The Sugar Bar

If anyone’s noticed I went AWOL for a little bit, there’s a lush reason for it : I was on holiday in sunny Salou, falling asleep on the beach with salt in my hair and sand between my toes, feasting on fresh tapas, learning to fry Spanish tortillas and knocking back shots of black cafe (cafe con leche? no thank you). Between days of doing absolutely nothing on the beach or by the pool, or shaking off the numerous bar promoters that hounded us left right centre by night, we ventured out to Le Pineda, the sleepy fishing village Cambrils and the much-loved Barcelona. Amidst our traipsing through Costa Daurada and Barcelona, we met many a dashing Spanish waiters whom we became quick friends (and Facebook friends) with, met a famous DJ, the owner and manager of club Snoepy’s. In the space of a  week, our little classy quartet became known on the streets for the better-behaved English, re-named the PCDs or Spice Girls however complimentary that would be. 

Despite the gradually accumulating hangovers, through the rose-tinted, siesta-induced Spanish lens, Diva was scouting for affordable, chill/laxing places to dine at or cute shops worthy of a second visit. Apart from buying random things like a fan and vintage Ozzy tea-shades from the Monday Salou markets and spending a little on bottles of vodka, mixers and mineral water, the week went by relatively worry-free on £255, non-inclusive of flights and board - quite affordable if working on a student budget really. Here’s a little roundup of some bars, eateries, restaurants, parlours and shops I’d like to share with you!

SALOU
Lunattic Bar

A nice chilled out bar at the waterfront offering a range of tapas, snacks and hot food alongside a very impressive menu of sweets, ice cream and fabulous cocktails which are served with rockets, sparklers and heck-loads of decorative stirrers. Check out the giant cocktail bigger than myself for sharing, their house special Pina Colada and the chocolate brownie.

Farggi 

A snazzy ice cream parlour situated by the beach for emergency ice cream, smoothie or coffee breaks. The finest and most varied offering of flavours and chocolate coated sugar cones. This ice cream parlour is top! Diva loves. And recommends the Lemon Sorbet for classic-goers or the Coconut Pistachio & Chocolate Truffle for the ultimate holiday experience.

Le Tagliatella

A restaurant about 5 mins away from our little hotel, this was a gift from the heavens. We went twice in the space of a week simply because the food was fabulous, the sangria refreshing and sneakily intoxicating and the Spanish waiter Dino adorable. The pizzas are bigger than the plates. You have been warned. There isn’t an elegant way to go about eating them, trust me. Definitely do not forget to try their fresh pastas (or risottos if you must) as well. Mind-blowingly good. I had some salmon filled black & white ravioli in an olive oil, shrimp and garlic sauce and I was close to tears by the end of my meal.

Uncle Sam’s Diner

Ok so really what are we doing going to an English-run American diner in Spain? I’m not gonna lie and say this was good but it’s worth a second visit on hungover days. No matter what I do, there is nothing like a bacon or sausage sandwich, or a fry-up the whole works you know to sort you out and make you feel like you’re still alive after a night of boozing. Just be warned, if you’re starving for something fairly fresh like orange juice, a pint of it (which comes up to 2 small glasses) will cost you a little over €3. Ouch.

BARCELONA
El Bosc de les Fades

A little way off from Le Ramblas, this little cafe is just precious. Its dark interiors is home to a manmade rainforest and its moody thunderstorms. Veering off from the main bar are little rooms containing an odd combination of things: a floating female body clad in a white floaty nightgown, an Indian guru, a glowing mirror that reveals the body inside at eerily regular intervals, etc. Even the toilets are a little special and go dark every 15 seconds if you don’t slam your fist down on the light button quite a way away from where you’re sat. Don’t get too carried away gawking though as the bar gets very busy and you’ll have to queue quite a bit before getting served.

Happy Pills

This quirky sweet shop was unfortunately closed the day we went to visit but I’m sure I’ll be back to visit again! Instead of popping pills, this shop promotes some other kind of rush for our prozac nation - sweets in little pill boxes! Très cute.

Giovanni Gelateria

Diva loves ice cream so she decided gelato for ice cream was the perfect Barcelona treat. This quaint gelateria seems to be a favourite amongst tourists and Barcelonians. The smell of hot waffles coated in chocolate sauce wafts up the streets and is the best way to finding this little shop if all else fails. Not the best customer service in my opinion but who’s complaining when the servings are that generous! I wasn’t the only one chuffed about my ice cream…obviously

I am feeling slightly nostalgic as I put these pictures up. A fab holiday, with loads of yummies and much to see. The last night was spent at a club Kiss where our little quartet surprisingly met all the Spanish waiters we’d befriended along the way and somehow made me miss the food even more! Nevertheless, we flew out of España with happy bellies and a gorgeous tan ready for the final end-of-university partying and GradBall. More adventures to come.

Bangles and dinosaurs.

I said the strangest thing to a friend yesterday: ‘Remember that when we were fighting dinosaurs in the past, we didn’t need bangles then.’ Everyone knows I’m a little mental, a little quirky in the head but that completely threw K off a little and I’m not surprised. Even I was a little taken aback by my little out of the blue statement. I blame it on post-exam traumatic disorder.

Our final year ended yesterday at 5pm after our last undergraduate exam. We hit town for some food and ice cream and did a quick shop for some much-needed holiday stuff - you know the whole shebang. I also had a quick look for something pink as two of my mates are throwing a belated 21st birthday party tonight and the theme? You guessed it - pink. Pretty hard for someone like me who refuses to own any sort of pink clothing unless it’s close to fuschia or purple. I had to count my blessings as well that it wasn’t, by some odd stroke of bad luck, Barbie themed. I’d rather have someone shove bamboo under my nails then turn up as a Barbie. Unless of course my life depended on it, then I’d change my tune. What a fickle schmickle I am.

Right. So we left town with nothing pink. I had a back-up plan, obviously. Hairdresser pink nails and loud pink-verging-on-fuschia lipstick. Can’t go wrong there now can I? So where is the relation to dinosaurs and bangles then? Well, in Accessorize I picked up a très cute pink bangle with gold sakura decorations. Pink? Yea it was cute. Sakura? That’s so my thing. K, my Barbie shopping devil, was totally for getting it. Unfortunately, we left town without that particular bangle (I refuse!) and K was chatting about it on the walk home to which, I replied that we didn’t really need bangles. That bangle was a want, not a need. If prehistoric women didn’t need them, I guess I don’t either. 

So the equation goes something like this:

Dinosaurs = no bangles –> ∴ Present day = no bangles 

My pink costume may not compare to the Barbie-inspired get-ups of my fellow friends (it’s about 2 hours to party-commencing time and I’m starting to get a little worried now actually) but I’m hoping the birthday cupcakes will steal the show. Or at least, please - fingers crossed-, impress the people they’re meant for. It has been a very long while since I was in the kitchen for more than 10 mins and it was fab to get back in the zone again today. I may have gotten a little fuzzy and curdled my cream cheese frosting (gosh, it’s always a hit and miss with this one. If you have the same problems, scroll to the bottom of the post for the link to Joy the Baker’s Cream Cheese Frosting 101), but you can’t beat the therapeutic feeling of beating butter or icing a cupcake. Heaven! Apparently, sifting icing sugar into a bowl was rather hypnotic for some as well. Interesting. I didn’t quite realize I wasn’t just quirky and odd, I apparently have magical powers as well. I am soooo liking this.

I see the light (beyond the curdled cream cheese frosting). I anti-bacterialized the sink, soaked the tea towels in hot, soapy water and in the process, pretty much poached my poor hands as well. I am ready to reclaim the kitchen as my holy arena! Blast kitchen slime. Bless lime juice and dusty clouds of powdered sugar. Blast the Wyndham Lewis & Ezra Pound who murdered brain cells and bless the new day of eggs, flour and baking powder. Carpe diem. So much freedom now that we have finished. A week to our Salou, Spain holiday so bless St. Tropez and fruit cocktails. Summer-time fun is the best! 

So anyway, it is off to prep for some 21st birthday bashing. Hope all of you are well. It looks like it is time to wow some friends with Vanilla cupcakes. Woop woop.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients

For the vanilla cupcakes:
230g unsalted butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350dF.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat the butter on high til it whitens.
Add caster sugar and beat on high til light and fluffy for about 3 mins.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with milk and vanilla, ending with flour as the last addition. Combine to incorporate but do not overmix.

Line cupcake trays with liners and fill to only 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 mins.

For the vanilla cream cheese frosting:
230g unsalted butter
6 oz cream cheese (I used light cream cheese)
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups icing sugar

Beat butter at medium speed until it whitens and is creamy.
Add cream cheese and beat. Add the vanilla and 3 cups of icing sugar to start. Beat at low speed until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the sugar, if you like, to your preferred consistency and sweetness.

*Note: I find cream cheese frosting a real pain. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it so wrong. The final result being a curdled, separated mess. Frustrating and annoying, there have been times I have just thrown spoons of frosting down on the floor, thrown a little tantrum and cried. For the best tips and proper (when I say proper I mean relatively fail-safe, the more careful method really) directions to make them, I recommend going to Joy the Baker’s site for her Cream Cheese Frosting 101.

Is there a stench of rotting and damp in this blogspace? The Sugar Bar has gone all postmortem wrinkly, cold and lifeless. But o’ joy! I am back! And happy to be back. 

A few updates. I am quite bedazzled by my own efficiency. I have printed my language paper and my dissertation - which I printed 2 copies of and had bound at the bindery today after handing over £40!!! oh my life! - 2 days before the deadline! What a relief. I am also happy to say that I intend to revive this blog (whenever I have the time) despite the exams drawing near…wait for it….(drumroll)…because I now am equipped with a new swanky beautiful goddess of a camera. It’s not much, but the Canon Powershot G10 is like a small dream come true for me. It is the yummiest camera I’ve ever ever had in my 21 years and I can’t wait to start fiddling about with it properly to see what this girl can do. So, watch this space. I may not have a lot in the cupboard that’s edible, I may not have a lot of time or disposable income (what income?) to gallivant about the supermarkets for fresh edible food or the sanity left to cook and bake when dire times are just around the corner, ie. final year exams that count massively towards my undergraduate degree, but I do hope to post up as much as I can. Especially since quite a few birthday celebrations are heading my way.

So anyway, important thing is I want to thank all of you who have sent me such nice messages and left comments that really made my day. It was nice to know that there were others out there who were just as upset as I was when I lost my camera. What a grey day that was! Also, cheers to all who also sent me words of encouragement. I can’t believe there were people who bothered at all when all I did was moan, and moan, and then moan a whole lot more, about my dissertation and my sad life (it really isn’t sad at all. I just quite enjoy being melodramatic). 

I’m really glad that’s done and out of the way. I think I experienced 2 little deaths over Easter, from over-eating chocolate, and from my dissertation. And gosh, was I a pain to live with. Crabby, irritable and plagued by dehydration headaches. No doubt, I feel a little lost now that I’m ’sort of’ finished. But in between handing these essays in and the exam revision, I can’t say if I feel just a little sleepy, a little hungry, a little like I’ve been resuscitated from the dead and so, quite liberated or just not quite with it. If I’m making any sense at all, I’m probably ‘with it’ then, barely. I need to catch up on some sleep. That’s probably it. 

Right, so I really just did drop in for a quick ‘hello’. A revision plan is a must and a top priority for me now. Nevertheless, I will food-post for sure. In fact, I am starving right now. Stay tuned. It may not be party time for me right now, but you can be sure the party times will be around preeeetty soon.

Hope all’s good with you lot. And that Easter was a really good one this year. If anyone, like me, died a little from all that eating, drinking and chocolates - good on ya! Death by chocolate is something I welcome any day, any time. And this is just for Steph: let’s go get ourselves a Party in Our Tummies!!! Fun times…

Je ne suis pas mort.
I am not dead. Well…yet.

And why the photo of my face (who wants to see that anyway?) instead of a nearly delicious-looking edible entity? Let me explain.

I am still alive and kicking, writing and reading, drinking and eating, partying and laughing but like the sinking feeling that’s often paired with a splitting headache of a hangover, my heart sank the night I lost my camera. Actually the night I lost it, I was a wee bit ‘happy’ getting piggy-backs off a friend. The morning after, realization hit and oh, the horror the horror! What have I learnt?

1) Stop taking your camera out for nights-out or at least designate one for nights-out and one for the foodblog! 
2) Do not force good friends with weak knees to flippin’ piggy-back your 8 stone self home on a down-sloping road, you’re bound to go crashing into a curb and lose a limb, two limbs, your wrists and possibly more by so doing. The end result is your self losing your mind cause you’re too poor to get a new camera and you’re too much of a wally brain to ever stop losing ‘em.

It shall be a while before I get a fairly affordable camera to replace this one. The ironically sad thing about it was I’d been meaning to save up for a Canon digital SLR camera. A couple of weeks after (which is NOW), I have gone right ahead to lose the 3rd camera my Dad had begrudgingly lent me. Get an amazing camera for my 18th - lose it. Get a mediocre replacement a while after - lose it. Beg for a very shitty old school camera - lose it.

Sad times, I know.

Can you blame me for being depressed?

Panicky not. Good things have happened to me. Eg. I’ve won a cookbook: Dinner at My Place by Tyler Florence from a taste of seduction. I really love Tyler Florence and his simple, down-to-earth recipes so when the task was simply to to describe what we did on Valentine’s Day over at a taste of seduction, I couldn’t be more happy to try my luck at it. JOY! Very excited about getting this book through the post. A little Tyler Florence lovin’. 

Whilst I’m waiting for that to arrive, I shall attempt to make arrangements for a new camera. So, watch this space. I will do my best to set The Sugar Bar back on the road! That means: no more weird pictures of myself! I’ll drink to that.