The Latest Addition to the Bruton Street Fash Pack

No, this is not a joke and this is not a tease. Your heard me. It's happening and it's true. The cult Parisian designer Isabel Marant is coming to town and bringing her delicious garments to Mayfair's finest street to reside at 29 Bruton. While no official opening date has yet been announced, you can be sure that there will be buzz, fashion lights and beautiful people populating the new space and strutting their stuff with her latest collection through the streets of London. Marant will move into a 3,5000-square-foot premise, and will become neighbour to Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney and Diane Von Furstenberg. Yes, dear. I did say the Finest.

Being a hardcore fan myself since 2004, I've never once not seen her catalogues, and never once not bought anything from one season to the next. I've always clung like glue to her ankle boots, floral prints and skin-tight leather trousers. And her knits have a way to make any look seem effortless yet feminine. There's something to be said about laid back French fashion. It's just undeniably cool.

Take a look at her exquisite A/W 11 collection here.

Boys Will Be Boys

I've been receiving a few comments by a couple of my male followers lately. Yes I have male followers indeed, believe it or not, and they are slowly losing interest in what LondonZest has to say about waxing, eyebrows and fashionology 101. Shaved by the bell. In this entry, I have decided to focus my attention on something quite male-skewed. Actually, it's completely male-skewed but could definitely be of interest to some of my "married or in relationships" lady followers. If you've got a Dad or a brother, this may be of interest to you too. Well basically, after much rambling, this is for everyone. 

Last weekend, as I was meandering down Old Street, I stumbled upon this gem of a spot- an old-school barbershop and traditional (yet super hip) English male grooming salon. At Murdock Shoreditch (there are 2 others- one in Mayfair and one at Liberty's), you can get the pampering you've always deserved without feeling embarrassed about it. No more sneaking out of the house on Saturday at dawn to make sure your girlfriend doesn't see the excitement on your face as you head to the hair/nail/shaving salon around the corner. No more lying in her face about the manicure "you never got, what are you talking about?" and no more of those "manicures are for gay people" comments. There is nothing girly about this man's man haven of English elegance. Walking into this wooden, leather and shaving cream scented 20 square meter box, you'll find yourself to be overwhelmed with the sensation of manliness.

It's all about the wet shave at Murdock, the most precise and traditional shaving technique there ever was and ever will be. In addition, your man can enjoy a nice and manly shampoo, a hair trim, a curly little mustache, or a buff and scruffy manly beard.

The perfect gift for the man in your life (or for yourself if you are the man in question), the shaving gift boxes will make any of his male friends raging with jealousy. Gift certificates for a 2 hour traditional wet shave or a mustache trim are available to purchase and quite the show stealer at a birthday party gathering. So don't hesitate to splurge on the man in your life. He will pay you back in due time.

The Tailors of Panama Hats

Anyone in the mood for some sun, raise your hand. It can get cold here in London, you know, and sometimes all you need is a little escape to somewhere deliciously sunny and tropical for all of your sorrows to get washed away. I say, we all at least pretend to go to the sun. It's the next best thing. So, in my efforts to browse the web for a cheap sunny vacation spot, I also happen to think of a couple places that might make this imaginary sunny vacation ultra special: the one and only Panama Hat.

I have developed  a secret obsession for this little straw thing.

For my male zesties, I have handpicked a few special places to head over to in order to look like the handsome man above. Yeah that's right. Now that's my kind of guy. The Panama-sporting, vacation going, supersmart grin-wearing, James Bond-playing kind of a guy. I'm looking to find me one of those. See if you can attempt this look by checking out these three fantastic Mayfair hatters:

Swaine Adeney Brigg on St James Street

 Bates Gentlemen’s Hatter on Jermyn Street

Lock and Co also on St James Street

These three hat shops are the first stop on your Holiday journey. It's inevitable, the Panama Hat must be acquired. Because the next step is: fly away!

Lady zesties, for us, there's always the smart Topshop option. Check out this adorable Panama, available now at your neighborhood Topshop for £20, and spread your wings to Bermuda, Bahamas, Key Largo and St Barths. Believe me, you'll fit right in.

Topshop Panama Hat

No More Nobu in My Life

Who knew Gwyneth's favorite sushi place was something other than Nobu? In fact, who knew, Chisou Restaurant had become her favorite regular lunch spot to go to on her numerous visits to native London?

Gwyneth's awesome lifestyle blog Goop.com offers all kinds of fun advice from where to "Go", what to "Make", and what to "Get" to make life more fun when you're visiting or living in a special city. Her Bimbimbop video in her "Make" section has my mouth watering like crazy. Her bubbly personality shines through and she is, all of a sudden, no longer the unattainable Gwyneth Paltrow, wife of Chris Martin, but appears more like the girl next door...ahem, with a very very good haircut no less. Her "Go" section, offering travel, restaurant, and kid-friendly activity tips, is fun and spunky. It also puts the deliriously good Chisou at the top of her London restaurant list. She goes crazy over this secretly hot and not-much-to-look-at sushi spot, off of Regent Street, located on the adorable Prince's street. 

Chisou Restaurant, Prince's Street, Mayfair

So if Gwyneth likes to "Go" there, well...you know what to do. Go go go enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner at Chisou Restaurant and please, knock yourself out! Order everything BUT the ordinary sushi rolls. No california rolls allowed here. The sushi chefs are the best in London so don't be shy. And more importantly, don't leave without tasting the phenomenal Avocado and Sashimi Salad, the Horensou Salad and the Spider Maki Rolls. And book a table! It's, in my mind, the best Japanese restaurant in London, without the over-the-top prices of Nobu and deserves high marks for food quality, service and the feeling of leaving satisfied and eager to return. Go Chisou , next door, is the low budget equivalent of Chisou restaurant, and is just as good as its fancier alter ego, plus no reservations are necessary.

Go Chisou, Prince's Street, Mayfair

Leon- A Food Chain Less Ordinary

As an expat living in London, I tend to get overly excited about my zesty discoveries. When I first discovered Leon, that was my first reaction. I was just ridiculously excited. Then I quickly realized, after many many walks through many many different neighborhoods, that this little quirky place was one of many many in London. Fortunately and unfortunately. Let me tell you why.

One, my zesty discovery was not so much a coincidental discovery as it was meant to be. The Leon food restaurants are haphazardly distributed throughout the city in 8 different locations (my favorites being on Bankside, behind the Tate Modern and on Carnaby Street, right by Liberty 's!). My running into one of them was bound to happen. Blerg. I hate it when that happens. It's like when you hear a song for the first time and you think you're the only one who's heard it and you want to keep it safe, locked up in a little box so that no one else can pretend that they discovered it first (it happened with Rihanna's "Umbrella." I was so psyched when I first heard it on the radio. I thought, "Hey, I'm the first one to hear this song, for sure, and this moment is mine, forever!" Yeah... that was successful.) 

Leon, Bankside, behind Tate Modern

Leon, Carnaby Street, right behind Liberty

Two, let me tell you why finding Leon's was a fortunate discovery. Simply because Leon rocks. It simply rocks. It's a fast food store, but nothing about it screams fast food. Leon has neither the look of a chain restaurant, nor does it taste like one either. The organic veggies, meats and baked goods are cooked with TLC, making you feel so close to nature, you'll doubt you were ever eating fast food. The staff is super friendly and smiley. And once you become a regular, they treat you real special. Their wraps are to die for, their Superfood salads  are smackin fantastic, and oh Jesus is their chili con carne f-ing phenomenal. And I'm tough on chili. Making a good chili is like being a good ice skater. Pretty much impossible. They even sell a superb cookbook , which offers all of your favorite recipes. So if you're around one of those 8 locations one lucky day for lunch, check a Leon's for yourself! 

Green Beans and Aubergines at Leon Restaurant

Outside Seating at Leon, Carnaby Street

It's Tea Time!!!

I wouldn't say that I have an addictive personality. I've got my cravings, from my cupcakes to my cheese and crackers, and I do have to admit that if I start eating a box of cookies, it will take a tank, a soldier and a machine gun to stop me from eating the entire thing. Or a cheesecake with raspberry jam on top. Or a tiramisu. Oh oh oh, or a floating island! So yes, I guess if you get me started on something good, I will keep eating it until the whole thing vanishes. Would you call that an addictive personality? I wouldn't. I would just call it what it is. Enjoying the good things in life. Enjoying life, period! It's not like I'm making myself ill or sick to my stomach. I know when to stop. I do! You just have to remind me, that's all. Lately, or should I say, since my London adventure began, I have been realizing that some good things come as an acquired taste. I used to hate Yorkshire Pudding and all types of pudding. I now like pudding and I have grown accustomed to jelly-like substances floating in between my teeth. Tea is another thing I have grown to like. Actually, love is more appropriate. I love tea. I crave tea. I need my tea-fix at least once a day. Like a good little Brit girl, I've got my Kusmi tea tins, my Earl Greys and my Fennel teas. It's just a normal part of my daily routine and let's just say, sometimes a good cuppa is a great moment spent, and can best be enjoyed with a selection of tasty sweet bits.

There are two places that have made it to the top of my list for tea time. The first one is of course, in my favorite department store eva (!) and that is, at Liberty on Regent Street, on the second floor. Tea time at Liberty Cafe is delicious and is most enjoyed with a side of crumpets with jelly, or a high tray of cupcakes, tarts and sweet and salty sandwiches. True Brit Style.

High Tea at Liberty, Regent Street

My second fave place to go for high tea in London is not surprisingly the place with the coolest toilets in the entire city (toilet fetish?), and that is Sketch on Conduit Street, inside the room called The Parlour, imagine that. This tea spot is a real gem of a place, is truly ravishing and is scrumpsciously girly. Coincidentally, I also really enjoy their bar and restaurant for evenings with friends or lovers. 

The Parlour at Sketch, Conduit Street

London Splat!

Pardon me Father for I have sinned. It's been years since my last Babybel. 

Anish Kapoor, born in Bombay, and now a British citizen, has stunned me with his art. The last time I saw his pieces, it was at the Mak in Vienna, a museum with such grandiose space that anything would have made an impression. 

The majority of the material he uses is made up of this red pigmented wax, which makes you want to grab it form the floor, peel it off, only to find a plumpy piece of yellow cheese inside. Unfortunately, the cheese part is fantasy and clearly a figment of my cheesy imagination, but the wax part is not. That is why his style triggers a range of crazy emotions. From fun and serious, to condemning and childish, you will feel something so intense just by being in the presence of this gargantuan blood-like material, and you will want to stand and stare for hours long. 

There is something about this Babybel-like material splattered on the wall (check out this video of "Shooting into The Corner") and glued to the bottom of our shoes, which really makes you stop and think. I had never witnessed art that used the space to such an advantage and really made my heart stop. His "Shooting into The Corner" piece is as startling as his other pieces if not more and also stays with you through its resonating sound effects. It is fun, phallic, and immensely majestic. Other pieces of his include the "Svayambh", which resonates as much as all of his other brilliant creations, in that it also, like its "Shooting into The Corner" counterpart, stands for creation and destruction all at once. "Svayambh" (2007) is a long track dotted with arcades and clotted with the sticky red goo again, evoking a long and narrow train track, and according to the Financial Times , representing the Auschwiz deportation trains, slavery, colonialism and other historical horrors. The red wax here, with its blood-like color, carries huge symbolism and historical baggage.

You can find Kapoor's collection now at the Royal Academy of Arts . It is worth the detour and I promise that you will enjoy this truly zesty experience by witnessing his gigantic and glorious talent.


‘Anish Kapoor’, Royal Academy, London until December 1

Mayfair Lady at the Rose Bakery

I am moving again! Weeeeeee! Not far, just a smidgen south of where I am at the moment. My flat is a mess, my head is a mess, my life...well, is a mess, but surprisingly I am still standing. My student days are behind me, and I am looking forward now. To what? Yeah. About that. I have no friggin clue but at least I am looking forward, right? I've always been a fan of staying positive, though, and enjoying the wee things in life that make you feel special. Like for example: I looooove cupcakes or any baked goods with frosting on top. There's something about the fluff of the dough mixed with the nutty crunchiness and the smoothness of the creamy rich squirt of heaven that they put on top, that makes me feel all fuzzy inside. It's a mystery to me why I haven't keeled over from gluttony yet. My friends at work used to call me the closet fat kid. Soooooo un-PC, right? I thought so. Take a cinnamon roll from Gail's for example.  Isn't funny how something so sweet and delicious can give you a better perspective on life. What about a lovely dinner with friends on a Saturday night? Isn't fantastic how being around the people you love makes you feel warm, happy and full of glee. 

A good friend of mine visited from Paris last weekend. As we were aimlessly meandering down Piccadilly on Friday, she had the glorious idea of popping into Dover Street Market for a bite of lunch. No need to express to you how awesomely quirky this store is. Most of you Londoners have probably already been and it's no news to you that this is a real London hot spot...even though you probably don't end up buying anything most of the time (Comme des Garcons...um, who wears that?). You also probably have elevatored yourself up to the fourth floor (4F) where you catch yourself standing in the middle of a magical London lunch spot. The Rose Bakery at DSM is what I call a true London gem. It has everything from the yummy soups, quiches and salads, organic granola and cappucinos (cappuccini?), the absolute best carrot cake you have EVER tasted, and it is crowded with the cool Mayfair fashion, art and advertising professionals, who add to a decor that is at once sophisticated and relaxed. It is the hub of all that is cool in Mayfair. And the great thing is, on a warm and sunny day, you can take it all outside onto the balcony, where you can look down onto Albermarle Street and the rooftops of the Brown's Hotel. You'll enjoy a truly fantastic London moment and will leave happy, satisfied and a wee bit plumpier.

Rose Bakery at Dover Street Market

Carrot Cupcake at the Rose Bakery