Parisian Adventures: The Final Farewell & Angelina

With only a few short hours left to soak up as much of Paris as we could, I polished off my breakfast and headed to the bridge that is the pinnacle of Paris.

Pont de l'Archevêché more commonly known as Lovelock Bridge has always fascinated me. 

Whether it’s a love of life or the romantic sort, the notion of cementing your passion with a lock and throwing away the key is definitely a good one in my opinion!

With a love of living on my mind, I purchased my lock from a sweet little tourist shop near the bridge, scribed it and went on a hunt to find my designated space on the bridge to keep my love locked down...

Unfortunately this was seemingly difficult as the bridge is literally bursting with people who have had the same sort of idea.

 Deciding to not be so “status-quo” [that and there really wasn’t any space AT ALL on the bridge]- we headed to Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor to do the honors-

 definitely recommended as there’s just so much more space!

Love successfully locked down, we headed across the bridge to partake in a few more touristy endeavors before our flight.

 Notre Dame de Paris happened to be our first encounter. The epitome of French gothic architecture dating back to 1163- there had to be a selfie somewhere in there...

Jacket from here, Tshirt from here, Jeans from here, Bag from here.

With just a few precious hours to spare, I couldn’t leave one of my favourite cities in the world without visiting the one and only Angelina for some naughty treats.

Now warning readers- usually there’s a minimum of a half an hour Que to get into Angelina but I promise you persistence will definitely pay off!

We lucked out and managed to only Que for around 5 minutes before being seated- and it took us less than that to decide exactly what we wanted.

One last glass of Bordeaux and the carrot tagliatelle to warm us up

And then came the main event.

For my Angelina first-timers; to get or not to get the hot-chocolate is not an option. Get it- and get it with extra whipped cream [if you’re going to do it, do it right!]

The thickest, richest, sweetest yet bitter hot chocolate that you could imagine with an iceberg of whipped cream sinking fast into a sea made of chocolate.

Have another look...

Accompanied by the signature Angelina’s Mont Blanc; a snow topped mountain made of a meringue base piled high with extrusions of chestnut puree and filled to the brim with whipped cream.

Delicious.

Angelina is just as much of a necessity when in Paris as seeing The Eiffel Tower; go, order the hot chocolate and live in glorious sin!

Drive me Jivara

The recent change in weather has, quite frankly, made me miserable.

 My denim cut-offs and SPF 30 have been, temporarily, stowed away to make way for a colorful collection of sweaters and umbrellas to see me through this depressing transition between summer and autumn that London is currently experiencing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the crunch of Autumn leaves as much as the next person but it is this baffling ‘in between’ weather that has caused me to be desolate.

Craving a pick-me up, I headed to one of my favorite restaurants in London to encapsulate myself with what can only be described as the dessert of a lifetime. Ladies & Gentleman, I present to you...

                        

The Jivara Bomb.

And believe me it is The Bomb.

Upon ordering, a milk chocolate, hazelnut praline and rice krispies ball of a concoction that sits so elegantly on an unassuming plate arrives at your table. Look at her all unassuming...

As if butter wouldn't melt!

Oh but it sure does! The wonderful waiter leans over to pour a cascading waterfall of chocolate over her to reveal what can only be described as a smooth mousse like ice cream to be enjoyed with your surrounding river of chocolate. 

Dreamy.

Although the recommended wine on the menu is the VORS Pedro Ximénez “Noé” Gonzalez Byass Jerez, Spain, I prefer to go for the Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne. 

The bubbling connotations of the champagne complement this dessert choice perfectly and are the perfect round-up to a truly phenomenal meal [take my word for it and order the Fresh Water Prawn- it’s scrumptious!]

Choose from two London locations, Hanway Place & Mayfair, and beat your end of summer blues by heading down to Hakkasan London to enjoy the Jivara Bomb. 

Row Row Row your Glass Boat

Being by the sea always calms me.

Whether it’s dipping my toe into The Indian Ocean or swinging my legs off of the barge on The Albert Embankment, there’s something about those waves lapping up that instantly puts me at ease. So you can imagine my excitement when dinner was booked at the glass vessel that glides across London’s best-loved sights aboard The Thames- The Symphony from Bateaux London.

Deciding that only floor length glamorista would be appropriate for such an occasion, I threw on my dress, hair sprayed to within an inch of flammable [boat hair is not attractive], and began my adventure down by the river.

Breathtaking is the only way to describe the view that The Symphony so happily places on your doorstep. Accented by dark wooden flooring, sleek furniture and spacious atmosphere- couples, families and friends all board this boat to soak in the incredible sites that London has to offer-

I boarded it for the food.

A 3 course delight with more than enough options for the carnivores and the herbivores, I was singing at sea before the boat had even left the dock. Accompanied by the most incredibly suave jazz gentleman- the siren was sounded and off we went, leaving all of our problems ashore and setting sail to a metropolis of blue [a bit dramatic for The Thames but I told you- water does this to me!]

You have to choose your entire menu, which I'm not so fond of but hey when in Rome [again- yes I know it’s just The Thames]. For starters I opted for the Confit Rabbit and Duck Leg Terrine accompanied by fruit & nut bread, roasted fig and rocket cress. A carnivores dream. The terrine was smooth and biteable, and set the tone for the rest of the meal.

Soon to follow, post a palette cleansing Apple and Calvados Sorbet...

Pheasant Breast with squash and horseradish cake, roasted chestnuts and cranberries. This wasn’t my favourite course as I felt that the Pheasant could have been seasoned slightly better, but the squash and horseradish cake was delicious!

And finally, the apple of my eye – or banana in this case, dessert. A milk chocolate mousse accompanied by orange sorbet and banana tuile [ which rest be assured, I did receive many top-ups of!] Do not even contemplate ordering anything else, this is a real treat!

Consumed in the plethora of food we completely neglected the most incredible sites that were engulfing us, but at a cruise time of 2 hours and 45 minutes there’s plenty of time for both!

Fed, watered [wine’d] and rested- off we went for a stroll down The Embankment. London- you do me proud!