koba

The evening of my birthday, E took me out for a rather special dinner. I was craving Korean food, so after some research, I requested that we go to Koba.

Even though I finished work late so our dinner was at 9, fairly late for a weekday, we decided to not take the gamble and booked a table anyway. I'm glad we did - the place isn't huge and it was pretty much full.

This is a restaurant with table top barbecue for the quintessential Korean cuisine experience. There are ventilators above every table, and the whole theatrical side of it is always exciting!

First though, we ordered a couple of my favourite dishes.

Kimchi is a given.

We also ordered Pajeon, a pancake with spring onions and seafood, as well as Korean fried chicken "Yangnyeom chicken".

I honestly can't explain how good both these dishes were. We devoured them at an alarmingly speed.


And then for the main event - the meat! We chose Kalbi (beef spare rib), Bulgogi (marinated beef slices) and Sweet & Spicy Pork Belly.

As you can see, you wrap the meat up in lettuce leaves, add marinated spring onions & miso paste, and try to eat it in a somewhat dignified manner.

I'm not entirely sure I succeeded.

This was an indulgent and incredibly delicious meal, and we give this place four thumbs up. It's definitely a place for a special occasion though (for us, at least!) - the bill doesn't break the bank, but it's not somewhere we would go every month.

Just as well, our bodies probably wouldn't cope.

guinness & chocolate cake

On the weekend, we had some friends over for dinner and I made a Mexican feast of Guacamole, Enchiladas & Mexican street salad. As I was the chef, I snapped absolutely no photos of the dinner as I had my hands full! But we had an absolutely fantastic evening full of food, conversation & hilarious fun with Absolute Balderdash & Taboo.

I did, however, take a few photos of the dessert that I made in the morning.

Quite aptly, I was introduced to this recipe by my lovely Irish friend. Neither of us like beer, but she reassured me that the taste of the Guinness isn't detectable; it just makes the cake moist, black and very moreish. (Along with another friend, we once went on the Guinness factory tour, and turned down the pints we get for free at the end!)

Trust me on this one. It's easy to make, a little different to the traditional chocolate cake, and actually looks like a pint of Guinness with the black cake and frothy white top. Recipe here.

Oh, and there is cream cheese frosting. Enough said.

birthday resolutions

Today I turn 26.

Side note: I share a birthday with the one and only Mickey Mouse. Did you know he has a birthday? Check out his passport.

25 was a big year for me. I graduated with my Masters degree after 3 years of studying abroad, subsequently making me no longer a student after being one of some kind for 19 years. I moved back to London, where I have spent the majority of my life. I got married and had a wonderful wedding in the South of France. I started living with a boy for the first time ever (E and I started living together 2 weeks before we were legally married in London). I became an adult in the "real world" - working and earning.

It was also the hardest year for me; it has been a tough ride. And I am so grateful for the gem of a husband I have, and for my unbelievably wonderful friends and sister, who have been with me through thick and thin and now I breathe a little easier.

As for the upcoming year? I'm excited. I just know it's going to be a good one. Scratch that, I'm determined to make it a great one.

I love resolutions of any kind, but particularly birthday ones. Your own personal milestone to set your own personal goals. Here are mine.

Find the fine line between gratitude and complacency. 
I used to be a horribly negative person. Not in that I thought negatively of other people, but I had terribly low self-esteem and always assumed the worst. A few years ago, I made a real, conscious effort to override this default attitude and although it took a while (and a lot of fake it 'til you make it), I got there. I am so much more relaxed about myself and about life in general, and when I get anxious or stressed about my work or future I think,"but I am so lucky. I am so grateful for my lot." This is truly great, but I fear that it sometimes has presidence over the ambitious side of me that always wants to achieve more. I want to find that ideal balance of being happy and driven.

Keep up with the blog. 
I currently have a strict schedule of posting on this blog every other day (although I skipped a day this weekend so this post would be on my actual birthday!), and it's working out well so far. I started this blog as a means to document the little things in life, as well as appreciating and recommending what London has to offer, but I also wanted to be serious about it and commit myself fully. I am absolutely loving it, and so thrilled with the interactions I have with other bloggers who may stop by or are becoming fast internet friends of mine. I want to continue on the same path and make many more blogger friends along the way.

Face my fears. 
One thing I haven't quite grown out of is the inability to be fearless. I know, you're thinking, "but no one is really truly fearless." You're probably right. But some people believe in themselves enough to not fear failure as much as I do. It's not a question of confidence, per se; I just so desperately don't want to fail at anything. I know, though, that this is the only obstacle in my way. And I'm the only one who can beat it. So my aim is be able to say, come this time next year, that I knocked down those barriers and did my best to kick those fears in the butt.

I hope you will stick around to hold me accountable - one of the many perks of blogging, yes?