This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

You know when you just wanna get drunk like its Friday, well I have fantastic news ... that day is here and it's time to get boozy!!!

Well the biggy that's been taking over our lives this week is getting ready for the wedding of the year, yep Hong Kong mouse is getting hitched - screammmmmmmmmm! More on that in a few weeks when we have pics to share - double screammmmmmmmmm! Other than that, we've been eating well, listening to lots of great music and beautifying ourselves to the max ready for the BIG DAY. More on that below because This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Feeling sexy at new foodie hot spot, Sexy Fish. Everybody went crazy over the arrival of Chiltern Firehouse and I think Sexy Fish is going to stir the same buzz about town. The VIP launch party saw Rita Ora perform and big fashion names grace the space including Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan, Alice Temperley, Tracey Emin and Matthew Williamson. 

My good pal Caroline and I were lucky enough to check it out during soft launch, ahead of opening to the public on 19th October. We headed there for lunch and were pretty much blown away by every detail from the divine food to the jaw dropping interior and art pieces spanning the space. 

Caprice Holdings and Richard Caring are behind the concept, also famous for well known restaurants including The Ivy, J Sheekey and Daphne's. The space has been designed by Martin Brudnizki also responsible for making the likes of Dean Street Townhouse, Scott's and Hix super sexy! Spectacular art pieces have also been commissioned from Frank Gehry (who was behind the Guggenheim in Bilbao) and Damien Hirst who needs no introduction. Expect to be wowed by origami style fish hanging above the bar, a 13ft giant crocodile crawling up one of the dining room walls, two bronze mermaids that act as bookends at the bar plus a huge ceiling mural from Michael Roberts, Style Editor-at-Large of Vanity Fair. It's safe to say only the vey best names in the business have been called upon for this launch.

Now for the food - my favourite part! Sexy Fish offers an asian-inspired menu which was impressive in every sense. We picked off a few dishes that sounded too good to eat including buttermilk popcorn chicken, prawn soldiers, baked Alaskan crab and roasted truffle infused quail with chargrilled avocado. 

 

 For puds we opted for doughnuts with lemon and chocolate dipping sauce and a beautiful rice pudding with all the trimmings!

We've heard great things about the 90 nine-course tasting menu so that's on the list for round II. Bring it on!

Sexy Fish 

1-4 Berkeley Square, 

London 

W1J 6BR 

020 3764 2000

Making everything better with music. I'm a bit Shazam cray cray at the minute, any time I'm watching TV (mostly Suits) and the scene is set to an epic song, I fumble frantically like a mad person trying to shazam it and catch it whilst I can! Here's my pick of fav songs of the moment.

Pick me up...

Yellow - Robin Schulz



Sugar - featuring Francesco Yates and Robin Schulz 



Chill out...

Fade Out Lines - The Avener & Phoebe Killdeer



Looking Too Closely - Fink



Feel good...

Tomorrow - The Skints



My Type - Saint Motel



On the go...

Start Over - Kimberley Anne



When I go - Keaton Simons

Listen and love!

That brings me to end of my Friday bulletin! All that's left to say is...

So.............. make it happen this weekend! We certainly will be in Hong Kong! On that note we're taking next week as annual leave from the blog - don't miss us too much.

Lots of Love

The Mice
xxx

Eco Eating: Mana Raw

Here in Hong Kong, we're T-9 days from veils, cakes, white dresses and something old, new, borrowed and blue. So it's unsurprising that we're eyeball deep in wedmin. When we're not plotting table plans, having bridal hair trials or trying to finish off all the last minute decor DIYs, we're fixated on working out and eating well in a bid to be as lean as possible on the Big Day...

So, today's short but sweet post is an ode to an HK eatery that's proving pretty helpful in the pre-wedding regime, healthy fast food joint - Mana Raw.

Located a mere hop, skip and a tumble from it's sister restaurant, Mana, this newer, raw food outpost maintains the same fab eco-credentials as its older sister but kicks things up a notch by offering a vegan, raw menu. Not only are the eats healthy and organic but as at Mana, packaging's recyclable, there's a slick system of recycling bins to sort your waste into at the end of your meal and the restaurant operates a zero waste policy.

All sounding a little too virtuous to also be delicious? Think again. Food's inventive and super scrumptious with an offering spanning from vushi (vegan sushi) to raw wraps and zucchini 'pasta'. Early birds can scoop up Acai bowls for breakfast and a veritable rainbow of fresh juices.

Who said healthy eating had to mean tasteless, dull meals...?

Mana Raw!

97 Wellington Street Central

+852 2259 5125

8am - 8pm Everyday

Whit Woo Whistles...

With October in full swing, it's time we all unpack our snugly jumpers and get our winter wardrobe at the ready! If like me, you're less than excited at the prospect of unearthing last years pieces, then I strongly advise you get some new additions pronto!

Working in Soho I constantly pop into my high street favs on a lunchtime, however recently nothing has grabbed my attention enough to make a purchase - crazy?! I've got enough chunky cosy staples to last me a life time, what i'm missing are those pieces that 'make' an outfit. After numerous fruitless hunts I started to think it was time to give up and just live in cashmere and cables, BUT then Whistles saved the day! 

Make some space in your wardrobe, grab your MasterCard and take a look at these beauties...

I'm loving this tassle-tastic story...

The perfect lace cami...

Sensational sheepskin..

The timeless leather pencil skirt...

The staple snuggle jumper...

The everyday boyfriend shirt...

And that's just a small selection, Whistles we heart you!

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

YUP not only do you have the beauties that are Saturday and Sunday ahead of you, but there are precisely ten more Fridays until Christmas!!! 

Despite my opening picture I think we all need to get over the lack of summer experienced in 2015 and instead embrace that winter is coming and we can count the weeks on our hands until good old Father Christmas makes the rounds! 

So pack away your bikinis and denim cut offs and dig out that cashmere and hot water bottle...it's time! 

When we haven't been planning our hibernation, this week the mice have mostly been....

Whipping up a culinary storm but of course still trying to keep clean with the ultimate goal of being lean! 

Despite my upcoming hibernation I need to attempt to steer clear of comfort food and keep on the straight and narrow, but day dreams of cheese ozzing lasagne and crusty garlic bread keeps haunting me! However with the likes of Punch Foods popping up on my instagram with amazing health inspired food posts, i'm hoping I can steer clear of cheating!

Another source of constant healthy inspiration is the amazing Madeleine Shaw, a nutritional health coach who basically loves to make healthy food delicious! At London Towers middle mouse and I love to cook good food but being so busy with work easily fall into the habit of cooking the same things over and over. So we decided to take a leaf out of Madeleine's book (literally) and try one of her creations. We opted for salmon fishcakes with cabbage slaw - easy, quick and super tasty!   

You Need:

2 x salmon fillets - skinned and cut into chunks
1 x haddock fillet
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives
2 spring onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 lemon - zested and juiced
1/2 cabbage
100g natural yogurt
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of chai seeds (optional)



Chop and prepare all your ingredients. Put the salmon, haddock, 1 teaspoon of mustard, chives, salt and pepper , spring onions, lemon zest and capers into the food processor and whizz up. Once combined roll into four burger shapes and place in the freezer for five minutes. 

Meanwhile chop up your cabbage...

Add the other teaspoon of mustard, lemon juice, pinch of salt and the yogurt, mix thoroughly. 

Remove the fishcakes from the freezer, melt your coconut oil in a pan and add. Cook for around 6 minutes, constantly turning so they are golden on all sides!

We decided to have some peas as well...you can't have fishcakes without peas can you?!

Ta-Dahhhhhhhh....

Avidly watching back to back episodes of the amazing Suits. 

Seriously what's not to like... Rachel and Donna's wardrobes are to die for, Harvey is the God of all Gods and Mike not so bad either, Louis Litt just simply makes me laugh out loud and they are all just so darn clever and powerful. I aspire to be them ALL!

If you haven't started you must immediately - the perfect one to watch with girls and boys, it's a all round people pleaser! You have five seasons and 70 episodes to devour and I'm oh so jealous!

Middle Middle and I also love all the songs played through out, so top tip is get your shazam at the ready!!

To give you an idea of what you're in for.... 

Now that I've delivered you some seasonal cheer, a delicious recipe for dinner and an awesome boxset, I feel my work here is done. You can use all the above to have a fabulous weekend and ensure the following also takes place....

The Mice x 

New Label Lust: Rixo

Experiencing a bit of a mid-week slump? Only one way to cure that - a little e-spree! And what better place to flex your plastic than on a brand new website filled with beautiful bright pieces guaranteed to breathe a little life into your trans-seasonal wardrobe.

Say hello to Rixo London, a newly launched label which manages to feel fresh and modern yet still have a distinctly vintage vibe. The duo behind Rixo have pretty fashtastic CVs, being London College of Fashion Alumni who graduated to work as ASOS buyers before quitting to go solo. Having been super impressed by Finery London, a fellow new label born from the ASOS stable, we had high hopes when we heard about Rixo. And, after a quick flick through the lookbook,  let's just say our credit cards are whimpering at the mere suggestion of an 'R-I-X-O' being tapped out on our keyboards... 

Prices are pitched a couple of brackets above ASOS level but unlike that fast fashion machine, Rixo manufactures all its garments in British factories and handpaints each fabric print from scratch.

Take a look at a selection of our fav pieces from the debut collection and then go and shop your Wednesday better...

Marrakech Riad of Dreams : Noir D'lvoire

My last Moroccan blog post ... I promise ... and I've left the best til last! I bring you my review of Riad Noir D'Ivoire which is without doubt the most beautiful place I have ever had the pleasure of laying my head. This home away from home exceeds expectations in every way possible. You will never want to leave! I didn't...

My pals (Lauren & Hels) and I stayed at Riad Noir D'Ivoire for three blissful nights. HK Mouse actually gave us the insider tip as she had stayed there years ago and loved everything about it. Us Mice all have exactly the same tastes - extravagant - so I knew I had to give it a whirl!

Upon arrival I knew we'd made a first class choice. The riad is tucked away right in the centre of the hustle and bustle of the medina making it impossible to navigate a taxi driver there and without a guide to show you where to find it you'd be pretty stuck! Luckily the riad had all bases covered to ensure we arrived safe and sound. We called when we were en route in a cab and as we turned the corner, there they were ... three smiling knights in shining Riad Noir D'Ivoire uniforms together with their trusty steed plodding just behind them - Cous Cous, the hotel donkey! Within moments our cases had been loaded onto the little donkey trailer and we were off winding down the narrow lanes off the teeming streets to our home for the next few days. It's little touches like this that kept on coming during our stay, I couldn't wait to get inside the riad to see what further delights awaited!

We were welcomed in and ushered through to a courtyard. Cue lots of hushed "oh my Gods" and "is this place for real" comments - we couldn't believe our eyes and our luck! It was as spectactluar as HK Mouse had described, from the grand central atrium lined with perfect palm trees, lavish velvet sofas that enveloped you like a big hug to a huge decorative bowl perched beside the indoor plunge pool boasting hundreds and thousands of rose petals, all delicately placed creating a flowery masterpiece! 

After we had finished being blown away, we were invited to sit down and rest after travelling. Before our bottoms had even reached the plush envelope hugging sofas three glasses of sparkling champagne were thrown into our hands - my kinda welcome! We then sat there with the lovely riad manager, Marc for the next 20 mins in a delirious daze! He told us all about the nine-room riad and its history and gifted us our very own bat phone for our trip - a mobile with a local SIM offering us peace of mind should we need to call the riad for directions or questions whilst out and about. I mean come on, could this place be anymore thoughtful! 

Next up, we were taken to our deluxe suite, The Chameau which came complete with its own private balcony - screammmm. We knew what was waiting on the other side of the door was bound to be pretty special and we were right! A huge sprawling four poster bed with beautiful embroidered sheets, a sofa-bedecked area just made for languid lounging and last but not least, a marble bathroom of dreams with a huge bathtub, rain shower and gorgeous Moroccan his and hers sinks. Sweet treats had been sprinkled around the room too to welcome us - bowls of fresh fruit and homemade meringues tied up with ribbon. Too much!

We got ready in super quick time as Marc (the riad manager) had arranged a special dinner for us in the main central courtyard which we were yet to see... 

Yep fittingly beautiful! 

It's official, we had arrived in paradise and now all that was left to make this arrival spot-on-perfect was to be fed and Marc had that covered. He started the meal off by saying "lets get you a drink - how about I keep the champagne coming" and our response "yes Marc, yes, that sounds like a cracking plan". Each evening meal, guests are given the choice between Moroccan or French cuisine - Marc had taken the liberty of choosing Moroccan for us and all three courses were sublime. Tasty fishcakes to start, followed by a beautifully spiced lamb tagine. We devoured both in no time...

But he saved the best til last wowing us with three perfectly formed puddings ... cooked pears with caramel sauce, a cheesecake roulade and a cloud of pavlova topped with raspberry coulis - three. minds. blown.

After a sound sleep, we awoke excited to explore the riad in the light of day...

Gorgeous details everywhere you turn and little trinkets displayed with such care. Not only does it look wonderful but it smells wonderful too - oil diffusers pepper the space and send you into a permanent relaxed state of calm. 

And did I mention the breakfasts?! I've seriously never eaten so well - the most delicious food just kept on arriving and delighting! Each morning freshly squeezed juices would be delivered to your table - orange, a classic was always presented but the second jug would be a complete surprise, anything from pear to grapefruit to apple. Fresh croissants with an array of incredible jams to choose from together with little butter parcels wrapped in brown paper and tied lovingly with string. Fresh eggs whipped up any way you wished paired with homemade treats such as fluffy pancakes, french toast and sweet crepes...

And for a mid-day delight we would track down the riad's chief cocktail king, Ali. HK mouse had raved about the cocktails served up during her visit a few years back and so it was only fair we tested out as many as possible. A swish bar had just been installed and the finishing touches were being made to the space during our stay. Here's Ali hard at work mixin' and shakin'...

And his handy work perched next to our loungers poolside...

Can we go back immediately please? Is tomorrow too soon?

Riad Noir D'lvoire

Derb Jdid, 

Marrakech, 

Morocco

+212 5243-80975