GIRLY DAY OUT: JAMIE OLIVER'S + CARLUCCIO'S

As the temperature continues to drop, it's always best to layer up! 
Single digit temperatures already, oh dear...

Here's today's outfit:

Met up with Stacey for some morning coffee at Costa and started to read Reflected In You by Sylvia Day, the second book in the Crossfire series that just came out a couple of days ago - back to some sexy reading!

We then both met up with the lovely Theodora and made our way to Jamie Oliver's - a place that I've avoided for quite a while due to some mixed reviews, but thought I'd try it out anyway to find out for myself!
We did have to wait for (over) half an hour, during which we were given a beeper that buzzed to tell us when out table was ready. 

I ordered the Black Angel Spaghetti, Stacey had the Start Bay Crab Risotto, and Dora had the Baked Shetland Salmon. We also ordered a couple of starters to share - Sweet Mini Chilli Peppers and Crispy Squid.
And not forgetting to order most importantly...a bottle of wine x
They had run out of house wine (!!!) so we settled for a cheaper alternative.

Cheers x

Crispy squid

Sweet mini chilli peppers

We were sat near the entrance so it was quite chilly, but warmed up after we started eating. I did like the starters - the squid was nice and crisp which went well with the garlicky mayo, lemon and chilli, and the mini chilli peppers were quite cute, though it would have been better if they were spicier! 

The squid ink pasta was good but I felt the portion of scallops was pretty pathetic - it looked like only one or two scallops were used which were thinly sliced. Tasty sauce, but so stingy with the ingredients - shame.

The waitress that served us seemed quite abrupt and not-as-friendly when taking our orders. And when asking her to split the bill she made some sarcastic remark like 'Oh, you did not divide it yourselves and would like me to do it?' - excuse me lady is that not part of your job (?!)

Nonetheless, we left some tips anyway - because we're such nice people haha.

We didn't stay on for dessert but instead went shopping round town - amazingly I did not buy anything today!

Ended up at Carluccio's at St Christopher's Place for some sweeties... 

Moscato d'Asti mmm...

Torta di frutta

Formaggio

Meringa con panna al frutta della passione

I had the fruit tart which was ok, but nothing special. I LOVED the Moscato d'Asti - I think I'm becoming quite an alcoholic these days ha x
And not forgetting to mention that the staff here were SO much friendlier.

It's been an awesome day with the girls, and now spending some quality time at home with...x 

My tummy has been having a good time today, though I'm not too sure about my hips...and bum!

SO glad it's not snowing with hailstones in London.

Oh how I miss the north...NOT!

Have a good night everyone x

 

GIRLY MEET-UP/FOODIE REVIEW: STAR CAFE + TAPPED & PACKED + SOFRA

Met up with a girlfriend, Stacey, and tried out some foodie places today - food and shopping, if only I could make a living out of these!

Having done some online research I thought we'd try out Star Cafe, claimed to be 'An independent world famous cafe in Soho, London' (taken from main website), which I visualized it to be some cute, quirky cafe based on the reviews I read. Had to take a bit of a detour as I didn't realize there was some construction going on in the area which sort of blocked the view of the entrance. Upon entering the place, it appeared much older than expected...maybe it was the lighting (?)
Then again it has been open since 11th April 1933 (!), and it is rather unique in a way, having been used for different kinds of location filming.
We stayed on anyway for a quick bite.

Here's a quick glimpse...

 

I ordered a cappuccino and an omelette with smoked salmon and hash browns on the side. The omelette was nicely cooked with quite a generous amount of salmon, though I would have preferred more froth in my cappuccino. Overall, despite the rather old interior, the meal was quite tasty and cheap, costing about 8.00 pounds in total per person. I'm still wondering if they forgot to add in the drinks on the bill.

Good for simple cheap and cheerful meals if you happen to be around the area.

 

We then popped into Tapped & Packed - a small cafe round the corner that just opened on Saturday.

Loved the interior inside which felt very rustic and home-y, so we sat in to have (another) coffee. I ordered the americano which came with milk in a really cute bottle! (see pictures below)

We then wandered round town for a bit, before heading on to have...yes you may have guessed...MORE food! 

I've passed by Sofra, a Turkish restaurant, at St Christopher's Place quite a few times which was always quite busy, so today I finally tried it out.

I ordered the salmon stew whilst Stacey had the 6oz sirloin steak, and we both each had a glass of Turkey/Angora red wine.

Complimentary hummus, olives and warm bread

Salmon stew

Sirloin steak

Sweet Stacey :)

I absolutely loved my dish - the salmon was well-cooked and fresh, the stew was light yet tasty without being too fish-y, and the mashed potatoes was really smooth and creamy...mmm...comfort food at it's best.

I've always been a huge fan of fish, as well as soup-y/sauce-y dishes, so having a combination of both is like heaven for me.

I tried very hard to resist eating up all the (super-high-calorie-containing) mash...which I kind of regret for doing so now because I'm feeling quite hungry (as always) after Spanish. Typical.

An apple...or ice cream...hmmm...

Have a good night everyone x

MEET-UP WITH THE LITTLE BOY/FOODIE REVIEW: BURGER & LOBSTER + L'ETO CAFFE

After MONTHS since our last meet-up I finally managed to catch the very busy CCWK on this chilly Saturday morning.

Me, being the foodie lover, picked out Burger & Lobster in Soho. We were one of the first ones to be seated having turned up bright and early to avoid the queues.

We both ordered the grilled lobster which came with a side of fries and salad, which I believe was the most popular selection. For drinks, I ordered a glass of rose and the little boy had some lager. 

 

I've rarely eaten much lobster in the past, mainly because it's usually SO expensive in restaurants. However, here you can experience the luxury at a mere 20 pounds per dish, with the additional expenses depending on what drinks you order. 

The lobster was tasty, with a fresh and spring-y texture.

 When ordering the lobster, you should prepare yourself to get down and dirty with those fingers (no x-rated thoughts/ideas allowed here please!)

And for those who are easily grossed out and not used to eating shelled creatures, there are some rather gooey innards...

Digging into the tiny legs and claws scrummaging for meat reminds me of eating crabs back home in Malaysia (seafood heaven mmm...)

If you are a messy eater I'd suggest you wear something dark to camouflage your food splatters (!)...or you also have the option of requesting for some plastic bibs (which we only realised after we had finished). I went in wearing a winter-white top and came out unscathed - which doesn't happen very often.

Service was prompt and efficient for us on this visit. Again mixed reviews online, mostly with regard to the service, so I advise that, if you want an enjoyable meal here I'd suggest to turn up early before peak time.

Burger & Lobster have a no-reservations policy, but the newer branch in Soho does accept reservations for 6 or more.

We then headed to L'eto Caffe for some dessert. It was a bit packed but we managed to find a little table to squeeze in. Service wasn't too good, and the man ahead of me was taking AGES to make his order - and they call us women fickle-minded (!)

The lady at the cashier then scurried away preparing the order and took quite a while before coming back - in my opinion you should have a permanent staff attending at the counter and leave the table services to the other waiters/waitresses - an example of poor management.

Anyway, ranting aside, as tempted as I was to order the millefeuille that I had on my last visit, I opted for the honeycake whilst WK had the ricotta cheesecake.

And we both order London Hot Chocolate for drinks.

The honeycake was nice and light, without being too sweet, but maybe lacking a bit more flavour?. 
The hot chocolate was much milk-ier than I was expecting and could have been a bit hotter. 

One last photo before we part again x

I think we did as much walking as we did eating on that day. The poor boy has got a bit of a cold and was still sweet enough to come out today - thank you Kitkit! x
Hope you get well soon x

OUTFIT POST: BIKER CHICK

Sporting my leather jacket today in this unpredictable weather. There's so many leather jackets on the high street this season but I bagged this baby from Mango in the summer sale - yes I love planning ahead! (as well as a good bargain)

 Jeans: Pull & Bear | Top: H&M | Leather jacket: Mango | Boots: Clarks | Necklace: Forever 21

I'm still on the hunt for some more colourful sweaters in this gloomy weather - I went looking for some last weekend and bought everything BUT sweaters...typical.

I'm off to learn some español now!

Monday, Monday...I can't wait for Friday x

Lots of love xoxo 

WEEKEND SUMMARY: FREE LONDON WALKING TOUR, SHOPPING AND MORE SALSA!

I've once again been neglecting my dear blog quite a bit, but here's a quick summary of what I've been up to on the weekend!

On Saturday, I went to try out one of the free walks - I went for the Arch Villains organised by the Westminster Guides. Quite a chilly day but it was a nice relaxing walk wandering along the posh areas where 'the other half' a.k.a. super-rich linger.

Then met up with a girlfriend for lunch at Tuk Tuk Noodle Bar in Soho - not impressed at all with the food this time round I'm not even going to post the disappointing photos!

Food came out really fast but after tasting it you can tell why - the chicken green curry tasted like something out of a can (not that I've eaten curry out of a can, but I would imagine that would be what it would have tasted like!), sauce on the roast duck was, 'gloopey', fried rice was bland with hardly any ingredients...need I say more?

On a brighter note...my shopping in town was rather fruitful. Finally found a proper water-proof jacket with a hood - try and catch me off-guard now you horrid rain!

On Sunday we had breakfast at Princi, an Italian panetteria which looked really classy and stylish. We initially wanted to try out The Breakfast Club, but didn't think it was worth queuing up for breakfast on a Sunday, another place hyped-up by social media I believe!

Anyway, we both had the croissant with scrambled eggs and pancetta, and I had jasmine tea whilst the man enjoyed his coffee. We arrived quite early considering it was a Sunday morning so it wasn't quite as busy yet and we were seated immediately.

Didn't have the chance to sample anything from the bakery but there was an amazing array of Italian pâtisserie and desserts on display - might pop in again next time. 
There's a few mixed reviews online about the place, but I believe there's no harm trying something out at least once to get a personal opinion.

My hunky man x

Food mmm...

Fueled up after breakfast, we headed on for yet another salsa session by the humourous Alastair! 

Saw a couple of people from the last session, and became acquainted with a few other somewhat 'interesting' characters (the bitch in me secretly rolled her eyes and put on a sweet polite smile ha x)  

Bitching aside, Alastair is such a fun and amazing salsa teacher, I might try booking an Improvers course sometime soon.

I found a few of the moves a tad bit confusing (Mike more so than myself haha, he's really trying - he's my special big man *hearts*) so looks like we'll be doing some home practice next weekend. 

I hate how weekends pass by so fast... let's hope I can find some interesting things to post in the week.

Don't forget to follow/subscribe for more little rants and adventures x

WEEKEND SUMMARY: SHOPPING, SALSA & COMPTOIR LIBANAIS

It's the end of the weekend, which calls for a new post!

I've been wrapping up warm in my comfy sweaters that I have been stocking up on...here's one of my latest ones from Forever 21.

 

SO comfy, I could wear it all day...and night!

Chunky knits aren't always the most body-flattering outfits, but they're so warm and comfy in the winter sometimes I don't even care. Also a good option to hide some 'extra bits' gained during the Christmas season! 

Had also been hunting for some new black boots and bagged a half-price bargain at  Debenhams.

  

(Almost) all set for the winter season.

Had an interesting salsa dance session yesterday - having had some dance experience in the past it was obviously easy for me to pick up, and the instructor, Alastair, kept us motivated and amused throughout the session. 

Though I do think I'm going to need to polish up the man a bit more with some practice at home!

Ready to take it to the next level next weekend x

Tired and hungry after a long day (with my aching feet dying to get out of my shoes), we had dinner at Comptoir Libanais.

Milkshakes

Mezze platter for two

Lamb kofta tagine

This was my second visit there and I think I ordered the exact same dishes as before, with the exception of the drinks...

It has a sweet and pleasant atmosphere inside, with lovely colourful interior decorations.

Service was quite fast and food tasted pretty good.

Unfortunately there's not much meat options on the menu, and I think the man, being a man, would have preferred a good 'ol greasy burger instead! 

I think I had second thoughts after as well...but I suppose there's always next time!

I should really start searching for some fitness classes soon before it's too late!

So many things to do, but so little time...

Anyone in London looking for a workout buddy? Give me a buzz x