Now I’ve always had what my parental units would call an “unnatural” affinity for shoes. But how could I resist and deny the delicious adrenaline that rushed through my veins when I first laid eyes upon such wonderfully crafted and beautifully proportionate lady oxfords?

Now I don’t usually dish out more than $50 for shoes, seeing as how I wear them out in a matter of weeks with all my running about, but for these Steve Madden babies, I just might have to make an exception. Speaking of which, this season’s new thang is the black ankle bootie with sheer black tights. And DV by Dolce Vita’s version is geometrically attractive. The heel’s design and shape will support your weight and won’t give you too much trouble. And the design’s classic silhouette, color, and material is a wise choice for someone who’s looking to buy a pair that will last for a couple of seasons. After all, $140 is a pretty steep price to pay in these tough times.

And in looking to the future, I do believe that Spring’s choice of footwear includes the ‘wedge’ and the ‘clog’. Though a long standing fan of the wedge for its reminiscent cool 70’s style, I find that the clog is just one of those things better left un-revived. (Similarly, one can connect this clog concept to the 80’s parachute pants and the 90’s belly shirts.) ModCloth’s Tiki Lounge Wedges in Pina Colada  is a perfect combination of the two designs. Wedge in heel and clog in spirit. These babies would be pretty adorable paired with that insanely cool flower patterned sheer dress, a knit boyfriend cardigan, a coupla antique gold accessories here and there, and a daisy in those perfectly tousled locks of yours. Tread lightly, darlings!

Yours truly,

Lili Darling

Surgiu na década de 50, em Hotel chamado Caribe Hilton’s em Porto Rico. O gerente do hotel pediu para um funcionário do Bar, chamado Monchito, que criasse um novo drink. Monchito passou 3 messes realizando misturas, ate que  chegou a formula da Piña Colada. La Piña Colada faz muito sucesso até hoje, principalmente nas regioes tropicais ( Viva o Brasil)!

Ingrediente:

• 1 dose de Run
• 1 copo de suco de Abacaxi ( Natural e Gelado)
• 1 dose de leite de coco
• 1 colher de açucar
• gelo

Bata todos os ingredientes, exeto o gelo. Na hora de montar o drink, coloque o gelo primeiro e só depois despeje a batida, em cima das pedras. decore com uma fatia de abacaxi e um cereja.

Cayo Levantado eller Bacardi Island

När jag längtar efter ljus så är det denna ö jag längtar till eller Miami som har samma slags blå/turkost ljus som gör mig så nöjd och lycklig. Ön kallas Bacardi ön för det sägs att Bacardi rom gjorde sin reklam ifrån denna plats. Hit vallfärdar mängder av folk för att njuta av det som väl är sinnebilden för en söderhavsö för de flesta av oss.

Nu ska jag ta tag i degen som väntar på att få bli bullar, lika bra jag slutar när jag är så väl till mods

Il y a quelques jours, j’ai eu l’opportunité de faire une très (trop) courte escale à Bora, Bora. Quelques heures seulement. Oui, oui… Bora-Bora, en Polynésie française, Bora-Bora, la perle du Pacifique ! Et tout ça, sans même prendre l’avion. En fait, il m’a suffi de me rendre à Drummondville !

À l’invitation du Spa santé Urbain Bioterra, j’ai fait l’essai de leur nouveau soin expérience Carte d’embarquement pour Bora-Bora, précédé d’une petite heure et demie de  thermothérapie.

L’expérience des bains scandinaves à l’intérieur était une première pour moi. J’avoue avoir bien aimé, même si je trouve que ça fouette beaucoup moins que de plonger dans l’eau glacée d’une rivière. Mais pour ceux qui en sont à leur première expérience, c’est une bonne alternative.

Ici, l’expérience se déroule par tranche de 10 minutes. On commence par se relaxer dans un bain tourbillon chaud  avant de passer sous trois différentes douches froides pour s’assurer de bien refroidir toutes les parties du corps et la tête. Petit repos de 10 min sur des chaises longues installées face à une télé à écran plat sur laquelle défilent des images de poissons et de mer turquoise.Ensuite, sablier en main, on sue 10 autres minutes dans le sauna humide avant de s’asseoir dans la salle Alaska, une chambre réfrigérée dans laquelle, malgré la serviette pliée, je n’ai pas vraiment aimé m’asseoir.C’est la partie la moins agréable. Après une autre  pause repos devant la télé, on termine par un sauna sec et à nouveau les trois douches froides. Ne reste plus qu’à se relaxer en attendant la massothérapeute qui nous embarque pour Bora-Bora.

Aloha !

En fait il s’agit du massage Loomi-Loomi, un massage que j’avais déjà eu l’occasion d’essayer au Spa Givenchy il y a quelques années. Inspiré du massage traditionnel  Hawaïen, créé dans les temples  par les chefs de village, et que l’on donne aux futures mariées durant toute la journée (les chanceuses) qui précède leur mariage, ce massage s’appelle là-bas, «Loving Touch». Associé à plusieurs rituels avec des fleurs, des parfums, de la musique et de la danse traditionnelle (le Hula), il aurait la propriété d’établir une connexion entre le cœur, les mains et l’esprit.

Alors qu’au Spa Givenchy, la massothérapeute exécute des  mouvements de glissement entraînant tout son corps dans une sorte de danse au son de la musique hawaïenne, au spa Bioterra on invite plutôt à une expérience de tous les sens.

Après nous avoir fait étendre sur le ventre, la massothérapeute dépose des écouteurs sur nos oreilles. Puis dès qu’elle est prête à commencer ses mouvements, elle allume le petit écran caché sous la table pour qu’apparaissent les images de Bora-Bora. Pendant 55 minutes, nos oreilles vibrent sous la musique, les bruits des vagues et le doux bruissement des palmiers pendant que nos yeux admirent la plage, les palmiers, les poissons et ces paysages qui font rêver.

Bien que je n’aie pas ressenti la danse lascive et ondulante de la massothérapeute du Givenchy,  Je dois cependant admettre que ce massage doux, sensible et puissant à la fois était tout de même parfait et m’a procuré une détente en profondeur. En fait, mon esprit ainsi sollicité n’a pas eu la possibilité de me faire penser au boulot. Et hop, le petit hamster qui me trotte constamment dans la tête à la recherche d’une bonne idée à développer s’est assoupi. Wow ! Une première pour moi.

En terminant l’expérience, un Pina-Colada sans alcool nous a été servi dans la salle de repos. C’est là que j’ai compris combien les hommes et les femmes peuvent être différents. Mon homme, également invité ce voyage multisensoriel, a reçu son Pina colada avec un sourire étrange.

- Tu aimes ce concept ? lui ai-je demandé, certaine qu’il se passait quelque chose.

- Euh, quel concept ?

- Ben le film, le massage, la musique, le pina colada.

- Je ne sais pas de quoi tu parles. Moi, on m’a mis des écouteurs qui diffusaient une musique bizarre. Un film ? Quel film ?

- T’as pas vu le film diffusé sous la chaise, dans le trou où l’on place les yeux, le nez et la bouche ?

- Non, en me couchant, cet espace était enveloppé de noir (le film est enclenché plus tard), alors j’ai fermé les yeux et ne les ai ouverts que lorsqu’elle m’a dit de me retourner sur le dos (le film était alors fini et l’appareil éteint).

Bref, alors que je croyais que l’on était deux à faire cette escale à Bora, Bora, il appert que j’y étais seule. Malgré tout, mon homme était ravi. Il avait dormi comme un bébé, avait apprécié la fermeté de son massage, mais disons qu’il a manqué l’embarquement

Malgré tout, je n’hésite pas du tout à recommander ce Spa urbain, luxueux et moderne, partenaire  du groupe Académie de massage Scientifique et de son département de recherche sur les mécanismes de relaxation par le toucher.

Innovateur et original, tant par ses soins que par les produits qu’on y trouve et qui sont fabriqués au Canada (par BioPharmapro Canada Inc, une entreprise de transformation de boue de tourbe en produits cosmétiques et thérapeutiques), ce Spa Urbain fait  preuve d’imagination pour offrir  une approche holistique visant un bien-être total du corps et de l’esprit.

Un beau cadeau de Noël pour une copine, une amie, une soeur, une maman et même un papa ou un chum, mais peut-être vaudrait-il mieux le prévenir de garder les yeux ouverts !!!!

I’ve been baking like crazy for EY party tomorrow. It’s for approx. 25 women and I decided I’d play around in the kitchen. I have to thank EY tons for loving everything I make and allowing me to feed all her friends tomorrow =)

Made a couple of “new” cupcakes that were sampled and given great reviews: Hazelnut filled chocolate cupcake topped with ganache, Key Lime filled yellow cake topped with toasted meringue, Pumpkin filled yellow cake topped with nutmeg-cinammon frosting and Pina Colada yellow cake cupcake filled with crushed pineapple cream and topped with toasted coconuts (coconut rum included!).

I made some of the ‘usual suspects’ as well, since most of these women haven’t had the pleasure of trying a Dbg cupcake before: Black Forest, Apple & Chocolate Peanut Butter.

I had a great time making these and “sampling”. Of course my portion is much smaller than those who came by to try them… but they were good. The Ganache & Hazelnut was AMAZING!!!! That will be a future staple in my house when I’m craving a little chocolate.

I did cheat and mixed in some Nutella with the filling… oh that stuff does hit the spot!! I made a Nutella Pound Cake once that was sooo good. That stuff is great! I could just eat it out of the container if given the chance =)

After Party Post…

The PartyLite Party tonight was GREAT!! I love those candles and tonight was great because I met some great ladies at EY’s house.

The food was great! The company was great! The games were hysterical! The Mimosa’s and White Sangria was amazing! And PartyLite candles are always awesome if you like candles.

Had a great time! EY is an AMAZING party host.

Until the next one =)

Young Island.

There were some terrific treats that I had the welcome pleasure to devour at this pleasant little resort. The buffet offered a slew of splendid selections that really surprised me.

Can you imagine six kinds of bread?

They had coconut, banana, wheat, white, raisin, and cinnamon. Stuffed myself nearly to death. Had to make room for a couple of pina coladas and apple salad (pineapple, watermelon, apples, and lime slices washed with a sweet syrupy concoction).

Feasted on roasted goat sprinkled with coconut gratings and sauteed in curry. Snarfed on corn-squash pie, sugared plantains, fried English flying fish with cabbage shreds and pepper…

…there’s more. Forgive me. I’m falling asleep.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Black Dog Martini

6 parts light rum, 1 part dry vermouth, pitted black olive for garnish

Well, similar to last night, I dropped the ball on the garnish with this one.  I didn’t have any black olives on hand.  Usually I have a can of them hanging around in my pantry and fully expected to find them.  No.  Nary a black olive to be found.  I have four different kinds of GREEN olives in the fridge, though!  I threw in a standard pimento-stuffed green so it wouldn’t just look like I was drinking a glass of water out of a fancy glass.  A real shame not to make the drink legit, I do like black dogs (other than Dobermans and Rottweilers, which I guess is most of them, no?).  Well, Sue’s family used to have Shelly, the black lab who had a tendency to eat stray underwear that fell out of the laundry basket.  She was an interesting dog, a big ol’ ‘woof’ dog as I like to call them.  She could always be counted on to thump a happy tail against you when you came by to visit.  Shelly, this one’s for you.

Purely Gratiuitous Shot of Johnny Depp

Now I’m not a huge rum drinker.  Much as I love Captain Jack Sparrow and the quote, “But why is the rum gone?”, it’s just not my thing.  A little sweet and strong for my taste, unless it’s in a pina colada.  But I’ve given those up in my latter years once I realized how fattening they were.  But I did love them in my younger days; however, that was more to do with the tropical imagery they conveyed than with the rum.  I can remember a dorm party in my freshman year at UC Berkeley where they served alcohol in the dorms (yes!  I kid you not!  to underaged kids!) and we mixed up a batch of pina coladas with a blender we’d borrowed with Bacardi 151.  Oh my.  Not even sure I got through one of those.  Tasty, though.  I think I’ve had maybe one or two decent Mai Tais in my life but the rest always taste like a bucket of turpentine with orange juice thrown in – too harsh.  And rum and Coke?  Yuck.  Still not my style.

So I’m not expecting much from this.  I will admit I did sample a few different rums a couple years back at Rum Jungle in the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.  That was fun.  Admittedly, I liked the vodka sampler from Red Square much, more better!  But I have more of a palate for vodka than I do for rum.  We’re all built differently, I suppose.  So I mixed up my rum-based martini … which to me is a bastardization of the drink anyway.  But then again, to the martini purist, the only real martini is a gin-based one, so I’m hardly one to talk, given I only drink vodka ones when not trying to drink my way through a recipe book in 80 days (no, wait, it was 73 … less than that now)!  Added my green olive, although for the sake of color matching, I did contemplate a Milk Dud out of the bowl of Halloween candy I have sitting in wait for Saturday night, but that doesn’t seem right.  Does anyone out there actually EAT Milk Duds?  I remember tossing those out when I got them in my Halloween candy collection as a kid!

Okay, enough ranting.  Not my style on the first sip.  But by the end of the glass, a decent drink.  Nothing I’d rave about, but if I was down to only rum and vermouth in my liquor cabinet, I’d mix this up and have a go, and perhaps then I’d even have black olives.  Might be good with Mexican food, and usually a spare black olive can be found as a garnish there anyway.  I’ll have to remember that.  Not so good with a dinner consisting of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and a piece of garlic bread.  On the other hand, I went to the doctor today for a cortisone injection in one of my two bad knees, and between that and the lidocaine that preceeded it, I probably wouldn’t care what you served me for dinner.  I’m in an oddly happy mood.  Maybe because I’m looking forward to (hopefully) one of my knees not hurting me for the first time in months once the shot kicks in.  We shall see. In the mean time, Fido (my Black Dog) and I bid you a good night’s rest.

Happy mixing, Cathy

Sur les murs du bar hype le plus pitché* de Goa, les touristes du monde entier et de toutes générations ont barbouillé des trucs du genre :

“Life is a bitch then u die”

“Allez l’OM psgcdpd”

“Se battre pour vivre, atteindre le Nirvana”

“Ass, gas or grass, no one rides with me for free !”

“Love grows all over the world”

“J’aimerais trouver les mots”

“In God we trust – all others pay cash”

“Vive la Loire !”

“Netherlands: we are waiting for global warming”

“Denmark: we are sorry!”

Et une pièce de poésie choisie (don gracieux de l’auteur) :

“Ed sat on the mat

He was surprised it was a cat

No matter he said

As he realized it was dead

The cat is now a mat.

Chaos, disorder and fun.

My work here is done.”

*Ne cherche pas… Retourne faire matcher ton top « Om sweet Om » avec ta paire de Nike.

This is the first post for a section that I will call ‘Quickies’; reserved for small quick reviews.

I bought Trident White Cool Colada because who doesn’t want Pina colada breath? The taste was nice, a minty pineaple coconut taste, just as promised; they got the flavour right. The problem? The flavour only lasts around 30 seconds, and after that you’re left with a very weak mint flavour. The gum also gets very tough very fast. I don’t recommend this one.

~Darleya~

http://www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad

Here I find myself again, sitting at the computer, procrastinating. Getting a glass of water, wiping down the table, changing the channel on the telly, blowing my nose, doing anything BUT writing.

Ah – here I am again – just had dinner. It’s 1 hour after the time I started this entry.

Back again – 2 hours after line above – just watched MASTERCHEF The Professionals. SEE!!! I can’t do it! I can’t start this review!!!!!

It is now the next day and still no progress – I am waiting for the door bell to ring and then I will leave the house AGAIN. But I promise – when I am back - I will do it. I will commence the most difficult review that I have ever had to write.

BACK. 2 days later, with an additional review to write, two actually,  Negozia Classica and Al Duca, but they’re seriously gonna have to wait.

Ok – I have decided that the best way to tackle this is to walk you through the evening, literally walk, step by step ….from arrival to departure, obviously this will INCLUDE detailed descriptions of everything shoved into the pie hole.

AFTER THIS, I will conclude with a summary paragraph.

The moral of the story being, if you don’t want to read a gazillion pages then skip to the bottom, as you’ll get the answer to your ‘Should I go or not?’ question very quickly……HOWEVER, I find it hard to believe that readers of this site just want the simple yes or no.

Ok – so finally, after a quabillion years of wanting to dine here, the dream finally became a reality. Opening in 1998 and gaining its 3^rd Michelin star in 2001, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (RGR) is the ONLY 3 Star restaurant in London. Located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea, RGR has long been on many a foodie and winey’s MUST SEE/TASTE/SMELL/EXPERIENCE list.

Due to the fact that I have wanted to dine here for so long, you would have thought that the moment Husbies and I landed in London, I would have been on the phone to these guys whilst waiting for my suitcase at the baggage carousel at Heathrow. But I wasn’t. I’ve been inundated with so many other Phoodie experiences over the last year that it was not until we booked our flights to return BACK to live in Australia that I realised OH GOODNESS – QUICK – HURRY HURRY – CALL RGR – NOW! NOWWWWWWWW!!!!

So recently, as I said, literally the moment we booked our flights back to Aus, I jumped straight on the phone to RGR to secure a reservation. I don’t know WHAT I was thinking or what planet I was on, in my head I KNEW that RGR was booked out generally 3 months in advance and I KNEW that we only had 1 month in which to ‘get in’ before we took off…..Not to mention it’s only opened 5 days a week and each sitting has 45 places MAX.

Annnnnnnway, I gave the lady on the phone the complete A to Z sob story and she promised to put me on a waiting list whilst advising me to call back on Wednesday (something to do with cancellations happening at that time etc). I told her we’d much rather a dinner seating than a lunch one, and preferably something around 7.30pm – I really do have the hide of an elephant! I think her laugh was the polite way of saying ‘’Listen love, you’re probably not going to be coming AT ALL let alone at your desired time so just close your mouth, pray each day and get off the phone as I am very busy.’’

Long story short (ha!) she called me back 24 hours later to let me know that there was a Monday night 6.45pm slot open if I’d like to take it. Of course I said YES YES YES and the story continues from there……

I awoke Monday morning with an excited churning sensation in my stomach – although this could have been many a thing– I am pretty sure this Christmas-morning-tummy-feeling-replica was due to what awaited me that evening. All day I STARVED myself – very very rare thing – and I just counted down the hours until I could jump in my cab and head for phoodie heaven. ( I must mention here I had a special lunch on this day…..’’but I thought you just said you starved yourself???’’……’’I did starve myself, I ordered a fennel salad, but it was a special lunch as I dined with cousins from overseas who I hadn’t seen in agessssssss and we went to 202 in Notting Hill which has such a great atmosphere and great food – even though my choice was slightly boring – gosh I can change the subject….)

Anyway, the time finally came and at 6.15pm I jumped in a taxi headed for RGR. I was texting Husbies each traffic light along the way – he was also in a cab headed to the restaurant but from the other side of town from work.

I arrived first, and as the black car pulled in, a man in a fancy outfit rushed to my door to open it. I normally dislike this hoity-toity typa behaviour  but it’s hard to explain, and this theme continues in the review, as amazzzzzzzzing as the service was on all accounts, and as focused on detail as it was, it was all done in such a relaxed/friendly/natural/down-to-earth kinda way, so that it was impossible to  feel uncomfortable. It was like going to a friend’s house for dinner and just being really well looked after.

Upon entering, you walk down a narrow corridor with a solid wall on the  right and spaced out glass panels on the left – allowing you to peek into the main space. Once I arrive at the end into the reception area I was warmly greeted by 5 people, one offered to take my coat and then another showed me straight to our table.

BEEP BEEP. The loudest mobile phone text message alert that you’ve EVER heard is mine. Damn I forgot to put my phone on silent. It’s Husbies telling me he’s 5 mins away. I text  back ‘’Hurry this is awkward’’…..But the truth is, once I think about it, this ISN’T awkward. As corporately sort of stark as the space is, and as snobby and fancy as it first feels, there’s nothing about the environment at all that makes  me feel uncomfortable, even in the slightest…..

 I suppose now is the time to comment on the interior, which was done by David Collins. Look, as an Interior Architect I could do a review JUST  on this, but because I’m at the end of page 2 and I haven’t even commenced the description of  my 1^st course I better not. In summary, the interior of RGR is slightly disappointing. I wasn’t expecting a Philippe Starck Asia De Cuba job, as that would clearly be completely out of context, but I have seen French Simplicity and 3 Star Michelin done much better. Apart from the gorgeous lights, the features of the rest of the space could have indicated that I was seated in a lunch room at a high end corporate conference facility. Nice. Nothing BAD about it. Just not the best. At all.  The journey from the cab to the table far outdid the ‘’main event’’ room.

Ok so after sitting me down, one of the 600 waiters that served us that evening had a little chat with me…..about our surname and its origins, about Europe, about his working experiences in a couple of other places. Light-hearted, comfortable, friendly banter and then he left me be. Within 3 minutes of him walking away, another waiter arrived with a medium sized platter of food, which he placed in front of me and said with a smile ‘’Something yummy to nibble on while you wait.’’

My eyes lit up immediately. A reasonably large white rectangular plate and on it

1)       the best Aubergine dippy concoction I have EVER tasted,

2)      another dip:  Rocket and Parmesan – delicious,

3)      home-made ‘’Kettle Chips’’ – goes to show you how fake tasting Kettle Chips actually are when you have the REAL REAL thing – crunchity crunch crunch

4)      home-made parsnip crisps – phenom.

It didn’t take me long to dive straight into in and as I was chomping away, Husbies arrived. Eyes lit up, he  sat down, joined me and the parsnip crisps, and so our night began.

In addition to this gorgeous little plate of food that lay in front of us, another little stand of ‘sandwiches’ arrived. Sitting in a silver ‘toast rack’ 2 basil and mozzarella sambos sat patiently waiting for us to pick them up and make them disappear. Instead of bread, the mozza and basil was squeezed beautifully between 2 deep fried potato slices. Mmmmm Mmmmmmm! In one nostril out the other – gone in 2 seconds!

After they were consumed another waiter came over with the menus. He asked who would be hosting the table and when Husbies said ‘Ah me I guess’ with a smile, the waiter handed me the 1^st menu and Husbies the next one. Nice touch. He explained to us that we had 3 menus to choose from that night, firstly the A La Carte (choose whatever you want, however many courses you want, from a large selection), secondly the Seasonal Inspiration ( a 5 course seasonal dinner written specifically for the produce that is currently available and at its best) and thirdly, the Menu Prestige (a multiple course selection of the finest from the A La Carte).

After much deliberation, and the realisation that this was probably the one and only time we would dine here – well at least for a long while – we decided to go with the Menu Prestige – and thank goodness we did!

It went something like this…

The first thing to arrive was an old fashioned silver ice cream cone holder, with 2 ‘’ice creams’’ sitting in it ready to be grabbed and demolished. Inside each cone, (which was about 5cm in height – so let’s call them mini-cones),  was piped avocado mousse – smooth and refreshing; with fresh lobster scattered to the very top and over the edge – deeeeeelish.

As soon as these had been consumed the ‘bread waiter’ came over with a lovely tray filled with 4 types of bread; Olive, Potato and Rosemary, Brown Sourdough and White Sourdough. Although I wanted to have a piece of each, I resisted, taking the Potato and Rosemary and smiling when Husbies took the Olive – at least I’d get to try 2 types! And they were both haymzaing!  Salt and Pepper piped butter was served alongside them on a small plate – basically seasoned butter – and was soon spread  smoothly on the delicious morsels before popping them into the mouth – again – delicious bread – not just normal or nice – delicious.

Then came our ‘Amuse-bouche’. Although I’d heard the term a million times before and I knew what the purpose of one was, I’d never actually bothered to translate it. It literally means ‘Mouth Amuser’ in French! Designed to excite the taste buds and prepare them for the meal ahead, tonight our AB was, wait for it,  Consommé of Jacket Potato with small Ravioli parcel of sour cream and chives. Whilst I definitely cannot say it was the tastiest consommé I have ever had, it was certainly the most interesting and creative. Bravo.

AB cleared, we moved on to the first course. For me it was Pan fried sea scallops from the Isle of Skye with a leek and pancetta ballottine , sage gnocchi and caper beurre noisette – phenom to the max. Each component was absolutely packed with flavour, and together?? A symphony. Husbies had the Pressed foie gras with peppered Madeira jelly, smoked duck, rhubarb and walnut crumble. Smiled the whole time, I tried a bit, smooth and delicious, but I preferred the scallops.

Bye bye scallops and hello to the next round; Ravioli of lobster, langoustine, and salmon poached in a light bisque with a lemongrass and chervil veloute.  Perfectly cooked pasta, spot on mixture of seafoods and probably the best veloute I have ever had. Wish this course was bigger!

A filet of turbot with braised baby gem lettuce and leeks with cep sauce was exactly the right thing to hit the spot after the Langoustine Rav mentioned above. There is something about cooked lettuce – in all forms – that I have always loved – not that I am comparing the soggy toasted sambo’s I used to have in high school and adore to Michelin dining but……..

Even though we felt as though we’d already had the main event a million times over, the waiter clearing away the empty plates assured us it was still to come and then out of nowhere appeared two plates of the famous Cannon of Cornish lamb with confit shoulder, ratatouille and thyme jus. Classic combination but so prettily served with the ratatouille stuffed inside a baby red capsicum/pepper. Almost too cute to eat, but don’t worry, we did.

Now officially bursting at the seams a different waiter came over the clear the plates and check that we were ready to move on to something sweet. Ready?! Always ready! So…..out came the Prune crème brulee with fresh apple shavings and freshly squeezed apple juice. Interesting combo – definitely worked – Creme brulee brought tears to the surface but in my opinion prune wasn’t needed – it wasn’t offensive but it wasn’t needed.

‘’STOP – STOP – ENOUGH – I’M FULL’’ my head was shouting – within itself not out loud – BUT MY HEART was definitely hoping for MORE MORE MORE! Not because I was hungry of course – who goes to a restaurant like this just ‘cause they’re hungry?? Only a fool….ok….what was I saying….ah I was saying that I was wanting more and the reason was that it was all such theatre, such an experience, so entertaining, a guessing game…..and then…..the best surprise of all!! The Pineapple and coconut ‘Pina Colada’ surprise arrived – served in a tall ‘v shaped’ champagne-y sorta glass was a sublime mix of pineapple, coconut cream,  and rum and sticking out of it a long glass straw. In unison Husbies and I took our first gulp through the straw and BAM!!! POW!!! KABOOM!!!! Yes they were the explosive fireworks of flavour going off on our taste buds but they were also the actual NOISES coming off our tongues – OUT LOUD!! Hidden in this tres yumaroo concoction was popping candy!!!!!!!!! Y’know, pop rocks from your childhood???????? The candy that snaps and bursts all over your tongue and people sitting next to you can hear it!!!!!! If you don’t know what I am talking about, you definitely had a seriously deprived childhood!! And how clever to use it like this. YES! YES! YES! Tick, tick tick!!!!

Obviously now we were at maximum capacity in terms of ‘’fullness’’ but, as I said above, irrelevant, as we just wanted to keep on being surprised. I was already scared of how sad we would feel once the night ended, but I need not have worried yet.  The bitter chocolate and hazelnut cylinder with ginger mousse and a stained glass window styled dashing of raspberry jus came next. I think I might have already said this about something before, but if I did I take it back, THIS in fact, was the prettiest plate of the evening. Tasted good too. Not mind-blowing but good, good enough – I think when something looks this good on the plate it always tastes ‘’good and not great’’ because your expectations are so high from the moment you lay your eyes on it, so high that they can never be reached.

We were offered tea and coffee and ordered fresh herbal (peppermint) and as we waited 3 more things arrived!!!! 3!!!! And yes they were the last 3 – sob sob.

The first one was White chocolate covered strawberry ice-cream balls – served in a silver bowl with dry ice – so as the lid was removed the smoky effect rose above and made us smile – they tasted great too!!! Alongside this, perfectly cut cubes of rosewater Turkish delight truly delighted, and were smooth as a bubs butt! Fiiiiiiiiiiiinally -  a silver ‘’tree’’ made up of little balls and a stand thing – was placed in the centre of the table – very sculpture-like and too beautiful to touch. But we did touch it. In fact we plucked the silver balls off of it AND ATE THEM – delicious sparkly rich silver chocolate truffles – AND when we couldn’t eat anymore, Jean Claude Breton, the infamous RGR Maitre’ D himself, popped out of the wood-work, approached the table and handed me a black and silver ‘jewellery box’ for me to pick the remainder of the balls from the tree and binge on truffles for breakfast the next day…..which I did!!

So – here’s the summary that was promised at the start. All in all an absolutely AAAAAAAAAMAZING experience. VERY  deserved of each and every one of its 3 MS’s. Does it serve the best food in London?? Not necessarily, No. We’ve definitely had food, Frenchy Micheliny food, of the same and in some instances , slightly better, quality, in other places…..BUT as a package, when combining ‘the experience’ AND the food – it is comparable to no other. A must do for anyone who’s ‘’thinking of doing it’’ or who ‘’has wanted to do it for ages’’. A lovely way for us to wave ta ta to the yumminess of Londres. But not to fear……SYDNEY AWAITS!!!!!!

Piña Colada

Ingredientes:

1 dose(s) de rum
1 xícara(s) (café) de suco de abacaxi
1 dose(s) de leite de coco
1 colher(es) (chá) de açúcar
4 pedra(s) de gelo moída(s)

Modo de Preparo:

Bater todos os ingredientes e servir em copo para long drink. Decorar com uma fatia de abacaxi e uma cereja

INGREDIENTES

4 cucharadas de leche de coco
1/2 taza de jugo de piña
Hielo picado
Ron blanco (opcional)

PREPARACION

Vierte en la licuadora los hielos y trituralos hasta que sean pequeños trozos.

Agregar la crema de coco, el jugo de piña y el ron (opcional).

Licuar hasta que todos los ingredientes se incorporen y quede algo espeso.

Servir la bebida y adornar al gusto.

Sigur multi dintre noi am vazut aceasta denumire pe lista de meniu a restaurantelor celebre, intrebandu-ne ce poate fi. Ei bine, este o bautura specifica zonei Porto Rico care contine alcool, de obicei rom, insa azi ma voi opri asupra retetei fara alcool, care este pur si simplu delicioasa.

Pina Colada

• jumatate de ananas crud sau o cutie mare de compot de ananas
• 1 cana mare de lapte de migdale* sau lapte de vaca (nu prea indicat din cauza combinatiei ciudate)
• 1 nuca de cocos, suc si pulpa ori o conserva de crema de cocos
• 1 lg de esenta de rom
• zahar brun dupa gust
• 4 cuburi de gheata (optional)

Cantitatile nu sunt exacte, dupa cum stiti ne putem abate putin de la reteta daca gustul ne ajuta. Totul se pune intr-un blender cu putere mare de macinare, adica peste 800W. Bautura va avea un aspect putin cremos, insa este ceva de nedescris, cu un gust tropical si deosebit de tot ceea ce ati gustat pana acum.

*Lapte de migdale (ori nuci)

• ½ cana migdale crude inmuiate peste noapte sau nu
• 2 cani apa

Se pune totul in blender pana la omegenizare si se poate strecura sau lasa cum este. Arata ca laptele si are gust chiar mai placut. Daca doriti sa fie mai gras, adaugati mai multe nuci. Se poate pastra la frigider pentru 2 zile. Se poate adauga optional pentru gust, 1 banana, 2 curmale, miere.

Imagine preluata de pe Wikipedia.

Imagine yourself sitting on the beach right now, feeling the heat of the sun and the cool breeze from the ocean all while enjoying a refreshing, cold smoothie. When I think of paradise, it reminds me of palm trees, pineapples, blue waters and white sand. Enjoying the good life without any worries.

We may not be able to bring to you the beautiful beaches or the cool ocean breeze but one can feel like they are in paradise by drinking Dr. Smoothie’s Pineapple Paradise.  A special blend of pineapple, banana and cocnut.

Besides being delicious, did you know that pineapple is a good source of vitamin B6, copper and dietary fiber? Pineapple also contains high amounts of antioxidant (vitamin C).  Pineapples are also actually not just one fruit but multiple (up to 200) fruitlets fused together around a  central core and  Hawaii produces one-third of all pineapples grown in the world.

So the next time you need to get away and feel like your in paradise start with Dr. Smoothie’s Pineapple Paradise, this delicious smoothie in paradise in a cup.

In addition to never being too rich or too thin, Kikidoll thinks that you can never have too many lipglosses.

Pots, wands, tubes, tins, sticks, roll-ons–oh, the choices of that sticky, gooey delivery!

Clear, sheer, flavored, scented– or both; shimmered, speckled, SPF’ed and medicated– puffing, buffing, sloughing, roughing–lasting, staining, tinting, glinting– pearlised, glamorised, volumised, moisturised. Why, there’s even one with breath freshener in it, all minty!

Then, in shades that range from a baby’s bum to the darkest inky night–glosses in colors to make you elfin, gamine, or downright fatal.

Classsics like Bonne Bell, Juicy Tubes and Philosophy’s Kiss Me compete with good old tubs of Vaseline and cheapie Chapstick. High end to low end, from dimestore to department store, who can forget the roll-on Babe, the Tangee stick or the tingle of Blistex?

(Kikidoll Hawaiian lipglosses SPF 15 in Passionfruit Guava, Pina Colada and Coconut Lemongrass)

My plans for the night includes, Pineapple juice, Malibu, Snacks + Transporter 1 & 2.. During lunch break earlier, I made a quick visit to my favourite DVD store to pick up Transporter 1, 2 & 3. Jason Statham is the man.. =) I so can’t wait for tonight to dawn. =) What should I prepare or have for dinner? Erm.. Going to start thinking about that, say.. 5.30p.m. later. =P Hope you all have a good evening as well.

Pineapple Juice..

+

Yummylicious Malibu..

+

Transporter Poster..

+

Transporter 2 Poster..

= A blissful night @ home..

- whit3puppy

El Morro Fortress

If visiting a volcanic Caribbean island happens to be on your “to-see” list, consider the diverse island of Puerto Rico. There are several daily non-stop flights from the US mainland into San Juan airport-no passport needed.  But my favorite way to get to Puerto Rico is by cruise ship.  Imagine relaxing on deck as the sun breaks through the purple-grey morning clouds to reveal El Yunque National Rainforest in the east.  As you glide into San Juan harbor, you will sail past what I think is possibly the most spectacular sight in the entire Caribbean. Rising majestically 140 feet above the sea, flying US, Puerto Rico and Spanish military flags, is Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, commonly called El Morro (meaning “promontory” in Spanish). The largest fortress in the Caribbean, El Morro is the most striking of this city’s fortifications, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the San Juan Bay. El Morro was built between 1540 and 1783 to keep seaborne enemies out of San Juan. Among its many wonderful attractions, El Morro features a maze of secret access tunnels and dungeons and a small museum with a detailed history of the fortress. It’s a great place to bring the kids as there is plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep their interest.  El Morro has been designated a National Historic Site.

The fortress is only a thirty minute walk from the port, straight uphill through Old San Juan.  Along the way you will pass small shops, cafes, centuries’ old churches and interesting architecture. Have your cameras ready and batteries charged. Old San Juan is a charming area where the colonial ambiance is well-maintained. From the magnificent 18^th century Spanish architecture to the cobblestone streets and well-kept doorways, a visit to this old city is like a journey back in time. After touring El Morro, allow yourself at least an hour or two to meander your way back through town. Stop for a margarita or have lunch in the tropical courtyard patio at El Convento, a 356-year old former convent turned into an incredible 5-star hotel.

Courtyard Dining at El Convento

It’s difficult to miss this ochre-colored building with its heavy, dark wood entrance; simply walk downhill from El Morro to 100 Cristo Street. There are dozens of helpful uniformed police in Old San Juan ready to assist with directions. For lunch with a local flare, a visit to the El Jibarito restaurant is in order.  Located at 280 Calle Sol, El Jibarito is bustling at lunchtime with families, shoppers and a few tourists who have stumbled upon this Old San Juan favorite.

Puerto Rican Chicken with Plantains and Rice

While my friend ordered the minute steak, I went for a traditional Puerto Rican dish, roast chicken, plantains and rice and was not disappointed.

Rather make it a beach day? A short taxi ride from the port is Condado Beach. Located only ten miles from historic Old San Juan it is a small slice of paradise. Adjacent to pristine beaches, this lively tourism area hosts countless shops, restaurants, night spots, casinos and of course, hotels. A stroll along Condado’s main road, Ashford Avenue, will lead you along an enchanting seaside pathway. The avenue ends at a beautiful intimate beach and the other side reveals the lovely Condado Lagoon. While in Puerto Rico, you must taste the famous pina colada, with or without rum. The pina colada was created in Puerto Rico in 1954. Don Ramon “Monchito” Marrero, who at the time was a bartender at the Caribe Hilton Hotel, came up with the ingenious idea of mixing rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and ice in a blender to concoct what was to become the island’s favorite drink.  Consider one of the many shore excursions offered by your ship to get a feel for the real beauty of the island. Or simply walk through the narrow cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, leisurely browse or shop and have an authentic Puerto Rican lunch. What ever you decide to do, you will surely enjoy your visit to San Juan.

Bond eye bikinis uk

The Bond-eye mojito swimwear collection is a beautiful set in pastel colours. Delicate and luxurious and a very popular line from the hugely successful Bond eye bikinis brand.

Bond eye Australia designs fantastic to get you noticed on the beach in wonderful colours and patterns and floral bikinis.

Inventée à Puerto Rico dans les années 50, la piña colada est un smoothie doux frais à consommer en famille, été comme hiver dans un bean bag ou avant la siesta en la hamaca ! Cette boisson riche en calories est à consommer sans alcool bien sûr, en mode virgin. Choisissez les meilleurs ingrédients possibles, des fruits frais et du vrai lait de coco.

Special weapons and tactics :
_ Un mixer, blender ou shaker au choix.
_ Un couteau de pirate.
_ Un freezer.
_ Un Ananas.
_ Extrait de noix de coco en boite.
_ De la vanille (bonus).
_ De la banane (bonus).
_ Du lait (Bonus).

Pour 4 personnes :
_ Découpez l’ananas en rondelles ! (en fait en gros cubes) et en entier.
_Versez 60 cl de jus d’ananas (le meilleur, 100 % pur jus) dans le blender puis 25 à 40 cl de lait de coco (miam !).
_ Ouvrez votre freezer et sortez 40 glaçons à ajouter à votre mixture.
_ Mixez le tout pendant environ 1 minute.

SERVEZ FRAIS & ENJOY !

Bonus :
_ Du sucre (pas trop hein !).
_ Une demi-banane.
_ 1 goutte d’extrait de vanille.
_ Du sucre de canne.
_ Des macarons à la noix de coco.
_ De la crème fouettée (à déposer par dessus).
_ Du lait.

I was asked by a friend to make her birthday cake. Now this friend is bright, creative, and busy. I secretly always thought we were a lot alike, well not so secretly now. She said polka dots in pink and brown. I know that variations of these two ideas have been done, and I really wanted to make her something as unique as she is  not something I have seen a million times before. While I am sure I’m not the first person to make retro polka dots, I think it really turned out great. The picture however did not.( The cake was really Hot Pink & Brown.)  This cake was my first attempt at getting wild and crazy with flavors, Pina Colada cake & filling. Mmmmmmmmmm! It is so my favorite flavor now, it even smells good as you cut into it. (03/09)