Shop London: Celestine Eleven

Located firmly in the heartland of Shoreditch hipster heaven is this little gem of a concept store "Celestine Eleven".

It's founded by Tena Strok and it's best described as an alternative luxury store. In there you can both pick up a cute little number by Meadham Kirchhoff  and have a class of dynamic yoga. Art lovers can pick up a photography book or two and there's also an apothecary selling all kinds of luxurious lotions and potions.

So if you like to cater to your mind as well as to your body when shopping, don't forget to pop in "Celestine Eleven" next time you're in East London.

Celestine Eleven

4 Holywell Lane

EC2A 3ET London

*The photos were taken by me and originally appeared in "Gloria" magazine.

 

 

Eat London: Wild Goose Bakery

We all know that I love my cakes. So there was no one happier than me when a new bakery opened a stone's throw away from my house. Yay! The Wild Goose Bakery is located in Leytonstone, East London and is run by a very knowledgeable and friendly husband and wife team. 

The minute you walk in you can tell the bakery is a labour of love for them; simple, artisanal homemade food and lovingly sourced tea and coffees are all on the menu. There are breads, soups, cakes, brownies and much more...

The decor is simple but cute and the food is delicious.

I had a lemon and strawberry cake which was perfectly moist and tasty as well as the delicious latte.

I know East London is a bit off the beaten path for most people, but if you do happen to be in the neighbourhood, do try this family run bakery. 

I wore:

Necklace: oNecklace

Sweater: ASOS

Watch: Olivia Burton

Jeans: Mango

Bracelet: Ottoman Hands

Shoes: Zara

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

Don't forget to stop by my Twitter and Facebook to say "Hi". :) Have a great weekend, everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

Eat London: Kipferl

The other day I decided to venture to my old stomping ground of Angel, Islington. I used to live there for well over a decade before moving to suburbia.  Whilst there, I spied an Austrian cafe: Kipferl.

"Look, an Austrian cafe!"; I said to The Husband.

"Hmmmpf...."

"They'll probably have sausages there."; I continued

"Well, in that case, let's go in."

So in we went.

Cafe is light and airy and serves traditional Austrian fare. They also do all day breakfast and brunch which is always a winner in my book. Mind you, don't expect the full English; their breakfast is a strictly continental affair.

I had a mountain cheese omelette with walnuts as well as a Linzertorte (more nuts! yay!) and a coffee. The portions are not huge, but they are satisfying enough. Linzertorte in particular was just yummy. If you happen to be in Angel, this is a nice little option for a quick snack or cake and coffee (or both if you're a greedy so and so like me).

I wore:

Blazer: Zara

T-shirt: POP Cph

Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane

Jeans: Mango

Sandals: Zara

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

Rings: Dogeared; Kris Nations

 

 

 

 

 

Eat London: Belgique

Living in a far, faaaaar corner of deepest, darkest  East London has its benefits (Epping Forest, quiet streets, village like atmosphere), but it also has its drawbacks. Namely, not very many decent places to eat. Sure, I can hop on the tube and be in Central London in 20 minutes, but sometimes I just don't feel like it. So thank God for Belgique, a small East London/Essex only chain of Belgian brasseries. I love going there for breakfast, brunch...or just tea and a cake. Their cakes especially are delicious and it's worth mentioning they have a selection of goodies to buy and take home too (biscuit spread, anyone?...yummy). So, if you find yourself in the area, do pay them a visit. Your waist won't thank you for it, but your tastebuds will. 

I wore:

Sweater: J.Crew

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

Jeans: Mango

Sandals: Zara

Bracelet: Fiorelli

Rings: Dogeared; Kris Nations 

Necklace: oNecklace

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explore London: Borough Market

As you all may know by now, I'm a foodie. And one of the best places for foodies in London, is Borough Market , one of the oldest and largest food markets in London. I go there to get quality food and ingredients, gawp at people (I can't help it, sorry), enjoy the atmosphere and kill homesickness by shopping at Taste Croatia. My other favourite is Karaway Bakery which sells the most amazing Russian breads and pastries. So, if you find yourself in London, give it a go. Try to avoid going on Saturday as it can get very crowded. Of course, with all this food on display, you're bound to get peckish.  Avoid "Fish!" restaurant in the market itself; I found it overpriced and not particularly good (the fish was overcooked and not well seasoned). The better option is to sample directly from the market stalls or, if you prefer to sit down, try one of the many restaurants just outside the market itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Favourite Places-Vjera's London

Since starting a blog I realized two things: a) I don't want to be writing just about myself, my outfits, my likes but also feature other bloggers, designers etc... and b) it'd be cool to feature cool places in various cities around the world.
And so...behold a new blog series "Favourite Places". *grin*
The person I'm featuring today is young fashion designer Vjera Vilicnik and her favourite place in London "Navarros" restaurant.
I first met Vjera on a photo shoot for the Croatian magazine "Gloria" and she blew me away both with her designs and her personality. And since this is first and foremost a fashion blog, I thought it fitting that a fashion designer is kickstarting my new blog series.

Over to Vjera:
Vjera, please, introduce yourself:
This is a tough one...a 26 years old fashion designer based in London. I'm a girl, a girl in love. I am a happy person. I try to be a good student of life, I love dirty pink colour, I love rogalach, I enjoy wild life documentaries. I am just me...trying to dance when I'm dancing and work when I'm working.
Where do you live in London?
For a long time I was a resident of East London; and once you spend so much time in  the East, the roots are hard to pull out. It is still where I feel the most excited  and most at home at the same time.
London is changing daily and it is an unbelievable privilege to see how neighbourhoods evolve. Life took me to Central London now, where I can see ducks from my window and where I am discovering a new London "isle" of this wonderful and weird city...
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I wish there were many "me" so I could live out different scenarios.
One of me would live in the mountains, grow tomatoes and raise Coco the sheep as a pet...
One of me would move back home to Croatia and learn to bake and drive in the snow...
One of me would travel the world learning new languages and ancient history...
But to be honest, I am almost goofy happy with my life here in London, equally excited about now and about the future. Bring it on, life!
Earliest London memory?
I was visiting my sister who moved to London a few years before me and she walked me to Old St. tube station, explained how to get to the V&A museum and off I went-alone in London. I felt so proud and scared at the same time. And once I got to the V&A, I fell head over heels with the place.
Tell us about your favourite place in London?
One of them is Navarros, the Spanish tapas restaurant and the other one is Columbia Rd. flower market, magical at 5am when all the vendors start arriving and very poetic in the afternoon when the leftover flowers are being sold for pennies.

 Why Navarros?
I went on a date there and the date turned into a love story...
I also love, love, love Spain and the Spanish language.
I would also like to buy all the furniture in the restaurant...hand painted chairs and tables and big colourful dishes. The restaurant itself is small and it feels authentic. The waitresses wear red flowers in their hair! Beautiful! ...oh!...and I never leave hungry. ;)
What's your favourite dish on their menu?
Pan con tomato. A simple dish, but a firework of flavours.

 Best meal ever?
First Passover dinner in Tel Aviv, Sunday breakfast at my Grandma's and "Chez Ilan" aka our kitchen at home...
Any advice for the visitors to London?
Patience and...save sleeping for the flight back home. ;)
At the moment you are...?
Answering these questions, thinking about dinner, embellishing a belt, calculating fabric usage for the new maxi, questioning my decision to go for the lime green lace...kaboom!!! That's how it feels like inside my soul most of the time. 

There you have it. I hope you like the new series. Please let me know either way. I would love to hear some feedback and suggestions on this.
Vjera is wearing: Vjera Vilicnik
Photos were done by me and the delicious food (seriously) by Navarros. :D


  
 
 

Exploring London: Notting Hill Carnival

Ummmm...you know how I said I was going to write a Notting Hill Carnival post? Well, in my infinite wisdom, I have since realized that I didn't really know what to write about and that I didn't even take that many photos as I was too busy drinking, eating, dancing , crowd watching, hunting for toilets (!!) and just generally having fun.
If you have ever visited London in August and had an opportunity to go to the Carnival, you'll know just how fun and colourful it is. The Carnival was initially started by immigrants from the Caribbean and has over the years grown into second largest Carnival in the world (first place belongs to Rio) and the largest in Europe. It's spread over 2 days and features parades, various sound systems and plenty of jerk chicken, of course. So for those of you who have never been, here's....um...the grand total of 4 photos that I did take. Enjoy.