Coming up this week...

... w/c 29th June

Welcome to summer! Let's hope it sticks around!

Wednesday 1st July
Dinner @ Meat Liquor

It's been a long time coming so fingers crossed we get in there without too much of a wait... wish me luck!

Saturday 4th - to Sunday 5th July
Barn on the Farm @ Over Farm, Gloucester

An indie/folk musical festival on a working farm where acts play in actual barns! We went a couple of years ago and it was awesome! Fingers crossed it's just as good or even better!

See you all out there!

Down at the end of Lonely Street...

Check-in for an evening of heartbreak...

Last year there was an immersive/interactive theatre show on at The Jetty out by the o2. It got some rather good reviews but I never quite found the time to go. This year, I caught wind of another production at the same location and started looking at tickets. As life would have it things got busy, I got distracted and swiftly forgot about it all.

That is till a competition came up through the TimeOut Card and I surprisingly won a pair of tickets during it's preview week. Sometimes it pays off to dilly dally!

On a sunny Friday eve the other half and I headed off to North Greenwich not quite sure of what was ahead. I had refused to watch the trailer but the limited information from the website was:

Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel, a utopia for lost souls and broken hearts. Once a diamond on the English coastline, now as dilapidated and mysterious as the characters within its walls.

This summer, The Jetty – London’s most exciting new riverside arts venue - is transformed into Heartbreak Hotel, an intricately designed purpose built structure where the audience check-in to an immersive and unique theatre event.

The setup is pretty cool arriving at an actual reception desk where you are checked in to the hotel. We were name tagged and allocated 2 different numbers. (more on that later) The Jetty itself is pretty cool set up with a hotel frontage and outside, a kissing booth, a high striker game and numerous carnival ride pods/capsules to sit and enjoy a drink or food.

Speaking of drink and food, there are 2 bars on the site and a functioning kitchen. The food looked quite tasty but we had plans for dinner elsewhere. (*cough* Five Guys *cough* ahem...)

The hotel setup continues where the concierge serves as a cloak room - all items a £1 each. You won't want to bring much with you and you won't be allowed to bring anything in bigger than A4 size.

Soon the show is about to begin and each number is directed to opposite ends of the venue. We're led into a hallway of a hotel, split into about 4 groups in total and there the show begins. Each group is led into a different room sometimes watching or watching and interacting each scene. Every group ends up experiencing the same show but just in a different order and it all ends in final location where everyone comes together again With no further photos and further info to avoid ruining the show and experience I leave you there.

Knowing what I know now would I have paid for tickets to go? Probably not... unless they were cheaper than £10. At the end of the day it was interesting and a good effort by all but it felt like they had a limited budget. Saying that, they did well with what limited budget they did have. (awkward moment when I hear they actually had a huge budget... ahem) Maybe I'm becoming a too stuck up Londoner expecting too much... Like I said, it wasn't bad at all and rather interesting! Just not sure I'd be entirely happy at the end of it had I paid for a full price ticket on a Friday evening...

At least the view was a stunner!

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The Heartbreak Hotel can be found at:

The Jetty
North Greenwich

London SE10 0JF

Ticket prices vary depending on when you go:

Tues: £10

Wed, Thurs & Sun: £15

Fri & Sat: £20

All plus £1.75 booking fee. Grab them here.

The show runs till the end of August 2015 and plays the following schedule:

Wed - Sat: 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm & 9:30pm

Sun: 6:30pm, 7:30pm & 8:30pm

Bun in the Steamer..

Off the streets and into a real home...

Bao was a long awaited arrival in Soho. I even had it in my diary and planned to go for lunch with a like minded bun lover a couple of days after opening.

Having spent many of my childhood summer holidays in Taipei I was looking forward to what this little food truck/shack come permanent restaurant had to offer. It would seem on this fateful day, so did many others as we joined a line at the restaurant's entrance.

After a not too long wait we were allowed in and sat at the windows. The restaurant is quite spacious so tables should turnover relatively quickly. We were presented with an order sheet similar to some dim sum restaurants and left to decide what we would be having that day.

We decided to mix it up a bit getting a taste of the famous buns but a few other Taiwanese specialities. From the small plates we ordered an aubergine dish with deep fried wonton crisps - this was rather tasty and paired well together and the Taiwanese fried chicken - crisp, tender and delicious. Of the baos we went for the classic (you need to do this on your first visit surely?), the confit pork and the lamb shoulder. The classic was delicious and I only wished we could had more. The confit pork was a sweet saucy delight but the lamb shoulder on the other hand left a little wanting as it had that non-fresh flavour. From the sides we ordered the sweet potato chips which were once again crisp and tasty and left us wanting more. For drinks, I had the peanut milk which really took me back to my childhood - it was what I would describe as a peanut butter smoothie with bits. Delicious. If only there was more than 3 sips worth in the glass!

Would I go back again? Not really... it was tasty enough but for the serving size and that price it's more than a little out of my price range. My lunches during the work week usually cost £5-£10, £15 at a push and I'm left rolling back to work. At £22 and still feeling like I could eat something else, it just wasn't worth it. At least the service and clean, simple decor of the restaurant helped win some points.

Here's hoping their soon to come takeaway shop will be a little nicer on the bank account.


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Bao can be found at:
53 Lexington Street
Soho W1F 9AS

Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat
Lunch: 12 noon - 3pm
Dinner: 5:30pm - 10pm

Dish-BOOM!

Certainly worth the wait...

Indian food is most often associated with late night boozy escapades or lazy nights on the couch waiting for takeout to arrive. One thing it's certainly not associated with is an 1.5 hour wait in line hungrily peering through the glass willing everyone in the restaurant to bloody hurry up and eat. (I get hangry...)

That is of course... till Dishoom happened in my life and I'm sure in everyone one of yours' too. I'll be honest, I have a bit of long term love for Indian food having spent some of my youth night time waitressing in an Indian restaurant and it's not often I'll pass one up. I even enjoy the Sainsbury ready meals! (don't judge, we all have our weaknesses and Indian has got to be one of mine... so is pasta, and chips and...)

Back to Indian food...

My cousin, other half and I visited the Covent Garden location early one Sunday evening after hearing rave reviews from a similarly food minded friend and I moved it up the 'must try list'. We had been warned of the long lines but thought it wouldn't be so bad early on a Sunday evening. Wrong. After an 1.5 hour wait in the elements (the upside being they offer you mint tea and chai while you wait) we finally made it to the next stage. The 'next stage' being the bar downstairs where you would wait another 5-10 mins for your table to be readied. We busied ourselves with a beer and cocktail and waited for our buzzer to go. 

After a longer than reality wait, we were taken back upstairs and seated at a table. Dishoom describes itself as a Bombay Cafe and it's true. There's nothing fancy about the place instead being comfortable and the smells sure are hypnotizing. The smiles on everyone's faces in between their shoveling food into their mouths should be enough to know we were in for some tasty food.

Perusing the menu it wasn't long before we had too many wants to fill our bellies 3 times over. We managed to whittle it down to the must haves for the first time and save the rest for next time. (it couldn't come quickly enough!)

It seems like a cop out to just say everything was amazingly delicious but it was. Everything was tasty and differed in flavours from each other and we were practically licking the bowl clean. (ok, so that may have been me...) By the end we were left so full we could have been rolled out of there! 

Ok so it wasn't all completely perfect as there was one particular dish that left me wanting - Kacchi Lamb Biryani. It was nice enough but lacked the punch of flavour and just didn't compare to the other bowls on the table.

The absolute ABSOLUTE favourites? The Mattar Paneer (we ordered 3 amongst 3 people the second time we went!) and the Chef's Covent Garden Special - Prawn Moilee. If I had to pick one Indian dish to eat for the rest of my life this would be it. It was savoury, sweet and coconutty all at once and just amazing. The prawns were crunchy too!

The Feast!

Sheekh Kabab

Chef's Covent Garden Special - Prawn Moilee

Memsahib's Mess

Pistachio Kulfi

The service was absolutely up there (both times I've been) and the atmosphere a good casual buzz. The pricing wasn't bad either being more inline with a good local rather than an uber on-trend restaurant with a line out the door and a no booking policy. Best of all, the food comes quickly!

Would we go back again? Hell, I've been back before I've had the chance to write this post so I'd take that as a big fat yes. Yeah... I kind of have a thing for Indian food... It's fine! I know how to manage it!

It really helps having someone go ahead of you to wait in line but if you're not so lucky, the wait is definitely worth it.

------------------------------------------

Dishoom currently has 3 locations:

Covent Garden

Shoreditch

Kings Cross

Check out the individual pages for more info regarding contact details and opening hours.

Coming up this week...

... w/c 15th June

After a few busy weeks and weekends I am glad to say that things are a little quieter this week... get me on that couch!

Thursday 18th June
Dinner @ Heddon Street Restaurant

Take 2 at this establishment... looking forward to trying the full menu!

Sunday 21st June
Bowling @ Brooklyn Bowl

Who doesn't love a bit of bowling? Add in some what sounds like damn tasty foods and we're on to a winner! Hopefully!

See you out there!

A stay with Royalty...

We be rollin...

A friend from work knows a friend with wagons in Cornwall called Spring Park. Every so often he'd swing by my desk and tell me about said wagons and direct me to the accompanying photos online. Every chat left me wanting to book a stay but with other holidays booked in timing was never quite right... That is except one week when he directed me to the newly completed wagon, The Duchess. 

One look and I knew I had to get in there and quick. As luck would have it, our late May bank holiday weekend was looking like a weekend at home so I booked in quick smart! The time couldn't arrive quickly enough but finally with the car boot filled we were on our way to Cornwall for our long weekend in the country. 

After a much longer drive than expected (6.5hrs rather than 4.5hrs!), we arrived at what could have been nothing but perfect. In it's own little fenced area, The Duchess stood proudly amongst the newly planted flowers and next to the ever so tempting wood fired hot tub. A purpose built bathroom (more details to come below) was another gem in addition to the bench and fire pit. Best of all, it was all ours.

Stepping into the wagon, it instantly felt like home... Or what you would want your home to look like. First there was a bottle of red and 2 slices of amazing cake waiting for our arrival in addition to fresh flowers dotted in most corners of the wagon. Imagine coming home to that every day?! (you'd probably be diabetic before too long but hey, at least you'll be happy!) 

From the patchwork quilts to the knitted covers for the hot water bottles to the teapot to the plates and cutlery it was evident that every detail of this wagon was carefully and lovingly thought of. I never wanted to leave... (the photos really don't do the place justice so be ready for a pleasant surprise!)

As a worrier, I had one key worry about the place before getting there... where did the bathroom fit in? The website says there's a large bathroom so where on earth was that going to fit in the cosy wagon? Step outside and there is your bathroom. With fairy lights in the ceiling of it's 'patio' (win!) you step into what could only be described as a lovely bathroom and one you would not expect when staying in a wagon! A full sized standing shower cubicle stands in front of you which is impressive enough but looking to your left there stands none other than a claw foot white tub. That's a tick off the bucket list! To the right is a full size sink, a lovely toilet and even a heated towel rack. This bathroom was bigger and more amazing than my bathroom in London! I never wanted to leave... (did I mention that already?)

Besides the little details and the amazing bathroom, The Duchess provides you with everything you could need. You have the comfiest king size bed, a full gas stove and oven, a small fridge and freezer, and all the cooking apparatus and eating/drinking utensils you'll need. We were left wanting nothing...

Except maybe a dip in a hot tub under the stars. Oh wait, there's one of those too! At £25 for the weekend, the tub was filled and we were provided with enough fire wood to last our time there. Things to note... the first time you get the water heated it will take a good few hours with some attentive fire tending and serious water stirring. The second time, definitely not so much as you end up with 40 degrees water, skin as red as a lobster and the simultaneous feeling of  being cooked alive and needing to pass out from dehydration. The other half was a little eager the second night getting the fire started earlier than needed but hey, definite points for enthusiasm! 

By the end of the long weekend we were feeling relaxed and dreading the return home... I may have even gotten a little teary packing up and driving home... Would we come back? Hell yeah! There's 4 more wagons to try out plus 2 barns! Plus the fact we didn't get to meet the lovely Peggy and Brook. Now is probably a good time to mention that Kitty (one of the owners) was more than lovely when communicating on email plus when she came to check in on us upon arrival.

The Duchess ranges in price from £60-£90 per night depending on dates and as mentioned the sole use of the hot tub adds another £25 per visit. Not a bad way to spend a weekend away at an affordable price I'd say!

----------------------------------------

Spring Park can be found at:

Rezare
Launceston, Cornwall PL15 9NX
T: 07805 990302E: springparc@gmail.com

Coming up this week...

... w/c 8th June

Wednesday 10th June
George Ezra @ L'Olympia, Paris

I'm tagging along with my cousin to see how far this guy has come since I last saw him at a sticky floored Electric Ballroom in Camden.

Check him out here with the ever so delightful Sir Ian McKellen!

Thursday 11th June

Dinner @ @Thai Canteen, Ealing

Didn't happen last week so we're trying again!

Image courtesy of @ Thai Canteen

Friday 12th June

Jurassic World 

Who doesn't love a bit of Chris Pratt comedy? Add in some crazy dinosaurs and hopefully you've got yourself a winner. One question though... did they not learn their lesson after the last one?!

Saturday 13th June

Lunch @ Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Looking forward to this one! Don't really need to discuss why as I'm sure it's on every foodie's wishlist!

Image courtesy of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Sunday 14th June

Brunch Club @ Kopapa

Brunch Club has been a little quiet of late so this one is definitely a long time coming and one I'm looking forward to. Kopapa has been on my 'must try' list for some time.... even if it is a Kiwi run and owned establishment. ;)

Image courtesy of Kopapa

See you out there!

Little Miss and Mr Men of London

The Little Miss and Mr Men characters are so familiar to many of us (or perhaps my generation) so what if they were slightly modernized and made to fit a London lifestyle?

Check these out on BuzzFeed here and here. 

Yeah... I definitely identify with this lil lady!

This one is definitely the other half... even if he actually wishes that 'cheeky' was every week...

Which one are you?

Hedonistic Eats...

So good it's a sin...

Heddon Street Kitchen, another Gordon Ramsay venture, opened to much hype in 2014 and I've been wanting to visit ever since. My particular reason was for it's special dessert bar but hey... I guess the food was a draw too.

Recently spying a 'Restaurant Week' deal on OpenTable I finally had an excuse to go so made a booking quick smart and waited for the day to come. 

Upon arrival we were swiftly seated at our booth-ish table and left to peruse the menu. The Restaurant Week menu offered a 3 course meal for £26 - not bad considering a) it's Gordon Ramsay and b) there were actually good options!

Amongst the 3 of us we were able to cover most of the menu and let me just say not a crumb was left nor one person left unsatisfied. Portions were normal sized and I was left feeling full and really should have been rolled out the doors. (bread basket was also amazing!)

Entrees: The other half went for the asparagus and parma ham where as the the friend and I went for the soft shell crab. Both options were delicious - hollandaise was tasty and the tempura soft shell crab crunchy and flavoursome yet fresh.

Tempura soft shell crab

Asparagus and parma ham

Mains: The other half and I went for the steak and our friend the trout. Produce was top quality, flavours simple but amazingly tasty. The spring onion mash was to die for and I'm sure I would have been satisfied eating just a bowl of it.

A rubbish photo of the steak as I accidentally deleted the good one. Duh.

Desserts: I went for the soft serve, the other half the milkshake and the friend the pineapple carpaccio. The soft serve was so delightfully vanilla and creamy I was left feeling satisfied. The vanilla Oreo milkshake was a little disappointing needing more ice cream, Oreo and generally more of it all. The pineapple carpaccio was refreshingly zingy and would be a perfect dessert for the coming warmer weeks (it's coming, it has to!).

Though service was good, it wasn't always on the ball but hey, I'm more likely to forgive when there's effort and care given. The atmosphere was relatively buzz-y on a Wednesday evening but calm enough to allow easy conversation. 

Would we come back? I guess the fact we've booked in another meal in a couple of weeks says enough. Though the Restaurant Week menu was good it did leave me wanting to try the actual menu so we're heading back! The bill will undoubtedly be a little more damaging to the purse but hey... when it's good it's worth it! (once in awhile...)

--------------------------------------------

Heddon Street Kitchen can be found at:

3 – 9 Heddon Street,
London W1B 4BE

T: 020 7592 1212

E: heddonstreetkitchen@gordonramsay.com

Opening Hours:

Mon - Fri: 8am - 11pm

Sat: 10am - 11pm

Sun: 10am - 9pm

Coming up this week...

... w/c 1st June

Firstly, how are we at the 1st of June already?!

Monday 1st June
Dinner @ Vapiano

A local (to work) favourite - can't go wrong with their Carbonara! Is it also a sign that there's 2 within easy walking distance to the office?

Image courtesy of Vapiano

TimeOut Card Movie Screening: Spy

Another awesome perk from the TimeOut Card!

Image courtesy of TimeOut London

Tuesday 2nd June

Benedict Cumberbatch Colour Me In  @ Drink, Shop & Do

Research has shown that colouring in actually reduces levels of stress and depression in adults. Add a bit of Cumberbatch in and you're on to a winner!

Image courtesy of Drink, Shop & Do

Thursday 4th June

Dinner @ @Thai Canteen, Ealing

Just a midweek dinner at our local - it's become a firm favourite as it's good, cheap and fast!

Image courtesy of @ Thai Canteen

Saturday 6th - Sunday 7th June

Wedding in Aynho with a stay @ The Unicorn Inn

I may have picked this place because of it's name... further research does show a lot of potential so here's to a magical weekend!

Image courtesy of The Unicorn Inn