Yauatcha

If you are looking for a food experience, Yauatcha in Soho is the place to go. 

Michelin starred, exciting dim sum restaurant, where traditional Cantonese 

food meets modern cuisine. A lot of people probably walk past it, the architecture

is minimalistic with blueish windows, hardly recognizable.  But when you 

take a step closer you can have look inside and discover Yauatcha's dessert bar. 

A colourful counter full of french macaroons and gâteaux, which look like 

a piece of art. The atmosphere  and the design is very quiet and decent with no frills. 

The menu is overwhelming, full of dim sum and other delicacies. It's hard to 

decide what to take, but we chose the right things...starting with some 

lovely orange and lychee martinins, followed by  Lobster and Tobiko Dumplings, 

which were super tasty and absolutely recommendable.

    

February wishlist...can't a girl dream a little?

I love online shops...I could spend hours on mytheresa.com and net-a-porter.com to get inspirations and of course dream a little.
Here are my favorite February pieces, latest collection and some oldies. Perfect for February days, when winter is not gone yet but spring is slowly arriving...

Top: cotton-blend jersey t-shirt by Raquel Allegra £190

Pants: silver leather leggings-style pants by Joesph £675

Shoes: Ooh La La! slippers by Charlotte Olympia £485 MUST HAVE!!!

Bag: quilted-leather shoulder bag by Lanvin £1,525

Sunglasses: Acetate Glitter Round Sunglasses Miu Miu  £185 

Necklace: resin and crystal necklace by Marni £460

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

For all the cheesecake, brownie and red velvet lovers! Why not combine everything and call it 'Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies'?! Trust me, it's super easy to bake. Besides the food coloring you probably have all the ingredients at home anyway. Basically it's just a cheesecake layer on top of a brownie layer.

The raw dough was already so delicious that I couldn't wait to try the brownies. I wasn't expecting too much, the brownie layer was super moist and absolutely chocolaty, the cheesecake layer soft and creamy. All in all a perfectly tasty combination and obviously nice to look at!

fresh eggs, cream cheese, food coloring, flour and cacao

pouring the brownie dough in the baking pan

after spreading the cream cheese layer.....and swirling through the dough

after 30 minutes in the oven and 10 minutes cooling time....

....finally ready to eat: super delicious brownies

For the brownie layer you need:

100 g unsalted butter (melted)

100 g sugar

100 g flour

30 g cacao powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tbsp red food coloring ( I guess I used more, just to be sure)

1 tbsp vinegar (makes the brownies moist)

Cheesecake layer:

250 g soft cheese

30 g sugar

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C 

In a bowl mix together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, cacao powder, food coloring and vinegar. In another small bowl whisk the eggs and add them to the brownie mixture. At the end stir in flour, until everything is well combined. 

Butter a baking pan. Ideally a rectangular baking pan, mine was in use, but it worked perfectly fine with an oval-shaped one as well. Now pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.

For the cream cheese layer mix all the ingredients together (in a bowl). Then spread the cream on top of the brownie layer until the brownie dough is covered. Now get creative, use a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife to swirl through the cream cheese layer and create a nice pattern.  

Bake the Cheesecake Brownies for about 30 minutes, let them cool down and cut into small pieces.

Valentine's Day gift idea: cut out heart-shaped Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie Hearts (using a heart shaped biscuit cutter) 

Enjoy!

& Other Stories Fashion Update

& Other Stories reveals their first collection and as expected it's super clean, elegant and minimalistic. I love it! 

photo by &OtherStories

Collection will be out this spring!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

scooped zucchini shells, chopped mushroom and fresh ingredients

Couscous stuffed zucchini boats - this is a really delicious, healthy and easy dish. I love the taste of the grilled feta cheese in combination with fresh vegetables and one can be creative about the ingredients. Stuff a pepper instead of a zucchini, or use parmesan instead of  feta cheese...al gusto. I used the vegetables I had at home, but it works perfectly with other vegetables as well.

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Animal prints are nothing new in the world of fashion but they have come back in new shapes and colours. Animal prints are a great eye-catcher, no matter if leopard, zebra, snake, alligator or giraffe. But it's essential to follow some rules when it comes to wearing animal print

One print/ piece is enough 

Don't mix zebra with leopard or leopard with other leopard

It's supposed to be an eye-catcher, not a head-to-toe look

Keep it simple! 

Stay classy, choose simple and clean shapes and cuts

Jeans, shirts, dresses or jackets with animal prints don't need any accessories, they are already a statement on their own. Animal print accessories are great as well...sunglasses, scarves, belts, handbags or shoes. For a classy look team your favourite accessory with a simple pair of skinny jeans and a black/white t-shirt and let the accessory be the focal point. 

My leopard accessories

Scarf: Maje (vintage)
Sunglasses: Miu Miu Noir from Freudenhaus, Munich 260 €
Shoes: Oasis Leopard Slipper ₤38

Tommi's Burger Joint

Update: They are closed atm, but looking for a new location and will re-open in Marylebone and East London soon (April. 2013)

Update II : Tommi's Burger Joint is re-opening soon. FINALLY! The adress is 30 Thayer Street, I will update you as soon as I know when they will open exactly. It's burger time!  
Follow Tommi's Burger Joint on twitter to get more information (June 2013)

What a burger! The place is so small you hardly see it, but it's a shame missing it! Tommi's Burger Joint is a super cool burger bar in Marylebone, very New York, very casual. Brick walls, high bench seatings, a busy place with only 4 burgers on the menu (written on paper bags). Order your burger at the busy counter and the friendly staff will bring it to you. Choose between a normal-, steak-, cheese- or veggie burger. Plus they have a large choice of sauces you can pick, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce and more. The taste of the cheese burger was amazing, so tasty, so juicy. The meat is slightly pink in the middle, the bun super soft and the salad super fresh. Next time I will try they steak burger with Bernaise sauce (I heard that's the best).

I can only recommend going there, it's just ways better and cheaper than any fancy burger chain where you spend too much for a simple burger. 

PS: you can bring your own booze!

Cheese Burger