The shortest month of the year, yet it’s the month when everybody buckles down and settles back into their routines. The rest of the year is still spread ahead and while the weather is dreadful the first day of sun usually lands on this month as well, making it feel like the most hopeful too.
1
Jamaica Water
1. around 2 cups of dried jamaica flower petals (buy in London here)
2. 1.5 L of water
optional add-ons:
1. hoja santa (or mint as a close substitute)
2. around 1 cup of sugar
3. honey
1. in a large pot, place your water and bring to a boil.
2. once the water is bubbling, turn the heat down to medium heat and add in the dried jamaica flowers.
3. leave for around 10 minutes and then pick a container to place under a colander.
4. drain the infused water into the container, eparating the flowers with the colander.
5. leave the jamaica water to cool down. This is now jamaica concentrate, which you can split in to two containers and fill the remaining space with water.
6. keep in the fridge and enjoy <3
2
A Tendinha do Rossio
Earlier in the month I went to Lisbon, and visited this little “hole in the wall” bar, which just so happens to be Lisbon’s oldest tavern. Operating since 1840 and withstanding many of histories tests of time, this little bar feels like the incarnation of an imagined yet lost european dream. Picturesque and slightly chaotic interior, glasses of varying kinds and a menu of authentic portuguese “petiscos”, I could have sat here all day long (and to be fair that’s kind of what did happen).
3
3
Adega Atelvina
This is another little “hole in the wall” wine bar that an amazing host and waitress at alzur restaurant recommended. A single man behind the bar and a little bar circling around him, he offered a selection of wines and an atmosphere that made you want to stay all night. Definitely a must if you’re ever in Lisbon.
4
Office Hours by Tiwa Select- The Shop at Sadie Coles HQ
While I don’t think this was a part of the actual exhibition I went to see at Sadie Coles HQ, I loved this DIY (portable too) hob. It reminded me that ingenuity can come from any starting point you pick, and that this was also probably the result of an act of desperation that created what i found a really beautiful scene.
5
Song Que Cafe
The other day we went to one of the couple of Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road. It was one of the coldest days of February, and we walked in by chance and asked if they had a table for three. The lady gave us a table to sit down but told us the restaurant wouldn’t be open until 5:30 pm (it was 5:00 pm). We decided to wait despite how hungry we were and browse the menu with far more attention than usual. The restaurant slowly filled up, and by 5:30 there was already a queue rounding up by the entrance. The mix of appetizers we got, the pho and the vermicelli noodle dish were so comforting and yummy. This family-run business deserves all the love it gets!
6
Flautas de Pollo
I never succeed when I try to meal prep, since the portions i’ll manage to make usually just become leftovers instead of full meals for the week. However, there comes a time every now and then when I get a severe craving for “flautas de pollo”. This is the only food I’ve made that lasts me around a week, and that never gets old. Here’s my recipe:
1. pack of corn tortillas
2. olive oil
3. cooked shredded chicken breast (seasoned with salt and pepper)
for toppings:
1. shredded lettuce
2. sour cream
3. avocado
4. salsa verde
5. juice from a lime
1. in a pan, heat up a generous amount of oil (make sure the entire pan is coated in oil).
2. in another pan, heat up your tortillas until they’re nice and soft (they may feel a bit moist, that’s normal)
3. set the warm tortillas aside and put some shredded chicken onto one side.
4. roll the tortilla so it rolls into the shape of a flute (like a tube).
5. place the flap holding the roll onto the pan with oil so the flauta doesn’t unroll and starts frying.
6. rotate the flautas on the pan so they fry evenly.
7. when the tortilla feels crunchy like a taco shell, place on a plate with some paper towel over it to catch the excess grease.
8. top with toppings of your choice and enjoy!
To reheat use a microwave or an
oven until warm.
7
Little Georgia with friends
Last week of the month and my friends and I went to have dinner at Little Georgia. Salomée originally booked a group of us to go back in around 2022, and since then we’ve kept coming back to order literally the same round of dishes and to share bottles of Georgian wine from the shop in front of the restaurant. This is one of the best spots in London for a wholesome evening out with friends, and if you’re reading this and I’ve been here with you, i <3 you. (thanks Salomée for sharing this place with us).
To finish this post, I’d like to honour the start of the changing of seasons with Meret Oppenheim’s ‘Object’ (1936). An iconic work of surrealist art that I originally learned about back in my AP Art History days, this sculpture has been on my mind this month. Maybe it’s because the piece forces you to imagine what it’d feel like to drink out of a furry cup, the uncomfortable feeling of it but also the inconvenience it causes for not being an efficient object. This month I was thinking a lot about how embracing uncomfortableness can lead to new ‘discoveries’. My February reflection is that sometimes it’s good to sit with friction: letting discomfort reorganise the way you think, because in that pause, something more honest begins to take shape. I’ll let you know you what my ‘uncomfortableness’ helps me do soon.