Category Archives: London life

Sunny afternoon in St. John’s Wood

Posted on February 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

20120203-145254.jpg

Just testing the WordPress app on my Iphone.

Fingers crossed I might actually get some blogging done now that I can do it on the move.

20120203-150438.jpg

→ Leave a comment

Posted in London life

Tagged

New Year in London 2011

Posted on January 1, 2012 | 4 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great day and got to spend it with the people you love.

As for us, we decided to go for a long walk on the last day of 2011.

From Maida Vale…

…and all the way through Regent’s Park to Camden, where we pushed our way through the touristy crowds of the Camden Markets. We ended up in the cobbled lanes of the Stables Market and suddenly felt very hungry.

It was time for some Japanese fast food in the shape of a yummy chicken katsudon.

Then we turned the pushchair around.

And walked back  through the beautiful Primrose Hill.

Halfway through the park, Elliot decided that he was having no more of that pushchair nonsense and wanted to be carried in the BabyBjörn instead.

Back home and with the baby snoring in bed it was time to crack open the champagne.

And prepare the ginormous and oh-so-fabulous fillet steaks we had ordered from the East London Steak Company (more about them later).

The first attempt at making béarnaise sauce ended in a disaster when I decided to add a bit of water, but the second attempt was perfect.

After the meal, and after three glasses of champagne = the largest amount of alcohol I’ve had in 15 months, I managed to fall asleep on the sofa moments before the fireworks lit up the London sky.

The perfect end to a perfect day….and a pretty good year. I hope 2012 will treat you well.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Foodie, London life

Tagged , , , ,

Summer is here!

Posted on April 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

The weather is glorious here in London at the moment. And the warm rays of sunshine lured this cheerful little fella into making his sudden appearance on our balcony.

Happy spring & summer everyone.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in London life

Tagged , , ,

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A + dressing the bump accordingly

Posted on April 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

On a grey and rainy day like today there’s nothing better than cuddling up on the sofa with a cup of hot tea. But if you want to be a bit more active, you can always head for a fashion exhibition.

Even though I love (second-hand) clothes and shopping I tend to yawn and curl my lip in contempt when faced with catwalk shows, fashion weeks and the name-dropping of aaaaarrrhhhmazing designers.

It just bores me to death and I never learned to love the vacuous mingling and bitchy atmosphere of Copenhagen Fashion Week, when I worked as a fashion journalist.

But if there’s one designer that can get me up from the sofa it’s the ground-breaking Japanese Yohji Yamamoto. So last week I went to see the his exhibition at the V&A. It’s small but good.

Left-hand side is dedicated to a mannequin parade of some of his best designs, through the years. 9 out of 10 of his designs I would wear on the spot, and I was (almost) tempted to just tear a few dresses of the dolls and make a run for it :-)

The right-hand side consists of a row of TV’s, showing Yohji Yamamoto’s catwalk shows  and videos about the controversial designer. Should you want to meet the designer himself, then I suggest you book a ticket for the talk on the 26th of June.

6 months pregnant or not, I felt I had to honour Mr. Yohji by wearing one of his designs to the exhibition. I only own two Yamamoto items: a skirt with a narrow waist (so that one was out of the question) and this dress:

So on it went. I had to leave the zipper half-open, but I still like the way it looks. If you want to see it in a non-pregnant state and read about where I bought it, click here.

I love how this last windblown picture reminds me of the poster from the exhibition. Noone does those avantgarde silhouettes quite like Yamamoto. They’re instantly recognisable.

Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A, until 10 july 2011.
Read more & book tickets

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Art, Dressing the bump, Exhibitions, Genbrug, Genbrugsfund, Graviditet, London life, Outfit, Pregnancy, Second-hand, Shopping

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Coffee Tree in Maida Vale

Posted on March 21, 2011 | 3 Comments

After having moved from Randolph Avenue to Elgin Avenue we’re now a tiny bit closer to Shirland Road.

So when local tweeters Lord Elgin and Alex mentioned the opening of a new coffee and pastry shop next to a hardware shop I decided to combine my hunt for a new broom with a caffeine & cake fix.

This charming coffee shop is tastefully decorated with raw wood panels and bright red lamps and a small selection of Italian coffee, olive oil etc. on display. A very welcome addition amongst the street’s Lebanese restaurants, Indian take-aways and run-down fastfood joints.

I ordered a large latte to go (£1.90 – double shot doesn’t cost extra) + a brownie (£2) and the friendly owner threw in a mini-muffin when he found out that I was a local blogger. Or who knows, maybe he just gives them out to all new customers…

As soon as I saw the lovely leaf-shaped pattern on the coffee my expectations rose and I half expected something along the lines of the wonderful flat whites they serve at Flat White in Soho or at Kopapa.

I must admit I was a bit dissappointed. The coffee was too watery and didn’t taste of a whole lot.  I’m not sure what to blame: the Danesi beans, the machine or maybe the fat content of the milk? Still better than Starbucks though.

But the pastries were to die for, especially the brownies. I haven’t had a brownie as good as this in a long time. Moist, heavy and dark, rich chocolatey.

So while the coffees leave room for improvement, the cakes and the friendly service are definitely worth the trip to Shirland Road if you’re in the area.

The Coffee Tree
215 Shirland Road
W9 3JP London
Map
View Larger Map

→ 3 Comments

Posted in London life

Tagged , , , , , ,

Today’s view from the balcony…

Posted on March 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Brownies and muffins for lunch. What more can I say….

The cakes are from a new local place in Maida Vale called The Coffee Tree. More about that later.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in London life, Yndlingsting

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Maida Vale moving

Posted on March 8, 2011 | 5 Comments

It’s been a bit quiet on the blog for the last few days as we’ve been busy moving.

After three years in furnished London flats and with a baby on its way, the nesting instinct finally kicked in and we decided it was about time to surround ourselves with our own stuff.

We’ve always lived in Maida Vale and have completely fallen in love with this central, yet quiet residential area. We were lucky to find an unfurnished flat just 100 metres from the old one. The moment I walked in and saw this balcony & view I was sold:

And I can’t wait to sit here and read a good book when the weather gets a bit better.

All that’s left to do now is buying a sofa and all the other things that you need for everyday life. We’ll also be going to Denmark soon and I can’t wait to bring all my ceramics, pictures etc. over here.

Oh, and of course there’s the unpacking: right now I’m sitting in the living room with a cup of (microwave-heated) tea and untoasted toast, contemplating this mess:

→ 5 Comments

Posted in London life, Yndlingsting

Tagged , , , ,

Keeping up with concerts: Band of Horses + Iron & Wine

Posted on February 24, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ll do everything I can to give this baby a decent taste in music. As you know you have to start early, and part of my cunning plan is to bring it to as many concerts as possible “in utero”.

So far he’s been to a Deftones, Interpol and an Arcade Fire concert.

Lately I’ve noticed something: my taste in music has mellowed a bit and become, more folky. And I seem to love the songs coming out of the mouths of very bearded men.

I think this started a couple of years back, when I attended a brilliant concert with Fleet Foxes at the Roskilde Festival (they’re 10 times better live than on record).

So earlier this month we continued baby’s music education and went to see the always charming Band of Horses at Brixton Academy.

Here’s a few videos for those of you not familiar with Band of Horses. In the first one they’re performing my favourite song from their debut album, live at Grand Central Station in NY:

In the second video they unexpectedly turned up to perform Marry Song at a Norwegian wedding after the groom wrote to the band, explaining how he had proposed during a BOH concert:

Here they are performing another of my favourites at the amazing Amoeba record store in LA:


And next month we’re going to see the multi-talented Sam Beam of Iron & Wine when he’s performing at the Roundhouse. This reclusive, soft-voiced songwriter writes the most beautiful lyrics and is supposed to be great live.

Here’s a few videos with my favourite Iron & Wine songs. The last one, Flightless Bird, American Mouth, is by far the most famous, as it featured on the Twilight soundtrack *shudder*.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in London life, Music, Musik

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Kopapa – Kiwi coffee and brunch in Seven Dials

Posted on February 17, 2011 | 4 Comments

Fancy a cup of some of London’s best coffee plus a yummy brunch?

Then head straight for Kopapa. This new all-day diner/cafe/restaurant is co-owned by New Zealander Peter Gordon who is also the man behind the excellent The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone.

Kopapa is laid-back and buzzing and the location near Covent Garden couldn’t be better as you often struggle to find quality cafés in this all too touristy area.

If you can’t get a table straight away you can always enjoy your food by the big marble counter, just as we did, while you flick through the big selection of magazines and newspapers. I actually think this particular corner of the bar is a lot cosier than the tables if it’s just the two of you.

During the weekend Kopapa has an extensive brunch menu, similar to the one at Providores, which is made up of Kiwi-inspired lovelies such as Kopapa toasted oat & dried fruit granola with Greek yoghurt & NZ rata honey (£6). Or what about a Chorizo hash with a fried egg, rocket, salsa verde & crispy shallot (£7.40)?

I chose one of my favourites: Hot-smoked salmon on toasted sourdough with spinach, 2 poached eggs & yuzu hollandaise…..omnomnomnomnom (£10.50).

Sam had the bacon fry-up, that comes with slow-roasted tomatoes and 2 eggs of your choice on buttered sourdough or granary toast (£7.80).

And don’t forget to pair you choice of food with a splendid flat white. Those Antipodeans sure know how to make a good coffee! (And if you’re in the mood for even more sublime coffee after leaving the café, you can always head straight for Monmouth Coffee further down the street).

Kopapa Café and Restaurant
32-34 Monmouth Street
Seven Dials, Covent Garden
Website

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Foodie, London life, Yndlingsrestaurant

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Afternoon tea at Bea’s of Bloomsbury

Posted on February 11, 2011 | 3 Comments

I’ve lived in London for three years, but never once have I had a proper afternoon tea. To rectify that I ventured out in the rain yesterday to meet up with a friend at Bea’s of Bloomsbury, not very far from Holborn station. I’d done a bit of research and Bea’s came with a lot of recommendations.

This tiny place looks more like a bakery shop than a tea salon/tea room. It’s quite crammed and busy, with people hurrying back and forth behind your chair in the narrow room. And you have to order in the bar.

But Bea’s easily make up for all this with their very low prices and relaxed atmosphere. Their “sweet afternoon tea“, consisting of a selection of cupcakes, mini brownies, mini scones w. clotted cream & jam etc. only cost £12. I wanted something savoury as well (on weekends you can pay £3 extra and get a few savoury mini baguettes) so had one of the cupcakes substituted for a cheese scone (which I didn’t really like, too heavy and fatty).

I’ll definitely recommend this place if you’re after a cheap and less traditional alternative to stuffy and horribly over-priced places like The Ritz (read about fellow blogger Helena Halme’s disastrous Ritz experience here). Personally this one was a bit too sweet for me and I really missed the traditional cucumber sandwiches, mini quiches etc. that normally comes with a full afternoon tea.

So I’ll make sure to come during the weekend the next time, or maybe just order a “cream tea” as the scones w. clotted cream & jam were my absolute favourite.

Bea’s of Bloomsbury, 44 Theobald’s Road, London, 0207 242 8330
Website

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Foodie, London life

Tagged , , , , , , ,