Burritos, Lamps & Design. Founded by Mark Irlam and Tom Tobia, Something From Us is one of those creative teams that seem to effortlessly apply their creative skills to any number of activities.

They’ve recently completed the delightfully colourful interior for the gourmet burrito restaurant in London, Poncho No.8.

They’ve also designed the super-cool looking Wired Lamp (available to buy from their website.)

They’re definitely a design practice to keep an eye on, so check out Something From Us.

Chocolate + Design; what more could you want from life? If you’ve ever visited the wonderful London Tea Shop, Teasmith, you’ll have experienced the amazing interiors work of Jonathan Clark Architects. And, if like me, you’re left wanting to see more, then check out their latest work for renowned British chocolatier, William Curley.

One of the main ideas behind the design of the interior was to think about chocolate in terms of it’s origins and how it is procured – designing a predictable dark brown interior to ‘represent chocolate’ was something we actively avoided. This resulted in features such as the gold leaf artwork for the corner banquette depicting cocoa trees and the three-dimensionally arranged hessian clad padded panels behind the counters to reference the hessian sacks that cocoa beans are packed in at various plantations around the world.

Find out more info, and see more images at Jonathan Clark Architects.

Peel the veg, or watch TV? Decisions, decisions. The global economic crisis probably means that we’re staying in more. We’re eating at home instead of restaurants, and we’re generally just chilling out at home and watching more television. In the evenings you may now find yourself torn between having to prepare food, or watching your favorite TV show, but now you can do both with the Lap Counter design by Tomas Kral. The stylish vacum formed plastic accessory means you can sit in your favorite chair and peel those potatoes in comfort. A plastic bowl would probably do just as well, but it wouldn’t look as cool, would it?

See more work by Tomas Kral.

Chill out in London. In these stressful financial times it’s good to hear that Buddha Bar, the famous chill-out Paris nightspot, has now opened a London branch. Located under Waterloo Bridge in a Grade 2 listed space, the place has been created by Raymond Visan, the creator behind the original Parisian Buddha Bar. So expect the oriental vibes, design, and food of the original, plus the signature hip chill-out music soundtrack (there are currently 14 best-selling Buddha Bar music compilations – if you like laid back chill-out tunes with an oriental flavouring, do yourself a favour and check them out.)

Find out more about Buddha Bar.

‘Avant garde constructivist cookery’, may be a mouthful, but I suppose that’s appropriate for canapés. A lifelong love of all things Russian has led chef Tom Wolfe to learn all about 1930’s avant garde constructivist art, Russian cuisine and architecture. These subjects have influenced his unique dishes and his career as a culinary architect and food designer. Through his company Bluefood Produktions, he produces delicious and aesthetically beautiful food for many high-profile clients, such as as the pure constructivist style canapé trays and bite-sized treats for Stolichnaya Vodka.

Tom works with cutting edge photographer Richard Haughton to capture his sleek and innovative style, and many of these images are soon to be published in his forthcoming book on ‘couture cooking’, but in the meantime check out his slideshow for a taste of what the book may have to offer.

Hmmm… chocolate & anchovy. If you ever yourself in Madrid with a massive craving for chocolate, head straight for Cacao Sampaka. This boutique style chocolatier controls the whole process of manufacturing their chocolate, from the selection of the cocoa beans through to the packaging of the product. Using only authentic cocoa, everything is made by artisans in a small factory, who try to create a whole new language of forms and flavours using chocolate.

Thinking that I’m an adventurous sort of guy, I was tempted by their ‘Gastronomic Innovations’ selection that is “only for the risky one.” I was fine with choices such as balsamic vinegar and chocolate, and even the parma cheese and chocolate was interesting, but the chocolate anchovy! Dear god, it was horrific. For the love of god, save yourself the torment, and never mix salty fish with chocolate!

Find out more about Cacao Sampaka.