Pho Beautiful Pho!

I have to admit, I have a few addictions. Not all of them good. But one of them is Pho and I like to think of this as a good addiction - healthy, clean flavoured vietnamese food food under a tenner. Nothing too wrong with that. The only slight hitch is that the portions they serve are akin to those you'd get in America, so I usually sit there and try and finish every last morsel (memories of prep-school - being forced to finish everything on your plate).


Well anyway my 'addiction' paid off as whilst checking twitter last week, I noticed that Pho was celebrating 66 years of Vietnamese independence and was offering 66 lucky diners the chance to win a freebie plus a shot of vodka. So tweet them I did as per the instructions for the hashtag and then lo and hehold, I had won lunch there that day. Sadly it wasn't the noodle salad dish which has become my firm favourite - known as bun noodles on the menu - but any pho soup of choice, so my dining partner had a beef variety and the free shot of vodka - well I had had bucks fizz that morning already!


This is what I crave when it's a cold, rainy and miserable day outside and you want a little warmth on the inside. The spicy chicken pho soup is also hot favourite of mine and my colleague never wants all her herbs which means I get extra flavour and goodness into me. It's a nice touch being able to garnish your own soup. You can even choose your own varieties of stock and combinations. Plus when you've got an awful cold, the fresh juice with ginger does wonders and makes you feel like you're on the mend.


There are locations all across London and even one in Brighton.
http://www.phocafe.co.uk/

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Personal Shopping in Topshop: Warning - Once you've had it you'll never go back

For my sister, Saskia's, birthday she got given a session with the wonderful Personal Shoppers at my all time favourite store, Topshop. And the best part? She was allowed to bring a friend, and out of moral duty, she picked me!

Topshop launched in 1964, and since then it has gone from strength to strength - now forming more of a fashion institution rather than a clothes shop. Its huge range promises something for everyone and I, for one, can lose the best part of an afternoon scanning their flagship Oxford Circus store.

We met in Tophop's accessories department. Sass was late, so I was head to toe in Tophop's finest jewellery by the time she arrived... as you do. After removing all the bits and pieces I had been trying on while waiting for her, we headed straight to the Personal Shopper department, which is in the far corner of the lower ground floor. Walking in is like finding an oasis in a desert, and you soon realise that this is the first class of shopping experiences. I am a huge fan of Topshop but one thing I find hard to handle is the hustle and bustle of it's shop floor. It makes me stressed and tired within minutes of arriving and don't even think about trying anything on with those cues!

The Personal Shopping area is a world away from that. On arrival we were met by a very pretty shop assistant who offered us both tea (yes please, no sugar) before going to our own, personal changing room. Equipped with two rails of tailor-made looks and a big, comfy armchair, your whole body instantly relaxes. We were then introduced to our two, very own, personal shoppers, both tall and beautiful and perfect adverts for the store's clothes.

Playsuits, coloured jeans and sparkly tops adorned the changing room walls and we were then given a run down of each individual outfit. I could see my sister's eyes light up with each item she pulled of the rail. But there were some 'no-no's' of course, too; like a woolly jumper that had a picture of a sheep on it and a pair of multi-coloured metallic leggings that had more place in a 1980's music video than on my teenage sister's legs. 

Once left to our own devices we quickly established the 'no's' from the 'yes's'. The first item she tried on was a big hit; an elegant, black playsuit that had daisies made out of gems sewn on to it. Next up, another playsuit, although this time floral, instantly made the cut too, as did a pair of the navy blue 'Jamie' jeans - that are so deliciously comfortable that i'd wear them in bed.

With our YES's firmly decided upon and after 1 hour spent in this shopaholic's paradise, we paid for our goodies and left. We then decided to have a quick whizz around the shop floor, just to check that we hadn't missed out on anything else... and that was when I realised. I realised what an absolute luxury it was to have your clothes chosen for you, to not have to battle with the girl next to you for the last size 10 on the rail and the heavenly piece and quiet of our own personal changing room. It is rather like first class on an airplane; once you have had a taste of it, you'll find it very hard to go back to economy ever again.

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Have a Healthy and Happy Autumn

It's the first week of September, our bushes are filled with blackberries and X Factor is filling our homes... this can only mean one thing, autumn is on it's way and I, for one, couldn't be more excited. It is one of my favourite times of year... apple crumbles, bonfires and golden hues, what could be better!? Here are a few wonderful ways to have a healthy and happy autumn...

Go for an Autumnal Walk. Autumn is the perfect time to go for long walks as the scenery is so beautiful at this time of year. We are very lucky in the Uk as we are never far from a park or a bit of countryside, so don a pair of wellies (or walking shoes) and get going.
We Love Wellies. Buy a pair of bright and lovely wellies such as this pair of Hunters (below) (www.hunter-boot.com) 

 
to help motivate you to go on the aforementioned walks. 
Make Your Snacks Seasonal. Snack on nuts, berries and seeds. Perfect autumn foods since blackberries are in season which makes them not only healthy but cheap too. Buy a punnet of berries to put in the fridge and a bag of seeds/nuts to keep in your draw at work for peckish times.
Drink Water. It is important at any time of year to stay hydrated. We often confuse thirst for hunger and therefore reach for the cookie cabinet before the tap. Have a glass of water when you next feel hungary and you may find that you were thirsty instead. If you find water boring, make a herbal tea.  
Run. If you love to run - keep doing it. Don't let the cooler weather put you off. Download a new running track to get you moving and a-grooving. Visit www.hipandhealthy.co.uk/Hip_and_Healthy/One_thing_this_week.html to get a free, specially designed running track - suitable for all levels of fitness.
Drink Oat Milk Before Bed. Don't snack after supper, instead, have a warm oat or rice milk. You will be surprised with how filling and soothing it can be and you'll wake up hungry for breakfast.
Cleanse. If you have the time make a green smoothie first thing in the morning. This will help your body to cleanse and rid itself of toxins. Find the recipe here: http://www.hipandhealthy.co.uk/Hip_and_Healthy/Nealy.html. It will fill you up and give you a glow from the inside out.  
Eat Soup for Lunch. I find that Covent Garden or Waitrose make the most delicious soups if you don't have the time to make your own. But, If you do, then fill it with root vegetables as they are in season and will be abundant in the supermarkets, such as pumpkin, squash, aubergines, and potatoes. The water content will make you feel fuller for longer and it will warm you up on the colder days too.
Don't count calories. If you find yourself endlessly counting calories than stop - it's not healthy and can often lead to you feeling very restricted and then rebelling from whatever diet you have put yourself on. Instead, eat mindfully, enjoy your food, chew it lots and you'll find that you won't be as hungry or feel as empty as if you had denied yourself something in the first place because of its calorie content.
Let us know how you get on!




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Autumn leaves – Your guide of tea for this autumn I: Green tea

We can't start a day without a cup of coffee, no matter it is with cow milk or soya milk. But what are we going to drink for the rest of the day? It is apparently no good to go to Starbucks too many times for coffee: dehydration, osteoporosis...all the bad consequences. Here maybe something you want to try, apart from your 1 Litre Evian bottle: A cup of green tea in the crisp mornings of English autumn. Any good about green tea? It is one kind of tea which is undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Meaning? It's the most raw and fresh kind of tea. Green tea is well known for reducing the heart deceases and its anti-oxidative and anticarcinogenic functions. If you can bother a few more minutes to enjoy a cup of properly brewed green tea, here is the mini “A to Z” guide:

What to try?

It seems all good green teas are from Asia, such as China, Japan and Korea. In China, the most famous green tea is called “Longjing (龙井)”, literally means “dragon well”, from a particular village of Hangzhou, which is my hometown. Without going to too much details, one can find the good Longjing are tender leaves with color of green with a dash of yellow. After being roasted by hand in an iron oval pan, the fresh leaves are dried and pressed to a flat shape, which distinguishes Longjing tea from other types of green tea. Compared to other Chinese green tea, Longjing's taste is relatively strong. For a lighter taste, Bi Luo Chun (碧螺春) is a good choice. There are famous Japanese green tea too, such as Sencha(煎茶) and Gyokuro(玉露). Once I also tried O'sulloc tea from Jeju-do in Korea, very fresh taste and unique.

How to brew?

One thing to remember, tap water is a big NO! If you have the luxury to have a kitchen in the office, boiled mineral water is a good choice to brew Longjing tea. Otherwise, purified or filtered water would work too. The perfect way to enjoy Longjing is to put two tea spoons of tea leaves into a glass and pour water with a temperature of around 80-85C. After a few minutes, boiled tea leaves will drop down to the bottom of the glass. The reason to use a glass rather than a tea cup is to better see the color of the tea and the shape of the infused leaves.

It may sound very complicated, however practically, it could be very easy. Boil your Evian water (or any other brands) and cool it down for 5 minutes or so. Mugs of course would work, however I would recommend the double-wall glasses from Bodum, a perfect teaware for green tea. Use a filter if you don't feel like eating tea leaves by accident is a good idea, however remember usually such green tea could be brewed for 2 to 3 times.

When to buy? Like a lot of other things in the world, for green tea, newer the better. The harvest time for green tea is spring and usually the first batch of Longjing comes out around March and April. That's the time when the tea addicted start to fight for the supreme teas.

Tea with...? A few recipes for green tea drinks

Cold water green tea: Too hot to drink boiled tea? Open your mineral water bottle and drop around 20 green tea leaves the night before. Bring it with you in the morning when the tea leaves fully absorbed the water for you to start a good day.

Green tea with Chrysanthemum: Heavy meals and too much alcohol these days? Brew your green tea with dried Chrysanthemum will help to relieve.

Green tea with Goji berries for dried and tired eyes

Green tea with a drop of honey for those with sweet teeth

The last words, no matter how good the green tea is, don't over dose. And also, don't drink it after supper unless you want to count sheep with eyes open for the whole night.

Useful links:

www.jingtea.com

www.bodum.com/gb/en-us/shop/prodlist/51/

www.osulloc.com

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Japanese BBQ

Lst bank holiday weekend I was invited to a barbeque at Kyashii (St Martin's Lane) - to launch their new skewer menu, officially called the 'Brasserie Izakaya menu'. Given the weather, the barbeque was cancelled although the skewers were still available and served with complimentary Bloom Gin summer cocktails. Always good in my book!


The selection on offer was heavy on different varieties of chicken - chicken balls, chicken fillet, chicken poussin and at least one other variety. I was surprised to see any beef on there but instead some diced duck which turned out to be a little dry and would have been better served rare. The best were the pork belly - almost bacon like, packed full of fat and flavour as well as the shiitake mushroom. I would have liked a dipping sauce - especially for the chicken yakitori and duck, but the rest were moist enough. Asparagus seemed wrong give the likely airmiles not being in season as did the verson wrapped in bacon.


The Bloom cocktails - called Fashionistas, were blended with juice and filled with cucumber cubes. In face they have a mini Bloom cocktail menu, really beatifully done and conducive to ordering from, being adorned in swirly flowers in shimmering silver. These cocktails and many more are also on offer in the lounge on the first floor, whic is a hidden bar in the heart of this normally bustling area. As well as offering this brasserie mneu, it has a rush hour offer - 2 for 1 cocktails between 5 and 7pm. A place to bear in mind for a quieter after work drink!


For those that want a little privacy - there are private rooms downstairs.
Kyashii Restaurant & Lounge, 4a Upper St. Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9NY London
Telephone: (+44) 0207 836 5211
General Email: info@kyashii.co.uk
Reservations Email: reservations@kyashii.co.uk

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Make up doll

You know you arrived too early at the airport when you have half an hour to browse through the duty free shops.

It is, though, a pleasant surprise when you discover something you didn't expect in the maze of corridors of discounted products.

I was going to Istanbul and I needed some make up as I forgot mine in London ( great.. Can you imagine having meeting and greeting people without make up for 4 days? I don't think so...)

I found a mascara I liked, some lip gloss and then I saw it: pupa kokeshi make up doll.

How cute is it?

If you open this geisha looking doll, you' ll discover all the secret compartments and products contained in it!

In order of importance: 2 lipsticks, 7 eye shadows, 1 lip gloss, a blush and a mirror.
It comes in black or white and I love the idea that this cute doll can sit in my bathroom and just look delicious.

Pupa is a fun make up brand that I was using during my uni years in Milan and has always been famous for colour innovation and funkiness.

Grab your doll, babe.

Xx


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Get with the J. Crew

The women of England screamed with delight when it was recently announced that J. Crew, one of the most coveted brands in the US (particularly on the east and west coasts), is coming to the Uk. They recently launched a few of their collections on net-a-porter, but we wanted more and now we are going to get it since you can now buy from the online store and have the clothes shipped here (FYI - the prices displayed on the website in GBP look a little strange as they have just been converted from the US $). J. Crew has been adored by celebrities for many years, everyone from Michelle Obama to Rachel Bilson are fans, and now we're getting a piece of the pie too.

During this post-summer holiday time of year our thoughts turn to our what new things we will wear to work and J. Crew is just what we need for our wardrobe inspiration. Affordable cashmere sweaters, neat blazers and pretty shirts all come together to form a fabulously preppy collection. I am particularly in love with this Vintage Tweed Jacket in mustard (£184.23) (below) which I will no doubt wear to death this Autumn.
Not only great for work though - the new collection also contains the most perfect weekend clothes. Warm and comfortable, these 70's style High Waisted Skinny Cords (£83.28) (below) are perfect for this winter and they are machine washable.

Everything about J. Crew is comfortable, easy and yet achingly trendy. And the best part? It doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

J. Crew Looks I LOVE:

The Lunch Meeting: Dolman-Sleeve Sweater-Dress (£156.32)
This is perfect for those smarter occasions this Autumn where you just want to be comfortable but look like you have made an effort too.  Although you would have to be fairly tall and rake-like to pull this off since the en-trend oversized style will swallow the more vertically challenged amongst us.

Indian Summer Party: Taryn Dress in Silk Chiffon (£130.25)
Don't be afraid to wear block colours. This dress is very pretty in sage green, which will set off a tan nicely, but if you're daring enough it also comes in burnt orange which will ensure that your entrance won't go unnoticed.

Simple and Sexy: No.2 Pencil Skirt in Double-Serge Wool (£111.65)
This is perfect for a wintery day in the office. I love the way it is teamed casually with an oversized jumper for comfort and style. The classic 50's design never fails to flatter, this is an outfit that transcends time and one well-worth investing in.

 Enjoy!

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