Archive | November, 2010
18 November, 2010 

Bye bye Clapham

I won’t be sad to live this area, I always found it a bit dull but there are definitely few things that I will miss – unique places that won’t be found elsewhere.

There is Moxon’s, the fishmonger; Nardulli, the best Italian ice cream in town; Patisserie Macaron for fine pastries and baguettes; Gastro for excellent French cuisine and Pizza on the Green for an authentic Italian feast.

Of course just as I am moving out a great little cafe opened round the corner, it’s called The Georgian.

Sweet and cozy with very friendly staff this cafe is a real gem. The menu includes regional dishes but also classic English breakfast, there are lots of salads, Georgian pancakes and blinis and a magnificent display of delicious cakes and pastries.

We went for some classics: dumplings and stuffed cabbage leaves.

Followed by scrumptious pear and almond cake.

Such a perfect little place for a horrid rainy afternoon. I am only sorry not to be able to visit again.

16 November, 2010 

Having fun in between packing boxes

Packing can be a daunting task especially when you think you have enough boxes, there is always a bit more stuff here and there. I have been making regular trips to the shop for more packing material. I am almost there but not yet. The moving date is coming fast. The new place is not quite ready yet.

It is a bit sad too, this house is getting empty, all my things are no longer where they are supposed to be, everything seems so bare. And the new place will take time to make our own but that’s always the case.

I am trying to do few fun things in between to keep myself cheerful. I had friends over (so lucky they are freelancers!), did some baking and drinking copious cups of tea, and just chatting forever.

I went to see the Gauguin exhibition at Tate Modern. I might not be his biggest fan but there were definitely few of his earlier paintings that appealed to me, and a lot of lovely sketches. Be warned though, it is one of the blockbuster shows and even getting there at 11.00 am didn’t stop us from facing crowds, by the time we left the queue was stretching through the whole corridor. I guess the best time to go is on Friday or Saturday evening.

Afterward a friend and I strolled through Borough Market: chorizo and roasted pepper sandwiches from Brindisa shop for lunch and the biggest discovery of the day – light and fluffy Lamington cake. I had a little try and loved it so much I went for another slice to take home.

Today I decided on another fun day, it helps that a friend from Amsterdam is in town so we met up with another friend in East End. It was a very indulgent day food – wise! We were going to White Cube but it was closed and since the day was chilly we decided to warm up at The Breakfast Club. It started innocently with hot chocolate. But soon after we decided to grab lunch there too. One of my friends and I has some super tasty French toast with bacon and bananas. I know it sounds weird but it worked.

The other friend had hash browns and chorizo.

The food was good, the cafe was warm and cozy but we had some serious calories to burn! We headed down Rivington Street, saw a very good photography exhibition at Rivington Place - Ever Young: James Barnor. Go and see it if you can, I loved it. Then we headed to Redchurch Street, this place is changing so fast, every time I visit there are more and more good places. And they have a new Labour and Wait! We meandered round Brick Lane, visited more shops and galleries and eventually ended up at Market Bar for a cup of tea (and cake!!) before going home.

9 November, 2010 

Homemaking

After a crazy week at work I am now off for two weeks and very happy about it. I am back to being tired a lot, smallest tasks are hard, mind you is nowhere near as bad as the first trimester!

I am 33 weeks today which means I have 7 weeks to go officially, probably a bit more or a bit less. I think a lot about the birth date, will my child blame me if it happens during Christmas? I would be mighty annoyed if Jesus stole my thunder!

The new house is progressing, we almost have heating which is a major improvement. But I have been banned from any DIY myself so I am stuck at home packing. Next jobs are electrics and plastering followed by tiling the bathroom and decorating. 1.5 weeks left till we move there.

There will be progress pictures to follow soon.

Being at home I am able to entertain my freelance friends, I attacked the pumpkin pile and made a wheat, roasted hazelnut and pumpkin salad, dressed with hazelnut oil dressing, it was delicious.

I used the green kabacha which is orange inside and very flavorsome with a slight nuttiness to it. It got roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and ground coriander seeds.

It was put together with salad leaves, roasted hazelnuts and wheat. I topped it with buffalo mozzarella and served it with bread.

Pears were strategically place as a healthy desert option but in the end we settled for chocolate fondant since it’s so cold, wet and grey!

It was a fun afternoon and I have more of those coming up. I also need to visit some galleries and perhaps catch a movie or two.

I am on a mission to empty out my kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer before we move. Everything is getting used slowly and I am planning all the meals carefully but the freezer is a bit of a struggle. I have a tone of lemon grass which means Thai curry but I won’t be able to use it all I’m afraid. I am doing very well with the thyme and rosemary though, it helps that it is autumn, soups and stews are the things I crave most.

Back to packing now.