Wine

Red Wine At Dawn…

You know I am more of a ‘white wine’ kinda gal, but, to be honest, I am craving a glass good red wine like crazy – might that be an actual pregnancy craving? I have no idea, but since I can’t drink any alcohol for the time being I will have to suffice with wearing wine coloured clothes. Yes, I am aware that wearing bordeaux during the autumn is a cliché, but hey, I’m doing what I can.

As for the ‘dawn’ photos, I confess that we arrived at our location at dawn but the days the actual sunset lasts for 30 seconds and by the time we got the camera out it was night already so we had to take our first night photoshoot hence the questionable lightning. The street lights did not help us much either as most of Bucharest has this terrific yellow lightning and not much can be done about it no matter what editing programme you use. Overall I am quite happy with the way these pics turned out and that is why we decided that they are blog worthy. Fear not, as these amazing boots will have their photoshoot in the sun and you will be able to fully see the marvellous colour and texture they have.

On me:

Dress – Tom Tailor; Boots – ZARA; Poncho – H&M; Bag – Michael Kors; Bling – Swarovski (ring and bracelet); Watch – Apple

Talking about the boots…they fully comply to my current velvet-over-the-knee obsession and they come in this amazing oxblood shade. Mind you, I think these are the most gorgeous boots I have bought this season and because they are not as tall as the others (9cm heel) I will wear them to death this autumn. They are from ZARA which is really no surprise as they keep releasing new and amazing pieces each week. I am telling you, I have fallen in love with every singe item they have this season, but unfortunately I can’t go on a shopping spree, but I did get a few things in my pre-pregnancy size that fit just wonderfully the only difference being the cut – I currently need A-line or loose fitted dresses which (THANK GOD!) are both very fashionable cuts right now.

On D:

Sweater – Funky Buddha; Jeans – ZARA; Shoes – Converse x John Varvatos; Bling – Fossil and Tous; Watch – Longines

Because I love wine shades, a deep purple dress was absolutely needed because we all know where great red wines come from! This dress is yet another oldie from my closet that fits nicely over my bump and feels amazing. It is from Tom Tailor and I got it a few years ago and I must’ve worn it a hundred times at the office. While it does seem short right now, that is only due to the growing bump as it is knee length on a non-pregnant body. I finally got to wear the poncho I got early this autumn from H&M as the temps decided to be very forgiving the other day when we shot these photos (15 degrees C). Obviously, my outfit would not have been complete without my bordeaux Michael Kors tote. This is one great tote that is worth the investment as it is kind of a neutral colour and the shape and size of it allows you to carry all you need on a workday – I have been known to carry my laptop, iPad, phone, keys and all the other miscellaneous and completely useless stuff a woman carries in her bag.

Another topic I really wanted to talk about in this post is the new mens brand that recently opened a shop in Romania : Funky Buddha! They have these amazing pieces for men both fashionable and amazing quality and they are a bit under the ZARA price point, but have more punk to them. D‘s sweater is from Funky Buddha and, as you can see, the colour and the texture are great as well as the way it fits him. If you want to explore something different from ZARA and H&M give this place a try as it is really worth it! His jeans are form ZARA and they are D‘s current obsession – to be honest I do not blame him as he does look amazing in them. His shoes are Converse x John Varvatos and by the looks of it I will have to sit down and have a talk with him as he has a hundred more autumn shoes but because he is lazy he only wears the ones that are already at the door.

Bling wise I rediscovered this lovely ring form Swarovski that D got for me a few years ago and that I absolutely love. I also wore the Crystaldust bracelet and my Apple watch and called it a day. D wore both his Fossil and Tous bracelets and he decided to wear his Longines watch. So there was not much bling-ing going on this time around.

I am really hoping that these days we will have the time take a couple more pics of these gorgeous boots in the sun, but it would appear that we do have to get a move on that as the temps will probably drop really fast and I have a feeling that the sun will be a very rare gem on the Bucharest sky. If you are bored by the whole velvet/ over-the-knee obsession that I have, you will have to start checking our posts out in about a few weeks as that’s probably when the Ugg obsession will start, until then, it’s all bout the over-the knee boots!

November 20, 2016

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Integra

Despite the fact that our seaside season is over thanks to all of the rearrangements we have to do in our house to make sure it is ready to welcome our little bundle of joy, we haven’t left there without having a great lunch at one of the first places we tried out in Constanta: Integra. This place was recommended to us by one of my best friends and the thing I loved about it even before arriving there is the fact that they have a raw-vegan menu packed full of delicious dishes. Naturally throughout the years I have tried most of the raw menu and I have to say, that thanks to this place my mind was changed when it came to the raw-vegan cuisine.

I do not think we ever went to the seaside once without having a meal at this lovely place. True, it does have the location advantage, meaning that it is at about a 10 minute walk away from our place there. At first glance, the place looks very nice and the interior design is a nice combo of fresh plants and lovely marble which immediately make you want to take a seat. The menu has about everything you could ever crave, somewhat of an international cuisine with a little turkish mix of dishes. And then, of course, there is the raw-vegan menu, where you literally can find everything from appetisers, soups, pasta, pizza, desserts and even a few amazing fresh cocktails.

Back to our last experience there…unfortunately, we couldn’t take as many inside pictures as we would’ve liked as the place was quite full at the time we were there and there’s always that uncomfortable feeling when you take pics of total strangers, but you can find quite a lot of photos on their site. Normally, this is the place we choose for our before the road lunch or brunch, depending on how early we wake up. This time it was definitely lunch time and because we knew we had next to nothing in our fridge at home, we decided on a full lunch: soup, main dish and a shared a raw dessert. As usual when we eat there, we start off with one of their amazing fresh raw juices, this time choosing Green energy and Fountain of Youth. These two cocktails are amazing and very healthy especially after a busy night at the seaside. Like I said, we both ate a soup, I went for my usual tomato soup which is a must-try and D chose the lentil soup which turned out to be better that I expected. As main courses I needed something savoury and light so I went for the oven cooked feta cheese with tomatoes and onion that was absolutely delicious. D chose the beef Iskender that besides looking amazing it tasted like heaven, and that, coming from me during this period where meat is the last thing that I crave, is something! As for dessert we chose to share the Rainbow Tart from the raw-vegan menu. As with all their raw-vegan dishes, this was delicious!

Despite the restaurant being full, the food came decently quick and the staff was very friendly and professional. This place is not among the cheapest nor among the most expensive, our three-course lunch cost us about 40 E tip included which is really good for Constanta, especially since the food is so amazing. We will definitely come back here as often as we will come to Constanta!

August 28, 2016

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LIVADA

As you’ve probably noticed, our life at Untold festival revolved around sleeping, eating and enjoying great music. Even though it seems that our only goal in Cluj was to try as many restaurants as possible, I promise that we did other stuff as well, like going to the actual festival. The bummer about pregnancy, especially in the first four months is that between the eating, dancing and sleeping, I did not have any energy left to actually take some fashion photos. So far, the two fashion posts are the only ones you’ll see of us while in Cluj. But fear not, the Untold posts will soon end and trust me when I say that we have not reviewed one restaurant that is not worth visiting while in Cluj.

The place we are going to talk about today is Livada. This place is just so great no matter if we are referring to the food, the design or the service. Some of the dishes in their new menu are signed by Chef Patrizia Paglieri, you know her from the Romanian Master Chef. That’s not to say that the dishes that are not signed by her are not delicious, on the contrary, actually everything on the menu is amazing and this is one of those places in Cluj where everyone can find something to eat on the menu. No matter if you are a traditional food lover or fan of the more modern cuisine, thanks to this new and exciting collaboration, Livada now has it all for everyone to enjoy.

All of us eating lunch there had a sort of combo of dishes, therefore you get to see quite the diversity. I had the carrot soup with a hint of ginger and the homemade french fries with garlic and pickled cucumbers. Hey, I’m pregnant and like never before I am craving potatoes in any shape and size. And, I am a sucker for homemade french fries as I am always too lazy to actually make them myself and they are a rarity in Bucharest. Moving along from the french fries and let’s talk a bit about the carrot soup. The secret to the carrot soup is to actually feel the carrot taste skilfully combined with another ingredient. This is definitely what’s going on with this one, the ginger perfectly compliments the carrots. I really see no point in talking about the perfection of the fries as the photo says it all. D had the Gulash which is a traditional Hungarian dish that judging by the fact that he ate in exactly 5 minutes, I’d say was very, very good. Our friends that joined us for lunch had the cheeseburger which according to them was very good. Like I said, you can find everything your heart desires at Livada.

For dessert, D and I shared the traditional dumplings, and what I loved about them was the fact that they came in bite sized pieces which made it really easy and enjoyable to eat. Our friends ordered the signature Tiramisu which turned out to be delicious but way too big for only one person. We all had different types of lemonades, and I am mentioning them because they are really worth a try. Not surprisingly, the check for me and D came at about 35 E, so this one is at the normal price range for a great restaurant in Cluj. Service wise, this was good, but not amazing, we were however thankful that we did not have to wait for an hour for our food. This is a place we’ll definitely have to revisit next time when we are in the area!

August 17, 2016

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#UNTOLD online recap…

We’re back from our favourite festival of the summer, Untold, and we are so glad that we got to be a part of it this year as well. First of all, I was a bit scared of the possibility of going to a festival while four months pregnant (almost five), but in the end I decided that whenever I felt like I needed to rest we would just go. Fortunately, our little bundle of joy seemed to be in sync with our musical preferences and behaved wonderfully. Obviously, my schedule was something like : EAT, SLEEP, EAT (again), SLEEP (again), DANCE, REPEAT. All in all we didn’t miss one main event and all I can say right now is that this festival managed to surprise us in a very pleasant way yet again (I mean the way it is organised) – but more on that in the longer post that will soon be up! These are photos and videos that we posted while there on our Facebook page and our Instagram accounts (L and D).

BEFORE – The road to UNTOLD

Yes, we left a day earlier just incase I wasn’t feeling way because even though there are only 320 km from Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca, it does take almost an entire day to get there (yup, no highways!).

DAY 1

This was actually the first day of the festival with more details and photos soon to come! Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike smashed the house just like last year!

DAY 2

This was the day I was most excited about as this was the first evening a main event was someone I haven’t seen yet. Needless to say that HARDWELL killed it!

DAY 3

This was the day of the King – ARMIN VAN BUUREN! No more words needed!

DAY 4

Done a bit of shopping during the day from the amazing Fashion corner and then we got ready (read: ate and slept) for the closing night of this amazing festival! This was also the night when I decided that AFROJACK was my favourite of the four days! Martin Garrix did not disappoint either.

This was all our online activity during the festival – yes, I know, not much, but I did sleep most of the time there as the little one seemed to be needing a lot of sleep. More photos and details soon!

August 9, 2016

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Cravings!

Right, by now you should’ve gotten used to the fact that I am pregnant and therefore cravings are coming full force ahead! I crave the weirdest healthy things, unlike the first two months when all I really wanted was cheesy pizza and pretzels, for the last few weeks I’ve been craving lots of vegetables and fruits. The thing that got me all dinner obsessed lately (for at least three times) is steamed broccoli and garlic yoghurt. The great thing about this dinner is that it will not upset your stomach as the vegetables are cooked, but they are not cooked to the point where they lose all nutritional value.

Yes, I know that this is a very simple and not really blog worthy recipe, but aside from the lovely looking photos, I want to also use this blog to keep track of my cravings and at the same time, to let mamas-to-be that are in their first trimester that all your unhealthy cravings will soon pass and you will start feeling like a healthy human being again.

So, back to this easy healthy dinner option – I can’t even call it a recipe! Here’s what we used:

2 broccoli heads
2 yoghurt pots – one for each of us so that we don’t fight over the dip
6 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil – to bring down the acidity of the garlic (pregnant ladies will know what I’m talking about)

The entire process take you about 15 minutes, which, again, is a big plus when those pregnancy cravings kick in! Here are all the steps:

Wash the broccoli heads really well and then set everything up for a small photoshoot.
Cut all that needs to be cut (broccoli and mash the garlic) and take lots of photos as well.
Prepare a pot with hot water and let it come to a boiling stage. Put the broccoli spears in a special steam pot on top of the boiling water and let it steam for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the garlic with the yoghurt.
Arrange a nice plate, take photos and enjoy!

This is a very healthy dinner as you can see from the Jawbone UP analysis (10/10 on the food scale) and that entire quantity of broccoli on the plate is about 300 gr which is more than enough. All that food gives you about 230 kcal and a very full stomach but it doesn’t upset even the most sensitive pregnant woman and lets you rest very well during the night.

I know I’ve said that this will not turn into a pregnancy blog, but hey, this is the most important phase in my life and I need to eat accordingly, so the food part of the blog will turn into a cravings diary!

July 30, 2016

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We are baking something until January!!!

As you have probably noticed, I got fatter on all three dimensions of space and we haven’t uploaded a wine review in a while now. Well, before you jump to any conclusions, it is quite obvious we can not hide the truth anymore as apparently I am one of those women that show from the very beginning. WE ARE EXPECTING A LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY IN JANUARY! Which means that I am now 14 weeks pregnant. Despite the fact that we do have a blog, where we tend to share most of our lives, this is one aspect that we really wanted to keep a secret for as long as possible, but apparently having a small waist has it’s disadvantages as I am really showing and have been showing since week 12, but luckily for me, D is a great photographer and we have been able to kinda hide it for almost two weeks.

I have no idea why we were so keen on keeping this a secret, maybe it’s because we are so very excited and happy about it that is was our way of being selfish. I was even very torn about using this featured image for this post, but I consider you, our readers as part of our family and I thought that it was a good idea to show you what our bundle of joy looks like thus far. This does not mean that this blog will turn into one of those kids orientated blogs, as we are going to keep on doing what we do, but I will write a few posts here and there about pregnancy and, now that I’ve survived the first trimester, I will do a post on that, as everyone tends to avoid that period in all the posts I’ve read so far on the subject.

What more is there to say on the subject… Well we are way beyond happy about this little miracle that we have created and I really do hope that my pregnancy will be an easy one. More details about my wonderful experience so far, next week!

L. & D.

July 27, 2016

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Zahana 33

Since summer is here and our European getaways have come to an end for now, we decided to run to the seaside for the weekend and try and find more great, safe places to eat there. It’s very important if you decide to come to Romania for a seaside adventure, to be very careful where you eat, as a lot of places tend to be mediocre at best with prices as high as a Michelin star restaurant. It’s also best if you try and steer clear of beach restaurants. There are a few that we’ve tested throughout the years that are both excellent food wise, offer a very nice atmosphere and are conveniently located on the beach so you can grab a quick lunch or dinner.

One of those places is the newly opened Zahana 33. I say newly opened because they just opened one restaurant in Mamaia at Hotel Lido, but they have a few years of experience in Bucharest – where we first fell in love with their food. This is a traditional Romanian restaurant that has its own meat preparing secrets and basically what you get in your plate you won’t be able to find anywhere else as the chef keeps his tricks very well hidden. Since we brought the chef into our discussion, his name is Catalin Jernoiu and everyone that actually knows something about gourmet food will know right then and there that this restaurant is a must try. Usually you can find the chef at the seaside during the weekends and in Bucharest during the week, so my recommendation is to visit the two restaurants accordingly. I will not spend anymore time on the Bucharest restaurant as we want to review that one as well, so from this point on we’ll only going to talk about the one at Hotel Lido in Mamaia.

First and foremost, it’s best if you call ahead and make a reservation, especially during the weekends when it tends to be quite full despite the very big terrace. Even though they do have an indoor restaurant where you can enjoy your dinner, let’s be serious, if you’ve come at the seaside, you probably do not want to spend a minute inside during the day, so it’s best to call ahead. The overall atmosphere is not of a gourmet type restaurant, even though the food is, and everyone should feel quite comfortable there, especially since you don’t feel like you are either overdressed or underdressed. That was achieved thanks to the very casual, very beach appropriate design that combines the feel of the old classic Romanian restaurant – wooden furniture, with the beach feeling you should get while on vacation – various marine elements, including a full burlap rooftop. The staff is very friendly and professional which brings the whole experience to perfection.

Getting to the food part of this review. We went there several times and the one time we did take our camera with us, we were 8 at the table which is why we got to photograph as many dishes as we did. First of all, this being a meat specialised place it’s a pity to not have a meat based dinner, however, they offer quite a wide variety of courses that elegantly avoid meat if you decide that meat is not your thing in the evening. As you know, this is one thing that is a must for me in order to actually put together a restaurant review because, despite the fact that I am not a declared vegetarian, I do enjoy vegetable or cheese based food more that meat based ones. Despite that, knowing how well the meat is prepared here, I ordered something meaty to eat. You should not miss the appetisers as all of them are delicious. As you can see from the photos, you can find a very wide variety of dishes, as well as some of the chef’s specialties, and I have to say that everyone at our table was absolutely ecstatic and full at the end of our dinner. Besides the amazing appetisers, meat and fish dishes – that everyone that ordered fish said it was amazing, but as you know, I didn’t try it – you can’t leave without trying one of their amazing desserts that do not need any description as the pictures speak for themselves.

The wonderful thing about all the food is that, as you can spot from the photos we took, each dish has a certain type of plate which always keeps you guessing an gives the place a very original feel to it. The whole evening, our dinner was accompanied by live music sand by a Greek band which completed the whole experience and made us want to return the next evening. Price wise, I’d say that you pay a lot less than what the food is worth, but on a greater scale, this is a medium priced restaurant, therefore you get the services and food of a very expensive one, but when the check comes you start wondering why you tried other restaurants thus far. This is one of those rare safe places to eat on the beach in Mamaia, so I suggest you give it a try!

July 26, 2016

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Au Chien qui Fume

Au Chien Qui Fume…Here we are again…Me with a glass of something in front of me – the beer is not mine – and D taking pictures of me. The thing with French terraces is that most of the time the tables are so small that you have to order taking that into consideration. Apparently the French do take care of your silhouette. Another low point about French terraces is that usually, you feel like you are sharing your plate with the stranger next to you. All this happened to us the last time we were in Paris and ever since we have promised ourselves to never stop and eat at those types of terraces.

But, what do you know? When hunger strikes, there is no reason behind any choice you make. Luckily for us, hunger struck near this lovely French restaurant that actually had a terrace. It is called Au Chien Qui Fume and it’s the only terrace I’ve seen throughout Paris that actually has space between tables. This immediately made both of us want to give it a nice review so that other tourists visiting Paris will experience amazing French food in a very nice environment. So, moving along to the food. The menu consists mainly of French cuisine, but it doesn’t exclude anyone, so you can find vegetable based dishes, poultry, fish and basically anything your heart desires, all with a French twist, which is exactly what we wanted for our last lunch in Paris.

Obviously, both of us had to order some specifically French dishes, therefore I ended up with my favourite – The Onion Soup, and D chose the chicken casserole. What can I say? My soup was absolutely delicious and I knew at first mouthful that this place deserved a review on the blog. If you ever find yourself in Paris, make sure you give this place a try and especially the Onion Soup that was absolutely amazing. D loved his chicken casserole that not only looked amazing, but you could feel the taste of real free range chicken and fresh potatoes. Really, his dish reminded me of a chicken stew that my grandmother used to make me when I was little. Those were the days where you cooked whatever you grew in your yard, all natural, hormone free food.

For dessert I chose the Creme Brulee because, hey, we are in Paris, right? and D chose Ile Flottante which is a dessert I know from when I was little and again, my grandmother used to make it. It does seem like my grandmother was a specialist in French Cuisine, doesn’t it? Well she used to call this dessert ‘Bird’s Milk’ but it’s basically the same thing. The Creme Brulee was magnificent and I love the fact that great quality vanilla was used as that seems to be a rarity lately. I have to say that we were very satisfied with our lunch and we were actually sorry we only discovered this place on our last day in Paris as we really wanted to give a few other dishes a try.

The cheque came at about 70E which is more than decent considering the area as well as the fact that it’s full tourist season in paris right now. I also loved the decor and the fact that the whole restaurant was open and you couldn’t really feel where the inside area was ending and the terrace begins. It was very nice to feel like we were the only ones at our table especially taking into consideration our other experiences in Paris. This place is defiantly a must-try!

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016

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L’Atelier Renault / Desperate times need desperate measures

Right… After a short break in posting, here we are back to our first day in Paris… I must underline yet again, the fact that we came to Paris for the third time and these posts will not include any landmarks or other tourist orientated places. The first day we arrived in Paris was the day of the semi-final between France and Germany, but I desperately needed two things: the Loubilaque lipgloss and some eye make-up remover from Guerlain. Now, because we spent some time in front of the Louvre, there was absolutely no time to get to the FanZone area to watch the game, we were both hungry so we had to improvise. To our surprise, we ended up being very happy with our improvisation.

Since we were on the Champs Elysees, we decided to have dinner and pray for a tv at the L’Atelier Renault. Not only did they have a TV, they have several TVs and we ended up having our very own TV to watch the football match. The most amazing thing about that evening though was not the match, but the food. For a restaurant on the shopping boulevard of Paris, this one was really surprising. We had eaten on the Champs Elysees the other times we visited Paris and, to be honest, the food was mediocre at best, so we went in without having great expectations, we really just needed anything to eat and a TV to watch the game. This posh little restaurant surprised us and made me want to write a review because I feel that other people should give this one a try.

First of all, because the lightning is pink, most of the photos we took turned out shitty, but the atmosphere inside, because of that shitty lightning, was very nice. Moving along, this is the only minus I could find about the place, this and the fact that you have to take a mini excursion to reach the toilet, but that’s ok as you get to visit most of the showroom until you get to your destination. Because we are tourists, we are always on the search of decent wi-fi (well me mostly, as D has a great deal with his network provider), and this place really has decent Instagram-uploading wi-fi, so that’s another big plus.

I really feel that we should be moving along to the food now, as this is supposed to be a restaurant review, and as it turns out, I’ve said nothing about the food so far. So, as stated earlier, we were hungry. I mean, really, really hungry as the last thing we had eaten that day was the food on the airplane at noon. The menu really doesn’t offer a lot of dishes, but it contains everything for to satisfy even the most picky foodie. The downside of the menu is that it gives you very little detail on what a salad contains so I ended up with a lovely green beans based salad. Not that I am complaining or anything, but it would’ve been nice to know in advance. Besides those lovely beans, it also contained the most amazing goat cheese I have ever tried, so the food lover in me was very satisfied. D‘s lamb chops were cooked to perfection and there were no surprises on his plate.

Despite the very satisfying main courses, because we really wanted to make a review on the pace, we both decided to get dessert as well. We got the Atelier Renault Cafe ice-cream, which besides the fact that it was delicious, it was also huge. Don’t get me wrong, when I say delicious, I tend to compare it with the Italian gelato and this one came very close. We also got the Elysee Angelina’s Special Pastry for L’Atelier Renault Cafe which didn’t WOW us but I’d say it was still in our top 10 desserts of all time. The entire meal was accompanied by still water, a few beers for D and a couple of fresh pressed juices for me, and the cheque came at about 100 Euros, which, if you factor in location and the quality of the food, I’d say it’s not out of the ordinary. We had a great time and we got to see full-hand how the French celebrate getting into the final, as everyone came to Champs Elysees after the match.

July 17, 2016

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Social Media in Paris!

Naturally, it is time for the Paris posts to start. As per usual, we are going to start by putting together all our online activity (Instagram and Facebook) throughout our weekend getaway. Of course a whole set of fashion/food/leisure posts are coming your way, so make sure you check our blog daily! in the meantime, here’s a sneak peak!