Light up the Night
My love of Christmas lights can be traced back to my childhood in Canada. Every year since I’ve been in London I’ve been disappointed by the lack of Christmas lights – both garish and elegant. So every year My Chef and I have gone on a Christmas light date in central London. It’s the only place to see a lights display!
Below are a few of my favourite pics this year. I have no idea why Marmite was chosen as the sponsor for Oxford Street, but Christmas lights don’t have to make sense.
Merry Christmas!
Shannon
Australia makes me sad
It’s happened again. I really must stop becoming friends with Australians because they just keep going back to the land down under. And that makes me very sad!
Since coming to London I’ve made more Aussie friends than any other. And as I’ve said many times, as an expat chef’s wife (read: married single girl) my friends are so important to me. As of this week, with the imminent departure of Alex and Josh, I will have more close friends in Melbourne than Calgary (my hometown).
And that sucks!
Alex and I have grown really close over the last 4 years. We met through work and became fast friends. That was helped by our horrible working conditions and the fact that misery loves company. But despite our initial friendship being one out of need, Alex is one of the best girlfriends I’ve ever had and it is going to be immensely difficult for me when she’s gone.
It’s also going to be hard for My Chef. As Alex and I grew close so too did the boys. I will never understand male friendships and probably even less so chef friendships, but despite My Chef never being around or having the time to nurture a new relationship, him and Josh have become good friends. And for a guy who doesn’t have a lot of friends this move will hurt.
There is no question about it that Australia makes me sad, but I know all of my friends who have moved back there have done so for the right reasons.
We were at Alex and Josh’s leaving party last night and I know they are both a bit reticent to be going back. But the truth is that they will be fine and so will we. We will miss them but as I keep finding out, true friendship isn’t vulnerable to geography.
Here’s hoping that’s true for us!
Shannon x
Chefs. Get married!
I love my friends. I love them for their kindness, their humour, their multitude of different interests. They are a group of people who I believe are incredibly unique. They accept me and my marriage for what it is. I get invited fairly regularly to be a third wheel, because of my married single life. But when My Chef is around, this same group of people welcome him with open arms.
Through trial and error I have discovered that this is not the norm. Over the years I’ve lost friends because of my married single status. Lots of people out there, once they become a couple, only want to hang with couples.
So yeah, my friends are rad and I love them all. But the one thing that no matter how hard they try is that they won’t ever really understand what it’s like being married to a chef. They offer me support, they listen, they get drunk with me when that’s what I need and most importantly, they celebrate the good stuff with both of us. It’s awesome, but only a chef’s wife can truly understand what it’s like nurturing a relationship under these conditions. A chef’s wife can empathise where someone who’s not connected to the industry might get outraged. A chef’s wife can give you tips and tricks that have helped her out in a similar situation. And a chef’s wife can just say she knows what you are feeling, and you know that she does.
I’ve met some really kick ass chef’s wives through a Facebook forum, Married to a Chef, and through Twitter. In fact, Friday night I met up with one of those wives and it was a nice evening. But the problem is, not enough chefs get married and therefore I have no local chef’s wives to hang with.
I have no idea why chef’s shun marriage. But come on you guys, help me out. Get married so I can be friends with some more chef wives, and preferably ones who live in London!
Shannon x
Review: The Wolseley
The Wolseley is one of London’s most iconic restaurants. The one time car showroom that is more reminiscent of New York’s Grand Central Station than any showroom I’ve ever visited is one of the most elegant restaurants I’ve ever broken fast in. If you’re a wannabe celebrity it’s also one of the places you go to be seen, hence my hesitation to visit – I am not one of THOSE people.
The restaurant is loud, it’s crowded and it’s full of what I’d like to think are botched plastic surgery’s. I friggin’ LOVED it.
I went with one of my colleagues. She too is an expat and when we compared our list of things left to do in London we both had The Wolseley. Neither of us are really the type that I’ve so often seen passing through the door manned by a dapper gent in pin stripes and a hat and then disappearing through the heavy brocade curtain, but that wasn’t going to stop us.
We planned on an early breakfast. It’s difficult to get a reservation but we’d done our research. They keep 50% of tables for walk-ins and since no one in London gets up before 10 on a Sunday, we arrived at 9. It worked like a charm; we were immediately escorted to a table.
I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much from the food. Afterall, most of the people I’d seen entering The Wolseley in the past didn’t look like they ate a lot.
How wrong I was!
The food was delicious. From the moment I walked in the smell of bacon made my stomach gurgle. I had to have some a lot of it!
Karen opted for a healthy breakfast of toast and poached eggs, but since I live by the philosophy of go big or go home (funny that I was not the Texan at the table!) I had a scrumptious french toast topped by loads and loads of crispy bacon. It’s no wonder I am in such a great mood today (and needed a nap when I got home).
Mom, Dad, next time you come for a visit I’m taking you to The Wolseley. You’ve never had a brunch like it!
The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly
020 7499 6996
Review: Bubbledogs
I probably haven’t eaten a hotdog since I was 6. I stopped because one of the older kids I grew up with (thanks a lot Jenny!) told me that hotdogs are made from lips and assholes. At the tender age of 6 this was horrifying, diabolical and something that I was NEVER again going to consume.
As we all know, forever is an awfully long time but my hotdog boycott held strong for 27 years. Pretty good going for a sweeping statement made by a 6-year-old. And after such a long-held belief/boycott, I was only ever going to end it for a really REALLY good reason.
Enter that good reason – Bubbledogs, the hotdog and champagne restaurant in Fitzrovia that everyone is talking about. Yes, judge me if you must, but I caved because I couldn’t stand the thought of being left out of the discussion.
Bubbledogs is a small restaurant. All of the tables are high bar tables with stools – not the most comfortable lunch I’ve ever had. But there’s a nice buzz about the place; lots of chatter and laughter, delicious smells and the constant pop of champagne being opened. Due to its popularity you can only make a reservation for parties of 6 or more. If you do not have a reservation, you could wind up queuing for over an hour, in the rain. Just something to consider.
Like the space, the menu is small – hotdogs, champagnes and a few sides. It’s very North American influenced with hotdogs like The New Yorker and the Fourth of July, and sides that include tater tots, sweet potato fries and even Cheese Whizz!
I had the BLT dog. I still couldn’t stomach the thought of eating a pork hotdog (I still imagine pig lips and twisty tails) so I opted for the beef one. I don’t know why I find that less offensive, but I do! And I really liked it. This was not the hotdog of my childhood memories, the truffle mayo really added an adult twist and my guess is that they are choosing premium meats to make these dogs. (If I’m wrong, please don’t tell me!)
Bubbledogs is worth the visit. I recommend getting a fun group together and making a reservation, because no matter how good the hotdogs are, I’m not convinced that there is any meal worth standing in a queue for. But my colleagues and I had a really fun lunch; it was a great way for us to say farewell to one of our co-workers, and I’d definitely do it again.
Bubbledogs
70 Charlotte Street
0207 637 7770
Remembrance
I attended the Remembrance Day celebration on Whitehall this morning. What are you doing to mark the day?
Shannon x
Autumn Colours
I must apologize for my absence. I love blogging and I love my followers, but after blogging for 100 days I sort of ran out of steam and just wanted to enjoy life for a while. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing – I’ve been busy falling in love (again!) with this perfect season. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year - the beautiful weather, the flavours, the colours and the fashions; seriously what’s not to love?!?!?! Below are a few of my favourite shots from the past few weeks, I hope you like them and I hope it makes you too grateful for this most wonderful time of year.
Don’t you just love these colours? And, can you believe that each of these photos was taken in South West London? Man, I love living here!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
Shannon x
