a sure way to a girl's heart....

Girls like feeling special. Even though they say that 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' if the food is heart shaped I'm pretty sure it's the way to a girls as well. Last night at Bella Vita in Broadway we had three pizzas and a plate of pasta delivered all in the shape of a heart. It was the most hysterical and wonderful dining experience I think I have ever had. The staff were so insanely friendly. Calling each of us Maria and joking that they didn't have any chicken to put on the pizza, after Jackie asked if they did, and then bringing it out with the lost ingredient firmly in place. The kitchen is open so you can see all the chefs making the food and I even got the opportunity to go back and check it out (see the last photo). Not only is the atmosphere so much fun but the food is actually really good. If you're ever in East London be sure to check it out. It's my new favourite. Oh, and be sure to ask for Tony Peroni. He's the guy that will hook you up with a heart shaped pizza if your after one.

awesome hair & caravans...

last night it was meera's 23rd birthday so it only seemed fitting to go hang out in a caravan and pretend to be in mexico. barrio north had such a great atmosphere - definitely a perfect choice for a celebration. happy birthday meera! hope 23 is the best year yet...

a little dollop of heaven...

cupcakes are good... especially when they are malteser flavoured, from ellas, and are topped with glitter. happy friday.

edamame...

Oxford isn't particularly well known for it's incredible cuisine - but one restaurant that seriously stands out from the abundance of chains is Edamame. A tiny Japanese place that is open only a few hours a day and has special sushi nights only on Thursday. You can spot it by the long line of hungry and impatient people that stretches out the door. Get there for 5pm or be prepared to wait your turn.

the big bang...

we went to the Big Bang for a friend's birthday a couple weeks ago. i'm not going to lie, i was less than thrilled about going. i'd gone once before a couple years ago and really wasn't impressed. we had to sit in the basement which was dark and not very pleasant plus the sausages were pretty dry and not very tasty. so this time when we went my expectations were seriously low and on the way there i was asking fred if we could get mcdonalds on the way home, you know, as a back up plan. as it turned out i was totally wrong about the place and was so impressed. we got to sit up stairs where it was lovely, light, and provided a great view to the funny people going in and out of bars across the street. plus we ordered the most amazing meal. i think it was called the whole hog? maybe that's not right - but basically it was one of each sausage on the menu (the picture above isn't even all the ones we got - there was more) and one of each type of mashed potato on the menu. we shared it between four of us and it was seriously seriously divine. my opinion of the big bang in oxford was radically transformed - now i love it - so long as i can find 3 people to drag along to share the whole hog with. it's the only thing to order when you go.

the barbie cake that was made for the birthday girl. yum. actually, we got a bit bored and decided to light her head on fire (after it was dismantled from the cake)... but i'll spare you the photos.

90 tastes good...

we spent the weekend in wales celebrating easter and fred's great aunt nancy's 90th birthday. yes, that's right, 90th. this is fred's father's mother's oldest sister. got that? so the whole Inglis family (and the other branches) got together from all corners of the earth... Sweden, New York, Italy... everyone came to celebrate this joyous and most monumental occasion. we stayed at the beautiful Morgans Hotel in Swansea and enjoyed a gorgeously delicious lunch. it was such a lovely trip and we enjoyed such lovely company. thanks family inglis!

Fishcakes.

Roast beef with (massive) yorkshire pudding.

Vanilla creme brulee.

Strawberry cheesecake.

Auntie Nancy: the birthday girl herself - immaculately dressed, feisty, energetic, and so funny. By the end of the evening we were all struggling to stay awake and she didn't look phased in the slightest. Oh, if all of us can remain as positive and joyful as we grow older... she really is quite the inspiration. Happy birthday Aunt Nancy!

xx

mmm... english breakfast.

early one saturday morning emerald and i hit up this little beautiful london location for some breakfast. not only do they make a mean meal but they've got a seriously charming little selection of goodies to tempt you on your wait out. really lovely.

you aren't going to like this, they have eyes...

mmm... seafood. so nice to have in the cold weather when you are tired of all the heavy stodgy meals that have been seeing you through the winter. last night we went to loch fyne with some friends. it was delicious and very fun.

the colours were pretty impressive. i couldn't tell you everything we had... but there were definitely mussels, crab, lobster, crayfish, prawns and oysters. pretty decadent... but a perfect way to celebrate rachel passing her medical exams.

playing with your food is allowed.

i am not normally a huge fan of my food having eyes. but this time it was okay. i just wripped their little heads off quickly and tried not to look... sounds kind of gruesome, huh?

fred was left with a big dessert board and gave us an insightful run down of what was on offer. we decided to pass and instead came back to our place and had cupcakes (see below) and chocolate pots. mmm... delicious. a wonderful evening indeed.

(side note: our lives may look like they entirely revolve around food, but i promise that isn't the case)

xx

oh breakfast, how i love you.

oh mama. breakfast: the meal of champions. it is so good.

you need to understand something, i got all of this food for 4.80 GBP. yah, that is insane. it was horribly delicious. chips (french fries) for breakfast... i know, right?! seriously, only in england. our friends, andy and lou, have been telling us about the 'half moon cafe' for ages. they live in hammersmith and they very kindly let us stay over at their house when we are in london... and they always say, 'in the morning, go to the half moon cafe.' but we tend to always be running late so have never gotten a chance to go. until this morning. ah, beautiful crisp saturday morning... with nowhere to go and nothing to do except sit and eat a lot of good food and drink good coffee.

the food is very tasty and the price is very reasonable. if you ever happen to find yourself walking along and see this sign... be sure to take the time to stop and grab yourself some fried up delicious food.

it doesn't look like much from the outside... but sometimes those are the best kinds of places.

xx

cupcakes...

I went to the Primrose Bakery for the first time on Friday.

It is so good. It is right by LSE and is the perfect place to spend a Friday afternoon between classes. Not only are the cupcakes seriously divine but the bakery is so lovely. Its so chic, sweet, and just the most beautiful little place to sit. It sort of feels like a fancy little diner.... just without the sweaty biker men and instead just beautiful cupcakes (seriously, it feels like a dream).

Meera with her lemon and coconut cupcake.

They have cheeky little decorations around like these little cupids.

Mmmmm... my chocolate marshmallow cupcake and latte.

Flowers.

The cupcakes are seriously almost too pretty to eat.

Little yellow bakery on the corner in Covent Garden... definitely worthy of visit.

xx