food – My Girls On Tour – UK Fashion Blog

Lobster Chic – Ripped Shorts and Crochet Top

October 30, 2014November 8, 2015by Abigail Royston13 Comments

The lobster was dead but somehow wouldn’t stop jumping around my plate. The metal tweezers that we were supposed to use to cut its pincers open, kept slipping and having missed the dark red shell, would almost take my fingers off. The few times I had had lobster before it had always been opened and all I had had to do was fish out the little squidgy pieces of light pink rubbery flesh out of the hard shell…My best ffriend Laura was having similar trouble her end. The loster almost defeated us, but then we decided…if we were to do this (and boy we were starving as it took ages for us to find a parking spot), all etiquette would have to fly out of the window. Once we had decided on that, things went better. Although pieces of lobster flew across the square, most got caught between the metal objects and we would clench our fists and give off grunts, like those of tennis players, straining to find a last ounce of strength. It was when Laura started using her hands to claw the flesh out of the little cracks in the shell that the waiter decided to stop hovering around our table and leave us to our own shameful devices. The destruction left on the table was truely the sign of a great meal 🙂

I went to Collioure with my best friend from high school, Laura. We have known each other since we were 9 years old and although we don’t see each other that often we always speak on Skype and catching up is always so much fun 🙂 Having eaten the most amazing sea food, we then walked around lovely Collioure. It was still really hot here and people were swimming despite it being Autum. I decided to wear short denim ripped shorts and a white summer top which I tucked into my shorts for our trip here. I really like the simple detail of the top and I find that all crochet tops just so perfect for the sea. It was a casual day by the sea and so I bought a canvas Che Guevara Bag and beaded flip flops for a sophisticated smart beach town look. Laura wore a black dress which she dressed down and accessorized with a brown belt, a bright pink handbag and feather earrings. Here are some of the pictures that we took around the fauvist’s stomping ground. Let me know what you think? 🙂

WEARING

Cut Off Ripped Jeans Shorts – BERSHKA

Beaded Flip-Flops – ACCESSORIZE

Earrings – Boutique Barcelona Spain

White Crochet Top – SALSA JEANS

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Dinning, Fashion, London, Restaurants

Shanghai Blues

March 29, 2014May 17, 2014by Abigail Royston2 Comments

Shanghai Blues, is a sumptuous central London Restaurant, which is not only elegant and does great food, but also has incredible live jazz. Here are the pics from our recent trip! I absolutely love this place and it is a great chance to dress up! A great reminder of my trip to China and the best luxury which I experienced in Shanghai.

We had Champagne Berlinis for starters. We tried peach and raspberry. They were so good, we ended up buying a whole bottle of Champers to ourselves!

Here come the 7 courses.

Dim Sum and spicy cucumber for starters. I am not normally a massive Dim Sum fan, but these were truly scrumptious. Particularly loved the squid ones

The next courses included baby squid with garlic and peppers, followed by prawns in batter with lemon sauce.

Peking duck pancakes, my true favorite. I didn’t get the chance to try some whilst I was in Beijing, but I am sure it wouldn’t have been as nice as the duck which is brought to the table, cut up and served here at Shanghai Blues.

Make sure you save some space. Unfortunately the best is saved till last. Meaty lobster and fried rice. Really well cooked and very fresh. This was the first time I had lobster coated in a light batter and it was delicious.

The music was pitch perfect and it was nice to sing along to some great tracks, some by the Killers, Alicia Keys, Maroon Five. It wasn’t over powering though, so it was just a perfect setting for a romantic dinner.

Finished off with some rose tea – magical

The service was good, but as it was a lot of food we didn’t hesitate to ask the waiters to bring the courses slower . At first we felt a bit rushed, but after our request the speed of the course delivery was perfect. After all it does takes time to eat 7 courses, sorbet and a bottle of Champagne!

As the period from the end of the First World War until the start of the Depression in 1929 is known as the “Jazz Age”, I opted to wear a 1920s style sequin backless dress, similar to those worn in the Great Gatsby film, based on the 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

WEARING

MISS SELFRIDGE DRESS

E-JEWELLERY-BOUTIQUE PENDANT AND MATCHING EARRINGS

DUNE BEIGE/PINK HEELS

Spain, Travel

Rice, Oranges and Whale Bones

March 24, 2014October 11, 2015by Abigail RoystonLeave a Comment

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Old bones lie, it would seem, washed ashore by the sea. A graveyard, carcasses picked clean and now bleached by the sun. Smooth and sharp they criss-cross into infinity. A whale struggles and breaks free jumping into the air from the little water which remains, crystal clear, dangerously blue. Perhaps the fish found themselves stuck here that time when the river overflowed. Many died, so channels were diverted. Trees now grow, people run and children play on a giant man, where water once gushed and cooled the city’s banks. Yes, this is how these creatures came to be here, I am sure.

The sea is close, sometimes I think they can smell it. But the plains between the graveyard and the water are dry. There is no return for these poor creatures now. Passed the port and out of the city, we travel along the sea front.

Behind us is the earth, where the farmers toil and the trees grow ripe with fruit.

All I see now is water, on both sides. The lake to the right and the sea to the left. Little boats and reeds. A girl wears a traditional costume. Further on we go. Here there are fields, but they are not dry, not these ones. These ones are are flooded. Must we walk on water? Little white triangles appear on the horizon. It feels like I have traveled to the end of Valencia, to the end of the world. Passed the Cathedral and the ancient fish, the fields and even over the sea itself.

We have found it, and what humble beginnings for such a source of fame. When the men cooked in the open air of their orchards near lake Albufera, could they of known? That it would be you, la Paella, you, who would end up conquering the world?

Dinning, Havana, Restaurants

La Paella – an Unchained Melody

March 5, 2014May 17, 2014by Abigail Royston3 Comments

We found a splendid little oasis of calm called La Paella located at the Hostal Valencia, between Clles Lamparilla and Obrapia in Old Havana. We had walked quite some time from the crafts market down to the Cathedral Plaza and this was a great place to relax, cool off and recharge.

The restaurant’s design is typically Andalusian. The interior is dark and sombre.But at the heart, a beautiful courtyard flourishes with vines and plants and color.

An architectural Heathcliff.

The food was very good, really quite authentic but slightly meager in the chicken/ vegetable to rice ratio. However, the rice was very well cooked, sticky and not hard. In all the meal tasted great.

The Cuban trio came round and serenaded us. I must say that these were best ones that we encountered in Cuba and boy we met a few. The lead singer had an incredibly delicate voice and we loved it so much that we had to request a CD.The whole atmosphere was great and we smiled when we heard a large group sing along to a wonderful rendition of Unchained Melody.

Cuba, Dinning, Restaurants, Trinidad

Dinning in the Colonial Era -Sol Ananda

March 5, 2014May 17, 2014by Abigail Royston1 Comment

Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, conqueror of Cuba, founded Trinidad exactly 500 years ago, in 1514. The city is a living museum piece. Not only is it older than almost every building in Paris but this World Heritage Site is one of the world’s best preserved colonial cities.

Sol Ananda is one of Trinidad’s many good restaurants. It is set in a house which looks onto the Plaza Mayor that was bought by an architect, re-done and transformed back into what it would have looked like a hundred years ago, when Trinidad was a very affluent area thanks to its blossoming sugar industry.

All the furniture is antique. Tables are set amongst bedrooms, with ornately decorated beds, wardrobes and rocking chairs. A real old Cello is propped up and is used by locals who play at the restaurant museum in the evening.The concept is clever, dinning tables are interspersed amongst these old heirlooms, so there is ample opportunity to really feast upon the items. I felt that it was a much more enjoyable way to contemplate and admire these great pieces of craftsmanship than by glancing quickly at them whilst walking through a museum gallery.

We ate off antique plates with antique silver cutlery from an old colonial ship

The food is pricy for Cuba, like normal London prices, but the menu offers a variety of India, Caribbean, Mexican and Spanish food. This is what we had for lunch, but I would highly recommend the lobster which I had on our last dinner in Trinidad.

For our final dinner in Trinidad we up to the restaurant’s roof terrace. The sky was alight with color as the sun set. Stone angels became shadows against the fiery sky.

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