Could life get any better for someone whose teenage dream was to be People Magazine’s star reporter?

King’s Cross is London’s new foodie heaven, and if you don’t believe me, read this article in Indagare (written by, well, me). Here’s a starter from my lunch at Grain Store: Baked beetroot carpaccio, fermented beetroot dressing and spiced labneh. Don’t let mystery ingredient ‘labneh’ discourage you, the dish was delish.

How about some grilled octopus with green tomato, miso, chilli & lime?

Grain Store is just one of many terrific places to eat in King’s Cross. From Hanoi Kitchen street food  to Europe’s longest champagne bar to the ornate and very British Gilbert Scott restaurant, King’s Cross has your taste buds covered.

Next up is Marylebone (again more detail in Indagare) where I fell in love with the utterly chic, eccentric and affordable Zetter Townhouse. Below is an onyx lit bathroom.

Chinoiserie peacocks anyone?

Marylebone has some one-off boutiques worth visiting. Here’s Jose Urrutia, founder of leather goods shop La Portegna.

These men’s suede travelling slippers come in forest green, tan and navy. Pretty nifty.

Below is Urrutia’s grandmother with Ernest Hemingway on a  boat trip between Plymouth and Bombay in 1933. The two were great friends and keen travellers, an inspiration for this travel accessories shop.

From Marylebone we move west to village-y Fulham where the locals couldn’t be  friendlier.

Live like a local and get your heartbeat going at Ride Republic.

You’ve earned that Michelin starred meal at gastropub…

Bon Appétit!

November, 2015

The post Hots Spots in King’s Cross, Marylebone and yes, sleepy Fulham appeared first on Elena Bowes.

 If you can’t make it to Vietnam for the cooking lesson, below is a passport-free recipe from the fabulous Duc. 

Lust in Translation –

Ingredients for tuna rolls:

 ●   tuna – 400 grams – sushi grade, tuna belly

●   nori sheets- 4 sheets, each breaks into 3 strips

●   rice paper – 12 sheets (banh trang re)

●   garlic/onion/ginger – 2 tbsp each minced

●   fresh herbs – coriander, mint, basil

●   sesame seeds – 2 tbsp black + 2 tbsp white

●   vegetable oil for deep frying

Prepare the seasoning for the tuna:

Finely chop garlic, onion, ginger, and fresh herbs – mixed all together with sesame seeds.  Tuna cut into strips of 2cm thick then roll over the mixed seasoning.

Wrap and roll:

On the cutting board – rice paper layer with nori strip and seasoned tuna strip then fold both sides of rice paper in toward center, and continue rolling as tightly as possible without tearing.

Frying:

Heat the oil to 350 degrees – immerse the rolls in oil, use chopsticks to turn them so that they are evenly cooked.  It is ready when the rice paper turn a golden brown color

ingredient for dipping sauce:

●   natural yogurt – ½ cup

●   passion fruit – 2 whole fresh

●   red chili

●   wasabi paste

●   five spices

●   brown sugar, salt, black pepper – pinches to taste

 Prepare for dipping sauce:

 Simply mix together the passion fruit and yoghurt, add a pinch(es) of sugar, salt, and black pepper to taste, a pinch of five spices powder and ½ tsp of wasabi paste.  Cut the red chili into thin strips without the seeds and add to the sauce – leave in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

Serving:

cut the tuna rolls into bite size pieces, drizzle three drop of soy sauce in the center of each piece then ½ spoon of yoghurt sauce on top.

March, 2015

The post From Burnt Toast to Vietnamese Fusion appeared first on Elena Bowes.

Oh my goodness! Where to begin?

I immediately called my friend Natalie who, like me, seriously struggles with Fear Of Missing Out and, unlike me, is an ace researcher/organiser. Natalie decided gastro-hub Williamsburg was a good starter for us newbies. So we packed our passports descended the subway at 59th and Lex and off to Brooklyn we went. Here’s Natalie a few hours post-subway, looking a bit smug  at how well her planning has gone. She’s seated at the counter in the uber-cool Reynard restaurant at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg.

But I’m jumping. More on Wythe later. Destination 1: Brooklyn Museum near Park Slope. There we saw a fun show called “Killer Heels”. Don’t miss the somewhat raunchy videos- heels never looked so sexy.

I strongly recommend hailing  a cab from outside the museum to Williamsburg going via Bedford Stuyvesant’s Hasidic neighbourhood that seems otherworldly and at odds with happening Brooklyn. In Williamsburg we wandered on and around Grand Street taking in the cool buildings.

And the cool people where vintage hats, thigh-high boots, colourful sandals and hot pants are in, in, in.

We lunched at the Wythe, once a factory now a buzzy hangout. The line for the Ides Bar stretched around the block, but for the Reynard restaurant we just walked straight in.

Autumn Rose anyone?

Next on Natalie’s list was foodie central Smorgasburg, the ‘Brooklyn Flea Food Market’ where the hipsters descend every weekend until November 22nd/23rd and stuff their faces from a slew of tempting stalls.

It’s a big party where every hunger/thirst pang can be satisfied. Fancy some Ethiopian tea? Or perhaps a glass of  Vermont Maple Lemonade? Oaxaca Tacos, Burma Noodle Bar, Biteme Cheesecake, Jack’s Chedbread and Elvio’s Chimichurri, it’s all here. Long lines are always a helpful clue to what’s worth eating. The lines were impressive at this pork joint.

And this sweet spot…

And for those who like truffles…

Get there early because things sell out…

Finish off with a tasty Vendome macaron…

October, 2014

The post No FOMO in Sizzling Brooklyn appeared first on Elena Bowes.

Dedicated urbanites can still smell the roses amidst the diesel. Below are a few of my London summer-time picks. Kensington Gardens and the Serpentine Pavilion are easy green options.

Shoppers can catch some rays at Q, Selfridge’s pop-up terrace restaurant.

For something a bit buzzier visit Granary Square at King’s Cross where daily street vendors sell everything from Mexican tacos to Mumbai meatballs to Falafel wraps. It’s the edible U.N. here, otherwise known as Kerb street food collective.

You can watch the boats pass by.

Or follow the tennis.

And for a special garden treat outside central London –  Petersham Nurseries near Richmond Park is unbeatable. Its bohemian glasshouse restaurant (dirt floors, sublime food, cool staff) and the chic garden shop make the journey well worth it.

Fragrance maker Jo Malone believes in the power of gardens to provide solace and lift the spirit. Jo Malone Urban Community Garden Project  supports gardens in deprived areas in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Bristol. Buy a Silk Blossom Home Candle in the UK to help this cause, and bring a little piece of garden home.

July, 2014

* Petersham Nursery photo courtesy of Keiko Oikawa

The post Don’t Forget Your Sunscreen appeared first on Elena Bowes.