Welcome Back, Wobbly Bits

It's nearly the end of summer and as we enjoy our last rays of sunshine, we think ahead at the Fall season that is about to set in. And with the Fall season come the baggy jumpers, the loose trousers and coats. It's a welcomed change from the bikinis and short shorts that ensure we keep our diets in check for three long months. The wobbly bits are finally allowed back in the house. Welcome back, muffin tops and love handles. And welcome back to the more than occasional beer and chips on a Friday evening after work. Finally! Welcome back, beloved Hamburger. Oh, how I've missed your soft bun, crispy beef patty and melty cheese. I've missed your finger-licking goodness.

 

Meet ... Meat Liquor, my new best friend this Fall season. For less than £10, I'm back in wobbly-bit heaven and I'm not embarrassed to say it. Yes, the queues are often times longer than a queue at DisneyLand, but it's worth it in the end. The onion rings are crispy, fresh and lemony. The chips taste like an American dream. But above everything else. That. Burger. Tastes. Good.

I rest my case.

Meat Liquor

74 Welbeck Street

W1G 0BA

Ain't Nothin' Wrong With a Bit of Daydreamin

If you think Crochet is something only your Granny is good at, think twice. The designers at Daydream Nation have partnered up with designer Guru Peter Jensen in a fantastically avant-garde yet wearable jewellery collection, meshing up woven colourful threads with rock n' roll chains, and sweetly attached to the hip by massively opulent pearls. This uncommon combination of tradition and eccentricity makes for huge statement pieces, which are bound to turn some heads and loose eyeballs in the streets of London, and more. Like this bracelet below and the necklace above.

Obviously enough, Daydream Nation is a team of 2 siblings, brother and sister, who hail straight out of Central Saint Martins and the Royal School of Arts, to create a selection of accessories that are at once provocative and beautifully elegant. You won't see this marriage of styles anywhere else and this is why you must give them a chance. 

 

I did and I don't regret it. My green crochet and pearl necklace never leaves my neck. And for £70-£90 the wear and the reaction you'll get out of a Daydream Nation piece is quite worth the investment. Marylebone jewellery shop Kabiri (a personal favourite of mine) offers a wide variety of pieces by DN, while hip multi-brand b-Store, Selfridges and the lovely Labour of Love in Islington, carry a slightly reduced selection. But there is something there for everyone, the splashy, the fun, the silly, and of course the rock n' roll.

Hot Dog in The City

London is chic, very very chic and so elegant. I seem to forget it sometimes. You dress up a lot in London. You wear a dab more makeup than you would normally wear in another less expensive city. You find yourself taking a cab here and there and spending a few too many coins on transport. Yeah it's all swell and nice to dine out, enjoy a few luncheons here and there, cab around beautiful London and relish in the lap of luxury, but it's also easy to forget yourself in this golden cloud of leisure. 

I find that it's important to dirty yourself up a bit, at least once in a while, especially in a city like London. So who cares if you're wearing high heeled stilettos doing it, at least you're putting yourself out there. My new, but OLD, favourite Sausage joint in Marylebone Village Biggles, is my new dirty little secret. It's my new lunch spot, my new splurge. Yeah! Break me off a piece of that.

With a colourful range of flavours, from Morroccan and Toulouse, Lamb and Rosemary to the Veggie and the breakfast sausage option, and an accent of Biggles seasoning (above), these beautiful and amazingly juicy/tasty/electric sausage bangers would beat a Cipriani overcrowded and overpriced veal Milanese any night of the week. Forget about those fad diets, follow Metropolitan Mum's advice, let yourself go, live happily. Except that I might want to add that Mr Atkins would have been a huge supporter of Biggles, protein and healthy fat and all. It's to Biggles credit though, that the meat is pure and additive-free and will gift you with a long and happy life. No doubt. Add a half a baguette, some relish, mustard and ketchup on top and you're bound to live through the first real Cuban election.

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. 

 

A Swedish Holiday in London- Preparing for Lucia

I have a special affinity for the Swedish traditions...for anything Swedish actually. I am an avid Stockholm enthousiast and enthousiast is an understatement. Love the city, have been there 5-6 times before, sometimes in the dead of winter, when it's pitch black outside by the time you get out of lunch at NK, or when it's broad day light, all night long, in the hot months of June and July and you're thankful for those IKEA special light-blocking curtains.

The Archipelagos are also, in my mind, some of the most beautiful islands/places I've been to in my life. 

And don't even get me started on Swedish people. Swedes are not only some of the most gorgeous human beings I've encountered in my lifetime, but they're also some of the warmest. I'm not kidding...I know, it's kind of surprising for a people living in a supposedly cold bloody country. But it's true, I really do believe it. 

I recently learned from my sources that there are some two hundred thousand Swedes living in London. I don't know if you realize but that is a whole lot of Swedish people living outside of Sweden. I even hear London is the third largest Swedish population in the world, after Stockholm and Gothenburg. That is pretty surreal if you ask me.

Anyhow, I came to talk about Sweden because a very important holiday, called Lucia, is nigh, and the festivities of light are soon to take place. On December 13th to be exact. Lucia, aka St Lucy, is a young lady who came with lights and sweets to brighten up the skies and souls of Sweden. Rumour has it, that back in the day, 304 AD, she was martyred by the Romans during one of the darkest days of winter, hence all the lights and the candles on her crown. 

It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. And one of the yummiest at that. You will want to try a delicious Swedish Saffron Bun, originally called the Lussekatter, at the Scandinavian Kitchen on Great Titchfield Street in Soho, at Fika on Brick Lane, at the Nordic Bakery in Golden Square, or simply try it yourself by following this recipe here.

If you're interested in finding out more about Swedish cooking in general or Swedish specialty foods especially for Lucia, go check out Totally Swedish, a cool and everything-store dedicated to Swedish stuff only on Crawford Street in Marylebone. 

There you'll be able to dig out a variety of Swedish foods and cooking ingredients, including candy (not Swedish fish), coffee, caviar, meatball gravy, pickled gherkins and herring, crisps, and ginger biscuits (Pepparkakor, the best ginger snaps you'll ever taste), as well as all types of magazines, life-changing cheese-slicers and a wide range of other fantastic nonsense. 

As for me, I'm very excited for the Lucia holiday. I get to go spend it at Met Mum's house with Little L. and lots of other beautiful people. On that note, Happy Lucia everyone!

Luxe Chocolate in the Heart of Marylebone

I've been stuffing myself silly lately, what with the hundreds of Lindt chocolate Santas and bunnies, chocolate covered almonds, and the five too many kinders and smarties that I had over the weekend... and  to tell you the truth, I don't know how much more of it I can take. I know the Holiday season is coming up but I've been stuck in the pre-Holiday season for far too long! I was just in Switzerland over the weekend where chocolate is like...peanut butter in the US. It's the best damn chocolate you can eat, the finest and the purest. And it's just so friggin good. Ok ok, so I know comparing chocolate to peanut butter is pretty much like murdering a baby kitten, but I am just so into the PBJ (Whole Foods homemade PBJ...oh I miss you dearly), that I have no other comparison to give.

Cocomaya Chocolatier on Connaught Street in Marylebone has noting to do with Lindt, Cadbury, Smarties or Ferrero. It's a whole new category all on its own, and I'd be lying if I told you it's just chocolate. Because it's not. It's luxe chocolate. It's fashionable chocolate. Imagine Prada chocolate. It's like that, except not Italian. The chocolatier is a lovely Northern Irish Cambodian man (I know! Go figure!) who is a true chocolate artist and who will revive your chocolate senses like Juliette Binoche did in Chocolat!

It was co-founded by the Liberty's guy and the Agent Provocateur lady...now you know what I'm talking about? If you're feeling festive and generous you can also have the chocolates made to measure for an exclusive and personal gift. Now they are making other things non-chocolate as well, which are just delectable, and you'll even drool over some miniature Damien Hirst chocolate skulls!

 

The shop is a delightful hidden gem off the high street of Marylebone. You'll want to retreat there forever and eat nothing but pure Luxe Irish Cambodian chocolate for the rest of your lives!

 

Kabiri, Time For Some Christmas Cheery!

 

Kabiri, Marylebone High Street

Meet my new crush in the the jewelry department, Kabiri, the coolest jewellery store on the planet. Well in London at least. This gem of a place, located on Marylebone High Street, features some of the hottest new emerging jewelry designers in the UK. Most of them are indeed British and that's why this, my dear friends, is a truly zesty post. 

Check out these uniquely inventive pieces. You'll salivate over them, you'll die to get your paws on them, you won't even be able to shake them!

 

This Marni-esque necklace is a great accessory to go with a deep plunging neckline!

A gorgeous ring to complement that tanned skin of yours on your December getaway to...St Barths? Yeah, wishful thinking...

 

The adorable Mini Girl by Ginette NY!

This bear ring is my favourite! It is so masculine and fantastic! It even has a paw imprint on this inside!

The itsy bitsy spider is crawling up your chest!

If you're still drumming your fingernails on your desk and wondering what on earth you'll be getting your mum, your girlfriend or even your boyfriend for Christmas (yes, yes you read right, Kabiri sells men's stuff as well!), you know where to go for your holiday shopping! Prices range from £80 to £2000. There is something there for everyone. This is a special spot on a special street in a special neighborhood. Time for some Christmas shopping! Hint hint, my special friends, you know who you are, if you're feeling particularly generous this season, and want to give your special blogger friend a special present, the present gods will smile back at you!

Burn Your Bra

 I was wandering down Marylebone High last week, one of my favorite streets in Central London, on my way to lunch at Le Pain Quotidien for a Ladies Who Lunch event. Well, not really, I was just meeting my friend Met Mum and her adorable Little L for a quick bite followed by a very very frustrating trip to Selfridges on my end (no shopping allowed for me) but very successful one on Met Mum's end. I stopped in front of the intriguing window of Apartment C , Marylebone's exclusive lingerie boutique, and noticed this intriguing sign hanging from it. I walked right in, expecting a mix of S&M and feminist heaven inside but instead was instantly taken aback by all the divine looking bras, panties and nighties loosely hanging from the store's satin and velvet hangers. It felt like a strange combination of Agent Provocateur, La Perla, the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris and New York's lower east side Babeland all at once, and for some strange reason, it worked beautifully. It was neither kinky nor was it super exclusive. It was draped with velvety curtains, and in the middle of the store sat these 2 luxurious 1920's pink velvet sofas (just like Mad Men's Betty Draper's newly acquired sofa in season 3!) making the whole room come together beautifully to create this totally glamorous space of femininity. 

Their selection of lingerie is also quite glamorous and special, ranging from the simple and adorably sexy Princesse Tam Tam to the soft and organic Eco Boudoir . You can find anything from the lacy black bra to the sexy red outfit and the angelic white almost see-through panties but not so see-through that it would make them look slutty. All of their pieces are provocative just the right amount (I have always found Agent Provocateur to be unwearable, too crazy, too provocative, too kinky, too lacy). So wives, mums, working gals and single ladies, there is something in this quirky lingerie boutique for all of us. Something lacy for the high powered woman in us. Something white for the little girl in us. Something black for the sadistic side in us. And something red for the devil in us. Hopefully you are able to recognize yourself in these descriptions. If not in all of them (ahem, moi? non merci!), then at least in one of them. 

Apartment C Black Lace Tunic

Apartment C Pink Chiffon and Satin Nightie