Macaron Tower

I'm so excited for next week!!

  

Pots, Petals and Pictures

  Our Paris apartment... 
Nowadays, I really  look forward  to doing my own cooking every time I travel. Renting a fully-furnished apartment for weeks, is such a good idea. Yet, I still find there's a need for me to relax on the last few nights in the luxury of a hotel ;)

I don't cook everyday during my vacations, since I must allow myself some opportunities to experience what the local food scene can offer me! Nah... of course, only Halal ones, since I'm a Muslim :)
Last autumn in Paris, my brother and I rented an apartment, complete with all the kitchenware we needed. They provided everything, from a stove, till the tiny yoghurt spoons... Of course, I had to clean the kitchenware a la Muslim way, or we call 'samak'. Once done, the  fun begins with - grocery shopping!



  Neighborhood market near our apartment  
Grocery shopping during vacations is so much fun rite? I would go grocery hunting, from the high-end supermarkets like Galeries la Fayette, right down to the smaller local markets. During my previous stay in Paris, back in 2009... there was a small marche near my apartment. I loved it so much, because it was stocked with amazing French fresh produce. And to my delight, they had similar marches in every neighborhood. Paris is such a culinary melting pot, influenced by many cultures. There are plenty of specialized mangers... from spice mangers, to cheese mangers and the likes... and that, is the closest thing to a paradise to those who love cooking - like me.









 




  Every neighborhood market has a fresh flower stall, too...



 

  And I bought this small potted plant for my dinning table, although I was to stay in Paris for just two weeks ;) 

  My simple salmon pasta for dinner... looks vibrant with that potted plant, rite? ;)



  Turkish lunch... 
Talking about flowers, I just love photographing flowers and their boutiques. And just the other day, we had some Turkish lunch near the Gare Saint Lazare. While crossing the busy road, my eyes spotted a crowd of people selling fresh roses... by the roadside! And more surprising, the sellers were all males!



 








 

 
Anyway, my Le Chouette Macaron can be seen in this month's  Inspirasi Perkahwinan magazine. They were surrounded by a bunch of beautiful, fresh flowers... decorated by WHATALOVELYWEDDING. Miam!


 

 

 

 

 

Macaron Cheesecake, and Pleasing My Sweet Tooth in London.

 Freshly baked from oven... 
I baked some cheesecakes last week, one specifically for a friend, Yusuf for his birthday. It has been such a long time since I baked my last cake, so this has proven to be a good re-start!










  I posted these pictures on my FaceBook just after the birthday lunch with Yusuf, and to my surprise, quite a number of order requests soon flooded in. So, here we go! You can order your cheesecakes by visiting my Le Chouette Macaron FaceBook fan page! And to those who already got their cupcakes and cakes, thanks for your orders.










Speaking of cakes, I still can't forget the yummiest cupcakes I had in London during my last trip there in autumn. There was a day I where went to the Portobello street market to get some ornamental knick-knacks for my house, besides to meet up with my Malaysian friend Izuan, who's currently working in London. I had my brother tagging along, and Izuan introduced us to The Hummingbird Bakery.











Me & Izuan.




I tried a few slices of their cakes and loved their Red Velvet cupcake the most. Naturally, I packed some to take home, too. Miam!!!

The night before that, I had a small birthday celebration for myself at Costa - just me and my brother. Having caffeine till late at night over some desserts from Harrods was such a simple, yet memorable celebration!













 Then, there was another day when we went to Soho for dinner, and had some yummy frozen yoghurt from Snog. I think Snog serves the best frozen yogurt with a great choice of condiments. I luv their shop - it's so chic!
















Last but not least, to satisfy my sweet tooth, the mandatory gelato and ice cream - a standard feature on my travel itinerary! You can read my review of the best gelatos I had in Greece and Milan.









Cupcakes stall at Coven garden market...  Anyway, my personal choice for London's best ice cream are those served at Thorntons at Covent Garden. The shop was just a few steps from London's Laduree.










Yummt till the max!


And the best gelato mention goes to Oddono's Gelati, found at Oxford Street's Selfridges!














A day before we left London for Paris, I saw this display below at St. Pancras International station... OMG, wish I can eat them all! miammm!