Burger & Lobster

Always up for an adventure, the gals and I headed to Burger & Lobster on Clarges St. this week for lunch. I'd been hearing about this hot spot in fashionable Mayfair for months, as it's getting a lot of buzz around town. You can always expect a long wait, unless you are there at noon right when the doors open.

The menu is simple: only 3 items on the menu. Burgers, lobster and lobster rolls.

All for 20£ each, which includes a side salad and fries, excuse me, "chips." We opted to try a bit of each, sharing off each others' plates. The burger was one of the best I'd had in London,

but the star of the show to me was the lobster roll. Cradled in a buttered and toasted brioche bun, the lobster and wasabi mayo filling was heavenly.

Next trip, I'll skip the burger, and head straight for the lobster roll, or maybe try a whole lobster as well.

As always the best part of the meal was the company, and don't we look dapper all decked out in our bibs? 

I highly recommend this Mayfair spot, or maybe its sister restaurant which recently opened on Dean St. in So Ho. Grab a friend, or better yet, take me with you. I'm still dreaming about that lobster roll!

What's Up at Covent Garden?

Friday, we headed out to Covent Garden to the Royal Opera House for a tour. Such an incredibly beautiful building which is home to both the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet of England. Three theaters have stood in this location. The original was constructed in 1732, a later theater suffered disastrous fires in 1808 and 1857, and

the recent reconstruction of the current building was completed in the 1990's.

No photos were allowed inside, sadly, but I found this photo to show you some of the opulence of the theater. On our guided tour we were privileged to go backstage to see the wardrobe area, the props room in action, where craftsmen and women of all mediums were busy at work, and the rehearsal rooms.

A special treat was seeing principal dancers Marianela Nunez and her partner and husband Thiago Soares rehearsing with their director, who play the lead roles in the upcoming Swan Lake production.

The couple fell in love after he joined the Royal Ballet in 2002 and became engaged in 2006 after Soares proposed to her onstage after a curtain call of Sleeping Beauty.

Such a sweet love story--it was a joy watching them dance up close and personal.

From the upper floors of the Theater, we were able to look down upon Covent Garden where there was  a lot of action today.

You see, massive lines, reportedly numbering in the thousands as reported by the Telegraph, were in place for the launching of the new iPhone 5 at the Covent Garden Apple store.

Jumping on the party bandwagon was the launch of Diet Coke's limited edition of Jean Paul Gaultier's design of Diet Coke bottles,

and huge designer chocolate bars being passed out.

There was a "pep team" of Apple employees cheering every 

iPhone purchaser as they finally entered the store and then exited with their new toy!

We had fun playing with the new toy ourselves--much lighter and thinner.

I think I've caught the bug!

Anyone else thinking about getting one??

Saturday at Primrose Hill

It was a beautiful fall day in London, hubby wasn't in town, so that means call out the girlfriends! And away we went

to explore Primrose Hill--which is literally a 200 foot hill and the area that surrounds it. From its highest point, the views of London are outstanding.

A pretty and rather affluent village just outside of London, Primrose Hill is the home of celebrities and actors, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jamie Oliver.

Did we spy any of them?

No, but not for lack of trying!

The cute little village is full of inviting pubs,

and quaint shops

with many enticing wares.

Robin thought a pair of leg-highs, boots that is, might be fun

and we all wondered who this sweet little frock might fit best.

Flowers were in abundance,

as well as places to take a little break 

and rest after climbing up and down the hill.

You might even find a trinket you just can't live without at this vendor's street stand.

As lunch time rolled around, thoughts turned to food-

a duck confit sandwich, perhaps?

A pastry you spy along the sidewalk?

Or how about a cupcake from the renowned Primrose Bakery?

The choices were almost overwhelming,

but we settled on chocolate, salted caramel, chocolate banana, lime-coconut, and Hummingbird to share. After a pub lunch, we divided the cupcakes amongst us and did our "official" taste testing of all 5. All in the name of statistical analysis, you understand. 

Hummingbird and salted caramel were at the top of everyone's list.

So what would be your favorite?

And speaking of favorites, here was our favorite "unexpected spotting" of the day. 

This gal with her new "do." 

Dangerous...

Saturday Stroll

One of our favorite things to do on a lazy Saturday in London is to go for a stroll, so one day this summer we made a delivery to a friend near Little Venice, then meandered down the waterway in search of something to grace our day.

We eventually ended up at the gates of Regents Park which beckoned us in. I blogged about Regents Park 3 years ago, which you can read about here if you choose, but this time

instead of a lot of history and facts,

I thought I would just share some of the beauty

that we experienced that day.

We definitely were in the mindset of stopping and smelling the roses,

because their beauty was absolutely captivating

and so fragrant as well.

These were some of my very favorites.

It was important to look up and around, because there were roses everywhere, some 30,000 of 400 different varieties--oops! There I go again giving you facts, 

when I promised you beauty.

Wouldn't a wedding reception be unbelievable in a setting like this? The celebration of this lucky couple with their family and friends seemed even sweeter amidst the roses.

As the raindrops started to fall, we headed out of the park under our umbrellas

to another favorite hang-out, Marylebone High Street,  where we could duck in and out of  little shops to avoid the showers.

And as it rained, in we went--to one of my favorite shops where the day ended on a high note.

Beauty comes in all forms--flowers and pottery both, don't you agree?