Ping

Last Wednesday, with a bunch of friends we finally went to Earl's court to try a bar that opened in July, the Ping. We have been talking about this place for ages and never managed to find a date. So now it is done and it was a wonderful surprise! We didn't really know what to expect as I just read a post in a blog and found it quite appealing.

You will have to book in advance. Then you arrive in front of a huge black door and a desk where a beautiful girl will call one of the waiters to take you to the table.

After some stairs you find yourself in the middle of old-school arcade games, ping-pong tables and cosy armchairs! What a strange mix! But it works perfectly!

  

We were nicely surprised about the prices of the food and cocktails. Kind of really cheap for a place like that! 

Pizzas are delicious! With interesting fillings such as truffle oil and brie or stilton, pear and honey (yes, I do love cheese).

And the cocktails, ô cocktails! I tried one with amaretto and cinnamon and then an other one called Berry Blast and both of them were spectacular. The only problem is that they are too easy to drink and the glasses emptied it-selves too quickly! To end the dinner I highly recommend their Espresso Martini, better than having a simple coffee, don't you think?

And what about the desserts? We choose to share a Ping Porn (which is a Nutella pizza (yes such things exists)). I think it is pointless to say that it is an incredible invention and that it deserves its name.

But for the milkshake lover that I am the best dessert was My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard.  I am craving for one right now. The ingredients may look simple but everyone agreed on the taste.

But Ping is not only about food and a lot of drinks. It is mostly about the entertainment. In the middle of all this you will find ping pong tables. Perfect to play a nice and quite game you said? Impossible! But perfect for beer-pong (or even Champagne-Pong). As we were five girls and five guys you can figure out what were the teams. It felt nice to play this college drinking game in such an atmosphere, far away from a student residence hallway, and of course it brought back a lot of memories!

Ping has quickly become one of my favourite places in London. We had so much fun that I think we will be going back really soon.

Try it with a bunch of friends and be prepared to laugh a lot! And don't forget to put your name on the ping-pong list as soon as you arrive!

180-184 Earl’s Court Road, SW5 9QG

02073705358

hello@weloveping.com

e&o

My roomate came back from holidays last Monday, to celebrate his return I took him to one of our favourite restaurant in our neighbourhood: e&o.

The first time we went there it was after a heavy day of work where both of us felt like we needed confort food in a cosy environment.

So we started with cocktails to relax a bit and were surprised by the Asian flavours in some of them.

Then the menu came and we couldn't decide what to eat. At first because the exotic names of some dishes don't really explain what they are about. And then because when we asked for some explanation everything sounded so tasty that we couldn't make a decision.

Dishes are ideal to share, so last Monday, each of us chose two or three courses. I think this is the best thing to do at e&o, it is more convivial and you get to try more different flavours.

We ended up having sashimis, sushis, duck salad, pork belly, sea-bass carpaccio, dim sum... and more ! A huge effort is made in trying to present each plate in an simple but beautiful arrangement.

It's a delight for the eyes and for the taste buds ! I haven't try anything that I did not like. The products are fresh and tasty. E&O knows how to stimulate your sense of flavour.

I could recommend this place for a date or if you are starving for some Asian quality food.

It is quite expensive although, and not really generous with the portions but for my stomach it is more than enough as I prefer quality to quantity !

This is also a nice place to go just for drinks, the bar is cosy and warm and the bartenders are always nice. It is usually crowdy, filled with smiley after-workers.

14 Blenheim Crescent, London W11 1NN

+44 20 7229 5454

eando@rickerrestaurants.com

La Petite Bretagne, original french crêpes !

This Friday, I was around Hammersmith looking for a Fancy dress store as I was preparing my outfit for a party taking place the same night.

As I didn't have time to have some lunch I ended up in a small crêperie just in front of the Hammersmith tube station: La Petite Bretagne.

The place is small and cosy, decorated with taste, simple and functional.

And bien sur, the crêpier was french and friendly.

It felt a little bit like home !

I really liked the épicerie (grocery) athmosphere, as there were some shelves with classic french products in vintage packaging. Like sardines, soups, french jam, pastries, marron glacé... All related with la Bretagne, a western french region known for their fishes and of course for their famous crêpes.

After a long hesitation I finally choose one salty crêpe: the Campagnarde with cheese, ham and mushrooms.

My friend tried the Chèvre: goat cheese, rocket salad, mango chutney and ham.

They are really big and I couldn't even finish mine ! It tastes very good and I will encourage you to try the Chèvre one that was quite interesting.

The filling is really generous and prices are more than affordable.

I also liked the graphic design of their logo, menu and cardboard holding the crêpe. It is quite funny and fits perfectly !

I will recommend this place if you are around Hammersmith and I will definitely go back just to try their Speculoos spread in a crêpe or the Nutella+Banana !

Lucky 7

Last Sunday, after a crazy Saturday night, I woke up in a state of starvation that I couldn't explain. I needed food and right away ! And of course, not healthy food ! I don't know if it is a common sensation, but paradoxically, after spending a night mistreating my liver with a lot of alcoholic beverages I have the feeling that what my body needs to repair is some greasy food, is it just me ?

Following that feeling and the advice of one of my good friend I dragged myself to Lucky 7 which is in Notting Hill, 5 minutes walk from my flat. So it was an easy walk.

Lucky 7 is a small American diner with the most amazing milkshakes ! I am completely addicted to this mixture made of ice-cream, milk and anything savoury blended together. Well, I was not disappointed when my chocolate and peanut butter milkshake suddenly appeared in front of me. Thick, sugary and cold. Yummy !

My friend and I were in a brunch mood (their brunch looked just as fantastic as the milkshake) but when we saw the menu on the chalkboard and started reading all the burger descriptions we quickly change our mind and opt for a big fat greasy burger !

My friend choose the God Father burger with mozzarella, artichokes, roasted pepper and basil pesto. And I took the Kalifornian one: bacon, cheese, guacamole, roasted tomato and sour cream.

Of course with French fries and massive onion rings !

I don't think it's necessary to add that my eyes were way bigger than my stomach ! And that I rolled myself back to my bed for a digestive nap afterwards.

I definitely recommend this place for a nice Sunday brunch or a huge tasty burger. Prices are fair, orders are copious and service is smiley and fast.

Have a chill rainy Sunday, folks !

127 Westbourne Park Road
London W2 5QL
0207-727-6771

The Box

Tuesday night was girls night out for my friends and I. We started having home made cocktails (I would say experimental cocktails) at my place and then moved on to party hard in The Box.
The Box is certainly one of my favourite places in London. If you like unusual places The Box is made for you.

The first Box appeared in New York and I was lucky enough to experiment it. The result was that I completely felt in love with the place. From the outside you will never imagine what is beneath those big black doors. Once you managed to get in you felt like a time-traveller whom landed somewhere during the prohibition in a small, cosy, dark theatre from the 30s.

Yes, I said theatre, and that means shows ! Following the burlesque vibe of those days, The Box provides one of the most trashy burlesque show I've ever seen. But it is not only a freak show it also have amazingly beautiful dance and acrobatic performances ! The London version watered down the show but it is still something you have to see !

I don't want to spoil it by describing you what really happens there but one thing I can tell is that what happens in The Box, stays in The Box. They completely understood the meaning of that motto as it is forbidden to take pictures in the club, and I can tell you that this is the best thing they could offer us ! No one wants to see pictures of you dancing like the devil in the middle of the club with some almost naked guys, not to mention what happens in the stage, where you could easily end !

So if you are in need of something different, unique and unforgettable (well, it depends on how much Belvedere is running through your blood), try The Box !

New Home !

It is amazing how fast and easy it is to find a new home in London. After spending 7 years in Switzerland struggling with the real estate market, what a relief it was to find a new home, sweet home, after only a week !

Maybe my roomate and I were just incredibly lucky, but I have the feeling that here in London everything moves so fast that the real estate market is constantly renewing their offers.

Of course it works completely different from where I used to live before... Here it is possible to negotiate the rent. For me this was totally new. In France or Switzerland the rent is setted by the landlord or the real estate company and you will never be allowed to bargain !

And what can you tell me about the periodic property inspection ? The agency is allowed to come to your home to inspect it anytime ! I had never heard of that before ! Anyway, I have nothing to hide but I think this is quite an intrusion in people's private life. But we can not do much about that as it is stated in the tenancy contract.

Welcome home !

I think I have a lot to learn about how things works in this island ! But for now I am happy about my choice of host country as I am definately loving living in London !

Not without saying that my flat is incredible and goes beyond all my expectations ! Two same-sized bedrooms (which seemed almost impossible), a fully equipped kitchen with a small wine cellar (I couldn't ask for more !) and best of all an illegal rooftop ! My roomate discovered that we could climb on the roof by the kitchen window, quite safely I would say !

So here is a little glass of wine to celebrate our new home, cheers !!

My rooftop

Damien Hirst - TATE modern - July 2012

Let's start this blog with one of the first thing I visited after arriving in London, ok, it was in July and not in September, but what does it change ! I still have to update this blog since I arrived here !

I love hanging out in museums and galleries. It is a fantastic manner of discovering new artists or way of thinking. It is a good way to open your mind.

Damien Hirst is a very controversial artist. Some people doesn't even consider that he deserves to be called that way. In my point of view he completely understood our consumerism society. His pieces are based on that over-consumption where we are living in, easily using the most powerful weapon we have nowadays: marketing. I think his art is in some way based on that and it is quite intelligent to create art pieces using that common phenomena. (Reminds me a bit of the spirit of our beloved Andy Warhol)

So here are some snaps I managed to take from that day !

And of course I couldn't get away of the TATE without a TATE membership card and some snapshot of the surroundings of the museum !