Paint Splash

An Intern's Wardrobe

I just finished a month long internship at Grazia and the lovely Catherine Nieto, one of the fashion editors there, featured me and a week's worth of my outfits on her blog plus a little interview! Here a quick round up what I wore during a particularly rainy week at Grazia HQ!

The Delaunay

Eggs Arlington

I'm usually one for the more edgy and informal  places when it comes to eating out, not only because I'm on a student budget but also because I'm generally less than impressed with the stuffy atmosphere that some of these high end establishments tend to have, not exactly ecstatic to be serving diners that aren't going to be spending the big bucks. This was why it was with some trepidation that me and my friend Emmi approached the grand entrance of the Delaunay, the new sister restaurant of the infamously swanky, celeb attracting Wolseley. With both think grand Austrian brassieres , big spaces full of marble and gold that set you back into early 20th century Vienna in a distinctively understated yet sophisticated way were the cuisine is a hybrid of old school European cuisine with particular emphasis on Germany and Austria and comfort food with options like Veal Holstein, apple strudel and ice cream coupes. Service is taken extremely serious here and despite looking a lot younger and poorer than the average crowd in there,  we were indeed treated like royalty during our dinner there, something that does add to the dining experience. My eggs Arlington ( English muffin topped with poached eggs, hollandaise and encircled with smoked salmon) were the perfect indulgence, essentially allowing me to have breakfast for dinner and though by no means cheap ( we both paid around £20 per person) perfectly sum up why it holds so much appeal and has only garnered positive reviews from major critics. Here you get to feel special and no one will raise an eyebrow at outlandish requests, the food might not be groundbreaking but to feel like a VIP for a few hours the Delaunay is the perfect place, a way to escape London for a more extravagant feel of the old world. 

Emmi!

Appel strudel

Mirror image

Vapiano- a little bit of Germany in London

It might sound rather odd at first that Vapiano reminds me of Germany seeing as it focuses on very Italian fare but it is in actual fact a German invention and success story, having spread and expanded there massively over the past few years. London right now has two branches and in my opinion serves the best value and most imaginative range of pasta dishes around. The whole idea here is that you order your selection straight from one of the chefs who will then charge you via a kind of credit card that you get on your way in and which you pay up right at the end for whatever you have picked from the enticing and varied menu. Some of course will hate the whole "self service" aspect here, having to basically queue up  and deliver your plate to your own table but here I think it makes the dining experience much more casual and also means you can really see and determine what goes into your dish. You can choose your pasta, how much chilli you like and basically get the chance to adapt it to perfectly suit your taste. The chefs here have no room for short cuts with the diner able to watch their every move which guarantees top quality and fresh end products to amazing prices ( no main is more than 10 pounds). My favourite has to be the curry All'anatra, a strange sounding concoction of creamy curry sauce, duck and my favourite pasta shape tagliatelle which though not strictly authentically Italian is addictively tasty and highlights how well Vapiano fuses different flavours and influences. A German concept serving Italian inspired food in London? It should definitely not work but for a quick lunch or dinner at super prices there is no better place in London! 

Chefs in action

My favourite- Curry All'anatra

Pyjama Dressing

Blazer+trousers - River Island

Jumper - H&M

Earrings&Shoes - Topshop

Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar

Bermondsey Friar- who needs meat?

Once in a while you find a new place that encapsulates the best parts of eating out, makes you feel instantly at home and serves addictive food and drink, exciting you enough to warrant numerous back to back visits.  The Hawksmoor bar in spitalfields may just be one of those places for me. As someone that doesn't eat read meat their main restaurants with branches in Covent Garden, Guildhall and upstairs in Spitalfields have never really appealed, a "meat eaters paradise" as its often coined not necessarily leaving me with too many menu options. However the new Hawksmoor bar is something quite different and features a wide array of non beefy options. It is housed in the premises of a former strip club, below the original restuarant, and has an amazing 1920's mirrored walls, blue leather seats and brass vibe that makes you feel like you are hiding away slurping your cocktail in the hedonistic years of the prohibition era. Oh yes, one can of course not forget to mention the amazing c ocktails, taking up as much of the menu as the short yet sweet selection of burgers and the like. Mixologists really think it through here and every month one of them is chosen to pick his dessert island drinks, cocktails at Hawksmoor not merely an afterthought but important part of the dining experience. 

This dining experience is of course not about fine food but what the Hawksmoor bar does manage is to perfect and slightly pimp up comfort food, poutine, a Canadian dish of triple cooked chips topped with gravy and crispy chicken skin for example one of the most comforting dishes I have ever sampled and the Bermondsey Frier ( basically a veggie  burger that makes up lacking beef by mixing numerous types of delicious cheese) is something a meat maniac would even enjoy! Of course one can also not forget the truly awesome desserts that get served here or to be more precise one in particular that is a serious contender for my favourite pudding ever (currently a spot still filled by Spuntino's PBJ), the probably diabetes inducing but oh so good hot fudge sundae. It's the perfect mix of quirky interpretation  (warm chunks of sponge are added here), great presentation whilst keeping to something we are all familiar with  which also pretty much sums up hawksmoor, quirky, cool yet comforting and one if not the best reason to venture to east London, something I am sure to do soon again.

Poutine- ultimate comfort food in one dish

Perfect Lobster roll

One hell of a sundae (although the chocolate one isn't looking too bad either)

Flower Power