Duck and Waffle, London

As you might remember I just got back from holiday and as usual when I go to Europe, I try to make a stopover in London to see family. I ate at quite a few places which I will hopefully post about soon, but the first I will post about is the hot spot Duck and Waffle in the Heron Tower. It is 24 hours (!!!) but it is a funky urban eatery that is blessed with having an amazing view of the London city skyline and the shard due to its location.

We went for sunset, though unfortunately it wasn't an amazing one (well not a blazing red and purple sky like I often see at home). But never fear, it was still a great view!

There is a great 270 degree view, including of the Shard. You can see the balcony tables below are at the chain Sushi Samba.

Now finally some pictures of some food!

Raw scallops and tuna - this was zingy and fresh which is of course is important with sashimi. Not a stand out though.

Spicy ox cheek doughnut with apricot jam - this was interesting, with a thick doughy outside covering the soft ox cheek meat. Definitely one to share as it isn't something you would want to eat too much of!

My holiday was full of eating lots of foie gras so this was no exception - the dish is called 'foie gras all day breakfast' and features nutella. This was a great mix but I'd definitely had better foie gras!

Now my favourite of the share plates - the pollock meatball (lobster cream and parmesan) to the left and then the paper bag filled with bbq spiced crispy pigs ears which were amazing!

Their signature dish is definitely the above - ducks egg with a crispy confit duck leg and mustard maple syrup all on top of a waffle. This is definitely hugely inspired by the popular dish in the US of chicken and waffle and definitely was cooked to perfection. The waffle perhaps could have been crisper but I think thats personal preference for how one likes their waffle. Definitely one to share!

As I'm a dessert fiend, we had a heap of desserts to share. Clockwise from the back was the vanilla baked alaska meringue, dark chocolate brownie sundae then the torrejas at the front which is like a french toast. Definitely my favourite was the baked alaska, but I love meringue. Again these were good, but not amazing.

What's my end verdict - well I think the prices aren't cheap, but the food is decent quality and you really get what you pay for with the amazing view and the fact it is a 24 hours joint! I could definitely see this being as a classier option than McDonalds or a kebab at 3am!

And lastly, this is one of my favourite shots - from memory I tried doing it HDR but the glare of the windows doesn't make it turn out quite so nicely. But still, amazing view over London :)

London: Louboutin Anniversary Exhibition

So my travel posts are all going to be a bit out of order since I can't help myself but excitedly share some of the highlights!

As a shoe lover, it was of course hugely exciting to end my travels with a trip to the Christian Louboutin 20th Anniversary Exhibition at the London Design Museum. It was a bit disappointing that we missed meeting the man himself - he was presenting a talk a mere 18 hours earlier(!) - but we literally jetted into London and spent our last moments there viewing shoe porn, eating Pinkberry and enjoying Pierre Herme macarons (my favourite!).

The exhibition is compact, but beautifully presented, taking visitors on a bit of a visual journey through the mastermind's creative shoe journey. You're not meant to take photos in the exhibition but I just had to capture the breathtaking beauty in some way so snuck in some sneaky (albeit slightly dodgily shot) iPhone photos to share with you!

Shoe trapeze at the entrance

Shoe carousel!

 The shoes are presented in a rough chronological order, but also separated by 'themes' such as the Fetish room (more on that later), original early designs and special one-off pieces.

One of the 'highlights' is a Dita Von Teese hologram performance which playfully appears to be taking place right before your eyes on an elevated stage, with a staircase of beautiful 'performance' type shoes cascading before it.

This pair is one of those beauties and just so happens to be one of my sisters' favourite pairs in her collection!

The famous Anemone <3

Earlier I mentioned the 'Fetish' Room - this was a display setup solely for the David LaChapelle photographic collaboration from 2007. For those that don't recall, Louboutin made a series of purely exhibitionist non-wearable shoes which were provocatively photographed by LaChapelle, a style he is most well known for.

And of course I couldn't resist a shot of the famous patent black Pigalle 120s! I am yet to wear mine, but reading the blurb expresses exactly what this cult shoe is about - beauty and art in something wearable (or perhaps not so wearable, depending on who you ask).

And finally, Dita's very own cabaret strasses. These are amazing in real life - she has such tiny feet - and you can even see where the perspex sections are ripping from wear. Amazing!

So while this may not have been the best fashion exhibition I've been to, it was still beautiful to see a mock setup of his workroom, see videos and understand his long journey to Shoe God. I have a theory that perhaps this exhibition didn't seem so 'WOW" because shoes are so accessible - every season we see these shoes in real life in our local stores and even if we can't afford to buy them we can still for a moment try them on and fantasise over when we might be able to wear them. With other couture exhibitions I've been to (Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino are the few I've been to), you're seeing true Haute Couture pieces worth hundreds of thousands which would never normally leave the atelier so they perhaps have a greater sense of allure.

Even so, if you're in London, I suggest you get your hot little heels down to the exhibition for a squiz. It's well worth it if you're a Louboutin fan and shoe lover!

Visit the exhibition at London's Design Museum until 9 July.