The Foodie Diary - May - August 2019

My plan was to post this on the 31st of August so at least there would've been something new on the blog for that month. But then my table got swamped with lotsa work and you know, 'adulting' happens sometimes.
Anyhu, we move!

Alrighty! I'll be kicking this month off with another round of pretty much the best section of the blog. Yep. Y'all 'guessed' right...it's the Foodie Diary! Ayyyy! *doing the Milly rock*

In the past three months, I have consumed quite a number of yummy meals and here they all are on a virtual platter. Bon appetit!

24th - 31st May

24:05:2019 - Chocolat Royale

This was pay day, aka 'Treat yo'self day' because #YOLO

25:05:2019 - Bread Lounge

A random Saturday brunch out with the girls.

This frozen chocolate latte was the ish. Just the RIGHT amount of coffee and chocolate.

25:05:19 - The Warehouse Kitchen

At my colleague-turned-friend's send forth.

The shrimp pasta tasted so good, I was legit traumatized when it finished. *sniff*

21st - 27th June

21:06:19 - Chocolat Royale

One of the few days my (again) colleagues-turned-friends and I hung out after work. Reason being it was an all-expense paid dinner courtesy of Bode B. *big grin*

Tutsie's dish...

Bode B's...

BluBlu's (The Pasta Queen of course)...

And yours truly :)

Downed mine down with this oh-so-filling mango smoothie.

You can never go wrong with a mango drink IMO.

26:06:19 - Sooyah Bistro

Ain't nobody going to tell me nothing about not going back to get me more of this suya burger.

I had no idea how I ate it all without taking even one picture of it. It was THAT good guys.

27:06:2019 - Roma

Background story:

So I helped a very good friend of mine design a logo for his start-up. And when he got his first client he offered to take me out as a 'thank you' gesture. 

This was my first time here, thanks to him, cause I never even knew it existed.

We shared this platter but I'm pretty sure I ate much more than he did (obvs).

One of THE best platters I have had in a long time. And don't get me started on those chicken nuggets.

6th - 11th July

06:07:19 - Soso's Residence

BluBlu and I went visiting our 'sister', SoSo.

Girl served us some good ol' banga soup and eba. *licks fingers*

11:07:19 - Smokey Bones

I passed an exam in one sitting and this was a celebratory meal courtesy of my friend.

Yet another free meal. Who no like AWOOF? *hehe*

This comprised of pork ribs, potato salad, plantain and a cup cake of some sort (for some weird reason I can't remember what it's called) and a bottle of fresh juice, all for a very affordable price. 

Quite impressive for a restaurant located on the island.

14th - 28th Aug

Most of you guys will know by now that my birthday was last month. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary that day, so I decided to take some days off the following week to give myself a well deserved treat. And when I say treat, you know food HAS to be involved.

14:08:19 - ColdStone Creamery

I have been meaning to try this Freak Shake for over a year, and I just had to include it on my 

'To Eat' list.

People kept staring at me at the restaurant cause it was so huge! 

Fun fact: One of the perks of being a skinny foodie is that you get to eat humongous amounts of food in public without feeling any ounce of guilt.

Yep. Score!

15:08:19 - Bread Lounge

One of the treats I gave myself was a massage and facial session at Indy Spa. 

And then this meal was bought right afterwards. #Bliss 

16:08:19 - The Warehouse Kitchen

We planned yet another send forth for yet another colleague-turned-friend of mine that same week.

Puuurfect timing.

BluBlu channeling her inner Salt Bae.

21:08:19 - Michelle's Cafe

Faaam! This burrito blew my taste buds away! It was so heavenly! *weeps tears of joy*

I actually had to check out the chef's page on Instagram and duff my hat to her on there.

23:08:19 - Breakfast King

Like a friend of mine called it - 'Pap that went to London'

For just 500 naira. PERE! 

This has more often than not been my go-to breakfast at work since then.

Worth every 'penny'.

 28:08:19 - Sosa's Patisserie

I present to you, the best chocolate chip banana bread in the Lagos Metropolis. 

FYI, this was baked by my 'sister' who made that bangin' banga soup. And nope, this is not a sponsored nor a bias review guys. True story.

 Just take a look at all that yumminess... 

*drools*

NB: A freelance photographer, Adeniyi, approached me at a wedding in May and asked me to have a photo shoot session at Elegushi beach so he could add the pictures to his portfolio. Luckily for me, it was done a week before my birthday! So you could say it was pretty much a birthday photo shoot...for FREEEE! *big grin*

Here's a sneak peek :)

You can check out more of his work on Instagram - @deniiyi

PowerPuff!

*in Tom Kenny aka The Powerpuff Girls Narrator's voice*

Ambition.

Faith.

Style.

Personality.

Talent.

These are the ingredients that embody the perfect women added with an extra ingredient - 
Chemical Fierce!

Lmbo! Sorry, I honestly started typing all that out of the blues and I just couldn't help myself.
I know! I'm hilarious! *holds belly in laughter*

Ok. Not THAT funny but funny still, no?

*clears throat* Alright. Back to business.

This will be my first ever official WCW post. When it comes to admiring the 'female specie', call me very picky. They have to have an 'oomph' that really catches my attention before I can certify them 'crushworthy'. 

In my books, five women reflect these five qualities in such a way that I can't help but love them.
Here they are, in no particular order:

NSE IKPE ETIM - Personality

I fell in love with Nse when I saw her first blockbuster movie titled Reloaded. If you haven't watched it, you should, even if it's just to see how GOOD she portrayed her character. Girl nailed it a thousand times over. For a breakout movie, she was ah-mazing.

But then, putting her talent aside, after watching this interview of her on The Juice, doing a little research and then following her on social media, her personality is what strikes me the most. 

Her accent, her laugh, her smile, her wit, her demeanor. Love it!

And then a few weeks back, she went ahead and had yet another interview with BBC Pidgin that showed a side of her most people have never seen before. There is nothing stronger and more real that being emotionally open and that just made me love her even more.

FOLAKE KUYE HUNTOON - Style

For my avid readers (I see you) this name looks a bit familiar, doesn't it? I dedicated a whole post to her exquisite fashion style here a couple of years back, and I still wish I could raid her closet. Coupled with that body of hers even after having three children...and she's over 40! Hot damn!

PASTOR KIMBERLY JONES POTHIER - Faith

This woman right here. You know when somebody just hits the nail on the head in a way that makes you feel so encouraged and gives you goosebumps when they talk, even though they are a million miles away? Not sure you can relate but that's what Kim does to me. I can't even remember how I 'stumbled' on her existence, but it's all thanks to Instagram.

She preaches about faith in a way that gets me. Asides from the fact that she has first class experiences in some things that most people go through, she just has a way of delivering the message behind all the pain she harbored in the past. It's overwhelming.
I was lucky enough to hear her preach live earlier this year at the DayStar Women's Conference and it was so worth the cab fare. Lol. Her energy on the pulpit is contagious! 

Plus her sense of style? So bad ass. It's out of the norm for what you usually see on preachers.

          

Imagine my excitement when I posted a picture of Kim on my Instagram story and BAM! This popped up in my DM...

Oh trust me. I didn't just type 'Ahhhhh!!!' I yelled it! I will never delete this DM ever. Call me extra. Whatever.

BEYONCE KNOWLES-CARTER - Ambition

Need I say more? 

I mean, there's no need to overflog this matter naaaa...

And last, but not least *DRUM ROLLSSSSSS* 

MERYL STREEP - Talent

My definition of 'Screen Goddess' and as I like to call her, my On-screen Godmother. I literally love EVERY single movie she's been in that I have seen. It's so 'bad' that even before I watched those movies, once I knew she starred in them, I automatically loved them!

Even when her character is so dang annoying that you feel like ripping her face off the TV screen (yes, I'm talking to you Mary Louise. Fun fact: Mary Louise happens to be one of her real names), you can't help but be intrigued by how effortlessly she brings the character to life. Her talent is pure gold. 

But of all the roles she has played, I can't help but fall in love over and over with Ricki, a character way off from what you'd 'expect' to see her play.

But then, it's Meryl. She can pull off just about any script she gets her hands on.  

I have watched this movie ten times over and still can't get enough of her. Such an epic performance.

Another fun fact: Her daughter, Mamie Gummer also starred in the movie as her (Ricki's) daughter. 

I know, cute right? It kinda depicted the type of strong bond they have in real life. Quite adorable. 

Oh and yeah, Mamie happens to have been born a day before me, on the 3rd of August. Just felt I should slide that in there, seeing as my birthday is around 'za' corner *wink*

Like fine wine, she gets even more talented with age.

#Queen 

Serenity, History and Adventure

Remember when I mentioned how I lost all the pictures I took during my Easter trip? Praise Jesus, I was able to recover most of them!

I doubt I will ever forget how MUCH my sister insisted that I embarked on this trip. It involved a 'minor' financial sacrifice, but that all paved the way for a much better outcome in the end.

To be honest, work swamped me so much this week, my mind is so blank right now. So I will just give you the pleasure of viewing the moments (and monuments) I captured.

First Stop: Togo #Serenity

If you ever want to take some time out and relax and unwind on a very tight budget, give Togo a try.

Next Stop: Benin Republic #History

La Serpentine Modella

(For those who have no idea how I look like...nope, that's not me.)

Fun fact: Majority of the people of Ouidah, Benin Republic practice dual religion (for lack of a better term).

The first ever cathedral in West Africa is directly opposite the Temple of Pythons making it easy for them to shuffle between temples to worship both God and the pythons.

Yep. Crazy stuff.

Benin Republic was a bitter sweet experience. We had a tour guide take us to key history places with monuments and tell us about the history of their slavery and how much it affected them.

The Point of No Return- where slaves where shipped away into slavery, never to return to their land again. *sigh*

Last Stop: Ghana #Adventure!

Akwaaba...finally! I was so looking forward to this country because it was going to give me an opportunity to strike something off my bucket list *big grin* We had so many other fun experiences, but this by far was THE best of them all (and the food of course!)

Yep, that's right!

 Zip Liniiiiing!!! Woo-Hoo!

Daily Buffet Breakfast at the SunLodge Hotel. Yuh-Mmy!

So there you have it, until money enters our pocket to embark on another adventure...