by | June 27, 2012

LUSH: play the colour game

Lush colours

This morning I skipped off to The Groucho Club (45 Dean St) to meet one of Lush’s colour artists.  Yes, that’s right.  There’s nothing Bryony Lee doesn’t know (or wear) about colours.  As soon as I had sat down, she introduced me to the cosmetic company’s Emotional Brillance colour wheel.  By spinning the wheel and choosing the first 3 colours which jumped out at me, I was having my colours read.  Apparently they revealed my current state of mind.

And, I was advised, wearing this new range of lip colours, eyeliners and eyeshadows is not about being on trend but instead about wearing the colours and emotions you feel.

I suppose if I say I feel confident all day long, I probably will.

It’s no surprise that Rowena Bird, one of Lush’s founders and the inventor of Emotional Brilliance, has been working closely with Lady Helen Kennedy, the strategic behavioural therapist who specializes in emotional state and mind therapy.

So what were my colours?  A deep purple (feeling secure), an orangy red (feeling ambitious) and a royal blue (feeling in charge). Serious war paint.

I’m off to paint my face but you too can spin the wheel when the concept launches in all 850 Lush stores worldwide on 21st July.

 

For shop details and mail order call 01202 668 545 or www.lush.co.uk

 

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by | June 26, 2012

Goode & Wright: mid-channel cuisine

Jimmy Tardy at Goode & Wright

EXCLUSIVE READER TREAT!  Last night I revisited Goode & Wright so that I could prove to Him, the other Emma and her Him just how good the food is.  Jimmy (co-owner) and I now think we should extend the treat to you – all of my readers!  YES!  Each and every one of you who eats (dinner) at Goode & Wright this month (Jan ’13) will find themselves unable to resist the Eclair Du Jour on the house. Forget the New Year diet – get down to Portobello Rd!

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The best evenings begin with a drama, I find. Last Saturday evening, the vintage and well-loved cinema, The Electric, suffered a fire. Having survived two World Wars and 100 years of wear and tear, an electrical fault caused it to go up in flames. Two hundred people were tipped out onto Portobello Road, along with five fire engines, scores of firemen and the obligatory rubberneckers.

As I arrived at the scene, a policeman kindly informed me that I needed to stand back. But I had a review booked further up the road and, quite frankly, nothing stands in the way of me and my food. Needless to say, I made it and, thank goodness, it was well worth the effort.

Goode & Wright opened less than a week or two ago. The duo behind the bistro are Finlay Logan, a Scottish chef and Jimmy Tardy, a French restaurant manager and, as a team, they are passionate about their typically French bistro cuisine, with a local British twist.

I hadn’t chosen my date for the evening; she had chosen me. Let’s just call her Girlfriend-in-need (of a good time). We all have those moments when we are desperately in need of the fun times – I’m just flattered that she picked me as her fairy godmother.

duck egg in a basket, topped with chorizo and truffle honey

Jimmy greeted us as warmly as long-lost friends, with overwhelming enthusiasm – but in a good way. He left us to make our menu choices, but then couldn’t help but pop back to our table to tell us more about the different options. One of their signature dishes is duck egg in a basket, topped with chorizo and truffle honey (£7.50). It was sweet, rich and utterly delicious. Layered on top of a thick slice of brioche, I’d quite literally swim the Channel for this dish!

Girlfriend-in-need drank Chardonnay (reserve St Jacques 2010 £18.50) for me as I had the tank parked outside, having had a week of alcohol over-dose. For my main course, I had the half roast chicken, frites and salad (£14.50). The portion was huge and, after the very rich starter, I hardly dented it. What I did eat, though, was really, unusually good.

We force-fed ourselves the shared lemon posset Eton mess (£5.50) for desert. Though it was light and fluffy on top, we agreed the cream was a little thick nearer the bottom of the dish.

All in all, Goode & Wright is a winner and a welcome addition to Portobello Road. Well-priced, non-complicated, mid-Channel cuisine, served with an energetic and enthusiastic attitude. Pas mal, non?

Goode & Wright, 271 Portobello Road, London, W11; www.goodeandwright.co.uk; 020 7727 5522

This article appears on West London Living.

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by | June 25, 2012

The day we said ‘I do’

bride and groom

12 years ago today I was dressed in white.  The right side of 30 and with no real sense of responsibility, neither of us had any idea of what marriage really entailed.

And today, I realise that that pre-marriage ignorance is blissful.  And that marriage is better left as an unknown in the run up to anyone’s Big Day.  Thankfully, today’s society at least allows us a little insight as many of us live with our prospective partner beforehand, in sinless love.  But it is, for many of us, a relief that we didn’t trial the juggling act of weekend parenting and financial responsibility in advance too.

One thing is clear here though; that marriage is not just for richer for poorer in sickness and in health.  I’d say it is more about enduring love, deeper understanding and maintaining your focus.

Once again this year, the small people will be forced to rewatch the video (now DVD) of our big day so that they will be reminded of those no-longer, admire my big frock and fully understand why we said ‘I do’.  Maybe that’s exactly the reason we did it.

Happy Anniversary to Him. x

 

 

 

 

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by | June 24, 2012

Sushi Des Artistes: a sushi funfair

the striped Sushi Des Artistes

A new restaurant in an already overly-catered city needs to stand out.  Sushi Des Artistes, a Japanese take on French sushi, certainly stands out. Located frighteningly close to Barts London on Sloane Avenue, this 98-seater restaurant has décor which makes a funfair look dull.  Red and white striped tables, banquets, walls, menus, uniforms, floors – need I go on?  Actually, yes, there are bowler hat lights hanging over each table.

Trying, but not totally succeeding, to put the curious interior design aside, I was thrilled to be dinning with my visiting Sarasota friend, an ultra cool undercover photographer and my dearest London-living Canadian.  Flanked by almost all yanks, we flitted from one subject to the next, hardly drawing for breath.

Mon Cherie soup

If a menu can be bling, this one is.  Each item has an additional ‘romantic’ name.  We ordered two of the chilled soups, Day Break (potato/white truffle £8.50) and Mon Cherie (clam/tofu/tomato/dried pancetta £7.50). They came in cocktails glasses dressed to the nines with a logoed ribbon.  As well two regular miso soups, Too Young (with the divine Mekabu £5.80), which came looking much more regular.  All the soups were drop dead exquisite.  Now, you didn’t expect that, did you?  It was at this point that the penny dropped and I remembered the idiom:  never judge a book by its cover.

Plate after plate, mouthful after mouthful… the team were swarming around us, more eager to please than dog wanting a bone.  One for My Baby (a sashimi selection of salmon, tuna, scallop, sea bass, hamachi £59.50) arrived (are you getting the idea here?) looking utterly spectacular and certainly didn’t disappoint as we slurped the raw fish and sipped our Saki.

Big screens on one wall of the restaurant were playing a looped recording of the Bee Gees in concert.  One or two hits would have been ample but after an hour or two, one of my fellow diners felt she needed to point out to the men-in-charge that this was simply not complementary music to his fine cuisine.

To sum up, Sushi Des Artistes serves some incredibly beautiful sushi.  It tastes and looks exquisite.  However, and it’s a big HOWEVER, the restaurant will never reach its full potential with those dazzling stripes, grating music and eye-watering prices.

 

85 Sloane Avenue, SW3 020 35833797  www.sushidesartistes.com

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