Mallorca in Organic Basics

A week in Mallorca in July. It’s hot. It’s sweaty. It’s incomprehensible to wear more than one thing layer of clothing. That’s why I spent the week in my Organic Basics cotton underwear. I’m always looking for an excuse to only wear my knickers, and I think 40 degree heat is a pretty good excuse.

Organic Basics are a sustainable bascis and activewear brand from Copenhagen. All good words in my mind. They kindly gifted me a bra and knickers set and a super comfy white t-shirt that goes with literally everything. They’ve also got an offer for you - 10% off any online purchase, simply use the code MADOLYNIRISOB.

We stayed at the stunning Ca Sa Tieta in Alaro, on the mid-west side of the glorious island. The traditional Mallorcan house had only 10 rooms and was stunning. Our very own Love Island Villa. The house felt like a home with a communal terrace, outdoor breakfast area and indoor lounge. Interiors were simple (but not basic), with lots of natural materials and neutral colours. Basically everything we look for in a hotel. Cannot recommend it enough if you are planning a visit to Mallorca.

St Luke’s Table

You probably wouldn’t have heard of St Luke’s Table unless you’ve been behind the heavy black door on St Martin’s Place that leads to the rabbit warren that is the Library members club, but what you’ll find once inside is an enchanting room of no more than 10 tables with neat white tablecloths, low lit candles and antique books on tables. Total vibes.

The menu is short, British and comfortably luxurious. Chef Alessio Piras has adapted to trends and developed a plant-based menu with mouth-watering dishes any non-vegan would appreciate., including artichoke Linguini with walnut pesto, sundried tomatoes, garlic & parsley toasted breadcrumbs and Vegan Chocolate Mousseand a selection of Dairy-Free Ice Creams.

There are also the classics, Beef Carpaccio with pickled mushrooms, hazelnuts and parmesan twirl, the Crab & Avocado Salad with orange segments, sun blushed tomatoes, dill and lemon dressing. The highlights; Roasted quail with salsify, quail egg, raspberries and Seared Scallops with n’duja crust and truffle cauliflower puree. 

For mains we went for the house specialities,  Monkfish Filet wrapped in Parma ham, sweet and sour peppers and samphire - a meaty pice Of monkfish with smoky ham a and the Venison Fillet with sweet potato velour’s, crispy polenta and thyme jus which was deliciously tender, served pink.  

Alessio has over 15 years’ experience, cooking for Soho House Group venues such as Cecconi’s and Shoreditch House. His most recent role was executive chef for award-winning Italian restaurant Margot - the Margot inspiration which shines through in his menu.

 While you need to be a member or the Library or their new club ARBORETUM, there has never been a better time to join (or tag along with someone who is already a member). 

Arboretum

Well this is fun, I haven’t written a post in months, and here we are! After a busy start to the year, I’m back in the game with something exciting to share.

There’s a new members club in London, yes another one. But something’s different, ARBORETUM is the only plant-powered London club and co-working space where eco-conscious ethics are at its heart.

It’s been a while getting here, but we’re finally in a world where people (particularly younger people) care about what’s happening to our planet. In spite of politics, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or occupation – there has never been a greater unified voice of activists speaking up about how we are passing on the state of our earth to future generations.

Breaking away from mainstream members’ clubs, ARBORETUM is new a meeting and co-working space that aims to attract socially minded individuals keen to collaborate and make a tangible impact on the environment.

Join this month before 31st July and new members can join with the pre-opening offer price of only £850. It’s not just a desk, there is an uber cool events calendar in London and with partners globally. You also have access to the plethora of bars, restaurants and hotel rooms at the adjoining LIBRARY club. Visit the website for more information.

ARBORETUM is right in central London, neighbour to my old stomping ground near the National Portrait Gallery. There is a large, bright and green bar and work space channeling total indoor jungle vibes. There’s even walking treadmill desks and meditation / prayer / sleep pods - pretty chill, hey.

There is a variety of membership options available, including an open desk membership for creatively conscious freelancers, to virtual office space for members to drop in when the like.

Postcards of Dunsborough Beaches, Western Australia

The reason I still call Australia home…

Margaret River Wines

As you’ll probably know I’m an Aussie girl in London, but as I reach the decade milestone as an ex-pat the days of calling Australia home feels further and further away.

One part of Western Australia that will forever feel like home is the Margaret River Wine Region. Margaret River is famed for its acres of vineyards, crystal clear beaches and rocky cliff faces, but most importantly a vast appellation of wineries and some of Australia’s most contemporary cuisine.

A trip to Margaret River is only complete with a self-conducted wine and food tour to take in the local tastings. And taste we did.

So, where were a few of my favorite tipples;

Willespie Wines

This was my first time visiting Willespie. How?! I have no idea how it took me 31 years to get here. The cellar door is beautiful, with a huge veranda overlooking the vines. The sommelier here was outstanding. He’d emigrated from France to Australia and had that excellent knowledge of the comparisons between new world and old world wines.

Leave with a bottle of Old School Chardonnay 2012

Arimia

Arimia is a boutique winery that does things a little differently. The vineyard and restaurant which are both totally sustainable, are nestled in what can only be depicted as the great Australian landscape; straddling both ocean and treetops. The restaurant serves local modern Australian fare, made with the best ingredients grown predominantly onsite and never any further than the local region.

Leave with a bottle of 2018 Rosé.

Hay Shed Hill

Hay Shed Hill is one of the first wineries in the region. Once a group settlement farm for returned soldiers from the First World War, the property was originally a dairy farm before the late 70s when a family of wine makers moved in. Hay Shed wines never, ever disappoint. We bought a 2013 chardonnay on our last trip home in 2014 which sat in our cupboard for a year and genuinely did improve with age. We had the pleasure of trying that same vintage on this trip, which may well be remembered as the best chardonnay to pass my lips, ever. If that hasn’t convinced you, the in-house restaurant Rusitco offers an elaborate 12 course tasting menu with paired wines. The menu fuses local cuisine with Spanish influence for an explosion of delicious Aussie tapas.

Leave with a bottle of 2017 Block 6 Chardonnay

Swings and Roundabouts

Ok, so we didn’t love Swings on our first visit, but this time were pleasantly surprised. Swings and Roundabouts has a more casual feel than many wineries in the area. They offer pre-packed picnic baskets and a fab outdoor area to enjoy it. The price points at Swings are great for taking home a selection of your favourite grapes.

Leave with a bottle of 2017 Cane Cut.

Barnyard 1978

Ok, so not a classic winery but after all that wine tasting you’ve gotta eat right, and Barnyard 1978 is the number one place for doing that. Barnyard1978 is conservation concept creating a link between nature, landscape and ecological sustainability. The restaurant is casually classy style and the cellar door offers wine and honey tastings. The main attraction, the signature pasta dishes and delicious meat and vegetables, all farmed on the property.

Leave with a jar of Jarrah honey and homemade dried mushroom pappardelle.

Fancy Crab

Fancy Crab reminds me an awful lot of Beast. Hawksmoor for shellfish if you will, with a Burger and Lobster bistro vibe. I was invited along with my fabulous fellow blogger friend Rianna for lunch to sample a selection of the restaurant’s Red King Crab concoctions.

Fancy Crab is an all-day “one dish concept” restaurant with one star ingredient, the Red King Crab; all wild and sourced from the Barents Sea. For a one-dish restaurant, the menu is extensive. Yes, there is an awful lot of Red King Crab, but you’ll also find crustacean cousins, raw fish and shellfish, oysters and indulgent platters bringing it all together.

We tried a bit of each of the specialties recommended by the kitchen; tempura crab claws; sea bass carpaccio and Singaporean chilli crab. What Fancy Crab do well is showcase their headliner. Tempura crab pieces, though thick with batter, were meatier than your average battered fish. The Singaporean chili crab, while deliciously moreish, did not remotely resemble the delicious spicy crab of Singapore’s Hawker Markets. Instead think a Korma with a hefty portion of shredded white and brown crab meat and legs.

The highlight, of course, was the King Crab legs and claws, grilled over charcoal. This crab was delicious. Remarkably, priced at the exact same point as the crab legs at Beast, at £18 per 100g. Here however, you can commit to only 200g per portion as opposed to the 400g buy in at Beast.

Crab may be well grilled and delicious, but I guess the only question I can’t quite answer is whether London really needs a Fancy Crab when the title for expensive crab legs in a masculine bistro setting is held by someone else.

Fancy Crab, 92 Wigmore St.

Cala Benirras, Ibiza

I love Ibiza, have I mentioned that already? Well Cala Benirras may well be the beach I love most about Ibiza. A hidden cove at the end of a windy road opens up to a turquoise bay with white sand, sun loungers, a rocky cliff-face topped with green trees and run down wooden beach huts overlooking the water.

Just steps from the sand there's also a small hippie market selling everything from beach towels to luxury jewelry and of course a beach club, because well, in Ibiza you're never too far from a beach club. 

The best bit, head as far from Cafe Mambo and Cafe Del Mar as possible to catch one of the best sunsets on the island, accompanied by a local drumming band each night who pay in time to the sunburn orange sun as it sinks into the water. 

Cala D'Hort, Ibiza

Ibiza is one of my favourite holiday destinations in the world, it's got everything from rural secret beach coves, hippie markets and up-scale luxury beach clubs. I'm happiest spending the days recovering from the nights before in tiny coves of crystal clear water. One of my favouite secret spots being Cala D'Hort in San Josep, on the furthest southern tip of the island - you can see why. 

Delicatessen

Is it possible that a restaurant can become a local rite of passage in only a few short months? Well this neighbourhood restaurant on Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead has been quietly building up a legion, neigh, army of loyal fans who come for its modern Middle Eastern food, warm, all-inclusive atmosphere and stylish décor. We dined on a Thursday night, the whole night was buzzing, every table was full and it felt as though half the room were life-long friends who just happened to run into on another at the table over. 

Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israeli-born executive chef, Or Golan, has worked in some of Tel Aviv’s famed restaurants including Brasserie M&R, before moving to London where he became Yotam Ottolenghi’s head chef. 
 
The ‘Newish Jewish’ kosher menu is influenced not only by Golan’s mentors, but by his Moroccan and Lebanese grandparents. The menu is extensive and the portion sizes are dangerously generous. Spread across Sharing Plates, Land and Sea, Sides and Sweets, our eyes were bigger than our bellies and we opted for 5 sharing plates between two. This was ambitious even for the big eaters that we are. 

What arrived was nothing short of miraculous. Turkish lahmajun meat pizza was topped with spiced lamb mince, jeweled with pomegranate and drizzled with tahini. It was everything and more. Shakshukit with Moroccan merguez, a take on shakshuka is a dish I want to eat for breakfast, brunch, lunch and if there is still room, ‘linner’. The Tanned aubergine with tahini, figs and mixed nuts was an utter vision on a plate full of smokiness reminiscent of Baba ghanoush but with all the right textures in each moutful. 

Probably the most simple, yet the complete standout dish of the night however; Hummus with confit lamb and crackling. So good Moses would part the red sea for a plate of it. I doubt there is a better hummus outside of Tel Aviv, and when laced with thin strips of lamb and crunchy crackling I am sure there isn't. 

Whilst we didn’t have the appetite left, the deserts looked intriguing. The wine list is short but precise. We were recommended a blush Provence rosé and it didn’t disappoint, was light and easy to drink in the prime of this August heatwave.  

Delicatessen 46 Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, NW3 1NH

Londrino

My dining companions both declared, “we’re over small plates”. This friends, is not a statement I’m ready to hear let alone swallow like a dry pill. I personally am still in the 2012 craze of eating small plates of perfect morsels, consuming about 12 of them, feeling content, and settling a bill for £100. Sounds grim for some, but I actually love it. So on this particular evening, I’d booked Londrino and I was hoping no one would notice before the fact that this was a ‘small plates’ type restaurant.

New in London Bridge, Londrino - if you haven’t heard of it, is Leandro Carreira’s first solo London restaurant. Leando started out at Mugaritz in Spain at the time it was in prime position on the World's 50 Best restaurant list, before moving to London where he was Head Chef at Nuno Mendes’ Viajante, before Lyle's, Koya and briefly the famed Climpsons Arch. The menu, of yes, ‘small plates’ is Portuguese inspired drawing on Leandro’s roots but has been given a London lick of paint.

There’s a gorgeous restaurant of natural materials; wood, cement and leather, which screams interior design gold, and an equally stylish wine bar.

The menu is to the point ascending in size of plate. Homemade sourdough with cultured butter was the best thing to pass my lips in a long time. A native oyster with samphire vinaigrette each was so good it deserved an encore, and encore we did with a second serve ordered mid-meal. Mushroom crisps with caramelised yoghurt were good for picking alongside fresh peas with sorrel emulsion and paleta, virtually neon in colour but outrageously delicious. Octopus Mascada with red pepper sauce was visually striking and perfectly balanced with both flavour and texture.

We rounded the meal off with three perfectly portioned blue ceramic dishes of homemade sorbet; chocolate & thyme, winter melon and apricot. Each as delicious as the next, but the chocolate and thyme taking the cake.

At the end of the meal we were well and truly sated, what we’d experienced was so full of variety and distinct flavour that I didn’t hear a single person complain about the serving concept of ‘small plates’.