Vanilla Black

A while ago my boyfriend wanted to treat me, so he (rather spontaneously!) booked a table at Vanilla Black for lunch. I'm vegetarian, and he'd researched the best vegetarian restaurants in London and this one was deemed the best of the bunch! Michelin recommended, the cuisine at Vanilla Black is contemporary and experimental - I doubt you'll have seen the flavour combinations anywhere else.

A Chocoholic's Dream

I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic. I am also a cake-lover. When it comes to combining the two, I've got a fair bit of experience. So I thought I'd share my pretty fail-safe recipe with you - and a quick and easy way of making it a bit of a showstopper.

Weekend Brunchin' in KL - Part 1: Yellow Brick Road

Hi guys!  So, welcome to the "Weekend Brunchin' in KL" series :)  I'm super excited to do this because it's the first series we've done here at fEasToWest, and, well, I just adore brunch!!  So, every couple of weeks (or weekly, if I have the time!) I'll blog about a brunch place (or two) I've been to recently, and today I'll start with Yellow Brick Road. 

Yellow Brick Road (or Jalan Batu Kuning, as a friend of mine likes to call it) is a new all-day dining outlet in Damansara Heights owned and run by the same team in charge of Red Bean Bag.  As such, I had pretty high expectations when I first went, and I'm pleased to say that it's become one of my favourite brunch places.  

Here are some of the dishes I've tried:

The Big Breakfast Bash

Franco Manca

My friend Emily said this was 'the pizza place everyone is talking about'. And so naturally as a pizza lover I felt it was my duty to give it a go.

We organised to go to the newly opened branch on Tottenham Court Road. The first thing to note is they don't take bookings - we went straight from work at around 6.30pm so we were able to get a table, but when we left an hour later there was a queue of about 50 people.

Why would anyone queue for a pizza in London, you ask? Well on paper this place has several things going for it: it's cheap, it's quick, and they use sourdough. But if that doesn't persuade you, just look at these pizzas.

Jackson + Rye

I went for brunch with some good friends I hadn't seen in a while. I decided on Jackson + Rye because the menu was wide enough to appeal to everyone and brunch is served until 4.30pm on weekends! The restaurant is elegantly decorated and reminded me of a luxe French brasserie, despite its American diner menu. The low lighting made for a nice relaxed ambiance, but not so great photographs (apologies in advance)!

We ordered and shared arancini while we pondered over the wide menu. They went down a treat. The arancini were flavoured with truffle, rather than truffle oil and were not overpoweringly cheesy or overwhelming doused in truffle. They were crisp and light and were accompanied with a light Parmesan sauce. The sauce was slightly tangy which balanced well with the decadent and cheesy rice balls. 

The Good Life Eatery

Hi guys!  Sorry it's been a while since our last post.  All four of us have been so incredibly busy with work that it's been impossible to find time to blog.  Fortunately it's a long weekend (Friday-Monday for us here in Malaysia!) so I've finally been able to sit down and get a review done of one of my all-time favourite cafes: The Good Life Eatery.

Now, those of you who know me will be well aware that I am not a particularly healthy eater.  I love fried foods (with a particular weakness for fries) and desserts and burgers and all those bad things.  That said, I also realise that a balanced diet is a good idea, so when I find a place that does healthy AND yummy food ALL DAY ERRDAY it's like I've hit the jackpot!  And when I discover that this place delivers as well, I just cannot contain my excitement.

The Good Life Eatery serves an array of dishes to suit individual needs - gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan…you name it, they've got it.  Their menu is written on a large blackboard above the till - I've pretty much tried everything on it but haven't photographed everything (sorry) so this blog post will only feature a sprinkling of what's on offer.  Also note that some of the dishes below may no longer be on offer as I had them a while ago (I left London last year), but I'll still include them as they give you a pretty good idea of the type of stuff available at this wonderful place.

Skinny Benedict: Poached Eggs on Wheat Free Bread with Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes and Hollandaise Sauce

Taberna Etrusca

My school friends and I were well overdue a long catch-up. Now that we all work in the same part of London we decided on an early dinner at a little Italian restaurant near St. Paul’s: Taberna Etrusca.

This would usually be a little bit outside of our midweek price range, but luckily they accept tastecards, which meant we got 50% off our food – hooray! The restaurant itself looks like a very rustic, traditional Italian restaurant with its crisp white tablecloths, mahogany chairs and framed pictures all over the walls. Just what us pasta-lovers needed on a Thursday evening.