Kaspar's at the Savoy - Pre-Valentines Dinner

You know the drill. Valentines is approaching, the pressure is building and the restaurants are cashing in. So the man’s role is to call around dozens of restaurants, just to hear that they are all booked up. If the call is done about 6 months in advance, you get a killing combination of outrageous pricing for little value…and a glass of the house champagne.

Typically it’s a set menu, with limited options, at double the usual a-la-carte price, cooked en-masse given the limited options and the masses of people in the dining area. Oh, and did I mention the glass of champagne?


Tune tartar; the Scallop in the background

Instead, Mr T has taken a pre-emptive strike. And what a strike it was. The night before a certain roman saint died on Via Flaminia in the north of Rome is a very strange night indeed. The restaurants are not full, the prices are normal (read as printed on the menus), and you can choose your own dish from the full menu. Strange indeed.

Mr T booked a table for two at the Kaspar's Seafood Bar and Grill - at The Savoy, on Valentine’s eve. And boy what an inspired call that was.

The décor is 1920 heyday. Glamorous, sophisticated, angular geometries. Mirrors everywhere, large and dramatic chandeliers, with chrome, glass and more mirrors. Not light, but chic. Shouting, look at me.

We sat by the window overlooking the river. You can watch the world go by: the Ferraris of the city boys as they drive back home to Chelsea on the Embankment, the brightly lit Southbank buildings and the occasional river boats.

The food. It was sublime.

We started with the yellow fin tuna tartar and the scallop. The former was perfect, smooth and gentle, with a slice of avocado which added the right amount of smoothness. The scallop was perfect, juicy, succulent, and raw enough to feel the ocean.



Goats Cheese Ravioli

The main course was even better. The pumpkin risotto was deep and round, almost like a good red wine. The cep mushrooms felt like natural resident in that neighbourhood. The other main was even better. The Sweet potato and goat’s cheese ravioli combined flavours and textures that can make a grown man cry. The flavours were simultaneously light, yet pronounced; wide, yet laser sharp; The large ravioli were just casually lying there in a herbs based dressing, that was gently caressing the large round raviolis.

The desert didn’t disappoint either. We shared a plum baked cheesecake. Not too sweet, so not to attack your pallets. The thickness and textures were just perfect, and the chucks of European plums added some focal point.

Thank god for Valentine’s eve.

http://www.kaspars.co.uk/

 

Healthy Banana Cake – no sugar, no butter, no oil and no guilt

Slylogs,

 

Healthy Banana Cake - no butter, no sugar, no oil. A saint's cake

Ever felt the urge to have something sweet, but felt too guilty about the consequences? Fear not, stand tall, I’ll let you in on a secret weapon. A banana cake that eschews butter, sugar and other nasties, yet tastes divine.

This banana cake is so yummy that you want to have another slice. And the best news is that you can!

There is no added sugar, no added butter or oil and nothing to make you feel guilty. So here we go:

 

Ingredients

• 3-4 super ripe bananas (blackening skins are the best), mashed
• 2 medium size eggs, beaten
• 1.5 cups, self-raising wholemeal flour
• 2 table spoons Philadelphia light cream cheese
• 100 gram plain chocolate chips
• 1 table spoon baking powder

Serves: 8

Directions



Preparation  time: 10min  ›  Cook: 50min   

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Use silicon baking tray (so need to grease it)

Mix together all ingredients (remember to add the flour and the baking powder last).

Bake for 50-55 minutes, and leave it to call off for another 15 minutes.



Remember

Ripe bananas are a great natural substitute to refined sugar. To add sweetness, you can add 2 table spoons Xylitol sweetener, which is a great way to provide sweet flavour without the downsides of refined white sugar.

Butter is not a bad thing, but I prefer to use less of it if I can help it. To help the cake stand tall, I use light cream cheese which provides the scaffolding required, but with a fraction of the fat.

For a personal touch you can add some crushed pecan nuts or add 2 table spoons of chocolate drink powder to add some dark brown hue to the cake.

Brew some fresh coffee, sit back and have your (healthy) cake.

Life is good.

Have a good weekend.

 

How to Create the Day to Night Classy Look

Stylogs,

You try to balance a busy life. Your work, you need to look after the house, the kids, the after school activities, the bills, the supermarket shopping and that’s before you even take account of the man, who needs another whole article on its own. You need to find a way to dress quickly and efficiently in a way that would help you transition seamlessly from morning routine, to formal work dress code to evening going out look.

Can it be done?

The key is finding your inner style and body rhythm. Depending on your body shape and size you can always find a set of clothes that will flatter you. Taking account of your skin tone, your face shape and colour of your eyes, a simple make up work can really magically transform your presence from a tired rat-race zombie to a confident leader.

Start your day right. Go with solid colours shift dress. This will serve you well throughout the day. In the summer (thanks God it's back) choose classy sandals, or low heel ballerina pumps with colour matching gloss or matt finish. If the summer is a British one, a pull over or jumper may be required.

Keep jewellery to the absolute minimum, their time will come later in the day. A white gold necklace, with matching earrings and maybe one or two bracelets, but keep it light and understated.

Remember, you will raise your decibels later in the evening.

Along with the understated look, keep your make up colours in the beige, nude space (you can go with some rosy tones to lighten it up). Avoid stark colour, avoid smoky eyes and keep the lipstick to natural colours.

For mid-afternoon, you can spike things up a notch. Pair your dress with boots, such as heel boots, cowboy (cowgirl?) boots to add some flair. If the temperature is on the wrong side of warm, go with a casual blazer. Make sure the blazer’s colour comes from the same family as the boot

Your mid-afternoon jewellery can also grow in stature and drama. Silver, gold can definitely add in a level of prominence, but still I would steer clear of pure and cheap bling.



Night out? As night approaches, and the atmosphere becomes less desk and more club, you can surely turn up the heat. Pair your dress with killer high heel pumps, put the foot down and go all out with some strong make up look (dark colours, bright lipstick, smoky eyes).


Don’t forget your clutch. If a jacket is required (and it probably is), go for bright colours to ensure you get the attention you deserve.

What to wear with shorts

Stylogs,


Classy look for short with a pale blue top

I remember times, years ago where all I was wearing was shorts, sandals, light and bright tops and spent my summer days climbing trees and eating ice cream.

If it’s not a dream, it must be that my memory is playing games on me. Summer used to be about freedom and independence.

With a welcome emergence of summer in England, I suddenly faced an unfamiliar dilemma. Summer is here, the mercury is rising, and I don’t know what to wear. You can’t just pull whatever your touch from your wardrobe and nothing really fits properly, and nothing matches the other bits. Crumbs, it is quite tricky to get the right ‘summer’ look.

So here’s my take on what to wear with shorts. As always, there is no single answer. It depends on your body shape, skin complexion, face, hair, you name it. But in principle, unless you are a size zero super model (or near enough), steer clear from anything too tight. The shorts can hug your waist but the rest of your outfit should be looser and certainly not tight.

Casual yet super sleek combination of
short denims with long sleeved top

You may want to keep some parts of your body covered to offset the acreage of skin that your exposed legs now show to the world. So go with long sleeves which not only counter the exposed skins on the legs but also make this differentiation look quiet cute. V neck tops can work well for women with smaller breast when combined with light shorts, as they take the focus away from the cleavage and spread it around the body. If you have broad shoulders, you should vouch for boat neck, as they will balance out the top half of the body with the shorts and legs.

When going for a summery look with shorts, I’d highly recommend keeping the jewellery on show to a minimum. This keeps the balance between being ‘free’ and chic just about right.

You can definitely go for sandals if the temperature is right (or if you have a nice tattoo that you need to the share with the world, anyone?).  

 

Never ever wear socks with sandals. That’s not allowed under any political system (dictatorial, autocratic and even democratic). Also, if you go for exposed feet in sandals, please please make sure you treat your cracked heels, and your toe nails are well trimmed and manicured (you can go for a summery colour polish, or just with something quiet, depending on your mood).

A Little Visit to Zurich

Stylogs,

I always find this an eye opening experience. Travelling to another country is testing your acceptance and perceptions of other cultures. I didn’t go far, both geographically and culturally, and yet the differences are obvious.

Zurich in the summer - Cafe on Limmatquai by the
Limmat River

I visited Zurich for work. Although the flight left Heathrow at an unsocial hour (6am, just think about what time the taxi picked me up…painful), I arrived early enough into town.

The first impression was how clean and quiet the train from the airport was. I never thought a train could be, well, quiet. When you travel on the London underground (or overground) you can’t hear anything. You can’t have a conversation (unless you shout your lungs out), you can’t listen to music (unless you stuff those little plugs down the ear canals where they almost press your brain in), and you can’t really relax. In Zurich you hear other people have a chat three rows away. And they chat in whispers. It’s serene.

The dress code is classy continental. Women make an effort with their dresses in quiet matt colours and the men don’t try to outdo each other with their Jermyn Street shirts. The weather was very hot so the cut was lower and deeper than typical London standard this time of year (mind this is London summer).  An informative stroll down Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich’s main shopping street is interesting, if not life changing. Some of the familiar brands where there (C and A) as well as some local favourites.

On the way back I indulged. Sprungly is famous for chocolates and multi-flavoured macaroons. There must be 20-30 varieties in pink, brown, purple and a gold-pinkish hue with an exquisite chocolate passion-fruit flavour. The filling is airy and the macaroon is not too sweet. Just perfect for a little treat or a different kind of present from the land of the watches.

I couldn’t resist a visit to the chocolate aisle at the local supermarket. There must have been about 50 SKUs there. I quickly hoarded half a dozen and ran for my train back to the airport. On a carefuly (if not yet complete) test, the cranberry dark chocolate is the winner, though the competition is still neck and neck.



Chocolate aisle in a Zurich supermarket, a place to avoid if
you're looking after your waiste line

I know you’re not going to believe it, but my train was 2 minutes late. Travesty. I know.

Taste of London

Stylogs,

The summer is here. It's cold, grey and that's on the good days when it doesn't poor down as if this is the Europen version of Niagara Falls. In England, when summer steps in, it is the cue for a host of festivals to sprout out, like mushrooms after the rain. and rain there definitely is...

Glastonbury is the famous one for mud, wellies, rain and spending the night in someone elses tent. Oh, also there's music. If Glastonbury's too high brow for you, try Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, no doubt the low point in the summer festivals' programme.

Thai food decoration at the Taste of London Festival

To set off on the right note, we went to Taste of London, in Regents Park. Under ominous skies of grey, with intermittant showers, thousands of people wandered around dozens of stalls carrying around small disposable plates with tiny portions of fancy dishes such as:

Crab salad with avocado puree, Tuscan melon and toasted hazelnuts - great texture, though the avocaod felt a little too bland, or

Acquerello risotto with 8year-aged organic Parmesan - a bit too rich, I couldn't finish the (small) bowl.

The best way of handling the weather was the British Airways' lounge, which looked like a glass fuselage where you could sit down and enjoy your dish of choice.

1940s are back. The Dresses, the music, the Union Jack

Overall, the food was good, but the crowds made waiting for the best stalls almost not worth the wait. the BBQ and gourmet burger stands seemed to be the most popular, with the ice cream and frozen yogurt gigs feeling the chill (sorry, I couldn't resist the punt).

Pre - Season Collections: Fashion Cycles are Getting Shorter

Stylogs,

Pre-season fashion is confusing the fashion establishment, but does bring in a fresh set of gorgeous designs.

Heavy floods in central Europe may not be your first association with June, but just ask the people the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. However, the fashion world steams ahead with ever shorter design cycles.

What used to be a four season world, has recently turned into a multiple season parade with pre-seasons to add to the mix confuse everybody. These sub-seasons are gaining popularity with some fashion buyers claiming to spend about four fifths of their budget on these bridging collections.

Customers have grown used to the ‘latest’ and ‘new’ stickers on their fashion sites, or dedicating a whole sub-section of their website for the latest collections (http://www.kaleidoscope.co.uk ). Offering a way to get into a new collection early on and before trends take place in the wider public, allows the fashion oriented customers to make an early move, according to sources in the industry.

There are several designs I actually like in the inevitable pre-autumn collections that have crept upon us from these shores and across the pons.

From Barney’s New York a beautiful and yet classy knit sweater by O 2^nd


Knit sweater by O 2^nd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Brown’s London, a chic  sweat shirt

A really clever Missoni multicoloured wool blend jumper that is as intriguing as it is pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best view on this latest development is by Paula Reed, Fashion director at Harvey Nichols who said that she thinks of the catwalk as “the icing, but the pre-collection is the cake”.  She was particularly excited about some promising young British designers such as Peter Pilotto, Roksanda Ilincic, Christopher Kane and Jonathan Saunders. She also mentioned Nina Ricci, Proenza Schouler and Céline as ones to keep a close eye on.

From the across the water, Tomoko Ogura a Fashion director at Barney’s of New York said that some of their favourite pre-autumn collections are Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Carven, Acne Studios and Regulation by Yohji Yamamoto. She pointed out that animal prints will be noticeably prominent this season, as well as the Manolo Blahnik’s zebra print pump