Asian "caviar"? ;)

Every time I'm back in my hometown Kuala Lumpur, I'd hunt for Nasi Lemak
On this trip, I have found the perfect Nasi Lemak! :)
- and it's all because the chef made one lil' interesting twist to the traditional Malaysian dish.
It's served with "asian caviar"

Notice the small (but very pregnant) anchovy-like fish? :))
60% of its size is its own eggs :)
very fattening - but very very yum :)
it tastes somewhat like fried cheese + egg yolk

The "Asian Caviar Nasi Lemak" is served at U-Cafe @ Sungei Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur
Lot No. C025 (Fiesta Street)

What I like about it:)
- moist & piping-hot steamed coconut rice
- generous servings of sambal (sweet & spicy chilli paste)
- aromatic chicken "rendang"
(rendang's quite similar to curry - except that fresh spices & 4 types of ginger (kunyit, lengkuas, etc) are used instead of dried powdered spices)

When I passed by U-Cafe, I thought it offers mediocre stuff like Old Town White Coffee, PappaRich...but I was pleasantly surprised by the food quality :)

If you ever visit Kuala Lumpur, don't leave the city without trying the Asian Caviar Nasi Lemak!!! :)

I used to like Madam Kwan's nasi lemak... but over the years, I found that the quality has deteriorated
- the chicken are overcooked & tasteless
- too much liquid in the curry/rendang (bland)
- the portion has also shrunk

That's Nisha my gym-buddy back in Uni :)
We went to Madam Kwan's when she and her hubby had a honeymoon in Malaysia
Gal, if you're coming back again, we'll go to U-Cafe this time :)))

How do u say "Karangahape" Road? (New Zealand)

In Maori language, the vowel 'a' is pronounced as 'aa'
- just like in Malay & Indonesian languages


Karangahape Road - a famous street in Auckland, New Zealand - is often mistakenly pronounces as "Kay-rang-gay-happy"

Over the years, Karangahape Road acquired a shorter name - K Road

But still :) heritage/history is important
and it's good to know the original name of K-road
So, here's the story about the famous road in Auckland city :)...

From about 1900 to the early 1960s Karangahape Road was Auckland's busiest shopping street with many clothing shops large and small along with several Department Stores. Most retail chain stores had branches on K Road, often in preference to Queen Street. During the interwar period most of Auckland's main shops selling furniture, musical instruments, radios and other household appliances were located here.

After 1965 K Road lost most of its local customer base when construction of the inner-city motorway system resulted in over 50,000 people having to move out of the surrounding areas.

The downturn in trade led to many shops closing and the relocating of businesses to other areas of Auckland. This accelerated the decline, and by the early 1970s the low rents meant it had acquired a rather seedy reputation as Auckland's red light district.

Since the early 1990s there has been a move away from this image due to newly constructed apartment blocks attracting residents back to the area, as well as a general gentrification of close-by areas like Ponsonby.

Nowadays only very few enterprises are connected with the adult industry.However, the 'Las Vegas' is thought to be New Zealand's oldest established strip club, and its nude 'Vegas Girl' sign has become somewhat iconic.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Alongside the few remaining shops and venues catering to the sex trade, K Road currently boasts an eclectic collection of shops, cafés and art galleries. At night its restaurants, bars and nightclubs make it a major part of Auckland's social scene.

Yummy Indian snacks at Rasui Restaurant

K Road has become a centre for much of Auckland's bohemian scene, with many venues for alternative music and fringe art as well as the LGBT community. It is also home to many trendy Op shops.

K Road in Pop Culture

The song Verona by New Zealand rock band Elemeno P, from their album Love & Disrespect, refers to the cafe/restaurant/bar of the same name at 169 Karangahape Road.

The current Verona building dates from 1923 and gets its name from the Victorian house that previously occupied the site; Mrs Bishop's "Verona" Boarding House

Fo more info: http://www.kroad.com/

Suspect pleads guilty to NYC subway plot

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 By A.G. Sulzberger and William K. Rashbaum
Source: The New York Times

NEW YORK -- The Afghan immigrant at the center of what authorities described as one of the most serious threats to the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks pleaded guilty Monday to terrorism charges in what he said was an al-Qaida plot to detonate a bomb in the New York City subway.

(Image source: allvoices.com)

Najibullah Zazi admitted that he came to New York last year near the Sept. 11 attacks anniversary to kill himself and others on the subway, using a homemade bomb. He characterized the plot as a "martyrdom operation" that he was just days away from executing when he said he realized that he was under government surveillance.

Mr. Zazi, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to charges that included conspiracies to use weapons of mass destruction and to commit murder in a foreign country, and to providing material support for a terrorist organization. Mr. Zazi is scheduled to be sentenced June 25, when he faces a possible sentence of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., that the Zazi case represented one of the most serious threats to the United States since the 9/11 attacks.

Throughout the 45-minute proceeding Monday, Mr. Zazi seemed unaffected by his circumstances, even smiling through his dark beard on several occasions. And when he spoke, he did so in an unapologetic, matter-of-fact manner, explaining that he was driven to terrorism by his concerns about the U.S. military's actions in Afghanistan.

In recent weeks, Mr. Zazi -- who was born in Afghanistan, raised in Pakistan and later attended high school in Queens -- had begun providing information to prosecutors as part of the initial stages of an agreement that led to his guilty plea Monday, according to two people with knowledge of the case.

There have been additional arrests in the case, including his father, his uncle and two Flushing High School classmates. Mr. Zazi agreed to cooperate in part out of concern that a widening inquiry would result in more charges against his family, including his mother, said one person involved in the case.

The 10-page plea agreement was sealed by Judge Raymond J. Dearie, but the arrangement suggested that prosecutors believe that Mr. Zazi can be a valuable source of information.

On its own, though, the guilty plea marks the successful prosecution of a terrorist in an advanced plot in which explosive materials similar to those used in the 2005 London subway and bus attacks were actually brought into New York. In some other terror cases, plotters appeared to lack the materials or knowledge to make good on their threats.

Mr. Zazi said he decided to go with friends to Pakistan in August 2008 to join the Taliban in fighting the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan. While in Pakistan, he received training in making bombs, and was persuaded by al-Qaida operatives to return to the United States to be a suicide bomber.

After his return from Pakistan, he soon moved to Colorado, where he worked as an airport shuttle bus driver and began assembling the raw materials, including beauty products, for a bomb. Mr. Zazi said he drove Sept. 10 to New York with some explosives. He said he planned to set off the bombs in Manhattan subway lines as soon as they were ready.
When he suspected he was under surveillance -- his vehicle had been stopped while he drove across the George Washington Bridge -- he decided to abort the operation, dumping out some of his homemade explosives and flying back to Colorado, where he was arrested Sept. 19.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037893-84.stm?cmpid=nationworld.xml#ixzz0gLAj0qYZ

Finding TRUE LOVE via the relationship-free pathway

A lot of people ask why I'm single
Like most people, I do want to find my true love someday :)
but I just choose a slightly different (and I believe it to be the 'better') approach :)
You see, I don't think you need to be in 1, 2 or 3 year long mutually-exclusive relationships to 'test it out'
If there's 'love', 'personality compatibility' and 'sexual compatibility', that's all it takes :)
If you're sooo in love, compatible & happy together - well then, just get married!:) lol
but if you're not in love -and you're highly incompatible, being in a 3-year relationship isn't gonna improve things

(Image source: http://boxedambivalence.wordpress)

So, instead of wasting 3 years "trying to understand someone" or "trying to make things work", you would be a lot happier using that 3 year to get to know other people who could be more in love and more compatible with you :)
(eg, casual dating)
Agree?

Casual dating = intimacy + opportunities to understand/get to know the other person + keeping your options open

If a relationship goes well, it could be the best things that ever happen to you :)
but if relationships don't end well, they affect many aspects of your life - your work life (yes, if you have a break-up, it sucks, and it affects your mood, your work performance), your health (if you feel sad, ...it's not very good for health either)

 (Image source: http://movies.about.com/library)

The purpose of 'relationship' should not be for 'understanding' the other person
It is unwise to enter into a relationship before you understand the other person's general ideals/goals in life
of course, you don't have to know everything about him/her
after all, getting to know another person is a life-long process :)

so, what's "compatibility" all about?
It's not about trivial stuff like liking the same bands/movies
It's about sharing ideals that are important
eg., if you're health conscious, you'll be happier with a partner who's also health conscious
if you're a non-smoker, you'd feel happier with a non-smoker
if you're a calm person, you'd be happier with someone who's not too temperamental
if you're debt-free and careful with finances, you wouldn't wanna end up with a gambler

(Image source: http://blogs.abc.net.au) 

Well, at the moment I don't yet have a personal success story to share:)
but at least, I feel calm/happy :)
and I know that my work/emotions won't be affected by relationship break-ups
- and perhaps, that itself is a success story :)))

I feel that way because I don't think there's a need to live life in a certain way
- there's no need to get married by a certain age, have kids by a certain age...
As long as one's happy, that's all that matters :)

AIDS Walk New York, 16 May 2010

Since 1986, AIDS Walk New York has raised more than $105 million for HIV programs and services in the tri-state area, and has grown into the largest AIDS fundraising event in the world.

("Use condom sense" ;p lol)

In 2009 alone, 45,000 participants, many of whom were members of 2,880 corporate and community teams, raised a record sum of over $5.6 million for. More than 1.2 million people in the United States are estimated to be living with HIV.

AIDS Walk New York is notable not only for its size, but also for its diversity. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds come together each year in a massive, powerful, and inspiring demonstration of compassion and action.

Prominent corporations and organizations that have helped lead the way over the years include: Barclays Capital, Bloomberg, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CBS 2, Daily News, Decoration and Design Building, Delta Air Lines, Duane Reade, Deutsche Bank, EMD Serono, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gap Inc., Kenneth Cole Productions, Liz Claiborne, M•A•C Cosmetics, Macy’s, Morgan Stanley, OraSure Technologies, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Target, Time Warner, Viacom/MTV Networks, Whole Foods and Zipcar.

AID Walk New York 2010

The 10k (6.2 mile) AIDS Walk route begins and ends in Central Park.

When : SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2010
Walker Sign-In: 8:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremony: 9:15 a.m.
Walk Begins: 10:00 a.m.


Becoming a Star Walker:)
 

Becoming a Star Walker is easy, and anybody can do it! When registering online as a Walker, be sure to mark the box indicating that you would like to join the Star Walkers Club and set a goal of raising $1,000 or more.

If you have already registered but wish to join the Star Walkers Club, simply log in to your Fundraising Headquarters with your username and password, click on "Edit My Profile", and change your answer to YES under the Star Walker question.

You can also contact the Star Walker Coordinator, Scott, at (212) 807-WALK (9255) or scotth@aidswalk.net and let him know you would like to join the Club. In order to participate in the Star Walkers Club event activities and receive the associated benefits, you must be registered as a Star Walker prior to the day of the AIDS Walk.

Low-fat snacks @ Choice Bakery, Auckland

Ever wondered how Chinese girls manage to stay so slim (despite eating like horses)?

Well, they don't have super-high metabolic rates

The secret is in their choices of food..especially Taiwanese desserts, which are literally like 'diet food' - yummy, but almost fat-free

If you're in Auckland, good news:)

You can easily get those fat-free cakes at Choice Bakery outlets
The one that I normally go to is at Newmarket
The Japanese Cheese Cakes (no added butter)
are light, fluffy... :))
(ohh yumm, I'm in heaven - just thinking about it)

"Butter-less" cakes

Now, instead of having the usual pound cake, you eat 200-300 calories less per serving with these:-

These cakes have a higher protein content

(more egg whites used in the recipes, to compensate for the fat reduction)

Wife cakes aren't exactly my favourite...but I'm including the pics here just in case you might wanna see what they're like :)

and then tehre's something similar to the "wfie cake" except that there's "red bean paste" inside the pastry

not very healthy - it's just lots of sugar, oil, flour & boiled mashed red beans

Pastizzi: Ricotta-filled traditional Maltese snack :)

Pastizzi (cheesecakes or peacakes) are ricotta or pea filled pastries which are the most popular and best known culinary export of Malta).

(Image source: farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/145...65f6.jpg)

Pastizzi (singular: pastizz) are popular amongst Maltese people, and are also produced amongst the immigrant communities of Maltese in Australia, the US and Canada.

In Aus, traditional handmade pastizzis are available at Pepe's Pastizzi (http://www.pepespastizzi.com.au/)

Pastizzi lend their name to "pastizzerias" - the dozens of fast food outlets dotted around Malta which primarily sell pastizzi (along with pizzas, qassatat, timpana and sausage rolls).

 

(Image source: http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpres...assallo)

Pastizzerias also do a rice dish called Ross il-Forn (Maltese for Rice) that is rice cooked in the bolognese sauce and has a pastizzi pastry topping.

In recent years, an inter-family chain "Maxim`s" has taken a dominant share of the pastizzi market, though most pastizzerias are still small, local family concerns. Although a matter of personal taste Maxim's are considered to do the best pea cakes on the island.

(Image source:everywheremag.com)

Pastizzi are typically cooked in batches of 30 on wood furnaces on black metal trays. Pastizzi come in the two standard ricotta and pizelli (pea) varieties, with the ricotta version notably the more popular of the two. Pea pastizzi's are also called pea cakes, which is easier for tourists to say.

A slightly different puff pastry version of the snack is sold at more stylish cafes. Pastizzi are particularly popular snacks on Sundays in Malta, with vendors all over the islands opening in the early hours to cater for late night clubbers and early morning hunters alike. Pastizzi have a particular place of pride in Maltese culture and are light-heartedly considered one of the nation's unique achievements. Locals consider no visit to Malta to be complete without eating some pastizzi.

Sahaa: best African restaurant in Aus & NZ:)

Tucked inconspicuously in a line-up of ethnic eateries near the busy intersection of Khyber Pass and Broadway (Auckland, New Zealand) , this superb little restaurant is a real off-the-beaten-track, local haunt.

You don’t often come across quality Algerian, Morrocan and Tunisian flavours in New Zealand.

In fact, Sahaa is the only one of its kind on the whole North Island, something that makes its menu shine even brighter.

Naturally, tagines are the specialty here and the setting is positively North African exotic with a private, traditional low-seating area, a family dining room complete with Moroccan fountain, colourful pottery on the walls and dainty glass cups from which to sip your mint tea.

Chef-owner Makhlouf (Marco) Benyettou cooks dishes from his native Algeria as well as Morocco and as well as Morocco and Tunisia.

Benyettou’s wife Dianna undertook the waiting duties by herself; ranging around providing efficient and knowledgeable service in a low-key dining room with lemon-yellow walls, Moorish pendant lamps and a smattering of rugs.

Tagine dishes symbolise North African cuisine, and here at Sahaa they are brought to the table piping hot and placed on a decorative tile in front of you. The conical lid is then removed so you can eat from the cooking platter.

The lamb, apple and prune stew ($26) - the large dices of lamb were very tender, and the fruit contributed a heady sweet-savoury character.

This dish was what good restaurant food should be: sublime in its simplicity, yet the sort of thing that would be difficult to recreate at home.

Sahaa's wine list was small, made up of good value Australian and New Zealand whites and reds, selected to match the food.

However, an evening at Sahaa does not require spectacular flourishes. The low-key service, calm atmosphere and satisfying food invite you to relax and enjoy your food, wine and company.

More info: http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/restaurants/sahaa-review-57866.html

Prices: Entrées $10 - $24, mains $20 - $26.

Contact:
475 Khyber Pass Road,
Newmarket,
Auckland
Tel: 09-523-4578
Fax: 09-523-4578
Email: sahaarestaurant@hotmail.com

Bloomberg's Hottest Anchorwoman :)

What I like most about Bloomberg's Starting Bell is that the anchor has 'real' knowledge in Finance.
She's not just a pretty tv face.
She's intelligent, sexy...and very articulate :)

Betty Liu brings an award-winning wealth of experience in print, radio and television.

Before entering television, Betty was the Atlanta bureau chief for The Financial Times where she made a name for herself by breaking news and profiling top corporate and political leaders such as Coca-Cola ex-chief executive Douglas Daft, former Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Her coverage of the biggest Fortune 500 companies based in the South (Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS, FedEx) earned her a spot on TJFR's "Top 30 business journalists under 30 list" three years in a row.

The FT also nominated her for a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her series of articles on immigrant labor in the South.

(Image source: http://tvnewscaps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=etc&action=display&thread=192&page=4)
Betty Liu is an now an anchor for Bloomberg Television in New York.

(Image source: http://tvnewscaps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=etc&action=display&thread=192&page=4)

Betty was formerly an anchor and correspondent for CNBC Asia, based in Hong Kong. She covered the daily market action in the Greater China region for all of CNBC's morning shows including the signature program, Squawk Box. She anchored the coverage of the China market meltdown in February 2007 and also anchored CNBC's newest show, Capital Connection, which launched in March 2007.

(Image source: http://reportercaps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othernetworks&action=display&thread=11377)

Betty is also a book author and has written about personal finance. She published the financial and lifestyle guide, "Age Smart: Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond" (Prentice Hall, May 2006), which was turned into a month-long weekly series on CNBC Asia called "The Good Life". Her book led her to writing a bi-weekly personal finance column in The South China Morning Post.

Prior to joining The FT and CNBC Asia, Betty was the Taiwan bureau chief for Dow Jones Newswires - the youngest ever in Asia - and a Hong Kong-based regional correspondent for the newswire. In 1997, she received a Dow Jones Newswires Award for her coverage of the Asian financial crisis.
She has written for The Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Philadelphia Magazine.

Betty was born in Hong Kong and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with an English degree. She is a mother of twin boys.

Funny sightings;) : Renoma's very NAUGHTY underwear designs

Still haven't decided what gifts to buy for Valentine's? ;)
Renoma's new limited edition "tiger print" underwear is only available this year :)
So, hurrry up & go grab some for your bf/hubby
Renoma came up with this funky design in conjunction with the year of Tiger (Chinese New Year)
The first day of the Chinese New Year coincides with Valentine's day this year, and hence... :))

Roarr!!!!

(oh...how I wish I have a bf!!:p)

For those who would prefer a more conventional design, there is the heart-shaped print underwear :)

...and black colour briefs with leopard print band

My favourite is the skimpy one (below ) ;p

mua hahaha
it looks so sexy ;p;p;p

Renoma's extensive collection of boxers, briefs, T-shirts & socks :)

Oh yes :) you should get the red colour tiger print t-shirts too :))

CASHing in on ACADEMIC writing :)

Ever wondered how you can apply your Harvard referencing skills in the real world to make GOOD MONEY? ;)
For many years, academic writing has been deemed as irrelevant to the real world - the corporate environment.
But now :) internet has opened up an unlimited possibility for earning quick income ;)
Hence, academic writing has become the NEW lucrative income source - and a TAX-FREE one (for freelancers out there. if you're an ad company, of course you've gotta pay taxes;))

Why?
The biggest advertising channel out there is.... not Google, not Yahoo
but... WIKIPEDIA :)
Yes, Wikipedia
Companies YEARN for a place in WIKIPEDIA
but it's not easy to get into Wikipedia without a bit of clever manouvering ;)
Try posting any articles that are not up to par with the Wikipedia standard - it will be deleted instantly
yes, the voluntary moderators are merciless...

So, how do you post a Wikipedia article successfully?:)
You need to know the biggest loophole
- ie, IMMACULATE REFERENCING
not an impossible task...but requires a great deal of patience
But hey, if you're one of the 1% people out there who can write good Wikipedia articles...congratulations :)
you're providing a very very IN-DEMAND, very very NICHE service.

Less than 1% of the population has the determination/patience to read, write, summarise, edit and compile pages of Wikipedia articles

Good news - if you're a book geek ;)
If you're not, it's never too late to learn to be one
- and you should!
It's now time to re-read those uni books that you've abandoned for many years ;)
Good luck :)
Well, why am I sharing this precious info, knowing that I'll be having more competitors in the future?

1) Wikipedia's a big pie
there's a limit to the number of Wiki articles I can write in this lifetime :)
besides, I don't wanna be writing only Wiki articles ;p
(no matter how good the pie tastes...sometimes we need a bit of "variety" in life - abit of cheesecakes, a bit of ice-creams, waffles...)

2) If I don't share this info...some probloggers will figure this out someday, and attempt to sell e-books & seminars for this no-brainer piece of advice
(now if you're a pro-blogger & you're reading this, don't try to be a leech. Internet wealth should be shared by all. If I catch any of you trying to sell this idea in your 'expert books', BEWARE- i'll hunt you down :p - for the sake of potential Wikiwriters' welfare. So...Yaro Starak, John Chow...etc, be good boys, please. "Don't use this info for commercial purposes, I repeat". Does it make you feel happy when poor novice writers have to spend a fortune on your highly exaggerated materials? If you're earning as much as you claim to, why not do a bit of charity? Now if you wanna share this free-of-charge in any publication, you're most welcome to do so, but please be ethical & give credit to the source)

3) well, I can probably become a millionaire by running a Wikiartices company, but money's not my only motivation in life. I plan to take things easy once I reach 32 (that's in 6 years time)...find my soul mate, get married, and if I happen to have kids, maybe I should breast-feed for 2 years? No time for Wiki articles then...;p
I'll be filming some home videos with step-to-step guidelines on how to... ermm, breast feed ;p
and share the vids with all of you via Facebook & YouTube

*Licensed by Creative Commons* :PPPP

Michael Jackson's kids are so CUTE! :)

Surprise surprise :) Who'd have thought that MJ's sons are so good looking!

(Image source: telegraph.co.uk)

The kids at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, with Lionel Richie

MJ's eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris Jackson accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of their late father.

Where to find FREE WI-FI in Central London :)

(Source:http://www.timeout.com/london/features/6187/Where_to_find_free_wi-fi_in_London.html)

The Social
The Social, spawn of the legendary Heavenly Social club night held at Turnmills in the 1990s, has been a haven from the horrors of Oxford Street for a decade. Free wi-fi is available in the top bar where you can nestle in the diner-style booths and indulge in such homely comforts as pie and mash or fish finger sandwiches. Beers include Hoegaarden and Kronenbourg; the cocktail list features exotic creations such as a cucumber martini. In evening live music is a regular fixture, so it’s probably not the place to hold your business meeting.

The Social, 5 Little Portland St, W1W 7JD (7636 4992/www.thesocial.com).


Bedford & Strand

You’ll encounter lawyers tapping furiously on their laptops at lunchtimes at this elegant wine bar-cum-bistro in a basement off the Strand. Choose from the wine categories of ‘Honest’, ‘Decent’, ‘Good’, and ‘Staff Picks’. For eats, order from the respectable, if slightly unimaginative, à la carte menu.

Bedford & Strand, 1a Bedford St, WC2E 9HH (7836 3033/www.bedford-strand.com).


Brasserie de Malmaison

You can get free wi-fi in the bar, lobby and dining room of this luxurious boutique hotel. Ask for a card from reception and you’ll be able to take advantage of the internet to your heart’s content for up to eight hours. The low lighting and soft upholstery will provide an intimate setting for you and your Mac. The ‘Home Grown and Local’ menu serves oysters, among other delicacies.

Malmaison, 18-21 Charterhouse Square, EC1M 6AH (7012 3700/www.malmaison-london.com).
 
 
Christopher’s

Open-access wi-fi is available in the buzzy Martini bar at this Covent Garden venue. Open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Christopher’s, 18 Wellington St, WC2E 7DD (7240 4222/www.christophersgrill.com).

The Diner
This is the place to come for the open access wi-fi washed down with American fast food. The all-day breakfast of pancakes, omelettes and Mexican treats is more than enough to power you through a three-hour Facebook-athon.

The Diner, 16-18 Ganton St, W1F 7BU (7287 8962/www.thedinersoho.com).


Eagle Bar Diner
It’s probably best to avoid this place during lunchtimes if you’re planning on stretching a Budweiser out over an afternoon’s worth of email catch-up – it gets quite busy. Otherwise it’s a perfect place for a big burger and fries washed down with a mammoth milkshake.

Eagle Bar Diner, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ (7637 1418/www.eaglebardiner.com).

Hawksmoor
Given there can often be a dirth of pews to pull up in this debonair steakhouse and cocktail bar, you might prefer a branch of Coffee Republic for setting up your mobile office for the day, but if you are happy perching on a barstool, have a penchant for saucy cocktails and highly acclaimed slices of beef, then this is the wi-fi place for you.

Hawksmoor, 157 Commercial St, E1 6BJ (7247 7392/www.thehawksmoor.com).

Joe Allen

This restaurant opened in 1977 and has been a popular haunt of the theatre crowd and tourists alike. The menu changes daily and might include such dishes as slow-cooked pork or corn-fed chicken breasts.

Joe Allen, 13 Exeter St, WC2E 7DT (7836 0651/www.joeallen.co.uk).


Shampers

Shampers is a lively, no-nonsense place that serves British food and wallet-friendly wine and Champagne. It gets very busy at lunch and dinner times, and it’s hard to imagine a lone internet surfer hogging a table. Nevertheless, the manager is very happy to hand out the wi-fi code to anyone who asks.

Shampers, Kingly St, W1B 5PE (7437 1692/www.shampers.net).

Zetter

In the heart of Clerkenwell, Zetter (a boutique hotel), is the place to head if you’re in search of comfort and style. Your fellow surfers will probably be monied sophisticates from the neighbourhood who are there for the weekend brunches and elegant setting.

Zetter, 86-88 Clerkenwell Rd, EC1M 5RJ (7324 4455/www.thezetter.com).


Café at Foyles
Fresh juices, healthy salads, top-notch sandwiches, Monmouth coffee, plenty of seating, jazz on the soundsystem… the café in Foyles provides a buzzy environment in which to wile away the afternoon surfing the web. If you tire of digital reading, pop downstairs to buy an old-fashioned book.

Café at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0EB (7440 3207/www.foyles.co.uk).


Scandinavian Kitchen

Quirky café and deli serving delicious Swedish open sandwiches, gravadlax, herrings, meatballs and the Danish ‘red hotdog’, apparently the Vikings’s favourite snack. In the spirit of Scandinavian egalitarianism there is a fair usage policy, so in other words you shouldn’t abuse their good will by sitting there all day and not buying anything (and yes, that means you will be frowned upon if you nurse a single cup of coffee throughout the lunchtime rush).

Scandinavian Kitchen, 61 Great Titchfield St, W1W 7PP (7580 7161/www.scandikitchen.co.uk).


ICA Café
Since its Peyton & Byrne makeover, this café and bar has become a super-stylish destination in which to dine on simple, tasty food and sip on a cocktail or two. The daily membership fee has been scrapped so it’s free to get in. Take your laptop and update your blog on aesthetic discourse.

ICA Café, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH (7930 3647/www.ica.org.uk).


Hummus Bros
A temple to chickpeas, Hummus brothers serves, erm, houmous, with a wide variety of toppings and wedges of warm pitta bread. There is open wi-fi access but this is essentially a busy fast-food restaurant so avoid lingering at peak times. There’s another branch on Southampton Row.

Hummus Bros, 88 Wardour St, W1F OTJ (7734 1311/www.hbros.co.uk).


Camera Café

(By the way, these aren't my boobs:p)

The idiosyncratic Camera Café brings a touch of Parisian eccentricity to London. The front of the café is a shop with cabinets jam packed with second-hand cameras: anything from beautiful old Leicas to restored Hasselblads. In the back is a small but cosy café. French music is played and the walls are covered with photographs hung at jaunty angles. All the juices come freshly squeezed and the Thai food is excellent.

Camera Café, 44 Museum St, WC1 (7831 1566/www.cameracafe.co.uk).