Welcome Back Southern Stump....Where have you been? In Paris of course!!!

Hi everyone.  Yes, I have been away for a while and lazy with my blog.  That all changes now.  I went back and saw some posts and thought "You have done some super fun things since July and have some beautiful pictures that might make people smile,  make them hungry,  or just get them away from life's stress for a bit"....so I'm back.

As a first post in a few months,  what better to cover than my trip this past weekend to Paris?!  It wasn't a big long holiday,  just a quick stop in so I could see some old friends and do a bit of wandering around while enjoying the sites, smells and tastes of this gorgeous city.

I think growing up in a coastal town in North Carolina,  the idea of New York, London, Rome, and Paris were so exotic to me.  I knew I wanted to spend time in these mysterious places I had only seen in movies and read about in glossy fashion magazines....but I don't think I could have ever imagined that I would live in two of them and visit the others multiple times.  I have been very lucky with the opportunities I have been given and in the people I have met (especially my amazing man-friend who introduced me to London where we live now).  I hope you enjoy these pictures of beautiful Paris....

As far as Architecture goes overall,  I haven't seen anywhere that touches Paris.  Rome is beautiful also and I love it (prob. more than any city) but when it comes to overall cityscape and the beauty of every block...Paris takes the prize.  If you can't make a trip to France,  head down to New Orleans in The United States...they have loads of architecture with Parisian influence.  Check out my New Orleans blog HERE 

My first afternoon in town, I wanted to get some chocolate as I wandered around.  I went in a few places before finding Fauchon.  It is similar to a Dean and Deluca in New York but they have a whole separate store full of...you guessed it...Chocolate...or as the French say "Chocolat"...

An Eclair with a thin Chocolate wafer placed on top looking at you.  I think I recognize that woman!

One of each please ;)

I don't have words.  Wet looking/amazing/beautiful.

                     

Fig, Blackberry, Blueberry Tart.....(mouth = watering)

Every city I visit,  I like to enjoy the food (obviously).  There is always one dish that sticks with me.  In Florence,  it was the Gorgonzola Pear Tortellini.  Check out that goodness deliciousness on my Italy blog HERE.   In Paris this trip,  the standout/handsdown/no question dish that I will remember forever was the Black Truffle Omelette I had at Laduree'.  I saw it on the menu and questioned the marriage of truffles with breakfast,  but figured if I love omelettes, and I LOVE truffles....why not give it a try?  It basically changed my life.

 

It is rare that a meal defeats me. 

This omelette was SO RICH that I couldn't finish it.  

Paris - 1  Southern Stump -0

 

How cute are these cups?  I went to crop this image but I thought the blue "borrowed from the boys" shirt that my friend is wearing in the background is so effortlessly tres' chic that I decided to keep it. 

I tried a new restaurant this trip called Patrelle.  I have just gone to their website and it is FANTASTIC...full of beautiful pictures.  It took me back to my meal I had while there...delightful!  My favorite bit about this restaurant was the fact that they had one chef cooking for the entire restaurant.  His kitchen was in clear view of our table and I was just mesmorized by him.  It looked like he was in his kitchen at home making a meal for his family.  I was able to sneak a photo of him....the website does a much better job of illustrating how cool his kitchen was but for our purposes,  this will do.

My photos from the meal aren't great as the restaurant was dark and I felt like a touristy loser using my flash so not too many to share.  Again,  look at their website to get an idea of how BEAUTIFUL all of the ingrediants were.  I was able to doctor up the image of our complimentary appetizers. 

This is a puff pastry sitting on a bed of radishes and topped with mushrooms.  I can't remember what else was on them but they were lush!!!

The next photo and final note on Patrelle... is a perfect segue into the last portion of today's blog where I'll just add some randomness....The BATHROOM at Patrelle was really cool.  The walls were covered with overlapping oversized shells.  It was 3-dimensional and just looked really cool.   There was also a sign written in French that I thought looked interesting.  I hope it doesn't say something graphic relating to bathrooms!!!  Even if it did,  it's in French and that makes it beautiful!!!

 

Here are just a couple more random fun shots from my trip....

Empty Frames on a Bright Orange Wall = Southern Stump Amore

I stopped by a pop-up museum and bypassed the exhibit to head straight toward the giftshop!  As people where leaving,  they stuck their "I've paid for my entrance" stickers on a board at the exit.  I took a shot of all of the stickers slabbed together because I thought it looked quite interesting.

Outside Chanel....going for the "Caged Glamour" shot here....not bad if I do say so myself!

Thomas Jefferson is quoted saying, "A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life."  I definitely agree with that.  When in Paris,  you have to slow down,  enjoy the beauty, the food, the wine and as a result...you are enjoying life.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

July means one thing...BBQ!!!!  A grill was purchased in prep for a backyard celebration at the beginning of the month.  We had a bunch of Americans and Brits over to party it out July 4th weekend! 

I wrote about the London food festival a few posts back and below is the BBQ Wing sauce I bought at the "Made in the USA" tent.  In a word....TASTY!!!

Moving on,  we ventured to Brighton last weekend as I was desperate to be close to the water and get OUT of London.  You can see on the map below that Brighton is located on the South Coast of England and about a 2 hour journey from London.

Here are some photos of the day.

No sand...pebbles.  I loved the striped chairs that were scattered all over the beach.  You hired them out and then relaxed.  They added such a great splash of color.

Some stands sold ice cream...some sold fresh seafood by the bowl!  Take a look at the LOBSTER TAIL!  YUM!  Next to the display case was a table with all sorts of sauces you could spread over your treat!

Well, we know I'm going to love this place...DISCO balls over the tables!  LOVE IT!!!!!  Oh yeah,  the crystal clear water isn't bad either!

Relaxing on the pier.

Not a bad view from the pier...but I'm hungry...let's have some lunch!

YUM!!!  Where can you get the freshest FISH and CHIPS?...I would say go to the beach...and you're on the right track!  We ate on the pier where the food (and beer) was amazing!

Time for Dessert!  Ice Cream is much better when a flake chocolate bar has been thrown into it!

Just a cool photo of some lollipops.

I really love these chairs.  This shot might have a frame in its life one day.

The West Pier ruins sit out in the ocean.  The West Pier was a staple in Brighton over the last century but was closed to the public in the 70's for fear it would collapse.  It did as was expected in 2002 and restoration was scheduled to begin so it would be rebuilt and opened to the public.  Unfortunately,  the remaining structure caught fire (no one knows how but arson was suspected) in 2003 and the pier was never re-built.  The ruins from that fire remain in the ocean and are quite beautiful in a strange way.  To read more about the West Pier...click here!

Brighton was a fun day out....but all good things must come to an end and we headed back to London.  This week we went to dinner at a new restaurant on Great Titchfield Street Called "Riding House Cafe".  Their website is here.  

Dinner started with some beautiful fresh bread that I welcomed given I was just coming from Bikram Yoga!  The hummus looking dip on the left was an Artichoke Puree and it was just amazing.  It had the consistency of a butter but the hint of artichoke flavor. 

These cups that had a touch of blue reflecting were beautiful and I love that water was served in such small glasses.  It felt like you were in someone's home.  The kitchen is also exposed so you can see the chef and his team at work.  I love that!

The tester (my better half) had Chorizo Hash Browns with poached eggs for his main course.  The man goes weak in the knees for chorizo!!!!

I enjoyed the 8 oz Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak with Bernaise Sauce.  Bernaise sauce is known as a relative of Hollandaise Sauce and is made with butter that has been emulsified in egg yolks.  It is spiced up with shallots, tarragon and vinegar...PERFECT for dipping steak and extremely rich.  

On the side, we enjoyed roast butternut squash with chilli and sage.  These were one of the highlights of the meal as they had the density of potatoes and were flavored beautifully!  The meal was complimented with a South African Chenin Blanc.  Who knows if it was the "right" wine selection...but it worked just fine for me.

My steak was cooked to perfection...Medium Rare as I have come to LOVE my meat!!! In my world steak rankings...this was a close second to the steak I enjoyed in Bologna, Italy back in March.

For Dessert, the tester opted for the hot fudge sundae with macaroons and honey comb. (Yes, I'm drooling too).

I had my go to finishing dish...a lovely cheese plate consisting of French and English Farmhouse cheeses.  I don't know why...if cheese is on the menu...I HAVE to try it!  The crackers in the lower left were AMAZING.  They had sea salt on them and were crispy complimenting the cheese perfectly.  I wasn't a fan of the circular cookie like crackers as they were too sweet with the cheese in my opinion.

The meal was lovely and the best I have had in London since moving here a year ago.  I look forward to more exciting adventures in the coming weeks.  I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer...see you soon!

My favorite Blogs and more fabulous photos of food, flowers and fun!

I started writing this about an hour ago but wanted to check out my favorite blogs first...I ALWAYS GET SUCKED IN!!!!  Check out some of my favorite places to check out for inspiration, cool finds and beautiful images!!!

A Cup of Jo

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Hello, Friend 

The list goes on and on...but these three I check out on the daily.  They cover overall inspiration for your kitchen, closet and apartment along with just feel good images!  I do love them all!

I have been to a few markets in the last few weeks.  Here are some photos from my adventures!

First up we go to Broadway Market in East London.  This market is every Saturday and covers food, flowers, entertainment, vintage finds and more.

Yeah, those are piles of cookies!!!!!  Some with chocolate, some with oatmeal...some with candy coated eggs (and yes, I purchased one for my afternoon picnic in Hyde Park!).  

Fruit Fudge anyone?

I tried this truffle balsamic drizzle...I LOVE truffles and this over a salad or asparagus...done and DONE!!!  Beautiful!

Next, on this particular Saturday, I headed to Hyde Park for a picnic with my UK family and some friends.  On our walk back,  we stumbled onto this lovely spot in the middle of the park called Serpentine bar and kitchen.  Check out their website .

Muffins and fruit heaven!

Yeah, they don't play...can I get some blueberries in these muffins?

Next up...my trip home for the wedding of my best friend last weekend (blog/pictures will follow at some point).  You may remember her from my last post when I highlighted our Bachelorette weekend in New Orleans!  In the days before the wedding...we had a few errands to run and I'm OBSESSED with this fancy disco glitter palette I found at Urban Outfitters for future costume projects!  LOOK AT ALL THESE COLORS!!!

If you are digging it and enjoy dressing in costume as much as I do...you can purchase your own set HERE

While there also,  I found this fabulous interior design book that had the solution for my spare bedroom.  I want to document all of the people who visit and stay in our spare bedroom somehow....POOF!  I love this idea below of taping great black and white and a few sepia color shots directly on the wall.  If done right with the whole 1950's-esque white border photos...it could be GREAT!!!!  

Meanwhile, back in London this weekend...I got to see my dear friend visiting from the United States.  We enjoyed Borough Market at London Bridge...a weekend MUST if you haven't done it and if you remotely like FOOD!!!  I grabbed a coffee at my favorite coffee shop and took two quick photos before heading into town.  1) Peonies...do flowers get any better?  2) Mugs all bunched together on the espresso machine...clutter never looked so chic and fabulous!

I arrived at Borough Market and took the below pictures of all of the amazing food.  Start planning your visit!

Above are homemade marshmellows.  I liked the Summer Berry flavor but was also intrigued by the elderflower version also!

This is where the photography and blog "work" ended.......Prosecco? YES PLEASE!!!!!

It has been a great few weeks!  I can't wait until next weekend when Regents Park is taken over by TASTE OF LONDON...a restaurant festival like no other!  I went last year and can't wait to re-visit all of the amazing smells, flavors and bites that London's top chefs have to offer!  Stay tuned!  Enjoy good food, wine and laughter with family and friends this week!!!  Ciao for now!