Friday 16 December 2011

Brain and Brawn




Having already eaten at the delicious Terroirs restaurant previously, Hipster Dufus and I decided to head down to its sister restaurant, Brawn, to check out what they had to offer. We were also getting quite tired of constantly seeing it buzzing Sunday lunchtimes as we grappled through the crowds at Columbia Road Flower Market. So on a quiet week night off we went, no booking in hand to try our luck. We were lucky. They were booked out already however they had a table for an early dinner. There were great signs as we arrived, welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff and the arrival of Cyrus Todiwala for dinner certainly excited us. This must be good! 

The menu was homely, with enough interesting twists to keep it original (they have a changing menu) such as the quail with pomegranate and pistachio, and the Poached Pear En Croûte, Crème Anglaise. Now there are many great restaurants in London. Too many really. Meaning that if you want to return to the same ones they have to have something special to keep you coming for more, otherwise you feel like you're missing out. Brawn was delicious, however when we left Hipster Dufus and I were on the same page. It was great to try, but there was nothing to make us want to go back.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Brrr, Gelato


Hot days are long gone now. I know, it's painful to admit. However on those few days when the sun does come out (making it unbelievably chilly), I pluck up the courage to venture to my favourite ice-cream parlour. Gelupo is an Italian deli with an advantage, it happens to be the sister company of the amazing Bocca Di Lupo (more on that one soon).  

The short walk from Charing Cross station reminds me why this is probably a bad idea, given that I can't feel any part of my body, however turning into Archer street, a warm tingly feeling comes all over me. Stepping inside Gelupo feels like you've been transported to one of those wonderful european holidays we've all been on. 

 Everything about the place screams 'Home-made', 'Authentic', 'Delicious!'. Whether or not it's too cold is not even a question worth asking, the only question is which combination of flavours to go for. My favourite, pistachio and almonds? Or something more experimental such as the lemon and sage? Hmmm...

Sunday 20 November 2011

Prima Ballerina


Ok, so this is my first fashion post... be gentle. I went for a twist on the ballerina look. Who said it has has to mean a tulle skirt and tight top? A print will suffice here. The key theme here is really yellow, from the bright tones in the jumpsuit to the gentle hues in the coat. What do you think?

Coat - Aubin & Wills
Jumpsuit - TBA
Jumper - River Island
Brogues - Brick Lane Market
Bracelet - The Dressing Room, New York (courtesy of the lovely HD)


Saturday 12 November 2011

Meat Liquor Opening



This summer I was introduced to THE most amazing burger of my life. Meateasy has been popping up all over east London bringing us classic hamburgers in an authentic dive-esque manner (the previous venue was above an abandoned New Cross pub) but with top quality produce. Having gained some financial backing they have managed to secure a permanent residence in central London. One main concern was whether they would still have the same grease-dropping-down-your-arm burgers or whether it would turn into just another Gourmet Burger Kitchen. 

Friday night was Meateasy's (now Meat Liquor) opening. Worried that it would be jam packed we still ventured out into central to find it. The benefit of central is that it has scared away some of the Shoreditch trendy crowd and we made it in almost straight away. The verdict? Still a dive-esque environment and the best ingredients, but with amazing new additions (deep-fried gherkins with blue cheese sauce where have you been all my life). The burger juice left a nice greasy trail all down my arm. Yum!

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Hubble Bubble


Ok. So a little later than I wanted but better late than never, right? This weekend I went to see the penultimate show of Macbeth by Baz productions. We had two great reasons to go and see it, a very good friend is the producer and the other an actress in it. Even with these two incentives I have to admit I was a bit sceptical about seeing a Macbeth production. I mean it's been done and done again, right?

I was in fact pleasantly surprised. The space (a crypt hidden beneath a Holborn church) was inspiring, lending itself well to the play's subject matter. The acting was fantastic with each of the five actors showcasing their ability while seamlessly swapping roles within the play. In order to remind the audience who was acting which part, clever props were used that identified each character, Lady Macbeth wearing a red shawl while Macbeth had a waistcoat.

I thought it was a really clever way of breathing new life into this classic - but sometimes a little tired - play. If this is the first production from Baz I'm quite excited to see what they come up with next.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Kiss me Kate


OK, so I'm going to lay it down straight from the beginning, I absolutely love museums. Actually I adore them, I think they're amazing and I regularly refer to myself as a museum super geek.
I have my favourites, they have educational programmes that can not be matched by any other institution. One particular favourite is the British Music Experience. This little museum of popular music has a connection with the industry and see themselves as the meeting point between the public and the industry. They regularly hold masterclasses with industry veterans and can even convert themselves into a live music venue having already staged concerts with the likes of Jamie Cullum and Bon Jovi. 

One of its mission is to enhance the understanding of the industry among young people, and they did just that this week when Kate Nash came in to talk to young girls about women in the industry. Kate was great and opinionated (all of which I agreed with). She has a no nonsense approach to the industry and her short time in it has obviously taught her a lot. Best of all she did just what the museum wanted, she inspired these young girls.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Hello and welcome...

My methods

iPhone and it's many Apps

 Canon AE-1

SX-70 


Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S

It's a first post so I'm a little but at a loss for what I should say. So I thought it best to visualise what I will be using to illustrate this blog as a starting point. I've just recently got into photography and am playing around with it. Some pictures are better than others, but the trying is just so much fun.