Allure 22092019

MY LAGOS
ADVENTURE
By Odun Ogunbiyi
...Oddbod & The City
don’t want to brag about
I this too much (because
there is absolutely no doubt
in my mind that at the
slightest provocation, I will
fall off the wagon again) I
have gone back to regular
visits at the gym. At this
point, it’s the “all pain and
no visible gain” part of the
cycle and my thighs hurt
so bad that I can’t make
it off my couch without
employing a cunning roll
and lift technique. I have
about six weeks of selfdiscipline
before some
results kick in. In the
meantime, I hug close,
the cold comfort that by
exercising my heart, I am
investing in a happier old
age.
This is Oddbod and the City
– My Lagos Adventure.
Chai latte - The Flower shop
When it comes to
music, I have to
say I think we
are listening to
some of the best
music to come
out of Nigeria in
the last decade.
Don’t get me wrong,
Nigerian music has
always been amazing and its
influence globally is well documented and
acknowledged.
Case in point: Fela Anikulapo Kuti is a titan
of African music, and created Afrobeat in
the 1970’s and 80’s. Since 1998, his life and
work has been celebrated every year with
Felabration. This year, events kicked off
successfully in London with concerts at the O2
Centre and shall be happening here October
14th to the 20th. I am very much looking
forward to the shows this year, and can’t wait
to see what the line-up will be. No, I can’t
dance but I don’t let that stop me working up a
sweat.
Nigerian music is really going through a
moment and I don’t think this is a trend or a
fad. I think we have finally arrived to take our
14
Please
don’t
stop the
music
/ September 22, 2019
teyana taylor
& seyi shay
place on the global stage. Nigerian stars
like Burna Boy are performing at Coachella,
Tiwa Savage has a billboard in New York’s
Time square and Beyoncé is releasing mega
album projects packed full of collaborations
with Nigerian musicians. I am absolutely
loving this movement.
One of my favourite artists, Seyi Shay,
dropped a new single last week, a
collaboration with one of my favourite
American artists (she is all sorts of goals for
her relationship and her body), Teyana Taylor.
The song is called ‘Gimme Love’ and it
already has over one million hits on YouTube.
Hot tune, slick production and a bona fide
club banger. I have already added it to my
work out play list and you should, too.
The Flower Shop Café
So soon after my declaration about suffering for my
health, we swing back into my favourite pastimeeating.
I have been hearing so much about this new
spot in Victoria Island, I had to go and check it out.
Set in the middle of a functioning flower shop (as the
name suggests), the interior is all about light, space,
greens and pretty. It was also pretty packed and
clearly a popular place. Why am I always the last to
hear about these things?
My friend and I, popped in for breakfast and we
kept it simple although the menu offered up some
enticements—pancakes, waffles, French toast and
the usual eggs and bacon options. I will be coming
back to try the breakfast burrito as I have never had
one before and that warrants further investigating.
We ordered the Scrambler—a dish consisting of
well-fluffed scrambled eggs on sourdough bread with
sausages. Yum, yum and yum.
The Chai latte was out of this world- fantastic! And
just as an aside, I really, really wanted to go home
with the mug. I was that in love with the whole old,
modern, and colourful crockery mood, and I definitely
left feeling inspired to make some changes at home.
The parking situation is a bit hairy, though. Flower
Shop is right on the main road near a traffic light,
and you have to park three deep, so there was some
yelling as I got out the car by impatient drivers trying
to get past. It also means your bonding time with your
meal may be interrupted to move your car. The usual
Lagos wahala, unfortunately!
Definitely worth the visit and I will be coming back for
the latte. I wonder if they do a takeaway?
For further information about my
adventures check out my Instagram,
@le_Oddbod.