Weekend Brunches: Lantana Cafe

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a stunning winters day out there in London today, very cold but the sun in shining and the roofs are white from the overnight frost (no snow yet this winter..) and with this sun streaming into my cosy bedroom while I'm enjoying breakfast in bed I have to say it's a pretty lovely start to my day!

Yesterday I ended up checking out a cafe in London that had been on my brunch-places-to-visit list for a while now. So I rugged up in my leather jacket and a warm tartan poncho/scarf and hopped onto my bike to meet my friend in Fitzrovia for one of my favourite weekend past times; BRUNCH :)

Lantana is a bustling little café tucked down a laneway off Goodge Street in central London. This Aussie-run place proves once again that when it comes to brunch the Antipodean's do it best. The downside to it being such a popular brunch spot is that you are going to have to be patient to get a table. Note to self get there early or be content to wait. My friend actually arrived around 11am and annoyingly was told she could not get a table until I had arrived and was asked to wait outside (in -1 temperatures I might add) until I got there to be seated. Not such a brilliant start to the day for her.... 

She in the end managed to convince the staff to give her a table and ordered herself a coffee and banana bread until I had made my way over through London traffic. 

The menu at Lantana changes regularly but staples include sweetcorn fritters, poached eggs and Cinnamon french toast. Everything on the menu looked rather tasty but I went for my usual poached eggs on grain toast with smashed avocado and smoked salmon. 

The eggs were poached perfection and I always love myself some avo + smoked salmon but only thing that bugged me about this dish was that the bread wasn't really toasted and I have to say I prefer my bread nice and crunchy!

My friend had the corn fritters stacked w streaky bacon, fresh spinach and slow roast tomatoes served w an avocado chilli lime salsa and crème fraiche.

Wearing my new 'NOIR embellished' T-shirt from ZARA (link)

Even though I really didn't need it, I couldn't resist ordering the toasted banana bread with spiced mascarpone and fresh passion fruit as my brunch 'dessert'!

I loved the cinnamon spiced mascarpone and the passionfruit tangy twist with the sweet banana bread. And yes I finished all of this.......

Overall I'd say Lantana is a great brunch spot in central London; delicious food, good coffee and a buzzing laid-back Aussie vibe. Oh and if you are in a hurry, or can't be bothered waiting in line for a table there’s a takeaway counter next door selling tarts, salads, sandwiches and oh-so-delicious-cakes....

 Crack cake anyone? Haha ;)

Lantana is open 7 days a week, serving breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday and all day (9am-5pm) brunch on the weekend. 

Lantana Cafe, 13 Charlotte Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1SN 

www.lantanacafe.co.uk

A ray of sunshine! #

A few weekends ago we were blessed with bright blue skies, balmy temperatures and lots of sunshine in the UK. London already is a fantastic city to live in but let me tell you it becomes an entirely different place when it is hot and sunny! The sun just seems to brings out the best in everyone; it becomes the happiest place on the planet. People will be out in their summer dresses or shorts with sandals, soaking up the sun in the many beautiful parks, having picnics or sitting on the terraces of many great cafes followed by drinking Pimm’s in the pub and alfresco dinning or rooftop BBQ’s!!

I think because we are not often blessed with that kind of weather here it makes us appreciate the sunshine and heat so much more that everyone is just super HAPPY!! In a nutshell, you can’t beat London on a summers day!

When it’s such lovely weather I always feel like wearing lots of colour to reflect my sunny mood; I thought this bright yellow dress fit the bill perfectly; I felt a bit like a ray of sunshine ;)

Dress: bought this about 3 years ago in New Zealand at Principals
Shoes: Nude flat sandals from ZARA, got these a couple of month's ago. Super comfy!
Jacket: Denim Jacket by Bershka (as seen here)

Gold & Turqoise clover necklace by Regina Pierallini (link)

Sunglasses by RayBan
Watch by Michael Kors

I started this glorious day with breakfast in the sun at Gusto in Notting Hill, which is a lovely little Italian cafe/restaurant just down the road from my house! It's so nice to have a fantastic local place where you can go for a coffee, sit outside and enjoy delicious food and super friendly service.

My delicious organic yoghurt with home made granola, banana and honey!

On my nails (and toes) I am wearing my favourite nail polish this summer
Bourjois 10 Days Nail Enamel in Macaron #25 (as seen here)

Sunshine makes me SO happy :)

And as I am writing this post as it is raining outside....c'mon please bring back summer?! xoxo

Stripes and sequins >

Out and about in South Kensington on a lovely spring Sunday a few weekends ago....

♥ Red skinny Jeans by ZARA (cropped with gold zips) as seen here

♥ Thigh high flat boots from Oasis

♥ Ginatricot Bag as seen here

♥ Blue Stripe Sequin Top from River Island (link)

♥ Watch by Michael Kors

Me, the 'stripes addict' that I am, spotted this top at River Island and fell in love instantly. Stripes and sequins, now what better combo could a girl wish for?My friend and I met up at one of our regular brunch places in South Kensington; Le Pain Quotidien When we go here we always order a large bowl of honey banana porridge, it's the best!My Ray Ban Aviator Sunglasses (link)

Weekend brunches: St Ali & You are Here!

A couple of weekends ago a friend of mine was visiting London so we decided to catch up over one of my favourite past times; BRUNCH!

On my trusty, couldn’t live without it, iPhone I have a ‘places to eat’ note that is ever growing and is separated by brunch places, restaurants and even specific London suburbs. Yes I am a bit of a (super) organised freak like that haha ;) High on my brunch places-to-go list was the venue for our catch up; ‘St Ali’ in Farringdon.

St Ali is Australian owned and a sister branch of an esteemed coffee-focused cafe established in Melbourne 11 years ago. Most of my favourite London brunch places seem to be Antipodean owned or operated. Antipodeans are real foodies and they seem to have the formula for cafe culture down pat; creative, simple but delicious food, good coffee and friendly service!

A discreet entrance on a busy road in Farringdon leads you to a door with their name lit in light-bulbs! There was quite a large queue outside the door so I was expecting a long wait but surprisingly they dealt with the people waiting very efficiently and after about fifteen minutes we were lead upstairs to our table. The restaurant is quite large and has a really cool industrial yet warm feel to it;  there's a huge roaster downstairs, a big coffee counter, lots of bare brick walls and gorgeous black and gold textured skull bones wallpaper! 

I ordered myself a fresh mint tea while taking a while to umm and ahh over what to order from their mouth-watering menu; it all just sounded sooo delicious! In the end I decided on the corn fritters, baby spinach, grilled halloumi, kasundi with poached eggs.....

...which was definitely the right choice! Fluffy cooked fritters, with salty haloumi, a sweet chutney and perfectly poached eggs. Nom nom. My friend ordered the baked free range eggs, roast pepper, chorizo, saffron & tomato ragu with feta which was delicious but think he definitely suffered from some food envy hehe ;)

After our meals I was craving something sweet and their toasted banana bread with date & orange jam and espresso mascarpone definitely hit the spot. It was just WOW!!

If you are ever around Farringdon (or I'd say it's even worth making a special d-tour for) then definitely check out this great restaurant and I bet their lunch or dinner menu will be just as amazing!

St Ali
27 Clerkenwell Road
London, EC1M 5RN
Phone: 020 7253 5754
Web: www.stali.co.uk

After brunch we walked further east to roam around the Columbia Road flower markets!

We bought some flowers, herbs and soaked up the sun while enjoying a cold beverage!

In a little art/print shop on Columbia Road I also felt drawn to a print by French graphic designer Sarah Boris so I decided to buy it for my place..

"Sarah's minimalist style is presented in ‘You Are Here,’ which references the not so unfamiliar icon placed on outdoor maps. It playfully reminds the viewer of their presence and spectatorial position in front of the piece, acknowledging that they are there, if you needed reminding!!"

What I really loved about this print is that it will remind me to 'live in the moment'. Anywhere I will have this on my walls, no matter what country or city I live in, it will allow me to focus on 'I am here'!

♥ "The past is never there when you try to go back. It exists, but only in memory. 

To pretend otherwise is to invite a mess." Chris Cobbs

♥ "With the past, I have nothing to do nor with the future. I live now." Ralph Waldo Emerson

♥ Carpe Diem "Seize the day"

Sorry it's a little late this week but still Happy Hump Day everyone. Night night xoxo

Weekend Brunches: The Providores & Tapa Room

As you know I love my brunches and this weekend I found another gem in London that will definitely become a regular I think! Let me introduce you to 'The Providores & Tapa Room' in Marylebone :)

'The Providores' had been on my list-to-go-to for a while because it's run by co-owners Peter Gordon and Michael McGrath. Peter Gordon is a well-known New Zealand, but UK based, chef that is known for his electic style of cuisine, called Fusion. Back in NZ I loved his Auckand restaurants Dine & Bellota and in London I am a big fan of his funky fusion restaurant Kopapa in Soho. So it's fair to say I had pretty high expectations of the Providores. I'd been told by friends to either show up and wait for a table in the Tapa Room downstairs (as it was bound to be busy!) or make a booking for upstairs, which is a slightly more formal setting. In the end I went for a booking upstairs as I was probably going to be hungry and not wanting to wait hehe.  Once we received the menu we were spoiled for choice; so many delicious options to choose from! So over a pot of fresh mint tea we pondered....

In the end I chose the Changa Turkish Eggs (£6.50), a bowl of two perfectly poached eggs, silky yoghurt, and hot chilli butter served with slices of granary bread. When it arrived I was definitely not disappointed, how tasty does this look?!!

You might think yoghurt and eggs, what a strange combination but that's fusion cooking for you and trust me the two flavours (especially with the added chilli butter) complement each other perfectly. This dish was unbelievably incredible!

My friend had the grilled chorizo with sweet potato and miso has, with a soft boiled egg, garlic labne and star anise cashew nut pralin (£9.50) which was also super delicious! Next time I think I might have to try the French toast stuffed with banana and pecans with grilled smoky bacon and vanilla verjus syrup....doesn't that just sound scrumptious?

The service at the Providores & Tapa room is friendly and efficient and they apparently serve a great cup of coffee, using beans from the Monmouth Coffee company which is well known for their flavoursome blend. Brunch at the Providores is definitely worth every penny because the food is excellent and so unlike what you might cook up at home!

The Providores and Tapa Room

109 Marylebone High Street

W1U 4RX, London
Telephone +44 (0) 20 7935 6175

And yes it's that time of the week again!

Happy Hump Day everyone :) xoxo Roz

Weekend Brunches: Lowry & Baker +

Wow aren’t the days are just flying by at the moment! The other weekend I discovered this fantastic wee brunch cafe in Notting Hill that I thought I’d share. Lowry & Baker is a seriously cute cafe on Portobello Road, up where it’s a bit quieter so you do not get swamped by the thousands of tourists. The set up is very casual with lots of mismatched tables and chairs and it has a basic counter right smack-bang in the middle of the cafe for preparing food. This place is so tiny that the food is actually all prepared right there behind this counter on a little portable kitchen stove; it feels a bit like walking into your friends kitchen!    
They have a regularly updated chalked-up menu on the wall with delicious breakfast or lunch choices plus an impressive display of muffins, cakes, pies and banana breads to lead you even further into temptation. I personally don’t drink a lot of coffee but have been told the coffee here is excellent too (Monmouth brand).
I chose the poached eggs on toasted sourdough with mashed avocado and smoked salmon! I love how the food and drinks are served on vintage tea plates! Plus the fresh flowers on each table are such a lovely touch.The poached eggs were perfection; there is a real art to cooking the eggs JUST right!!This yummy breakfast certainly disappeared from that pretty plate rather quickly ;) If you are ever in London or Notting Hill I definitely recommend checking this place out. The perfect weekend chilled out breakfast spot..
Lowry and Baker
339 Portobello Road
London W10 5SA
020 8960 8534   
www.lowryandbaker.com

And yes it’s that time of the week again....
Happy Hump Day everyone :) xoxo

Brunch in my winter woollies..

Back in November Australian restaurateur and food writer Bill Granger launched his first restaurant in London. Bill is internationally renowned for his easy-going approach to cooking and particularly well-known for his way with brunch. The New York Times actually christened him the ‘Egg Master’! And as you know I love my brunches so as soon as Granger & Co opened its doors in my local hood, I just couldn’t wait to check it out! So on a sunny autumn Sunday morning two weeks ago me and my flatmate excitedly walked down to Westbourne Grove to secure ourselves a seat for brunch.

Unfortunately we weren’t the only people keen to admire Bill’s famous eggs which meant we were told that there was a TWO HOUR wait for a table. But still keen as beans we decided to put our name down on the list, grabbed a coffee at (amazing nearby café) Ottolenghi and browsed around Portobello Road to kill some time. After about an hour our tummies were starting to grumble very loudly so we headed back to see if a table was close to being ours. Luckily we didn’t have to wait much longer and got seated in the buzzing new restaurant. After reviewing the menu (with drool-worthy items like ricotta hotcakes and sweet corn fritters) I decided on the famous Bill’s scrambled eggs with a side of gravlax. I also got a fresh mint tea, which is one of my favourite drinks. I have to say we weren’t too happy with how long the wait for our food was but the place was packed and buzzing with people and with it being the first weekend they were open, a wait was to be expected. After quite some time the food finally arrived and I have to say….YES it was worth the wait. These eggs, oh-em-gee, seriously divine!!! His secret……..cream. Yes not good for the waistline but sooooooooooo good for the soul ;)

If you want to try to make Bill Granger’s (heavenly) scrambled eggs at home, here is there recipe! (Link) I’m definitely planning another visit to Granger & Co in the near future to try the sweetcorn fritters (they looked amazing) and also the evening dinner menu. Had you heard of Bill Granger before? I definitely recommend a little visit to Granger & Co to spoil yourself to the world’s best scrambled eggs. Yes….you’re worth it ;)

Granger & Co
www.grangerandco.com
175 Westbourne Grove
London W11 2SB
T 020 7229 9111

Outfit wise I was wearing some comfy white winter woolies!

♥ Jumper: white cable-stitched sweater with openings from ZARA in Medium (online here for £35.99)    

♥ Demin Skirt by GAP (as seen here) 

♥ Black woollen knit knee high socks from H&M

♥ Black over-the-knee-high boots (as seen here)

I love wearing my denim skirt in fall and winter paired with knits, tights and boots and this white woolly definitely kept me cosy and warm. And the big smile on my face? Yes this photo was taken after consuming the best scrambled eggs ever ;)  xoxo

Weekend Brunches - Formosina

Most people that know me, know that one of my favourite things to do in the weekend is going for brunch! I just love having a relaxing morning and then meeting friends between 11am-12.30pm (depending on what I've been up to the night before hehe) for lots of cups of tea and delicious food. When it comes to brunch food I am a big fan of poached eggs with mushrooms or smoked salmon but then again I also can't resist a creamy honey banana porridge or fresh bread smothered with chocolate spread :) 

In London I am always exploring new places for brunch and thought I might start sharing my favourite brunch hounds on the blog, I hope you like it!

This weekend me and a friend met up at my house in Notting Hill and walked over to neighbouring Maida Vale for brunch. We decided to try out the swanky looking eatery called 'Formosina'.

This lovely little Maida Vale restaurant opened about 6 month's ago and is owned and styled by Jacqui B, who also owns the interior design shop 'Jacqui B' down the road from the restaurant. I just love the funky interior of Formosina. It has a very high girly Kitsch factor due to the crystal chandeliers, white tables but most of all the awesome art work!

All the art work in Formosina is by the artist Maximillian Wiedemann. I seriously want one of those VOGUE canvasses for my house but doubt they are in my price range...

Food wise the menu had various breakfast and lunch options but me and my friend both craved porridge so we ordered that. It was served perfectly hot, thick, creamy and topped with fresh fruit and honey. It was absolutely delicious and filled our tummies in preparation for our morning walk along Regent's canal to Regents Park. I will definitely come back to Formosina again to see what the rest of their food is like. I think this restaurant would also be a great venue for a fun girly evening dinner because the cocktails on the menu looked yum!

18 Formosa Street, London W9 2

Area: Maida Vale