Dinner @ Bread Street Kitchen By Gordon Ramsay (British)

Location: London, St Pauls/Bank

Website: www.gordonramsay/breadstreetkitchen

This is my third Gordon Ramsay restaurant that I have been to and it has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember. I booked a table as soon as I heard that they were taking reservations and I had to wait a gruelling 3 weeks. This couldn't come at a better time as I recently been promoted at work, so this was a celebratory meal with my boyfriend, who by the way, is also a big foodie. 

Bread Street Kitchen offers a informal and relaxing approach to dinning, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner until late at night. As we walked in for our 7:30pm reservation, we were greeted with a very warm welcome by the maitree'd and was seated straight away. As the menu is split in to serveral sections; the first being the 'Raw Bar', 'The Hot Kitchen' and 'Wood Stone'. For my starter, I opted for the raw bar and choose the best dish of the night - Thinly sliced lancashire beef, barigoule vegetables and quails eggs. The beef was so tender, so flavoursome, and so perfectly season that I was in the state of shock. It was an aphrodisiac, it was orgasmic.. it was just wow. And thats all I have to say.

The suckling pig with spiced apple sauce was a bit of a disappointment as the portions, in my opinion, was far too much. To me, it was way too heavy for my stomach and in the end, I was feeling rather sickly. However, it was cooked to perfection as the meat was just so, so moist.

The crunchiest and probably the most fattening dish of the meal, but it was perfection in every possibly way. The hand-cut chip was crispy with a nice and fluffy centre, just the way I like it.

Shock! horror! I almost opted out from ordering dessert as my stomach was telling me that it couldn't store any more food, but I solider on (as I always do) and ordered the banana cake with vanilla ice-cream.  The banana cake was too dry in texture and if it wasn't for the lovely scope of sweet vanilla ice-cream, then I probably wouldn't have finished it. I was a little dissapointed as banana cake is one of my favourite cakes of all time.

So, was the hype needed? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it is owned by Gordon Ramsay and No, because the food does not match up with the service. The surroundings are beautiful as I was seated next the window over looking St Paul's Cathedral, and the service was everything that I needed on a night out, friendly and efficient. Would I go back? it'll be too soon if I did.

Dinner @ Maze Grill By Gordon Ramsay (British)

Location: London, Bond Street 

www.gordonramsay.com/mazegrill/

Some call him the monet of the culinary world, some call him an high tempured chef and you may even cast him as a 'celebrity' chef. Whatever it is, Gordon Ramsay will always be a chef that is known for his excellent executions of the most british of all british food and among other cuisines. And we all know he has a bit of a temper (big fan of Hells Kitchen). Maze Grill was my first time visiting a Gordon Ramsay establishment, although a little intermediated at first (as this was my first 'fine dinning' experience) it was a great experience that I will cherish in my culinary journey. 

Jumping straight to the mains, I opted for the fillet steak (rare) as it is always the cut I go for. To say it was orgasmic would be an understatement, wow... just wow! It is the softness and most tender fillet steak that I have ever had. A little strong on the seasoning, which made me opt out from using any sort of sauce or gravy. but the rich natural flavours was all I needed from this piece of meet. Accompanied by a side dish of honey glazed & parsley carrots and creamy mash potatoes, everything married together perfectly. The presentation of the steak was the highlight of the evening. The board that the steak was presented on was so beautiful as well as the placement of the cutleries (especially the knife). They say you eat with your eyes... you certainly do on this occasion. 

A great evening filled with beautifully cooked meat, cute presented side dishes and attentive staff. Would I go back to Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill? Only if I am allowed to sit at the Chef's Table, then yes! 

Sweet Treats @ Hope And Greenwood (British)

Location: London, Covent Garden

Website: www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk

Are you one of those people that no matter how hard you try, with every self control that you have and no matter how many times you tell yourself not to, find your hands in the cookie jar? Me! I'm one of 'those' people. I can't help it.. I'm a sweet addict. I can't help but indulge in a good bar of chocolate, a sugary lollipop and a rock hard gobstopper! Thats what we girls do.... and we do it good. 

I came across this adorable sweet shop one afternoon whilst strolling around Covent Garden with my boyfriend, it was one of those moments that when you see something so cute and you just have to grab hold of it, but in this case I had to go in. The pastel colours and cute packaging lured me in and I was intrigued. I have never seen a shop like this before, let alone one in London. 

It is a old fashion traditional sweet shop established by two individuals only known as Miss Hope and Mr Greenwood - I love the mysteriousness of the backstory to this establishment. They sell jared sweets, traditional packet sweets (reminds me of my young school days) and sweets from way back from what  I can remember that are now discontinued or are too old to be in with the 'hip' sweets.  If heaven was a sweet shop, I sure hope it looked like this....

Lunch @ Dinner By Heston Blumenthal (British)

Location: London, Knightsbridge - Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Website: www.dinnerbyheston.com

If you follow me on twitter, then you all know that I am crazy in love with the culinary world. Most of the time I'm twitting about what restaurant I'm off to next and what reservations I have planned. Heck, I even tweet about my cravings. Food has always been a great part of my life. Correction, food is my life. I live for food. Food is God. I am a true believer of "you only live once" because you do only live once, so why not go all out whatever it is that you adore. For me, going all out is trying new things, eating new foods and indulging in fine cuisines.

In comes Heston Blumenthal.. An artist in his own right. His work is innovation, imaginative and artistic. A Vincent Van Gogh of the culinary world. A brilliant and talented chef with a great understanding of art, history and food. 

You wouldn't believe me if I told you that it had taken me months upon months to get reservations at his pop-up restaurants in Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge. It was a crazy effort to book myself and my BF a table for dinner. However, lunch seemed evidently easier to get a reservation, so we booked ourselves in for Monday afternoon. 

We arrived a little early, so we opted to have a drink at the Mandarin bar. I ordered myself a special Mandarin Mojito (orange liqueur of some sort - almost knocked me out!), the biggest Mojito that I have ever seen (The photo doesn't do the size any justice). This set me back £15. It was lush.

When we were seated at our table, and not a moment too soon, was handed a plate/board of home-made bread to start with. It looked and tasted fresh and it was ridiculously crusty. I'm not a huge fan of having carbs before a main meal, but this was a nice touch as it really sparked up my taste buds. And with the helping of that very strong, but tasty Mojito.. it sort of balanced out well.

The menu was probably the most simplified menu that I have come upon. Nicely worded with the help of each dish dated to what era it was established. A little history lessons before the final exam. This  is what makes Heston stand out from the rest and makes him the best of the best. 

Mandarin, chicken liver parfait and grilled bread, also known as Meat Fruit. Yes, that is the name and yes, it was uh-mazing! I've read so many food blogger reviews and 90% of them highly recommended this dish, some even said it was 'heaven on a plate'. I go as far as to say that this was truly one of a kind. The parfait just melts in your mouth like candy floss. I just love the hum of mandarin you get within the parfait. One thing I would say is that it was a pretty heavy dish to have as a starter.

My boyfriend had The Broth of Lamb, a delicious soup base dish with slow cooked hen's egg, celery, radish, turnip and sweetbreads. I had a spoon full of this soup and it was very flavoursome.

My main course was Spice Piegon on a bed of artichokes and ale. This was my first time trying Peigon and I absolutely loved it. It was cooked blue and just dissolved in your mouth. The ale sauce that accompanied the piegon was light and sweet, a perfect match for a gamy texture meat.

My boyfriend had the Roasted Duck dish, which weirdly isn't on the online menu. Sadly, I've forgotten the name of it, but my BF had nothing but good words to say about this dish. And a lot of mmmmm'ing and ahhhhhh'ing. 

I was told that I had to order this 40minutes in advance as they cook this dish everyday from scratch. This is the famous Tipsy Cake with Spit roasted pineapple. All I can say it was a spoon full of heaven. It was one of those dishes that you have to try to know how wonderful and special it is. Words can not describe how much I wanted more.... and more... and a lot more. An uh-mazing dessert! 

Heston Blumenthal delivered an exceptional meal with top class service, in an elegant surrounding. Every single waiter/waitress that we encountered had a smile on their face, they were all so helpful and even laughed and joked with us. It was that sort of relaxed environment that made this experience worth the money. And if you're wondering, this meal cost in total £140 including drinks. I would quite happily pay this again, with of course, the intention of ordering the tipsy cake x3 next time. Ha ha. 

Afternoon Tea @ Beas of Bloomsbury (British)

Location: London, St Pauls @ One New Change

Website: www.beasofbloomsbury.com

After almost a week of constant rain in London, the sun has finally come out of hibernation. So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I met up with a friend for a girlie date of traditional afternoon tea at Beas of Bloomsbury located in One New Change, St Paul's. It was one of those days when my cravings got the better of me. I had a instant burst of the terrible sweet-tooth syndrome. How do you get over a craving? Easy! You don't .. you fulfil the craving. And so I did today. 

For £15pp, you get a selection of pastries and a vast options of tea. The sweet treats included: Red velvet cake, spongey marshmallows, banana cake, strawberry coated meringue, chocolate brownies and scones. And for tea, I opted for White Green Tea, which was absolutely delicious - I've never tried anything like it before.

After hearing and reading so many great reviews on this restaurant/cafe, I was eager to join the hype. It definitely did live up to its name. Beas of Bloomsbury is a great little establishment with adorable touches that they produce with their products (i.e - their very cute and very stylish sugar holder and reservation card holder). Simple touches is what made the experience worthwhile. Customer service is good, if not a little slow, however with their sweet treats being so delicious, you wouldn't notice the delay. The atmosphere is perfect for a few hours get away. It felt cosy and kind of reminded me of a boutique cafe.

A fab way to spend a sunny saturday, with a girlfriend, gossiping with a scrumptious red velvet cupcake in one hand and sipping on the most delicious tea on the other.

Taste of London Festival 2011

Location: London, Regents Park

No food festivals would be complete without a bag of macaroons. If you love food as much as I do, then you will understand how excited I was to have FINALLY attended The Taste of London Food festival. I booked tickets for the grand opening since it was my day off from work. All the celebrity chefs were out and about to promote their restaurants.  I even got the chance to meet a few and they were all so lovely. Despite the rain in the morning, it didn't dampen my mood. After all, I had a whole day filled with food.. how could you not be happy? I got to mingle with foodies from all over the city. I drank endless amounts of free (sampled) booze and ate some of the best foods from michelin star restaurants It was a foodies heaven. I even got the chance to sample some of Heston Blumenthal bizarre desserts - how does smoke salmon with ice-cream sound like to you, good? Probably not. but it was lovely! Anyways, I didn't get to take much photos as I was too busy eating, haha. But here's how the day went..

Yauatcha @ Taste of London Festival

Fino @ Taste of London Festival

Waitrose Cooking School @ Taste of London Festival

Sampling Heston Blumenthal's Desserts - Chocolate & Rosemary Ice-cream & Salted Popcorn Ice-cream @ Taste of London Festival

Heston's Garden @ Taste of London Festival 

Asian Produce @ Taste of London Festival

Delicious Starters @ Taste of London Festival

Independent Companies @ Taste of London Festival

Sample Dishes @ Taste of London Festival 

Chocolate Heaven @ Taste of London Festival

There were so many food stands available at the festival. We weaved in and out from each stand, from one restaurant to the next, trying out so many kinds of food. We bought £30 worth of crowns (crowns is the currency used at the festival. £1 = 2 crowns), which was more than enough for two. On average, it was 10-12 crowns per dish.. a bit pricey for the portions, but all the dishes we had were all so lovely.

The best part of this festival was that I got to meet a few celebrity chefs. Funny how they look so much smaller in person than they do on television. I even got to meet one of my culinary idols - Alexis Gauthier. He is such a lovely man, took the time out to speak to me and my boyfriend and told him that I have reservations at his restaurants for next week, he even took my name down. Lovely man!

Me & Alexis Gauthier @ Taste of London Festival. My idol :) 

Michel Roux @ Taste of London Festival. What a brilliant chef! 

Gary Rhode @ Taste of London Festival. Such a lovely guy! :)

A great day out for food lovers of all kinds! I'll be looking forward to visiting some of these big name restaurants in the near future. In particular, Gary Rhodes 24 and Roux by Michel Roux.

Bring on Taste of London Festival 2012!!

Dinner @ Barbecoa (British) & My Bank Holiday Weekend

Since it's the last bank holiday weekend until August, me and my boyfriend decided to make the most of it by planning a fast and furious weekend; dinning out at the new Jamie Oliver's and Adam Perry Lang's Barbecoa restaurant in One New Change, a crazy trip to MCM Comic Con at London Excel center, and a hilarious trip to the cinemas to see The Hangover 2 (all hail wolfpack!).

So, the weekend started on friday where me and my boyfriend did some shopping in Oxford street. Since it was pay day for us, we treated ourselves to some bits and bobs - nothing too special to get in to detail. After a good few hours trekking up and down Oxford Street, we headed to One New Change in St Pauls for our dinner reservations at Barbeca, the new Jamie Oliver & Adam Perry Lang's restaurant. We were greeted with a lovely welcome by the maitre d and headed up to the restaurant to a stunning setting overlooking St Paul's Cathedral - we were actually seated just behind the cathedral, so the scenery was beautiful and just perfect for a romantic dinner. 

The menu at Barboeca was very simple and very similar to Jamie Oliver's italian restaurants where they concentrated primarily on food that was easy on the eyes and easy on the palette. My god, were we in for a treat. We decided to  go all out, so we opted for a 3-course meal.

We had Italian olives on Ice, which is the best olives that I have ever tasted. They were crunchy and ice cold, perfect to get your taste buds prepped. We also ordered a plate of crispy pigs cheeks. You had to taste it to know how beautiful it was. It literally melted in my mouth, one mouth full after the next. 

We both opted for the steaks as our mains, I went for the mouth watering Fillet and my boyfriend opted for the juicy Sirloin. Let me tell you now, it was one of the best steaks that I have had.. ever. I've had some great steaks in my time, but this one in particular was absolutely amazing. My fillet came with a side salad, also accompanied with Bone Marrow, which by the way, was the first time I have ever tried it (and loved it!). It also came with a perfect amount of bearnaise sauce.  My boyfriend had the biggest piece of steak that I have ever seen. My god was it huge! We both opted for a side dish of duck fat chips and creamy mash potato. Yum double yum.

We finished off the meal with a very generous slice of Rose Cake with creme freche and crystallised petals (i've been seeing this everywhere - is it some sort of trend now?). All and all, a lovely meal accompanied by stunning surroundings. In total the bill came up to £105 including drinks. 

MCM Comic Con @ The Excel Center, London. 

Saturday, a bizarre yet exhilarating trip to the MCM London Comic Con in Excel Center. It would be an understatement if I was to say that it was an eye opener of an experience. I think me and my boyfriend may have underdressed on the day. See for yourself. 

Can you tell it was that sort of day? 

We got there just a little over 9am and the queues were already filled with comic fans of all nature. Some came as Spiderman, some came as Cinderella(man), some even came as Pac Man, but everyone was there for one reason and one reason only.... COMIC and GAMES. I was there to support my boyfriend.

The hall was filled with professionals from the comic/animation industry, to gamers, to japanese merchandisers. We met some great professionals, took photos of people in funny costumes, mingled with comic book fanatics and simply just admire people's outrangous yet wonderful outfits.

Need I say more? 

I've never been to anything like this before.. I could only imagine how the San Diego Comic Con is like.. now that one I would love to visit!