Project.Jilapi

This past 4th of July week we headed back to Europe to see friends and fam in Sweden, but also managed to sneak in 5 days to explore Portugal. We had been to Lisbon before, so this time we got a car and headed out to explore the rest of the country instead. Sintra, Obidos and finally up to Porto - it was one of the best trips ever, and such a welcome break. Every time I go by Portugal, I think about how wonderful it is with its beautiful food, art and culture, but here is a q

My friend N and I are fellow foodie sisters, so it is no surprise that our adventures often lead us to great food. This time around when I went to visit her in Boston, N picked Yume Ga Arukara and we made our way there on Friday night. Yume Ga Arukara is the sister restaurant of the famous Yume Wo Katare, and like its famous sister who specializes in pork ramens, Yume Ga Arukara only serves a single dish: niku udon, or udon noodles with beef. You can get the dish served hot o

​It's a magical place. Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party is a curious bookshop that specializes in tea, cakes and yes - SAMOSAS. The spacious yet warm, welcoming space is furnished with craftsman tables, and comfy couches. Curious decor all around, the theme is kind-of-underwater magic land. It is so well executed that you will often find yourself looking up and wondering who has conceived of this wonderful madness and how you can make them a part of your life. Plants potted

People we crossed paths with at the airport, friends, co workers all asked WHY when we said we were headed to Minneapolis from NYC for the weekend, and to all of them I say you have no idea what you are missing out on. Getting there took some time - we missed the first flight because of horrendous Friday NY traffic, the second one got cancelled and finally the third flight (the morning flight delayed for 12 hours...) picked us up - gave us an upgrade to 1st class and got us t

After some of the most stressful days at work, I come home and think about what I could use more of in my life and almost always invariably land at books, and my love of cooking.... We spent some days over this July 4th week driving around Portugal. One of our stops was Óbidos and hopefully I will write about that sometime soon, but for now - let me tell you about our magical hotel. D had showed it to me peripherally before the trip but I was so busy with work and life that I