Burnt Ends

The Head Chef, and a lot of steak!

Before I moved to Singapore I made a list of places that I wanted to visit – historical buildings, nature reservations, art galleries, and of course all the best sounding bars and restaurants too.

            After one rain check a few weeks ago, last night Nick and I finally had a reservation at Burnt Ends, which has been topping my restaurant list since I arrived! It is a fantastically no-strings, rustic restaurant, based on a brief but incredibly popular London pop-up called Burnt Endz.

            With around twenty seats available, all lined up along the bar where the chefs are cooking and their super hot coal burners are grill meat and scorching veggies in huge cauldrons it’s both a great place for dinner, and to enjoy a bit of a spectacle and chat with the chefs as they whip up everything from huge slabs of steak to Kingfish neck, charred to within an inch of its life, but with an incredible taste!

            There were lovely cocktails, some really tasty wine, all the small plates of nibbles that you could imagine and even cheese and honeycomb to round it all off. It was most definitely worth the wait, and I will absolutely be heading back there again as soon as I can persuade someone to come and split the bill with me.

            Sadly, the night wasn’t quite as much fun as it should have been, and I feel horribly guilty about it this morning because Nick made such an impressive effort. Whilst the whole experience was utterly lovely, I’m feeling fairly blue and horribly homesick this week, which doesn’t really make me the very best company in the world.

            

I knew that it would be hard to come and live on the other side of the world, but I don't think I realised quite how hard. I have spent the past 27 years building the closest possible ties with around 20 or so incredibly important people, that now being so far away and so out of touch is proving to be a bit of a struggle.

            I have always deliberately lived in what I called an “open door” world, where anyone on the list of nearest and dearest is welcome wherever I am, whenever required, no questions asked. It means that there has always been someone sat next to me, someone keen to play a new game, or even just to grab coffee when there’s an hour spare between events on the weekend. Whether it’s because they want to chat, whether they want wine or they just want to the pass the time, I’ve never in my entirely life had to be lonely thanks to an army of girls and my fabulous family. Now I don’t have any of those people near me, and the best I can do is Skype or speak to them on What's App, which just isn't the same.

            I’ve got Nick, and he’s been amazing and supportive over the past few months, but there’s a pressure on him to fill the gaps, and try as he might (and he is a complete love and he really does try!) I don't really think that he's ever going to be able to replicate the comfort of a brunch with five girls that you dearly love, or a weekend drinking tea and playing with babies in the countryside.       

            I miss the girls, I miss my family, I miss baby Charlie and I miss both London and the Shire. I’m having a great time, and I’m living in a bit of a dream world at the moment because everything is so new and shiny and exciting, which of course is great fun, but I think that planning a trip home and looking at all the things that I have been missing has just left me with a bit of a grey cloud this week.

            Hopefully a weekend of activities and adventures will be more than enough to shake off the blues and get back on with things. I’ve also signed up to a strange online friend making website where you sign up to events or socials depending on what you’re interested in and who else is going along. I have no doubt that it will be full of crazy randoms who I have absolutely no inclination to spend time with, but perhaps there will be one or two keepers in there. And if not, at least it gives Nick a bit more space to go out and play with the friends who I worry he’s had to abandon a bit later.

            Well, onwards and upwards. Enough wallowing. Maybe I’ll have some wine when my Friday workday finally finishes. I am sure that will be the first step to fixing things. I wonder where I can get my hands on a Happy Crumble in this place too…come on Google, don’t let me down!