Let the Sunshine In!

This morning: nothing but enjoy the gorgeous Mr Sunshine.

Not gonna last I'm afraid..

Sexy Cup Cakes and Graphic sweets

Hi Sweets!

I can't help it! I have to talk about food! In this case, the place I am going to write about sells cakes that I do not like at all... 

What is the place? Cox Cookies & Cake 
What do they sell? Graphic Cup Cakes
Where? In Graphic Soho

This place is kind of funny and yet very interesting. Indeed, you could as well pass by this store without even realizing it. Indeed, amongst all the erotic shops and peepshows in Soho, CCC totally blends into the landscape as it took the same 'erotic codes': flashy neon lights, dark interior, sexy staff - with 'Bite Me' and 'Better than Sex T-shirts! Just have a look at the window

 Really different than this one just aside? Not really..

 The best thing is their amazing rated X cup cakes ! They are called 'kiss cake' 'pop cake', 'titty cake', 'Man cake'.. and just look amazing on their neon shelves

But to be honnest, if I really appreciated the store's concept, I didn't buy any cupcake. I truly cannot understand people's passion for these cakes that are, in a nutshell, mere butter cakes, sometimes flavored, with lots of butter on top.. Let's see if Wikipedia has a better definition: 'A cupcake (British English: fairy cake; Australian English: patty cake or cup cake) is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, are common on cupcakes.'
 
Anyway, what kind of pâtisserie is that? Fine, they always do look nice (in a very girly-smoocha-smoochies-sweety way), but they are so colourful you don't even want to have a bite - fearing that your teeth will instantaneously fell off due to the excess of sugar and colorant.. And above all, what about the taste???

I tried my very first cupcake here, in the UK... At work to be more precise. A colleague of mine had done them for her little girl's birthday and brought some for us. Because the cakes were homemade, I tried one thinking that it might be better than what I feared and that I was being unfair to this speciality...But actually it was has bad as I thought! Incredibly dry, stodgy and buttery... Didn't enjoy it at all..

But I am not closed-minded. If you, little chicken, think that cupcakes are great, let me know why. I wish I could understand!

Horrendous little cakes

 

Politeness and incivilities...

Hi Little Chickens!

Hope you are doing fine and did not catch this bad flu everybody seems to have around me during these days...

Err... Actually 'everybody' means also 'me' and that is why I have been less active on this blog - please forgive me.. But don't you worry, Morrison's little decongestioning pills have done some miracles here and I feel much better.

I could even enjoy once again a very nice day in London and, on my way back, I witnessed a scene that was kind of special.. .Nothing serious, but let me explain you.

Well, I was on the northern line, and today, because other lines (Waterloo trains towards Clapham) were out of function (as often during the week-ends), there was a lot of people in the tube around 6PM –including this nasty little girl throwing a hell of a tantrum for a chocolate bar… grrrrr! So, you can easily imagine people fighting for a seat (women are particularly alert at this game). I didn’t try myself to elaborate some farfetched strategy in order to get a seat. I happened to mechanically get one as people were leaving. And then, you know how it is when your eyes wander around…Looking at the neighbor’s magazine, this girl’s very short skirt (was that a skirt??)… 

It is during this moment of absolute passivity that I saw this old man with a stick entering our wagon. Of course, grandpa wants to have a seat. You think ‘ah, easy, there are special seats for pregnant women and elderly people’. Well, there were all occupied (remember, the northern line was packed). But then you are allowed to think again that somebody will naturally give his/her seat for the poor men… Well, Nay, Nay and thrice Nay! A mum was seating on a priority seat and just by her side was her vigorous 10 years old boy. Can you believe that Grandpa has to politely ask to the boy if he would be kind enough to let him seat? And then, the mum, all upset, told her child to give up his seat.

I just thought that was so rude! And it is not the first time I see that happening. French people are not particularly known for being polite –let’s admit we are quite rude people too! But I can tell you that it is kind of natural to give up your seat to elderly in buses/train/tube. And, on the other hand, here, people are nicely queuing while waiting for the bus which is absolutely astonishing for somebody who lives in Paris. 

 I really cannot explain this contradiction.. I guess that British people are really civilized and too egalitarian: men, women, elderly.. Thee shall fight to get a seat!

Street Art - bis repetita placent

Brixton Market

Hi Guys!


I visited a very special place last week which I found absolutely authentic. I already told you a bit about the colourful Brixton last time (The Prince), but without describing its great Market (here is the official website http://www.brixtonmarket.net/).

Apart from being very affordable, you can find there all kinds of exotic products you won't find anywhere else like yam, plantains and many many other special ingredients.

Lucky us, it was a sunny sunday which made it even more pleasant to wander around, listenning to the loud reggae music coming out of some shop.

And there are perticularly 2 things that I really enjoyed... Food! Yes I know! I keep talking about food, but Hey! This is how you know that a place is great!


So, First, I had the chance to enjoy genuine rotis from Guyana!! Where the Hell is Guyana you wonder? Well, it is a tiny country (the red one on the map below) near Surinam (ex Dutch Guyana), French Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela at the north of South America.

Best map I could find on google!

I am telling you: you can travel the cheapest way in Brixton :). Guyana used to be an English Colony and British brought there African people, but also people from India. Hence the Roti that is originally from India.

To talk about the roti in itself, it is between a naan and a crepe and you eat it with a side dish: it can be chicken with sauce, curry potatoes etc... And I can tell you that the mamas that were cooking the rotis were doing it the good way as my roti tasted like heaven! Besides, another great thing about the roti is that you eat it with your hands: no fork, nothing... Not practical, but exhilarating!

The second thing that was really worth is the covered market nearby named 'Brixton Village'.You can still find fresh products there, but in addition, there are lots of little restaurants and other small shops. And, if I were to recommand one, that would certainly be 'La Cabaña' a columbian restaurant family restaurant where I went 2 weeks ago: service is perfect, coffee is extremely fresh and the dishes are cheap and very good!

  Try the 'bandeja paisa' for 9 pounds:

Hope you'll enjoy it there!!!

Columbia Road's Flower Market

Hey little chickens!

I wanted to make a post about the great flower market of Columbia Road (East London).

In the guides, you will see that it closes around 12'00 PM, but I went twice at 12'30 PM and could see that it closes after 2'00PM. Anyway, even if this market is probably better during summer, I can tell you that it is worth it nowadays too!

As I said earlier, it takes places in Columbia Road which is not so far from the beginning of the more famous Brick Lane. To me, this is THE thing you have to do on a sunday morning (ok, 12'00PM is not anymore the morning...But maybe it is on Sundays!): The road is super busy with people selling all sorts of flowers and trees - don't expect baobabs and exotic stuffs giving the season..Oh wait, you do have some exotic flower over there. The atmosphere is warm despite of the perfidious wind, flower sellers are shouting, people bump -gently- into each other, you have small fashion boutiques that run alongside the road, and of course you have restaurants!

Let me show you what it's like:

Some people actually buy flowers there (no wayyyy!), i mean, really big bouquets. I never tried to buy a nice bouquet as I wouldn't know where to put them at home; besides, I like to wander in the neighbourhood afterwards... But I really like to see happy people faces with their huge bunch of flowers. It's silly but I can understand how nice it is to buy flowers just for the sake of it!

After this very touching thought I would like to share a very special place where you absolutely have to go when you are finished looking at green stuff. Indeed, at the end of the flower market, you will find a little snack owned by a super cool guy who sells portions of Veg Samosas and falafel! So tasty! Take the chilli sauce: the mix is absolutely delicious and just perfect to wait until the brunch (my brunches are late). Seriously, you can tell these apetizers are homemade. Bravo Maestro (or is it his wife?)! Here is the foto of the guy who made my day :

Apparently, the guy is famous - So he said. He was interviewed for a local newspaper! I can understand why!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it rains!

What a perfect post for a rainy day!

I suffered the loss of my dear ally this morning. Anyway, even if I do mourn my late umbrella, I think I should get a new one - question of life and death here…

‘Dear Fairy, I’d like a big funky umbrella like the 25togo Design one which is probably too expensive for me.’

Here, people have these huge umbrellas that have a diameter of 2 meters. They are ready to fight! But in Paris even if it rains as much as in London – the wind is far less perfidious though – we just have these 3 euros umbrellas - they die during the first month of winter.

Anyway, here is my the object of my dreams (well just today because it rains)

Useful to tickle your mates when it rains!

Or to cross the road safely!

Anyway, today, even without an umbrella, I made it through the rain!

My Covent Garden Soups

Hi all!

It's been a little bit more than one month that I arrived in London, and a great deal of my conection with English culture is at work.

I must say that several things are so different from France! At the beginning, I was thrilled, but, after one month, well, I think that working here is not better; just different.

'But, for God's Sake! What is the damn connection with the Covent Garden Soups???' All right, all right, I am going to tell ya! Actually, the link is brutal and is one of the huge differences between England (or the United States) and France when it comes to corporate culture.

For my very first day at work, I had to eat all ALONE in front of my computer and I thought that this was crazy! And it is all the most crazy that, at first appearance, colleagues are extremely friendly between each other here (Or is it that they are particularly cold in France?).

So you'd expect to have a nice cool welcoming lunch to have the time to EXCHANGE and socialize... Errr... No no.. In your dreams kiddo! You see the Tesco? You go there, grab a sandwich or whatever, and come back to your seat in order to quickly eat it in front of your screen (even if it's your first day and that bloody IT is not able to make your professional mailbox work). This is the best way to die soon of indigestion my friends...

I freaked out! In France, lunches were the highlight of the day, The Break, the moment where you could release the pressure, 1h30 (yeaaaaah, I love my job) of joy, gossips and -very- bad jokes. I had to do something about this situation! That's how I began to do it. Buy Covent Garden Soups... Below, my trusty allies:

Actually, if you don't eat something good, you die during the afternoon. Of course you could buy a Mc D, grab a sandwich at Starbucks (I do, once in a while), or at Prêt à Manger (I don't like sandwiches there though... Stop with the Mayo/Pesto, guys! Not tasty), but it would be expensive and not satiating enough.

These soups -only 98p at Morrisons- are not expensive, not like cream (I hate soups that taste like cream and not real vegetables), and the serving (600g I think) is quite honest. My favourites? The ones with lentils. But Vegetable Winter is quite good too.

I think that you got that I am still not used to this whole eating-at-work-in-front-of-your-computer thing... I don't think I will someday, even with free Covent Garden soups. Of course, the compensation is that you get to leave work much earlier, like at 6'00PM, which is really cool. But I'd easily give this up for a real lunch where you can socialize because, I am personally more efficient after a real break. Even if I do feel relaxed while waiting for the micro-wave to heat up my soup... Yep, I try to be positive!

Tomorrow, I'll spice up my lunch and will try a new CGS flavour! Woohoo, it's gonna be wild!

Street Art - Far East

This will be a rather short post because there is nothing in particular to write about street art: it is just meant to be seen! So just enjoy!

Great collages!

Quite cool this one

 That's all chickens!

Hi All,

here is the Poster above 2 weeks after... Found it interesting enough to show it to you!

2011 Chinese New Year

Hi all!

I was really enthusiastic about Chinese New year but I must say I was a bit deceived about the event. I've done it in Paris and I can say that even if it was not as well organized, at least you'd get to see a bit of the dancing dragon ( I really fancy these bouncing and dancing dragons!)

In a way, I think that here in London, Chinese New year is 'victim' of its own success. Which is good and means that the communication was well done. But I guess that the whole overcrowded stuff is not my cup of tea. Some people did seem to have some fun eating chinese noodles and playing with the bangers though (I almost bought some to throw them at the crowd in order to actually see a dancing dragon).

But all in all, if I were offered the possibility to live again this moment, well, I would decline!

Here are some pics to show you how busy Chinatown was:

Can you see it? The dragon?

Aaaargh!!!

And to finish off I had to show you the object of my frustration:

Chinese dragon on the Catwalk

 Oh, by the way, did you know that this year was the year of the Rabbit? 'Mouhahaha!' You might think? Not at all, given the Rabbit personality traits:

'Although generally calm, gentle and loving, Rabbit people can be very ambitious and intuitively know how to get ahead in the world.

They are good listeners, kind and sweet by nature, and are therefore often sought out as popular and trusted friends. Generally noted for their physical beauty, Rabbits like to surround themselves with beautiful things. They have a good eye for art, design and fashion, and are usually at the top of anyone's Best Dressed list.'

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Prince - South we go!

Hi All!

Last night I went South and I discovered the perfect place to go with friends on a Saturday night, as long as you want to chill and hear good – and I mean great – mixed music from the Beatles, to S.I.A., Michael Jackson (of course), other black music goodies, and a piece of Snatch BO (which is amazing)!

 

The place is in Brixton (end of the Victoria line, the light blue one) which is a neighborhood you gotta know! I’ll do another post about the massive Caribbean market they have on Saturday which is part of the area’s charms; but, in a nutshell, Brixton is our Parisian Strasboug-Saint-Denis… What I mean is that you will find all sorts of explosive colorful vibes there. The area used to be not so secure some years ago, and you could see dealers selling their stuff at the Tube’s entry. But now, it is more and more popular.

Black Community is very present and it’s just amazing to wander and be able to find food you’ll never find anywhere else, listen to this massive R&B out of this butcher shop (that was extra-ordinary!), see these women in their traditional dresses… It is so worth it.

When it comes to the Prince, it is known for hosting live bands, DJ’s etc… So I decided to go there. Inside, the design is quite eclectic (brick wall, crystal chandeliers, wallpaper like your grandmother’s and a disco ball!!!) but the ensemble works together and is welcoming and warm. Above all, you can see that the bar is popular and feel that it has a soul: young, old, friends, couples… Everybody is there; and because there are huge table, people are not afraid to share their space with random persons, which is cool. Just have a look at the bar:

When it comes to the food, well, it is not the big highlight, but being honest: you don’t go to The Prince to eat organic. Just order a good burger! They make one (£ 7.50) with their Piri Piri spicy grilled chicken + guacamole (er...still looking for it) + too many French fries, which is very decent with a pint! 

Just to finish and so that you can feel more or less the bar's vibe, here is a small video, enjoy!

English Girls Superpowers

Well, I must say I am impressed...It is probably the most common thing that strangers highlight,  but I must say some girls here must have Superpowers.

It's been 3 weeks since I am here and I cannot help wondering almost every day how some girls actually do to fight the cold weather... Seriously! Tonight is just freeeeezing cold and many of them were just wearing tiny skirts or mini dresses WITHOUT TIGHTS... Are they getting prepared for 'Iron Man' or what?

 So we have many options to try and explain this extra-ordinary phenomenon:
- They get drunk very very rapidly in order to have a blackout and forget the only thing they've been thinking about since the beginning of the night: they are dying because of this vicious cold winter wind - too easy
- They think that the colder, the better: it prevents from ageing and tones the skin
- They are feeling bad about something and want to punish themselves this way - that makes them actually masochists
- They are mad about this burger they had for lunch and think that this is a good way to lose some extra calories
- They are wearing an invisible overall that is 10 times warmer than fleece
- They actually want to die soon by pneumonia - it is fashionnable nowadays, so says OK magazine
- They are genetically modified and generate heat during winter
- They are freezing, no matter how much drinks they had but, hey! If they want to make out, they have to show that body somehow!

Anyway, I tried to capture in a video some of the specimens that remain an enigma for me - Please note that while the girls are half naked, the boys are wearing their comfortable coats... I'm just saying.

Well, maybe everything is perfectly normal and I am being jealous because I have a massive flu, who knows!

Yummy Review - PHÔ

Hi Guys!

Today is Friday which means that tonight, before going to East London to shake your bootiliscious butt or just move your arm back and forth, nodding, as some guys do, you'll have to eat.

And some of you might want to eat healthily before giving it all on the dancefloor. Got the Solution :)

I am a huge fan of Vietnamese and Cambodian meals, and last time, I was searching for a place were I could eat this kind of food. Thing is, you can easily find in many restaurants of Chinatown some dishes that are supposed to be typically from South East Asia. But no, they really don't taste the same. And I can tell, I tried once... It wasn't awful; it was just another Chinese dish, prepared like all the other you can find in these restaurants.

After a quick search on Internet, I finally found "Pho". The name was quite appealing as "Pho" is actually the name of the meal you will find the most easily in Vietnamese restaurants - and it's one of my favourite dishes. Besides, their website let me think that they were really into Pho and knew their business.

But before continuing, let me quote below what they say about THE soup Pho (yes it is a fab' Soup)

What is Pho Pho [fuh] is Vietnam's national dish. It's their national obsession - often referred to as the "soul of the nation". It's quite simply a delicious and nutritious noodle soup dish eaten every day by the Vietnamese for breakfast, lunch or dinner - or sometimes for all. It's the ultimate street food. Pho is really good for you. Just as in Vietnam our stocks are made from scratch and take many hours to prepare - it's this authentic preparation that's key to the stock retaining all its goodness and developing its subtle and distinctive taste. So it's extremely healthy, brimming with fresh ingredients and very low in fat. The perfect comfort food, hangover cure or cold remedy. Pho began life in Hanoi - and while Vietnamese by birth was influenced by Chinese neighbours and the French colonists (pho sounds like feu, the French word for fire, as in pot-au-feu). As it travelled south pho developed subtle traits distinctive to the region - very much akin to Vietnamese cuisine as a whole. In the north pho is a more basic beef broth (pho bac) and there is little use of additional seasonings whereas in the south there's a more pronounced use of herbs, greens and chillies.

So, arriving in the restaurant: good impression: the design was quite cosy (soft warm lights, quite a lot of people chatting, good smells), service was efficient as we were immediately taken in charge by the waiter…

And when it comes to the most important, the food, I was positively surprised by the starters:

We had some spring rolls with chicken and you could definitely tell that the ingredients were fresh. They were absolutely delicious! You can see below how gorgeous they looked:

 

Then, we HAD to order a Pho for the main course! And you can judge by yourself how yummy looked mine.

But I have a few comments to make however:

- First, when you eat a soup like this one, it always comes with plenty of soya bean, mint and a lot of other tasty vegetables. The thing is that, unlike in France, my soup didn't come with as much soya as I was expected (maybe it is because people here don't put a lot of soya in their soup...)

- Secondly, the Pho is normally subtly tasty - it takes a very long process to achieve this dish- but here, the taste was a bit too subtle. The positive point is that it was not too salty, which is good.

- Finally, I think that the noodles were a bit too 'al dente' 

However, I do think the place and food are worth the try! Above all in winter!

That's all little chickens! Spread your wings and fly!

Yummy Review - ALBION CAFE

Certainly because I was fed with the most delicious dishes in the world - no excess here, love you mum, no pressure now for the transfer of the magic - I naturally developed a big passion for food and hence, "restaurant chasing". Actually, there is this special place in Paris - ugly design though - where I only go in order to have a soup of their own that I love.

So, this might be silly but the idea of hardly finding places where I could enjoy genuine meals was worrying me when I first learnt that I was going to London. Of course, I know that every soul in England does not live on scones, fish&chips or chicken tikka / korma (whatever)... but still… Might be silly -again- or snobish, but food is such a big deal to me that I think it would have ruined the whole experience if my worries would have ended up being true..

This means.... that I was wrong, of course. And that is why I wanted to do a few posts about my restaurant hunt, special dishes I enjoyed...food in general, in a nutshell.

My first review is about a fantastic brunch I made in East London. You might know the place as it seems well-known, but you might not as well.. Which would be a pity because, Gosh, one can eat well there!

The name of the place is Albion Cafe, Shall I get rid of practical details immediately?

http://www.albioncaff.co.uk/
2-4 Boundary Street,
Shoreditch,
London E2 7DD
020 7729 1051

 Maybe I was in such a good mood after a long good walk in Fab' East London that I am being a bit too enthusiastic, but I don't think so...

So, when I first entered the place, I really felt at ease and comfortable: you have cakes and all kind of yummy things near the cashier, the place is very luminous thanks to its huge windows and its light colour decoration, you can see the vast kitchen (clean) and the big room where people are enjoying their meal (all kind of people, friends, married couples with babies, sex-in-the-city-girls-band-like, lonely ones too!)... All this, while you are queuing... Well yes, during the week-ends, seems like you have to queue. But it doesn't last so much and besides, it gives you the time to appreciate the place.

Finally, we got a table and could order. I just think the menu is fab' and very affordable (compared to Paris, it prices are good I think); you have a large choice for food and drinks, and at the same time not too much - otherwise you'd get lost. Just an advice: do take the deserts near the cashier; they are cheaper than the ones on the menu that will make your bill suddenly explode. 

We -we were 2- decided to go for the Albion brunch and the fish pie. Just delicious!! Look at these colours :)

Before finishing - my post is too long... I just would like to make a special mention for our waitress who was very sweet - or high?


My conclusion: Well, this is a really good address; you eat well, vibes are great, service is excellent :)

You should have a try little chickens!

La la laaa Sunny Sunday Afternoon!

Hello little chickens – C’mon, this is my second post; I can call you little chickens!

I know this is just the middle of the week and that we have still 2 more days to go… But I just can’t help thinking about the perfect weather we had last Sunday in London!  Oh my, was it sunny! Ok, cold but super sunny- which makes me almost forgot that I might have caught a good old flu this day because of my excess of joy…

So, I am not gonna describe how happy I felt (Seriously, I was missing some good sun rays), but I’ll just post a photo that sums up my chilled Sunday mood!

Hope we will have some sun this week-end too (by the way, damn the BBC weather site! They change their forecasts every single day! And yes, I check the weather every day, don’t you?)

I survived the Scottish accent... Did I?

Last Sunday, I decided to go to the very first time to the Cinema... And of course, I decided to choose an English film in order to get entertained and improve my english - which was a noble intention...

After a great deal of hesitations between 'Biutiful' (It is in Spanish VO, I know, and this invalidates my original intention, I know ... but this film is starring Javier Bardem, who is just an amazing actor) and NEDs (read 'Not Educated Delinquents'), I decided to go for NEDs. The director, Peter Mullan, is just absolutely great as an actor and as a director (do you remember this fabulous film 'Magdelene Sisters'? Well, that was him).

You can see the film poster just below:

 

Actually, the film story is quite...humm.. depressing. But actually the trailer was really appealing and makes you want to see the film. Above all, if you are French... Well, Shall I say not Scottish, it makes you totally believe that you are going to understand something. you can find easily the trailer on internet... Just have a look.

Well... I was wrong and so naive... Actually, I was very glad that it was dark and that my neighbours were focused on the film (like if THEY were understanding something...naaah) because I am sure I made the funniest faces ever. I must say I googled eyes BIG TIME all through the film that lasted 2h30! Gosh! That was soooo hard!

I should have read Wikipedia before in fact... '

Ned is a term applied to certain people in Scotland, akin to the term chav in England. The stereotypical view of a ned is a white adolescent male (although this term does not exclude females) of working class background. They engage in hooliganism, petty criminality, loutish behaviour, fighting, underage drinking and smoking or general anti-social behaviour.^[1]'  Everything says 'Warning, you are so not going to understand' 

Anyway, to be as objective as possible, I would just say that:

- I understood 50% of what was said

- BUT, I do think that this is a good and well produced film with quite good and believable actors 

So, you definitely have to go and see it... You'll tell me what you think of the end..

Next time, i'll have a special treat and will definitely see Biutiful... At least, I can still understand Spanish and read English :)

See ya for the next post!