Handmade Food, Blackheath

What's the curbappeal?

- quirky eclectic interior & lovely patio. High quality cuisine. 

Cafe : Serendipity, Streatham, London

A quirky cutesy cafe right opposite Streatham station. 

Time of visit: Tuesday lunchtime in June 2014. 

Cafe : Cafe Galeria House of Wonders, Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal

You'll find an arty crowd hanging out in this quirky cafe/ small homeware store. Definitely worth stopping by for a delicious fresh cake. 

Delicious choice of cakes.

Quirky arty interior - level one. 

Tea and strawberry cake. 

Cappuccino (huge cups!) with cinnamon sprinkles and a delicious chocolate brownie. 

Stairs up to the small outdoor terrace. 

Small shop and cafe on the ground level.

Wide choice of teas. 

Time of visit: Thursday afternoon in May 2014. 

Restaurant : El Nomada, Seville, Spain

A casual pizzeria situated in a pretty little plaza frequented by locals. 

Delicious Caprese salad, garnished with fresh oregano. 

A refreshing Cola light. 

Margherita pizza with rocket and pineapple. 

Mushroom pizza. 

Pizzeria overlooks a pretty small plaza with the church at the centre. 

Time of visit: Tuesday evening in May 2014. 

Coffee shop : The Fields Below, Kentish Town, London

I stopped by for a cappuccino (was pretty good). More of a take-out than a 'dine in' cafe, which created a bit of an odd atmosphere. Located right by Kentish Town West overground station, this tiny hipster cafe seemed by far the nicest in the area. 

Time of visit: Lunchtime on Friday, May 2014. 

48 hours with the girls in Paris, France

Stayed: at the luxurious but cool Phillipe Stark designed hotel - Le Royal Monceau

ARRIVED early evening. Unpacked then relaxed in the stunning Clarins spa. I had the sauna and steam room areas all to myself. 

Dined: we got glammed up for a dinner at the swanky Cristol Room, Baccarat. 

We then took a look around the beautiful Baccarat museum after dinner. 

Drank: we stopped by Le Meurice for a glass of champagne. 

FIRST full day:

Dined: we took brunch at Claus. We made a reservation as this small cafe is very popular with the locals and gets full very quickly. 

We then shopped, shopped and shopped. 

We dined in a local street cafe and then found a spot in a park to soak up some sun. 

Dined: we had a late dinner (c11pm) at Monsieur Bleu, a very cool restaurant with views over to the Effiel Tower. 

Drank: we went to club, we got there around 1.30am and there was a fairly long queue outside. 

SECOND full day:

Dined: after a very late night (c7am finish) we only had the energy to have a late lunch before catching the Eurostar back to London. We went to Avenue, just opposite the Dior store, another Parisian institution. Food was decent enough. Crowd mix of tourists and locals. 

Time of visit: Friday and Saturday night in March 2014. 

Slate coffee shop, Shoreditch, London, UK

Cappuccino presented on a slate...

Old school benches and desks. 

Time of visit: Tuesday mid morning in March 2014. 

Brunch at Claus, Paris, France

We had Saturday brunch at this small lovely cafe, which had a distinct Scandinavian feel to the interior design.

Huge breakfast menu. 

Time of visit: Saturday brunch, March 2014.