Work has just been a frenzy of activity over the last several months and it’s been forever since I’ve had a full weekend of relaxation. But with an entire half Sunday to myself I wisely went over to Shodashi’s to pack it full of some of my favorite things:

1 Crazy Friend (ie Shodashi) who pampers me because she’s a goddess (of Evil perhaps, but a goddess nonetheless)

Homemade Lemon Squares made by said goddess. She claims they were not quite perfect yet they had completely vanished when i returned for another just 2 days later.

Chocolate. Given to me by an obviously extraordinarily enlightened Finnish friend. Fazer Red (Caramel Milk Chocolate) and Blue (Milk Choc) are apparently *the* Finnish brand of chocolates. They are waxier than milk chocolates I’m used to but I am not one to look a chocolate horse in the mouth. And is variety not the spice of life (if not chocolate)?

Freshly Shucked Oysters. A brand new addition to my (extensive) list of Favorite Things. But now that they’re on it, I can’t get enough. So let’s subcategorize them under Obsessions. When I started to whine about needing an oyster fix, the goddess friend thought for a moment, looked at her watch and said, “We have 15 minutes before closing time”, plunked me into her car and whisked me over to the Los Gatos Farmers Market where I ate 5 of these luscious beauties.

After a quick visit with Rembrandt and Van Gogh this evening, the Dessert Club went to dinner at Satsuma then headed over to London’s financial district to sample the Chocolate Fondant (aka Lava Cake) at Coq d’Argent.

They were no longer seating for dinner but after a bit of discussion with the hostess, (”we came all the way from San Francisco for your Fondant!”) they let us come in for dessert.

The cake was plated nicely and was rich with the requisite chocolate gooeyness but had a slightly doughy aftertaste which puts it firmly in the “tasty but not the second coming of JC” category.

Though the fondant itself wasn’t particularly memorable, I very much enjoyed a pleasantly sip-able glass of Tokaji, a Hungarian dessert wine I’d never tried before. It was fruity without being cloying, reminscent of a less potent Sauternes. Alas, being sleepy, tired and ever so slightly jet-lagged, I did not take the name of the maker or vintage.

Details…………..
Coq d’Argent
No1. Poultry (really!)
London EC2R 8EJ
Tel: 020 7395 5000