“What brought you to Brazil?” was the second most asked question I heard during my ten-day visit to Rio De Janeiro this month. I’d explain that the visit was mainly to kick off Y&Y Travels (and escape the SEVEN MONTH winter England had bestowed on us). However my answer – my true answer, anyway – was that I wasn’t quite sure. I just knew I felt drawn to the country, and more specifically, Rio, for a quite some time. I wasn’t sure where exactly the interest had stemmed from – I had no first-hand exposure to the culture, I’d never hit the samba spots with Elephant & Castle’s Brazilian contingent; in fact, I’d never even seen City of God (which is hardly a tourist-friendly representation of Rio, but still). The point is, I had no real, informed opinion of what I’d see, smell, hear, taste or feel in Rio De Janeiro, and this made this ten-day sensory overload even greater.

One of the plus points of the site being on hiatus during development was the free time, it opened up a whole world of opportunities to shoot new content and learn more about what we enjoyed. Whisky is definitely the drink of choice here at Yin&Yang, why? because of Mad Men. I kid, because of Yang - our very own whisky connoisseur but my own liking of the drink is down to the TV show and my family. For as long as I can remember, there has always been a bottle of Chivas Regal in my house. From my Grandaddy’s days till right now in my Dad’s drinks cabinet. More after the cut folks.

Cast your mind back to November 2012, I went on a secret mission on behalf of Heineken to Crack the Case- under code name 00Opoku some also called me Opoku, Ernest Opoku. *sigh* If there is going to be a black James Bond, holla! I’ll even do my own stunts.. Anywho, as part of the mission I was sent to get myself measured for a bespoke suit which was crafted by Roberto Revilla London. I briefly wrote about the experience last year and mentioned that I would write about the outcome in due course. You’re about to read the outcome after the break.

Dante’s Fried Chicken, goodness me. Derek and I headed down to the press brunch last Sunday and here I am almost a week later, still reminiscing the taste of that chicken. It’s another league to any fried chicken that I’ve had in London in the past. Perfect texture, moisture, crispyness - you name it. I’m dreaming about chicken.

Woah woah woah. Awoh! That’s me making noises about what I’ve been doing. If you’ve been keeping track with the site for a few months then you’ll know late last year I started training at Virgin Active as part of their Be Your Personal Best campaign. The constant Foursquare check-ins should have given you a clue, hop on after the cut to see some hilarious imagery of me in the gym. Sorry about the awkward sex/I’m dying faces in most. Ugh.

It’s ‘ooh’s and ahh’s’ as we walk up the stairs to the quietly dim lit, vintage cafe, that 20 year old photographer Shama Anwar has invited us to for coffee at her favourite spot in Shoreditch. It hasn’t been long since her return from New York, where her activities included spending the day with Bodega Bamz and meeting the A$AP crew (to name a few) during fashion week, which she recently showcased at her first exhibition ‘Boyz Boyz Boyz‘ in London. As she sips on her coffee and nibbles on Baklava’s the East Londoner, tells us about her love for NYC and how humble Willy Cartier is.

I don’t know about you but I love breakfast. When I wake up in the morning though I rarely have time for more than a bowl of cereal and a banana, the opportunity to eat out then is always a delight. When visiting No.11 Pimlico Road the delights don’t stop at the food, the newly refurbished Chelsea space makes for a fabulous experience from dawn into dusk.