Portobello Market

We had to decide between Portebello Market and Camden Market. Now I'm told by a reliable source that Camden's market is a lot more interesting and that's where you can find unique pieces of clothing and unusual trinkets.  Portebello is for silly tourists like me.

The famous Portobello Market of London comes alive on Saturdays. On any other day, it's dead. That's what I found out the first time I was there, not a Saturday. The best time to go is before 11 am. Anytime after that, the streets turn into a sea of people and you have to shuffle along, unable to even stop and look at the wares.








A real Prada bag, very nice isn't it.


















Hummingbird Bakery was packed with people and the street was the most jammed outside the shop. The ladies in the kitchen (no photos allowed) worked very fast, slapping icing onto cupcakes, digging a well in the center with the spatula and sprinkling colored sugar into the well. So clever, time-saving and no use of icing bag too. The cakes weren't elaborately or delicately decorated and looked home-made and rustic, the way I like my cakes.

I'd never heard of Hummingbird Bakery before that so I didn't even bother to line up for the cupcakes. Now I wish I did because the bakery has a cult following from people around the world. Judging from the height of the cakes (very high) and the flavors (red velvet cakes, carrot cakes, devil's food cake) , I think the cakes are American, not British.






This is their best seller, the red velvet cupcakes. I have never tasted a red velvet cake because I avoid eating coloring but dang, I should've at least tried a bite.


Nottinghill.