FATBURGER

I always love a place that does what is says on the tin.  Originally, I found the thought of dining at FATBURGER a tad repulsive but the need for grease at 3am (completely sober obviously) found me there against my better judgement.

Alas, I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh ingredients.  After choosing your size (from Small to XXXL!) and burger (they do chicken, turkey or veggie as well) they cook it for you on the grill right there on the spot.  They use fresh lean beef, nothing frozen.  You can then add bacon, cheese, chilli or egg if you so desire.  It's no In-N-Out burger, mainly due to the lack of the amazing "special sauce", but it definitely does the job at 3am.  Its not exactly good for you but they do cook the fries in 100% cholesterol free oil.

FATBURGER has been around since 1952 and claims itself as "the last great hamburger stand".  They even do a food truck called The Fatmobile!  So far, they have cracked the US, Asia and the Middle East.  As for Europe, its only a matter of time...

We're going to Melrose

This always makes me think of the film Clueless when Tai thinks she's really cool now and her and Amber go to Melrose.  Once you're there, its a tad more funky than being in Clueless.  Here's a few pics from the uber cool shopping spot...

American Vintage is a fab spot for anything and everything without a huge mark up.

Wasteland has some great vintage bargains and you can trade your old garms as well.  Make sure you have your Canadian passport though, random.

Nouveau Gourmet Food will give you tasters of over 100 strange flavours.  Its basically just posh peanut butter and you might feel a bit sick afterwards, you've been warned.

Food Truck Revolution

It seems the trend has caught on.  It's now super fashionable to queue up and eat food at the side of the road amongst the traffic with nowhere to sit.  It's not always cheap either but it's goooooood.

New York City has been a haven for street carts since the hot dog was invented but the world has caught on and things have gone a little more gourmet.  The Food Truck is the latest festival must-have.  The beauty and the beast of the Food Truck is that it moves around so some are hard to find.  Here are a couple of my favourites from around the world and how to get your hands on them:

NYC
If you know me well, you'll know I'm a sucker for fro yo.  This frozen yogurt truck is usually located on Broadway in Soho or in the Financial District at Wall St and Water St.  I go for plain yogurt with fresh strawberries...

LA
Heirloom is an amazing organic food truck that frequents Los Angeles food fests and concerts.  They are famous for their lasagne cupcake.  It sounds odd but its delish!  Check their website for the next location.

Dogfellas are the best hot dogs you'll find in Los Angeles.  They are located outside the Long Beach court house on Ocean Blvd, Monday-Friday and can be found at the LBC concerts and movies in the parks on Summer evenings.  Run by good time Long Beach boys, Andrew and Evan, who recommend the bacon wrapped dog with grilled onions.  I testify this one is mouthwatering but be prepared for the spice in the chicken habenero!

You can search a ton of LA Food Trucks here.

LONDON
There aren't many places in London you can find a proper burger.  The Meatwagon has earned cult status for its killer portions and quality product.  It's sometimes hard to find and closes down every now and then but it will pop up again eventually.  Follow them on twitter to search them out @themeatwagonuk

Missoni for Target

I don't usually get excited about these "designer for high street" collections.  Maybe it's the 13th "Gold by Giles for New Look" that is to blame.  But this one is worth checking out!  I was there this morning with all the other crazies to raid the shelves bare.  There are 400 pieces in the Missoni for Target collection including Womenswear, Girlswear (cutest baby stuff EVER), Menswear, Accessories, Travel and Homeware. I'm almost more excited about the retro dishes (they had already sold out of the cups I wanted by 10am) than the clothing but its all worth a look.  Here are a few of my faves, clearly, since I bought almost all of them... oops.

The advert is also fab, starring Margherita Missoni and directed by Alex Prager:

Words and Stuff

Just some cool stuff I found...

Zengo, Santa Monica

I have to credit this one to Susie of A Little of What I Fancy.  We decided to meet for a little lunch in Santa Monica and totally hit the jackpot.  She found this place Zengo on the top floor of the new outdoor mall at the Broadway end of 3rd St Promenade.  I'm a fan of anywhere that has 2 hours free parking before I even get to the food.

Anyhow, I won't go on and on but they have a $20 lunch special where you can get three sharing plates whilst enjoying a lovely view of the promenade from the rooftop seating.  The food is AMAZing... I had to stop myself from licking the plate of the chimichurri steak with tempura spring onions!  Go. Now.

Scrummy Seafood in Londra

Once again, Lydia Manch puts others first and does me the good service of eating her socks off on my behalf:

The waitresses at Pescatori were full of praise for our menu decisions.

'Excellent choice', said the waitress with the wine list, and brought us a glass bowl of green olives and ice cubes, maybe as a reward for having chosen the wine so well. 

  

'The squid is a very good choice', the waitress taking the food orders said admiringly when Mark ordered it. 'Very nice.'

'Good!', she said when I ordered the Devon crab. 'A good combination with the wine!' It would have felt like massive overkill, all this flattery, except actually the crab did go well with the wine. And the squid was a good choice, and the wine was an excellent one and so obviously this wasn't a case of flattery but just very accurate compliments on our amazing food-ordering.

And that more or less set the pattern for the evening - first we were heaped with praise, then with food. I liked it. Maybe what's missing from most restaurant experiences is the feeling of having made a great achievement just for having picked something to eat. It's actually not quite as easy as it sounds at Pescatori. The restaurant's famous for the seafood menu and, even with a promise from Mark that I could have fishing rights over his main course, as well as my own, it still took me quite a while to decide on Sea Bream with Roasted Tomatoes and Tapenade. For which I was roundly admired by the waitress.

I admired myself quite a bit as well once our food started arriving. There was a brief moment when food envy struck, in the shape of the Mare o Monti (Surf or Turf) summer menu that the people at the table next to us were having - a glass of Prosecco, lobster or a steak, chips and a dessert for £18 - but it was the manageable kind of food envy in that it didn't make me think I should've ordered differently, it just made me want to eat from their plates as well as mine. Which despite the casual, al fresco feel of the outdoor terrace at Pescatori probably isn't allowed.

For dessert I ordered the pannacotta with grappa, which the waitress said was a wonderful choice and Mark said tasted 'slovenly', in reference to the amount of cream and alcohol (and meant in a positive sense, I think, because he ate a third of it). He ordered an almond tart which wasn't slovenly at all but was still good.

http://www.pescatori.co.uk/ Bask in the sunshine on the terrace, or if thwarted by the monsoon rain, just bask in the warm glow of approval from the waiting staff.