Foodie Monsters Special: Barcelona

Foodie Monsters

Barcelona Edition

 

I am lucky to call Barcelona my home. I spent almost my entire life in this beautiful city and despite now being a Londoner (10 years and counting!) I love going back and endure on everything that the city has to offer. And Barcelona has a lot to offer: culture, entertainment, nature and food are some of the things that quickly come to mind.

We get asked a lot about the foodie scene in this cosmopolitan city, so it was only a matter of time that we would deliver on your requests.

A #FoodieMonsters Special like no other. A Foodie Guide for my home town, and you can easily access it on your computer, tablet or on the go on your phone. Don’t miss out!

https://bit.ly/Foodie-Monsters-BCN

Pro-tip: Make sure you scroll through the whole Google Maps List to see all our pinned spots!

Our Selection for Brunch

Our Selection for (Healthy-ish) Lunch

Our Selection for Tapas

Our Selection for (Fancy) Dinner

A Day in Borough & Bermondsey

It is hard to believe you can do many things other than sitting in your couch, joining yet another ZOOM call or workout in your living room. Luckily, we have found a fun alternative for you Londoners.

If there is something we’ve been enjoying this lockdown is waking up early and go for exploring walks. Thanks to that, we recently found out that Borough Market was open, and so we’ve pan out a phenomenal day out in South London for ya.

First things first, grab a coffee to fuel your energy. Our friends at LOTI have come up with a fantastic list, check it out here.

Now you’re all perked up, why not using that energy to cycle to Borough? If you are feeling into it and don’t have a bike, you can grab a Santander Bike or an electric bike from Uber.

Yay! you’ve made it. The market is actually open during the weekdays too (10-5pm) but given that most of us are still working, having it open on Saturdays from 8-5pm is already a pleasure. Grab your groceries bag and tour around the market. You’ll find excellent butchers, fish mongers, vegetables and even wineries! My favorite stall even sells saucisson sec (which is a variant of the Catalan Fuet, a dried pork sausage).

For bread and pastries, head to Flor. They are the sister restaurant of Lyle’s in Shoreditch, so they will not disappoint.

For cheese, Neals Yard is a must. For a cheese toastie though, you need to head to Kappacasein. It’s 7GBP a toastie (ouch!) but it’s OH SO WORTH IT.

This should give you enough energy to continue your morning trail, so step away from more food and let’s head onto Bermondsey Street. It’s a 10 minute walk from Borough and you’ll also find lovely little shops and delis to check out. Lots of coffee options here, too! Our favorite is Fuckoffee.

If you still haven’t had enough, we’ve got one more stop for you. This is our favorite part of the trail as we are headed to the infamous Beer Mile on Maltby Street.

You could literally spend a whole afternoon touring around the beer breweries around here, but I’ve course we’ve got some favourites such as BRNO and The Kernel. And there are also some wine sellers worth noting such as Ancestral wines, a merchant that sells plenty of Catalonian wine (my fave, obvs!).

To finish off the day, check out the flowers at Igloo Flowers. And off you go home, accomplished and full of goodies to indulge into.

Stay safe,

TCB xx

Foodie Monsters LA Edition

One cannot think well,

love well,

sleep well,

if one has not dined well

So here's our favourite Foodie Monster spots at the City of Angels

Melrose

• Carrera Cafe for printed cups of coffee, including the infamous LA PLAM TREES, but also Kim Kardashian’s crying face and Ryan Gosling’s sexy look.
• Urth Caffe is probably one of the busiest places around the area; as he name say they are very ‘earth’, healthy and organic food at its best.
• For dessert lovers like moi, you’ve got one of the best ice-creams around: Salt & Straw and Carmela; the latter does a lavender and honey cup that is surprisingly amazing.
• Of course, let’s not forgot Alfred Tea Room. I mean, you could not miss this spot even if you wanted! Probably the most instagrammed café of LA, this trendy spot is perfect for pink lovers and matcha addicts.

Silver Lake & Surroundings

• Italian? Sure. Cosa Buona for authentic pizzas and Alimento for an italian menu with a twist
• Night+Market Song is probably THE best thai in town, serving street-food style dishes from the mainland
• Of course if there’s an Israeli place, I’ll go there; Mh Zh and Kismet are top choices, if you ask me
• A bit out of the way you’ll also find Salazar, serving mexican tacos to hungry customers

West Hollywood

• If you want to upscale your dining options, then you should totally pay a visit to Chateaux Marmont. Ecclectic and baroque, this place is like no other. Chilled at their indoor bar, listen to the pianist at their lounge or have a romantic meal in their garden. Such a gem! Make sure you book.
• The Beverly Hills Hotel is definitely very LA. The place to ve for certain clientele, in here you’ll find 4 restaurants with different styles. In a sunny day, I love having brunch at their Cabana Café, dipping in to their pool, which by the way, has music underwater.
• Another Night + Market restaurant here, a bit less crazy busy and with more seating area.
• Guisados is perfect for a hungover fix, all their tacos are soooo good. I never know where to choose from.

Downtown LA

Downtown LA is all about rooftop bars. The Standard, Ace Hotel, Freemans...you know, he classics.

Now if we are talking food, there’s two places, at least, you shouldn’t miss.

• Bottega Louie for that french-chic vibe. Macarons at the entrance and delicious food (incl. fire-wood pizza!) at their restaurant
• Eggslut for a perfect american-style brunch
• Otium for fine-dining/ contemporary american. Does Chef Timothy Hollingsworth ring a bell to you? There you go then.
• If you still have room for dessert, hit Astrodonuts & fried chicken. Food coma.

Several Locations: In-n-Out

A trip to LA wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t stop by at In-n-Out. I know, it's junk food! You must be thinking. But damn, these burgers are good. And there's a reason why everybody loves them.

Roll your sleeves guys, you are gonna need the energy.

TCB xx

YANKEES, a Foodie Monster in NYC

People sometimes tell me I am mistaken, but I really need to check my facts here cause I definitely feel NYC is small when compared to London. We have about the same amount of people leaving in both cities (8.7M in Greater London vs 8.5M in NYC) but when it comes to distances London feels definitely larger.

Distances and travelling time are reduced in NYC, which is kinda nice from a Londoner's point of view. I wonder though, if I would then ran out of places to try out? Then again, this is NYC. A new restaurant pops up every week, if not more often. 

This time around my troupe and I mainly stayed around Soho, Chinatown and LES (with some BK adventures, obvs), so all my suggestions will be mainly centered there!

Enjoy it careless readers, 

TCB xx

Greek Paradise - Santorini

 

Santorini, the romantic escapade. Known as the best greek island to see the sunset (OK I agree, but wouldn't it be the same from any other island?), Santorini amazed me since the moment I got there.

Hot, fuzzy weather. Lovely white & blue villages on a cliff. The people, the food. And of course, the Sea. It was stunning waking up to a clear blue sky and diving into the deep blue sea, with nothing else surrounding you. Oh man, what a feeling that was.

Santorini has many things to offer. However, I'd say it is mainly an island to relax. Take a good book, lots of drinks, a towel & a swimsuit and you are good to go. Red Beach, Black Beach, White Beach, you name it. They have them all.

As for where to stay: Oia. Not because I stayed there, but Oia is the most iconic village of the island. Forget Fira, Firostefani, Kamari or any other touristy village. All locals (and foreigners, of course) travel most of their evenings to Oia just to see the sun go down. Yep, that impressive.

But that's not the only reason why I would stay there. Tourists only grasp a bit of what Oia has to offer because they come for the sunset and then go, leaving without knowing that Oia is not as busy as it gets during sunset time. The scenario changes completely when you wake up, everything is more chilled out and you can get a nicer feeling about the place.

This cute village is in the north west edge of the island, along the northern edge of the caldera that forms the island of Santorini, at a height of between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 330 ft) above sea level. It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built into niches carved into the caldera on the seaward side. There are lots of charming passageways and a central square, with a little church.There's also a little footpath to access to the sea and the harbour, where I've tried really good seafood. Because, let's not forget the food...

Ok, let me go back. Eventhough we went in August, we managed to find an apartment for a very decent price. Marcos Rooms, a lovely aparthotel run by a greek family and few minutes away from the main street of the village. The rooms are lovely (they are the typical white and blue calderas) and you have a massive patio where you can bring your own food and drinks while enjoying the view. I highly recommend it!

As I had no clue where to eat, I asked them where could we go for lunch/dinner and we tried all the places they suggested, being my top 3 the following:

Thalami, my favourite restaurant by far. Everything we tried was excellent. Grilled octopus, tiger prawns, zucchini fritters, ... and they make the best Tomato Fritters (a traditional Santorini dish).

Skala, next to Thalami, it is also a good option to dine. Both Thalami and Skala's locations are sublime as you can sit in the terrace and have a view of the Aegan Sea. However, considering both cost about the same (€20/person, with no drinks), i'd rather stay in Thalami.

Kastelli is more like a greek taverna, very local. And I guess that's why I liked it so much. Their specialty is kalamaki, so this place was a must for meat lovers like me.

As for dessert, there's one place and one place only where you should go: Lolita's Gelato. Quite a new and next to the bus station, this gelateria is anything you would wish for. With a gelato machine brought from Italy, they use fresh milk, fruit and nuts and come up with original flavours like a gelato made from Santorini's local wine. Seriously, not to be missed.

I could keep talking about how nice Santorini was, and how many other things you could do (like going to hot springs, visiting the active volcano islets, visiting Santorini Monkey Brewery...), but I think you got and idea. So don't miss a change to get there when you can.

TCB x

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@Black Beach near Oia, wearing Miss Selfridge Crop Top and &Other Stories bikini (oldie, similar here)

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@Oia, the most beautiful and iconic village of Santorini

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Sunsets in Oia

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@Firostefani wearing Topshop denim Skirt Vika Gazinskaya for &Other Stories sleeveless top, ZARA clutch & shoes and Maria Pascual jewelry

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@Akrotiri Red Beach - Wearing Christies Swimsuit

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Historical Greece - Athens

 

I've always wondered why dressing nicely while on holidays is a synonym of not being comfortable. Being away from home shouldn't be an excuse to wear your sports kit. This year I've been in very hot places, with lots of humidity, walking around for hours, and yet I tried to look OK! Oh Holidays, holidays. That time of the year everybody looks forward to. I find it quite funny how high expectations people get about them and how much time most of us spend deciding what's best to do and how to do it. All those hours of going through the internet trying to find the best routes, the best itineraries, all to have the best time of the year (or at least that's what I think!).And then they go quickly...Argh, I guess it means we are having a good time.

This year I wasn't sure where to go. Lots of destinations to choose and very little time (and budget). So I decided to travel around Europe. Since I moved to London it's getting more complicated to plan holidays, I must say. I want to spend some quality time with my friends and family back home (in Barcelona) but also discover new cultures. So after several hours on the internet, the decision was made. Greece! Italy! and of course, Barcelona.

Our journey began in Greece, and more specifically in Athens. I don't get why so many people told me I was going to hate it. I think it's the perfect weekend destination and it has so much to offer! For me the mix of culture and cuisine was just the best.

We got there very early and even though we travelled during peak time, we managed to get a very nice room at the Radisson Blu Park Hotel (with a rooftop with views to the Akropoli) for a very decent price. And the staff were so friendly and helpful!

If I learnt anything from visiting Greece is that the Akropoli and its surroundings make it worth the trip. The Akropoli is at its best during early time in the morning, less crowded and nice weather. You could even catch some breeze! And what to say about the Akropoli...well, I think the pictures say it all but if I had to use a word it would be majestic. We spent about half a day just wandering around it and it was superb.

From there we went to try what Athens cuisine had to offer. It really depends what you are looking for but I personally loved Souvlaki around Plaka, at the very famous Meatropoleos 3. I'm just going to say, if you are a meaty person, you won't go anywhere else.

However, if you are up for a more fancy option, I'd say wander around Kolonaki. It's quite a residential area but I'd say it is also one of the nicest. There you can taste one of the most exquisites greek frozen yogurts in the city and have greek tapas in little homey restaurants in the street (my favourite, Kalamaki Kolonaki).

After three days there, our journey was finished. But not completely! It was just time to move to the Greek Islands. And damn I was excited. Santorini was awaiting for us.

TBC x

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The Parthenon.

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Wearing Topshop Metallic Skirt (similar one, here) , Topshop Gingham Top, and Miista Dee Silver

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Agora

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The temple of Zeus

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Hadrian's Arch (With the acropolis behind it!)

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The Radisson Blu Hotel and its fantastic restaurant and pool

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...and once more, the view to the Akropoli from the hotel.