An Afternoon at Fait Maison Salon de Thé

July 16, 2025July 13, 2025 Mstldelano1 Comment

While in London earlier this year, I finally got to dine at Fait Maison, a beautiful restaurant that is perfectly Instagram-able (picturesque at every turn) and has an incredible menu. The restaurant has a menu that features French-Khaleeji cuisine. It was busier than I like (quieter meals in more spacious settings is my preference) but beautiful, popular restaurants are rarely quiet.

The restaurant has several locations, including one in Qatar. Since I stayed near Mayfair, I went to the Gloucester Road location (I went to the Salon de Thé, which is just a block away from another Fait Maison locations). I arrived during the brunch rush which, in hindsight, was a bad idea if my goal was to enjoy a quieter, more leisurely experience. That being said, the room was buzzing with families and “ladies who lunch”, and among the throngs I spotted Yvonne Osman (Om Waleed) the chef and proprietress of Fait Maison. A perfectly styled and elegant beauty, she looks exactly like the lovely caricature featured on the menu cover (that’s how I knew who she was!). She’s a swan in human form, and she floated through the restaurant with an inspiringly calm and self possessed energy.

For my brunch, I enjoyed the Balaleet and the Fattoush Salad. The Balaleet featured sweetened saffron noodles that reminded me a bit of chopped up rice vermicelli (I’m not sure what kind of noodle was used: I didn’t ask). The noddles were topped with crumbled pistachios and a few beautiful dried rosebuds. The combination of sweet, savory and earthy was divine. The Fattoush Salad was an intoxicating blend of lettuce, pomegranate molasses, fresh mint, sumac, and pomegranate seeds, served in a crisp flat bread bowl that the server crushed together tableside, before serving it to me. I wish I got a picture before the crushing happened: the presentation both before and after was stunning. This salad continued the sweet/savory/earthy theme, but also added a bit of tart brightness with the pomegranate. Both dishes tasted heavenly. With my meal, I enjoyed some tea and leaned into my people watching hobby: this location is perfect for viewing beautiful people enjoying their beautiful lives.

Fait Maison is such a fresh interpretation of vintage French-inspired dining. A meal here is like eating in a Rococo fantasy: the tables, wall art, and other interior design touches all create a dazzling effect that perfectly presents the Euro/Arabian style fusion that carries through the menu. I relished this experience and I can’t wait to return, so I can dine at some other locations and try some more of Fait Maison’s offerings!

Have you been to any of the Fait Maison locations? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

culture · food · international

Snack Review: Mama Wu Mango & Sticky Rice Spring Rolls

May 19, 2020May 18, 2020 Mstldelano5 Comments

While quarantined, I haven’t been enjoying takeout as much as I used to. However, I still enjoy trying new foods, especially snacks. So when I saw this food that combines two of my favorite snacks – spring rolls and Thai mango and sticky rice – I couldn’t resist. I had to try it!

Mama Wu Mango & Sticky Rice Spring Rolls were easy to prepare. The rolls had a crispy exterior after baking, and I was excited at how the texture of the baked spring roll was similar to a fried roll. I was concerned that the roll would be a tad bit soggy, but it was crispy, crunchy and delicious.

A perfectly crisp spring roll

Now, when it comes to the filling . . . Let me qualify this by saying I’ve had many different mango and sticky rice desserts. I’ve eaten at over a dozen different Thai restaurants in different cities and I usually have my mango and sticky rice at each one. So, I feel really comfortable saying that I know what the dessert should taste like. This interior was not as tasty as I’d hoped. It was especially chewy, and the mango flavoring wasn’t as prominent as I’d like. So the filling wasn’t as delightful as the exterior, unfortunately.

The interior wasn’t as tasty as I hoped

Here’s the rub: I was looking forward to the filling more than the outside, yet the outside was the best part of the snack. But, I don’t think that this product is a complete fail: in fact, I can think of a few ways that it can be improved. First, the company should tinker with the rice recipe to see how to prevent the rice from getting too “tough” when baking. Also, a little more mango would be wonderful. Finally, this needs COCONUT SAUCE! These rolls practically begged to be dipped into a creamy, sweetened coconut sauce to amp up the flavor and to add a contrast to the crisp exterior.

Would I try this again? Sure, especially if I had my own coconut sauce (or if the company started including sauce with the rolls). I’d be sure to have some additional mango to accompany these rolls, too.

Have any of you tried these before? Or, do you have another Thai dessert that you prefer? Let me know all about it in the comments below!

international · travel

Cruise 2018: Dining on the Sea

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 MstldelanoLeave a comment

If you all didn’t know, I love to dine out. I actually think I like eating out a bit too much, which is why I’ve cut down significantly over the past few months. That being said, I still got excited at the dining options available on my latest cruise.

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The Allure of the Seas (a Royal Caribbean ship) has multiple restaurants on board, as well as several cafes, wine bars, and snack bars. My family and I dined regularly at the main dining room at American Icon Grille. This restaurant published a luxe menu every evening, featuring various appetizers, entrees and desserts. The restaurant changed up the menus every day, so there was always something new to try. There are also a few other themed restaurants, such as Silk (Asian foods) and The Grande (American foods).

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A typical breakfast that I’d order from room service

There is also a buffet located near the pools (the Windjammer Cafe), which has a few of the food items featured in American Icon Grille but also other dishes that aren’t available in any of the dining rooms. To be honest, I had the best time dining at the Windjammer in the evenings. The buffet had a different chilled fruit soup every night which were delicious and I could literally eat every day without getting tired of them (think the world’s smoothiest, most delicious smoothies . . . yes, it was as tasty as it sounds).

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A menu from one evening at American Icon Grille

Oooh, not to mention, there is a Sorrento’s pizza, which makes fresh pizza until 3 AM. Who doesn’t love pizza? And the room service has lots of delicious fresh options available all day long.

I won’t continue to talk about the foods: let’s see some pictures, shall we?

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Lobster bisque and Tiger shrimp

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Left: Shrimp ceviche; Top right: Shrimp and potato salad; Bottom right: Lobster

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Desserts!!!

Enjoy your Friday, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

fitness

Day 64 – 70 of My Fitness Challenge

September 9, 2018September 9, 2018 MstldelanoLeave a comment

70 days in, and things are still going well. I worked out more this week, and I did what I said: I planned out my meals a bit better so that I could more healthily during the week.

gym

Did I still indulge in treats on a daily basis? Yes, I did, but despite that, I didn’t gain any weight. In fact, I was down a few ounces at my last weigh-in, so things are still moving in the direction that I desire. However, some more intense workouts are on the agenda for the upcoming week: I want to end the last 30 days of my fitness challenge on a strong note.

As promised, I’m sharing my typical menu with you all. For the most part, I eat this way daily, since it’s easy, affordable, and healthy.

Typical Daily Menu

Prior to eating: water or hot tea with no sweetener
To break my fast: Fresh fruit (this week, it was peaches or a small container of berries)
For lunch: Pre-made salad, frozen entree, couple of bite-sized pieces of candy.
Snack: Fruit medley or avocado with salt & pepper
Last meal/Dinner: Homemade soup, pasta with some sort of protein, one or two glasses of wine, ice cream

For my pre-made salads, I usually purchase something from Ready-Pac Bistro. They make a variety of salads, many of which are vegetarian, that have everything you need for a delicious, satisfying and healthy meal. I typically use only half of the enclosed salad dressing, so that I can minimize my sodium intake.

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A post shared by Missy “Southern Rose” Delano (@bronzebutterfli)

Speaking of sodium, there tends to be a lot of sodium in any sort of pre-made or frozen food items. As a general rule, it isn’t good to rely upon these too heavily, as too much sodium creates a whole other set of problems. However, when time is short, we do what we must, so I will grab a Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice or (my favorite) Amy’s frozen dinner.

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Too much salt can cause major issues

I don’t believe in depriving myself, so I am sure to eat as much as my heart desires during my eating window. I just eat a lot of “good” stuff and only have a few treats per day.

That’s it for this week’s update. I’ll be back next week with more info on my journey. Talk to you all tomorrow!