I T ' S . . .  P A N C A K E  T U E S D A Y ! 

 Any excuse to eat pancakes for breakfast :)

Via.

 I N  T H E  M O O D  F O R  . . . 

As Valentine's Day is approaching, I thought I'd start a special series called, "In the mood for..." where I will post about a particular theme that is associated with luuuurve. I'm beginning with food as I think it's safe to say that many of us can easily relate to it and hold the belief that the way into one's heart is through one's belly :) What a sweet and satisfying thought! x.

 S P A G H E T T I  B O L O G N E  S E  ( R A G U ) 

 L a d y  a n d  t h e  T r a m p  style. 

What's more romantic than sharing a bowl of spaghetti with the one you adore?

Left to right : Disney's Lady and the Tramp (image via.), The Traveler's Lunchbox's Spaghetti Ragu (image and recipe via.).

 C H O C O L A T E  C A K E 

 B r u c e  B o g t r o t t e r  s t y l e. 

Love comes in many different forms. Think of Bruce Bogtrotter from Roald Dahl's novel, Matilda. The boy loved chocolate cake so much he finished an entire one on his own!

Left to right : Matilda's Bruce Bogtrotter (image via.), Foodess' Moist Chocolate Cake (image and recipe via.).

 I C E - C R E A M 

 A l i  a n d  N o a h  style.

Ice-cream makes the world go round...

Left to right : The Notebook's Ali and Noah (image via.), Evan's Kitchen Ramblings' Really Good Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream (image and recipe via.).

 M A C A R O N S 

 F r e n c h  style. 

Imagine celebrating one of the most romantic days of the year in one of the most romantic cities in the world...

Left to right : The Eiffel Tower, Paris (image via.), Tartelette's Valentine's Day Macarons (image and recipe via.).

 C R O I S S A N T S 

 B r e a k f a s t  a t  T i f f a n y ' s  / 

 B r e a k f a s t  in  B e d  ( c h e e k y! )  style.

Whether you're standing outside the store you love or lying in bed with the one you love, what better way to start the morning than with a warm pastry?

Left to right : The Wandering Girl's Croissants, Paris (image and recipe via.), Jude Law and Ewan McGregor photo shoot (image via.), Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly (image via.).

 D O U G H Y  G O O D N E S S ! 

Via.

For the last several months all I've been reading about/seeing on food blogs are doughnuts. It's as if everyone has gone into doughnut overload! I've never been a fan of them (the fat content gives me the heebee jeebees) but having been exposed to so many yummy articles and images (1, 2, and 3), I'm craving doughy goodness!

My sister, Mekhala is obsessed with all things cinnamon - cinnamon doughnuts are her weakness. As much as I wanted to make the latter for her, I couldn't bring myself to promoting 'bad food' so made cinnamon doughnut muffins instead. Apart from being a tad heavy and dry, the taste was good but as Mek said, "It's no replacement."

After realising that it's better to D.I.Y than head to the nearest Krispy Kreme, I did a search in my Google Reader (I'm subscribed addicted to 236 blogs) and discovered a recipe for Bite Size Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts on The British Larder. I will attempt it when I'm feeling brave and most importantly, skinny! x.

Oh my gooey goodness... I need to make this 'Easy Peanut Butter Fudge' by The Sophisticated Gourmet! Click here for the recipe. x.

 

Images via.

  C H E E R I O !  

Tomorrow, Dan moves to London. I am experiencing all sorts of emotions: happy/sad, excited/nervous, confident/scared... Can you imagine what he is going through? The last time he visited London, I was living there. It was so nice to see him on the other side of the world - he beamed and looked every part, The Londoner. I can't wait for Dan to get over there, he will fall in love with London all over again, and she will embrace him as if he were one of her own. Wishing you the best of luck my friend. x.

Exactly a week ago, Dan and I caught up for one last time (and took the photo above). Dan wanted to know where he could grab good coffee in London. It's been a while since I was last in the land of tea and scones - a lot can happen in three years, especially in the food scene. So, with the help of expats and bloggers, I have compiled a list for Dan and other coffee lovers making the move.

  W H E R E  T O  F I N D  G O O D  C O F F E E  
  I N  L O N D O N :  

  C E N T R A L  

Espresso Room

Kaffeine

  N O R T H  

Merito Coffee Stall

Tina, We Salute You

  E A S T  

Climpson & Sons

Counter Cafe
Monmouth Coffee
Nude Espresso
Present (a cafe/menswear store)

Prufrock Coffee
Taylor St Baristas

Wilton's

  S O U T H  

Exchange Cafe

  W E S T  

Coffee Plant

  L E T ' S  M E E T  F O R  B R U N C H  A T . . .  
Farm Collective

Lantana
Look Mum, No Hands (you need to get yourself a bicycle)

Railroad

St. Ali

My cousin, Tamara recently moved to New York and although she is dearly missed by the family we are extremely proud and supportive of her (I am constantly bugging Tam on FaceBook, Viber and Heytell). She's currently celebrating Thanksgiving with her maternal cousins, Sarah and Anna and posted a series of photos on FaceBook (thank goodness for technology!). Happy Thanksgiving Tam! Hope you're having lots of fun. Bring on the turkey with cranberry sauce, sweet potato mash with marshmallows (apparently it's the thing to do) and pumpkin pie! x.

On Saturday morning, Bridge, Juz and I caught up for brunch at Viva Cafe*. Though it was a drab day, the large windows let in light that was ideal for shooting. I purposely didn't bring my G11 so I could test the camera on my new phone... I got a tad excited with the Vignette app! I fell in love with the cafe from across the street. The decor is cool (I love the retro tables), the waiters are friendly and the food is yummy (I don't like telling people what to order but you have to try the Reuben sandwich). It also doesn't hurt to be in good company! Hope you have a great start to the week (I can't believe it's almost October). x.

 *Bridge and Kiki raved about this place a while back so I was keen to check it out.

Yet, another food post.

Yesterday, Uncle J and I ate lunch at Youeni Provides. I'm not a big fan of the midday meal but this place has changed my mind. Like Revolver, it is situated on a funky street corner with notice boards to greet you upon your arrival. I love the white jugs that water and freshly squeezed juices come in, the French ceramic salad bowls, the super tasty and tender pulled pork sandwiches (the bread is aaaamazing) and the cute guys behind the counter... definitely worth a second visit! x.

Yesterday, I took Mum to my favourite cafe for brunch. I love everything about the place: the street corner, the noticeboard outside the front door, the textured upholstery, the ornate cups and saucers, the little timer that comes with the custom blend teas, the coffee, the fresh bread and muffins, the music, the friendly waitstaff... Such attention to detail. x.

Yesterday was the first day of spring. Hooray! Like Anne and Christie, I have several goals for this summer and plan on accomplishing/documenting every one of them (lucky you!) but before I do I need to sort them out (they're just random thoughts at the moment). In the meantime, here are a few photos of last night's dinner at Uncle J's.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

x.

A rooftop picnic... phwoar! Via.

I can't believe how quickly the weekend flew. Time flies when you're having fun! Over the past two days I have fallen in love with British Bulldogs, eliminated carbs (bread, pasta and rice) from my diet, sold homemade biscuits and toasted muesli, finished reading 'The Beautiful and Damned', discovered a cheap and cheerful Japanese restaurant, started reading 'Master of the Game' (I created a must-read list by default), participated in the Pub2Pub Fun Run, and drank tea/ate Anzac biscuits. Hope you had a wonderful weekend and have a great start to the week! x.

P.S. Check out this post about personal blogging. Interesting!

I'm obsessed with muffins. So much so, I've started baking them. Below are strawberry ones I made earlier this week. Happy Friday! Hope you have a lovely weekend. x.

I love bread. I love the smell, warmth and taste of freshly baked bread. I love it at all times of the day - on it's own or accompanied by butter, poached eggs or soup. Cheese is good too. I've been inspired to make my own bread after watching this short film on Tartine Bakery. You can purchase their cookbook here. x.


Tartine Bread from 4SP Films on Vimeo.

I just synced my BlackBerry to my Mac for the first time in ages and found a number of photos I had taken over the last five months. Several weeks ago, The Little Burrow received its first wholesale order and my best friends wanted to mark the occasion with a celebratory dinner at Jazz City Diner. I left my camera at home so captured what I could on my BB - they turned out better than I expected! x.

Out of all the photos I've taken of Bridge and Juz, this is my favourite.

Onion rings and sweet potato fries for dinner...

Pecan Pie for dessert!

A few days ago I came across a creative studio called, Tiger in a Jar. I'm not a fan of film-making (simply because I don't know how it all works) but after watching the video below, it makes me want to learn! x.


beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Last Saturday, Dan and I caught up for brunch. I arrived at Lumiere forty-five minutes early so I ordered a pot of tea to help me relax*. By the time Dan rocked up (on time) I was totally sweet but he wasn't. He needed his morning coffee... both of them, at the same time. What a pair we made that morning! x.

*I was feeling super anxious all week and I don't know why. Bridge thinks it could have something to do with the full moon. I hope so as it (the moon) has disappeared this week.

I love this photo. It's so warm and fuzzy. It reminds me of when my friends and I get together. We surround ourselves with food and drink and endless conversation. I can't wait to see them this weekend. Happy Friday! x.

Via.

Last Monday Uncle E, Aunty T, Sophia and I caught up for brunch at La Buvette. After filling our tummies we checked out E & M Greenfield and Tessuti. I had to restrain myself from buying rolls and rolls of ribbon and fabric! x.