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Video: Life in Japan Q&A #1

Here is the first in my ‘Life in Japan Q&A’ series. I’ve decided to do this series in short videos so you can find exactly what you want to know, without having to sit through 25mins of me rambling away. The first couple of questions are from Kat about learning Japanese (and using it on holiday) and coping as a vegetarian in Japan.

If you’d like to ask your own question you can leave a comment here on this post or here, or you can tweet me. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos.
bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London: Fingers Crossed

Fingers Crossed | Cafe | Stoke Newington | Website
– reservations not available –

Fingers Crossed is a local cafe I came across in my London Coffee Guide. I don’t drink coffee but I know my stuff, thanks to an overly enthusiastic sibling. So when I read that they also offered amazing food, I knew I had to check them out. I headed there around midday on bank holiday Monday, with my fiancé.

Fingers Crossed is in a rather unexpected location. However thanks to the cleverly designed logo on the front window you’re unable to miss this hidden gem. Inside is a very basic rustic chic setting, with one long communal table and several single tables. I don’t mind the idea of communal tables so we sat down, next to the cakes. Of course. It was busy, with most of the tables being taken up by talkative groups, all who had ordered food. Originally we only went in for cake, but after seeing the food come out my fiance just couldn’t resist. I choose the brownie with a cheesecake topping, and he went for the tomatoes and eggs, with Sicilian sardines. Presentation wise, the food was similar to the cafe – providing a quality product that doesn’t need dressing up. The brownie was superb, and is the best invention to happen to cakes since…ever! The baked cheesecake topping added a texture and taste to the egg-less chocolate brownie that I just haven’t come across before. I was tempted to bring back a bag full, but managed to resist. The fiancé said his brunch option was delicious, and he loved that he could taste everything in the dish that had been mentioned on the menu. According to him it was the tangy sweet tomatoes that brought the whole dish together though. I asked him if he would eat it again. His answer? “Definitely”, and he wanted to try the other similar dishes too.

The barista came over to us after we’d eaten and asked us if we wanted to “…try something different”. Of course we said yes, and soon enough two espresso glasses were placed in front of us. “It’s iced coffee” he told us. He spoke about it with such enthusiasm that we weren’t surprised when we tasted how good it was. It was incredibly fruity and refreshing. I only had a few mouthfuls as I can’t drink coffee really, but I enjoyed it immensely. He told us it isn’t really popular in the coffee world yet, but if everyone was to try the one he gave us I know they’d be won over. After we had finished our iced coffee (I gave the rest of mine to the fiancé), we went up to pay. They don’t take cards here, so you will need to bring cash. Don’t worry, you won’t need to bring much though, as we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was pretty cheap.

I noticed that there were freshly cut flowers scattered around the cafe, which I always love. However it was the service that really made me smile. There were only 3 people working in the cafe: the hostess, barista and chef. All 3 of them were delightful and chatty, whilst making sure everyone had everything they needed. I will definitely be going back to Fingers Crossed, and I will be bringing everyone I know with me!

You can read more of my restaurant reviews on Zomato.

bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London: Onthebab

Onthebab | Korean Streetfood | Lunch/Dinner | Old Street, Shoreditch | Website
– reservations not available –

Onthebab is a lone Korean restaurant in the heart of Shoreditch. I headed there around 12pm on a Tuesday with V.A of Chopstickpanorama.

Onthebab is a tiny restaurant located on Old Street, yet they’ve managed to fit in as many tables (and a bar) as possible, without it feeling uncomfortable. The interior matches the exterior, making sure the minimal chic feel of the restaurant stays in touch with it’s Shoreditch roots. We were greeted by a very welcoming waitress, and an empty restaurant. I gave a sigh of relief that we had made it before the lunchtime rush. We had a hard time choosing which dishes to have, not because there were too many, but because they all sounded delicious. We finally decided on the Spicy Pork Buns (to share) and a Bulgogi Bibimbap (each). I started my meal with a refreshing Cinnamon Punch – a Korean soft drink that I don’t see often. I was a little worried when the pork buns arrived, with their almost glowing red innards. No matter how much I try, my tolerance for spice is extremely low. They were spicy, but just under my barrier, and boy were they delicious. The flavour inside one of those tiny little buns is immense! I imagine this was partly due to the cut of pork and the way it had been cooked to perfection. I found myself fearful at the impending last bite. Unfortunately it came, but I was eager to try my Bulgogi Bibimbap so I recovered pretty quickly. Bibimbap is a traditional Korean rice dish with vegetables and gochujang (chilli pepper paste), usually served with a fried egg and meat. Well at Onthebab you get the whole shebang! We chose the bulgogi beef as it’s a favourite of ours. The dish was large and came with plenty of meat, egg, fresh vegetables and rice. It didn’t taste spicy, so I added a little more gochujang to mine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Towards the end of our meals the lunchtime rush had hit and the restaurant was almost full. Still, the service was fast and impeccable. I left satisfied, and impressed with the food and the lovely people running the establishment.

It’s not often that I crave a particular dish, but I can honestly say that I will be back to Onthebab for the Spicy Pork Buns alone . Of course I’d also love to try out more of their delicious dishes too. This is one restaurant you can not overlook!

You can read more of my restaurant reviews on Zomato.

bloomzy /

Review: Birchbox April 2014

Birchbox April 2014 Box
This month’s Birchbox has a food theme.
Products are inspired by natural ingredients, candy colours and more.
You know I’m a foodie so this box is incredibly enticing for me. 
Inside my box was…
TheBalm Cosmetics – Cheek & Lip Cream
Lord & Berry – Kohl Eye Pencil
Color Club – Gala’s Gem Nail Polish
Tommyguns – Pomegranate & Orange Flower Shampoo
One Love Organics – Skin Saviour Waterless Beauty Balm
Propercorn – Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sundried Tomato 

Thoughts?
I’m going to give you the bad news first: It’s my third month in with my Birchbox subscription, and how am I feeling? This is the first box that has left me on the fence, and feeling a little bit “meh.” I have far too many lip balms/stains already and I don’t like cheek creams so I will probably gift the ‘TheBalm Cosmetics’ product. The packaging is cute though and reminds me a bit of Benefit. Next up, the ‘Lord & Berry Kohl Kajal Eyepencil’: I haven’t used an eye pencil since high school, and after converting to liquid eyeliner I probably won’t be going back to them. It’s a shame as I have wanted to try out a Lord & Berry for a while. Now I love ‘Propercorn’, so was glad to see them included as the ‘lifestyle’ item this month, however I can’t handle spice…at all, so these were too much for me. Sadly the other Propercorn option was my favourite – Sweet & Salty, but it was a 50/50 chance I’d get it, so I’m not upset. It’s not all bad though as the fiancé said he will gladly take it off my hands.
Now, for the good news: I am always happy to add another nail polish to my collection, especially when it’s a cute pastel shade. So the ‘Color Club Nail Polish’ was a welcomed addition. I also loved that we were able to choose the shade that went in our box this month. Usually you end up with a generic shade (like red) that everyone else also got. That’s not how Birchbox roll though. They asked us to choose which colour we would like to receive, out of 4 possible pastel shades. I choose the baby blue as I don’t have a similar shade – I know, shocking! This month introduced me to ‘TommyGuns Shampoo’, which smells amazing. I already have a ton of shampoos but I’m eager to try this. Now if only I had the conditioner too…! Birchbox have also introduced me to ‘One Love Organics Beauty Balm’ with this box. The packaging is simple and is different from what you receive if you buy a full size version, but it’s cute. It sounds like a pretty awesome product. I love natural, organic products, and I love skincare – it’s a match made in heaven.
So as you can see the box is pretty much split 50/50 for me this month. I may have received 3 products I’m not keen on/won’t use, but I also received 3 that I will! I understand that I won’t always receive a super amazing box with 5-6 products I adore, so I’m cool with this. Even then, the products I won’t use are still good quality samples that will make someone else very happy. Of course I do wish I’d received items I would get some use from, but I’m sure my friends will be happy. After all, what I don’t use gets given to them or donated to charity. After all folks, you’ve got to look for the silver lining!
You can subscribe or buy a one off box at Birchbox.
Using my link will give you (and me) £5 worth of points to spend in the store.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: The London Coffee Festival

On Saturday I headed to the London Coffee Festival with Nuffnang. That probably sounds a bit odd as I don’t drink caffeinated drinks, right? Well I wanted to find out what other options were available, such as decafe etc. However the rest of the Nuffnang crew had avoided coffee all morning in preparation. Luckily for me I wasn’t let down and there was much more than just coffee on show. There was art, food, music and even fashion stalls on display.

I headed round with some of the girls to get all the info on the exhibitors. Amongst the various brands there were more than a few that stood out for me: One Water, Sprinkled Magic Cupcakes, Impossible iPhone Printer, Novus Tea, Nut Shot Peanut Butter, Joco Reusable Cups, and Evoni Design.

Yes, I do feel bad that I headed to the coffee festival and couldn’t fully enjoy the coffee. However I did catch some amazing smells, and I even had a cheeky little latte at one point. It was a day of laughs, learning and discovery, and I would definitely recommend it.

You can find out more at The London Coffee Festival.

bloomzy /

Keeping Fit with L&G and Keepfitbootcamp

Healthy living fitness goody bag from L&G*
Recently I was contacted by L&G about their new healthy living campaign. Like everyone else the New Year get fit bug hit me too, so I jumped at the chance. We may now be in April but that doesn’t mean I have to give up trying to keep fit. I’ve been watching what I eat and making sure it’s all good stuff going into my body. The next thing is to actually start doing some proper exercise, rather than just walking. You see walking is my favourite type of exercise and something I find difficult to give up. Luckily for me L&G already had that in mind as part of their healthy living initiative.  They partnered with Keepfitbootcamp for the campaign, and offered me a 7 day pass. I was also invited to a taster, but I was sick at the time and unfortunately couldn’t attend. So I can’t wait to try the bootcamp out and let you all know about how I got on. I’ll also make sure to keep you all up to date on my progress.
Do you have any healthy living tips of your own?
bloomzy /

5 Lifestyle Instagrams You Should Be Following

Yes, the ‘Instagram 5 Series‘ series is back, and better than ever! I’ve picked out 5 of my favourite Instagram accounts where you can find some lovely lifestyle inspiration.

Who? @parkncube
Why? I thought I’d start off with a well known little lady by the name of Shini Park – author of the blog Park & Cube. Luckily for us she also posts daily photos on Instagram, and if you’re like me, then her photos are probably why you fell in love with her blog in the first place. She documents her travels, and general day-to-day life in the form of some beautifully composed photos that could easily have come out of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar.

Why? I only recently started following Hannah on Instagram, but it was love at first sight when I saw her photos. They’re clean, crisp and beyond classy, which is probably down to her design/textile background. I don’t think there is one photo of hers that has popped up on my timeline that I haven’t liked. It also helps that she’s a very sweet lady.

Why? Michiko Yamawaki is a Japanese stylist who I recently came upon as she styled a shoot for a Japanese model I also follow. I loved her photos as she made normal everyday things (like putting your shoes on, yes you did hear me correctly) look good. Her images are colourful and enticing yet still simplistic. 


Why? I love Yishyene, she’s such a bubbly and fun little lady. Her instagram is basically everything inside her colourful head (no hair colour pun intended) spewed out in the form of a photo. Sometimes simple and monochrome can be nice, but I also love an injection of colour, and that’s exactly what her photos bring.

Why? Van Anh is a fellow blogger with a love for food…need I say more? Ok you got me, it’s not the only reason I love her Instagram. This lovely lady knows how to use a camera and it comes across in her photos because each one looks as though she has put so much thought into the composition of it. I may enjoy her food photos but I love seeing anything she posts.
I often post lifestyle photos of my own, and you can follow me @bloomzy
Source: Please see individual Instagram accounts listed above.