Monday 15 August 2011

Back to Viajante for Round 2!

617 calories burnt in 5.15 miles during a run around Regent's Park yesterday morning. The weather was SUPER nice to run in, very mild. The run started off really well but then my legs felt really tired after just 10 minutes but I remembered reading somewhere that the first 20 minutes is usually the toughest for runners- you just have to keep pushing yourself and you'll start to feel better. My legs and running movement just felt more fluid.

After a quick shower, I got ready to meet some friends at Viajante. I've already been there once before and I was excited to try it again for lunch. I'm not gonna lie- I enjoyed my experience more this time around than the last dinner experience. I mean it was still really good both times but I found this lunch a lot more up my alley!
Yuuumm- Thai explosion II!!  I was excited to see it on our menu again. It's got some sort of chicken confit in between two fried skins. It's also got lemongrass which reminds you of thai food. The fried lobster croquette was tasty as well. The green paste (puffed amaranth with sorrel) sort of reminded me of a wheatgrass shot even though I've never had one before, lol.. It literally tasted like eating grass and was a bit too healthy for me. Is that possible? ha!
cured artic char with barley tea and radishes
paprika bread with pork butter. :-D

Yuzu crab with herbal broth and shimejii mushrooms
I was SO impressed by all the beautiful colors on this plate. It was definitely a treat for the eyes.
roast beef skirt with girolles, turnips, and yeast (??)
I'm not quite sure what it was but something in the sauce reminded me of a korean soup called Doenjang Chigae. The beef was sort of hard to eat (too chewy!) but the flavor was outstanding. I really enjoyed it.. even though I'm not sure where yeast fits into it. That's what it said on our printed menu!
beautiful ladies!
palate refresher- I was in love this frozen marzipan with celery and lime. I think this was my favorite because the marzipan tasted like an extravagent almond dessert. It was so freaking delicious!
the main dessert was equally amazing as the palate refresher. Beetroot and dark chocolate crumbles (crunchy in texture sort of like oreos) WOW WOW WOW. Did I tell you how much in love I am with beets and to have this sort of dessert was like my lucky day or something! There were also chewy pieces of what looked like beets but I'm not quite sure what it was. All the different textures made this dessert really fun to eat too. 
salivating just thinking about it...
mushroom truffles with coconut marshmallows!! Yes COCONUT marshmallows! I think I dun died and went to heaven!
catalan creme... We were fortunate enough to have Chef Nuno Mendes (which we didn't know at the exact moment) come to our table and present the first few amuse bouches. We did remark before we knew who he was that we found him very mysteriously attractive. I think it was the long shaggy hair, beard and humble aura. :-). The only misfortune is that we didn't get to take a picture with him!

Surprisingly, after all that I still had room for dinner later that evening. 


chopped up some garlic and red onions
with some bok choy- mm mmm!
sauteed in a wok with soy sauce and siracha

the lamb ended up forming a really crispy crust in the oven so it was pretty good!!

honey oats and more cereal for breakfast then GYM time!
I added some additional almonds and raisins
Workout: Tone it up's Bikini Max Burn workout plus Itty Bitty workout
  • 20 jumping Jacks
  • 10 burpees
  • 20 lunges
  • 5 minute jog
  • 10 push-ups
  • 10 dips
  • 20 lunges
  • 5 minute jog
  • 20 second plank on hands
  • 20 tummy tucks
  • 5 minute jog
  • 20 bicycle crunches
Itty bitty routine- 10 reps, 3 sets
  • legs straight, back pressed onto floor, bring straight legs up and down for 10
  • legs straight and at 45 degree angle, bring shoulders off ground and crunch up as straight legs come up
  • side plank dips
  • hold plank on forearms, come up onto hands and do tummy tucks on either side then back to plank position (Gawwdd, I was shaking towards the end of the 3 sets!!)
cottage cheese, fruits, squeeze of agave nectar
I had a quick protein snack after the gym. I would try this combination- its really good!
I stopped by the store and happened to walk by some basil and thought to myself..yum basil sounds really good right now so I went ahead and bought the other ingredients for a simple caprese salad!
mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar= ammazeballs!!

wholewheat tortilla, spicy refried beans, avocado slices, salsa- OLE!
okay this doesn't look very appetizing but it was a really good vegetarian lunch!
Time to get productive- peace out!