As spring is here and we are in the middle of asparagus season I thought that would be great to make a sorbet to celebrate it all.  I cook my asparagus different ways, one of the best preparation for me is to cook them in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil, salt […]

Everybody knows the benefits of lemon.  I use lemon everywhere, I drink it, I use it on my skin as a toner, I brush my teeth with it.  I love its sunny colour, its acidity, its texture and the kick that gives to my dishes and my health.  The common lemons are Eureka or Lisbon […]

I’ve always loved old bistrots.  The good old meals we get there are like anywhere else. Bistrots are like your grand-mother’s cuisine, real, hearty, comforting.  It reminds me of my childhood, when we were on holiday, with my dad driving hours in the country side to reach the village where we would spend a few […]

I am back home. I was gallivanting for more than 3 months in Europe, I spent a lot of time with my family and friends in France, England and Spain.  While in Spain I discovered that little gem that I wanted to share with you.  Let’s be straight, I was in south of Spain, Benalmadena […]

I am in my favourite city, the one I feel I belong to, the busy, crazy and thrilling London. I want to make the most of it so time for me to go back to my friends, my habits, my usuals and favourites…. I am running a bit, on the move I maid those 3 […]

It’s been 4 months… 4 months that I haven’t written anything on my blog.  The reason why is that I put it on the side for a while, a little while… The end of 2017 has been a bit hectic, it’s the usual when you’re a chef but on the top of everyhing I added […]

My Italian people, please forgive me. I know what you think, risotto is made with rice and not with barley, quinoa or not even with faro (commonly used in Italy), I know. But we can sometimes, slightly change the original recipe and see how it goes. I agree that we won’t have the same texture […]

So I had my first peach cobbler last week…. It was dry, tasted yeast and the peaches were tasteless. Knowing that, you can be sure that I ‘m not going to give you the restaurant name.  My friends all agreed that it was not a real peach cobbler while I couldn’t really say anything except […]

What’s more beautiful than heirloom tomatoes ? The season is coming to an end…. I’ve already made tarte tatin with beetroot, mangoes…. but never with tomatoes. My sister who is a goddess in her kitchen and a tomato lover, posted a picture of her cherry tomato tart tatin, it was so cute that I thought […]

I couldn’t be a vegetarian, just because of that : prosciutto.  I’ve always loved it and had the chance to taste some of the most delicious in the world, from Parma, from Corsica, the famous patta negra from Spain…. It’s just divine. The name prosciutto is Italian and regions have different variety and can take […]

It was one of those days…. Cold, grey…. The kind of day that makes you want to stay at home and do nothing… So that’s what I did, kind of nothing, a bit of cooking, reading, eating, learning Spanish and looking after myself. Looking after myself also means to drink a chai latte. The best […]

It was a dream come true, a real one, something I wanted to do for years…. New York ! Now that I am close (not that much in fact as it’s the same flight time from London, but let’s say that I feel closer) I couldn’t not do it. Business is always quiet for me […]

You’re taking me just back from New York City. I came back yesterday morning, just enough time to unpack have a shower and lunch and go to work. It was hard… the return, this week in NY went so fast, too fast, and I did so much that I still haven’t had the time to […]

All it take is 3 ingredients and 5min. Yes, that’s all it takes to make these delicious, exotic Bounty bars.  The first coconut/dark chocolate bars called ‘Mounds’ were made in 1920 and sold only in the US.  Mars created a similar candy in the 50′ and marketed it internationnally first with milk chocolate then with […]

I wanted again, to start this post with : ‘once upon a time’ as you know that I love to start my stories that way, but I don’t want to sound boring but really… this story deserves a ‘once upon a time’… so… Once upon a time, a girl coming from Lithuania freshly arrived in […]

After cooking for 65 people, 2 appetizers + 4 courses meal , after needing 2 days to recover before going back to the real life still sore, I am back on my beloved blog.  My problem is that , I always buy far too much food. I shared the left overs with the staff helping […]

So, my client was organizing an event at hers and asked me if I could make pickled sardines.  She had different infused vodka and as we know, in Russia they eat pickled fish while drinking vodka that’s why I went for that dish.  I love sardines, in a can, fresh, with vinegar as my mum […]

I am at my office, a café that I really like around the corner of my  house.  After 2 intense weeks with my mum who was visitng and as always a lot of drinking and overdose of meat, I am going green for a few days/weeks. Before giving you the recipe of my vegan burgers […]

I love ginger.  I so love it that I have some every single day, first thing in the morning with my hot lemon juice. I grate it, also add some turmeric and then after that, I can start my day, have breakfast etc… I researched about it trying to find out if I could find […]

For someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, I realize that lately, I baked quiet a lot.  I am a bit late on my blogging schedule, it’s because I was waiting for the rhubarb to come 🙂 That’s one good thing done as the rhubarb is here, the season has started and it doesn’t last […]

What I love is when I make up my own recipe and that turns out delicious.  Late for a picnic last week (yes in San Francisco we can sometimes do picnics in March, sorry guys) as It was a last minute picnic kind of, I made a farro salad and this delicious cake.  The original […]

On my precedent post, I was talking about the fact that I don’t eat enough cereals and grains, and a few days later, I was in this French kind San Francisco restaurant, I tried farro. I won’t give you the name of that restaurant as I don’t remember it, simply because the overall experience was […]

I am on my way to Los Angeles, at least in my head, I am leaving tomorrow… To be in the LA mood and share a bit of that with you, I  made this cute and delicious vegan cheesecake.  LA, where everybody is beautiful, beach hair down and perfect skin, eating seaweed and grains while […]

I am doing pretty good with my daily routine. For those who follow me, you probably heard (read) about the experiments i’m doing on me, for you.  I still do my weekly, once a day homemade facemask (this week is tomato paste week) oil pulling,  lemon toner…. I still pack my plate with healthy, super […]

 I was planning on giving you the recipe of my sweet potato cake but in between, i heard about Abby Fisher.  Abby Fisher was the first African-American known to have published a cook book. That makes ‘ What Mrs Abby knows about Southern cuisine, soups, pickles…’ the oldest book known written by a former slave. […]

Once upon a time, (I love to start my posts by ‘once upon a time’) a Mediterranean island famous for its beauty, wildness, own dialect, goats and saucisson… Corsica.  Countless plants grow in the ‘maquis’ this wild forest that in addition to its beaches make Corsica so unique. It’s said that there is something like […]

Butternut squash is a winter fruit that grows on a vine… A bit boring…. And Brian Mcknight in my ears is teasing me…. Difficult  to concentrate… It’s not boring and I love learning about ingredients and told you about the very little I know, but not now.  Right now I prefer to tell you about […]

I hope that you are starting this new year the nicest way.  If you were wondering, my people, I am starting 2017 the best way, full of energy, a lot of work, a beautiful skin and zero alcohol ! Yes zero wine, zero alcohol for exactely 12 days… I am doing good… Well, it’s hard […]

I made my very first and tasted my very first pumpkin pie (my own) late November.  I couldn’t really compare with any other as it was my first one.  It was made with fresh pumpkin as it is something more normal for me, then I fund out that most people make it with pumplin in […]

We are the 10th of December and so, I declare the festive season open.  Christmas parties, cocktail hours, wine o’clock that starts lunch time, sweets and alcohol consumed in too big quantity…  With that, comes the guilt. Guilt about not even have started the pre-Christmas diet planned to give your body a good makeover before […]

So 2 days ago was Thankgiving and so was my birthday.  So let’s talk about history.  Not history about myself as I am old, but not old enough yet, but history about Thanksgiving.  It all began on the shores of Cape Henry in Virginia. In 1607, the first English colonists arrived : 105 English, amongst […]

If we all agree on something is that the best food memories, the best dishes are always made by our grand-parents. I have a lot of food memories with my grand- parents, a lot of smells, tastes memories and this image of my Italian grandpa making ravioli… He spent hours making his ravioli for the […]

It’s been a while that I haven’t talked about chocolate. It has to stop. Actually I don’t talk about chocolate much as, as I said in a few of my post I am a cheater, I love tampered chocolate, the milk one and above all, the white chocolate. The most fatted one, the less natural […]

In my  new flat, there is my new kitchen and in this new kitchen, my new kitchen tools.  So happy to have a juicer and go back to a routine left in London 1 year ago, so happy to think that my greyish complexion will make place to a pinky-healthy skin color thanks to the […]

Her name is Regina Tchelly.  Born in Nordeste, north east Brazil. There, poor and rich eat what mother earth give them. There is only very little waste in the state of Paraiba.  Farmers put their waste back on earth as fertilizer or use them to feed their animals.  When Regina arrived in Rio de Janeiro […]

It’s something I didn’t want to do…. But…. I said I would do it so I am keeping my words… I will give you the trick on how to get pinky, girly quail eggs.  I am a bit jealous now as those eggs are so easy to make that they will be on a lot […]

Doing some catering and having had a lot of events lately, I obviously have some left overs…. Little things like half of a red onion, 1 jalapeno,  lentils, some mascarpone cheese, polenta, bacon… I usually make a soup with vegetable and other stuff I have left but this time I didn’t feel like having a […]

 Let’s talk about meat balls… First of all, I’ve always loved meat balls, they are small enough to be enjoyed just like that at a cocktail party  and big enough, added to spaghetti to be one of my comfort food. Second, it’s a bit like the croquettes, the whole world is making meat balls, different […]

It was 2 days ago while I was running like crazy, in the middle of a 5 days events where I had to deliver breakfast and dinner everyday for 38 vegetarian people. Running errands, I stopped to grab an egg and ham sandwich on the go. I love eggs sandwich.  Then something happened, the girl […]

I heard about the Whole30 program, the one that is supposed to revolutionize your food habits and so, your life.  It says that going green and essentially vegetarian, addind fish and meat here and there is the solution to our bloated belly, fat excess and infammation we all have in our bodies. Avoiding grains, legumes, […]

Endorsed by the hottest stars, packed with nutrients, source of protein and calcium (4 x more than milk) the chia seeds are one of the healthest food on the planet.  Native of Mexico and Guatemala, chia seeds are coming from a plant, categorized under the mint family, the name derived from the Aztecs Nahuatl chian […]

After trying to find, in vain,  the famous signature dish in Vancouver,  I went to ‘The Black Kettle’ brewery to drown my sorrow in alcohol. It’s in North Vancouver, 45 min by bus from the center, great way to see a bit more of the city.   Victor, my great host, gave me the whole […]

After spending 32 hours on a train, and surviving the  restaurant car food, I finally arrived in Vancouver in Canada.  The trip was supposed to last ‘only’ 24 hours but we’ve been badly delayed because of a truck stopped on the track while its driver attempted to steal the railroad… lovely.  Apart from this incident […]

The whole world is making croquettes. The croquettes, croquetas, aloo-tiki, korokke, crocchette, made with the same main ingredient, the potato, usually shaped in oval, round, cylindrical, then deep fried. The croquettes put everyone agrees., in Cuba, Russia, Japan, Ecuador, Ireland, India…  Whatever the skin color is, regardless the religion, the country, food brings people together, […]

Italian cuisine is one of my favourite…with the Mexican one, the Caribbean one and of course, the French one 🙂 Italian cuisine is all about the ingredients, their freshness, the origin (Italian are too vain to buy a non-Italian products, anyway). Italy is all about the respect of the season, the use of natural and […]

When I think about canelés, I think about the smell first.  Divine smell of vanilla, caramel… the kind of smell that brings you straight back to your childhood and when I was coming back from school, my mum always behind the stove, enchanted the kitchen with beautiful smells… Canelés are those little cute things, brown […]

I am in a sweet period which is not very often.  I also felt the need to cook something and the laziness of not going further than my kitchen.  So I made this chocolate and olive oil cake with almonds and pine nuts. Why olive oil ? Because I don’t have butter anymore. You know […]

It takes a lot of time and practise to make a filo (or phyllo) pastry. Clearly, mine is a ready-to-roll one. Who knows, one day I might go to central Asia or Greece and learn how to do it…. It’s actually on my bucket list.  The practise is coming from the Ottoman empire. Made with […]

I’ve always found apple a bit boring… I’ve tried different ways to eat them. In winter I always have to push myself to eat fruit because apart from the usual banana, orange and pear, there’s nothing very exciting.  I found a recipe called ‘March jam’. The name doesn’t really matter as, as you know me,  I […]

My people, I wanted to wish you an incredibly good 2016 !!! I wish you to have everything you wish ! I am planning to be very self-centered to avoid the usual January depression. Let’s love January, it’s time to look back on the past year but also to look after ourselves. Let’s take it […]

Once upon a tme.. A very long time, when I was a little girl… I was dreaming about going to Louisiana… The Mississipi with those white boats,  the colonial houses, Lincoln,  the jazz and Tom Sawyer…  Sooo many years later, I realized one of my dream…. It’s done, I made it ! So ?… Happy […]

I know it’s not the season but… it depends on where you are my people… me being in San Francisco now and haven’t worn a coat yet, it’s still time for an ice-cream.  Also, I have friends and followers in Brazil for example, where they can eat ice-cream all year long. My London people, you […]

Everything is a question of doing it or not. Waiting ‘to have time to do it’ or just do it, now. So as always, I did, except that I was not emotionally ready ! And I had to to go to the Swan Oyster Depot as it was at the first place on my ‘things […]

Just the name is already so exotic… I didn’t know that Mr Anthony Bourdain was such a star in the US… He is one of my hero and to me, he is not famous enough in Europe… Anyway, as everytime I travel somewhere I check his program and so I arrived in San Francisco with […]

After a beautiful late lunch in Sausalito, having an orgy of crab, fish stew and meat, only one idea crossed my mind, crawl to my bed and have a nap… I decided  that this evening I wouldn’t be able to cook much (because I didn’t have this nap) and because of the left overs we […]

So here I am…. stranded between the piano and the jukebox at ‘Caffe Trieste’ …. why between the jukebox and piano? Because that’s where I can plug my computer. Regulars apparently know where the sockets are, there are only two in the whole bar.  So the computerists/working-from-home people are clustered around. Now I know.  The […]

Live in from ‘Cafe Greco’ in North Beach, I wanted to share my recipe of my french toasts rolls. ‘Cafe Greco’ which is definitely an Italian cafe despite its name has different coffées (‘L’Americano’ but also ‘Il Greco’ and ‘L’Africano’), playing Italian songs, old fashion that some would find cheesy, but that makes me feel […]

After the Filoli house in the south of San Francisco, we headed to the half moon bay to have a lobster brioche roll and coleslaw at ‘Sam’s chowder house’, insanely good with the amount of 3 or 4 whole lobsters in my sandwich and a coleslaw to die for. And we finished the afternoon in […]

San Francisco, where everybody says ‘absolutely’ or ‘of course’ in reply to your ‘thank you very much’, where everybody has the greatest white teeth I’ve ever seen, where everything is so well packed and gluten free but more importantly  where everybody is very very friendly. Peregrinations, cooking, getting lost are my everyday program. Meeting people […]

I have this great memory about London, when I arrived there on my own, 9 years ago and this amazing feeling of freedom I had. It was in June and it was hot,  London was on heatwave alert (always the case when the thermotmeter rises above 25°C), but for me, it was perfect. I had […]

I was preparing a list on this sunny balcony in King’s Cross (yes, for those who missed the last few posts, I am not in Ladbroke Grove anymore, I mean, for the time being as it’s still MY area, but in King’s Cross after being obliged to leave my flat from one day to another) […]

I was invited to a sake and tapas tasting… What’s the heck was that ? Sake and sushis, sake and chocolate all right but sake and Spanish tapas ?  I went to the restaurant ‘Toro Gordo’ in Hammersmith wondering why I accepted to go to mix a rice alcohol with tortilla while I could have […]

This post has been started in  July, I was freshly arrived in this stunning region of Luberon, and between lunch and dinner, one day,  I had a bit of time to write as I wanted to share this exprience with you.  But it was just the beginning when I only had 6 people to feed… […]

Aller faire son marché à Londres ou tout du moins mon marché (Portobello raod) est juste pour le plaisir d’aller faire son marché. Juste pour dire fièrement que j’achète mes légumes et fruits sur le marché, évite les supermarchés, alors que pour certains, acheter sur le marché veut dire acheter plus sain. Eh bien… Malheureusement […]

Going to the market in London or at least to my market (Portobello road) is just for the sake of it. Just to say proudly that I buy my vegetables and fruits on the market and avoid supermarkets, while for some, buying on the market means buying healthier. Well… Unfortunately it’s not. If you check […]

Cucumber’s season is at its peak, on those first days of July we have to think about preparing…winter.. Depressing I know but now that we have those beauties on the market stalls we have to think about preserving, freezing… etc.. to extend summer. Are you feeling better now ? Well, I do. I can definitely […]

I have been invited recently to taste some cold water prawns…. I couldn’t attend the tasting but since then I read a lot about prawns and the famous cold water ones. They live in a natural cold water habitat like Norway, Greenland, Canada…They are initially all males and become females after 3 years. They are […]

As a chef, I always travel in order to discover food, ingredients, recipes… I had cooking lesson in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, made Feijoada in Maceo, Brazil, learnt how to make a tajine in a tent in the Moroccan desert a few years ago with 3 berbers, one making tea and playing drums, […]

Tangier, crossroad between Spain and Morocco. In the 50’, Tangier was the interzone were nothing was forbidden. Prior to independence, Tangier was administered by several European countries, without any rigid law. Homosexuals came to Tangier where it was more relaxed and Westerners could indulge themselves in cannabis and young males in need of money. Tangier […]

It was when I decided to behave, just before a week-end which was supposed to be wild. Before my trip to Tangier I wanted to go green, at least for a day. I bought those moong beans (or mung beans) a while ago and hadn’t tried it till now. My friend Kim who took me […]

Voilà, voilà…. Here we are… The cherry season has just started… But not in UK yet. Clafoutis is one of my favourite cake, while I am waiting for the cherries to be fully in season, bordeaux, chubby and juicy to make a classical French clafoutis, I made an exotic one with mango and coconut milk. […]

Because normal people are on a long bank holiday week-end, doesn’t mean that others like me, the abnormal,are. It doesn’t matter, I will have my revenge as I will be off when you will be at the office. So while you are gallivanting in London, France or somewhere else in the world I made this […]

Let’s face it, I live in London and Spring is acting like a diva again, it’s not here as yet and will come whenever it will be ready. For now we have to be happy as it’s asparagus season. Little green beauties, British and healthy. Known in Egypt 3000BC but also in Syria and in […]

Last Saturday, I went to the Borough market in London. I hadn’t been for a while and I stopped to a middle-east restaurant, Arabica, where I wouldn’t go if I were you. So disappointing. I had to resend the uncooked chicken, the waiter explained that it’s because they are corn-fed that we can eat it […]

They are everywhere on market stalls… The green vegetables. Courgettes, asparagus, cabbage, cress, spring onion, spinach… Young and tender vegetables, with or without cooking. There is this Italian atmosphere in London in April, everybody smiles, the sun is out, the temperature is higher…We just need good quality and simple food with a lot of olive […]

After weeks of negotiaton and organization with my girlfriends, I finally saved the date to go and celebrate Alice’s 150’ birthday. Alice in wonderland is my big, very close friend. My manager used to call me Alice saying that I follow rabbit in the hole too often and my sister always tells me that I […]

On peut le dire, le Printemps est là ! On ne met plus le chauffage, les fenêtres restent ouvertes, le soleil entre et brille sur ma table où je prends mon petit-déjeuner… Le Printemps c’est ça aussi, ces petites choses de la vie de tous les jours qui nous font sourire et apprécier ce que […]

We can tell now that Spring is here ! We don’t put the heating on anymore, the windows stay open, the sun come through and shine on my table where I have breakfast. Spring is also that, little things of everyday life that make us smile and be thankful for what we have. Before strawberries […]

‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistro. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… In London and the world… […]

Today is the D day, the detox day. Everything was organized, all good, I am kind of off today so I decided to have a pajama day. That kind of day when I don’t even have a shower… I might brush my teeth, eventually. As a pajama day happens once every few month, it has […]

As it was (for me at least) difficult to make speculoos, after three attempts I decided to make cardamom speculoos. It’s silly how you sometimes manage to cook something elaborated and miss a so simple recipe like speculoos, anyway, it will be the topic of one of my future post cause I won’t give up […]

I woke up very tired this morning, the cold outside didn’t help to pull me out of my bed but I thought about my today’s recipe to try, it helped me to put my feet on the floor. I also thought about love and Valentine’s day. Love for people but also love for cooking, the […]

‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistro. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… In London and the world… […]

I was reading this morning that milk is now cheaper than bottle of water. The problem is always the same, produce more and cheaper. Cows produce 18% more milk than in 2001. How ? Well, everybody knows that, hormones, antibiotics etc… Produce more unhealthy cows that produce more unhealthy milk to produce more waste in supermarkets […]

First of all I wanted to wish a wonderful new year. May 2015 brings you health, love and happiness. I had a long and lazy break in Nice where the sun was out and the sky so blue that it was nearly disturbing. The Christmas decorations in the street didn’t match with the palm trees […]

‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… In London and the world… […]

Pedlars’ World has stories to tell… Busy networking with art dealers all around the globe, Pedlars team is looking for the vintage, the rare piece to make your house unique. History and character are the best to define this shop in Notting Hill. Close to local people, fostering exchanges, the second hand art, the retro […]

‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… In London and the world… […]

  ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… In London and the […]

So, why not to talk about the weather again ? As I said last year at the same period, we are all waiting for summer, at least Spring. Picnics have started for one week-end and already the weather is awful. This little vicious everyday rain, a bit, a few minutes a day, just to spoil […]

When I follow Alice’s rabbit in the hole, I can see myself cooking for my event and finishing so early that I still have time to sit down, eat and start a new post for my blog. Feeling fresh after a nice shower… no stress while waiting for my chauffeur…. That’s in my dream… The […]

You know my admiration and respect for chefs so I wanted to introduce you someone I really admire… Jurgen. He’s a chef, a pastry chef to be more precise. So basically he’s the kind of guy who mixes ingredients until reaching the perfection (pastry is all about perfection). We met at the Arts Club where […]

Here are my ‘Brèves de Comptoir’, new monthly for 2014. ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what […]

As a big friend of Alice in Wonderland, i am more like her friend the rabbit… always late. I started a series of pop-up restaurant in Notting Hill, the first one was late March and it was a big success. Because of that, or thanks to that, I am doing now a pop-up once a […]

Here are my ‘Brèves de Comptoir’, new monthly for 2014. ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what […]

It’s officially official, Spring is here !!! We have to celebrate ! Today in London, like a lot of days in London, it was raining, then sunny and rainy again… When I think Spring, I automatically think about the south of France and the sea and the food we have in summer. Food wise I […]

Days are getting longer and I feel lighter. Lighter in my mind but physically lighter as well. Like each year, I have my March crisis. I can’t stand my coat anymore, can’t stand the cold and just want to run naked in my garden ! Slowly it’s coming… Spring ! It’s always something we wait […]

Here are my ‘Brèves deComptoir’, new monthly for 2014, every end of the month. ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed my life, what I […]

Mexican cuisine is a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican and European cooking , especially Spanish. It’s colorful, vibrant, influenced by different migrants over the centuries. It is tied closely to the culture and traditions. Mexico is a giant picnic, on every corner people are eating, on every corner there is a stall, a merchant who sells […]

The difference between French and English people is that when English are on strike, they are. Tube lines closures make London a mess. In France, every month there is something to moan about, they definitely do moan and organize a strike which doesn’t mean anything really. French can make arrangements to arrive at work on […]

Well, well well… Here are my ‘Brèves de Comptoir’, new monthly for 2014, every end of the month. ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are authentic quotations collected from everyday life and particularly gossips at the bistrot. Absurd borders on humour or poetry, news and sometimes philosophy. Mine are of course food oriented, a concentrate of what feed […]

There are some days, or week-ends when we don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen but still wow our guests. This week-end (as I am off for 2 days like normal people) is one of them… This recipe is just what we need this week-end, no fuss, no complication and a whaou! […]

What to say about Paris ? Paris will always be Paris, there is this inexplicable romantic atmosphere in Paris that makes you want to fall in love. The Parisians ? I don’t know really, they have this reputation of being arrogant, pretentious… I know a few, met a few and apart from a rude taxi […]

I just wanted to write a few lines about a place I love : Bar Italia. The whole London knows this little piece of Italy born in 1949. It’s been passed on through three generations and is open 22 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s where I used to go for aperitif, sometimes […]

  I am so excited that I find difficult to focus on work. My Paris’ trip is coming soon…. OMG Paris… Me, French from the south always so excited when it’s about Paris. Paris is definitely a woman. Beautiful, elegant, generous… Paris and her bistros, Paris and her dogs’ poop on the pavement, Paris and […]

Happy 2014 !!! I wish you an amazing new year, let’s forget about the boring false courtesies, so I wish you to run naked in fields, to swim on Trafalgar Square fountain at night (one of my fantasy), drink champagne for breakfast at 6am and of course a lot of love, sex, wine, food and […]

My ‘Food news and gossips Journal’ is a monthly concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste…in London and the world… – ‘Sofrito’ (sauce used as a base in Spanish cuisine) can reduce the risk of health disease and cancer. The antioxidant substances in Sofrito (tomato, […]

First, I would like to apologize for my non presence on the blogosphere for a few weeks. It’s been hectic, like for everyone who work in hospitality I guess. My full time job as a chef, my cocktails parties for my clients and on the top of that the organization of a pop up in […]

Once upon a time in my world…. ‘Guys, if anyone tells me again that there is no more coriander in the fridge, I hang you by the balls above the grill’… Lovely… Welcome to my world people… In that particular moment, I am so happy not to be a man and cannot be hanged… The […]

There is something delicious, so easy, buttery and pretty that my mum used to make a lot  is ‘pommes boulangères’. I have made the same in small little flan molds. It can be done in loaf baking tin, baking tray… ‘Pommes boulangères’ serves 4 Ingredients 4 medium potatoes 2 small onions 100ml of chicken or […]

As Christmas displays are on for nearly two months, we can’t forget that Christmas is just around the corner even if we wanted to. I refuse to think about Christmas yet ! Before Christmas there is Halloween, my birthday and of course, of course, Le Beaujolais ! Beaujolais considered as a bad young wine by […]

My ‘Food news and gossips Journal’ is a concentrate of what feed my life, what I swallow every day, what I read, hear, try, taste… -Event of the month : ‘Triple hop’. A combination of beer tasting, street art and illustration exhibition. Live brewing, live drawing while you enjoy your beer. www.columnartsagency.co.uk -12% of airplane […]

When I was 16 and started clubbing, I went out every Saturday night till Sunday morning 11am. I had to wait for the bus as I lived outside the city where only two buses a day were going. We waited in a café with my girlfriends till I went back to my country side for […]

I have to confess, I have never done any puff pastry and probably never will. I know, I know, a lot of you are now so disappointed as you think that I am perfect and can do anything…. You are wrong. Puff pastry is too fussy to make, only a pastry chef will say that’s […]

I am back to my first love : sea, cicadas and rosé wine. I am in Nice as my brother is getting married. I heard that I would be the cook … A lot of pressure. The menu is done, we’ll start the shopping today. Just a bit of time to give you one of […]

I attended the Grana Padano and Proscuitto di San Daniele master class a few weeks ago.  Meeting with Carlo, Daniela and Giancarlo at Cafè Caldesi, Marylbone, 8.30am. With croissants and ‘cafè ristretto’ we had an introduction with the PDO products (Protected Designation of Origin). PDO guarantees the reliability, traceability etc… People like you and I […]

Aubergines are at their best from July to September. Native to India, aubergine has been cultivated there since the prehistory. The aubergine is unrecorded in England until the 16th century. It’s sometimes recommended salting aubergines to make them ‘sweat’ before cooking to eliminate the excess of water. I don’t do it. I think it’s hassle […]

Let’s talk about peach. Vitamine C and A, tarts, soups, baked and of course one my soft spot, Bellini. I make this dessert often and it’s always a great success. Count one peach or two per person, some ricotta cheese, honey and almond flakes. Wash and halve the peaches, preheat the oven on a low […]

Jamie Oliver is very upset with people who buy ready to eat fruits (already peeled and cut), the rumors are saying that Nigella Lawson is getting divorced and Bruno Loubet has vegetables which are not in season on his new restaurant’s menu (Bruno we need to talk),the food industry keeps moving, which is a good […]

If your mum is like mine, if she comes back from the market with two kilos of onions when you send her to buy only one for your recipe, when she doesn’t understand that you don’t have 5 children and you don’t want to waste food by buying too much at the same time, when […]

It’s all right, I can die now. I’ve seen God… ‘Ferran Adria and the art of food’ exhibition booked months ago finally arrived, it was yesterday. Somerset House, little exhibition talking about Ferran Adria’s life and of course his nearly 30 years of work at El Bulli. That’s what I thought… So, Somerset House, little […]

Summer is here and it’s raining, still… My strawberries in my garden are pushing very hard to get red but poor them, without sun what can they do ? If I could eat a few before October, that would be great as in October it will be raining again. Having a rain break would make […]

Sunday morning. Before going to work, after making some baked potatoes, a strawberry jam, after calling my friend, doing my hair and my nails, here we go a ‘Mango chicken with cashew nuts’ : Ingrédients : serves 2 2 chicken brests 2 mangoes 1 tbsp of soya sauce 5cl of pineapple juice 1 tbsp of […]

I will never stress enough on how important it is to read a recipe till the end before starting. Actually I should apply that to myself first. Read the ingredients of course but also the method till the end. Not like me, ready, happy to plunge my hands in a heap of flour, almond powder, […]

Same time, seven years ago, I landed in London with a suitcase heavier than me, two huge bags and three words of English. Despite its ups and downs my life is still a journey in London and that’s one of the reason why I am still in love with her. To celebrate my seven’s birthday […]

So, I think we can say it now, Spring is here !!!! Everything is more beautiful with the sun, people are more beautiful and smily, gardens are more beautiful, we walk barefoot and don’t worry about what to wear really… After a routine check earlier this week at the hospital, they told me that I […]

How to be objective when talking about your friend’s coffee shop? It’s like when I ask my mum’s opinion about what I do or the way I look… Everything is great for her when it comes from me. Love is blind. But because I am not a food critic and write about places I love […]

I am not going to start talking about the weather again, to avoid you my moans. The good news is that my brother is getting married, I spent one week in Nice and obviously the main conversations were about the big day. I love staying to one of my sister’s in her little cute flat. […]

What’s more refreshing than a smoked salmon tasting at 9am on Saturday? One month ago, Tom, a food critic, invited me to a tasting at H. Forman and Son… In Hackney Wick… Never been before… Hackney yes, Hackney Wick, never heard… Well, it’s a very arty area, loads of factories transformed in flats or cafes, […]

Last week I went to the hospital for a MRI of my bowel, I left with no pain in my belly, but with the vision completely blurred… It happens to some, and I was definitely one of them. So frustrating no to be able to check the map on my phone. I knew I was […]

I hate being late but always I am. That’s why I run all the time… not to be late. People often tell me that it’s not fair because I have a very good appetite, I work with food and I am a size 8. I don’t really agree with that, I am definitely a size […]

Brick Lane, an East London street, runs from the northern part of Bethnal Green, passes through Spitalfields and linked to Whitechapel High Street is the heart of the Bengalis community. Successive waves of immigrants, in the 17th century, French weavers were based on Spitalfields so it became the area for weaving, tailoring and clothing industry. […]

One of my manager used to call me Alice, simply because according to him, I follow rabbits in their holes a bit too often… Well, ok, maybe… The thing is that I have always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland so when I heard about ‘Calloh Callay’ in Shoreditch and the fact that we […]

There are some places like ‘Buen Ayre’ which deserve to be named. Nested on the pretty Broadway market in Hackney, people who haven’t tried this restaurant yet, you definitely should. Argentinian meat cooked ‘parrilada’ way, Argentinian chef, welcoming and still smiling staff after I harassed them with questions. Unpretentious, small and always full. Empanadas to […]

Andalusia is flamenco, gazpacho and shady narrow streets… I was hoping for a little 30°C instead of the 17°C we had but we can’t have it all, at least it was warmer than in London and the food was beautiful. In between our 5 stops a day for tapas, we also stopped for beer, hot […]

After a long night shift, we left work and went straight to Billingsgate market. Sophie who used to go there with her dad, really wanted to show me the place as I ‘needed to go with a real East Londoner’ she said. 3.45am we arrived. Not fresh but very happy. We caught the attention of […]

I had to write, now, straight away, about a topic very important to my heart : the strawberry. I will try to explain ‘Marlène’s way’, same way I explained to one of my colleague while she was eating melon in December ! God created seasons, we have to respect that. December is definitely not the […]

‘Lakwatsa’ ( meaning ‘to chill’) is a welcoming little cute place in Bleinheim Crescent W11. Opened last December, I finally tried a Filipino bubble tea this afternoon. Made with green or black tea, flavored with fruits and/or milk and black tapioca pearls. I sat down on one of their double swing seats with flashy cushions […]

Hello everyone, I hope that you have started 2013 happy, fresh and ‘detoxed’ (for some). One thing I want to do this new year is post you once a month or twice a week (it doesn’t really matter) some ‘Brèves de comptoir’. ‘Brèves de comptoir’ are little stories, authentic quotations collected from everyday life but […]

Everybody knows that London can be tiring, everything goes fast, people, bus drivers, days, nights… January can be depressing for some, look back on the past year, new aims, good resolutions… Still, on the top of that, some people inflict on themselves another struggle : detox. If there is one thing I don’t do is […]

Built in 1750 the ‘Churchill Arms’ is one of my favorite pub in London. Once frequented by Winston Churchill’s grandparents the pub is always full and serves a wide range of ales mail order viagra in uk . All kind of things hanging from the ceiling, dim light and chamber pot above your head you […]

Last week-end was my very first time in Brittany… Brittany, in Breton: Breizh, is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as […]

I attended the pumpkin carving competition at Fortnum and Mason last week for Halloween. I love Fortnum and Mason, it is just so British that I couldn’t think about another place to celebrate Halloween with elegance and respect of tradition. Elegance and refinement till the competition started… In the demonstration kitchen from 3pm to 5pm, […]

After having a conversation with one of my close friend, I decided to listen to her and take a day a week doing nothing… sometimes. I had a Thursday doing nothing last week. Nothing except cooking’ Jasmine shortbread’. But because I was not happy with it, I also tried ‘Sablé Breton’, actually they turned up […]

I have just read a very serious and interesting study : women who drink red wine would like sex more than the others… Fantastic news, I will feel less guilty then. We already knew the beneficial effects of red wine like a reduction of cardiovascular risks, we now have one more reason to drink red wine, […]

Here are a few pictures of my little week in Nice (little as holiday are always too short). After a long and cold winter and no spring in London it was nearly vital to go to see the sun, the sea, feel the heat and listen to the cicadas sing. It was a short but […]

Back from Nice (where I took a lot of pictures for my next post) I had an appointment with Jamie… In my dreams, we would have cooked together or just shared a ham sandwich with a glass of bad wine and talk about food. buying generic cialis Because Jamie is like a friend, someone we […]

Here are a few pics of my tasting…. It’s been a great success, 16 people attended. Nice food, kir white wine and nice atmosphere… We’ll see what Reverse Phone Check , 75% + Cash Bonuses, Unbeatable Affiliate Support ’s next…                        

Je ne peux toujours pas croire que Dieu est venu où je travaille et je ne l’ai pas vu ! Ce n’est pas tous les jours que l’on peut voir Dieu en personne et j’ai réussi à le louper ! Personne ne me l’a dit… Il a réservé une table dans le restaurant d’en bas […]

I still can’t believe that God came at work and I didn’t see him ! It is not every day that you can see God in person and I managed to miss him! Nobody told me… He booked in the restaurant downstairs (obviously not under his name) and that night, I was working upstairs. That’s […]

 I wanted to take a few pictures last week-end while I was Liverpool, I organized myself, found a few restaurants with good critics, nice websites (very important for me the website) before getting there. No luck, I didn’t book in advance and everything was full because of a big carnival-float with wooden-iron kind of giants […]

  Je voulais prendre des photos de plats le week-end dernier quand j’étais à Liverpool, je me suis organisée, ai trouvé quelques restaurants avec de bonnes critiques et de jolis site internet (très important pour moi le site internet) avant d’arriver là-bas. Pas de chance, je n’avais pas booké en avance et tout était complet […]

A few more food pictures from Brazil… It is beautiful for the eyes and it is such a shame that you can’t smell them. It’s been a feast for my senses, on the markets and at home as the fruits in the kitchen filled the air with such a wonderful smell. I had in Brazil […]

It’s been more than a month that I haven’t written anything, long time I know. I have an excuse I was in Brazil. Maceio, Brazil, on the North coast, sublime wild beaches with coconut trees and happy people. I enjoyed the carnival, met a lot of great people and came back with a lot of […]

When I arrived in London 5 years ago, there was one area I wanted to see first, Notting Hill. I don’t know why, the film probably as I didn’t have any interest at all for England (sorry). In my London’s guide in the chapter ‘Notting Hill’ they talked about ‘Books for Cooks’… Since then, I […]

There are a few places (a lot actually) I would like to go in London and obviously a long list of cafes, restaurants… I have started to write down everything since I’ve begun my blog and stopped relying on my brain only which is a good thing. I read everything I find regarding chefs, ingredients, […]

There are some days when nothing’s coming out of my brain, or my pen… I try to write and I can’t, like today…and yesterday… A bit depressing. And then, when I am in the most inappropriate place like at work or having my ballet class (it’s a bit slow so I have time to think) […]

I have a lot of respect and admiration for chefs. Restaurants is my environment as I still have my full time job and my world is made with sommeliers, bartenders, waiters, restaurateurs and chefs. With all the respect I have for them, I still think that you have to be crazy to be a chef. […]

1.01.2012 The first feature was supposed to be : ‘Happy New year ! So, hangover or no hangover?’ or something like that, but today is the first of January 2012, Happy New Year by the way for those who haven’t read my first post, and time for me to finish the design of my blog, […]

  My blog is done, my website as well, finally! I will be able to do what I love : cooking, taking pictures, talking and writing about food in English and French. I was supposed to start in January but I had so many things in my head, so many questions (how to start my […]