Red red red!

This Winter I am loving red. Red lipstick, red handbags, red clothes - I love how the colour pops against the drab grey of the Winter skies. It makes me feel warmer and happier and complements my love of leopard print very nicely indeed.

The easiest way to inject a little bit of red into your wardrobe is through a nice bright red lipstick. I have searched long and hard for ones that suit my vaguely weird, pale but slightly pink complexion and these are some of the best on me:

NARS Red Lizard: This semi-matte lipstick is a deep red that on me looks nice and bright. NARS makes great lipsticks, but the semi-mattes can be a bit dry. I think a matte look is great for winter though as the colour is far more solid and bright. Other NARS red options to look at include Shanghai Express, Jungle Red and Fire down Below (Available at Mecca Cosmetica, RRP $58).MAC Viva Glam 1: I love this red - it's sometimes a little brown for some people but on me, it's a true blue red and perfect with my complexion. Again, another matte finish but not quite as dry as the NARS. It's my go-to red. Other MAC options for crimson-hued aficionados include Russian Red, Ruby Woo, MAC Red and Dubbonet (Available from MAC, RRP $35).

NARS Velvet Matte Lip pencils: I'm a late convert to the lip pencil as a lipstick fad, but the texture of these pencils is so fabulous and the colour so deep and intense, I defy anyone not to love them! My favourite red is Cruella but Dragon Girl is another intense scarlet (Available at Mecca Cosmetica, RRP $50).

Do you have a favourite red? Doesn't have to be a lipstick!

Kitty

Note: Miss Kitty uses so much lipstick, she usually purchases them overseas as make up is exceedingly expensive in Australia...

Mr and Miss Kitty are planning another holiday!

One if the best things about not working is that you can go on as many holidays as you like, particularly if your husband works from home! You aren't limited to this 4 weeks a year mumbo jumbo (not that I really limited myself to that beforehand but that's another story)...

After much debate and frustration over fare availability, we finally decided on a trip to South Africa, England, Scotland and Hong Kong. We are travelling in September so hopefully the peak season will have passed.

The view from Chapman's Peak Drive in Cape Town

Last time we went to South Africa we had a wonderful holiday. We started in Cape Town and visited Stellenbosch, Oudtshoorn, Port Elizabeth and Addo Elephant Park before catching a flight to Durban and continuing our journey through Hluhluwe Umfolozi and Kruger. It was a magical trip and South Africa is one of those places I have always wanted to go back to. I particularly loved Cape Town which is an absolutely beautiful city and watching the animals, especially the zebra and giraffes. They are amazing creatures.

What are you looking at?

A baobab tree in Hluhluwe

This trip we only have 5 nights in South Africa so we have decided to just focus on animals rather than towns and cities and will be spending the entire time in Kruger Park. It's the biggest of all the game parks in South Africa (and also the most popular) and has a fantastic variety of animals so we should have a really nice time on our trip there. I can't wait!!

A giraffe - note its fabulously long legs!

A majestic elephant!

Last time we were there we saw a lot of animals, including wild dog, rhino, hippo, elephants, giraffe, buffalo and zebra but we missed out on seeing any cats. So that's going to be on my wishlist for this trip! Lions, cheetah, leopard! Oh my!

Kitty

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

When I made the stuffed zucchini flowers over the weekend, I bought a large tub of ricotta at the deli. Huge. Gigantic. Suffice to say I used very little of the bathtub sized portion I purchased and was left with a lot of... leftovers.

So I searched through my cookbooks to find a dish that would use up some of the remaining ricotta - one that wasn't a cheesecake! I wanted something savory and warming. I referred to the ubiquitous Cooks Companion for a few suggestions and decided to make a spinach and ricotta gnocchi. It sounded relatively simple and light. It was, and it was also delicious.

The recipe is very easy to follow and makes a good sized main course for 2 people. Stephanie Alexander suggests serving it with a burnt butter and sage sauce but I served it with a heartier tomato, mushroom, olive and bacon ragout, perfect for the cold nights we are experiencing at the moment. The heartiness of the sauce complements the delicacy of the dumplings beautifully (and means that husbands get all important meat in their dinner).



Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

275g ricotta
400g cooked, very well drained spinach (about one bunch, raw)
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons plain flour
2 eggs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
knob of butter

Drain ricotta in a colander for several hours (I omitted this stem as the ricotta I had was already very firm. This step would be necessary if you had softer ricotta). Press ricotta through a sieve into a bowl and mix in spinach, parmesan, flour, eggs and seasonings thoroughly. Taste for salt and pepper. Refrigerate mixture for a few hours or overnight, covered.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and set a large pan of water on to boil. Dust a board or your bench with flour and using a teaspoon as a guide, shape the ricotta mixture into small balls (the mix I had made 20 dumplings). When the gnocchi are ready, sift a small amount of flour over the dumplings. Grease a gratin dish with the butter and set in oven to keep warm.

Drop half of the gnocchi into the water to boil allowing plenty of room and ensuring the water keeps simmering. When the gnocchi rise to the top they are done (about 5 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon to the gratin dish and repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.

Stephanie suggests serving these with a brown butter and sage sauce:

Crisp 12 fresh sage leaves in 40g butter in a hot frying pan, then remove. Add an additional 40g butter until golden brown and smelling nutty. Stop it cooking by plunging the base of the pan into cold water. Drop in sage leaves and pout sauce over dumplings. Serve at once with extra parmesan.

Miss Kitty's mushroom, bacon and olive ragout

1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
150g bacon rashers, sliced
400g mushrooms, sliced
100g pitted kalamata olives
100ml red wine
2 tins of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons parsley

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the bacon and fry until golden then add the mushrooms and cook until wilted properly. Add olives and stir through for 2-3 minutes.

Deglaze pan with red wine and reduce until alcohol has evaporated. Add the tomatoes to the pan, and bring to a simmer, stirring, adding half a tin of water to the sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce is thick and dark. Serve over the spinach and ricotta dumplings, sprinkling with parsley.

Feeds 2 hearty diners with leftovers. Serve extra parmesan on the size for extra kick.

Enjoy!

Kitty

ZOMG...

How fabulous is this jacket?

It's a must have for the winter season. Actually I think leopard transcends season, but wouldn't it be perfect for the cold winter days we are currently seeing? And the model has even paired it with all black, just like I would.

It's meant to be. They even have it in my size. Well, almost.

Unfortunately, Mr Kitty doesn't see 6,240 pounds ($10,500) as a good investment. Not even if it would make me happy. Very happy indeed. And It's Alexander McQueen so practically an investment piece.

Le sigh. I clearly spend too much time at Net-a-Porter. The good news is that there are a lot of other beautiful things at the Net-a-Porter International sale that can be bought for a lot less than this jacket.

For example, these Jimmy Choo espadrilles, these Marni pumps, and these Valentino pumps at 40% off retail. Hmmm... And they even have my size!

They also have this Jimmy Choo handbag:

Maybe I might convince Mr Kitty on this one? It is half price after all...

Kitty

Deep fried zucchini flowers

One of my favourite things to order when I go out for dinner is deep fried zucchini flowers. Not a particularly healthy option, but delicious nevertheless. They do an amazing version at Cafe Sopra in Danks Street, Waterloo, stuffed with five Italian cheeses. It makes my mouth water just thinking about them.

In the past I have stuffed them and baked them in the oven, serving them as part of a tapas selection, and whilst they were nice, they weren't amazing. When Mr Kitty and I were at the Northside Produce Market yesterday, I found some splendid specimens and decided to give it another shot, this time forgoing the healthier oven baked option for a deep fried version.

This was a bit of an experiment as I am not a big fan of deep frying at home. In fact, I have never done it. Yes, really. I just don't see the need with most things - they usually taste just as good baked or pan fried as they do deep fried, most of the time better. Plus there is just a little piece of me that is afraid of getting burned, or setting the house on fire with a pan of hot oil on the hob.

Undeterred by these (somewhat irrational) fears, I set to work. I based my creation on a version seen in Andrew Blake's eponymous cookbook. The stuffing is different (Mr Kitty isn't a massive fan of goat's cheese so I substituted a mix of goat and fresh ricotta from the deli) and I used chopped olives and lemon zest instead of capers. The idea for me is to enhance the delicate flavour of the blossoms, not overwhelm it. This recipe makes enough for two people with three flowers each - it's a fairly large entree. The amounts can be scaled up with no problem if you are having more people.



Miss Kitty-Cat's deep fried zucchini flowers

100g light ricotta
50g soft goats cheese or chevre
50g kalamata olives, pitted and chopped finely into small dice
Zest of one lemon
1tblsp lemon juice
1 tblsp chopped mint
salt and pepper
6 zucchini flowers with zucchini still attached

Batter:
125g plain flour
30g cornflour
150ml beer (I used Hahn Premium light)
150ml soda water

Mix ricotta, goats cheese, olives, lemon zest, lemon juice and mint in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more goats cheese if you want a more piquant flavour.

Prepare the zucchini flowers by removing the stamens from inside the flower. Separate the petals without ripping them to from an opening at the top of the flower. Using a teaspoon, fill the flowers with stuffing and twist the tops of the petals to seal. Don't overfill the blooms or they might burst when cooking.

To make batter, combine flours in a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the beer and soda water and whisk vigorously to incorporate and remove any lumps. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and then whisk again for 30 seconds. If there are any lumps left in the batter, strain them out (my batter was fine). The batter will be crisper if no salt is added and it is not refrigerated.

Heat enough oil in a pot to come 1/3 to 1/2 way up the side of a pot (I used a medium sized saucepan with a heavy base - I don't have a deep fryer). When the oil is hot enough (test it by dropping a spot of batter in the oil - it is ready when it bubbles instantly), dust the flowers with a little plain flour, dip in the batter and quickly fry in oil. I did mine 2 at a time and they took 2-3 minutes each time. When golden and crisp, remove from the oil and drain on paper towel.

Season the flowers well with sea salt and serve immediately. I drizzled mine with a bit of caramelised balsamic vinegar, but you could also serve it with a home made tomato concasse or sauce, or as Andrew Blake recommends, with ratatouille.

Kitty

Miss Kitty is a bad blogger...

Miss Kitty has spent the last week and a bit in Melbourne and visiting her parents. And eating. And wine tasting. With a wee bit of shopping thrown in for some balance. And not a lot of time blogging.

Unfortunately I have discovered that now I no longer have defined structure in my day, it is increasingly difficult for me to sit down and blog. I get swept away doing other things. I can go days without thinking about it only to discover I have missed opportunities to say things I ought to say - or share amazing finds. Or my cooking prowess or shopping adventures.

I have decided to turn over a new leaf and to put a bit more structure in my day and attempt to put pen to paper (in the metaphorical sense) at least three times a week to maintain my creative outlet and also make sure you guys don't get bored. Because I'd hate for you all to stop reading!

So - over to you! What would you like to read about first?

Kitty xx

I'm in the mood for soup...

My mother is the food queen in my world. She can cook anything and everything she cooks is amazing. I always look forward to our visits because they are very food centric. We always eat well. I am really looking forward to our visit this weekend, partly because I just love spending time with my parents, but also because I know whatever we eat it's going to be amazing.

One of the things my mother does really well is cook amazing soup. We grew up with a fabulous lamb shank and vegetable soup, which we used to call "Mumster Soup" and it is still the cure for all ills in our household. It makes a wonderful winter lunch or dinner with a few sausage rolls. Bliss. I honestly cant think of anything better.

Although I love Mumster Soup and it has such wonderful associations with my childhood, it's not my favourite soup that my Mum cooks. That honour is held by her sweet potato and fig soup. It doesn't sound like a natural combination, or even a good basis for a soup, but it is absolutely delicious. Actually, I think it's beyond delicious - it's the food of the gods.

When it gets dark early like it's doing at the moment and you are really starting to feel the cold, a bowl of this is what you need. It has almost restorative powers. It makes any cold and rainy evening feel better. And it's unusual enough to make you want to come back for more, time and time again.



Mrs Kitty's Sweet Potato and Fig Soup

100mls olive oil
1 large onion
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
1.5 Kilos sweet potatoes
150g sugar (you can use less - I do)
50ml balsamic vinegar
500g figs
2 litres chicken stock

Cut celery, onions and carrot into uniform dice. Heat oil in stock pot or large saucepan and saute celery, onions and carrot for a few minutes until they become fragrant and add sweet potato cut into smallish cubes. Cook for a few minutes until the sweet potato starts to soften a little.

Add the sugar and allow to caramelize. Cook until the liquid in the pan becomes a golden brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and bring to the boil. Slice the figs into quarters and add to the soup, stirring gently through the other ingredients. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook gently until all the ingredients are soft.

Take off the heat and blend in a blender or using a stick blender or bamix until the soup is smooth. Serve with a spoon of sour cream or creme fraiche or a drizzle of balsamic and with a side of bread.

Makes enough for dinner and some for the freezer for emergency soothing and de-stressing.

Kitty

And for my next trick, I'd like to...

Being a lady of leisure sure is interesting. It has taken me a while to work out my routine and fill my days but I believe I have adapted with remarkable ease and aplomb. Much to Mr Kitty's chagrin, I haven't taken to cleaning like a fiend (us Kitty-folk aren't really built for that kind of thing) but the one thing I have really upped - if that's at all possible - is cooking. He isn't complaining about that.

This week alone I have cooked a roast turkey with Nigella Lawson's double potato halloumi bake, osso buco and risotto alla milanese, chicken cacciatore, pea and ham soup and oatmeal butterscotch cookies. Lots of wonderful things for the cold weather. Luckily I have also started walking daily in an effort to counteract the amount of food consumed.

In addition to the vast amount of food above (much of which has made it's way into our freezer for days when I can't be shagged cooking) I have also made two new things that I wanted to share with you. Both are from Donna Hay Magazine - recently revived as an obsession with me. I liked it before, now I have time, I LOVE it.

The first was from the 50th anniversary edition and is perfect for the cold weather we are currently experiencing. It's the "Make and freeze" recipe of chorizo and beans. I also noticed that fellow blogger Sydney Shop Girl has also made this wonderful concoction. It's marvellous for winter warming dinners, and Donna suggests you make this, freeze it in small portions and then use it as a filling for pies or with pasta.

Mr Kitty absolutely adored this. He stood over the stove eating it from the pot. I was lucky to get any into the freezer, if we are being honest, but I did get some in and pulled it our for dinner a few nights ago. Not feeling the love for pasta with it, I decided to use the mini Le Creuset cocottes I bought while we were overseas and make a kind of huevos rancheros. It was amazing.



Here is my recipe, using Donna's as a base (note, I have made a few changes).

Chorizo and beans

2 Tablespoons olive oil (I omitted this as the chorizo gives off enough oil)
2 chorizo, sliced
1 red onion, sliced (Donna says two but mine was large)
4 cloves of garlic, sliced (omitted in the Kitty household as Mr Kitty doesn't like it)
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 sprigs oregano (I omitted this and used thyme instead as that's what we have growing in our garden)
2 x 400g tins chopped tomato
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 x 400g white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil (if using) in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the chorizo and fry until some of the oil renders (this is what I did instead of using the oil) and then add your sliced onion and garlic if using. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and tender. Add the chilli, paprika, oregano (or thyme), tomato and sugar. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans and balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

You can serve it at this point with crusty bread, according to Donna, and it will feed 8 people. Or you can freeze it in smaller portions (once you have prized the pan out of your husband's mitts) and save for a rainy day.

Huevos Rancheros, Kitty Style

4 eggs
1/4 of the bean and chorizo mix above
Butter or olive oil for greasing



Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. For two people for dinner you will need four small dishes or two slightly larger ones and two eggs per person. Grease your dish with a bit of butter or olive oil then fill with the bean and chorizo mix to a depth of about an inch making a slight depression in the middle for the egg (this part is an art, not a science). Crack an egg into a cup, checking it's okay, and then slide it gently onto the bean and chorizo mix. Repeat until you have used all the dishes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cover with foil, slide into the oven and bake until the eggs are set (depending on your oven and how you like your eggs done this should be somewhere between 8 and 12 minutes). Remember they will continue to cook once they come out of the oven. Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread. Serves 2 for dinner. It's one of the easiest dinners I know how to make (other than scrambled eggs) and it's really easy and delicious.



The second dish (?) I wanted to share with you is in the current issue of Donna Hay (June/July 10) and is from the article on inspired classic slices. There is nothing better than a nice piece of slice with a hot cup of tea on a cold day. I showed Mr Kitty the article and asked him to choose one as there were too many fabulous options for me to be able to make a decision. He chose the jam coconut slice and it was a fabulous selection. It does take a little while to make as you have to bake it, cool it and then pop it in the oven again but I guarantee it is worth the effort.

Jam Coconut Slice, Donna style

1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 cup (80g) dessicated coconut
2 cups (300g) plain flour
200g butter, melted
1 cup (320g) raspberry jam (I used Bonne Maman, but use the best quality one you can)
3 cups shredded coconut
2 egg whites lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the sugar, dessicated coconut, flour and butter into a bowl and mix until combined. Press into the base of a lightly greased 20 x 30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly then spread the base with jam.

For the coconut topping, place the shredded coconut and lightly beaten egg whites into a bowl and mix well until combined. Spread over the jam and bake for a additional 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin before serving (I'd say a good six hours to allow for a smooth cut). Makes 18 slices.



Kitty xx

Shoe Kitty.

One upon a time, there was a cat fascinated by leopard print, the most regal of all prints. Go figure.

She had an uncanny ability to seek out beautiful things in leo-pard and purchase them, much to her husband's chagrin, although over the years he has resigned himself to the fact that she will never change.

Case in point - on her recent trip to the US, she made a special visit to the Mecca of Shoes. New York. She worshiped at the temple of the goddess of footwear: Christian Louboutin.

She saw many beautiful things but a few items in particular caught her eye...



Behold the beauty of the box!



The first pair she had to have are rather amusingly called "peanuts". Yes - their full name is Peanut 70 Pony Luxor Leopard. Quite a mouthful! They are comfy, being a wedge, and will go well with a variety of outfits, including jeans, black trousers and casual dresses. An all purpose shoe, if you will.


The second pair are fun and frivolous espadrilles. Officially entitled Carino 100 Pony Leopard Wedge, they were too cute to pass up. I hope I will get a lot of wear out of these over summer. I envision maxi dresses in black and a gigantic red handbag as a fabulous accessory.


The final pair of shoes were actually purchased at Bergdorf Goodman. The Church of all Beautiful Things. The Cat had already made up her mind that she was "just browsing, not purchasing" until she spied something across the shoe boutique. Something she believed had sold out worldwide last year, never to be repeated (according to the sales assistant in Paris). A shoe that was almost mythical, it's very existence pondered upon but she had never actually seen it in real life. They were being held by another shoe worshiper in an unfeasibly small size, but she beckoned the shoe assistant and asked if such a wonderous item existed in her size. He went to check, and returned with a sad look on his face.

"I only have them in a half size larger than you were looking for. They do run a little small, though. Would you like to try them?"

Would she ever.

He produced the - until this point - mythical shoes, she slipped them on her feet, and fell in love. They were perfect. Amazing.




A true Cinderella moment.

You would think that this story would end at this point with an "and they all lived happily ever after." But no, there was another addition to the family, before the end of the overseas adventure. A beautiful pair of Salvatore Ferragamo Carlas in a deep metallic red. The perfect foil for all that leo-pard and ridiculously comfortable.





And now, they all live happily ever after.


Kitty xx

VIIIIIVA LAS VEGAS....

It's a quandary. A puzzle.

Riddle me this Batman.

I hate gambling, I'm not much into spangly things (unless you count jewellery and shoes), I hate nightclubs and I like going to bed early. Yet I love Las Vegas.


Our flight to Las Vegas on Jet Blue was on time and apart from a few bumps prior to landing, relatively smooth. Surprising given the shitty internal flights we had elsewhere (Delta - you really do suck). We arrived on the Sunday at around lunchtime and despite having to wait in an insane queue to collect our car (an actual car this time, not a truck) and on the road with relative ease. Our check in to our one bedroom suite at the Signature at the MGM Grand was fairly easy as we had stayed there before and we finally made it into our home for the following week.

This part of the trip was going to be a little different for us - Mr Kitty was attending a Financial Services conference and I was going to have some "down time". Oh, and perhaps do a spot of shopping... So unlike me.



Anyway, our dinner on the Sunday evening (Mother's Day - that's how far behind I actually am) was at The Wynn Buffet. I'm not usually a massive fan of the buffet, but this one is an absolute cracker. In fact, the whole hotel and Casino is fantabulous. The food is certainly the best I have ever seen on a buffet and in celebration of Mother's Day there were some additional selections, including a seafood bar featuring ALASKAN CRAB which was very popular. We stuck to the salad, the Prime Rib and pasta and everything we had was amazing. Highly recommended if you are heading in that direction. In fact we liked it so much we went back for breakfast the morning we left and if anything the food was even better!


Mr Kitty's conference didn't start until 3pm on Monday afternoon so we decided to take our Ford Fusion for a spin down to Primm to visit the Factory Outlet Mall. Primm is on the border of California and Las Vegas and about a 45 minute drive from LV. A critical review will reveal that it's really not much cop, other than having a really good Tommy Hilfiger outlet and the biggest Williams Sonoma outlet on the West Coast. Mr Kitty bought many pairs of jeans (three!!), a pair of shorts and a variety of other items and I bought a top. His haul was impressive.

I, however, went to town at Williams Sonoma. I bought petit fours pans, a brownie tin, cake tins, a springform pan, a coffee cake pan, three different types of vanilla, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon pancake mix, sanding sugar... I went a bit nuts, but at 40% off US Retail (which is about half the price of Australian retail) you can't afford not to. It was great fun.

A quick dash back to Las Vegas so Mr Kitty could make the first session of the conference, and I went to Wholefoods to collect some items to make a nice dinner (chicken and vege stir fry - trying to be a bit healthy...). I also did some shopping at Sephora.... So many nice things to be had..! I think it's one of my favourite shops in the US.

The next few days were a bit of a blur (as in they all merged into one)... With Mr Kitty at the conference I took advantage and slept in, did some shopping at Fashion Show Mall and Las Vegas Outlet Mall, watched some movies... All in all had some blissful and relaxed days.

We had a really great dinner and a pretty average one. The great dinner was at Bouchon at The Venetian. Other than the delay in being seated (while others who arrived after us were seated before us... grrrr) the food was sublime as always and the atmosphere is like a dream of Paris. Mr Kitty started with the amazing terrine and I had the watercress and endive salad with walnuts and roquefort. We both had the Steak frites for main (with a side of perfectly cooked green beans) and for dessert we shared a plate of bouchons - awesome little brownies in the shape of champagne corks topped with three different icecreams - peanut butter, raspberry and coconut. It topped off a beautiful meal perfectly.

The average dinner, I am sorry to say, was at Mesa Grill. I was so looking forward to trying Bobby Flay's signature eatery but I was let down. The flavours weren't as complex as I was hoping. And to be honest, a lot of the food was just ordinary... Mr Kitty had the yucatan chicken tacos for entree, which was basically chicken in a soft taco (boring) and I had the smoked chicken and black bean quesadilla which was quite nice (but could have used some coriander to freshen it up a little).

For main course, Mr Kitty had grilled Mahi-Mahi with roasted pineapple-cascabel chilli sauce,
caramelized pineapple and green onion salsa and creamy green chilli rice. It was really boring. The major fault was the lack of taste but the unforgivable sin was the use of tinned pineapple in the salsa. Ewww. Particularly when pineapple was in season, fabulous and cheap. I had the Southwestern spiced duck breast with carrot-habanero Sauce and a chorizo and goat cheese tamale and thyme butter. Other than the chewiness of the duck, this was okay but the tamale was underseasoned and unremarkable. Sad considering I love chorizo and goat cheese.

The desserts fared a little better. Mr Kitty had toasted coconut layer cake with coconut cream sauce. It wasn't bad but the cake itself was quite plain - I just think if you are going to go to the trouble of making a coconut cake, perhaps you should think about putting actual coconut in the cake. Just a hint.

My dessert was really good - Churros dusted with cinnamon sugar and star anise served with dark chocolate sauce. The star anise was an odd inclusion but it kind of worked. It gave a an oddly spiced hint to the dish. I could see how some people might not like it though.

Despite that miss-step, all in all a fabulous week in Las Vegas - next we are headed back to Los Angeles before our flight back to Australia!

Kitty