Tay Do Cafe - Kingsland Road

Now, I know nothing quite beats home made Vietnamese food - I'm lucky enough to have tasted the best home made beef pho thanks to my friend's mum - the talented Mrs Chau but when I am far and in London, Tay Do Cafe is a good fix.

In my opinion, it is the best Vietnamese in Kingsland Road. I know lots of people rave on about Song Que but after trying a fair few it is always Tay Do Cafe that gets my vote. The price is very reasonable, portion size decent and most important of all, the food tastes authentic and is full of flavour. I'm yet to try a dish I don't like. Even my fussy fiance who is hooked on their sweet and sour chicken and beef in black bean sauce has been enticed to try new dishes from time to time! He has now graduated to beef wraps and Vietnamese spring rolls which makes me very proud (as an avid foodie).

I have also just discovered that they do my favourite dish Bahn Cuon! I think it was always on the menu but it was called something else. It's listed as a starter but I can happily eat it as a main. It feels quite healthy too with the veg.

Anyway, next time you're hankering for Vietnamese and near Kingsland Road make sure you try it out. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed!

The caption says it all really..

Clockwise from top left: Bahn Cuon (pork), Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Tay Do Special Pork Rice Vermicelli, Char-grilled Beef on Stick with Rice Paper & Salad.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Apologies for the rather in-excusable gap in posting but since my last post I have been eating my own body weight in Vegas (again!) and got engaged! Anyway, aside from having a finance as a souvenir, I also managed to take photo's of nearly everything I ate and all the places I went to. I will upload the images from my camera soon but in the mean time here is a small snap shot of the beautiful Grand Canyon.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had only been to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon before. Now I can add South Rim to the list. To be fair both rims are amazing and if it is your first time to GC, you'll be hard pushed not to let your jaw drop when you see the view. I liked the West Rim as it looks a lot deeper, but at the South Rim you get a real feel of how wide the canyon is. Pictures really don't do it justice. I highly recommend doing the bike tour if you have the chance. Nothing quite beats whizzing around from view point to view point on your own two wheels. I wish I was back there again. Hubby to be is already planning his stag do in Vegas, maybe I can slim myself down to be a stowaway!

Enjoy...

Little did I know what was to come. I thought he was having a panic attack due to his fear of heights!

Where I said yes!

Words and photo's can never do it justice.

Larking around on the Grand Canyon

Well worth taking the bike tour, you will have your own personal guide.

A Tale of Two Feasts - Hawksmoor Air Street and Mildreds

Last week was a very naughty food-wise. I reached the pinnacle on Wednesday with a double feast, Hawksmoor for lunch and Mildreds for dinner. Now, strictly speaking it isn't really my fault. The Hawksmoor lunch was work related (lucky me - if only every week was such a treat) and dinner was for my best friend's birthday. When she first suggested Mildreds, a vegetarian restaurant in Soho, the carnivore in me immediately though, well it should be ok, I am having steak for lunch after all. However, a quick glance at the menu and after trying it I think I definitely will be dining at Mildreds more often, despite the lack of meat on the menu. The food was fresh, tasty and dessert was TO-DIE-FOR. You must try the salted hazelnut caramel cheesecake. I think that was the best thing I ate all day (hmm maybe a toss up with the scallops and ribs), then again I do have a sweet tooth.

Going back to Hawksmoor, I had wanted to try it for a long time and although the sides, and starters were amazing (the ribs and scallops are a must!) I found my sirloin a tad on the dry side despite it being medium. It was huge though and I'm sure it would have satisfied most carnivores but I only ate half, choosing to devour my triple cook chips instead. My favourite steak place in UK is still Mirage in Newbury Park. It's bit of a trek so I haven't been in a long while but in my eyes it beats all the Gauchos, Maze, Hawksmoor etc put together. Do try if you're in the area.

Feast your eyes...

Hawksmoor:

Clockwise from top left: Scallops, Onion Roasted Bone Marrow, Scallop close up and ribs.

Clockwise from top left: Sirloin steak, mushrooms, Chateaubriand, Macaroni cheese. We also had spinach, triple cooked chips and beef dripping fries but I was too busy eating to take a picture!

Sweet Potato

Mildreds:

Specials of the day

Small and very packed but worth the wait, even if they don't even serve fish.

Top: Asparagus and Pea Fritter with blue cheese sauce. Bottom: Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli with chesnut mushroom, cream and white wine sauce.

Clockwise from top left: Burger of the Day with the best chips ever and basil infused mayo, Risotto cake with beans and grape mustard.

Top: Peanut butter brownie and ice cream, bottom: salted hazelnut and caramel cheesecake.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick - sheer genius!

With it getting bitterly cold again I found myself craving a proper hot chocolate so I finally caved and tried the Gnaw Hot Chocolate Shot I got in a goody bag. I almost wish I didn't because Cadbury's Highlights will never taste the same again now. All you do is simply warm up a mug of milk, dip the chocolate in, stir and add the marshmallows. Delicious. You can buy this winter warming treat here or any of these places.

My Little Speedy is off to Louis Vuitton Hospital

I blame my mum for my obsession with Louis Vuitton. Ever since I can remember that familiar monogram canvas has been part of my life. From my mum toting my kiddy bits in the medium sized speedy to me buying them for her birthday present (ok and treating myself occasionally) when funds allow I have seen the collection grow and prices rise over the years! Despite the astronomical price tags attached I still think they are worth every penny. If you have a broken zip or loose button you can just take it back to the LV store and they will send it back to France to be repaired (at a cost - £60 for a new zip on my Trocadero). That is where my mums ancient Speedy (well now mine!) has gone to thanks to a broken zip. The nice lady did explain that since the bag was purchased in 1985 (amazing that she could tell just by looking inside) that the canvas might be too weak for it to be repaired but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I hope my bag can be fixed and has a 'Speedy' recovery. Sorry I couldn't resist the pun!

Beautiful Blooms

If you're after some beautiful flowers for a special occasion make sure you check out Harpers Bloom. Gorgeously elegant flowers that reflect my equally elegant friend Leoma Harper, you can be sure her creativity and passion will not disappoint. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

Dotty about Nails

Over the weekend I finally got around to ordering some Nail Art Dotting Tools and after giving them a go I can honestly say they are much easier to use than nail art pens. The effect is also nicer as the dots are 'flat' as opposed to bubbly dots that can burst or smudge if you haven't let your nails dry thoroughly. You can buy your nail dotting tools here.

I used my two favourite Ilamasqua nail varnishes in 'Milf' and 'Wink' as the base colours, adding some white dots on top. I have to say I think the end result is pretty cute.

The good thing is I also tested out the Nails Inc Corrector Pen from my CEW haul. I usually just dip a cotton bud into nail varnish remover but I have to say I do like the corrector pen, it smells a lot nicer and less risk of me spilling nail varnish all over the place (I fill the lid up to dip the cotton bud in normally which can lead to spills everywhere!). Just use after nails have dried for a nice clean finish.

My must have nail bits.

Spare tips

Messy finish..

A bit neater after using the Nails Inc Corrector Pen