Oldroyd | Islington, London

30-07-201530-07-2015 Local Black BookBritish, Islington, London, Oldroyd, Restaurants, review, small plates10 Comments

This whole “small plate” concept is one I can definitely get behind.

For people like me who struggle to pick only a few items out of a menu, it’s a godsend as it allows us to try a bit of everything, all in the name of sharing and being social.

Not that you need to be a big group to justify ordering the entire menu at Oldroyd…Which is rather a good thing as I wanted to order every single dish.

In my book, this is the sign of a really good restaurant indeed. Not that I was expecting anything else from Tom Oldroyd, formerly of the Polpo fame.
We started off the meal on a high indeed with Summer radishes, smoked cod’s roe & celery salt.

Crunchy, peppery, smoky… So good it got the BF reaching for more (and he doesn’t even like cod roe!).
But the best was still to come. More specifically in the form of the Crab tagliarini provençal with brown crab rouille.

A stellar dish and one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (and you know me, I do not say that lightly!)Lamb & almond meatballs with salsa romesco was the ultimate comfort food and the pickled garlic slices made for an interesting, refreshing twist on the old classic. Last (but not least) of the savoury dishes was the Grilled pork ribeye with borlotti beans, chard and hazelnut pistou.

The meat was cooked to perfection and the sweetness of the hazelnut pesto complemented it very well indeed! And so did the zucchini fries! Cake + Whisky | Oldroyd We moved onto pudding with the Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with salted pistacchio praline and fresh raspberries. But most importantly, we finally got our (admitidely greedy) hands on the Stone fruit & brioche pain perdu, which I’d had my eyes on since the beginning of the meal. And there’s only one word to describe this dish: GLORIOUS!

That dessert alone could easily convince me to pass the doors for another meal at Oldroyd.

That is, if I’m ever organised enough to get a table… the rest of London seems to be well aware of how good a restaurant it is! So if you’re planning a visit, it might be safer to book a table…

Oldroyd, 344 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0PD

6 beauty new-ins #1

29-07-201528-07-2015 Local Black Bookbeauty, Essie, haul, L'Occitane, new in, RealTechniques, Shopping, Superdrugs11 Comments

I already said it and I’ll say it again: I’d be the worst beauty blogger in the world.

But does it stops me from buying loads of beauty stuff? Nooooo! Of course not! And I’ve been especially pro-active on that front lately… 🙈🙈🙈
The worst part is, I’m been using most of those every day since I got them. How did I even live before, I have no idea!

Like toe separators. Those really shouldn’t be a revolution in anyone’s life in the 21st century, and yet until last week, I ended up with nailpolish all over my toes for lack of having purchased that most necessary accessory, but this mistake is now fixed at last.

The Bath & Beauty Works’ mini hand sanitizers I obviously brought back from my US trip after having heard literally EVERYONE raving about it on YouTube. It was a bit of a challenge for me to find sents I actually liked (I’m not much of a sickly-sweet perfume fan…) but I really like how small the bottles are (so convenient to carry them around!) and I’m really happy I got my hads on those.

Having struggle to apply my Bourgeois Bronzing Powder for far too long, I finally took the plunge and got myself a shiny brand-new RealTechniques Coutour brush. It’s so soft and I recently caught myself dreaming of a pillow made of the exact same material… (oh, and it makes applying bronzer SO easy too, in case you were wondering…)

My absolute favourite amongst my new beauty purchases is most probably that Essie nailpolish I picked up in Macy’s on my last day in New York. The name itself (Pret-A-Surfer) is THE BEST and the colour (the perfect mix of blue and lavender) is the one I had been looking for forever. Quest achieved.

With new nailpolish always comes new nailpolish remover (or am I the only one always running out of nailpolish remover when I’d most need to have it at hands?). I bought those little Superdry nailpolish remover pads mainly for the compact size of them but I’ve been quite pleasantly surprised with how great they did their job and will definitely re-purchase those again in the future (and not just because the box is the cuttest and I can think of a billion way to re-purpose it…)

Last but not least, that Shea Butter Cleasing Oil from L’Occitane is SO GREAT it’s made me want to take my make-up off EVERY SINGLE NIGHT without any exception at all. Which if you know me and how lazy I am when it comes to beauty stuff, is quite a revolution really! It’s so thick and it leaves your skin all soft and comfortable, I can’t get enough of it! And don’t even get me started on the smell…

*Not pictured* Josie Marant’s Coconut Watercolour blush (which is the prettiest blush I’ve EVER used); and the cutest lipstick EVER…

What are your latest beauty discoveries? Anything I should know about, now that I have the essentials covered?

8 photos of happiness

28-07-201526-07-2015 Local Black Book8 photos of happiness, about me, anti diet, cake, family, happy, ice cream, Ile de Ré, tag16 Comments

It might seem a bit voyeuristic of me but I actually love tag-style articles as I find them to be a really good way to get to know the person behind the blog (and the little Gossip Girl inside me finds learning secrets extremely satisfying!).

Ariel of Ariel’s Little Corner of the Internet recently created the 8 photos of happiness tag and was kind enough to nominate me. Thanks Ariel!

And while I was busy deciding which pictures to include, the lovely Helena of Helena’s Teabreak, and the darling Amanda of Amanda Bootes tagged me as well! Thanks both!

The rules are very simple: it’s basically about sharing 8 pictures that make us happy and then sharing the love (and happiness) with other bloggers by inviting them to join into the tag!

So here are my 8 pictures!

This picture of me and my brother when we were kids is the cutest one I have and it gives me all the feelings.This picture of my sister & me, taken on Christmas Eve 😂😂As you might have guess, Christmas parties are a bit wild in my family! 😂

I love those pictures with my siblings as they remind me of how great a time we have when we are together. Being away from them is probably the most difficult thing about living abroad, but pictures like that always make me feel better. A fantastic trip, Polaroid cameras and my ever-so-wonderful boyfriend who’s getting far too good at dealing with even the craziest sides of me and would’t even think of eating a bite before I’ve taken 25 pictures of anything that’s on a table… This picture says it all! ❤Cake. Duh.

Ice cream. Basically like cake but frozen and much more appropriate in a heatwave. I’ll take 1 scoop of each please-and-thank-you-very-much!Oh, I like to be beside the seaside! Pictured is my absolute favourite place on Earth; Ile de Ré, on the French Atlantic coast.

Living in London. Yes, it’s too expensive and there are too many people and it takes you ages to go anywhere, but I love it anyway. Slow mail. The sure-fire way to put a smile on my face. If you’re unable to provide cake, that is.

And now I’m going to sit tight and look forward to seing those lovelies’ happy pictures!

Izzy of Qthee

Bella of The Other F Word

Charity of My Life’s Miscellany

Susie of Sequins and Strawberries

Ophélie of Cross my Heart and Hope to Die

Want to join in the picture fun? Don’t forget to tag me in so I can go check out your happy pictures!

NYC Day 4 – A day by the water [Brooklyn + Financial District + Statue of Liberty]

27-07-201526-07-2015 Local Black BookBrooklyn, Financial District, Grimaldi's, iconic, New York, NYC, One World Trade Center, pizza, Restaurant, review, Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty, travel, travel guide, USA, World Trade Center Memorial1 Comment

We spend our last day in New York on the water.
We found out about the East River Ferry just as we were about to head to the Subway. But, well, as it happens, a cruise to Brooklyn was a lot more appealing than getting down into a smelly, stuffy tube station…So up on the boat we went, leaving Manhattan and the UN Headquarters behind.Not only was the boat a much more weather-appropriate mode of transportation, but you truly get a hell of a view for your buck!Bridge after bridge, the waves slowly led us towards the financial district. Soon after, we landed in Brooklyn, where we walked along Brooklyn Bridge Park until we got hungry and raced off to the legendary Grimaldi’s.
The queues testify of how famous this family-run restaurant is with locals and tourists alike. But considering they served us that beauty of a pizza, can you really blame them? Fuelled up, we walked up and down the street, in and out of shops (including the more than adorable Dabney Lee stationary store!) while chattering happily.After beating around the ~~bush~~ bridge for hours, we finally decided to cross it. It was on my ultimate New York bucket list (just like every other first time tourist to New York) and I must say it did not disappoint. Feeling as small as insects, we wandered around the financial district, marvelling at each of those giants of iron and glass.The World Trade Center Memorial was probably the most emotional part of this whole trip. The contrast between the towering skyscrappers and the two massive hollow fountains marquing the locations of the two World Trade Center Towers is truly heartbreaking.
We topped the day with another cruise aboard the Staten Island Ferry.A first trip to New York wouldn’t really have been complete without a look at the Statue of Liberty, would it?

White Chocolate & Matcha Blondies Recipe

26-07-201520-07-2015 Local Black Bookbaking, blondies, brownies, cake, chocolate, dessert, easy, green, green tea, matcha, party recipe, recipe, sweet, tea, white chocolate12 Comments

I’m a bit of a cookbook addict. I spend hours browsing through any I can put my hands one, be it in Waterstones, my GP waiting room or the comfort of my grandma’s home.

Trying out new recipes and seeing how they measure up to my current favourites is something I find terribly exciting.

For that reason, there are very few recipes I’ve sworn allegiance to. But it’s no secret I made an exception for the best brownies’ recipe of all times.

This recipe truly is perfect: it’s easy and quick to make, there’s almost no dishes to clean and you get the densest, moistest, perfect brownies at the end of it.

Unfortunately, all this perfection doesn’t prevent me from experimenting and wanting to change things up a little from time to time, and last week, the idea of matcha and white chocolate blondies simply wouldn’t get out of my head and I knew I had to give my favourite recipe a re-vamp.
And once again, the recipe proved itself to be perfect in every way.

White chocolate matcha blondies (serves 6-8)
You’ll need: 70g self-raising flour, 130g of sugar, 120g of soft butter, 2 big eggs, 200g of white chocolate, 3 teaspoons of matcha powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder.In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and the sugar and whisk until smooth and well combined.Crack in the eggs and mix. Add the flour, the matcha powder and the vanilla powder and mix thoughroughly. Melt the white chocolate (I’m lazy so I do this in the microwave) and add it to your cake batter and whisk once again.
Pour the batter into a buttered and flour tin and bake for about 35 minutes at 150°C. Let your blondies cool down completely before cutting them into squares.

Add some berries on the side (both the colour and flavour contrast make that combination a winner!) and try not to eat it all in one go (I dare you!)

NYC Day 3 – Central Park, The Upper East Side and Times Square

23-07-201523-07-2015 Local Black BookCentral Park, Gray's Papaya, Guggenheim, hotdog, iconic, NYC, NYC guide, Times Square, travel, travel guide, Upper East Side, USA11 Comments

Early birds will be rewarded if they visit New York in the Summer. Because it tends to get so hot in the afternoon, you can’t really beat an early stroll around the city.
NYC UN Headquarters | Cake + Whisky We started off our day reviving some elementary school memories in the form of flag guessing at the UN Headquarters…
We then strolled through the streets and over to the Rockfeller Plaza for a bit of early morning shopping.
We strolled through the streets, pointing at every single building and taking in as much as possible.
After a quick pit stop at Ess-A-Bagel (831 3rd Ave between 50th and 51st Street) to pick up food for an improvised lunch, we marched straight up to Central Park to find a quiet spot to tuck in.Fuelled up, we continued our exploration and quickly stumbled upon Conservatory Water, where kids and parents alike gather to sail miniature boats. NYC Central Park | Cake + Whisky We sat to rest our poor worn feet and observed the boats dancing and racing on the pond…
… before leaving Wonderland behind to continue our journey.We headed North to the New York Public Library…… where we met this reading-addicted gent!We were taking a quick look at the Guggenheim‘s quirky architecture when we heard our stomachs grumbling in unison.We raced back to Broadway for a taste of the city’s best hotdogs at Gray’s Papaya (2090 Broadway), which is another of those New York cheap food gems you don’t want to miss out on. Certainly not the healthiest of meals, but that’s what holidays are for… right? NYC travel guide | Cake + Whisky NYC city guide | The Hearst Tower | Cake + Whisky After lunch, we zigzagged through the street to burn off some of the calories and tick some more iconic buildings off our to-see list.
As the sun set and fell behind the horizon, we reached Times Square.With our eyes wide open, we took as much in as possible until our head spinned, at which time we decided to beat a hasty retreat (or, as most people call it, dinner!)

NYC Day 2 – Walking the Highline (+ Pride Parade 2015)

21-07-201521-07-2015 Local Black Bookarchitecture, Dos Caminos, ice cream, New York, NYC, NYC Pride, park, Pride Parade, Restaurant, review, street food, The Highline, travel, travel guide, USA4 Comments

After having spent much of the morning going through airport security and sitting in planes and buses, we were keen to explore more of New York. As soon as we arrived, we ditched our bags and we were off again!We started our exploration with a taste of the day’s big event: the Pride Parade!Taking place on the day following the countrywide legalisation of same-sex marriage, the atmosphere was cheerful to say the least! Following crowds of rainbow-dressed people, we slowly made our way south and to the Highline.A popular destination for families and friends alike, the 1.45 mile-long linear park is build on a former railway of the New York Central Railroad. With trees and flowers all around, it’s the perfect place to take a much needed nature break!
… But you can also choose to marvel at the views… New York skyline to the East…… and the Hudson river to the West!… Not to mention some of the coolest buildings in the whole of New York! (here the ICA building, which reminds me of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum)!
After a little while, we came accross a small street food market, where we treated ourselves to the most delicious of ice cream sandwiches.Fuelled up, we continued our exploration… After a bit more walking and a lot more chatting, we reached the end of the Highline. And found ourselves at the very centre of the trendy Meatpacking District.
… just like every single person who took part in the parade earlier! We left the tempting sweet treats and devilishly long queues behind and went for a walk through the small streets of the Village instead.
We zigzagged through the area for a long while but we failed to find the Friends buildings despite all of the efforts we put into this quest.

As the sky tuned pink, we decided to call it a day and were considering our dining options when we came accross Dos Caminos. We managed to get a table on the sun-filled terrace and admired the light go from white to golden while perusing the menu. We started things off on a high with the Bacon and jalapeno guacamole.Did I mention there was pork crackling onthere as well? #BorderlineGenius
From then on, it only when from good to best with the Chorizo Mac n’ Cheese (a personal favourite). More cheese than mac, just as it should be! We also shared a plate of the goat taccos which were the juiciest taccos I’ve ever eaten in my whole life. The accompagnying rice & beans were delicious as well but made us achieve satiety a bit quicker than we had expected.

We skipped dessert and walked home with very full bellies and a big smile on our face, chatting happily about the great day we had just had and how excited we were for the next one… before falling in a food-induced coma the second we passed the doors!

Dinner at Ben’s Chili Bowl | Washington DC

20-07-201520-07-2015 Local Black BookBen's Chili Bowl, cheap, diner, food, hot dogs, Restaurant, review, USA, Washington DC7 Comments

On our only night in Washington D.C., it didn’t take us long to decide where to go for dinner.

When we did our pre-trip research, there was a place that kept popping up as the must-visit restaurant. So after a day of exploring in the rain, we made a beeline for a true local gem, Ben’s Chili Bowl.Home of the best chili dog in the country and well worth trying.It’s a classic American diner sort of affair – very low-key and nothing fancy about it at all, but if the locals love it so much, there must be a reason for it, and we were very much in the mood to see it for ourselves. We perched on one of the bar stools and sipped on sweet tea (served in cups bigger than my head of course!) while perusing the all-American menu.
Minutes later, the most delicious chili dogs were placed in front of us.And those babies are well worth their reputation: sausage grilled to perfection, moist and with just enough kick from the chili topping… Perfection in a bun! Even better (if that’s even possible) were the chili fries: Crispy fries, cheese sauce and the most balanced chili sauce EVER… so good I almost ordered a second serving!For those of you who are not as dedicated to the cheese fries cause as I am, I’d definitely recommend the chili bowl. Basically the best chili I’ve ever eaten (I’m going to try and make this at home soon!) with loads of fresh toppings on top… Summer comfort food at its very best if you ask me.

Meanwhile on the outside, another summer storm had started and with every drop of rain, more people found shelter into the small diner, which was filling up by the minute with table after table of regulars chatting happily with the lovely waiters and creating the most enjoyable of atmospheres.

I could have happily stayed there forever, but by the time we were finished eating, the storm had calmed down so we sayed our goodbyes and raced to our home for the night to pack and try to catch some sleep before getting up before the sun to fly back to New York in the morning.

Washington DC | Shake Shack epic burgers and the Smithonian museums

17-07-2015 Local Black BookAir & Space Museum, Albert Einstein, memorial, Natural History Museum, Shake Shack, Smithonian museum, travel, travel guide, USA, Washington DC7 Comments

On our way back to New York, we made a small pit stop in Washington DC.

The plan was to walk up and down the National Mall, see all the important buildings and maybe pop into a museum or two on the way.

But the weather had decided otherwise and when we arrived downtown, it was raining cats and dogs.

So we did the only sensible thing there is to do in such situations and treated ourselves to one of those fast food feasts America is famous for. Luckily enough, we stumbbled on Shake Shack, which we had been told was a must-visit when in the US. We ducked inside and got our hands on some of the most epic-looking burgers I had seen in quite a while.After reading about it for MONTH, I finally got my hands on Shake Shack’s Shroom burger…While my Mr settled for the Smoke Stack and its layers of cheese and chopped chilies.With cheese fries all round, obviously. Isn’t that what rainy days are for?

Fuelled up and with the storm seeming to have stopped, we came back to our initial exploration plans……only to see them defeated a few minutes after by the return of the rain, so we took shelter in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Cake + Whisky | Washington DC | Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Holding the largest collection of aircraft and spacecraft in the world, it’s a must-visit for any plane aficionado.
…Which might explain why somebody was a very happy bunny! We strolled through the museum, marvelling at weird flying machines and war planes’ perfect designs alike. The Wright Flyer (which is the ancestor of all planes) is also on display at the museum and well worth taking a look at. I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that this enormous assembly of wood and cloth can actually fly. The same obviously goes for the Mongolfier first hot air balloon, but I might have been to busy admiring the delicate prints to think about it at the time…Having seen pretty much everything the Air & Space museum had to offer, we headed next door to the Natural History museum… where every single tourist in Washington seemed to have decided to meet that day. … which is why we decided to shorten our visit to the diplodocus and jump in a cab to pay one to Albert instead.

Only afterwards did we realise that we could have used the Circulator and save money… ahem…

We raced in the rain to take a quick look at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial before we decided to call it a day and head to dinner at one of the city’s institutions.

… but more on that tomorrow! Come hungry!

The Carousel, New Orleans

16-07-201515-07-2015 Local Black Bookbar, cocktails, luxury, New Orleans, quirky, review, The Carousel, USA6 Comments

Cocktails were definitely on the list when in New Orleans. We had a few obligatory Hurricanes, but when we tasted one of those vile grape-flavoured Voodoo-slushie thing, we realised it was time to up our cocktail game.

And that (and my obsession for Pinterest) is how we found the prettiest bar on Earth.
A classy carousel for adults, where you can sit, drink the best cocktails and see the world (or at least the bar) unfold in front of your eyes. It was everything I was longing for.
I could have just stayed there in the doorway staring at this spinning carousel for hours.
Good thing it was rather busy so I get plenty of time to do so! Soon enough, a couple of seats became available and jumped on them!The cocktails are the perfect mix of classic and local. Vieux Carré, Old Fashioned, Sazerac… Taking their roots in old-school, traditional American cocktails, they’re mixed to perfection by the ace bar team. A classy hotel bar without being too stuffy, The Carousel bar was the perfect start to our evening, before we tumbled down to The Preservation Hall for the best of jazz concerts. I don’t have any pictures or videos, but take my word on it and go, go, GO!!