Monday 22 October 2012

My Birthday: Vertigo 42 and Duck & Waffle

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1 - 3 views at Vertigo 42 4. Me and sister S
5 - 7 more Vertigo 42 views 8. Duck and Waffle menu
9. Views at Duck and Waffle 10. My special cocktail 11. more views 12. me and my special cocktail

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1 - 2 at Duck and Waffle 3. rabbit rillette 4. mutton slides
5. BBQ crispy pig ears 6. foie gras all day breakfast 7. crab on toast 8. mussles and clams
9. salt beef 10. duck and waffle 11. Sushisamba bar 12. my birthday cookie cake

Last week I turned the ripe old age of 26 and to commiserate celebrate I made my parents take me out for some finger lickin' good food. Last year I was in Berlin and the year previous a beach in Vietnam so being stuck in London this time round I wanted to go somewhere extra nice. Actually, who am I kidding, I always make my parents take me somewhere nice. Anyway, I digress. Ever since I went to Hong Kong a few years ago I've been obsessed with views, one type of view in particular, night time up a tall building to be exact. Now, London isn't a city know for it's abundance of skyscrapers, there are a few scattered about but its no New York or Dubai. Previous birthday have been spent at the Tate Modern restaurant and the Oxo Tower (both delicious) but neither are high enough in my opinion. I actually wanted to go to the Gherkin originally but I found out the restaurant is for private members or people who work there and sadly I am neither of those. Anyway, a few months ago Duck and Waffle opened on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower in the city and with it's trendy European menu I knew it was the place I wanted to be. But first things first, pre dinner drinks across the road at Vertigo 42. Now, this is a bar I've wanted to visit for a long time. Situated on the 42nd floor of Tower 42, Vertigo 42 (srsly) is a bar with unrivalled views, exquisite cocktails and a price list to make a lowly science gal like me weep. As far as I'm aware you have to book a table and don't be alarmed when they ask you to go through airport style security before entering the lift. It's small and full of your average city workers and despite the drab interior it really does offer something special. Every single table has a window seat and the service is impeccable so you really do get your moneys worth. I had a couple of lychee Bellinis which were super tasty and went splendidly with a bowl of waasabi peas to share.

After drinks we walked a short 3 minute walk across the road and around the corner to Duck and Waffle. Now, if your not a fan of lifts beware. This place has a glorious glass elevator that shoots up to the restaurant in a matter of seconds, definitely a bit of a stomach in your mouth journey. I'm a big fan of cocktails but I was a little disappointed to see the menu only offer the rum, gin or whiskey variety (all of which I hate) but the waiter kindly offered to make me something 'fruity with vodka'. What I got was a delicious concoction of vodka, guava and fresh berries! Now on to the most important part, the food! The menu at Duck and Waffle is designed for sharing with small plates, big plates and even bigger plates, it's a bit like tapas, but not Spanish. We had a few small plates, a few big plates and a 'for the table' plate as well and by the end of the meal we were all satisfyingly full without being overly stuffed. 

The first thing to the table was the rabbit rillettes severed with sourdough, beer chutney and pistachio. I always feel a little guilty eating rabbit as I have a pet one but this was delicious. Next up was the mutton sliders (x2 portions - yes to burgers as I say) which I enjoyed but wouldn't rave about. As a bit of a burger expert I've had a lot nicer! The second round of food included BBQ spiced crispy pig ears (tasted liked crisps which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and foie gras all day breakfast. I'm not the biggest fan of foie gras to be honest, the ethics put me of as does the super rich taste but this was enjoyable. It was basically toast with foie gras, an egg, crispy bacon and black pudding. The third round was seafood orientated; delicious crab on toast and tasty mussels and clams. I love shellfish! The penultimate round was sublime, roast salt beef with a soft egg but it was the final round and the piece de resistance that did it for me, duck and waffle (x2 portions). If you can't tell this is waffle, crispy duck confit, duck egg and mustard maple syrup. I actually thought I wouldn't enjoy this mess dish that much but let me tell you, it was incredible! Yes, a heart attack on a plate but worth it, all the textures and sweet and savoury flavours were heaven. If I could recommend only one dish it would be the duck and waffle for sure.

This restaurant really was fantastic, the service was a bit iffy in places but the food was glorious, the views of London are gorgeous, the decor is modern without being 'too trendy' and the atmosphere is fun. Duck and Waffle is a real unique experience and I would rush back in a second. After dinner we head downstairs to the newly opened Sushisamba, not for more food I add but for a drink on the balcony terrace and good vibes from the busy bar. I really do love this building!

What nice restaurants have you been to recently x

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Sunday 14 October 2012

Autumn Fashion: Patterned Trousers

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Floral blouse from Topshop
Biker jacket from Zara
Leggings from Uniqlo
Boots from ASOS
Bag from Marrakesh market
Necklace from Topshop
Snood c/o Next

Autumn is always the perfect season to bring out the patterned trousers, with colder weather and deeper colours in the air you can experiment easily with fun leg prints. These leggings caught my eye the other day and I knew they had to be mine, they're the perfect shade of green tartan and because of their legging style they fit so nicely. Now, I am not a fan of the whole replacing trousers with leggings, I think it looks horrible but with these I really do believe they look like proper trousers. They also have a pair in red I really want to buy next and at £14.90 they're a bit of a steal.

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1. Champagne testing 2. Me 3. charcuterie nibbles 4. press for champagne
5. St Pancras roof 6. at The Delaunay bar 7. Krakow martini (vodka and blackberry) 8. S with her Black Velvet cocktail (Guniess and champagne)
9. Me and S 10. prawn cocktail 11. croque monsieur 12. rib roast

Today Mum, sister S and I went for a little bit of champagne tasting at Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras followed by lunch at The Delaunay which was delicious. I highly recommend the Sunday rib roast and if you've never been to The Delaunay or The Wolsely they are both a treat. The food is European style and not only is it delicious, the service is fantastic and the interior is exquisite. The restaurant is a real experience plus they do a bloody good brunch if you like eggs.

What did you do today x

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Thursday 11 October 2012

LFW SS13: Jasper Garvida

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Monochrome, leopard print and chunky necklaces - what's not to love! I was lucky enough to win a ticket to the Jasper Garvida show at fashion week this season thanks to the lovely Harriet and I was really impressed with what I saw.  I adore monochrome, not only is it a classic trend that will never go out of fashion for too long it's also very easy to wear no matter what your style, in fact I was actually wearing a monochrome outfit the day of the show. Everything looks better in black and white and whilst I really enjoy leopard print I find it can sometimes look a little Pat Butcher so I was really impressed by the simplistic leopard print dresses on display. But what I loved the most about this collection were the chunky, futuristic chokers, boy are they a statement necklace. With short shift dresses, bold two toned designs and statement accessories this was definitely a collection for young, powerful and fashion savy female.

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I love monochrome, do you x

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Sunday 7 October 2012

Fashion Essentials: The Black Skinny Jean

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Jacket from Zara
Tshirt from ASOA
Skinny jeans c/o Next
Snood c/o Next
Boots from ASOS

Whether you wear jeans a lot or hardly ever, every body needs a great pair of black skinny jeans in their wardrobe. I'm not a fan of the bog standard blue denim, I find everything looks way too casual when I wear them but I love black denim! The beauty of black skinny jeans is that they can be dressed up and down so easily, throw on a jumper and Converse for a casual look or a statement top and sharp jacket for something sophisticated. I've been in desperate need for a new pair for ages and when I found this pair of from Next for a mere £24 I was blown away. They fit really well and the denim is a really good quality. Some high street jeans are so cheap and loose shape and colour after only a few washes but I think this pair will stand the test of time.

I also picked up the cute Christmas style snood from Next. I love the print and it'll be perfect for my holiday to Iceland next month. My favourite thing about this particular snood is the size, it's smaller than my other ones which means it perfect for this autumn to winter transitional period when it isn't quite freezing yet.

Can you see the faint tint of pink in my hair? I had my bleach redone on Saturday (shocker, I'm not actually this blonde naturally as people seem to think at work) and decided to have some pink toner added instead of my usual ash one. I actually tried to dye my hair like this a few weeks ago after becoming obsessed with Melon Lady on YouTube but it came out after one wash. The problem with bleached hair is that colour doesn't stick to it well so I imagine the pink will be gone by the weekend so I might try and do it myself again.

Where are your favourite black skinny jeans from x

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