Tapas'd up at Barrafina

If you like the idea of a tapas bar serving fresh sea food, chances are that you will like Barrafina. This small L shaped bar opened in 2007 and judging by the queue outside its door, its pretty popular. The interior is quite compact, with stools dotted along the bar and the chefs cooking away in front of you. As there is no reservation you have to be prepared to wait, we ordered glasses of white wine, olives and  bread and deliberated on the specials.

I decided on the Carabinero and some Padro Peppers, the hubby went for the Octopus and Milk Fed Lamb from the regular menu.

Both the Octopus and the Lamb were quite good (I had a taste of both) but it wasn't as good as my Carabinero, I mean look at that big fat shrimp in all its red glory: cue picture of very happy me.

Of course while all this eating was taking place, I saw the person next to me order a Tuna Tartar. Just looking at it made me want to try it, but too late, the tuna's finished. But at that point I saw someone loading fresh lobsters onto the ice tray and I went for that instead. And it was a treat.

Nice and juicy with a light salad, the lobster was the star for me. Besides all the food and wine, the bar is also a great spot to people watch. You see a good mix of people and the atmosphere is buzzing. Watching the chefs get on with their food preparations is fascinating, sort of like a live cooking show.

We ended our meal with a much needed coffee and two Crema Catalans, caramelised on the outside and creamy on the inside.

If you are in and around London this summer, pop over for a visit. I visited the Frith Street one but there is a new Barrafina in Covent Garden too.

Ramen at Bone Daddies

This year has been a bit quiet on the travel front but I thought I would post a few pics from some of my previous outings. First up is Bone Daddies in Soho. My first impression is that this is a nice place to go during winters, mainly because of the seating arrangements, bar stools across the window and sharing tables for big crowds. On a hot summer night this would not be my first choice, but on a cold winters day, with reindeer noses and puffs of steam coming out of your mouth, it is your own cozy nook to enjoy a bit of good food. By the way, from the looks of it, this place is always crowded, and of course no reservation unless there is a big group. So hope for the best and be prepared to wait a bit. And dress casual, and girls, please no sack sized bags. Its pretty annoying when you have to share your teeny tiny table space with a big designer bag of the person seating next to you. or better still, invest in a handbag hanger, that way everyone's happy.

Back to food, we were pretty hungry and thirsty when we came in so we went for soft shell crabs and fried chicken.

Went for a round of cocktails which were passable. But the mains more than made up for any disappointment in the drinks department.

What I liked about the food at Bone Daddies were that broths were hearty and flavoursome and not some insipid liquid with strips of meat and noodles floating around. This was broth with heart, enough flavours to pack a punch and very very filling. A perfect bowl of satisfaction on a cold winter's night. 

Where to eat - Burger & Lobster London

Going by the number of tweets and instagrams, I can safely say that Burger and Lobster has become a London institution. Concept wise its pretty neat, serve only burgers and lobsters with chips and garlic butter sauce, add a good mix of cocktails/beers/wine, and you will be guaranteed to never find an empty seat in the restaurant. Everything is for £20 (with sides) so price wise its a bargain in London. They don't take table reservation unless its a party of 6 or more so the wait line is huge. My suggestion is that you pop in before the rush hour, around 5-5.30ish in the evening, grab a drink and enjoy your meal in peace. Location wise, B&L have four branches, Soho, Mayfair, Farringdon and the City. I went to the Soho one and here's what I ordered.

I went for the Lobster instead of the burger and it came with chips, salad and garlic butter sauce. You need to get a bit grubby with your hands while eating this so don't be shy. I had a trendy Topshopy set on one side and a YSL and Chanel flag bearer on the other, and trust me, they were all getting down and dirty with their meal. So bib on and attack. 

Just a word of warning, this is not a place for vegetarians unless you are happy with chips and salads. Another thing I really liked about this place was that they never hurried us, even when there was a huge waiting line outside. Burger & Lobster is a lively place where you can catch up with friends or just unwind after a long London day. If you are visiting London or planning to, pop in for a meal. You won't be disappointed.   

Hair Cut and Other Stories

Since the time I adopted my roomies hair philosophy of "ghar ki kheti, ugg jayegi" I have shared a chequered history with haircuts, some good, some bad. My last hair cut could definitely be included in the book of bad. But after eight months of struggling with an awkward length, I knew that it was time to shorn off my mane. A haircut for me is a very emotional thing. I mean I look at my face in the mirror at least five times a day, and I would like to see a reflection of what I perceive to be in harmony with me: a woman, a carer, a survivor with a taste for hot chocolate. Which in non esoteric terms means a haircut I can live with and most importantly know how to style. So I started my search on the internet through recommendations made by bloggers and their readers and narrowed down on five salons. Interestingly none of them were in my city, but I didn't mind a drive if I could get what I wanted. As luck would have it, none of these five places had appointments available which were suitable for me. And this turned out to be such a blessing in disguise because in about a months time I got to make a surprise trip to London and I discovered Smiths and Tom, the only hairdresser till date who really made me enjoy the whole process of transformation with each snip.

I actually came across Smiths in a lifestyle blog but I had my doubts. Firstly, the blogger in question who obviously had her cut for free, had a lifestyle which was completely different from mine. Secondly, I didn't want to end up in a salon where I pay through my nose and end up with a hairdresser pushing their products at me. So I called them up and asked for the expertise available and the price. I know it shouldn't, but it always comes as a surprise to me when services give you what you want. Websites can sometimes be a bit misleading or intimidating with the kind of images they put up. But if you know what you want, more often than not, you can actually get what you want or at least a close approximation of it. So appointment was made and everything seemed nice and hunky dory except for the directions.

I think Smiths has a couple of branches, I went to the Soho one. And the google map directions for it is absolutely crazy. I like my directions to be old school, you know like get out at Oxford Circle station, walk straight ahead from Topshop. Landmarks include Zara, H&M and French Connection. Reach HMV, cross the road, walk up the seedy lane. End of street, grey door on the right. I understand this language, the google one of Poland Street and Regent street is just blag for me. To make it worse, for some reason I wore a skirt, in London when its raining. Fashion victim tots and my vagina was freezing. 15 minutes left for my appointment and I still can't find the damn place. Call up the salon, put on hold, finally answered by a receptionist who was as clueless as me direction wise. I ended up ambushing a couple of Polish waiters on a break. My logic was Polish waiters would know Polish Street, talk about generalisation, but I was clutching at straws. And I was right, five minutes later my trials were over. I had finally made it to my destination.

And now I finally come to the man who made all of this worthwhile, Tom. When I first walked in, I was thinking of a trim with a side fringe and some soft waves in the front. But Tom managed to talk me out of the safe style, and instead we went for a Juergen Teller overload, a bit of Hannah Holeman from Marc Jacobs Daisy ad and Daria Werbowy's Celine cut minus the braid. A shaggy chic, deconstructed shape which I could style myself. To be honest I haven't perfected it, but I am slowly getting the hang of it. Now if only I could get the guaranteed sunshine to go with my hair, this summer would be awesome.