I wanted to share a bit more on this weekend's whiskey tasting not because I love the drink (still acquiring the taste-buds for it) but because the shop is so rad.

I love the hand scripted signs , labels, and wood crates stacked as shelves that add to the sense of originality and pride - Cadenhead's is, after all, Scotland's oldest independent whiskey bottler. As for the tasting, I didn't know anything about whiskeys going into it but I quickly learned about different varieties, proofs, distilling processes, and even how to add water to "open" up the flavor. To my surprise I did really like one bottle from Springbank - the oldest independent family owned and operated distillery in Scotland. Based on the history lesson we received, the fact that Springbank is still completely independent and family run is a pretty big deal where craft, quality, and taste are concerned. Apparently the big guys have taken over and devastated many local Scottish whiskey industries and as a result, there's a lot of crap whiskeys out there...probably what I've tried and hated in the past. It was awesome to sneak away for an afternoon to learn about (and taste) a part of Scotland's cultural heritage. I'll definitely be saying my "cheers!" with a new found appreciation for the spirit.

Hi everyone, how was your weekend?

My friend Caitlin was in town and it was so nice to have a gal pal around! I think she must have brought the LA sunshine with her because we had gorgeous early autumn weather all weekend long.

Wanting to show her a good time, she motivated us to do two things that we've had on our list for a while - attend a whiskey tasting at Joe's fave whiskey shop and dine at Paradise By Way of Kensal Green. Both were worth waiting for as Caitlin and Joe are big whiskey fans and Paradise proved to have some of the yummiest food and deserts we've had in all of London thus far. I'm still drooling over the pumpkin, shitaki mushroom and walnut pie I ate. Oh my word that was good.

The rest of the weekend was spent lounging around the flat and venturing out to a home design expo that was part of the London Design Festival. I fell in love with too many things out of my reach (like this and this ) but it was definitely a healthy dose of desire and inspiration.

Now it's back to a normal week. Heerree wweee gooo....