January 31, 2011

a little box of surprises

Macarons!!

Ah, my love for macarons! They are so morish and so pretty to look at!
Macarons are colourful meringue-based almond treats made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The British craze for macarons began at the Ladurée tearoom in Harrods that opened a few years ago.

Laduree @ Harrods

January 26, 2011

the lace maker

Work in progress

Tord Boontje has been one of my favourite designers for a while now. I spotted one of his earlier pieces in an interiors magazine about 5 or 6 years ago and I have loved all his work ever since. 

 

The Garland Light

Charming, romantic, unforgettable, The Garland Light is mesmerising with its delicately etched floral patterns. The lamp is made from a continuous metal strand that is wrapped around a light bulb. 

January 24, 2011

snappy snaps

A couple of weeks ago I got a new camera, the Sony NEX-5 digital SLR and it has been my favourite toy ever since. It’s so compact and light that when it first arrived in its box, I thought that they’d forgotten to pack the camera inside! LOL

My baby

One of the features I love on this camera is the 'sweep panorama' mode, in which you just hold down the shutter button as you pan the camera.
The background defocus is also a great touch that I didn’t have before on my old camera.

Testing the defocus

colour me beautiful

Haymarket Hotel
This boutique Hotel owned by the Firmdale group can be found in a converted Regency-era building designed by John Nash on a small street off Haymarket. From the outside it just looks like a classical building but once inside, it is a fusion of the old and new.


I was here @ the Brumus bar and restaurant for a quick after dinner birthday drinks. The bar was quite dimly lit but you could see that in daylight it was a sea of pinks and purples. The dogs on the back of the chairs and bar stools added a touch of fun and quirkiness.

January 23, 2011

the artisan experience

Artisan @ The Westbury Hotel
Located just off Bond Street, Artisan restaurant is tucked away inside The Westbury Hotel. Artisan offers an innovative modern British menu created by Executive chef Andrew Jones. 
The concept of the Artisan restaurant is based on ‘experience’. The meaning of artisan is ‘made from the hand’ with this in mind, the menu, service and ambience has been designed around these words; Artisan and Experience.

Art Deco style dining room
The dining room reflects the elegant simplicity of the menu with its parquet flooring, oak tables and champagne coloured walls. The beautiful Art Deco dining room had a lovely ambience to it, both formal and relaxed.

3 Course Sunday Lunch
Today we were here to try the 3 course Sunday Lunch. Price was very reasonable especially for Mayfair.

January 21, 2011

food glorious food

I started blogging 5 days ago and already it's starting to look like a food blog.
More exciting and wonderful posts to come... I hope!

a chinese on oxford street

Noodle Oodle is a no-frills Chinese restaurant located near Tottenham Court Road Station on Oxford Street. You may recognise the restaurant from one of Gordon Ramsay’s shows when he went head to head with the head chef who currently holds the world record for the most hand-pulled noodles in three minutes.

Gordon Ramsay attempting to make handmade noodles

Noodle Oodle was apparently the first restaurant in London to bring the hand-pulled noodle technique to town. They are known for their soft textured hand pulled noodles but they also offer rice dishes and also a selection of Dim Sum.
Mix meat platter