Astrid & Gaston (Madrid)

This could possibly be one of the yummiest meals I have ever had. It was that good!

My colleague and I decided to splurge since it is our second week in Madrid, and we had heard so much about this place.

It all started off with an incredible pisco sour that was out of this world. What followed was a 7 course experience that was worth every penny (and we are talking loads of pennies)!

The atmosphere is posh, and service is highly attentive.

We started with an amuse bouch, that I didn't take a picture of since I was too busy digging in! It was a corn cake with shrimp and beans in a spiced tomato sauce.

Our tasting menu started with the ceviche of squid, shrimp, mussels, and sea bass in black lime marinade, with bits of crunchy corn

 It was followed by this marinated salmon in a orange ponzu sauce

 then came a mashed potato cake with crab

 risotto with shrimp

 black cod

slow cooked braised ribs

 maracuya sorbet with pisco sour foam

 chocolate tempura with a lemon grass sorbet

The cost of this tasting menu is 72 euros (18% VAT not included)
Water 3 euro
Pisco sour 12 euros
glass of white wine 6 euros

Although the restaurant is posh, they don't seem to have a strict dress code. I did see some jeans and tennis shoes, owever, most diners were dressed smartly.

Juana la loca (Madrid)

The above and below are raviolis of scamorza with bacon, and eggplant. Zucchini rolls with cod.

This is the civito

chivito up close

soft shell crab with fish eggs and some sort of mayo

chocolate biscocho with praline ice cream 

My colleagues and I wanted to try something new, and we thought that a pinxos (small sized portions) restaurant might be nice to try out. I read loads of reviews of this place and it seemed like it is not the usual tapas place but a little more sophisticated. Booking is a must. The place seems small but there is a back room, where we were seated. Service is good. The food was good. We had about 4 pinxos a person, wine, dessert, and water. The cuenta was about 36 a head, which is pricey for pinxos but a great deal for the amount of food we ate. It is located in La Latina which is in the centro and there are lots of restaurants and bars around.

Sudestada (Madrid)

I discovered this place back in 2009 and have to pass by at least once every time I am in Madrid. The food is a mix of Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, and their signature caipirina is pretty damn good too! We usually get the set menu which is made up of 3 starters, 4 main courses, and dessert which you order off the menu. My favourites are the lettuce wrapped spring roll and the red curry . 43 euros a person not including drinks. Reservations a must.

I made it to the end of CLEAN !!!

Well, not really.
I stopped 3 days early and started to reintroduce foods things I missed! Monday marked the 3 weeks since starting the Elimination Diet, where you can't eat foods that are not Clean, but you can eat 3 solid meals a day. Anyhow, I started Monday off with coffee, yes a good ole espresso! I thought I missed it a lot more than my taste buds did. I also introduced beef. I can't believe I haven't had red meat or sugar for 3 whole weeks!
How am I feeling after Clean? Not bad, I can't believe I never starved on this diet. I had energy, I think my intestines are happy!
Will I ever do it again? Probably. I got results from just doing the Elimination Diet.
Did I lose weight? Yes, I lost 3 kgs (6.5 lbs) and I am back to my normal weight. My pants fit again!
What will I eat next? Lebanese food, dessert, and wine.
Any more questions?? Feel free to ask.

Rome 04-02-2012

counting down...8

That's right, 8 more days left of this diet. I am starting to think of the "after" and how to reintroduce foods back. There are so many things I miss: coffee, chocolate (more like chocolate cake), big juicy cheese burger and fries! I hope I can maintain my weight once I start eating normally.

7 days of Clean

Today is my 7th day on the Clean diet. I have been following the book touted by Gwenyth Paltrow and many Hollywood stars. It is a detox diet that lasts 21 days where many things are off limits (coffee, alcohol, beef, veal, sushi, bananas, potatoes, wheat). I ordered the book about a year ago, and put it away almost immediately upon arrival after I saw how hard it seemed. I thought a shake for breakfast and a shake for dinner was something just not do-able firstly because it would kill any inkling I have of a social life, and two because the things I was supposed to put in those shakes seemed impossible to find in Italy. Many of which I had never heard of.
Anyway, in an attempt to finally lose the last of the baby weight and start the new year off "healthier", I decided to try it.
You will be surprised to hear that the diet is going well. I make my own nut milk and coconut water using ingredients easily found at the supermarket or the nearest NaturaSi (organic supermarket). I have a shake that usually contains nut milk or coconut water, fruit, some sort of green leafy vegetable, avocado, and lemon for breakfast and a similar shake for dinner. Lunch consists of items on the "elimination diet" approved foods list which include fish, organic chicken (hard sticking to that in my office cafeteria), beans, lentils, and the like. Snacks are allowed if you are really hungry but it is preferred that you have herbal tea instead.
The elimination diet is a pre-cleanse diet aimed at helping you prepare for the cleanse. You can eat 3 solid meals a day all from the elimination diet approved foods list. I did 3 days of this diet before I started.
The good news is that I am still alive, I have energy, I don't feel any hungrier than I did before I went on the diet. The only exception is sometimes the shake for dinner is not that satisfying, and does not fill me up as much as I'd like, but you get over it. The worst part of this diet is that I followed a recipe in the book for butternut squash and apple soup, and it made me want to vomit after the first 4 spoonfuls. The reason for this reaction....the squash is to be eaten raw. It works in that after 4 spoonfuls I didn't want to eat anymore and I wasn't hungry. For some reason the squash totally blocked my appetite.
The best news is that I have lost weight. Overall weight loss from one week: 2kgs! I am back to my pre-baby weight!!!
One down, two more weeks to go....stay tuned.