Las Chicas Expands

Las Chicas has expanded (which is good news). So has my waistline (which is not). So this morning I decided to try something new. I ordered "healthy" food: a glass of Bircher muesli with poached fruit (not bad); and a half serve of carrot and date loaf with pistachio ricotta (very good). What could be healthier than carrots and dates?



But then I read about a recent American fashion industry "health initiative" and got very confused. Apparently "healthy snacks" like carrot sticks are being used by fashionistas to fatten up skinny models. For serious. It's OK for anorexic models to drag their skeletal bods up and down the catwalk. Just as long as they have a few carrot sticks to munch on backstage.

At least the Italians are saying no to skeletons. They've banned ultra-skinny models from the Milan catwalk shows this year. Maybe they should feed them Bomboloni for breakfast, too?

Anyway, enough of that.

The new, supersized Las Chicas has annexed the place next door, punching a doorway and a few little portholes through the wall in the process. I sat in the old bit, but the new bit looked quite snazzy, with a long banquette along one wall and a bar across the front window. Hopefully this extra capacity will translate into shorter queues. I didn't have to wait at all.