Fortunée The Fortunate

There are a lot of markets in London where you can find all sort of things and also, many specialised in Vintage stuff. But I believe I discovered the most off the chain and quirky one:  Haynes Lane Market ...   I am not going to lie: I am not a massive fan of vintage and 2nd hand stuff. I like modern and brand new. So the only reason why I went to Haynes Lane Market is because my mother, on the other hand, loves vintage stuff!  Located in the Crystal Palace neighbourhood, Haynes Lane Market is quite a walk (around 15 minutes) from both Gipsy Hill and Crystal Palace train station. Plus, it is in a quiet, narrow street; so there is no way you can end up there unless you plan to: a true hidden market!  I can't even begin to describe the place! When they say, " All things vintage and collectable " they literally mean E-VE-RY-THING! You know, all these small stuffs you have at home, should throw out, but keep for no reasons? Well, now you have a r

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

Last Saturday, I finally got to try Pizza Pilgrims and I was very excited as I had heard a lot about it!  They sell Neapolitan Pizzas (not that I would be able to tell the difference, had they been from Milan or Rome...) and you can have it in or to take away. It is a very popular place for pizzas and they now have many restaurants across the city. I went to the one in Kingly Court, near Carnaby Street and I thought the place was very cool – I loved their wall decoration made of pizza boxes from several other pizzerias, including Franco Manca.    They have a lot of tables inside but you can also choose to seat outside. The prices are reasonable and the restaurant was relatively quiet for a Saturday around lunch time, which is very pleasant in that area.     They offer a good selection of vegetarian pizzas (nice... but not an option for a carnivore like myself), however, I ordered a Margherita with extra prosciutto (typical) and the pizzaiolo was nOt stIngy At All with the pr

For all the shopping addicts who, despite the amount of clothes they already own, won't be able to control themselves once they get to Oxford Street but will feel very guilty spending this much time and money on superficial stuff rather than intellectual ones (and I am describing someone I know very well: @ Nonolita , this post is for you), I know the perfect place where you can take a break from the shopping and eventually nurture your mind and spirit...  Located a few minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus Tube Station, The Photographers' Gallery is a gallery only dedicated to photography with various photography exhibitions throughout the year. It is spread over 6 floors with a cafe on the ground floor and a bookshop in the basement. The bookshop sells photography books, print sales and gallery exhibition's publications. The cafe has a very good reputation and seemed to be a good place to escape Oxford Street buzz.  Good news for people who think that after all the mo

Country Pubs are one of the things I really got used to after a few years living in the UK and I love everything about them. They are nice and cosy when the weather is not good but also perfect for when the sun is out. Bathampton Mill is a riverside pub in Bath, along the Avon canal, which is perfect under any weather conditions. They serve pub food classic and have a large garden overlooking the river (beautiful scenery), with plenty of seats, which is a perfect set up to chill out in the sun.  Garden We went there on a warm sunny day and got food and drinks. Sunshine in the West Country meant I had to have a pint of cider – Mortimer’s Orchard, a nice fresh medium cider – and I went for an English classic: the Sunday roast chicken (s erved with goose-fat roasted potatoes, braised cabbage, honey-roasted parsnips, buttered kale, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, sounds like poetry to me) , which was deli

I am sure you might end up one day in busy Liverpool Street Station feeling peckish but fancying a quieter and more relaxing environment than the buzzing train station to grab some food… And I know exactly the place where you should go!  A few minutes (if not seconds, depending which exit you take) walk from Liverpool Street Station, is Broadgate Circle, a hidden dining spot where you’ll certainly find something to satisfy your hunger. It is ideally located if you’re exploring the City or heading toward Spitafields Market, and with a lot of seats outside, it is a good spot to enjoy a bit of sun. There is a wide choice of restaurants, from France (Aubaine) to Lebanon (Comptoir Libanais) to Japan (Shoryu Japanese); you can even find the unmissable Franco Manca! Although it was around lunch time,  when all the other food spots in London were packed,  the place was incredibly quiet on this Early May Bank Holiday, so perfect to escape the crowd.  Broadgate area has a