Three a day

Villagers in Brixton...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Brixton is a part of London I am going to be really sad to say goodbye to. After working here for the year and having many lovely coffees, lunches and wanders around the village it feels lie an extension of home. I simply love the colour and vibrancy that is a permanent fixture in these market rows.

So….tonight Nick and I took the train over to the village and prepared ourselves for an evening of indulgence and tasting - we made a very concerted effort to get around as many little restaurants as possible…

Nick couldn’t say no to a fresh taco to start. Especially for a pound…

The taco and the taco man :)

Oh wow. I think I found a piece of furniture I simply MUST purchase….Let there be light in my home :)

The very famous and ever popular Honest Burgers…

…and the tempting Mama Lan…

We then wandered across to Market Row…

An obligatory photo outside my favourite little lunch spot…Rosie’s Cafe…

And we kept up the Mexican theme stopping in at Casa Morita…

Salt for the salt girl :)

Traditional UK-style guacamole…

After our Mexican fix we wandered straight across the row and dived right into Bukowski…time for ribs and American fun :)

You know you’re in America when you see bottomless filter coffee on the menu…

Margaritas and sauce :)

This coleslaw was delicious!

And you can’t fault proper ribs…

..or crayfish and prawn popcorn…

We got messy…

…and got silly :)

For our dinner proper we had a booking at Cornercopia…

Delicious pea mint and lemon bruschetta…

…and a terrine of pork, prune and pistachio…

Woops. Double dipping…

And as if there was any room left (which there wasn’t)….we squeezed in gelato from Lab G…

…I mean, it would have been rude not to :)

Deliciously buried at the Ledbury...

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Aren’t birthdays fabulous?

In opinion if you have to age you might as well age well and ….well, that’s what we did this week when Nick treated us to dinner at the magnificent Ledbury…

Warm bread…the perfect pre-dinner treat. Especially when there is a lot of it…

They even had cheese, bacon and onion mini pinwheels…

And a splash of champagne to start us off :)

Ceviche of hand dived scallops with Kabu turnips and frozen English wasabi…

Check out this fabulous spoon…

Flame grilled mackerel with avocado, celtic mustard and shiso…

Hampshire buffalo milk curd with Saint-Nectaire truffle toast and a broth of grilled onions…

This bread was sitting on a bed of rosemary and is apparently straight from Poilane…

Salmon with fennel and elderflower…

What on earth is this table decoration??

Jowl and cheek of pork with scorched pear, celeriac, fresh and dried dandellon…

Fillet of roe deer with red leaves and vegetables, cherries and bone marrow…

I love this - one giant potato gratin chip!

For a pre-dessert we had a deconstructed meringue…

What a gorgeous little treat :)

Parfait of dried flowers with gariguette and wild strawberries, white chocolate and warm tapioca with vanilla…

And this is what the bill at the Ledbury comes out on a tray of…

And yes…I made every effort to eat the chocolate bark :)

Birthday love...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well it’s the second week of July which means one main thing…it’s my birthday week!

We kicked off celebrations with a cute Monday night dinner at Pho in Soho…

Followed by yummy dessert at Princi. I opted for finally trying their signature passionfruit cheesecake - justified as my first (of hopefully many) birthday “cakes” :)

I got the most beautiful Fortnum & Mason chocolate truffles from Emily…

…and a bunch of sugar-sweet smelling peones :)

I couldn’t resist getting started…

I love my friends. Feeling so spoilt with stunning cards…

…and an incredible Columbia Road flower markets print!!

So…first of all I gave into temptation and opened my presents from home…

And then along came a rather luscious looking yellow bag. I’m liking this…

After opening my card…

…I peered inside…

But was only allowed a couple as it wasn’t really my birthday yet…

I’m loving this!!

And the perfect follow on from my cooking class!

Macaroons for Kimberly…

…and macaroons for Nicholas…

On my actual birthday I was spoilt with a birthday lunch at Tapped and Packed in my lunch break from the Tavistock…

Glass jar junkies :)

And in the evening as part of my summer school we were off to the theatre! We were treated to a magical performance of “Long Day’s Journey into Night” at the Apollo Theatre at the West End…

All aboard on the Stockholm waters...

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Top three from today:

Cinnamon buns for breakfast from Cafe Saturnus. One word? Delicious :)
Doing the city boat cruise all around Stockholm’s magnificent waters. I love boat cruises - they really do give you such an excellent perspective and in a city like Stockholm where the water is everything, this is a must :)
Exploring the beautiful department store “named after us”. Ok, well not quite - but NK certainly has the most delicious Swedish cakes, an excellent Swedish lolly section and some stunning homeware. I love it.

We started the morning late and leisurely - with a bus ride direct to the heart of bratpack territory…

Cafe Saturnus was a must - it has a reputation for having the best cinnamon buns in Stockholm…

Well…they are looking pretty good!

Cinnamon bun modeling :)

I had an incredible granola parfait…

Nick had a delicious omelette…

Coffees were a must - such cute little cups :)

And across from us lay temptation in the bacon french toast…

…and the classic Swedish hot sandwich…

Alas. It all went :)

After breakfast we took a wander around the gorgeous shops in this part of Stockholm…

We found a very stylish mall…

…and my favourite was the Urban Outfitters (Philadelphian proud!)…which is actually housed in an old cinema!!

Next up was the majestic department store - NK

N and K - the perfect match :)

We went straight to the in-house supermarket. Wow!

I had to buy one of these classic caviar tubes to take back to London and goggle up with my toast :)

I found a pineapple! Great in-joke from the weekend :)

Gurly and Andrew bought us such beautiful glassware for our wedding - and this is where it is from!

Yes, that is a big dog inside the store :)

A fika set!

Before leaving we made sure we had a trip to the cake counter…

We tried two Swedish treats…A Punsch-roll (green one) and a biskvi (the chocolate one)…

I love this! The other name for it is a vaccum cleaner, which not only refers to its appearance but also supposedly because the practice of the pastry baker was that they would collect the crumbs from the day’s cookies for the filling!

Princely cutlery…

A Swedish sidewalk cafe bar :)

So while the girls went to Zara the boys went to Audi…

And after our shopping it was time for a river cruise…

Our last touristing of the afternoon was spent at the Vasa Museum…an iconic museum for Stockholm…

Wow - what an incredible museum!!

I even fell in love with something in the giftshop…

After the Vasa museum we made our way back to the apartment…via the Central Station..

And just before we left we took a few snaps of the beautiful apartment we had been staying in. Gurly and Andrew have it looking so pretty - seriously like something out of a magazine. And an excellent advert for Ikea…

Great Ikea modeling guys :)

Poetry takeaways and eggs and soldiers...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Top three from today:

Discovering eggs and marmite soldiers for breakfast
Indulging in poetry takeaways on the South Bank - ie having a talented UK poet whip me up a poem about my day in half an hour while I lounged around in the sun next to the water. Fabulous :)
Making London small by bumping into Kerryanne and Brody while enjoying a drink at our favourite Soho bar. Gotta love that village feel :)

We started our day with a bike ride up to Hampstead Heath to hunt out a cafe we had been meaning to try….Ginger and White. Well, it seems with white in the name it was only fair to start with a flat white…

For our breakfast we indulged in a childhood romance of eggs and soldiers…

Too cute with its bobbly hat!

The English have marmite and Gentlemen’s Relish on their soldiers. Never one to say no to something new, I gave both a try!

…and the marmite was a clear winner! And this is English marmite too - I will definitely be splurging on a jar of this to bring back home…

A hop skip and a jump up the hill brought us to Hampstead Heath with its cute lanes, shops and ice cream shops. We bought a cute brass antique doorknocker and a nutcracker and…

…a tiny little cone of espresso gelato. Perfect :)

I wanted to whisk this boy away and bring him home with me :)

I found an ideal job for dad - check out this work-life balance!

On our walk from Hampstead Heath to Belsize Park and on to Camden and Primrose Hill…we also stumbled across a summer wedding…

…we couldn’t resist stopping for a peek :)

We also found the Royal Free!

And when we got to Camden Lock we listened to some fabulous buskers on the bridge before popping down below…

…straight into Primrose Bakery :)

The rose cupcakes were absolutely beautiful! And how fabulous to discover afghans!

Across the road there was a whole lot more temptation…with Melrose & Morgan….a Primrose Hill delicatessen…with battenberg cake!

We also found a cute supply of (London’s most expensive??) scotch eggs - just for you dad!

…and how about a 17 pound cottage pie?

So…we settled for a sugar brioche and sat on the perch in the sunshine to enjoy it :)

After our sugar hits we wandered back to the high street in Primrose Hill to window shop. My favourite little shop was Mary’s Living & Giving - a charity shop with a fabulous edge of style and creativity!

After wandering around the “hill” we then made our way back to Regent’s Park…ready for some park photos in the sun…

…including Nick’s favourite chinese restaurant (on a boat in the canal!)

…and then we cycled right across town and down Regent Street and through Soho to get to the Southbank…

We made it just in time to place our order at the Poetry Takeaway pop up store!!

It is fair to say that I have been excited about this ever since reading about it last summer!

So…I placed my “order” with the chef and was told to come back in half an hour…

The Southbank was the perfect spot for a sunny Saturday afternoon stroll…

…and after half an hour we returned to be given our takeaways - complete with a performance by the poet himself!

And in a gorgeous little keepsake envelope to keep forever :)

I love poetry :) A very happy chappy :)

I also love this playground we discovered next! A coloured rainbow sandpit that gets mixed up by all the children playing and having fun!

Next up was the South Bank Book Market - right underneath Waterloo Bridge…

And after all of that riding, poetry gobbling and book oggling…it was time for a sit down and a cold drink at the Propstore!

The Propstore is the National Theatre’s unique pop-up riverfront bar…

…it has excellent boxes of hot chips :)

…and it’s not just for the stylish and the hip…apparently very large dogs also enjoy this bar!

So after a lovely relaxing rest we were then off on our bikes again - this time cycling back to Soho to stop in for a drink before dinner at the French House!

And how fantastic is this…we spotted Kerryanne and Brody wandering past and were able to enjoy a sneaky glass of champagne and a catch up - just to end the perfect day

Ok…actually that’s a lie as the actual ending consisted of yummy burritos (from Benito’s Hat) in bed while watching Rocky on DVD :)

Off to home of the cinnamon bun...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

For the entire past year Nick and I have been looking forward to our trip to Sweden to visit Andrew and Gurly. As much as the Swedish winter sounded like an incredible experience…we hung on until summertime to maximise our Stockholm exposure and seek out those long midsummer nights …

Top three from today:

Cycling around the beautiful Djurgarden in the mid afternoon hot hot sun
Sipping champagne on the rooftop of Sodra Theatre looking out over the most spectacular view of Stockholm
Sampling all the delicious Swedish treats and sweet delights at the bakery in Bla Porten - In other words, having our first “fika” experience :)

But first things first….imagine getting out of bed to be greeted by this! Fresh, dripping, bursting watermelon!! Hello summer :)

Fresh Swedish bread for breakfast…

..with Swedish yoghurt for our cereal…

After breakfast we wandered along the water’s edge…

This is the site of a newly-opened burger restaurant where a restauranteur has recreated all of his favourite burgers from America….awesome!

These are the old Abba studios…Polar Music Studios…now sadly a gym…

…but calling for some Abba dancing nonetheless…

Yep, I had already made a purchase and it wasn’t even morning tea time. I couldn’t resist adding to my kitchen collection courtesy of a very stylish Swedish design shop!

We caught the train to Kristineberg…

…where I started spotting cinnamon buns…

…and summer sales! I love that the Swedish word for sale is Rea….

We decided to make the most of the sunshine and our two feet and walk over to Djurgarden…

…and we picked up freshly roasted chestnuts along the way…

We wandered past the Royal Palace…

Looking across to the National Museum…

This Swedish bookshop near the Palace looked fantastic!

This is the famous and very beautiful Grand Hotel…where the Nobel prize winners stay each year…

This is looking across to the gardens in Stockholm where the herbs and food for the King and Queen were traditionally grown - the King’s garden :)

I’m loving Swedish food already…

I honestly can’t for the life of me imagine a French person eating this….

I love the look of the little cafes and bars along the water here…

Looking across to Djurgarden…

…and being sneaky snooping around the boats here. Doesn’t it look like the most relaxing place in the world?

Water art :)

Almost at Djurgarden - this is where we hire our bikes later on…

This is the Nordic Museum…

But our direction was clear. Straight to Bla Porten for our first experience of fika!

This was such a pretty courtyard. The perfect destination for drinks and sweet treats…

One of Sweden’s specialties - apple pie!

So…needless to say we bought a whole mixture :)

After our indulging it was time to hop on bikes and take a trip around this magnificent island…

I love my TV towers. Always reliably distasteful. You have to love consistency :)

Nick did an amazing job as a photographer on two wheels!

We stopped at our very first hill :) But it was necessary - we were being shown such an idyllic hideaway spot…

…it’s a cute little greenhouse/garden concept where you can come and see the gardening but also buy coffees or bring a picnic. This reminds me of NZ vineyards - it was so pretty!

Post-cycling it was time to treat ourselves to the tram :)

…although I was rather tempted by this poster. Stockholm would be the prettiest place for a half marathon! I would love to run around all of these islands and be so close to the water :)

We were off to wander through Gamla Stan….Stockholm’s “old town”…

On the way however, we spotted a beautiful Swedish wedding :)

Gamla Stan dates back to the 13th century and is so pretty with its classic cobbled streets and alleyways…

Looking across to Sweden’s parliament…

…and looking back to the town hall - where the Nobel Prize Ceremony takes place

This little pub was so tiny - I was far too scared to risk it…

Looking back across the square to the Nobel Museum…

I love how the Royals seem to pop up everywhere :)

I am developing quite an appetite for some Toast Skagen!

After we arrived back home we went down to the water for a quick swim to freshen up before dinner.

We also entertained ourselves with my favourite photo competition - one shot each and who can capture the best one…

Nicholas went first…a pretty awesome attempt (I think it’s unfair as he has a longer arm)

Andrew was pretty awesome too!

Andrew was also an awesome sport - helping me out with my poorly aimed effort!

But I think Gurly was the winner as she did a high angle!!

For our pre-dinner drink we were completely spoilt. Andrew and Gurly took us to their secret Stockholm destination - on the rooftop of Sodra Theatre!

Shhh…don’t tell anyone. Not many people know about this spot and we like to keep it that way. This view is breathtaking!

And what is more incredible than that? A bucket of champagne? Ok…why not :)

Oooh and just when I thought things couldn’t get better…then there was the sweet and sour mixed nuts….!

After our rooftop delight we were off to dinner - at Sjogras!

Butter on a stone :)

Candles on garlic :)

Red wine in pregnant glasses :)

Bread in a box :)

Bread in my hands :)

Butter on bread :)

(And salt on the butter)

For dessert we continued to indulge. Gurly went for the rum and chocolate platter…

…while we went for the creme caramel in a jar. I think I simply love anything that comes in a glass jar…

Swedish coffees too…

…and see - cute cute cute little milk jars!

After dinner we ended up at yet another bar in the sky! I love this…

We even had a view out towards the famous Swedish golf ball Globen stadium :)

And what better way to end a wonderful day in Stockholm? With salted licorice from the vending machine at the train station…

It’s like Swedish pie time :)

A little bit more of a rather good thing...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

As usual I’ve been quite snap-happy these past few weeks. It’s a hard thing approaching yet another ending and transition and it’s safe to say we are certainly going to miss our London home. So as the weeks draw nearer to a close, here are a few pictures of what we have been up to…

First up - we got down to business in the kitchen!

To kick off July Emily and I treated ourselves to some culinary up-skilling courtesy of the L’atelier des Chefs cookery school! We took the plunge and dived straight into the art of perfecting macaroons…which was a fabulous afternoon class taught in Marylebone by a wonderful chef - who is actually a kiwi!

We got creative with colours and flavours and made literally hundreds…

…which thankfully meant plenty to take home as well :)

My favourite was definitely the salted caramel macaroon. In fact, I seem to recall Emily and I spent most of the last part of our class just standing around piping salted caramel filling into our mouths….mmm!

Another lunch date with Nicholas - this time at Foxcroft & Ginger on Berwick Street in Soho…

It was 4th July so I guess it was only fair for Nick to have a burger for lunch :)

And during my summer school at the Tavistock we managed to venture down to Store Street to check out the pretty shops and street….We squeezed in enough time for a sidewalk sandwich from Store Street Espresso. This place is fabulous … AND the sandwich literally tastes like a cheeseburger. What could be better?

And to end a long week the other day we met for a quick reboot at Tapa Room on the High Street. Time for a gossip, a chat, a relax and…a long black and fresh mint tea…

Tiffany blue tea cups almost make up for the rainy drizzle outside. Almost.

Oh and I did a little shoe shopping!!

Some pretty pink patents from Kurt Geiger…

…and how could I leave these mauve suedes behind?

And just this week we also ventured out to Dalston to support a wonderful cause…The inaugural pub quiz for Sarah and Bevan’s charity - “A Little“…

The quiz masters in action!

…and our team…doing surprisingly ok!

…We were a fair bit behind the winners though…

After the quiz I couldn’t resist jumping off the bus a little early and treating Nick to the Ottolenghi dessert experience in Angel. I just simply love this place. I have been here two weeks in a row now - thanks to Amber for introducing me. Thank you especially for not having done this earlier….it could have been dangerous knowing just how amazing this restaurant is!

This time we tried their signature passionfruit meringue pie…

…and the chocolate caramel tart…

Pollen Street Social...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Tonight Nicholas and I went on a little adventure to the fabulous Pollen Street Social. For those of you in the know, you know what I mean :) For those of you who have never heard of this establishment…I hope you’re hungry…read on :)

Pollen Street Social is famous for having one of the most hyped launches in 2011…

Head chef Jason Atherton was at Maze before PSS and is also renowned as the first British chef to work at El Bulli, the high temple of molecular gastronomy. This is his latest venture in London and his first restaurant without his former partner-in-crime Gordon Ramsay. It turns out that Pollen Street Social is also famous for housing London’s first dessert bar, seating just six. This becomes important later on…just you watch :)

Me, my hundred and one dalmatians and my boy started the evening with a delicious glass of champagne. I love Fridays :)

Salted Sicilian olives. Do I need to say any more?

Oh woops! I forgot to take a picture of the salted butter…

…because it all ended up far too quickly on here…

Life is all about the accessories…like beautiful steak knives…

…and hugely oversized red wine glasses :)

For my dinner I opted for the fish. It was a beautiful fat roasted red mullet with Spanish prawn rice, cockles and samphire…

While Nick opted for the rack of salt marsh lamb, braised shoulder and creamed spiced aubergine with a savory and black olive reduction…

I especially loved how my saucepan of prawn price was presented as a little something extra…

So so so delicious :)

When it came time for dessert we were invited to sit at the Dessert Bar! Not really knowing what this meant we said “Sure, why not!”…

I mean, that PBJ dessert sounds pretty incredible…

Turns out however…the dessert bar is the best seat in the house! Where you get to watch the chefs in the kitchen…while also sitting at the very bar where all of the desserts are prepared. We became rather good friends with the two lovely pastry chefs!

Turns out becoming friends had excellent benefits. They kept slipping us irresistable, delectable desserts….mmm!

I kid you not -this passionfruit sorbet tasted exactly like passionfruit but without the seeds. It was mouth-watering…

Here comes our PBJ dessert…we watched it get put together…

…and then we watched it disappear :)

Espressos at Pollen Street Social come with the perfect condiments…

Namely - macaroons from the macaroon “cupboard”..

…and tiny little Financiers :)

We watched as every single dish prepared for the restaurant was taken into the kitchen and checked by the Head Chef…

And then at midnight when the last dish went out we watched the lightning speed with which the chefs suddenly switched into cleaners and scrubbed every single wall, bench, table and floor!

Oh Pollen Street Social - you are simply marvelous :)

Sunny shores in Shoreditch...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We started off with a quick stop in at the Tavistock Centre on Warren Street…to pick up some pre-reading materials for my summer school next week. Exciting!

We then headed straight to Liverpool Street…such a beautiful station and spot :)

We wandered across the streets towards Shoreditch High Street…

Past the Tea Building…

The Tea Building is a signature landmark for Shoreditch. It was originally built as a bacon factory for Allied Foods’ Lipton brand in the early 1930’s and is full of original features…

It is owned by Derwent London and home to a busy community of marketing agencies, media companies, fashion brands, retailers and artists…as well as the Pizza East restaurant right on the corner entrance!

We also checked out Hackney House - the hub for Tech City…

…and some obligatory Banksy on Rivington…

For lunch we passed by Franco’s which was looking rather popular…

…but opted instead for Fix 126…

…some great lunchtime reading materials :)

I fell in love with the Paper Dress Vintage store! They are open in the evenings for TV screenings and you can eat cake and sip coffee and tip (and cocktails!) while enjoying your vintage shopping!

It seems we hit Shoreditch on a hot fashion day - there were a lot of fashion shoots happening in the alleyways…

We popped into one of our favourites - Boxpark…

…the East London pop up shopping mall made out of old railway bridges and containers!

..more fashion shoots…

Don’t mind if I do…free frozen yoghurt samples from Frae Frozen Yoghurt...

I love this store! Everyone needs a OnePiece…

I also rather love Phaidon as this shelf display was pretty much made just for me :)

We wandered on from Boxpark past Shoreditch Junk - which is a cute little junk store where you can eat lunch and sweet treats (and buy fabulous furniture through pure temptation)…

…and then on to Brick Lane for more window shopping and checking out the Old Truman Brewery…I love this building on Brick Lane…

Finally we reached Old Spitalfields Market and I just love peering into this store of pampering…it’s such a fabulous idea :)

I couldn’t resist a bit of Poole pottery…

Yankee Doodle came to Marylebone...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well today is 4th July - and that makes it Independence Day!

I guess it’s fairly accurate to say that any excuse for Nick and I to reminisce over America, pretend we are in New York, eat burgers and drink cocktails…is one we want to take up! So today was a special day as we decided to stick true to our love of 4th July and dine in American bliss at Meat Liquor. So it was all about the denim, the sneakers, the queuing, the drinking in the queue and then…oh wow…the burgers and fries. My oh my…

So first up - there is that infamous Meat Liquor queue. But the way around this is to remind yourself - “If you’ve done it once before, you can do it again”. That and to also bring your work to do in the queue while you wait the 1-2 hours…

So basically to begin with there was one in the queue…

…and then a little while later there were two…

This was a nice addition as it also brought along a few drinks to spice up the wait!

It wouldn’t be American if we didn’t have refreshments in the queue. Everyone was having a great time outside bonding over their wait and reminiscing over America :)

This was made even better when the wait staff brought out food for us to enjoy while we were waiting! I love it!

Deep fried pickles - Meat Liquor’s signature :)

Once inside we settled in at the bar while waiting for our table…You have to remember this place is fabulous largely because it’s an old underground carpark. The interior is classic!

My favourite is the no ballet pumps. Good thing I opted for my American sneakers :)

So as I have mentioned before, it’s all rather simple in here. First you have the meat…

…and then you have the liquor. Preferably together :)

And the liquor comes in jam jars. Brilliant :)

I wouldn’t be American without my dash of Tiffany :)

Any burger joint that comes with compulsory paper towels is my kind of place…

So to start we always get the same thing. Chili cheese fries…and wings. American size :)

I seem to recall it being healthy to eat meals with lots of bright colours on your plate? :)

Ready for the sticky fingers…Bring it on :)

And then we got down to business with the green chili cheeseburger. The waiter was amazed we ordered more after our first round. I guess they learned their lesson…never underestimate Nicholas and Kimberly in a burger joint :)

That’s some serious insides :)

Always equipped with my paper towel…

And just like that - it was done! Happy Independence Day :)

Jonathan comes to London...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

All good Good family catch ups start with excellent flat whites…we headed straight to Nordic Bakery and met Nick for lunch :)

The next brotherly catch up was for Sunday dinner at the Prince Regent in Marylebone…wasting no time in getting straight into some yummy Sunday roasts and “Brothers” cider!

On Monday, Jonathan Emma and I had a lovely lunch at Tapped and Packed followed by a bubble tea from my favourite Bubbleology…

In the afternoon Jonathan and I started day one of our self-direct Banksy on Bikes tour…cycling all across London up to Regent Canal and Notting Hill to hunt out Banksy art.

After all that cycling we were more than ready for a drink on Selfridges rooftop…and a spot of mini golf by Bompas & Parr…

I love this. Our mini golf scorecard smelt like bakewell tart. It was delicious :)

Jonathan started us off….

And we were on our merry way across the Tower Bridge and other London landmarks…

We even had a little acting competition…

After our gold I discovered the brand new Selfridges pop up store!

And then we wandered across to Mayfair for a little more Banksy..

Before heading to the very hip, very new La Bodega Negra. This is one of London and Soho’s latest Mexican restaurants which is completely hidden off the street. In fact you enter through a sex shop….Jonathan and Nick were a little skeptical until we finally got inside and they believed me :)

The tacos and corn were of course, well worth it :)

However…it seems the boys still had room for more…or so it seemed after we stumbled across Herman ze German…

On Tuesday Jonathan and I started at one of the best places to ever start your day….Joe and the Juice…

Before hunting out some more Banksy in East London…

We also explored Boxpark…love this place!

Before wandering down Brick Lane…

…and escaping the heat with ice creams at Old Spitalfields Market…

And to end things off…I gave Jonathan his first Primark experience. After leaving the store and acknowledging he never wants to recall this experience ever again…he gave me his best version of a “man leaving Primark” pose :)

After dinner (and Lobster Burger…photos to come!)….we ended up back at Maze for some deliciously tempting espresso martinis…

And to end our fabulous week….we celebrated with a lovely dinner at Goodman…

…before dancing the night away at Kensington’s famous piano bar…

And later that weekend we had more family treats in store. It was lovely to see Robin and we were very spoilt with an afternoon indulgence of Knickerbocker Glory at Fortnum and Mason’s Ice cream parlour….

Exploring the less new Newmarket...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Today Jonathan and I took a day trip to go exploring in Suffolk….

We were off to trace our relatives and experience a day in Newmarket - the old Newmarket that is :)

We knew we had arrived in Newmarket once we started seeing horses and equine-related services at every bend of the road…

We even had to wait in traffic for all the horses to cross the road…

After parking in the local high street we were off to take a wander…

It was definitely time for a coffee once we reached the magnificent Pantry!

I was smitten by the large jar of fresh, home-cooked bakewell tart…

…and I loved all the cute horse cards and paintings in store…

The bakewell tart was, well, baked exceptionally well…

…and Jonathan’s scone was truly English. Would you care for a little butter with your cream??

We couldn’t resist picking up a few supplies…blue cheese crackers for Nicholas and chocolate ginger for gran…

This is the Newmarket Jubilee Clocktower - a red brick clock tower from 1890 commemorating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee…

Sitting on the high street…

This wine merchant has been here since the late 18th century…

The Rutland Arms Hotel…

We managed to track down the original butchers where my great grandmother met the King! She was buying meat for her mother as a young child and the King asked her why she wasn’t at school…When she explained the situation the King then gave her a penny! A lot of money in those days….

This was clearly a butchers shop originally - I love these tiles!

After wandering along the high street it was then time to hunt out some of the famous Newmarket sausages…

First up was Musk’s…

…without a doubt the friendliest and loveliest butchers I have ever met!

Then we walked a few steps downhill to come to Powter’s…

After our Newmarket stint we drove into the countryside to have lunch in Dalham at a cute English countryside pub…

…We shortly reached the Affleck Arms in Dalham Village…

We escaped the drizzle and settled in for a Newmarket sausage sandwich for lunch….yum!

After lunch we drove back to Newmarket to see if we could track down any of our relatives…

Unfortunately it seems the cemetery has been completely left to go wild…

We tried both All Saints Church…

…and the Parish Church of Saint Mary…

…which clearly wasn’t any easier to navigate!

So on we drove…leaving behind Newmarket, its horses and all the horsemen…

…and drove across to Cambridge. First obligatory photo was outside the Cambridge Union!

The majestic King’s College…

We decided to head to the river and try out some punting…

…Well to be honest, I had no idea in the slightest that punting was something you did on your own! Thankfully I had an excellent guide with me - Jonathan saved the day!

…although as you can see, I did have a little paddle so I might have been able to do something??

We made it! What a punter!

Looking on to the Bridge of Sighs…

So after a long fun day exploring the English countryside we returned back to London…in time for have Newmarket sausages (part two!) for dinner.

I cooked up both our purchases from Musk’s and Powter’s and asked Nick to play judge…

..of course sausages (and everything in general) are always that little bit better with a splash (or giant puddle) of HP Sauce…

Soiree at the Marylebone Fayre...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

On Sunday we were treated to the annual Marylebone Summer Fayre. This is basically one giant street-long, street-wide party where everyone in the neighbourhood comes out and eats, drinks, dances and shops together.

Given that we were in Sicily for the Jubilee weekend this was something not to be missed as it was our first opportunity to do “that” thing this summer - sit on a street-long dining table and gaze up at bunting.

We started up the top of the high street….tempted by the delicious smells and goodness wafting over from the Cabbages and Frocks market…

We wasted no time in being surrounded by strawberries and cream…

I couldn’t resist a stop at my favourite Cath Kidston…

…I even found their brand new sewing room downstairs…

After a while we made the most of free popcorn…in cute little paper cones…

…and were very tempted by the Byron “proper hamburgers” food truck…

Time for a spot of dancing in the sun…

…matched perfectly by Pimms tents scattered down the high street…

In the Paddington Square Gardens all the local restaurants had pop up tents and a bar, with a stage with more music and entertainment well into the evening…

As if it were ever possible for Patisserie Valerie to get any better…they now sell ice creams :)

Taking in some Paul Smith…

…and a little bit of Pimms in the sunshine :)

Vintage fairs, ladies day and girly dinner dates...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well this weekend we were spoilt for choice with lots of fabulous visitors in London!

In amongst the dinner dating we also snuck out East to explore Shoreditch and pick up some excellent coffee…

In true East London style we caught the bus out there. Of course…

…and headed straight to Shoreditch Grind for an excellent Saturday lunch :)

After lunch I conveniently stumbled across the annual vintage clothing fair at the Shoreditch Town Hill…

This was an excellent find! Some fabulous little treats inside here…

I was brilliantly strict and only indulged in an oversized white tuxedo shirt, a cute red jacket and a silk scarf for my gran :)

It was only fair that Nick was rewarded for his perfect supportive-husband-shopping skills. So off we trotted down the road to seek out the Allpress Roastery Cafe…

Their iced coffees are highly worth the trek..

We got them takeaway and wandered all around Brick Lane and Shoreditch…

…before finally arriving at the Aussie Rules ladies day to sip some champagne and watch Jacques’ London team do their thing. Fun times!

After our East London excitement it was back home and over to Soho to have a lovely dinner dating with Emma. We started at the French House, my favourite. This pub is infamously referred to as the best known pub in the world’s naughtiest square mile :)

After a refreshing kir we trotted over to Regent Street to have a long and delicious dinner at Veeraswamy…osldest Indian restaurant which has been going strong since 1926!

I love lychees in anything at all. Especially my cocktails :)

I also am rather partial to the odd chicken lollipop (or two)…

But boy oh boy was the dessert the winner! Kulfi…

And it wasn’t just Saturday night which was our special treat. We also got to spend Friday night at the Tapa Room with the beautiful Kimberley and Bridgid…

…and Sunday morning at the Christian Louboutin exhibition at the London Design Museum and then lunch at Borough Markets. It was so lovely to see Sarah again. We always meet in such exciting places :)

Two ladies in Carnaby - A fashionable farewell...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well the tears are welling…it’s Jamee’s last few days here in London… :(

What better way to have a send off than a night of freebies, fashion, talent, photobooths, great food and drink, a sneaky Chanel purchase, a sewing machine and two champagne flutes tucked into our handbags and…breakfast margharitas and cupcakes for dinner…I mean, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t :)

So we started the annual Carnaby Fashion Night out in the very best spot…the chocolate section of Liberty…

This means Heaven in my language…

If you struggle to eat your vegetables…

I love these! They also have “London Traffic Jam”…

The beautiful bunting-ified interior of Liberty…

Ready for our fashion madness!

First stop…free drinks and popcorn at the Lomography store…

Then it was time for Cheap Monday photobooth action…all in honour of Mieke :)

Disappearing for a while into Kingly Court…here we hit up the Carnaby Book Exchange Grazia event, the cider mixing area and all the lovely shops and bands in between…

Over to Lexington Street and Berwick Street…and straight into the cupcakes and Black russians…

…and a little more photobooth action :)

Then it was a hop skip and a jump back home in time for dinner…well, breakfast margaritas at The Marylebone?? I strictly informed Jamee she wasn’t allowed to leave London without trying one :)

Hey - at least we got some greens in!

And who would ever have guessed….but Jamee had been carrying around a sewing machine in her handbag all night as a wonderful little farewell gift to me!

Totally awesome!

But…this is even cooler. Buried beneath it is her sewing kit!

Will miss you Jamee - Amsterdam is onto a winner. Hurry back home to NZ soon. You and me and Mieke have some triple dating to get onto :)

Celebrating handing in with hanging out in the garden...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well today was the day that my final clinical portfolio was due. I can’t believe this year has gone so quickly and it was really moving to put together so many cases, reflections and pieces of work in one full, complete portfolio. I have learnt so much this year and really treasured all the new adventures that have come along with my work here in London.

But needless to say…after handing in my final piece…it was time for a lie down :)

And so off we went to the local Montagu Square Gardens where we did just that. With a little picnic from M&S and a gorgeous glass of wine courtesy of the lovely neighbours sitting in the park as well :)

This. Was. Amazing :)

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Well we have been pretty busy these past few weeks but when I looked back over my camera I did (unsuprisingly!) find a few photos of delicious treats, dinners and smiley happy places we had visited. So here is a little bit of this and a little bit of that….

Let’s start somewhere creative…a little trip across to Clapham to my favourite little sewing shop…

And how to reward a husband that comes with you to your favourite little sewing shop? With a rather delicious, large, chocolate and raspberry slab of brownie and brimming hot flat whites at The Black Lab Coffee House…

And during the week we squeezed in a mid-week lunch date at Taylor St Baristas…

You can’t say no to ginger crunch and hot coffee tucked away along Brooks Mews in Mayfair…

And my favourite is the coffee competition on the wall - locals compete to drink the most coffee. It’s like the modern version of a coffee loyalty card…

Our little hood is looking all so pretty lately. I love the shop windows. It seems bunting and corgi dogs are everywhere :)

…And look what we discovered in Natural Kitchen! Huia wine….remembering our wedding :)

The wine was a little pricey so here we are heading for yet another brownie instead :)

This was a much needed study break for me as I was working on my clinical portfolio and preparing for my final exam…

I love this picture. My favourite Marylebonian :)

One Sunday evening we escaped the weekend drizzle and tucked ourselves away in St Christopher’s Place at the cozy and very stylish Cote Brasserie…

We discovered the ever so tasty Pissaladiere…

And this incredible Steak Hache…

There was a certain very special midweek delivery from Holland….

Oh my goodness I am in love with these waffles. They had to be rationed :)

And after my final exam at King’s College we had a celebratory lunch altogether…

…and after work that day Nick took me on a date to the Royal Festival Hall. We saw a simply brilliant and breathtaking piano concert. The pianist was Russian and performed 5 encores!

(and we started our date with super cute Japanese takeaways in memory of American takeout boxes)..

Eating game is part of the game at St John...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Tonight we had the pleasure of finally trying one of London’s most iconic restaurants. For years, St John has been famed as one of the “it” restaurants to eat at, dine at, be seen at and…munch on bread at.

Yes that’s right - equally famous for its fabulous bakery, this gem in the heart of the city is only ever talked nicely about.

But here’s a warning - one can’t be delicate when in the realms of the mighty St John…
Think meat, game, hearty meals for British soldiers….I mean, even the clean-cut white walled restaurant has the reminiscence of an unforgiving butcher’s block!

So believe you me, we went prepared! Our eyes were rightly peeled for the heartiest, gamiest meals we could spy…

But first there was bread.It wasn’t warmed and shock-horror there was no salt to satisfy my typical cravings, but I have to admit…it was very, very good…

After choosing our starters and feeling proudly like Fear Factor contestants we waited and watched while we were supplied with our “tools” for the evening…

We loved both of our dishes…the bone marrow salad - with its hands-on action

…and the deceptive crispy pig skin salad, if ever such an hyperbole existed…

And between all the meat and juices, well, it would have been improper not to squeeze in some greens. And squeeze we did - these juicy little peas in a pod were simply perfect and thankfully - tool-less when it came to eating!

The main story of the evening was the game we loved the best! See how I did that?

Well now look over here…

But my favourite gem of the savory treats was undeniably the Welsh rarebit…which is in all fairness (and aptly described by the chefs at St John)…a glorified, posh, forget-me-not, cheese on toast…

And completely kidding ourselves that we had room for dessert we politely smiled, gripped the dessert menu and mistakenly dived right in…I mean, it’s very British not to complain about these sorts of things :)

After spending a painful afternoon of my life trudging around ever corner of Eccles town square in Northern England several months ago only to be completely unsuccessful in discovering any form of Eccles cake to cake (!) I now make it almost of a life motto to consume Eccles cakes whenever they cross my path. To be honest, this is seldom (and quite possibly next to never). But low and behold - St John’s is actually famous for making the best (only?) Eccles cakes in London…

So…it would have been rude not to…

And when spotted dick is on the end of a truly British menu…well, I consider it the same as a compulsory tip - it just simply goes without saying.

This one went with a lovely splash (ok, so it was a jug) of creamy clotted custard. Delicious!

And so to bed.

Feeling suitably British, suitable game, not so saintly but properly belly-full :)

Escaping to Sicily...Day Four...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Top three from today:

Waking up to the sea and waves crashing right outside our bedroom - with the doors and windows wide open and the blue sky shining in :)
Sunbathing, reading and doing blissful nothing at all on a beautiful sandy white beach for the day
Sipping granita up the very top of Castelmola. I honestly have never been so scared driving uphill before - this was so vertical, so narrow and so un-fenced that I had to actually close my eyes (thankfully I wasn’t driving)…

This is what I saw when I first woke up this morning…

It’s beach time!

…and there is a new cruise ship in the bay…

This was our perch for the entire day. Front row :)

This is the old abandoned hotel that Nick is going to buy and do up just for me :)

Our dinner date spot last night…

This is where we went next…oh dear lord…it scares me even to look at this photo!

We got there!

I just cannot believe they have taxis and an ATM machine up here!

We had been recommended to seek out Bar Turrisi…

A library??

So in we ventured…and up up the stairs to the rooftop deck. This is one of the most “bizarre” bars I have ever been too…but honestly…it’s worth it for that view…

Breathtaking view out back over our bay, our Hotel Orpheus…and Mt Etna to the right…

We had it all to ourselves :)

Look what we found along the highway! Falcone!

We had to drive through it just because :)

We went a little off the beaten track to seek out this incredible little spot! The Black Madonna…in Tindari…

…another temple dog :)

Looking out over the stunning Tyrrhenian Sea and the Aeolian Islands and here is the famous “tongue” sand out over the Sicilian coastline…

I can’t believe we found Mieke’s chips! In all places!

We also snuck in a chocolate-coloured ice cream in honour of the Black Madonna…

We arrived in Palermo late and after checking into our B&B we wandered through the streets to find the Quattro Canti District…Palermo’s famous “Four corners”…

Four stands for four corners :)

Dinner time! Eggplant…

and pastas!

And we ate our desserts (my final cassata) in front of this beautiful cathedral before a lovely well-earned sleep :)

Escaping to Sicily...Day Three...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Top three from today:

Buying fresh olives mixed with salt and garlic and chili at the magnificent Syracuse farmers markets
Sipping on mint granita while driving up the coast to Taormina
Checking into our incredible B&B. Named Hotel Orpheus, perched on the outermost point on the coastline of black rocks…with a bedroom surrounded with giant doors and windows with the sea beneath us. Is this the world’s best secret?

Nothing like a breakfast time wander through farmers markets to start the morning..

Aren’t these fish incredible?

Sicilian oranges…mmm!

And now we are talking…capers!

Delicious olives. I spoke no Italian, he spoke no English. The result? Perfect :)

I can’t get over the size of this fish!

Off to explore more temples and ampitheatres…

These three photos are my favourite of the day…

On our way to see the famous Ear of Dionysius I spotted a few Sicilian lemons in the tree…

And…voila! Just like that :)

Now onto that ear…

When we got inside a tour group was singing Amazing Grace. The echo was outstanding!

During the summertime they put on productions in this ancient ampitheatre…

First Sicilian cat!

After all that heat…it was the perfect timing for a morning granita…

Mint granita…perfect!

This is a little bit of what Sicily’s roads look like…no road markings!

Our arrival in Taormina…looking over the water and Giardini Naxos below…

Ok…time for another ice cream…

Coffee flavoured gelato…my favourite :)

I spy cannoli in the window…

…and Sicilian choc tops!

Nick didn’t waste any time perfecting his impersonation of American cruise ship tourists…

Great sightings of Italian snacks in the stores…

Isn’t this the best shop!

Unfortunately these two Falconers couldn’t quite afford anything inside it…

For lunch we took a recommendation of a cute spot from the assistant in the Falconer boutique…and settled in to try the Caponata…

Of course there were plenty of breadcrumbs and a tiny bit of pecorino cheese to sprinkle…

I love the firm Sicilian pasta…

I explored this cute little Patisserie and found our Almond fruit sweets to try…

I spy the cruise ship down below…

Finding private little alleyways everyone else walks past…

Time for a treat - a sunglass purchase!

We walked all the way along to the Teatro Greco…

After our wandering around Taormina we drove down to the beach at Giardini Naxos…and sought out our B&B for the night…the most incredible place! Hotel Orpheus you are so lovely :)

This is our local gelateria…just a stone’s throw away :)

We stopped in at the Lido just to have an espresso and put our feet on the sand…

More Italian snacks…the perfect ones it seems

This is something that everyone in Sicily is obsessed with. What is it?!

Time for our evening ritual - an aperitif…(with ridiculous helpings of free snacks)

Cutest couple of the day…

Time to watch the sunset on the beach…

More free snacks…

For dinner we wandered back towards our hotel…and found a gorgeous little pizzeria on the water’s edge…

My mum always said you should play with your food…

Tiramisu…

…and my first cassata!

Ok..and maybe a squeeze of ice cream for the crawl home…we are in Italy after all :)