Eating Our Way Through London Series

S and I consider ourselves to be foodies - we love food, of all varieties, especially when it's cooked well.  It is a big part of our lives and big part of our trips away.

Just before we moved to London lots of people told us that the food would be rubbish and we wouldn't be eating well at all.  Terms like 'Heathrow Injection', beer battered fish, sardines on toast and SPAM spring to mind. 

Yet what we have experienced has been far from what we were told.  Instead, we have experienced some of the best restaurants in the world.  The options are endless from high end designer haunts to fresh from the farm rustic loft type conversions to gastropubs.

I am constantly reading about restaurants and have a huge list that we have to get through.  Because of this we've decided to start a series on our little blog called 'Eating Our Way Through London'.  Here we will write about a different restaurant we've dined in each time.

Not only were we surprised about the variety of restaurants, we were overwhelmed by the choice in the supermarkets and the amount of Farmer's Markets selling amazing fresh produce.  For me, my favourite has been the availability of cheeses, berries, and olive oils.  It's also incredibly cheap!

Our first review will be posted shortly....

Bon Appetite

xoxo
E&S

Let's talk about...Ugg Boots

A topic which S and I regularly entertain is the use of Ugg Boots by the English girls.

As far as I was aware, Ugg Boots are slippers that are meant to be worn indoors to keep your feet warm!  Apparently not so in the UK.

Girls, women, ladies, toddlers of all shapes and sizes wear them as shoes! As in shoes that you wear when you go out or go to work.

I don't know if they realise but it is wet and rainy alot in the UK and Uggs probably arent the most weather proof shoes.  They wear them through puddles and even through SNOW!!! 

They get wet and soggy and we just dont get the appeal.  Besides, they cost a whopping 250 pound each.

It really is amusing...especially when they wear them in the office with a short skirt.  Can someone say Essex!

E&S
xoxo

Bon journee Mademoiselle and Monsieur

For S's birthday we decided to go to Paris. It's a mere hop, skip and a jump from the centre of London by train... So, why not?

We have both been to Paris before (this was my third time) and we had already accomplished our fair share of tourist sites.  This weekend was purely about visiting a Boulangerie or two, eating lots of food, taking our cafe au lait Paris style and strolling the streets of the Left Bank.

We strolled around the Marais, visiting the beautiful boutiques (this is where the real Parisians like to shop).  We stopped for coffee at a typical french bistro and also saw Place Vosges with its beautiful red brick mansions and amazing galleries.  Parisian girls are so darn stylish...even down to their specs.

We had a really fantastic authentic french dinner in the 10th at a place called Chez Marie Louise.  The food was absolutely delightful - stacked eggplant with goat cheese, prawns, lobster ravioli, fish with homemade aoili, vegetables and snails and an amazing vanilla layered eclair with cream.  It was heaven.

We discovered a treasure on the east side of town known as Promenade Plantee - a disused freight train line that has been turned into a walkway and garden and sits high above the city (much like the High Line in New York).  Parisians of all ages were out running the 4.5km stretch on Sunday morning.  It's any wonder they stay so thin.

We strolled around the streets of the Left Bank, stopping for a cafe au lait at Cafe Bonaparte on Rue Jacob before heading to one of the most amazing galleries in the world....the Musee D'Orsay.  The collection of Impressionists (Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Manet, Sisley) were awe inspiring and the building itself is a highlight.  Our love for art has certainly increased since living in London.

Monday was S's birthday so we took a walk through the Il St Louis, the Il De Cite, the Right Bank, the Opera quarter and Place Vendome with its incredible jewellery shops and home to the Ritz.  We then lunched at the amazing Cafe de Flore in St Germain (you may remember it from Season 4 of Gossip Girl!) where I had the most amazing hot chocolate. No trip to Paris is complete without a trip to Laudaree for a healthy supply of macaroons - we had hazelnut pear and coffee flavoured this time.  On top of this, S had 3 pain a chocolats and I had 4 pain a raison!

Our hotel room was amazing and literally overlooked the Pantheon - another incredible Parisian building and shrine to all of those French heroes and heroins like Joan of Arc and St Louis.

Paris brought back some very special memories for S and I - it will always hold a special place in our hearts. We chatted for hours about how much we have changed since we first travelled to Paris together and got engaged 3 whole years ago.  It's definitely a place that woos you with it's charm!

E & S
xoxo

The view of the Eiffel Tower from our street

Our room at the Hotel du Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Back streets of the Latin Quarter

Looking towards the Il de Cite and Notre Dame

Musee D'Orsay

The view from Promenade Plantee

Shaney enjoying le baguette



Inside the Musee D'Orsay