A Sassy Sunflower

If it wasn't for a cheeky little sunflower perched proudly in a window screaming 'look at me, look at me!', well Aggie & I might never have found this little gem.

Hmmm what is this place?  With no signage outside we snuck around the corner for a cheeky peek & could hear the buzz inside.

 

I thought it was called Standing Room Only reading the tiles on the floor (actually that's a really cool name for a cafe isn't it?), but then saw the name "Patricia" on the door.

Time to investigate further...follow that girl...

 

Aggie was delighted...treats.  Although we showed great constraint, steered clear of the delicious little goodies on offer, drooled from afar & ordered only a coffee.  Who are we??

 Gorgeous day to sit outside in the sun so we pulled up a milk crate & settled in to solve the big issues...we do our best work over a latte.  We're amazing.



Sheer concentration...another issue done & dusted I'm sure.

When solving the big issues the position of one's feet is extremely important. 

Aggie has it down pat. 

The crowd in Lt William Street is quite diverse & ranges from silks to suits to grunge...very cool.

A delightful lunch break once again, and even though the coffee wasn't the best I've had, I'm prepared to go back & give it another try as Patricia just has a great feel about her (that sounds a little wrong but I'm sure you know what I mean). x

Portugese Tarts...a Delicious Memory

Taking off on a walk to Montmatre on a gorgeous sunny day Aggie & I thought we had our day completely mapped out.  A lovely walk, a mooch around the shops followed by a lazy lunch somewhere fabulous...yep all under control.

You can't begin to imagine our sheer horror when lunchtime arrived & we couldn't find anywhere that ticked all the boxes for lunch...it just wasn't coming together as planned.  Now we're not hard to please, but life's too short to waste a meal on a bad one. 

We started to panic as we don't make good decisions on an empty stomach & memories of "The Day We Nearly Died 2012" came flooding back.  When I say nearly died...I mean of starvation & please don't laugh as at the time it was touch & go.  It was a Sunday & we'd wandered the streets of Paris for hours (I'm not exaggerating), dragging our feet as our energy levels were waning, we were just about to give up & head back to our apartment to see what we had in our fridge when voila Le Marche des Enfants Rouges appeared out of nowhere like magic!  Oh my the place was pumping, we found a seat & inhaled a plate of lasagne & a glass of red in record time.  We vowed & declared this would never happen again & we'd always have a Plan B up our sleeve.

Oops no Plan B today. What to do? 

Back to our hood, Le Marais, & worst case scenario we'd visit Madam Frommage, stock up & dine on our terrace.  Situation averted. Damn we're good!

Amazing what happens when you have a plan...the pressure's off & things just fall into place.  Bonjour Tasca!

 

What a fabulous afternoon it turned out to be.  The cheese was absolutely delicious & we couldn't pick a winner on the day as they were all hitting the spot & we didn't like to discriminate.  We're terribly nice girls.

  

However these Portugese Tarts were to die for!  Served warm, the custard was the lightest, creamiest thing I'd ever tasted & sitting inside the crispy little tart shell well it was a match made in heaven.  These were even tastier than the ones I'd had in Portugal.  Big call!

Apparently the tarts are made from a secret recipe from the owner's mother & no starch based thickeners are used which gives them their delicate lightness. Well hats off to you mama as I could have eaten a tray full!

If you're heading to Le Marais do yourself a favour & pick up a 6 pack next door at Comme a Lisbonne if you don't have time to sit down at Tasca.  

Be prepared to queue though as this place is popular. Probably a good idea to grab a couple of packs as be warned...these bad boys are highly addictive! x

A High Tea in Armadale...Fancy

Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love birthdays - just another excuse to celebrate and do something special really.  I drag mine out for as long as possible and have been known to celebrate for not only weeks, but to stretch it out for over a month.  It's just who I am and how I roll.

Anyway the birthday celebration today was not for me, but was for the lovely Madam T.

Now there's 3 of us in this "birthday crew" and generally we go out to dinner, however today was something a little different.  A High Tea at Mossgreen in Armadale if you please ...hmmm very fancy indeed.



Such a lovely light, open space, music playing softly in the background, being waited on by the fabulous and funny "Pete" (actually I don't know what our waiter's name was, but he looked like a Pete to me) well it all made for quite the ladies day out.

The Wedgewood Butterfly Bloom fine bone china is just so pretty & feminine that I almost wanted to curtsey at the table before being seated!  Spesh.
 

 

Please note Madam T's pinkie tucked away in the above shot.  Trust me it was sky high several times...in such fancy surrounds how could the pinkie not make an appearance?  It's all I'm sayin.

 

Savoury "winner" of the day for me - the petite pie, however the waldorf chicken sandwich came a close second.

 

 

 

 

The salted caramel éclair was to die for (seriously!), however...

 

 

...special mention must go to the lemon tart as it was absolutely delicious and stood to attention like a little toy soldier waiting to charge...right into my mouth.  Yummo!

 

 

 

Thanks ladies for such a fun and indulgent day and please count me in for the next "pinkie raising" high tea outing.  You're fabulous. x

A Touch of Italy in Hawksburn

After a pilates class on a Saturday morning it's a given that Madam J and I will head to Hawksburn for brekky, or a coffee at the very least.  It's only fair, as after all we have worked hard for an hour so very well deserved I say.

 

We'd seen this coffee machine as we'd walked past Officine Zero the week before and vowed we'd have to come back to check it out - this was one serious unit!

Marco, one of the owners who was our barista on the day, is typically Italian, very passionate about his coffee and chocolate, and loves a chat.

 

 

Do yourself a favour and try the Slitti "hot chocolate on a stick" - I bought one for a friend (I'm very kind), but ended up polishing it off myself (absolutely no willpower whatsoever).  Having no milk at home didn't stop me as I just sucked it off the stick...yep all class!

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

It's always nice to meet a passionate person, and one can tell when something is made with love.  My latte certainly was. x