassoon in Leeds City Centre, and had an appointment on Saturday last week, then after one hour, I had a brand new hair cut.

I love it and a lot of my friends love it too. I think even though my hair is thick and have a lot, shoulder hair or short hair indeed suits me. One thing I am sure is I will change my hair style often in the future and not scared of changing.

Do you like it?

Our New House in Leeds

We have moved in to Leeds for two and half months now, and always add some new furnitures or decoration in the house. It feels like a proper cozy and warm home now. Compared with London, we got a lot of spaces of the house in Leeds, and it is a nice modern stylish flat with open kitchen, 2 rooms and 2 bathrooms (one for John’s office and also be a guest room and one for us with a massive wardrobe to put my shoes and clothes, which is the highlight of the flat).

We do really enjoy the location of city centre and so easy to go shopping and eat out just by walking 5 minutes. I will imagine that the house will be full of good memories for us, and we do enjoy living in Leeds so far. However, I do miss London from time to time, missing its busy,  metropolitan and my friends, and the most importantly so many choices of shopping which that Leeds can not compared with.