Wedding stuff

I don't think I've ever blogged about my wedding before, which is interesting because I am constantly scouring the Internet for accessories. I've got the dress (well it's been ordered at least) but I still need to purchase everything else. I am on a serious hunt for Jewelry too. No better time than your wedding to invest in something special.

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My wedding dress!

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Love these shoes. Too bad I can't buy them anymore. Maybe ebay..?

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I still haven't decided how I want to wear my hair. But I definitely want to buy something pretty for my hair.

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Tex Mex with an emphasis on the Mex

This Friday I'll be celebrating a friend's birthday in true Tex Mex style with queso and enchiladas. I've had her queso (borrowed from The Homesick Texan) and it's amazing. I crave it just thinking about it.

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I thought her birthday party would be a great excuse to make some new cupcakes! I found this recipe on a blog called Cupcake Rehab. I've never made anything off this blog before, but  Cinnamon vanilla cupcakes with Mexican hot chocolate buttercream sounded so good and fit the Tex Mex/Mex theme quite nicely. I'm even going to put tiny sombreros on my cup cakes. I can't wait. I actually made the cupcakes last night and just need to frost them. The batter was really thick and dense and therefore the cakes turned out more like muffins than cakes. Perhaps I baked them for too long. They just aren't as moist as I had hoped. I'm hoping the frosting really makes these cupcakes. It usually does.

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I'm Back

Excuse my absence. I've just returned from 2 weeks in New Zealand, with a few days in Singapore on our way to and from London. I have to say I absolutely LOVED Singapore. It was so clean, efficient and modern. The whole city looked like it was built yesterday. I only realized when we were coming home, when I was reading the airplane magazine, that Singapore has a Universal Studios. Next time...

We flew Singapore Airlines, which has got to be the nicest airline on the face of the planet. I can even go as far as saying that the food was good. On the billion hour flight to and from New Zealand I discovered my love for Glee. I had seen the first episode when it premiered in the UK but hadn't kept up. I watched the first 13 episodes and am craving more.

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I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. The weather in London has taken a turn for fantastic finally, so I hate sitting inside at a desk. I am nearing the end of my course work for my Master's (just a final, a presentation and 5 papers to go...oh and of course my dissertation). Just a few more months.

Pics from New Zealand coming soon.

Royal Ascot...Booked!

I've booked two tickets to the Royal Ascot! I am SO excited and am freaking out a little bit about my dress and hat. I've been looking for some inspiration.  

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Some of the hats are really over the top. It might be kind of fun?  

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I suppose first I should look for a dress, then the hat. I love the 'Katlin Tango' dress at Reiss. Suggestions?

Birthday

This weekend was my 27th birthday. It was a four day weekend due to the Easter holiday and what an amazing weekend it was!

I started on Thursday night with some (many) drinks and dinner at Benja in Soho. Benja is a very stylish Thai restaurant just off Carnaby Street. My friend and I were meeting early so we decided to go for the pre theatre menu. At £18, it's not the best deal but it still is a deal. Our two course meal came with a cocktail. I chose the passion fruit cocktail and it was delicious (and very small). For a starter I had the vegetable spring rolls and for a main I had the battered sea bass. Both the starter and the spring rolls were really spicy. Just a warning if you happen to drop into to Benja.

What really disappointed me about Benja was the music. The food was decent, the service excellent, the decor and atmosphere almost there, except for the music. They were playing some sort of light rock when they should have been bumping some light house. They would be compeletly packed, I bet, if they changed that one thing. 

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Next for that evening was a trip to the Blues Bar, where I'm pretty sure I enjoyed too many Gin and Tonics. The vibe at this place is great. Always packed, even on a Monday.

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My Thursday night partying left me pretty useless on Friday, which was ok, because I had my big day on Saturday.

The mister did a perfect job with my birthday present (VIP tickets to see Jay-Z at Hyde Park on July 4th!) and dinner (Oxo Tower). I was absolutely delighted with everything! The view, the food, the champagne.

For a starter I had the Ballotine of foie gras, pear marmalade, warm croissant and for a main I had the Honey glazed duck breast, red onion tarte Tatin, foie gras. Admittedly this is quite a bit of foie gras for one evening, even if the portions are small. The duck was so juicy and succulent - absolutely superb!

For dessert we shared (although we barely had room!) the soufflé, which I actually didn't like but I just don't like soufflé all that much.

As if this wasn't enough celebrating we hit up Navajo Joe and the Dean Street Townhouse for cocktails afterwards. This was my first visit to Dean Street Townhouse and I adored it. 

All and all an AMAZING birthday!