Fortunée The Fortunate

How cool is this: an outdoor 20-square meter screen has been installed in Bromley Market Square for a live coverage of Wimbledon tennis championship!  And the massive screen comes with a cute fenced garden-like area, composed of deckchairs, fake lawn, and even a little bar which serves some refreshments and snacks.  Located on the pedestrian section of the high street, it’s a lovely way of ending a shopping session (good timing since we’re in the sale period)!  This free event runs this year from July the 10th until the 16th. It's apparently the second year it's happening, let's hope it will continue! 

This is something I wish I had known the few times I visited London before moving to the UK: it did take me a while to understand it. At that time, this campaign didn't exist (I only started seeing these useful signs in the underground a few months ago).  I'll even go further than what the sign is saying by advising people to buy an oyster card instead of a travelcard when they visit London, even just for a couple of days. And this advice is even more valid if you're staying in Central London and might prefer walking or taking the bus instead of the tube. The Oyster Card either works as a season ticket (weekly/monthly/yearly) or on a pay as you go basis. With the pay as you go system, you top up the amount that you want and the journey price is deducted at the end of each travel (just "remember to touch in and out", another campaign everywhere in the tube). The reason the oyster is as good if not better than the travel card, is the capping system:

After all this time trying to book a table, I finally managed to go to Ceviche – Old Street , by just walking in, on a Thursday evening around 6. We only had an hour to eat, after that it was fully booked, but it was enough to have a proper meal! Peruvian Ceviche is a trendy dish made of raw fishes. You can have ceviche in many restaurants in London. However, the most popular ones are the one you from the 4 Peruvian restaurants founded by Martin Morales: Ceviche Soho, Casita Andina Soho, Andina Shoreditch, and Ceviche Old Street. I tried Casita Andina a few months ago (see my post here ) and absolutely loved it, so I had high expectation when I walked in Ceviche Old Street. The two venues are quite different: Casita Andina is cosy and intimate, Ceviche Old Street is big and spacious. It is located in the former Alexandra Trust Dining Room building, built in 1898, which offered cheap meals to East London working classes. The building was abandoned for a long time and hosted raves

The days you had to queue for 15 to 30 minutes in Brixton to get one of Franco Manca's delicious sourdough pizzas are fortunately long gone! Indeed, there are now several branches across London and even a few outside of the capital!   I discovered  Franco Manca  5 years ago. It was the 1st food spot I tried in my now, favourite area in London: Brixton... At that time, this was the only Franco Manca in London and I don't think anyone outside the people living in South London, knew about this small restaurant... Then, a couple of years after, their only branch became overly famous and you could end up having to queue for 30 minutes to get a table (as bookings were not possible)!  Imagine how delighted I was when, 2 weeks after I moved to Bromley, they opened a restaurant less than 10 minutes’ walk from my flat! It's conveniently located, in the centre, near all the main shops and restaurants and in between Bromley 2 main train stations! This branch is very sp

Once summer dares to come, I believe people should stop meeting up for a coffee and start meeting up over an ice cream :D  I love ice creams and particularly gelatos (even during winter). I tend to go to the same place but this time I decided I should find something different.  I found out about Marine Ices on Instagram and decided I had to try it despite the distance from where I leave (this is how much I like ice cream). Their parlour (as they call it) is only a few minutes’ walk from Chalk Farm tube station and it is supposed to be an institution, as they make authentic gelatos since 1931.  And the gelato was very nice: not too sweet and full of flavour! I had plenty of flavours and other desserts to choose from:  gelatos, sorbets, sundaes, cakes, waffles, milkshakes... A true paradise for someone with a sweet tooth.    What I love about the place is the number of seats they have. There are 2 floors with plenty of tables & chairs and the top floor has a cu

When I was younger, cookies were just dry biscuits you'd find in supermarkets. First time I visited England and tried Millie's Cookies, I understood that it was meant to be slightly softer than what I was used to. The true epiphany happened once I tried Ben's Cookies … This was back when I was working in Bath; my colleagues used to treat themselves occasionally with Ben's Cookies boxes. And it became a real treat to me since.  Ben's cookies' cookies, Are nOt jUst cOOkies: they are more like cakes. Unlike the cookies I was eating when I was little, they are so meltingly soft and spongy that I am sure you don't even need teeth to eat them. When you're lucky enough to have them warm or straight from the oven, the chocolate chunks are melting and chewy.  You can choose between many flavours, from normal chocolate chunks to more unusual like ginger or dates.  What is also very convenient is that you can buy tins of 4 or 8 cookies: the cookies wi