LA TAVERNA (CLIFFORD ESTATES)

A whole row of new restos appeared in our village and they are like just walking distance from our house.  Being a family that seems to be greatly fascinated by food, we have resolved to try out each and everyone of them.  La Taverna is the first of them that we tried out and boy, aren't we delighted by this Italian pizzeria and ristorante.

I have been eyeing it for quite a while because of the elegant facade and cool interiors.  The front door is reminiscent of a Gatsby ambiance; a mixture of Italian and art deco lines.  These lines are further carried out into the dining room as brick wall accents and shelves' design.  The interior is decorated in rich warm hues with rough brick cladding for walls thereby exuding a more Italian feel.

The Gatsby inspired entrance

chandeliers and brick walls

comfy couch

the fireplace

The food that we have ordered are also great.  We have actually ordered a lot for ourselves causing us to take home most of it.  The cuisine is actually fusion; not just an Italian menu.  They do have signature Italian dishes like pastas and pizzas but they also have steaks and even fried rice and the likes.

I started out with a Caesar's salad and I must say that their salad is sumptous and appetising. I am not a big fan of Caesar's salad but I am really fond of this one.   The cheese and bacons bits gave it that zesty taste that makes you crave for more.

Casesar's salad

I also had a bit of their tenderloin steak.  I like my steak medium rare and I must say that they cooked it the way I wanted it.  I am not a big fan of their sauce though because it seems like it is the same as all the other black pepper sauce I had here in China.

tenderloin steak

I also had the chef recommended pasta with salted prawns.  The pasta tasted delicious.  The noodles were done al dente which is quite rare to find here in Mainland.  As for the prawns, I was a little disappointed because I don't really like it when the shells of the prawns stick to the prawn meat.  It was so hard to get them out and could have been plated better.

pasta with salted prawn

My husband had the fettuccine with lamb in red wine and his verdict was simply delectable!  Coming from someone who knows his pasta well and cooks them deliciously too, this comment is one of a kind.  You see, it is quite difficult to find a nice pasta place here; a lot of times the noodles end up soggy and the sauce is usually bland.  According to him, this one is just right so if you will be heading to this rest, order this pasta pronto!

fettuccine with lamb

Mini-me,on the other hand, had the beef lasagna  and mozzarella sticks which she really loves.  She is a cheese person like me.  We also had pizza but we took most of the pizza home because our stomachs were so already so full.

All in all, La Taverna fed us well and I am pretty sure we will still be coming back for more in the months to come.

price range: AROUND 450 RMB (AROUND 70 USD) for all the food here

beef lasagna

prosciutto pizza

mozzarella sticks

passion fruit green tea

BROWN STRIPES

This is the kind of day when I just pull the first things that I see inside my closet.  I had a splitting headache and I had to get up and go to the church with my family.  I took my stripes jumpsuit out.  I prefer wearing my jumpsuits on weekends primarily because if I wear it to work, it means I had to wear it the whole day.  Wearing it whole day means going to the loo will be quite a pain in the ass because of too much fuss on getting it off.  I prefer practicality and comfort during workdays.  So for this look, my bold stripe jumpsuit is the focal and the rest is of the same monochromatic hues; from nudes to brown including my boots.

WHAT I WORE:

brown long cardigan from H&M

nude turtleneck from THE LIMITED

black and white jumpsuit from the MANGOHOUSE

brown tote from ZARA

camel suede ankle boots from a CHINESE online shop

eyewear from MARC JACOBS

CALL ME APRICOT

I am like weeks advance into the spring season.  Since the weather is beginning to be good to me-- you know sunny and a little bit warmer than these past few weeks;  I have decided to wear some color today.  I like this color a lot primarily because it complements my olive skintone.  I can go casual for work today since I have no meetings at all; although I have my team dinner later in the evening.  I threw in this structured brown jacket just in case something business like comes up out of the blue.  The jacket was a gift from my hubby.  I have been eyeing for quite a while and I was surprised to see it hanging in my closet last night when I arrived home.  This one has a detachable underlayer for a colder weather.  As I have said before,  I am usually fascinated by clothes that can transform itself.  This one is also one of those kinds.  When the underlayer is attached, it changes into a more rugged look while when it is detached, it looks more of a basic business trench coat.  And one more thing, this coat is actually in the men's section.

WHAT I WORE:

brown trench coat by DRAGON LION DESIGN COUTURE

apricot top from ZARA

color block skirt from MANGOHOUSE

caleen boots from ISABEL MARANT

bag from CELINE

choker 1 is my leather belt

choker 2 from H&m 

long necklace from H&M

eyewear from MARC JACOBS

BLACK AND WHITE GAME

Black and white have always been staples for me when it comes to workwear.  These hues just give off that elegant and business vibe always.  However, they have the tendency to become monotonous and boring sometimes.  Being the experimental person that I am, I usually choose my black and white pieces based on interesting shapes and textures.  I paired this flowy gingham pattern with a more basic and tailored outerwear thus giving the whole ensemble a cleaner geometric look.  I don't have a color pop today because I think the patterns of the pants and bag are already focal points themselves.

WHAT I WORE:

black tailored coat from KARY JONES

inner white long sleeves corton chiffon top with black collar piping from H&M

gingham patterned culottes from ZARA

bag from RALPH LAUREN

black boots from ABUSIVA

choker chain necklace from TOPSHOP

gold choker from H&M

eyewear from MIU MIU

NEUTRAL UTILITARIANISM

Clothes in neutral color are basic necessities in one's closet.  One can never  go wrong with this hue. Like this outerwear for instance, I can use it as an anchor for a more formal structured get-up for meetings and client presentations especially if it's buttoned up (i will feature this again when I wear this that way) or used it on a more relaxed manner like the way I used it today.  Paired with a flowy printed pants, it evokes that dressy casual  vibe appropriate enough for the office.

WHAT I WORE:

Neutral utilitarian jacket from ZARA

black top from MANGO

printed flowy pants from H&M

wedge boots from H&M

beige bag from WWW

eyewear from H&M