DIRTY TOMMIS AT DIRTY BONES KENSINGTON

I had the best weekend ever this weekend and went to two new restaurants that I had wanted to go to for ages. Pascal knows the way to my heart is through my tummy and he now has a very happy wife.

Dirty Bones has been on my list since it opened - a good friend of mine who works in the restaurant business and so obviously knows her "stuff"- told me it is the best mac and cheese she has ever had. I HAD to go. To make life even better for the next few Sundays, Dirty Bones has joined up with Tommis Burger Joint for a special Sunday menu and I finally made it there and it was AWESOME!

On a Friday lunch time, Dirty Bones has a hot dog stand, however in the evenings (Tues-Sun) there is a super cool basement restaurant and bar. The menu normally focuses on hot dogs and "bones" such as chicken wings or ribs.

We started off with two cocktails named The Little Hobo which were Bombay Sapphire gin, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup and wild wood cider. It was delicious and it slipped down very nicely indeed while we looked at the menu.

The menu for these next few Sundays is slightly different and I literally could have ordered EVERYTHING! In the end we ordered the chicken wings and ribs to start, a Tommis burger dog, a dirty mac burger and two sides of mac and cheese along with a lovely bottle of Provence rose.

The chicken wings are seasoned with lemon, chilli and spring onions. Chicken isnt my favourite and I dont like "bones" but I thought hey, lets give it OK. OMG. So tasty, the chicken was so tender and full of flavour, we adored them.

Ribs are something I never order either but, when in Rome and all that. The sticky pork ribs arrived smothered in the house BBQ sauce. Wow! The meat fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. Pascal and I were so obsessed we were practically gnawing at the bone at the end just for one last morsel! The photo doesnt do them justice.

We could not decide between the hot dog or burger so we shared and had half and half.

We ordered the Tommis burger dog which is a Tommis burger, served "doggy style" with confit onions, Dirty Bones short rib, crispy shallots, dirty cheese sauce & dill pickles. This definitely takes hot dogs to a whole new level!! Everything worked so well together, each mouthful was slightly different, my only gripe was I only had half. It was really good. I have always loved a hot dog but you dont have them in restaurants so often - this needs to change (or I need to move into Dirty Bones).

The Dirty Mac burger was a Tommis beef patty with Dirty Bones steak glaze, charred lettuce and topped with Dirty Bones mac and cheese. Even though burgers and mac and cheese are two of my favourite things, I have never tried a mac and cheese burger before but now I want one regularly!! It was phenomenal - it was worth every single on of those calories.

We also had a mac and cheese on the side - I am so pleased we ordered our own individual portions - it was one of the best I have ever had - cheesy, creamy and with a little kick. I could have eaten both portions on my own, it was Heaven.

I want it all again now. Unfortunately due to my over indulgence I have had to start the 5:2 diet and today is a 2 (500 calorie) day - so not as fun as yesterday. As I write this Arabella is checking out my pictures and is green with envy - I am thinking maybe we need to go again next weekend (and the weekend after). Even Pascal, who is so bored of my burger and mac and cheese obsession, was bowled over. A fabulous meal - reasonable prices, great cocktails and extremely friendly and attentive staff - my new favourite place!!

Dirty Bones

20 Kensington Church Street
London
W8 4EP
Tel: 020 7920 6343
Email: info@dirty-bones.com

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Foods To Avoid At All Costs

There are literally hundreds of thousands of diet books on the market today. Most of them will give you tips on a certain type of diet. One of the most ridiculous is the Atkins diet. At the same time I was trying to lose 20 pounds, my brother in law was trying to lose about 80 pounds. He went on the Atkins diet before it became well known and insisted that this was the way to go. What happened is that he not only didn’t lose the weight, but his cholesterol level shot up. I, on the other hand, lost the weight.

There is no doctor on this Earth who is going to tell you to only eat certain food groups. Fruits and vegetables are good for you and provide nutrients and anti-oxidants that your body needs. While I was eating a sensible diet to lose 20 pounds, my brother in law was consuming Italian sausage without bread and insisting that this was the way to lose weight. That whole concept never made any sense to me then and it still doesn’t now. As a matter of fact, sausage is one of the things that you need to avoid when you are trying to lose weight. It is loaded with fat.

The one thing that the Atkins diet did allow me to be aware of, however, was how refined sugars can affect your diet. In the past, if I wanted to take off 5 vanity pounds at the end of winter, I usually skipped taking sugar in my coffee. I was able to lose 5 pounds a week with this just this method alone. I knew sugar added to weight gain as my mother often would talk about candy being “empty calories” in her attempts to lose weight. The Atkins diet brought this to the forefront. I know what works for me as well as my friends who I recommended this diet to. And that means eliminating all of the following foods from your diet:

Fast foods

A Big Mac has over 500 calories. A medium order of fries has about 400 calories and a coke has 200 calories. Do the math - that is 1100 calories for lunch. Think it’s a good idea to super size it?

Fast foods such as fried chicken, pizza and especially fries, should be avoided at all costs when you are trying to lose weight. Most fast foods are not only loaded with fat, but with sodium as well, which allows your body to retail water. They are no good for you. And this includes the Sub sandwiches as well, that are made with processed meats. Pack a lunch from home. If you do eat out, grab a salad. Not a salad that is laced with fried chicken, either. One that is vegetables and perhaps broiled chicken. Use a low fat or no fat dressing.

Above all, skip the fries. These are probably the most devastating to any diet. They offer very little nutritional value, do not really fill you up and are loaded with calories, sodium and fat. For the three weeks that you are on this diet to lose 20 pounds, make a pact with yourself to eat at home or at least bring meals from home. Remember that you are watching your calories and cannot go over your limit. Splurging on fast food may very well put you at the limit for the entire day.

Fried Foods

Everything tastes good when deep-fried. In some parts of the world, they deep fry coach roaches and people eat them. And they probably taste good, too. Country singer and actress, Reba McIntyre, has been known to say that “if it ain’t fried, it ain’t food.” While this sounds charming coming from this petite woman, it does not sound good coming from someone who is morbidly obese. Yes, fried food does taste good. It is also filling and cheap. But it just isn’t good for you and is loaded with fat and calories. Skip any type of fried food when you are on this diet.

Processed Foods

This includes sausage, lunchmeat and hot dogs, all of which are processed meats. You should also exclude processed cheeses from this diet. Processed foods are simply not good for you - period. They are also high in calories and can ruin your diet. Skip the lunchmeat and replace it with chicken or meat that you make yourself. For example, you can make a meatloaf and slice it very thin for a sandwich instead of having processed meats. It is healthier for you and lower in calories.

Cheese is loaded with fat, but it is also loaded with vitamins that are essential for your health. Real cheese is good for you - processed cheese offers very little by way of nutrition. You want to have a certain amount of dairy in your diet, so real cheese is a better choice than processed cheese. Remember to count your calories.

Frozen Foods

All of those pre-packaged frozen entrees that are made with the diet conscious person in mind should be avoided. They are loaded with sodium. Make your own food - it won’t kill you to do this for two weeks. Broil up some chicken breasts and fish on Sunday and make them part of your meals for the week. Boil some hard-boiled eggs and use them. Skip the frozen foods as they may promise lower calories, but have a high sodium content.

Condiments

Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salt, barbeque sauce, salad dressing - all of these have calories that are not taken into account when you are dieting. If you must use condiments in your meals, make sure they are low in fat. Ketchup and mustard are not too bad when used in moderation, but mayonnaise is a killer. It’s loaded with fat. If you use any of these condiments, be aware of the calories contained and use them by the teaspoon. Skip the salt entirely.

Sweets

Cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, candy - all empty calories. No nutritional value and will leave you feeling hungry. They are a total waste of time and can wreck your diet. If you need to have something sweet to top off your meal, as some people do, then have something like a mint or a small piece of hard candy. A square of dark chocolate will do as well. Be sure to count this in with your calorie intake.

All of these foods are part of the family of “simple carbohydrates.” You have probably heard about the no carbohydrate diets (Atkins is one, the South Beach Diet is another). They are correct in advising people not to eat sweets as they do not stay in your system long enough to offer any nutritional value, are hard on your digestive tract and are quickly absorbed as fat. Where the no carbohydrate diets get it wrong is to lump in all carbohydrates, such as vegetables and fruits, that do have nutritional value.

Fruits can easily be substituted for cake when you want something sweet. Try eating an apple instead of candy after dinner and you will see that this will satisfy your craving for dessert. On top of that, the apple is loaded with nutrients.

By avoiding fast foods, fried foods, processed foods, frozen foods, condiments and sweets, you can expect to lose weight. If, by any chance, you “fall off the wagon” and have a piece of birthday cake, don’t beat yourself up. Have just a bite or two of the cake and then go right back on the diet. The secrets that I am sharing with you to allow you to lose 20 pounds in three weeks has a margin of error. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. But at the same time, you have to be aware of your calorie intake and what foods you need to avoid.

Tomorrow Ill be posting the next part of my system: Watch What You Drink

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Hike at Carbon River in Mt Rainier National Park

This weekend was GORGEOUS!  We spent the majority of our Saturday hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park.  Did you know that Saturday started National Park Week?  We didnt either, but were able to park and hike for free this weekend.

For us, we had sunny weather in the upper 60s, lower 70s for most of the weekend.  Here are a few pictures from our great 11.5 mile hike.

The one-lane bridge we had to go over to get to the Carbon River Ranger Station. 

At the Carbon River Ranger Station before our hike.  This station is 2.5 miles from the parking area and trailhead.

Kevin at the Mt. Rainier sign near the trailheads.

A few miles into our hike, we just cant believe how big some of the trees are.  The entire hike is through old growth forests.

We hike 0.3 mile uphill hike from the main trail to check out an old mine.

Another hike 1 mile uphill and off the mail trail is Ranger Falls.  The picture really doesnt do it justice.  This thing was pretty tall!

Again, this picture makes it look not as grand as it was.  It looks like it is right behind us, but it is a good 50 yards away.

We continue along the trail that brought us to the Ranger Falls and along the way we cross a stream on this little bridge.

Along this path we also saw some old trees that had fallen over the years.  Im touching the root system of one and the root system alone was about 2.5 times my height.

At the end of our hike we make it to Green Lake.  Across the water is snow.  Actually, some of the only snow weve seen in person this year.  The lake indeed has a green tint to it, but from the furthest log we could climb to, you can see down over 60 feet deep.  We were the only ones at the time on the lake, so it felt pretty cool to have it all to ourselves.  Too bad it wasnt swimming weather!

Green Lake

A view into the lake.  So clear and green.  No fish to be seen or aquatic birds, but plenty of water bugs.

We were pretty tired the rest of our hike back.  With only fruit for breakfast that morning and a large apple each for lunch, we were in need of some serious fuel!  This was the cross-section of a fallen tree, which was my arm span (Im about 55").  Wish I could have stayed to count the rings!

After our hike we pass back through the small historic town of Wilkeson.  The old buildings on the main drag made it seem like an old western town.

After a stop for a beer at the local historic saloon, we were on our way to grab some food in town and go home... for an amazing nights sleep.

Health and Happiness,

Amy

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PRIVATE DINING AT CITY SOCIAL TOWER 42

I got married a few months ago and had a very low key wedding in Chelsea at 9am on a Monday morning with a few friends. My husband and I then wanted to celebrate again with more friends - we knew what we wanted, one table for around 24 people in a private room and a view of London. What we didnt know was that this is very hard to come by in London. Who would have thought??!! 

Two of the restaurants at the Shard have private rooms but you are on two tables, Galvin at Windows at the Hilton on Park Lane charge you a fortune just for the area and then only do up to 20 people on one table. Although the Oxo tower charges you even more if you want the private area on a Friday night….I dont like my friends that much!!! Babylon at the Roof Gardens and Paramount dont do big enough tables and the private room at Pont de la tour doesnt have a view of the bridge…I nearly gave up! 

Thankfully City Social ticked all the boxes and although they normally only do 22 on one table, they managed to squeeze in 23 for us, the view was phenomenal and you could tell by the food, that the chef had recently received a Michelin star.

There was a choice of 3 different menus at 3 different prices, the menus change depending on the season. Here was ours:

To start there was the choice of :

Beetroot Cured Cornish Mackerel, Cheltenham Beetroot, Watercress and Goats Cheese Sorbet.

Pigs Trotter and Ham Hock with Crispy Mrs Browns Black Pudding, Apple and Madeira.

Potato Gnocchi, Jerusalem Artichokes, Girolles and Roasted Oats.

For mains there was the choice of:

Middle White Pork Loin and Braised Belly, Cavolo Nero, Black Pudding & Cider Gel.

Newlyn Line Caught Cod, Salted Cod Branade, Chorizo, Baby Squid, Squid Ink Aioli.

Chestnut Tagliatelle, Butternut Squash, Smoked Chestnuts, Sage Infused Veloute (Unfortunately I forgot to snap this one).

For puddings there was:

Exotic Fruit Pavlova, Passion Fruit Cream, Kaffir Lime and Coconut Sorbet.

Selection of Sorbets and Ice Creams.

Selections of Cheeses and Chutneys and Crackers.

Wow - what a fantastic meal - the photos really dont do it justice! The food was really incredible, so flavoursome and well presented. The views of London were breathtaking and the service polite and courteous, making the restaurant a perfect venue for a special occasion. I would really recommend it. PS make sure you go to the loos, fab views there too!!

I look forward to coming back and trying the main restaurant for our anniversary (if not before)!!

CITY SOCIAL

Tower 42,
25 Old Broad Street,
London
EC2N 1HQ
Tel: 020 7877 7703
Email: reservations@citysociallondon.com or privatedining@citysociallondon.com

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STUPENDOUS AFTERNOON TEA AT SCOFF BANTER COVENT GARDEN

Arabella decided she wanted to go and see Cleopatras Needle today - pretty random but considering I love sight seeing, I wasnt going to say no. Obviously I had to combine it with a meal and so decided to book for Arabella and I to go for a Mathilda themed afternoon tea at Scoff and Banter. I am currently obsessed with afternoon tea (my sweet tooth is out of control)!

We sat down and I ordered an earl grey and Arabella a strawberry milkshake. Then her favourite part of the tea - she was presented with a copy of Mathilda….I know what we will be reading tonight!

Then it was time for the food!!

We started with the savouries - the sandwiches - cheese, ham and mayonnaise, egg mayonnaise and cucumber and cream cheese.

Arabellas favourite were the cream cheese and cucumber whereas I loved the ham and mayonnaise. The cheese and egg mayonnaise were nice, but a bit plain.

Then we moved onto the scones.

I really enjoyed the scones. Unfortunately I dont think they had been freshly baked there and then, but they were still delicious (so good I had two)!

Finally we moved onto the final tier - the cakes!

I adored the trifle - it was more like a cheesecake than a trifle. Arabella loved the lemon cake - she even had mine. She loved the chocolate fountain with the marshmallows and fruit whereas I loved the raspberry slice. We both enjoyed the brownies. The biggest disappointment were the cupcakes though - they were revolting - I went to Hummingbird yesterday and these were no way as good as theirs - in fact they were so rubbish we didnt even eat them….not sure what went wrong there.

The tea was so filling - being the piglet that I am, I was wondering whether they refilled the sandwiches or scones - however there was no need!! We were fit to burst.

It was a good ish tea (£29.50 for adults and £13.75 for kids) but not the best I have ever had (not a patch on Browns or the Berkeley) but we enjoyed it as an alternative for lunch. However Arabella has informed me next time we are in the area we will definitely be going to her favourite Shake Shack - she cant resist their cheesy chips and in fairness, nor can I.

Stupendous Afternoon Tea at Scoff & Banter

20 Mercer Street
London
WC2H 9HD
Tel: 020 7845 8607
Email: coventgarden@scoffandbanter.com

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