As Close As It Gets to the French Pharmacy

There is one really huge thing I miss about France these days, aside from, well okay, a lot of things. But lately, what with Springtime being nigh, the sunshine lending us its delicious rays and pollen allergies kicking in, I feel a dire need of a pharmacy run. I generally get my pharma-fix once a year, when visiting family and friends in Paris. I spend about 60 euros (who am I kidding, 100?) on Homeopathics, shampoos and conditionners, body oils, waxing strips, curing creams and gels, and last but not least, my beta-carotene sun capsules (from Oenobiol Solaire). I just find the pharmacy experience that much more pleasant over there. I guess I'm just a bit of a pharma-snob. And judge me all you want, but I'm just not that big of a Boots fan. There is no such thing as an enjoyable Boots run. It's get in and get out. So where to go where Lifestyle Guru Gwyneth shops for her fantastic pharmaceuticals? I found just the place today on my Covent Garden lunch run.

 

The Garden Pharmacy is as close as it gets to a good-old fashioned, vintage French apothecary and carries all of the essential go-to French products. Here are some of my body and healthcare products of choice:

 Oscillococcinum: the homeopathic cure-all for seasonal flus

 Caudalie Makeup Remover: gentle and strong at once; no need to use 2 cotton swabs, one is enough

 Biotherm Aquathermale Spa Body Scrub: exfoliator and scrub for the body

Avene Eau Thermale: perfect mist of clean, mineral water for irritated and dry skin

 

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse: For a smoothe and silky skin on those summer nights

 Klorane Shampoo and Conditionner: For all hair types; leaves your hair feeling rich and healthy

No need to plan your next Parisian trip around your cosmetics. Find all you'll ever need in terms of delicious cosmetics in the midst of busy Central London, but enjoy your pharmacy run too!

An Ode to Something British: The Jacket Potato

It's the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich of the Albion. The Moules Frites of the Brits. The Kung Pao Chicken of Mother England. A carb/fat fest on crack. The good ol' traditional, sloppy, slimey and incredibly salty jacket potato is something I've only recently discovered - not because I wasn't aware of it, but simply because I wasn't ready for it. And quite frightened of it to be perfectly honest. That's right, to enjoy the Jacket Potato moment, you've gotta be ready, you've gotta be open to an indulgent, rich and somewhat surprising culinary experience. Well, it took me ages - two and half years to be exact - but I finally sunk my teeth into the JP with beans and cheese earlier this week. And I wolfed it down.

 

It's not that I don't see what you see. This looks positively gross. The orange colour from the bean sause looks awfully artificial and the runniness of the melted cheese could tie a stomach in knots for days. Call me crazy but I think that sounds like a recipe for a fabulous Monday work lunch. At the divey Franx cafe in Covent Garden, you couldn't find a cheaper, more delicious and absolutely fantastic JP with beans and cheese. Add a dollop of bacon and you're all set.

I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to the Jacket Potato in London. If you zesties have got any recommendations, I would love to hear them.

Enjoy the early Spring sunshine!

Anchor & Hope for Summer

Just because Spring has been around for a while now and we are looking ahead to summer, I can't help but picture myself sprawled on the deck of a megayacht, tanning my pasty bum and toasting my rosy cheeks under the hot sun of the Grecian paradise. Add to that, a sailor hat, some boyish boat shoes, a pair of dark blue high-waisted shorts, a striped blue & white marine shirt and a marine salute, and I'll look like a million sailor bucks. Argh. I'm not kidding though, that is my idea of the summer picture perfect outfit- in a picture perfect setting. But now that I'm dreaming, I might as well add that I've had my eye set on some cute Anchor accessories that would compliment this picture perfect outfit most wonderfully.

Tatty Devine, Monmouth Street, Covent Garden

Tatty Devine's Covent Garden boutique has me all giggly with summer love and I am super excited about gifting myself with a couple of these lovely neck and ear treats. For only £12-£40 a pop, these playful accessories make for an easy breezy summer lovin' look. 

Anchor & Chain Necklace, £12

Not surprisingly, the matching anchor earrings and seagull necklace are quite sweet as well, and though I wouldn't recommend wearing both accessories at once, they are a couple of head-turners themselves.

Anchor Earrings, £15 Seagull Necklace, £39

Wrap something cute and frilly like this crown or ice lolly around your neck and you'll earn yourself a free drink at the pub.

Crown Necklace, £24

Ice Lolly Necklace, £25

Also, in line with the upcoming Sex & The City 2 Movie release, Tatty Devine has decided to put all of their name necklaces on sale for £22, giving you the green light to go wild when designing your own name necklace. Remember the Carrie necklace? Today is the last day (til 5pm) for you to buy and save so do check out their website or pop 'round their store on Monmouth Street to design and order a Carrie necklace of your own!

Name Necklaces, now £22 (usually £27.50)

Now's your chance to be quirky with your accessories. Summertime has left the docks early and is taking you on a long and happy journey to a land where plastic name necklaces and thunderbolt earrings are cool. So don't be shy: sail away!

Pick Your Park - Grab n' Go Lunches on the Green

Now that we Londoners have experienced the hottest day of the year, our hopes are way up. But that's okay. It is vital to start thinking positively about the weather to come and it is crucial to start preparing yourself for it as well. Because otherwise, you just fall into a dark hole that some people call depression. And by preparing yourself I mean, seeking out the outdoors - in everything that you do. I am a particular fan of the outdoor lunch concept. Yes I do like lazying around a "terrasse de cafe" for hours, drinking rose and nibbling on summer fruit and biscuits. But that's not what I am referring to. I am talking about the grab n' go park lunches. Just sit your bumm down on the lawn of a beautiful London square, enjoy the scenery, the greenery and everything that ends in -ery. It's magical. That is the London that I have come to adore and relish. I have a few spots in mind that I think make that lunch break quite enjoyable.

 The first one that pops to mind is Lincoln's Inn Fields off of Holborn. You can lounge around there for hours at a time on those lazy summer fridays, watching the people come and go, with clothes that tend to slowly disappear as the weather gets warmer (it's still a mystery to me how some people manage to get any work done in a place where girls wear practically nothing). 

Kastner & Ovens, Floral Street, Covent Garden

Just 5 minutes away, you'll be able to pick up a yummy spring salad at Kastner & Ovens or a quiche and greens at the Fleet River bakery.

The second one I can think of has got to be Cavendish Square, the only green spot near Oxford Circus that isn't Hyde Park. There, you'll be able to find bounds of interesting people watching and a lovely 360 degree view of the old Victorian buildings of Cavendish Square. You can very well picture 19th century wealthy Londoners sitting on those park benches and discussing high society matters with one another. 

Pho Thai Chicken Salad at Pho, Market Place, Soho

In terms of grub-to-go, my faves have got to be Pho, for the freshest and yummiest Thai chicken salad and Tortilla, for the perfect naked burrito (burrito sans wrap) ever!

The third, but not the least, is a park I visit less often due to it's northern-ish location, and that's Islington Green. A lovely place to enjoy the sight-seeing of Upper Street and Camden Passage passers-by. A little less green and a little more rugged, it offers more park benches and trees than the abovementioned squares.

Wild Rice Salad at Ottolenghi, Upper Street, Islington

It is, by my standards, a lovely place to stop and eat a wild rice salad from Ottolenghi.

Old Pubs Gone Thai- A London Specialty

One of the things that always struck me as a particularly London phenomenon, apart from the amount of beer people drink in the daytime, Gastropubs, the way some English girls have decided it will never be too cold to put on that miniskirt without tights (no less) and so on, was the amount of old English pubs turned into Thai restaurants in this town. I always thought to myself: this has got be the strangest combination of cultural opposites you could possibly imagine. But then it started to make sense. Who wouldn't want to sip on a pint of cold (Thai) beer while enjoying a good ol' plate of Pad Thai? It makes complete sense! No, it's genius! I guess for Thai restaurants, there was something to be said about localising your product. This is as local as it gets. Now in my opinion, there are only 3 Pubs turned Thai worth bringing up:

my favourite: The chicken pad thai

1- The Walmer Castle in Notting Hill- A gem of a pub on the adorable Ledbury Road, offering an eclectic and authentic Thai menu to eat in or to take away. It's definitely up there with my faves. Enjoy your crunchy spring rolls and sweet and vicious Thai Green Curry downstairs at the bar or upstairs in the restaurant's dining room. The summertime is the peak season for this joint as the outside tables lend an open opportunity for Neighborhooders to bask in the sunshine, eat, drink and mingle. What could be better?

2- Two Point in Marylebone- Crawford Street is where it all happens in the restaurant world. Well I'm just a big fan of Marylebone so give me Thai food in a special place like Two Point and I'm game. Chang beer and Singha Beer, both refreshingly exotic tasting beers are a great addition to one the cheapest dinners I've had in London, and one of the best at that.

3- Finally, Pu's Brasserie is the hot business spot for lunch, without the prices and without the lengthy waits. This place is for regulars only and you can tell solely by its extremely secret location. The Lincoln's Inn Fields right off Holborn is the perfect little dark alley for a fantastic Tom Kha Gai, prawn crackers and Pad Thai. The variety of Lunch Menus is a low budget alternative to a more pricey and less satisfying lunch at Pret. 

 

London's Best Kept Secret-The Sanctuary

Ever been to a place so tranquil in London, that you forgot you had just stepped out of the hussle and bussle of the city just five minutes prior? Goddam those crazy Christmas shopping Saturdays. I'd much rather be spa-ing and getting pampered in peace, while everyone else is stomping on each other, shouting obscenities to one another and swearing on their mother's life things you wouldn't want even your vulgar aunty to hear. That's right, a little massage here and there never hurt anybody. I can be selfish. We can all be selfish. Especially pre-Christmas. It's that time of year to be taking care of yourselves, ladies.

Last weekend, I was lucky and selfish enough to accompany a few close and equally selfish friends to The Sanctuary Spa, a peaceful and luxurious oasis of tranquility on the adorable paved Floral Street, smack in the middle of Covent Garden. If you decide you want to be selfish too, not only will you be pampered like never before, but you'll feel like Cleopatra on an opium cloud, bathing in milk, while being fed grapes straight from the grapevine, forgetting all of those nasty heartaches caused by your beloved Julius Cesar.

Treatments range from the signature oxygen and collagen facials, Thai and Swedish massages and mani pedis, to the more special treatments such as the sugar scrubs, floats, wraps and exfoliants. 

You can book 25 or 50 minutes and also enjoy the spa's many facilities all day long. You can lounge around, eating and reading, chatting with your friends and simply enjoy what the spa has to offer; great soothing aromas, lovely food, great spaces for you to spread out, and professional care. Call up for a day session at £69 and book the treatment of your choice to go along with it. You won't regret it. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is mystifying. 

Viva Mexican Market Eating- A Night at Wahaca

Mexican food is sort of a delicacy here in London. You don't have an awful lot of it, Mexican restaurants are always tucked away in a dark and not very appealing alley somewhere by a random tube stop like Aldgate, and when you do come across it, it's pretty much a miss, hardly ever a hit. I know most of you US readers eat Mexican food at least once a week, seeing as Mexican food has pretty much become a staple American dish,  and the "grab n' go" Mexican food on your way home from work is rarely a disappointment...but for us, here in the beautiful Albion, a simple and tasty taquito is hard to come by. Decent guacamole is even harder to find, and don't even get me started on a decent pitcher of margarita.

 Wahaca, Covent Garden

That's why Wahaca, the Mexican eatery in Covent Garden (also to be found in White City and in Canary Wharf!) is a gem not to be missed. If you're feeling festive, happy and a bit oh lay lay, this is the place for you. Last week was about my fifth time at Wahaca, and let me tell you zesties, this places never disappoints. The snack and market style venue is a relaxed and excellent way to chill out after work with a large group of friends or even with that one very special friend of yours. 

The portions are generous (and so is the wait, but to me, a good sized queue pretty much guarantees an enjoyable evening), the margaritas and the delicious tequila cocktails have a unbeatable kick, and there for your pleasure while you wait to be seated, and the guacamole is like...avocado butter melting in your mouth, but with a pinch of sour lime and a smidgen of spicy red onions. Just for the guac, I swear by Wahaca.The place is vibrant with noise, sunny with South American accents floating in the air and the staff is always friendly. It made it to my Top 10, so it should make it to yours. 

Oh and haha, the churros with its choco dip...that's all I gotta say.

Long Live The Ballet Flat

Isn't it strange how a simple ballet slipper has become, over the years, the biggest selling shoe style in the history of foot fashion? I find it incredibly odd and almost a little troubling, how the world's most uncomfortable shoe has become a fashion must-have. I've even been told by guys that ballet flats are the most boring shoe a girl can wear. Your hear that? Boring! Same with leggings. What is our obsession with leggings, they ask with a confused look on their faces? Guys don't get that either. If it were up to them, women should show their bare legs all the live-long year. Even in minus 10 degree weather and even in the rain. I get it. I do. Leggings are not flattering to men. Ballet flats aren't either. But the answer is simple. There is just something incredibly comforting about them. They make us feel at ease and feminine. They are the answer to all our troubles in the morning, when the imaginative fashion decisions are just not coming to mind. My ballet flats, for one...I can't get enough of them! I wear them everywhere. I wear them during the day and I wear them in the nighttime. I wear them on the tube, I wear them on the bus. I wear them in the rain, I wear them in the sunshine. I put them through misery and hell and I still love them like my own skin, like my own two feet.

Especially my Bloch ballets. I am head over heels in love, and can't get enough of my Bloch ballet flats. They are a great deal cheaper than the Repettos, and miles more comfortable and long-lasting. Originated in Australia, these babies know comfort. They even have a cushion heel to make your life a little fluffier when you're walking and going about your day. I have them in a patent grey, but you can find them in all sorts of kooky colors and shapes. I especially love the ones with the black tip and the colored base. The cutest and most girly place to go for Bloch flats is on Drury Lane in Covent Garden. This place is the authentic ballet store, but of course offers the wide range of street flats as well. Otherwise, you can always go to Liberty's for another type of experience. 

The Pink and Black Bloch Ballet

Bloch London, Drury Lane

Charlotte G.'s Fave London Hotel (in the movie...)

Charlotte Gainsbourg, the epitome of Frenchness, style and elegance, stars in this sweet, fun and totally adorable film called "Ma Femme Est Une Actrice," which her husband Yvan Attal not only directed but also starred in. If you haven't seen it yet, rent it on your next trip to the video store. It is really lovely. 

The reason I'm bringing it up is not only because I own it and cherish it as one of my all-time favourite movies to watch on a lazy, pajama, ice-cream eating Friday night, but because I recently had the pleasure of watching it again. In the film, Charlotte's character is an actress, filming a movie in London and is shot at several occasions leaving and entering the charming Covent Garden Hotel. Looking at the movie with my new LondonZest magnifying glass, I realized that the hotel was located on Monmouth Street, my favourite street in Covent Garden (where you can also find the delicious Monmouth Coffee Company!) and that I had to go give it special visit. Cozy, homey, full of character and with a splash of Frenchness, the hotel represents everything I love about English-flare design: it is both discrete and colourful, elegant and playful, and bubbly and whimsical. The hotel rooms are dressed with boudoir wallpaper and dotted with attentive decorative details, giving each of them a special jewelry box feel reminiscent of the sexy neo-burlesque era. It is not as girly as it sounds, so boys, you'll feel equally comfortable there.

                 The Covent Garden Hotel, Monmouth Street

Now I know many of you Londoners aren't really looking for hotel recommendations, given the fact that you live here, but it might be a good idea for you to take notes in the event that friends or family come to visit and need a nice place to spend some good relaxing times. For all you other loyal LondonZesties who live outside of London, make sure you save this little hotel treasure in your guidebook for your next trip to London.

I should also point out that the Brasserie Max, as yummy as it is, also mixes themes of country and urban chic, borrowing the design patterns of the rooms upstairs, and mixing stripes and florals to make for a perfect breakfast, dinner or work lunch setting. The fare is delightfully simple, offering everything from fresh salads and oysters, to farm chicken and Diver caught scallops (um, cool, really!?). This is another Covent Garden gem. So what are you waiting for? Go fish!


        The Brasserie Max at The Covent Garden Hotel, Monmouth Street

Salad Bar Magic in Covent Garden

There is one thing I have been missing here in London and that is a decent salad bar. New York, for example, is spoiled with them. If you're walking around midtown, you see them left and right. Not only the cheap delis offer them, but you can find them at places like Chop't, Tossed, Cosi or Cafe Europa etc. They are certainly not a luxury over there. And for some reason, London has not reached that point yet. When I worked in Midtown, I used to start jiggling in my office chair, counting the minutes til I could run downstairs to my usual salad place. This was the typical drill: pick a meat/protein: $2, pick a cheese: $1.75, pick a fancy veggie (avocado, asparagus): $2,00, then just add on at your leisure. Your salad would cost at most $8.50...$10 if you were really hungry. I miss that so much! Now I may not  be working here, but I've had my fair share of lunches outside of home. London just doesn't have them! And I have no idea why. Maybe the salad bar culture hasn't arrived yet on this side of the Atlantic...or maybe there are a couple, haphazardly sprinkled around town, and if there are a few, the costs certainly reflect that lack of demand. One thing is for sure though, the salad bar culture has definitely not colonized this town like it has New York.

Occasionally, I find myself in Covent Garden for the lunch hour. Covent Garden is so underrated. You just have to know it to like it. There is this one salad place that you just have to check out. It's called Kastner & Ovens. It is tucked away somewhere between Floral Street and Long Acre, and because there is no sitting area, it is best to take it away and back to the office or to pick a sunny day to go sit in a neighboring park and enjoy its pure deliciousness. They offer some wonderful salads and hot meals, from grilled aubergine and zucchini and feta, to chili con carne and beef stroganoff, which appear to be coming straight out of  a cookbook or your grandmother's kitchen. It certainly is no New York salad bar with salad bar prices, but it is worth your while if you're around the hood.

                               Kastner & Ovens in Covent Garden

                                                                    

     

Don't go home or back to the office without making a detour via the adorable Monmouth Street, where you can grab the best coffee in town at Monmouth Coffee Company (you can also find it at Borough Market).


                            The Monmouth Coffee Company