Dark Chocolate Brownies

They are delicious and fun to make - your kitchen will turn into a chocolate factory for at least an hour so it's worth making two batches and sharing the surplus with friends. If you've been thinking about bringing something homemade to the office but haven't had the chance to run a SurveyMonkey and figure out what your boss and colleagues like, look no further than this recipe which has been successfully tested (across all sectors and industries!). In fact, many brownies recipes trace their origin to that special place in every office
where people leave birthday and holiday treats. 

Drunken-Dairy

If you like ice-cream and alcohol you shouldn't be reading this. You should be enjoying it curtesy of Drunken Dairy. These alchemists have blended together a delicious range of alcoholic ice-cream treats. If you are feeling down, it is the ultimate indulgent pick me up. If you are happy it will definitely keep you more than merry! Drunken Dairy comes in a wide range of flavours. I was lucky to sample four flavours at the Urban Music Award Show and will rank them in ascending order.

Gallery Mess at The Saatchi Gallery

While Hannah was visiting, we decided that no trip to London would be complete without a wander down King's Road and round Sloane Square. Clearly this is exhausting work, and while we were looking for somewhere to have a quick lunch, we came across the Gallery Mess at The Saatchi Gallery on Duke of York Square. (Just as a little side note, DoY Square is the absolute dream - definitely go and have a peek if you're in the area).

I had heard a few things about the Gallery Mess but had never managed to organise a meal there, so I was pleased when we stumbled across it. The rooms are beautiful: great big brick arches, filled with glass which means the space is bright and open - I imagine it would be equally lovely for a Summer Sunday brunch, or as a quirky party venue.

Anyway, back to the food...

Hannah chose the fish and chips. As you can see, it was beautifully presented and just what she was after: the chips were hot, crunchy and fluffy in the middle, and the fish perfectly cooked.

Smack Deli

Hannah and I decided to try out Smack Deli, which serves a variety of lobster rolls and accompaniments. It is just round the corner of Bond Street, so it makes a perfect pit stop during a day of shopping.

DC Restaurant by Darren Chin

DC restaurant brings something new to the Malaysian fine dining scene.  It not only boasts a three-floor 'mini complex' - comprising Le Comptoir/The Counter on the ground floor (where quality food is served in a casual environment), La Salle/The Room on the first floor (the main dining area), and L'atelier/the workshop/test kitchen on the top floor - but also promises a menu that changes on a daily basis.  As you can imagine, I didn't need much persuading to try it out!

We were sent the menu the day before we went to dinner and were instructed to choose our main courses and desserts.  As there were only 2 choices each, there wasn't any faffing about and we were able to make our selections pretty quickly.  I'll go through these in more detail below, but let's start from the beginning of the meal (it generally makes sense to start from the beginning and finish at the end, doesn't it, Hannah?!)

Amuse Bouche 1

The Godiva Chocolate Cafe at Harrods

Hannah made a fleeting trip back to London. We only had a couple of days to spend together, but top of Hannah's list of things to do was to visit the Godiva Cafe on the second floor of Harrods. Obviously I didn't want to ruin her trip, so I begrudgingly agreed to go with her - I know, I'm such a good friend. 

There was a bit of a queue when we went as the cafe is right next to the Christmas shop, which was absolutely heaving, but it didn't take long for us to be seated. We were then confronted with a huge menu of chocolate deliciousness. Frankly, I didn't know where to begin. 

After much to-ing and fro-ing, I chose the Godiva Chocolate Brownie, an 'indulgent brownie, baked with milk, dark and white chocolate, served warm with vanilla ice cream'. I know this was a safe choice, but it really was one of the best brownies I've had - and I've had my fair share. It was gooey but also crunchy, and incredibly rich. Basically, it was right up my street, and just look at the presentation!

Bob Bob Ricard

I start with this photo because the 'press for champagne' gadget at every table/booth is what has made BBR so famous.  I will also admit that it is the reason I had been dying to try the restaurant out for ages (!) and so when we sat down to dinner I made sure to be the first person to press it.  Like magic, a friendly waitress arrived to take our order, and C very kindly ordered a large bottle of bubbly.  Good start to the evening.