Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas with loooots of food, presents, family and friends. 

Rome, London, Munich and Paris II

Of course it's not enough just to see photos of those beautiful cities. Super important is where to stay, wine and dine, shop and of course 'what to wear'?

In London you will see million of different styles...Rock chic, hipsters, classy looks. I like to wear casual outfits during the day like boots, leggings/jeans and eye-catching jewellery/sunglasses. But in the evening Londoners are definitely dressed up.

Cardigan Zadig & Voltaire ₤364 , Shirt by Alexander Wang 74€,
Bracelet Marni Crystal Bead 255€, Bag Marc Jacobs The XI 810€, 
Boots Jimmy Choo 795€ (everything over mytheresa.com)
   Sunglasses Miu Miu  240€                     

Rome, London, Munich and Paris I

London, Rome, Paris and Munich...my absolute favourite cities in Europe. I love Paris' elegance and chic, the indescribable Italian flair of Rome, the freedom and creativity in London and of course Munich's familiar charm. I cannot say which city I like more, every one of them is unique but they have one thing in common: absolute beauty!

Enjoy a tour through the photos I have taken the last months and get inspired by their uniqueness. For a small city-guide click here.

black cab in London...

Vespacar in Bella Roma

Gugelhupf! This car has been converted into a mini cake shop, delicious baby cakes!

So 20s...so Paris

My new showpiece

Skinny snake print trousers from Zara...they are super soft and really comfortable. The best thing, you can wear them either casual with boots, shirt and parker or chic with high heels, blouse and eye-catching jewellery. I bought them in black and a greenish brown...

The trousers have three bags on the trouser front with golden zippers and two normal bags on the back side. The trousers leg is really tight and can be openend and closed with a zip (golden, as well) which makes it easier to put them on

I teamed it with a casual faux leather and knit sweater from Zara 

The perfect accessory for cold but sunny days is the sophisticated forties-style glitter Miu Miu sunglasses in a yellowish shade (for the greenish-brown trouser)...

...the black one matches perfectly with the tortoiseshell frames

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Snake print trousers from Zara ₤40
Sweater with faux leather front from Zara ₤46
Sunglasses: Miu Miu Noir from Freudenhaus, Munich 260 €

Winter Salad

Quince, chicken and chestnut salad- something different. Sounds exotic, tastes delicious and is easy to make. 

All you need is (for two people)
200 g fresh chestnuts
300 g chicken breast
1 quince
1 pack fresh salad of your choice
Dash of orange juice
Olive oil, balsamico, salt and pepper

First of all preheat the oven to 180°C, then cut a large X with a sharp knife in the chestnuts. Place the 'x'-ed chestnuts on a backing pan in the oven and let them roast for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile peel, quarter and core the quince, like an apple. Cut the quince into thin slices and put them with some butter in a saucepan to roast gently. Check if the chestnuts are ready! If yes, start peeling them. Be careful: they are really hot.

Chicken: Heat a frying pan with either oil or butter. Add the cut slices of chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the chicken over and cook until it's slightly brown and crunchy. While the chicken is cooking, wash the salad.

Now put the peeled chestnuts, quince and chicken into one pan and cook for another minute, add some orange juice for more flavour.

To assemble the salad, put the washed salad on a big plate, place the chicken, quince and chestnuts on top and drizzle with oil, balsamico and cracked pepper.

Perfect combination, the roasted chestnuts are slightly sweet, the chicken is perfectly soft, tender and juicy. The crunchy quince adds a sweet and unique touch. Enjoy!

quince...for no reason rarely used in kitchens 

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x the chestnuts

quince are easy to peel...

looks like an apple-pear 

Are they ready???

L'Autre Pied

Fine dining! L'Autre Pied is located on a quiet street at the corner of Marylebone High Street. The dishes are all individually created and the set-menues are perfectly chosen. L'Autre Pied is holder of one Michelin star and the small sister of the famous Pied á Terre in Charlotte Street. The food was beautifully presented and the fresh flavours were a culinary delight!

Hand rolled Garganelli, stuffed with crab, roscoff onions, celery, roasted almonds and Ras el hanout, which is a blend of North African spices. This dish was a perfectly arranged and tasted delicious...

What a combination! Ceviche of hand dived scallops, black quinoa, creme fraiche and jerusalem artichokes. Perfectly beautiful dish. The crunchy quinoa together with the fresh and tasty scallops was an accomplished combination and one I have never eaten before.

Again an unusual dish, name sounds delicious already: clementine leaf parfait with yoghurt sorbet, champagne jelly (!!!) and burnt meringues...wow

Address:
5-7 Blandford Street
Marylebone
London W1U 3DB

Christmas Chai Tea Latte

My absolut favorite Christmas drink besides Glühwein (mulled wine) is definitely: Chai Tea Latte

I don't mean this too sweet sugar drink from Starbucks, made out of syrup. I'm talking about original Masala Chai Tea Latte. Made out of fresh spices, milk and black tea.

(On Brick Lane Market they have really good Chai Tea Latte, freshly made)

All you need is:

175 ml (3/4 cups) water

175 ml milk

2 slices fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole green cardamon pods

1 teaspoon loose black tea

1 piece star anise

1/2 table spoon fresh ground black pepper

sweetener (honey or sugar)

Bring the water in a small saucepan to boil, add the cardamon, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon stick and star anise. ( I also added a vanilla pot, because it tastes even better)

Let the spices infuse for a couple of minutes, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes.

Add the milk and black tea, and simmer the whole mixture for one more minute. Turn off the heat and let the hot drink rest for two minutes.

Now pour the drink into a cup through a fine sieve. Add sugar or honey and enjoy a perfect and spicy drink for cold night.

black tea

honey and sugar sticks

black tea

dipping the sugar stick into the Chai Tea Latte...