DF Mexico

DF Mexico near the Old Truman Brewery on London’s Brick Lane is named after “Distrito Federal”- the name that locals use for Mexico City. 

Inspired by a recent trip across the US/Mexico borders by Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby - founders of the popular Wahaca restaurant chain - the concept fuses American influences with authentic Mexican cuisine.

With a thoroughly modern brand identity and a fresh, monochrome space offset with industrial furniture and flashes of bold colour, DF Mexico is like the hip older cousin of your typical themed high street eatery. Perfect for those who like their Mexican dining experiences minus the sombreros and Spanish guitar music.  

And of course, the food is pretty excellent too - as any fan of Thomasina's would expect. 

After struggling to decide what to eat for an embarrassing length of time, my dining buddy opted for the Chilli Beef Torta - a Mexican-inspired sandwich served in a brioche bun with slaw, smashed avocado and house pickles (yes, it was as dreamy as it sounds) - while I chose the Pork Tibil Tacos with pink pickled onions (aka the PRETTIEST onions).

As somebody who eats out more than I'd care to admit, it's not often that a restaurant gets me genuinely excited - it was even enough to get me blogging again.

Check out the full DF Mexico menu here - and see if you can choose your favourite any faster than we could!

Crumbs Supper Club

On Monday evening, I went along to Crumbs Magazine's Supper Club as part of the Great Bath Feast celebrations that are happening throughout the city this October. Komedia on Westgate Street proved to be the ideal venue - after a glass of Prosecco and a chat at the bar, myself and the other guests made our way through to the the main auditorium to take our seats at the beautifully laid table, in the grand surroundings of the old cinema. 

The chef had put together his take on a classically French menu, using locally sourced ingredients in order to show the best of what our area has to offer. We also had the choice of either Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon to match the food, and our glasses were duly topped up throughout the evening (although I was still suffering from the weekend, so went easier on the wine than perhaps I usually would have!) 

Starter: Chicken liver parfait with pickled beetroot and Bath Bakery bread - and a very generous amount of decent butter, which is always well received in my book.

Main course: the chef's take on Beef Bourguignon, served with a rather wonderful celeriac and mustard mash.

Dessert: Pear Tarte Tatin, using locally sourced pears cooked in a warming spice infusion of cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and a touch of ginger.

After enjoying our meal and feeling full, satisfied and a little sleepy, we made our way to the balcony above where we watched the cult 'foodie film' Babette's Feast and finished our wine. 

  It was great to meet some more of the Crumbs team, and a deliciously indulgent way to spend a rainy Monday evening. I will try to attend some more Great Bath Feast events before the month is through, so stay tuned...

Today.

Sometimes - and especially when you're hungover - you just need a massive Sunday roast, and a catch up with an old friend. Love Sundays. 

Autumn Weekends

I realise that I seem to be blogging mostly about my weekends lately...perhaps it's because the weeks have become so busy again. But I will try to work on that, I promise. In the meantime, here's a little of what we got up to at the weekend in the beautiful sunny Autumn weather: late breakfasts; watching the hot air balloons and collecting conkers in the park; a country walk; an enormous Sunday roast; apple and blackberry crumble with blackberries from our garden; watching the new series of Homeland.

 

But for now, it's back to a new week and I have a lot of work to do..*sigh*. 

His New Favourite

Little P has been asking if we can go for sushi again for a little while. We've been practising with chopsticks at home each time we have noodles or rice, and he was desperate to test out his skills in public! So at the weekend we took a trip to Yen Sushi on Bartlett Street - the best place for sushi around these parts. 

  He loved watching the chefs at work, and impressed me with his enthusiasm for salmon sashimi and my favourite, the prawn tempura hand roll. He even helped himself to some tuna mini rolls from the conveyor belt! Oh, and his chopstick skills? Pretty good. I'll give him an A for effort, at least. He firmly declared it 'his new favourite place to eat' - which is fine by me! Have you introduced your little ones to sushi yet? 

With Love From Paris...Day Three

Zut alors! I almost forgot to conclude our Paris trip...so for those of you wondering, here's what we got up to on our final day. We had stayed in the north of the city on our first night due to work commitments, but for our second night were able to choose our own hotel. Keen to get a bargain, we didn't book anything until a few days before. Of course that risky strategy could have gone terribly wrong, but we were lucky enough to find a bargain at the Hotel Chateaubriand just off the Champs Elysee. 

 

We wanted to explore some more of the Marais district, having been last year and loved it. So we dragged ourselves away from our gorgeous hotel and, after a brief stop at the Trocadero fountains for an Eiffel Tower photo opportunity, hopped on the Metro to the east of the city. 

We tracked down a store that had been recommended to us by a friend - Merci on the Boulevard Beaumarchais. It's certainly one of the coolest department stores I've ever visited, filled with contemporary clothing and homewares, and a stationery range that almost made me weep with delight. It also has a cafe serving fresh salads and juices, and includes a wall entirely lined with books (cue more weeping). Always a sucker for good packaging, I spent more money on pretty notebooks than any sensible student ought to.

We spent a happy afternoon strolling around the streets and shops of the area, stopping for a delicious lunch in the sunshine opposite the Marche des Enfants Rouges, which was sadly shut that day. The streets eventually lead you to the Centre de Pomidou, a hotspot for cafes and vintage shops.

After a stroll along the river, it was sadly time to head back to our hotel, and to bid Paris a fond farewell.
Until next time, Paris mon amour! xxx

With Love From Paris...Day Two

 

Sunday in Paris. We spent most of the day in Montmartre, a quirky area of the city once home to artists such as Picasso and Monet, and the bohemian heart of Paris. We walked up the steep streets heading towards the Sacré Coeur, getting distracted along the way by patisseries, little vintage shops, or restaurants and cafés with people sat outside enjoying a leisurely brunch.

Seeing as it's one of my favourite movies, we had to do the touristy thing and visit Les Deux Moulins, the café from Amelié. It's exactly how it looks in the movie, minus the cigarette machine which they removed to make room for more seating. It's not exactly the nicest place of the many to choose from in the area - so we stopped for a quick beer and a photo opportunity. The Amelié memorabilia shrine in the toilets is pretty cool though.

When we reached the top of the streets and the Sacré Coeur, we were rewarded with some amazing views of the city. It was the first time we saw Paris from such a height, and it was worth the climb. Below, people lay on the grass soaking up the sun and the atmosphere.

On the way back down, more culinary distractions and more beers in the sunshine...

The Rue des Martyrs is a great street for specialist foodie shops, including a salmon and caviar shop, and an adorably named fromagerie - The Gourmet Mouse. We also found the very pretty (and pricey) Sebastien Gaudard, a haven of handmade patisseries, chocolates, confectionery and even ice cream. 

We continued to walk down the hills of Montmarte, following our feet (and our trusty map) and for some reason ended up walking all the way to the Louvre. It was such a lovely day that riding the Metro just seemed like a waste.

On my list of things to see in Paris was the Ponts des Arts, or 'Lover's Bridge' - so we headed there and of course, attached our own padlock. It had to be done!

Having rested our feet at our gorgeous hotel just off the Champs Elysee, we tried to find somewhere for dinner that wasn't going to break the bank - not the easiest of tasks when you've chosen to stay in the most expensive part of Paris. Luckily we read a tip about the Rue de Marbeuf having some great places to eat so headed there, and were almost tempted to join the round-the block queue for Le Relais de l'Entrecôte. What is it about a queue for a restaurant that makes you think you have to go there? 

We were far too tired and hungry to stand around watching other people eat though, so found ourselves spending the evening across the street at Chéz Andre, happily working our way through Chateaubriand steak frites and a bottle of Côtes du Rhône. Although perhaps a little old school (you've got to smile when a place has black and white photos of Richard Gere and Frank Sinatra on the wall), we found the food to be excellent and the service more than charming. The waitress even came to say goodnight to us at the end of her shift! 

A perfect evening after a hard day of walking (and eating...and drinking).

Day Three coming soon, folks!
xxx