Parisian Adventures: Day Deux

There’s no feeling comparable to waking up to the realization that you're in Paris.

Gone are the sleepy eyes and the nonchalant approach to switching off your alarm- you literally bounce out of bed, race to the shower and are raring to go at the speed of light- Paris was calling, that’s not someone you screen!

Beret on head and a spring in my step- we meandered on down to The Louvre to culturally enrich ourselves and be all touristy. Having been about a gazillion times, the Que was unfortunately too long for me to bear- so we obviously took the opportunity to do a bit of exploring.

Paris is full of little jewels- turn the corner and you’re likely to bump into something that you never knew was there

 like this little gem of an archway

What a beauty!

Enticed by the authentic Parisian coffee fumes on the street, we were swayed into a mid morning coffee at La Brasserie du Louvre.

Due to our obscure timing, the place was pretty empty- but I’m told come 5pm it’s bursting at the seams!

It’s the ideal place for nattering about worldy issues with friends...or more accurately who wore it better over some coffee which is exactly what we did!

I refuse to take taxi’s during the day in Paris, everything is a walk away and gives you the chance to soak up all that amazing atmosphere that’s flying around in the air especially during the festive season.

Before we knew it, darkness had fallen and the city was lit up in all its festive glory. 

At the end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées there’s a huge Ferris Wheel not hugely dissimilar to the London Eye.

It claims to offer tourists some of the best views in Paris, and boy does it...

You are battling against gale force winds and frost bite [ok it wasn’t THAT bad] but it is chilly so if you plan on doing it in the winter definitely bundle up!

Back to Mon Hotel to get scrubbed up and clean and off for my favourite time of the day- Dinner time!

I’d heard a lot about L’Avenue from friends who live in Paris and was gaped at in horror when I proclaimed at dinner tables that I hadn't yet been- but for some reason or another it just never worked out! Determined to not miss out on this occasion, it was the first thing I’d booked upon touching down in Paris.

Parisian chic oozes out of L’Avenue. The lighting is dim, the maitre d’ is well dressed and uber efficient and tables are well spaced to ensure this eateries exclusive visitor list receives ample gossiping space.

Suffering from my indecisiveness upon being presented the menu, I decided to play dish roulette and asked the maitre d’ to bring me whatever she thought was best for the day. She did well.

Absolutely divine Sol accompanied by butter mash potatoes and greens were the flavor of the day and yes you may assume that it lasted all of 5 minutes on my plate.

Well fed and watered...

Ahem.

We said our goodnights and goodbyes and fell into a deep, food induced sleep- bliss!

Kopar

After a long day that included a lengthy coach journey to hunt down the absolutely incredible Northern lights, an extensive meander through the centre of Reykjavik to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings

we’d inflicted upon ourselves a state of food deprivation.

 The Nordic people are extremely friendly, so when asking them “where can we eat our weight in delicious food” they all seemed to sing from the same hymn sheet. 

A restaurant called Kopar was the hot two syllable word on everybody’s lips. Famished and quite frankly desperate, we chucked on a pretty outfit, strapped on a pair of boots, not totally appropriate for trudging in the cold weather but whatever! 

Fur Gillet from The Kooples which you can find here 

White and Gold leaf blouse from here

Black Skater Skirt and Studded Boots from Topshop which you can grab here 

Salivating at the thought, we headed over to taste this heavenly dining experience that the Icelandic people raved about. It’s safe to say they weren’t wrong.

Kopar is a treasure to Reykjavik. The unassuming restaurant sits proudly on the marina in the centre of the city, overlooking the string line of boats placed on the harbour.

The restaurant embraces the true rustic edge that Iceland has over the rest of its Nordic counterparts. Luckily upon pre-warning, we’d managed to call up a few hours before and book a table- however warning travellers this restaurant gets seriously busy on a Saturday night!

We shuffled through the bucolic settings to our table and came face to face with our beautiful view for the night

Stunning isn’t it!

Kopar prides itself on using the freshest ingredients that are sourced from local products, both from land and sea, to create an adventurous menu to be sampled by all.

 A glass of Montalto Famiglia from Sicily for me and a round of Violet Mojito’s for my companions we were itching to try the food!

Trawling the menu over seeded butter and a fresh bread basket, never a bad thing, we’d decided on our first [wo]man vs food round.

Lightly fried spicy crab cakes that lay so innocently on a power-packed fluffy remoulade and sweet ‘n’ sour lemon sauce.

Creamy Goat Cheese parcels and Honey Salad accompanied by Rucola, the sweetest candied walnuts and contrasting sour pears.

Oh sweet Cheesus.

With round one being such a success we couldn’t possibly cheat out on round two!

A fanfare Lobster and Crab risotto packed full of delicious flavours enhanced by a shellfish sauce and fennel salad for me. Jaw droppingly amazing.

And a Zucchini “Spaghetti Style” with chick pea balls accompanied by freshly sourced white beans, cherry tomatoes and grapes crowned with hefty shavings of parmesan and basil.

Needless to say- the plates left the table significantly emptier than when they arrived.  

Que mandatory “I’m so full” remarks and “I can’t possibly eat anymore” comments... while skimming over the dessert menu. Enter round 3...

Soft Daim Cheesecake with tangy raspberry sauce, skyr sorbet and sorrel. Skyr, unbeknown to myself, is an Icelandic cultured yoghurt that is somewhat of a specialty in Iceland.

 It’s fresh and zingy which complements the softness of the daim cheesecake- definitely a recipe that I’ll be recreating!

For good measure we also opted for the brownie and after-eight ice cream laced in a coconut caramel sauce. While the brownie could’ve been slightly more gooey, the after-eight ice cream was bloomin’ fantastic!

Full and significantly high in spirits we took a stroll around the harbour and joined the Nordics to dance the night away Icelandic style! 

Aðila! 

Back to School with Chin-Chin Labs

Chemistry has always fascinated me. Although my theoretical capabilities at the periodic tabled, psychobabble subject always fell slightly further than short while at school- I never lost the excitement that overwhelmed me 3 times a week when I got to shimmy on my uber chic Lab coat and measure in copious amounts of HCL and H20 [still got it.]

Given my thrill for all things test tube’d and smoke producing, you can imagine my excitement when I happen to come across this secret little gem. Chin-Chin Labs is Europe’s premier Nitrogen Ice-cream Parlor. 

Combining some of the most unique and quite frankly delicious flavours, the apple pie marshmallow ice cream was a personal favourite; Chin-Chin Labs gives visitors that nostalgic feeling of being in a world of magic and orchestrated mystery.

Upon selecting your flavor combination the, oh so helpful, ice-cream magician selects an array of measuring jars and test tubes- pours them all into a large mixer while you stare on jaws to the ground. The addition of the liquid nitrogen has on-lookers clapping like a seal, as bounds of white smoke emerge from this cauldron like piece of apparel- note to self: must put this on the Christmas List.

What emerges is the smoothest and flavorsome ice cream with rippled elements of the originally selected flavour. As if that wasn't enough, choose from a mixture of gourmet toppings for serious ice cream envy. We’re not talking about the sprinkles and chocolate sauce of the world- oh no my dear friends- choose from a delicate list that includes truffle crumble, crunchy honeycomb and candy pieces to name a few.

As the holiday season jingles on the way, Chin-Chin Labs are welcoming the Christmas spirit with a cheeky homage to all things Mulled wine and seasonal pie related. The temperatures may be plummeting, but it's never the wrong time to visit the overly cool Chin-Chin Labs. 

Ice Bar London

London is a series of oxymoron’s. People charge the streets at the speed of light with no real place to go, we experience the lifestyle of a large metropolis when in actual fact one side to the other is a mere 80 minutes,  Uber cars tried and tested, and for some reason in the height of October, when I without doubt recall hearing from the weather lady that we were going to experience the coldest of cold winters, we’re seeing a sunshine soiree.

Now I’m a big fan of the sunshine, but there comes a point in the year where a girl wants to hang up her denim cut offs and snuggle up in a throw. Given the recent weather, the thought of a big snugly coat was a distant memory UNTIL I swanned through the [double] doors of London’s very own- Ice Bar.

Having just launched a new “Frozen Architecture” experience, the Ice Bar is definitely a quintessentially London experience. As you descend the stairs of the Heddon Street Hideaway, you’re draped in an, awfully fashionable, blue cape and guided into the magnificent ice bar.

The name Ice bar are not an exaggeration. Every element of this finely crafted venue are made of ice, from the drink glasses to the bar on which they’re nicely perched while eager guests zip around taking pictures of everything [yes, I was admittedly one of them.]

Having vigorously glugged down a cocktail

for the sake of warmth ofcourse, we decided to hang our capes up and proceed into the restaurant- Below Zero, located in the basement of the building. As its small in size, Below Zero has a very homely feel about it so it’s perfect for every occasion whether its an intimate date or catching up with old friends. We happened to pick the acoustic live mic evening that happens every Tuesday, definitely recommended!

One artist and 2 sumptuous glasses of Rioja later, we finally delivered our order to our keen waiter. Roast diver Scallops and Jerusalem artichoke puree  with sea vegetables was up first, and it definitely scored big with me!

The scallops were fresh and juicy and complemented well by the smooth Jerusalem artichoke puree.

Next up, along with a phenomenal glass of wine and an equally amazing performance came the roast tomato, polenta, pine nuts, pecorino and lime. 

Admittedly, I was slightly disappointed with this dish as I was expected a lot more, quite literally, from it. The portion was slightly small for the simpler array of flavors; nonetheless it was a dish that fell far short of rocking my world.  

Next came the belowzero ‘salt’ n’pepper’ prawns basted in chilli, garlic and coriander. These were phenomenal. Crispy fried prawns in a light flavoursome batter, a must for the seafood lovers! Unfortunately this seafood lover over zealously devoured the whole thing before the thought of a picture crossed my mind, yes they were that good!

For dessert, we ordered the espresso macaroons and parsnip ice cream 

and the roast chestnut and chocolate parfait.

Both were absolutely delicious and rounded off an incredible evening.

For visitors intending to go, definitely book in advance and head down on a Tuesday evening! The live music, delicious food, fabulous drinks and buzzing atmosphere are a combination not to be missed!