FROCKS & FORKS

Back from Chicago- again

May 4, 2015sarahloulake

I have been neglectful of the blog again, and have spent the last week back in Chicago. Here’s a quick selection of some of the places I ate at during my week there

Momotaro

820 W Lake Street

I have written about it before, but it is good.

We started with the most amazing tomato tartare, titled “Momotaro Tartare” on their menu, which was Japanese Sweet Tomato, Maui Onion and Shiso. It was delicious!

Then we had the Sushi Omakase and the Sashimi Omakase ($50 each), accompanied by the same, crisp Infamous Goose Sauvignon Blanc I had last time. This was the first time I had ordered dessert here, and it was fantastic. Chocolate sponge, ganache, ice cream and then topped with warm chocolate sauce- so good!

All in all, the perfect dinner when you have just stepped off a plane!

Big Star

531 N Damen

Big Star is the only place I have ever asked for a drink to be watered down. Everything about this place is about strength of flavours. A post-work girly drink turned into 3 magaritas. Big Star Magaritas are Lunazul Blanco, Vida Mezcal, Lime and Marie Brizard Orange Curacao and they are strong. Really strong.

After a few drinks, we needed sustenance, which came in the form of some classic chips and salsa served with verde and chipotle and guacamole. The sun was out in Chicago last week, and this place is best when the sun is shining. It is cash only though…so unless you want to use the ATM in there (it did NOT like my English cards), remember to bring some money!

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111 W Kinzie

The premise of this place is a supper club/speakeasy. And they have taken it to an extreme: the cab dropped us off, and we wandered around trying to find the entrance. A single door, with no signage, but we found it and descended underground for some drinks and food. Dark, moody and committed to the “theme”, it was a good find. I started with a Green Monster to drink: Bombay Gin, Green Chartreuse, Chase Elderflower, Mint and Cucumber, and then a Grass Fed Beef Burger, with tallegio cheese, tomato jam, giardiniera and served in a pretzel bun. It also came with Kennebec Frites, with bourbon stout cheese and spicy buttermilk ranch.

I also snapped a quick video of the live band as we left but I am having some technical issues in uploading it…

Three Dots and a Dash

435 N Clark

Very strong drinks: Three Dots and a Dash is a tiki bar with some dramatic drinks on their menu. I chose a Dead Reckoning: aged Jamaican rum, Armagnac, Tawny Port, Vanilla, Pineapple and Angostura Bitters. It was busy, the floor was sticky and service kind of slow. But people were dressed up, and seemed to be enjoying themselves and embracing the tiki tone, so perhaps there was just something I wasn’t getting!? After one drink, we moved on, first to a sports bar (too busy!) and then up to Wicker Park and back to Piece- which I wrote about after my last visit here where we watched the Blackhawks, drank Stiegl and ate pizza.

Nightwood

2119 S Halsted

This place has been on my list of places to try for a while, and my friend agreed to traipse all the way over to Pilsen to join me!

I had three of the Bellini No2 (me and my fellow Brit revelled in the fact that it’s acceptable in the US to get a buzz pre noon on a Sunday…) which was Champagne, Framboise and Grapefruit Juice

I then had Rapini, Maitake and Raclette Strada with baby lettuces and banyuls vinaigrette. I like Strada. I cook Strada at home- it’s one of the eggy dishes on the cleared list. So I was a little disappointed to see it arrive with a fried egg on top…but I skilfully removed it and enjoyed Strada as I believe it should be!

My friend had Three Sister’s White Cornmeal Polenta, Braised Short Rib, Caramelized Tomato, Leeks, Savoury, Soft Boiled Egg and Grilled Bread.

I liked the interior (and the chairs!) – we sat at the bar for the first 2 drinks and outside for our meal. I also liked the exhibit from Lyndsey Marko called All That Heaven Allows (perhaps a connection to Bruce Springsteen…I am going to imagine so!)

Love ya Chicago! Until next time…

Prints Around The House

April 6, 2015sarahloulake

Over the weekend, there has been a lot of activity around our house. Painting, filling and hammering has been occurring upstairs, and we are finally getting around to hanging some of the prints we have had stacked up against a wall in our living room for the past few weeks and months. Below is a quick view of just some of the prints we have hanging around the house.

Världsmästarcykeln by jollygoodfellow

We purchased this at Market29 in Haga, Gothenburg but the print is actually from this company: jollygoodfellow who have an online shop here

“The print is based on a photo of Harry Snell’s bike – who won the amateur race in Valkenburg 1948 and is the reason why Crescent was branded as the World Champion Bike for years.”

It is a limited edition and is available here for €60. We then went to IKEA and purchased the RIBBA frame for it, and I always use this company eframe.co.uk for custom mounts. It is really easy to design on their site and they deliver really quickly!

Kotten by jollygoodfellow

We also bought this greeting card at Market29, as fircones were the sort of “motif” of our wedding

Again, RIBBA frame from IKEA and a mount from eframe.co.uk

You can buy the larger poster print of it for €60 here or you can buy a pack of 3 cards here

Stroud Subscription Rooms: Sensational Beatles

It’s nice when the art in your home has a little bit of a connection to you and where you’re from!

This poster came from eBay. It’s a reproduction- not an original- and is available in several sizes. This is the A2 one which is £9.95 and available here.

Again, a good old RIBBA frame and a mount from eframe.co.uk!

Stroud Brewery Print

I love this print! We got it in Cornflower & Calico, a store in Stroud. They also have a website, but no art is available on it here

It’s just a perfect blend of bottles: London Pride (my Dad’s beer- as a Londoner), Stroud Brewery Beer (born and bred) and then Bulmer’s, because- actually- I prefer a nice cold cider to a beer any day!

It’s a limited print, and I think it was £45 framed- which is a great price!

Tunnock’s Teacake Print by Gillian Kyle

I’m not Scottish. I don’t even “love” Tunnock’s teacakes (the way my husband does), but I do like this print.

The picture may not show it, but it’s a kind of foil transfer. Not sure of the arty word for it. Looking on her website www.gilliankyle.com, it looks as though these prints are no longer available (I am guessing that it’s pretty difficult to mass produce the foil stuff?) but she does have a great print for only £19.95 here– Image below!

Chicago World’s Fair Sky Ride Poster

I think my love of Chicago is pretty well documented- this is just a subtle way of expressing it in art!

It’s a poster from the World’s Fair for the Sky Ride- I think I got it on eBay (Christmas in our household is an exchange of hyperlinks and my sister bought it for me), but I cannot find it anyway now!

Again, RIBBA grey frame and a mount from eframe.co.uk

Comfort Food

April 5, 2015sarahloulake

Last week I prepared all our food for the week on Sunday- I just felt like being unusually organised! The recipes from the week came from Jamie Oliver’s Comfort Food book (available here on Amazon for £8)

There were 2 meals for the week

– Bloody Mary Beef

– Chicken Pie

Bloody Mary Beef

Delicious slow cooked brisket with Tabasco, vodka and tomato, served with horseradish mash and curly kale. You use 1kg of beef in this, so it definitely lasts more than one meal. We just threw a bit of red wine into the dish later in the week and reheated it for 40 minutes. The beef is like a pulled beef- tender and tasty!

Chicken Pie

For this pie I slowcooked the filling (not strictly true to the recipe’s method) and then left it to cool. I also prepared the pastry and wrapped it in clingfilm and put it in the fridge overnight. Then, when I came home from work, I just rolled the pastry into my favourite pastry dish from Le Creuset (Available here in John Lewis), through the cold filling in, and then egg-washed it.

All with the delicious Peanut Butter and Jelly Brownies for dessert

The Great British Brownie Off Part V

April 4, 2015sarahloulake

These brownies came from Jamie Oliver’s Comfort Food book, available here for £8 and they are peanut butter and jelly brownies.

The first part of the recipe involves making a peanut butter custard, which you then leave to cool. You then make the brownie mix and pour into the tin, splodging in raspberry jam before swirling in the peanut butter custard. Then you put raspberries all over the top of the brownie.

This is a pretty good brownie! A little bit more complicated to make, a slight diversion from the traditional, but delicious nonetheless!

Office Makeover

April 4, 2015sarahloulake

Our office has been in a state of flux for about a year: it’s a project that started and then stopped. This weekend we finally got around to completing the transformation (well- almost- there is some art to go on the wall which, when it arrives I will post about separately!)

Paint

Wall colour: Farrow & Ball, Borrowed Light

Paint for the bedstead: Rust-oleum Chalk White

Desk

Trestle: FINNVARD from IKEA (£25)

The cupboard has been discontinued by the looks of it

Matt made the top of the desk and we preserved it using Cuprinol Wood Preserver

Chair from eBay for £35

Shelving

LACK white wall shelf from IKEA £10

RIBBA picture shelf from IKEA £7.90

TJENA Magazine files from IKEA £4 for 2

KVISSLE boxes from IKEA £13

KVISSLE boxes from IKEA £13

Bed

OFELIA Blanket from IKEA- on sale for £9

DVALA Duvet Cover from IKEA for £13

Cushions made from STOCKHOLM fabric from IKEA for £7/metre

STOCKHOLM Fabric from IKEA £7/Metre

Bed Before and After Painting

How I Stopped Biting My Nails

April 4, 2015sarahloulake

I am a life long nail biter. I didn’t even realise that I used to do it. It was completely subconscious. It’s unsightly and, even if you paint short nails- they look awful!

So, I decided that I wanted to stop biting my nails. Here’s The steps I took over 8 weeks.

First, I had acrylic extensions put on my nails I know lots of people don’t recommend them, but for me, it made my nails look instantly nice, and the acrylics meant it was impossible to bite them. That was a huge factor in stopping me putting my hands to my mouth!

Eventually they start to grow out, so to make them last a little longer, I purchased some gold, glittery polish. Not my usual style, but it just makes your “investment” last a little longer.

The next thing I did, after about 3 weeks, was go to a salon an have the extensions soaked off. The nails underneath had grown a bit, so I had Shellac/Gel polish put on the nails. Again, it starts to grow out, so I stretched this one out to 3 weeks with the addition of the glitter polish again!

After 3 weeks, again, I had a new Shellac/Gel polish applied. I really recommend this stuff! If you are prone to chipping off the polish and damaging you nails, and you are trying to grow yours and keep them nice- this is a good way of doing that!

After 2 weeks, I had the light polish removed and I new darker one re-applied. My nails now are pretty strong (any nail biter who has tried to grow their nails before knows that they can be weak and soft!). I has taken around 8 weeks, but I am pleased with the results! I just have to keep up with the manicures to ensure I don’t start biting them again!

Bathroom Makeover

March 30, 2015sarahloulake

I was watching one of those hoarder shows the other night and wondering how it starts. And then I realised. It probably starts by not sorting your stuff out when it starts to get out of control.

Exhibit A. My ensuite bathroom was out of control and needed organising.

I needed to do some serious sorting! The first thing was to get some shelves and I selected these from Loaf– they had great customer service and fast delivery.

I haven’t kept them quite as minimalistic as they are on the Loaf site, but they have given me a space to store everything. I didn’t quite measure it right- there is no longer enough room for the mirror as well! Ooops!

I bought Kilner Jars on Amazon to store cotton wool balls and other things on the top shelf, then a few other trinkets to store things in- especially hair grips. They seem to get everywhere in my house. The shelves with all the products on are the Ribba shelves from IKEA- the frame shelves that they sell. They also happen to be perfect for bottles of lotions and potions,

L-R Moustache Box from French Grey £14, Soap from Mistral £8 for 3, Trinket Tray from Anthropologie £4.95

Small Glass Jars, £3.50 each from Vinegar Hill

Ribba Picture Shelf £7.90 from IKEA

The finished ensuite- minus a mirror. Which I am now going to look for…

Shopping and Lunching in Bath

March 29, 2015sarahloulake

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A rainy, grey Saturday required a trilby hat for a day of shopping and lunching in Bath. I took the train, so we could have lunchtime wine, and came back with some new discoveries, some things for my wishlist and having had some delicious Spanish food.

Anthropologie

I liked Anthropologie when I lived in the US, and still follow their social media feeds because their stuff is so nice. It was great to walk through their store in Bath and look at all the things. I have been on a bit of a mission to sort out our ensuite, so went looking for trinket boxes. Everything thing I looked at though, turned out to be a candle! I ended up buying a grey trinket dish, a bit like a mushroom, to hold rings, (on sale for £4.95) and a trio of winter scented Mistral Soaps on sale for £8.

Hay

This has to be my favourite discovery of the day. Hay is a Danish design store which aims to highlight Danish designers and furniture makers. I could have purchased so much stuff in here! The back room is perfect if you are designing an office (what a coincidence…I am…) and I could have purchased so many things in here! I bought one of the artist’s hands to use to hold the car keys, which I am always losing!

Same Same But Different

This place comes highly recommended if you read any of the restaurant guides to Bath that you find online. It’s small, friendly and in the wind and rain of yesterday, was a welcome port in a storm.

First, the wine! A glass of the Spanish ‘Vega Piedra’ Rioja and the Spanish Borsao Rosado rose.

Then the delicious food! We had the Pan Fried Chorizo and Bread then four tapas

1. Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Peppers and Paprika

2. Mushroom and Roasted Vegetable Cannelloni with Caerphilly Creme Fraiche

3. Crispy Halloumi Cheese

4. Harissa Honey Chicken Thigh with Feta Mash

The Great British Brownie Off IV

March 29, 2015sarahloulake

This brownie recipe came from the Great British Book of Baking, available here for £5

I have to admit, because there was some condensed milk left over from the brownies from the week prior I sort of messed with this recipe, which perhaps doesn’t make it a fair test. However, it was a good brownie: dense and sticky. It has been different from other brownie recipes, as it requires you to add in cocoa powder. This, combined with the condensed milk and cream cheese combo from the brownies from slow cooker brownies the week prior (here), made a great brownie!

An Afternoon in Tetbury

March 22, 2015sarahloulake

Tetbury may have a reputation of being full of antiques shops, the wealthy and the elderly. However, a Saturday afternoon shows that, actually this small town has a lot to offer, both in terms of food, design and a slightly quirky feel.

The Blue Zucchini

A spot of lunch at The Blue Zucchini. I started with a Moroccan Mint Lemonade followed by a mature cheddar and pickle sandwich accompanied by Thai chicken soup and salt and vinegar crisps. It was all served on enamelware and we sat on comfy sofas surrounded by candles and Moroccan-esque items.

The whole place has eclectic decor- records on the walls, every part of the building covered in writing on the walls including people requesting Instagram followers and is just a great place to grab coffee or lunch before heading out to do a bit of shopping.

Shopping

French Grey Interiors

Our first stop resulted in purchases at French Grey Interiors (website here) where I bought this little trinket box for the bathroom (earrings and hairpins litter my bathroom) and I was excited to find Paddywax candles. I like candles, but I hate the synthetic flavours you sometimes get from the air freshener brands you buy in the supermarket. I purchased one in the US from their Apothecary range in Tobacco and Patchouli, which smells great, but I had been struggling to find them in the UK before. John Lewis sell some from the Ecogreen range but the only way I had found of getting the Apothecary range was via Amazon at a fairly inflated price. So I purchased a small version of their Tobacco and Patchouli one plus one from their “Library” range. I chose the Charles Dickens one which is Tangerine, Juniper and Clove.

Domestic Science

This is a great shop, with four floors of rooms filled with vintage homewares and some great examples of design. Amongst the things that were great to look at were a Levi’s armchair, Wabie Japanese cord, vintage posters, a great shower curtain and a vintage fridge. I spotted “Swedish Designed. Made in England” dishcloths (even the dishcloths in Sweden are beautiful!) and the metal number 6. This place is a treasure trove of vintage, retro and modern design.

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