A couple weeks ago we had dinner at Dinner by Heston. Largely known for bringing a taste of Fat Duck to London, I must admit that he did not disappoint. London is a revolving door of restaurants, always changing and adopting/creating new trends. That said, there are a lot of repeat restaurants in the city who copy the style and palates of others. Dinner, however, was definitely not just another. No white table cloths, just simple ambiance with plenty of tables (unlike pretentious restaurants who need at least 10 feet between each 'elite' table). Apparently you can even take your chances on a walk in as they reserve tables for their hotel patrons anyway; conduct unheard of in a michelin star meal.
Everything was quite savoury, but especially delectable is the Tipsy Cake for dessert. You absolutely must try this. It requires advance ordering but well worth it.
I highly recommend Dinner by Heston and should you heed my advice, here are their details:
Dinner by Heston
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
+44(0)20 7201 3833
And to end, I leave you with a few more photos from that evening. I know, I have a face of a model...what can I say.
Have a great weekend!
1. SK-II
2. Professional Sebastian Shaper Fierce
3. Dejavu Lash Knockout
I don't normally post about beauty products because in all honesty, I'm not a huge fanatic. In fact, I'm more of a loyalist when it comes to my beauty regimen. When I find something I like, I stick with it. So when I was introduced to these products in HK, I was slightly apprehensive. Not only was I proven wrong, I was very pleasantly surprised.
1. SK-II is a brand of facial products from Tokyo created for Asian skin types. If you're anything like me, you have typical asian skin: a combination of an oily t-zone and a dry cheeks. SK-II is known for their miracle water which helps to balance out what your face excretes. I ended up loving this line so much I use it for everything: face wash, toner, miracle water, and day/night lotion. In terms of pricing, it is equivalent to La Mer but far better.
2. Professional Sebastian is the BEST hair spray I have ever tried....and I've tried a lot. It really keeps your hair in whatever shape its in for the entire day. I searched high and low for this one and it ended up at a salon right beside my flat.
3. Finally, Dejavu. Probably a Tokyo brand known best for Fiberwig, a mascara that is supposed to lengthen your eyelashes like hair extensions. My sister ended up buying this one and she has vouched for it. I, on the other hand, am more concerned with thickening rather than extending so I decided to try their lash knockout. This definitely works like hairspray for your eyelashes. Those Japanese know how to make make-up.
Let me know if you use any of these products, would love to hear feedback!
LISA: MAJE dress, BURBERRY trench, DRIES VAN NOTEN shoes, ROBERTA FREYMANN bib necklace, MIU MIU purse
MASS: NICO DIDONNA trousers/jacket, CUSTOM from ITALY shirt, NYC belt, CAMPANILE shoes
Two weekends ago, Mass and I headed out to Reading for my friend's son's christening (isn't he adorbs?). Following the ceremony, we stopped by my favorite town for my favorite meal in the UK: Caldesi in Campagna in Bray. Some of you might recognize Bray to be home of the infamous Fat Duck, but I like to think of Bray as home to Waterside Inn and Caldesi.
Mass took me here for my bday last November and it was heaven. Caldesi is where I first laid eyes (and nose) on my eternal favorite produce, the white truffle. This time around was no less spectacular. Although Bray is a small town known for its Michelin star restuarants (houses two 3-stars w/in a 2km radius), it's such a treat when you need to get away from London. (Caldesi also has a restaurant in London (Marylebone) but I prefer the ambiance in Bray).
Boarding to Sicily now for the rest of the wknd. Will be back in London Tuesday. Have yourselves a fantastic weekend.
Wearing: Asos maxi dress, DVF Opal Wedges, Calvin Klein bra, Silver necklace from street vendor in Sardinia, Bracelet from Mass' mom, Frog ring from street vendor in Chianti, Mont Blanc silver ring, OPI blue sparkle nails (aren't they fantastic?!)
NB: As pointed out by fellow Chictopian reader: Jolenevuong, this is also the dress that Rihanna was snapped wearing. I had no idea until she pointed it out! Thanks!! Looks like I'm in great company! (that and an inevitable 'who wore it best?' comparison)
Beautiful Saturday rolls around and we head to The Loft Project to test out Rob Martin's newest creations (former chef at Noma).
If you remember from my post here, we went to Viajante to try Nuno Mendes restaurant. The Loft Project is his brainchild to showcase chefs from around the world for three days a week in a very intimate dinner party setting for 18 people. Each week a different chef comes in and this week we had the pleasure of tasting Rob Martin's masterpieces. Former chef at Noma, which is currently the number one restaurant on San Pellegrino's top 50, Rob made an amazing 10 course dinner including his takes on beet salads, lamb, and mackerel (pictured below). This idea is a refreshing and welcome change to the typical restaurant setting leaving me wanting to become a repeat taste tester.
Top picture: Rob Martin in the middle with two helping hands.
Bottom picture: Mackerel, broccoli, ravigote
Hope you're having a fabulous weekend.
Ciao darlings!
Wearing: Blazer from Intermix in NYC 2 years ago, Mandarin collar shirt from Asos, Tights from Wolford, Brogues from Cesare Paciotti, Broach from consignment store in Tokyo, Earrings from mommy
Anyone who loves Japanese food in London knows of the Nobu equivalent, Zuma (and by association, Roka). Restauranteur Arjun Waney sought an Italian, upscale, winebar opportunity during the recession and opened up Il Baretto in Marylebone. Roka being one of my fav go-to places for japanese when visitors are around, we decided to try Waney's newest creation to see if he lived up to his former expectations. My rating: half and half.
Good news first? The sea bream I had was fantastic - I'm a big fan of seafood so my own expectations were slightly higher to start. The wine is a Mass Toscana favourite, Solare, which means, 'can't go wrong with Sangiovese grapes' in Italian. A good wine list paired with a good meat is always a plus. However, this only put us at mediocre after the terrible service at the beginning. Poor hostesses, 1/2 hour wait after our reservation (our reso was for 9:30pm!), another wait to take our order, impolite hostesses (did I say this one already?), all boils down to ineffective scheduling and organization. Sorry, no Michelin star for you Waney.
Half and half like a man who wants to cut down on the 18% cream in his double double but can't bear the thought of total saturated fat in his coffee.
As an aside, the above look is pretty simple/classic. Nothing too fancy schmancy. The tight japanese looking bun works well the overall slick structure of the outfit. The broach I bought in Tokyo was love at first sight. If you look close enough it has the American flag all over it (yes, the American flag in Japan). And if any of you ladies ever want to invest in a kickass pair of tights I highly recommend Wolford. They are so silky, have yet to run, and make your legs feel like soft butter all day long (but don't mind how big my legs look in the above pics - I blame it on ballet for 20 years). A bit pricier than your normal tights but definitely worth the price.
Happy Friday!
Ciao ciao bellas.
