Gingerbread Man getting me through the day// Coffee and productiveness at Browns of Brockley//Cocktails at The Ritz//Food at Whitecross Market//Sunday Roast at the Owl and Pussycat//Street art in Shoredicth during my many ramblings around the city.
Tuesday
Recent fun
Gingerbread Man getting me through the day// Coffee and productiveness at Browns of Brockley//Cocktails at The Ritz//Food at Whitecross Market//Sunday Roast at the Owl and Pussycat//Street art in Shoredicth during my many ramblings around the city.
Friday
La Bodega Negra
Billed as the new, trendy Mexican to hit London, La
Bodega Negra has two locations giving you the option of visiting the café
for lunch or the underground, cryptic restaurant for dinner. L
London is having a passionate love affair with all hispanic influenced food at the moment but in my experience it can be a hit or miss situation.
Similarly to El Camion, the evenings here have a party vibe
with a DJ and you have the added novelty of walking through a sex shop but Iafter an intense day of shopping I
decided to re-energise with some lunch at the cafe location that immediately grabs your attention with its bright décor of turquoise and black. London is having a passionate love affair with all hispanic influenced food at the moment but in my experience it can be a hit or miss situation.
The lunch menu is relatively short and we found that
it is better value if you choose the set menu of a drink, taco selection and a
side rather than a selection of dishes. On this occassion I had the fresh
lemonade which had a real citrus kick, the prawn tacos and a side of rice and
beans.
The tacos were delicious but tiny (and I mean tiny) portions and the beans were tasteless; I did choose to have them without meat which was a rookie error in this case. My friend had the mushroom and cheese tacos and these lacked flavour and any innovation. I know vegetarian food isn’t always exciting but they could at least come up with something better than bland mushrooms and cheese.
Unfortunately for me, La Bodega Negra isn’t a new star restaurant
for Mexican food. It was £10 for the set
menu which was pretty steep for a few small tacos and sides. The atmosphere and
good service saved it and after hearing rave reviews of the restaurant for the
evening, I think I will have to try it another time to get a better impression.
For lunch, I would much rather nip to Benitos Hat or a market stall for a tasty
burrito to give me my Mexican fix.
The tacos were delicious but tiny (and I mean tiny) portions and the beans were tasteless; I did choose to have them without meat which was a rookie error in this case. My friend had the mushroom and cheese tacos and these lacked flavour and any innovation. I know vegetarian food isn’t always exciting but they could at least come up with something better than bland mushrooms and cheese.
Saturday
Layers
I do love a crisp white shirt, I found mine at Uniqlo and teamed it with a black high necked jumper, polka dot shorts and a beautiful ethnic necklace I found in a vintage store. Here's to colder weather that allows for layering.
Recent fun
Bowling at All Star, Brick Lane// Treats from Hong Kong//Coffee and Banana Loaf at Flat White//Watermelon fro'yo at PinkBerry//Tower Hill (feeling like you aren't in London//
Tuesday
Nopi
For me food signifies the best things in life; it’s a way of
learning about culture, bonding with family and friends and is a wonderful cathartic
process to de-stress after a long day. This year for my birthday, food was pretty
much the focus of all my celebrations. I prepared a three course dinner party
on the day of my birthday to take the opportunity to make some recipes I’ve
been dying to try and treat my friends to something that I enjoy doing ( I revel
in the glamour of a dinner party with candles, flowers and wine). During my
stay to Portugal, my grandma treated me to a meal by the Chaine des Rotisseurs
who had a two-star Michelin chef visiting to cook a special 7 course gourmet
lunch and to top it off, two of my lovely friends, who I have a huge food bond
with, took me to Nopi, the restaurant by famed Yotem Ottolenghi.
We made sure we had room for dessert and shared the strawberry mess and sweet filo pastry served with plum compote. As it was such a special occasion we also treated ourselves to some after dinner drinks and coffee.
I’ve wanted to try Nopi for a long time, Ottolenghi is a chef
I really admire for his ability to make innovative food that isn’t too
eccentric and uses a good variety of vegetables. The setting was simple and calming
with white walls and dusted matte gold furnishings. We were promptly sat at our
table by the window and were delighted to see a wine menu specifically
promoting Team GB with some British wines.
As we’ve never tried British wines before, we were given some samples to
decide and went for a lovely medium bodied red.
Every detail has been thought of in this restaurant which distinguishes
it as one of the top restaurants in Soho. The gold ‘O’ is incorporated into the
furnishings including the napkin rings and cloakroom tickets. The toilets are
also an experience, taking you into a magical setting of mirrors jutting out
like glaciers.
We chose 7 of the sharing dishes which were more than enough
for three of us, although I must admit it was hard to choose as every dish looked
delicious. The service was impeccable with
the waitress helping in our choice and recommending dishes as we tried to get a
good balance of textures and flavours. All the dishes were delicious, from the
sweet potato with figs and goats cheese to the aubergine with pomegranate and
feta but the stand out dish was the savoury cheesecake with beetroot. I am not
exaggerating when I say this is one of the best things I have tasted..Ever. It
was melt-in-the-mouth warm cheese which went so well with the sweet beetroot, basically
a dream.We made sure we had room for dessert and shared the strawberry mess and sweet filo pastry served with plum compote. As it was such a special occasion we also treated ourselves to some after dinner drinks and coffee.
The food was delicious. Ottolenghi creates recipes that
savour the flavour of quality ingredients. Everything was cooked to perfection
and combined with the beautiful, ethereal-like setting and stellar service, it
was a night to remember.
Wednesday
Image sourced from The Guardian
Ceviche
Despite being an aficionado of all things Hispanic, Peruvian
food is something I have never tried. When thinking of Latin American food, the
Brazilian Feijoada or Argentine Steak spring to mind but it seems Peru also has
something to shout about with its own Ceviche.
A distinct dish, Ceviche is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated
in citrus juices and chilli and I had my first experience at the new Ceviche
restaurant located on Frith Street, Soho.
A quirky setting of turquoise accented walls, aged black and white
photos and 50s style lighting, give you the impression that you have left the
streets of Soho and found yourself enjoying the delights of a bar in Peru.
The menu is hugely varied, giving you a chance to try many
flavours. Pisco, is a speciality of the
restaurant, which is incorporated into both the food and drinks and so we
started off with a Pisco sour to get into the Peruvian mood. We decided to get a few different dishes in
order to try as many things as possible, something encouraged by the way the
menu is set into different sections. We chose some Ceviche, a rice dish, a
salmon skewer and some snacks in the form of Tequeños, melt in your mouth pastry
filled with cheese and chilli and Cancha, salted dried corn.
The flavours were diverse and bold and yet managed to create
a balance between the raw fish and the other strong ingredients. It’s very rare
to say you haven’t eaten a certain type of food but this really was unique. The
raw fish, was bursting with citrus and chilli which gave a kick alongside the
calmer tastes of the potato cake or avocado. The seafood was really good
quality and although small, there were enough mouthfuls to keep you satisfied.
Moving onto the skewer, the salmon was falling off the stick and again was full
of flavour. Another favourite were the Tequeños, simple and yet so
delicious, who can say no to melted cheese and chilli (we ordered another two
portions of these!)
Finally, we couldn’t miss dessert and chose the Suspiro de
Chirimoya, a fruit mousse with cinnamon and port wine meringue and the
Encanelado de Pisco, a cinnamon sponge soaked in the pisco spirit and with
dulce de leche ice cream. I was blown away by both of these desserts, the fruit
mousse tasted somewhere between caramel and papaya, absolutely delicious. The
sponge was also amazing and had soaked up the pisco so that each mouthful had
an extra kick after the cinnamon. Dulce de Leche is always a favourite and
added another Hispanic flavour into the mix, a perfect sweet mouthful to end a
delicious and yet light meal.
Ceviche demonstrates the diverse and interesting flavours
that Latin America offers. The quirky and yet understated setting allows you to
experience Peruvian food in an unpretentious way, enjoying the delightful food
and fun atmosphere.
London Menswear Collections SS 2013
2012 is London’s year: we’ve celebrated the Diamond Jubilee, are counting down to the Olympics and not to be overlooked, 2012 has also signalled the first ever London Fashion Week for menswear. This was an opportunity for London to present the designers that define it as one of the fashion capitals of the world, and in light of the recent celebrations, it seemed apt for Prince Charles to inaugurate the event. From Topman to Gieves & Hawkes, there was great variety in the style and form shown by those that chose to debut their collections.
In the tradition of the stereotypical English gentleman, classic fashion houses such as Gieves & Hawkes and Hardy Amies presented collections of well-tailored, distinguished designs. It was good to see an appreciation of the heritage that London holds, not just a focus on the contemporary talent that is on offer. As the epitome of the distinguished fellow, Gieves and Hawkes embraced the pastel trend with ice-cream coloured suits and also added accents of colour to the sensible well-structured suits with bold ties.
The high street was well represented by Topman. Combining City boy with East London, this was a collection that took its inspiration from the streets of Shoreditch. Neon shouted out from the catwalk with bright blues and pinks that contrasted from the dove grey that featured on tailored suit jackets and shorts. City boy somehow merged into skater chic, as tops became cropped, small beanie hats in bright colours appeared and bright bomber jackets hung loose on the models and yet the tailored shorts remained. Basketball was also seen to be an inspiration with numbered jerseys and a strong use of mesh within the collection. Overall, it gave the indication that next summer boys will stand bold and bright with loud colours and garish prints.
American sport was a seen to be a big inspiration for the collections, perhaps indicating the obsession with American culture that lingers in the capital. Basketball was the sport that took residence at Astrid Anderson. Taking to the catwalk in the form of a basketball team, lemon was the prominent colour and was paired with black with just the odd player sporting burgundy red or bright turquoise. Lace and mesh gave us peaks at the models’ muscular physique, whilst the shorts and trousers remained baggy.
Lou Dalton also gave a nod to this trend, but adopted baseball as her sport of choice. Baseball-style jerseys and jackets were interspersed with shorts that fell to just below the knee. Panelling was used on the jumpers and tops that enabled the use of a mix of materials and colours. At the other end of the spectrum, JW Anderson was greatly anticipated and proved that without a doubt London is the most unique fashion capital out there. He provided a collection that tested the boundaries of masculine and feminine style with sheer floral mesh, that similar to that of Astrid Anderson, featured as shirts and also as wide-legged trousers. Other standout pieces included a pink asymmetrical coat and teddy-bear cartoon like print used on vest tops.
This gives just a small overview of the designers that presented out of a very talented bunch. The first London Collection: Men embodied what the city offers. Despite such a variance in designs, this affirmed the London man to be someone who combines eclectic and yet polished outfits, embracing the diversity of the many identities of London.
Written for The 405
In the tradition of the stereotypical English gentleman, classic fashion houses such as Gieves & Hawkes and Hardy Amies presented collections of well-tailored, distinguished designs. It was good to see an appreciation of the heritage that London holds, not just a focus on the contemporary talent that is on offer. As the epitome of the distinguished fellow, Gieves and Hawkes embraced the pastel trend with ice-cream coloured suits and also added accents of colour to the sensible well-structured suits with bold ties.
The high street was well represented by Topman. Combining City boy with East London, this was a collection that took its inspiration from the streets of Shoreditch. Neon shouted out from the catwalk with bright blues and pinks that contrasted from the dove grey that featured on tailored suit jackets and shorts. City boy somehow merged into skater chic, as tops became cropped, small beanie hats in bright colours appeared and bright bomber jackets hung loose on the models and yet the tailored shorts remained. Basketball was also seen to be an inspiration with numbered jerseys and a strong use of mesh within the collection. Overall, it gave the indication that next summer boys will stand bold and bright with loud colours and garish prints.
American sport was a seen to be a big inspiration for the collections, perhaps indicating the obsession with American culture that lingers in the capital. Basketball was the sport that took residence at Astrid Anderson. Taking to the catwalk in the form of a basketball team, lemon was the prominent colour and was paired with black with just the odd player sporting burgundy red or bright turquoise. Lace and mesh gave us peaks at the models’ muscular physique, whilst the shorts and trousers remained baggy.
Lou Dalton also gave a nod to this trend, but adopted baseball as her sport of choice. Baseball-style jerseys and jackets were interspersed with shorts that fell to just below the knee. Panelling was used on the jumpers and tops that enabled the use of a mix of materials and colours. At the other end of the spectrum, JW Anderson was greatly anticipated and proved that without a doubt London is the most unique fashion capital out there. He provided a collection that tested the boundaries of masculine and feminine style with sheer floral mesh, that similar to that of Astrid Anderson, featured as shirts and also as wide-legged trousers. Other standout pieces included a pink asymmetrical coat and teddy-bear cartoon like print used on vest tops.
This gives just a small overview of the designers that presented out of a very talented bunch. The first London Collection: Men embodied what the city offers. Despite such a variance in designs, this affirmed the London man to be someone who combines eclectic and yet polished outfits, embracing the diversity of the many identities of London.
Written for The 405
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)