breakfast like a king

I'm a firm believer that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper so this spread from the last Kinfolk issue as shot by Sunday Suppers has me inspired to picnic like a king.  Especially on these last days of summer

S'MEACHES

S'Meaches from Claire Thomas on Vimeo.

I got so excited to see how s'meaches were going to turn out that I skipped through this video to get to the toasty smooshy yummy end. 

via ebb & flow

shiny happy foodie

quite tempted to pick up some edible food spray from The Deli Garage and have the midas touch this Christmas

no telephone, no reservations, no tables? no matter

for a restaurant with basically only bar seats and essentially no sign, Spuntino is still first class

we treated ourselves to pulled pork sliders (crackling included), fennel salad and a midday bourbon cocktail

yum yum yummy

st john bread & wine

want a killer bacon sandwich?

"best bacon sandwich EVER" says my breakfast companion of this morning's adventure to St John Bread and Wine

not exactly aa gill standard as reviews go but she was reminiscing about it for the rest of the day

bye bye weekend

ladies dinner night, found graffiti at 7am today and HOME MADE ICE CREAM THAT WAS MADE IN MY HOME WITH MY HANDS

red racer

I got to drink some of the most adorable beers ever last night at Percy St Barbeque.

That's a review that will not be submitted to Zagat

chez nous

it was Ladies Night last night, and for my turn I took the girls to a Bistrot La Minette for one of their weekly movies in the courtyard

perfect evening of amazing food, amazing ladies, and amazing film - La Vie En Rose

it was very romantic and ethereal

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a date spot in Philadelphia, even if it's just with your other lady friends. Upcoming films include Coco Avant Chanel, A Very Long Engagement and Paris Je T'Aime. Full schedule here

a wealth

sometimes there's so much that happens in a month that you forget all that was squeezed in that time

I got a lot of goodness back in my films today and this is just a splash

amongst friends

dinner parties are my favourite

I'm dreaming of staging something this big one day in my great big house that can hold a lush big table..

the idea of friends and food and wine is making me whistful

this particular party was hosted by ed. varie for the inspiring Apartamento Magazine in four days of a "pop up kitchen"

the spread

cream crackers and a scotch

little slice of heaven

from s.r. gambrel's portfolio

celebrate good times

it was Shirley Temple's birthday on Friday - these kind of things must be recognised appropriately

with a cherry on top

hot dogs cold beer

I effing love hot dogs. I LOVE THEM. It's a point of notoriety. Gah hot dogs.

So when in Austin we went to Frank's "by mistake out of desperation" I was a happy happy girl.

The food was scrummy and super inexpensive, the wait staff was amazing and the venue is adorable.

It is a very good thing that there's nothing like that closer to home - my hot dog rationing system would be out the window...

But please note, we may have had a hot dog fest, splitting two between us (the slaw dog was AMAZING and the Chicago style was no loser either), they were in fact veggie dogs AND, as you can see below, we got a salad too. With grits croutons.... waaaaaaaaah

wrapped

sometimes it's just as good for something to be delicious for the eyes...

thinking of buying this ginger syrup from Morris Kitchen just to be a tincture for the belly and a pretty thing for my larder

good juju!!!

I talk about good juju all the time, so when I found a GOOD JUJU BEER on the menu at the South Philly Tap Room last night I didn't have to think about a second choice.

And lo, it was yum.

you can read a slightly lengthier review here

my little nook of London

I used to work around the corner from Lamb's Conduit Street in London and nothing makes me happier than the huge growth of independent stores and cafe's and very good restaurants around there.

They're a true community that has become established there and I think the commitment they all have to something they're passionate about is very inspiring.

Monocle did a very nice little video about it a while ago and it features Marc Kennard who I knew well when I was there and gave up his very high paying job for something he just really wanted to do.

If you go to London and you're headed to the British Museum or just find yourself bopping around Holborn, you must visit.

image poached from the Oliver Spencer blog

way with words

I am a huge, huge AA Gill fan and his columns for the Sunday Times are always a treat.

His latest is on three NYC restaurants - Momofuku Milk Bar, DBGB and The Breslin - and though I wish he'd have dedicated a column to each there's no shortage of the AA Gill gems that make his writing such a delight.

Of The Breslin:

"But the signature dish must be the deep-fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. The dish that did for Elvis. Collectively, the table’s eyes rolled in their heads and everybody hummed a muffled, chewy rendition of Love Me Tender.

The Breslin is one hell of a restaurant. Packed with regular Joes talking with their mouths full and their heads empty. I loved it here."

and the movement of serving comfort food in a near-depression city:

"The mouth appeal of the fat and the sweet and the sticky is incoherent. The flavours just make your mouth a big, warm sleepover. This is cud Valium, mood-altering, head-numbing, feelgood food."

he makes me swoon with wordy indulgence...

to soothe the soul

I came in today to find I'd been gifted one of the gorgeously packaged bars of chocolate from Mast Brothers Chocolate.

My friends are good friends indeed.

It's going to take a lot of effort to break into it... but then again, it is dark chocolate & fleur de sel so undoubtedly it's going to call to me like a siren.

image from The Selby

Hurwunderki

Hurwunderki's retail locations and cafe have me pining to be back in London just so I can move in there.

le swoon

F&K

I'd very much like to get Fire & Knives through the letterbox. If anyone fancies a few dinners per issue cooked chez moi in return for the subscription, it's a deal. I'll let you use my Barnum & Bailey glasses and everything!

'kay thanks