Yao Yao Cha - The new craze in town!

Yes that is right, the new craze comes all the way from Taiwan and it is called Bubble tea! When I was invited along to come and try it out, I jumped at the chance and I am soooo glad I did - here is why!

Yao Yao Cha, literally means ‘shake, shake tea’ in Chinese, and the very first bubble tea shop has just opened at 24 Earlham Street, close to Covent Garden. If you live in London or are visiting, I urge you to go and try it, it might just change your life!

When I visited Yao Yao Cha, the first thing that entered my head was how bright and airy the shop was, everything is brightly coloured which instantly lifts your mood and it is amazingly cool inside, which in the hot weather is most definitely something you need.

I was offered my drink of choice to try and having never ever experienced Bubble Tea I opted for something safe - Salted Caramel, whenever I am in other establishments, this would probably be the flavour I would opt for in any new drink. That drink arrives in a plastic cup and whilst it was being made for me, the mechanics of what would be in it was explained to me in great detail. The salted caramel green tea, which also happens to be tea of the month for June, looks like similar products only at the bottom are these round little black balls, these are tapioca balls which go through a cooking process and add some depth and sweetness to the drink you are having. Now when I heard the word tapioca, I was immediatly thrust back into school with one of my favourite frog spawn puddings, all that was missing was some syrup in the middle. 

 These tapioca balls, which are edible, are actually really delicious and I could have quite happily sat there eating them from a bowl. 

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Bubble tea apparently started in Taichun in Taiwan back in the 1980's and Susan, the owner wanted to bring a little bit of home to London and opened her first shop. Susan was absolutely lovely the whole two hours I was in her shop making my way through the menu whilst happily answering all the questions I was throwing her way. I admit that having given up caffeine back in October, I was now obsessed with fruit tea, mainly of the decaffeinated variety, but every now and again if I fancied a brew, I would have one. Whilst at Yao Yao Cha I was more than happy to try everything I could.

The menu itself currently has 24 different options which are within 4 different categories - Jasmine, Matcha, Frappe and Black teas. within each of those options are those 24 options which include:

• Blueberry
• Mango
• Passionfruit
• Cherry tomato - yes really
• Matcha green tea
• Taro
• Lemon
• Salted Caramel
• Chocolate

To name just afew, see HERE for more. Most of these combinations are the cold versions, though I am assured that as winter looms there will be hot varieties (exciting). As well as the main varieties you also have different types of balls which are called fruit pops which are flavoured balls which are full of flavour when you bite into them, cubed jellies such as coconut which I had in my final drink and again they are full of flavour and those tapioca balls which I have already mentioned.

This might not be the first time you have heard of Bubble Tea, apparently in SoHo it is also a popular drink served in many restaurants, but I am assure it just isn't the same and there are three things I picked up from Susan as to why that might be:

1. Those Balls that are soft on the outside and chewy on the inside – There is a strict cooking process of 4 hours with Susan, if you leave them for too long they come harder and sticky when they should be glazed in honey or brown sugar and soft enough to eat with a slight chewiness to them.  Apparently they also differ in size!
2. Well made tea – As there is a skill to making good green and black tea it is all in the brewing. If you leave it for too long it becomes bitter and leaves your mouth feeling strange, almost as though you have burnt the team but on the reverse, if you don't leave it long enough then there is no taste at all – so you should, if the tea has been made correctly, be able to taste the tea even with the flavouring.
3. To check the authenticity, check the Taro Bubble Tea – This fascinated me the most, the Taro tea I had was a beautiful lilac colour and it is quite hard to describe the taste, it wasn't too sweet nor was it too bitter it was perfectly inbetween the two which is the best way I know h0w to describe it.

Whilst I was at Yao Yao tea I made my way through a mango and strawberry frappe, a salted caramel tea of the month, a taro tea and the special tea which has been made just for the world cup, though it is very limited edition and the colour, as you can see below is simply amazing and it tastes just like a Caipirinhas but without the alcohol - it is instantly cooling and refreshing and perfect for this weather, but if you want to try it, I urge you to go there right now, because there are just 24 Virgin Caipirinhas available per day. Once they are gone, they are gone!

How much are they?  Well a regular size tea is just £3.50 and you can go large for just £1 extra.  Frappes are just £4.00.

The only thing I can say Blogger is that if you haven't been - Go, if you haven't tried it - Try it... it was honestly just fabulous and I am so grateful that I had the chance to go, test and drink as well as have Susan on hand to answer all my questions, as well as brainstorm some weird and wonderful flavours that could be introduced - look out for the July special!!

For more information you can find everything you need to know and more on the main website: www.yaoyaocha.com.  There is also Facebook and Twitter

Have you tried Yao Yao Cha yet?

The Haagen-Dazs Easter Master-class

Whenever an email pops into my inbox and mentions chocolate I get excited! I am a huge chocoholic and I also love ice-cream so there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to attend this masterclass.

When Kimberley and I turned up in Leicester Square we were greeted really warmly and handed some champagne (how perfect) and told how the evening would go and what we would be doing, you can only imagine the size of the grin on my face when I was handed an apron incase things got messy!

The blurb in the email read:

"Join us for an evening of discovery with acclaimed food stylist, writer and presenter, Phil Munday.  Experience the passion, craft and inspiration behind his latest ice-cream creation, the limited edition Haagen-Dazs Easter Egg, exclusive to the Leicester Square store from 22nd March"

We saw how Phil created the chocolate Easter egg using chocolate and a mould and then how he transformed it into something I just wanted to frame rather than eat.  Using ice-cream, some sorbet and one or two toppings, Phil managed to create this amazing, perfect work of art, talking us through how he did it.  Then it was our turn!

We had a menu of 8 different ice-creams and sorbets to choose from, the menu of which you will see above and the idea being you choose an ice-cream to fill the chocolate egg, naturally all of the ice-cream was Haagen-Dazs and then you needed to choose something to go with it to make it look decorative.  Before all of that we got to decorate our plates, which is easier said then done when you are not very artistic, but I managed it as the photos show.

So I choose salted caramel ice-cream to fill my mould and then I made a hole within which to place my chosen sorbet, I opted for Raspberry and boy do those two flavours go well together and then we had an endless choice of extra toppings to choose from to get really creative and my effort is shown below.

Obviously after all that hard work there is only one thing left to do - eat it!  yes we got to eat our very own creations after they had been photographed and boy did I enjoy it.

If you want to try out this delicious Haagen-Dazs Easter creation it will be available until 25th April 2014 at the Leicester Square restaurant. 

What do you think of my Haagen-Dazs Easter Egg creation? What would you have chosen?

Dirty Burger - The best burger ever?

It's not often I get excited about visiting a fast food shop, I live opposite a McDonalds, KFC, Wimpy and have so many other eateries such as Italian and Greek Restaurants that I could, if I could afford to, eat out every night of the week. But thankfully I don't live too close to Dirty Burger because I would become the size of a house. 

Introducing Dirty Burger...

I first came across Dirty Burger when my Hubby became obsessed with people tweeting pictures about it saying how good it was and for weeks we kept saying we would go and see what all the fuss was about and try it ourselves. Well since that fateful day, now all I want is another Dirty Burger.

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Situated in Kentish Town in London, you need to know the exact location before you leave home to find it or you might wonder up and down Highgate Road for hours looking for it. Infact when you do come across it, chances are you will walk right past it into the LA Fitness Gym which is just next door because Dirty Burger is not like Wimpy or McDonald's, it doesn't stand out on the high-street with a big golden 'M', infact when you do realise exactly where it is, you might look twice because it is a little wood shack at the back of another restaurant called Chicken Shed (similar to Nando's). Once inside you can see the look of confusion on the faces of those (like myself) visiting for the first time when it comes to wondering how it works. There is one big table in the middle of the shack with seats and then around the outside there are benches with stools scattered about, it isn't designed to be a place where you sit and chat for hours over the days events, you go in, get your burger, eat it or take it away - no fuss, no hassle.

Sometimes lack of choice is a good thing

Ordering, well again there are a few options to choose from. This place is open from 7am and until 11am there is a breakfast menu known as the 'Dirty Breakfast' which consists of Sausage and Egg or Bacon and Egg bun with bottomless tea and coffee for £3.50. Then from 11am you can have a Dirty Burger which is a cheeseburger and then there is an option of Crinkle Cut Fries and/or Onion Fries. You go to the till, place your order, take your receipt with a number on it and simply wait for them to call your number. Having retrieved your food, the fun starts.

The food is exceptionally immense, in all my time living in London; I have never loved a burger so much. The patties (as they are called) are so juicy and flavoursome they melt in your mouth when you bite into the burger, they use several cuts of beef including rib eye and bavette beef. As your burger cooks on the grill, you see the chef flipping it, adding cheese, pouring over some stock, covering it with a dome shaped lid, adding cheese, pouring more stock over it, adding the bun and repeating the process until the beef is cooked right through. Then added to the burger are gherkins which are so fresh they crunch as you bite into them, tomato, lettuce and an array of condiments including mayonnaise, all adding to the texture and taste of this amazing burger. The Crinkle cut fries are crunchy and tasty but for me even better than fries are the Onion Fries, deep fried in a cider tempura batter comes red onion in all its glory, they are a taste sensation but share them with someone because they are so filling. Your food is wrapped in a Dirty Burger wrapper once you unwrap it the smell that its you is amazing, the fresh burger smell, not like those nasty street vendor things that hide behind the scent of fried onions, no this burger smells fresh and as you take your first bite and some of it dribbles down your chin, you will be hooked. I am yet to read a review or see a tweet from someone not liking the food from this place. 

Drinky poo

There is also a drinks menu and a choice of water, tea, coffee, coca cola and so on but they also serve the best milkshakes ever with a choice of Vanilla, Strawberry or Chocolate. They are thick, rich, creamy and fruity and worth every penny of the £4 they cost, my favourite being Strawberry. If you have the burger, fries and onion fries it will cost you £10.50 but worth absolutely every single penny you pay for them. 

I simply Love It

I love Dirty Burger. The menu is simple, there is no choice and I like that, I know exactly what I am going to get and even now, having been back on more than one occasion, the food tastes just as good as it did the first time, though I am yet to try the breakfast menu. The food is freshly cooked whilst you wait, so you know that when you bite into it, it won't be cold in the middle or have that 'sitting on the hot plate' taste about it. Whenever I have been to Dirty Burger, it has been full of people eating, just eaten or waiting to eat and there are people from all walks of life in and out of there from the old to the young, to the office workers to the builders, it seems to attract everyone and you only have to Google the place, read the reviews and looks at the photos of the food to find out why.

If you live in London and haven't tried it, try it, you won't regret it. Dirty Burger does have its own website and everything you need to know can be found there and it also has a Twitter feed and a Facebook page.

Emmy Twenty – Fashionably Flat Shoes

There are very few amongst us that don’t own at least one pair of trusty ballet pumps. The reliability and versatility of this style means it has stood the test of time (heroines like Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot were big fans), so it’s no surprise that in 2014 we’re still besotted.

I recently discovered Emmy Twenty – a newly launched company that designs “fashionably flat shoes”. Its founder Sharon Sunners, had originally set out on a quest to find leather ballet pumps for work (many will know that London’s pavements and tube escalators can make wearing heels a daily battle). What she found both on the high street and online though was that a lot of the shoes were made from cheap materials like PU and the ones that were leather would cost well over £100. There seemed to be no middle ground. Speaking to friends, family and even surveying other shoppers they all agreed. It was then that she decided that if she couldn’t find it, she would make it and began sketching out designs. 

Given her direct experience as a consumer, Sharon paid particular attention to detail during the sampling process. For example knowing how unforgiving pavements are, a heel cushion was added to lessen the impact of the ground when walking and provide extra comfort. The colourful range is designed to be stylish and fun but also practical for the busy, modern and yet on-trend woman.

On another note, in support of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this March, Emmy Twenty has teamed up with the charity Ovarian Cancer Action (www.ovarian.org.uk) to raise funds for research. For every pair sold of the limited edition Danson Teal shoe, £5.00 will be donated to the cause. The gorgeous teal colour is just the ticket for Spring! 

You can view the full collection at www.emmytwenty.com and if you’re tempted to treat yourself, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s free UK delivery. 

Dress 2 Party

Proms, graduation balls, end of year party all require one thing - a dress or I should say ‘the dress‘, probably the second most important dress that you will ever buy, besides your wedding dress.  I remember shopping for my Prom and Graduation Ball dresses and the choice was so limited that my friends and I all used to choose between one or two shops and each dress would be similar, rather than unique.

Dress 2 Party is a fantastic site that I have come across, it is the leading UK Stockist for Sherri Hill Dresses and ranging in size 0-18 there are over 500 dresses to choose from, whether you want something that is short, mid-length, full length or even an evening gown, the choice is so wide and varied that there is something for everyone, for every occasion and for every style you might be looking for, plus some that you are not.   Also on hand are expert tailors who can alter your dress should it need to be shortened, taken in, let out and so on, something I have always found difficult to find when shopping for dresses.

Here are just some of the fantastic dresses:

If you are like me and are never sure what style suits you, what shape the dress should be, what colour dress you should wear, how long or short it should be, then the staff at the both the London or Cheshire Boutiques are on hand to help you with those choices. Helpfully both boutiques are open seven days a week and if like me you find it hard to find something during the week and want to do it an evening, then all you need to do is book an appointment to see someone.  If you happen to find the perfect dress online, Dress 2 Party ship both nationally and internationally with further information found online.

So are you still looking for that perfect dress and haven’t yet found it? Dress 2 Party might just have the one dress you have been searching for!




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Links of London Wish List

Would you like to win £1000?  Well Links of London are holding a competition which you can enter to win £1000 worth of their gorgeous jewellery and I mean gorgeous.  All you have to do is simply create a wishlist of your favourite pieces and write a blog post, like this, which also happens to be my entry.

As you can see I managed to choose just 6 pieces, it was really hard because there are just so many things that I like, but for me, these ones caught my attention the most.

1. Aurora Link Bracelet
Inject the wow factor into you party wardrobe. This Aurora link bracelet combines silver with rose and yellow gold vermeil. Strung on a sterling silver chain, this versatile piece has been designed to be lightweight to wear and features a textured finish which adds a touch of subtle sparkle. Costs £95.00

2. Celeste Rose Gold Wrap Ring
The mystic and celestial qualities of the traditional Native American Indian protective charm are bound up in this delightfully modern Celeste Wrap Ring in 18ct rose gold vermeil. The thinnest threads of diamond-cut glitter wire wrap around the Silver band to echo the web-like construction of the original pieces that were said to capture only the good dreams, while letting the bad ones go.  Costs £180.00

3. Dream Catcher Heart Rose Gold Earrings
With a base of sterling silver, these enchanting stiletto earrings each feature a heart that has been delicately wrapped within a subtle rose gold vermeil web. Featuring a unique glitter finish, these rose gold vermeil earrings will add a sparkle to any outfit. The inspiration behind this collection lies in the Native American dream catcher which protects against nightmares. Wear with other Dream Catcher pieces for double protection. Costs £150.00

4. Hope Rose Gold Plate Ivory Strap Watch
Fine detailing marks out this Hope Rose Gold Coloured Ivory Strap Watch as a modern classic. The traditional shape and form has been remodelled with overlapping asymmetric rings of rose gold coloured plate and a white mother-of-pearl dial. The chic satin effect ivory leather strap holds a watch face of subtle detailing, featuring rose gold coloured plate watch hands and a stylish crystal index at 12 o'clock. Water resistant to 3ATM, this is a must-have everyday accessory.  Costs £295.00

5. Dream Catcher Heart Rose Gold Pendant
This sterling silver heart pendant gets a modern interpretation with a fine web of rose gold vermeil glitter wire. A unique and interesting necklace, the Dream Catcher collection has been inspired by the Native American symbol to protect against nightmares. With a glittery finish, pair this piece with a bracelet and earrings from the same collection for maximum sparkle in your life. Costs £150.00

6. Effervescence Star XS Ring - Rose Gold & White Topaz
Everything is rosy with the Effervescence Star XS Ring in 18ct rose gold and pave white topaz. Each ring features small roundels of resplendent rose gold and white topaz stars. Giving you something different for your jewellery collection, team your new ring with different colours from across our collections to complete your look. This ring is also designed to be layered with others in the collection. Find your favourites and create your own look! Costs £130.00

I think all of these items are simply stunning and would be over the moon to receive any of them on Valentines day!

If you would like to enter this competition is open to the general public, but for more information follow this link http://blog.linksoflondon.com/2014/01/win-valentines-day-list/

Give it a go and remember to hashtag your entry #myvalentinewishlist you might just win yourself an amazing £1000.

What do you think to my choices? Do any of them stand out to you?

REN V-Cense!

REN skincare products are not something I have ever gone out of my way to try, even though many Bloggers rave about how brilliant they are.  A few weeks ago I was invited to attend a new product launch at the REN HQ here in London and I went along with the lovely Kimberley from Kimberleysbeautyblog to see what all the fuss was about.

Once inside REN HQ we got plenty of time to mingle with other bloggers and the lovely RN Staff as well as meet David Plenter who is the REN Global Brand Ambassador who then gave us a wonderful presentation into the world of REN and he spoke so passionately, it was hard not to want all of the products.

The reason for the event was to introduce to us the V-Cense collection which we got to test and try out as David was talking to use.  He was also very brave asking if anyone had any questions throughout his presentation, which with a room full of bloggers is no mean feat, but he handled everything wonderfully.   As David spoke to us all, we were able to test out some of the products mentioned which I found really helpfully, especially I was new to trying any REN product.

The V-Cense range is described as being an "innovative range of clean skincare designed to banish urban grey and combat fatigue".

Within this range there is the V-Cense Youth Vitality Day Cream which is described as being:  "A multi-active day moisturiser that prevents and minimizes the signs of premature ageing. Its complex of actives intensely hydrates, protects against free radical damage and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles while boosting skin energy and elasticity. Skin stays hydrated, protected and glowing."

Next comes the V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream which is said to "Hydrate and rejuvenate your skin overnight, waking to a radiant and healthy reflection. Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream contains bio-actives that moisturise, nourish and help combat the signs of premature ageing".

We also got to try out the REN Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser which is described as being"A rich and velvety lotion formulated to clean the skin from urban dirt and to remove make-up. Tannins from Centifolia rose petals soothes, tones and revives the skin while triglycerides from cocoa butter leaves it nourished and supple".  This product also comes with a Muslin cloth.

The final product we got to hear about is the REN V-Cense Flash Rinse 1 minute facial, yes you read that right.  This product is a gel-rinse that is designed to instantly revitalize and rejuvinate the skin after just 1 minute and last for 72 hours! It aims to neutralize ‘urban grey’ (especially good news for us living in London), remove blackheads, eliminate dead skin cells, reduce the signs of fatigue, diminish the signs of wrinkles and overall leave skin looking firm, toned and smoothed. Short term it is said to brighten your complexion, even skin tone and it also has an instant firming, toning and lifting effect.  To me, this all seems quite impressive and exciting for a product only being used for 1 minute and it is out in March 2014.

As soon as I saw all of these products and was lucky enough to try them, I wanted them as well as most of the products from the Moroccan Rose Range which smell absolutely amazing.  Amazingly, the wonderful people at REN had prepared an amazing goody bag ina lovely REN Tote bag for those of us who attended and here are the contents:

I was totally excited to see all of these products within my bag, especially two sachets of the 1 minute facial which I was itching to try having listened to David talk about it so passionately because it does sound simply amazing.

Have you tried any REN products? Do you have a favourite?

Diner Dogs Washbag plus Giveaway

Back in October I was given the opportunity from a company called Catseye London to review some of their products and was slightly excited because I love cats and I love stationary, so imagine my delight when I found the two had been combined, you can read about it HERE.

The company itself was launched back in 2004 with a collection of quirky prints on many fashion and beauty accessories such as home décor, Wash-bags Nailcare kits, Cushions, Mugs, Storage boxes, passport holders, travel card holders all of which allow you to stand out from the crowd and your friends and have something a little bit different and unique.

Today I am sharing with you a brand new product from the 2014 collection which I have right here in my hands and I am the only person lucky enough to have it. The Diner Dogs washbag is everything cute stands for and is a fantastic size measuring  H18 W31 D10 cm making it perfect for those weekends away because you can literally fit everything you will need into it. It is described as follows:

" If you love toy dogs and travel, the Diner Dogs Wash Bag is the perfect companion! Glossy and retro in bubblegum brights, it’s a gorgeous way to cart your overnight essentials. With two inner pockets and a sturdy pink zip, this wash bag will help you play Fetch with essentials. Perfect for an endless road trip".

Now if like me you think this is really cute and you want it, you can purchase it from the Catseye London website for £15 or you can enter my giveaway below to win one for yourself and as an extra treat, I am going to put some products and a few other things in the bag for the winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway