Duck and Waffle

Going to nice restaurants is one of the perks of Dougs career. Honestly, they go somewhere amazing all the time. Places us normal folks only dream of! Lucky for moi, Sir Douglas loves a good day out with his wife to a nice restaurant so I have been to many fab places all over.

They went to Duck and Waffle about a month ago, and Doug loved it so much that he instantly booked us a lunch there as a little farewell to London. On Friday we went and ate mucho mucho!

Duck and Waffle

Located in the Heron Tower, right next to The Gherkin. It is on the 40th floor and has an incredible view. I am told it is the highest point in London at which one can eat. The elevator ride up is kinda freaky. It's all glass, looking out into London town. and it is FAST. Very cool but not nice if u don't like heights.

Anyway lets get to the good stuff. As you walk in you are greeted by a nice little hostess. Immediately as you enter there is a very different style bar. It is open with no actual bar around it. It almost looks like a "serve yourself bar" but unfortunately you cannot do that...

My dear husband ordered me a Zombie, which is basically 6 shots of rum and some other sugary stuff. It went right to my head!!!

Cool grafitti and rum posters on the back wall. -btw it was a    rum bar.

After a drink at the bar area (which, might I add, had an awesome view) we were escorted to our table.

Gherkin and Tower Bridge in the distance.



Our waitress was a bit intense, veryyyyy bubbly, very informative about the food, also very opinionated about the food lol. 

The decor was very basic. It kind of felt like a Diner. But the food and the buzz of the people around makes up for it. Oh and the floor to ceiling windows all around. The Kitchen was open so you could see and hear all the hustle and bustle going on which I do love.

For starters we had the special: Buffala Mozzarella with hazelnuts and pesto, accompanied by delicious home made bread.

My pictures are rubbish because they are from my phone and the camera was a bit smudged =( and also I dug in so fast that I forgot to take a pic of the dish when it first arrived to the table all pretty!!

Our next starters were Dates wrapped in bacon, stuffed with linguica sausage and manchego cheese... I know, I know this sounds like heaven. AND IT WAS they were by far my favourite thing I have eaten in a long time.

 Next up was the Hara Bhara Lamb Cutlets, with smoked aubergine puree, and a goat cheese ball. The lamb was great, the aubergine was a bit boring but the goat cheese ball was right up my alley.

The Main dishes are designed for sharing, so you can order a few and everyone gets a little bit of everything. I am a big lover of sharing meals because I can't look at a menu and have my heart set on one thing. Life is too short to not get to try it all! We were getting pretty full by now so we went with the Ribeye. It was 400grams (14oz) so it was a good chunk to split. The flavours were ridiculous, it had bone marrow butter over the top and a radish and watercress salad. We both just couldn't get enough. We actually debated ordering another one because our tastebuds were dancing so much. On the side we ordered some steamed veg and new potatoes.

Now for puddings.....what I always look forward to!

They had these "french toast" like things that were out of this world. They were called Torejas which are from spain. I actually got so excited i started eating it and then realized I hadn't taken a photo of it!! It was incredible. I want to say it was a nice thick slice of bread, in cinnamon, minl and egg (like a french toast) and then it had toffee sauce (my fav) and warm cinnamon apples and ice cream on the side.

This photo is courtesy of their website. Their picture grasps its beauty unlike mine hehe.

Doug got the crispy fried mars bar which was very yummy but nothing compared to mine..

Overall our lunch experience was a delight. The food comes out pretty quick but you dont feel rushed. The service is good, the ambiance is very 'London'. It is definitely a place I recommend. Especially to tourists though, because I think they would appreciate it more. We actually got 2 complimentary drinks because they took forever with my Zombie, so that was a plus. The drinks service does take generally long so just order another drink before you have finished yours ;)

Adios!

Da Baddest

Alexandra Thais Bado

AKA: Bado, Zander, LaByro, Labaybay, Aliss

My dear friend Alex turns 24 today. So a Birthday/Friendship tribute is a must. (this will be a common thing on my blog)


Alex and I have been homies since 6th Grade. I cant say it was Friendship and first sight, but I am very happy we ended up where we are!

When Al first started at school I was not up for making new friends because my biffles Aida and Claudia and I were perfectly fine. Slowly but surely I warmed to the idea of adding a new friend to the crew. 

You can see our transformation =)

The Crew "Chubbies"


In middle school we formed this strange love for England. She was the only person that got it like I did. So Oasis quickly became our fav band! 

We always had this strange mental connection, like literally would finish each other sentences and we used to try and guess what each other was thinking during separate classes. She went away for college so we have been apart for the last 6 years. Once I move home we will start working on our telepathic skills.

High School Graduation

Senior Prom

work it

Me and Zander spent a summer together in DR and we partied and worked like crazy. We have shared a lot of growing up experiences and we have just had such a fun friendship. She is someone I can always count on. When she is your friend, she's yo friend fo' life! We are at that point in our lives that we just get each other and we know how to have discussions and disagreements and get over them quick. We can talk about pretty much anything and give each other great advice. Oh and she is honestly one of the funniest people I know. Like seriously funny. She has such a clever mind! I just cant get enough.

We love blondness...and I will soon be her permanent hairdresser!!! 

Bado came to visit me in England and it was one of the best weeks here. She's a great little tourist and getting to be in London together completed our love of England.

Adventure Bar in Central London. We can partay.

In New York for St Pattys day, we went on a random tipsy stroll for some food and stumbled upon this glorious sign of Love! 

I have truly missed having this beautiful little nugget around me. I am so excited to rekindle our love =)

Oh by the way, Alex is Da Baddest B*tch...yep, Trina aint got sh*t on her...

Happy Birthday!!! Next year I am hoping to be there in person!!! 

Love at first Tequila

miami.tequila.love



Most of us women tend to be suckers for love stories. I do have to say, mine is rather incredible. I will go through it from both sides of the story because those little details are what make it so crazy. We were destined to meet, and someone made sure of it. It always happens when you are not looking for someone. They just waltz into your life all British and hot and completely take over your life! 

So, Douglas Viney is this hot British boy I speak of. 


December 2009

Dougs adventure begins: He set off on a 3 month trip around the world. Going from countries like Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, to America.

When Doug arrived in Fiji, he got off the boat and was randomly approached by a local.

Local: "hey man hows your tongue?!"

Doug: "huh? 

Local: "Your tongue, you had a hermit crab in your mouth last night!"

Doug: "I just got here..."

Local: "arnt you the SaFa guy?"

Doug: "I'm English..."

Local:" ya, same same." and he walks off.

Doug was caught off guard and just thought WTF???

Anyway, Doug proceeds to the lobby of the hotel and sees this fellow tall, tan, shaved head guy standing there.

Doug: "Did you have a hermit crab in your mouth last night?"

Dan: "how the f**k do you know that?!"

Doug: "someone thought I was you..."

Dan: (he looks doug up and down) "ya I guess I can see that."

heck ya u can see that!

Doug, James, Chris, and Cupid aka Dan

In Fiji

My side: My cousin, was in a rock band for many years. We used to go and see all his local performances in Miami. This particular one was in Tobacco Road (Miamis oldest bar)in the late December.

As I waited for my girlfriends to all arrive, I spotted a group of 4 boys. Naturally, as a single girl I was a little curious...so once the girls got to the bar I mentioned that 4 boys had just gotten in the taxi that was right outside the front door. All 4 of us opened the door and stuck our heads out and as the last boy was getting in the taxi he spotted us. So as 4 single boys would do whilst on holiday in Miami, they got out of the taxi and came back inside.

This is where freaky destiny starts coming to play....why did they get OUT of the taxi that they were already in??? Yes, Destiny is right...

We then convinced them all to join us for the concert. After that was finished we decided to take them to our local drinking spot Coconut Grove. Where apparently my Mustang stood out as one of the vehicles that was transporting them. Turns out Dan was a big Mustang fan!

So the New Year comes along and around mid January I recieve an email from Dan. He asks me if I would mind taking one of his "mates" out with my friends. Having had plans to be going to London at the end of the month I agreed, not thinking much of it. (I figured it was a friend from home...Dan lives in London) 

I go off to London and Switzerland, and then to the Dominican Republic, and it is now end of Feb. I recieve a call on a Wednesday from an English man. Instantly getting my attention. It turns out Doug has arrived in Miami and was wondering if we girls were free for a night out. So we planned to meet that Friday around 10pm. 

Friday ends up being my busiest day in the salon so I was so late to get home and ready to go. I had planned to go with Kayla, Janessa and Tristan (we took a male bc we didnt have a clue who we were meeting!). its now 10:30 and Tristan and I are like 5 min away and Doug calls to see where we were because they were going to leave...boy was he glad he didnt leave! 

I walked in to Waxy O'Connors and I spotted to two guys in the corner drinking loads of Magners. As I approached the table, I kid you not, it was like the world stopped when Doug and I caught eyes. Its so corny and silly to say it but it really did! its a strange thing to try and explain. instantly we hit it off and our chemistry is off the chaiiiinnnnnn. We began to down Magners and take silly pictures. The girls arrived shortly after so our little group had cozied in rather quickly.

After a little while Doug has the clever idea to teach me how to do a "real tequila"

Real Tequila:

1 shot of good tequila

1 piece of lime

pinch of salt

one pair of lips

one neck...

so if you are the one taking the shot, the other person holds the lime in their mouth facing u, u lick their neck and sprinkle the salt on it...

first you lick the salt off the neck, they then pour the shot in ur mouth and you finish by taking the lime out of their mouth with your mouth.... lol

we must have done 10 shots each that night an this is what the night looked like in our eyes!

a bit tipsy here but as u can see we connected instantly 

the lovely Janessa was my partner in crime that night, she got to witness it all first hand

Doug had this thing he was doing where every country he visited, he would get a bracelet from there. Succeeding to do nothing but party in Miami, he failed to find time to get a Miami bracelet. I had one of my hair bands on my wrist and I was slipped it on his wrist almost as a joke. He loved it and kept it!

Im telling u, it was Love at first Tequila

Vancouver was the next and last stop on his trip. I was due to leave around midnight that night because i had work the next morning. We had such an incredible night that my two other friends and I got home at 6am!!! Doug went straight to the airport to just barely catch his flight. When we were saying goodbye, Doug hugged me and turns away...then he turns back and said "Ive never felt this way about anyone!" I drunkenly giggled and sent him off, completely feeling the same thing...

After 7 months of emails, phone calls, texting, skyping etc. We got engaged! and then 3 months later we were married. 

So many people thought we were crazy, or that I was too young (or pregnant!) or not ready. But a saying has never been more real in my life, 

"When you know, you know"

Pretty Britty

So I have a good handful of best friends. I could never rate them more or less from each other. I love them each for their different character and personalities. That being said, Brittney is one of my oldest friends. I have known her since First grade!!! Thats gotta be like 18 years of life. Now that is just mental....

Today is My Pretty Brittys 24th birthday. So I have decided to write a little blog post in her name.

Britt and I have just always gotten each other. Simple, easy friends. Literally we have never had a dispute or argument. Its pretty weird...lol. So many years, so many things we have done together, so many friends have come and gone in our lives but we just remain strong and perfect.

Senior prom

High School Graduation

Britt even came to visit me in England

DR, buying some fresh fish!

Britt and I share the same obsession for fitness and weight lifting. 3 months before my wedding, we joined a crossfit box together. It was one of the best experiences of our friendship. Every day we would push eachother to get stronger and better. We would always be partners for partner wods, and we would encourage eachother to not give up before the time was up. Then we would lay flat on the floor because we were so dead!!! Sometimes we would have to sit in the car for like 10 minutes because we were so light headed and wrecked. I miss those days!

BadAss!

When Doug and I got engaged, everything went so fast, we only had 3 months to plan our wedding. I dont know what I wouldv done without Britt there. The rest of the girls were either living away at school, or super busy with current school. Britt for some reason just had the perfect schedule to help me out with ANYTHING I needed. She even threw me a gorgeous Bridal Shower Brunch. I will never be able to express to her how grateful I was for all her help (and to her family for helping with the shower!). I cant wait for our friendship to just grow and grow along with us.

Afternoon Tea at Fortnum and Mason

Happy Birthday Britt!!!!