Monday 27 February 2012

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Monday 20 February 2012

LFW A/W 2012

Surrounded by my favourite fellow fashion bloggers LFW is always great! Here are the outfits I wore on day 2+3+4 courtesy of the lovely Jennifer from Styleeast ( you have to wait for the outfit I wore on day 1 till next week as it deserves a brand new outfit post of its own...Mary Katrantzou is all i will give away) plus a few of us just having one of many coffee breaks in the warmth. I was also lucky enough to be shot by the great Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil and ended up on the Style.com homepage which was a real honour. I absolutely love the atmosphere around Somerset house and being in  a very fashionable and creative bubble for these few days each February and September. I can't wait for the next one already!
Style.com
Day 2
Blouse- Miss Selfridge
Top (actually a dress)- Jonathan Saunders
Skirt (actually a tucked in dress)- Topshop
Hat- Topshop
Belt- Asos
Shoes- Jeffrey Campbell
Bag- Topshop
Day 3
Dress (customised with longer slit)- Topshop
Gold hot pants- Topshop
Earrings- Topshop
Boots- Asos
Bag- Alexander Wang
Faux Fur- H&M
Day 4
Dress- Miss Selfridge
Blouse- Topshop
Rings and headband- Topshop
Shoes- Asos
Bag- Alexander Wang
Faux Fur- H&M

Monday 13 February 2012

Ice cream shades


Happy 20th birthday to meeeee!

Friday 10 February 2012

Wahaca

Wahaca is the perfect place for a girly, fun and tasty get together and was the ideal venue for an early birthday dinner with my history coursemates. Wahaca is the brainchild of Masterchef winner Thomasina Meyer who after travelling around Mexico decided it was about time to give Mexican food a bit of a makeover. Inspired by the simple yet delicious street food she sampled, she set out to challenge the common perceptions of this cuisine in Europe. Most of us of course associate it with stodgy cheesy tex mex style creations but that is definitely not what you will get at Wahaca. Using the idea of tapas style eating ie having several little plates she has recreated many Mexican classics like huevos rancheros and quesadillas but with a fresh twist where locally sourced ingredients are used to create light, delicious and interesting dishes. The cocktails are also great, the Wardour street branch of wahaca even has a special downstairs tequilla bar that serves the most ref reshing hibiscus mojitos ( a must have if you go). The interior is another clear winner, colourful, slightly over the top ( I particularly adore the Chiquita banana chandelier) and inspired by the tin huts on the outskirts of Mexico City, it  completely absorbs you with its laid back, fun and unpretentious atmosphere and made us forget that it was actually snowing outside. Prices are low and it is one of those places where you always know you going to have good food and a good time!
Hibiscus mojitos
 Tortilla chips with frijoles
 Chicken guajillo toastada
 Sweet potato chunks
 Cheesy black bean quesadilla
Huevos Rancheros (traditionally a brunch dish but too delicious to not have for dinner)


Monday 6 February 2012

Fluorescent adolescence



Trousers: Motel
Jumper: Topshop
Coat: River Island

Thursday 2 February 2012

Bill vs Bill

This week a little brunch off between Bill's cafe in Covent Garden and the newly opened Granger&Co run by one of my favourite TV chefs Bill Granger who with this Notting Hill based restaurant has finally opened his first UK restaurant. I had very high expectations of yet another Aussie brunch place particularly as I have always loved the look of the fresh and delicious looking food on his shows. Sadly despite really enjoying the heavenly and infamous ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter, maple syrup and banana, even with their quite high price tag (around the £10 mark), Granger&Co left me a little underwhelmed. With its location in one of the most expensive residential areas in London I felt a little out of place among young families brunching and children playing on their iPad, it all felt a little too formal especially when the food being served is meant to have a distinctively laid back Australian vibe. Service was also chaotic and bordering on rude and rather than able to enjoy a leisurely brunch me and my friend felt quite rushed to leave. Food-wise as I said it is good, maybe not as imaginative as St. Ali but I still hope that Mr Granger with a little more TLC can transform it into a place that I could make a regular brunch haunt because right now it's not quite there. 
Ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter, maple syrup and banana
Bill's cafe on the other hand was a real suprise and served one of the best savoury veggie breakfasts I have ever had! The original Bill's opened in Lewes a few years as a kinda fresh produce store/cafe and has since opened branches in Brighton and of course London's covent garden. I was a little apprehensive to start with, the location in tourist central wasn't promising and my love for English food has always had its limitations. However with most things shut on NYE but me still very much in the mood for brunch I thought why not give it a try anyway. The inside immediately transported me to a farmers market and it was obvious a lot of time and effort had gone into making this a comfy, unpretentious and welcoming brunch spot. Prices and portions are extremely generous and the veggie breakfast option (a real bargain at £7.50) with hummous, guacamole and  poached eggs on toast drizzled with chilli sauce might sound weird but it was an imaginative twist on breakfast, was filling and really hit the spot! 
I would definitely return in the future to have it again and try more of the
menu. The brunch off in this case proves that it's not always about the name and grand expectation and for now Bill's cafe is the clear winner! 

Bill's vegetarian breakfast: poached eggs, tomatoes, hummus, mushrooms, guacamole, sweet chilli sauce and toast