La Vie en Rose undressed salad

La Vie en Rose is a beautiful nook of secret garden happiness in Jozi, Illovo to be precise. A pretty garden with pink accent laid tables including pink salt (I just love pink salt). Purely from the looks of it, it's great for ladies luncheons, baby showers, high teas and such. Definitely, fantastic if you're looking for a quiet low key lunch venue.

I had an impromptu lunch at La Vie en Rose with girl friends and some eye candy (code for a couple of cute male friends), I'll take a pic next time but for now TRUST! At the waitress' recommendation I tried the Tuna Salad, which is a seared tuna salad.

Tuna Salad

The pepper and mustard seed crusted seared tuna is served with olives and orange segments on a bed of rocket, watercress and fennel. Healthy goodness is what I was after. Alas the ingredients were all there but it did not deliver on flavour, so disappointing.
The seared tuna needed a little seasoning, just a pinch of salt and pepper and the salad leaves needed to be dressed. I believe that all salad leaves should be served lightly dressed. Especially if there isn't an accompanying dressing, which there wasn't.

The beauty of the song La Vie en Rose had me expecting cloth napkins, instead of the paper serviettes. I have to say the devil is in the detail.

It is a lovely sanctuary in the hustle bustle that is Jozi and the ambience makes it worth a few more visits to try out the breadth of their menu. But I will not make the mistake of ordering another undressed salad.
A friend recommends their burger or chicken prego.

Listen to Louis Armstrong's La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose
0112686144
48 Mellville Road
Illovo

New York Foodie Fixing Must EATS!

So after a full month of being back on the Jozi Cool I have finally compiled my list of must do eats in New York City.

Brunching:
I'll start with what we, The Love World Tour-ists, did the most and the best Brunch

1. Revel in the Meatpacking District for bottomless mimosas
2. The Dutch in SoHo also great for fried chicken and dessert pies
3. Ze Cafe Midtown try anything with crab
4. The Co Op for the Everyday People Brunch Lower Eastside

As you can imagine there was lots to do in New York so most of my lunching was done on the go, these are my favourites. Cost effective and a little grease with the shake shack burgers.
Lunching on the go:

1. Hampton Chutney Upper Westside for dosas 
2. The City Bakery for healthy buffet
3. Shake Shack for a shack burger and black & white shake
4. Cafe Duke Soho for hearty Asian inspired buffet
5. Olives Soho for fresh sandwiches and choc chip cookies

Dinners:
We have an apartment in New York so most dinners were homemade by myself or my mum but we did manage to get a few GREAT dinners in.

1. Gramercy Tavern Flatiron district the Tavern for the vibe and the dining room for fine dining
2. Fatty Crab Upper Westside for the chili crab
3. Momofuku Noodle Bar East Village for RAMEN! their pork, shrimp or mushroom buns are AMAZE!

Sweets and treats
I am a sucker for sweets, especially pastries and I have to say if you can only pick one sweet treat head over to Dominique Ansel Bakery during the day. You will not regret it

1. Dominique Ansel Bakery SoHo for salted caramel eclairs, macaroons and made to order madeleines
2. Baked by Melissa Soho for mini cupcakes on the go
3. The Big Gay ice cream shop for red velvet ice cream sandwich and the salty  pimp
4. Momofuku Milk Bar Upper Westside for cereal milk ice cream and a slice of sickly sweet yet addictive crack pie
5. Veneiros Italian Bakery East Village for cannolis

Happy New York Eating!