Restaurant review: Cooper & Wolfe, Clapton, north London

Clapton isn't a place I'd visited before and nor was it really on my radar but Hannah suggested we make the trek for her birthday to try a Scandi inspired cafe. Keen to relive my Copenhagen memories, I couldn't be happier to try it. Based a fair walk from Lower Clapton station, Cooper and Wolfe is located on Chatsworth road - a hustling main road connecting Hommerton and Lower Clapton.

The rustic cafe was full of yummy mummies and a warm, cosy atmosphere. It was welcoming and felt like the type of place where you could mill away for hours over cake and coffee. Which is exactly what we did! Having skipped breakfast I decided to opt for the traditional Swedish meatballs with creamy mash potato, topped with a creamy gravy sauce, pickled cucumber and fresh lingonberry jam. It was delicious. The tender meatballs were a generous size and the lump-free mash melted in my mouth. The perfect rainy day treat! No lunchtime outing is complete without a sweet treat though. After lots of deliberation, I decided to end the meal with a slice of the chocolate guinness cake topped with cream cheese icing. It was very rich but just the ticket.

Cooper and Wolfe was a delightful find. The staff were great, portions fantastic and the food delicious. We didn't feel rushed in the slightest making it a fab place to hang out for the afternoon for an almighty catch up. I paid around £12 for a drink, meatballs and slab of cake which I didn't think was too bad for an area that is fast becoming hipster central. Definitely somewhere to keep an eye out for if you ever find yourself in Clapton!

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My top 5 favourite places to eat in London

Dishoom
Having tried both their brunch and their main dinner menu, Dishoom is up there as one of my favourite places to eat in London. The varied menu is exciting and pushes the boundaries of what we expect to have from an Indian restaurant in the UK. The sharing menu encourages everyone to dig in and try a little bit of everything. The service is always great and the food never disappoints. There's a branch in quite a few areas of London with my favourite one being the Kings Cross restaurant. Personal favourite dishes include the black dal, bacon naan, okra fries and gunpowder potatoes. It's so easy to over order which is part of the fun!

Honest Burger
I've tried a hell of a lot of burger joints in London but I still keep coming back to Honest. Brixton has to be my favourite branch but I'll go anywhere. Still need to try their brunch though! The burgers are juicy and flavoursome paired with the most addictive rosemary fries. It's such good value for money and you never have a dud. Definitely the first place I recommend in the city if anyone needs to have a burger fix.

Shackfuyu
If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would have to be those Korean fried chicken wings above. I just can't get enough of that spicy sauce. I would go time and time again just for those. It's not the cheapest of places to eat but they do a cracking brunch deal that is a great introduction to the menu. And it's unlimited Prosecco. Need I say more?

Duck & Waffle
For our anniversary we headed up to the top of the Heron tower to have an unforgettable brunch. Sadly it was raining but that didn't take away from the incredible views of the city from the 40th floor. Open 24/7, we decided to opt for brunch. I had the signature duck and waffle and it was a dream to eat! It's definitely not a cheap eats option but somewhere I think everyone should visit at least once.

The Barbary
A recent find, this Covent Garden gem is the sister restaurant of the Palamor. Inspired by the north African coast, it's an electric mix of small sharing plates. The signature dish of Pata Negra Neck (pork neck) came drizzled with honey and a sprinkling of sea salt. So tender and juicy - a real star of the meal. It's set around an open kitchen so the atmosphere is great - a great place for a lazy lunch.

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Restaurant review: Bluebird, Chelsea, west London

Chelsea is a part of town I very rarely venture too. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times I have been there. But since I started working in west London, I'm determined to explore more of the area. Which is why I jumped at the chance to try out the new menu at Bluebird when they got in touch. My mum came to meet me after work and we had the most wonderful girlie evening full of gossiping, cocktails and good food.

Set in the heart of the Kings Road, the new a la carte menu in the first floor restaurant has been given a new lease of life by executive head chef Liam Smith-Laing. To start, we were recommend two cocktails as we scanned the menu. I pumped for The Botanist. Using one of my favourite gins as a base - The Botanist - the cocktail was refreshing but with a slight sour kick thanks to the campari. My mum opted for The Chelsea Flower served in a twee vintage milk jug. Once again a gin based cocktail, this also boasted fresh raspberries, apple juice and pomegranate liquor.

After lots of discussion we decided to share two starters. Huge crispy tiger prawns with an addictive aioli sauce and flavoursome queen scallops with spicy chorizo and apple crumble. We fought over those delicious prawns! The batter was light and crisp and the aioli was so creamy. After scoffing the starters we were excited to taste the mains!

I heard lots of good things about their seafood so for the mains I opted for the charred mackerel fillet, salty pancetta and borlotti beans in a tomato sauce. A really good sized portion, the fish was cooked to perfection. My mum decided to try the Norfolk lamb rump on a bed of merguez and bulgar. My mum loved the Middle Eastern inspired favours. Despite feeling pretty full, we still decided we have a little room to try their desserts!

I went for salted caramel profiteroles with a decedent warm chocolate sauce. Oh they were delicious. So light and fluffy with a great crunchy outer. I could have eaten double the amount! My mum's dessert wasn't very photogenic and I struggled to get a decent picture but, take it from me and her that it was incredible too. Topped with creamy ice cream the winter crumble was the ultimate comfort food. And the perfect end to such a great meal!

Bluebird was such a lovely evening out. Despite being fancy we never once felt out of place. We were blessed with knowledgable and friendly waiting staff, delicious food and a fantastic atmosphere. It's not cheap but if you're looking for somewhere to celebrate a special occasion then it should be top of your list.

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Restaurant review: The new menu at The Diner, London

The Diner has a special place in my heart. Back in 2012 I think I went once a month and it was always the 'blogger' hang out. We gossiped over chilli cheese fries and put the world to rights. But I haven't been back in a couple of years as you know London is a big place and new places are opening all the time. There is a reason why places are old favourites though. The Diner got in touch to tell me about their new menu and offered me a chance to try it out for myself.

My boyfriend and I trotted to east London for a monster lunch in celebration of it being the weekend. After scouring the menu and sipping on cider we decided we couldn't not have the crispy bacon jalapeño tater tots and wet fries in bacon gravy and topped with lashings of melted cheese. The wet fries were a revelation. The rich bacon gravy partnered with the melted cheese was comfort food at its finest. For our mains we both couldn't resist the BBC dog. The frankfurter sausage in a  toasted bun was filled to the brim with spicy chilli, gooey cheese and crispy strips of bacon. It was so big that it had to be eaten with a knife and fork.

Despite having full bellies we decided to take one for the team and share a cookies and cream cheesecake. Chunky oreos embedded in a creamy cheesecake was the perfect end to such an indulgent lunch. After all, go big or go home!

The Diner as always is a good solid bet. The prices are reasonable, the portions satisfying, the food delicious and the decor on point. The waiting staff couldn't be more helpful and made it a joy to stuff our faces. We won't be leaving it two years before we return again!

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Restaurant review: Shackfuyu, Soho, London

Way back in September, we all scheduled in a trip to Japanese restaurant Shackfuyu to try their new brunch offerings in celebration of Lily's birthday. We'd been before to try the dinner menu but as massive fans of brunch, we were all desperate to try their new offering.

Priced at £35, the Sunday brunch includes unlimited prosecco or pineapple sake. God I love this unlimited trend in London at the moment. I opted for a glass of prosecco while I drooled over the menu. Included in the price were two small dishes and one big dish - an insane amount of food and a combo that will leave you waddling out of the building. You also get a fresh fruit platter and their famous french toast served with green tea soft serve for dessert to share.

After lots of deliberation, I decided to go with my old faithful Korean fried chicken wings. These are absolutely incredible and one of my favourite things I have eaten. Anywhere! The sweet, spicy sauce scattered with sesame seeds with the succulent chicken is just the perfect combination. Then keen to try as much as we could, Hannah and I tag teamed and picked two things to share. Intrigued by the green tea waffle, we decided to have this as one of our options. Topped with crispy, smoked bacon, gooey maple syrup and a black sesame butter, it was well worth the punt. A great sweet tweet for such a savoury brunch. We also shared the Katsu Sando which was a breaded chicken in a sandwich with a tonkatsu sauce. A bizarre concept but something that I really enjoyed. The sweet sauce was extremely addictive. For our large dish Hannah and I decided to share the beef short rib as we'd had it before and fell in love. Incredible tender beef served with a bundle of iceberg lettuce and two sauces. Prepare to fight over the last piece if you go for this!

Once again it was another successful trip to Shackfuyu. Service did leave a lot to be desired at times as it was slow despite it not being overly busy. But they were pretty quick in filling up our glasses which is always a winner. I think the brunch is great value as a good amount of food is on offer. I'll definitely be back!

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Restaurant review: the new Autumn menu at Pizza Express

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll already know about my love of Pizza Express. So when an email dropped in my inbox asking me if I wanted to try out the new autumn menu, I obviously said yes! So I invited the best friend and we trotted along to our local branch for an evening of pizza, wine and an almighty catch up putting the world to rights.

Offering a range of drinks, starters, mains and desserts with a bustlingly autumnal feel, it was a hard decision to decide what to try. In the end I opted to start with Risotto Fresco, literally a comforting hug in a bowl. Piled high with fresh peppered salmon, juicy tomato, crunchy red onion and a splash of chilli oil, it was absolutely delicious. I almost wish I had sized up and ordered it for my main but alas I was here to try the pizzas. I drooled over my friend's portion of a creamy mushroom bruschetta with lashings of béchamel sauce and sharp balsamic vinegar.

For our main, curious by the thought of ceaser dressing on a pizza I pumped for the Rustichella Romana. Served on a thin and crispy base, the pizza boasted salty pancetta, creamy mozzarella and roasted tomatoes before being topped with a handful of peppery rocket and shavings of strong hard cheese. I'm a massive fan of rocket on a pizza as I think it helps to add a little freshness. I've had many pizzas in the restaurant over the years but I think this one has to be one of my favourite combinations!

Finally to end the meal we were tempted by the chocolate fondant with a melted rich chocolate middle alongside vanilla gelato and the intense honeycomb cheesecake with a layer on salted caramel on a biscuit base. I'm not usually a chocolate fan but this just popped out to me and I'm so very glad it did. That warm melted chocolate alongside the cold gelato was a match made in heaven.

Once again Pizza Express have pulled out some corkers for their new autumn menu. Everything I tried was delicious and it's so nice to see the menu switched up a bit. If you only have one thing, make sure you go for the risotto. I'm dying to go back and try it again!

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Restaurant review: Snaps & Rye, Ladbrooke Grove, west London

Three months later and I'm still going on about my trip to Copenhagen so when Hannah suggested we try out the Danish restaurant Snaps & Rye, I was more than game. Based in Ladbrooke Grove, the restaurant specialises in brunch and lunch but does a set dinner tasting menu from Thursday to Sunday. Priced at £35, it included four courses and changes weekly with a choice of meat or fish. Nice and intimate, the restaurant is full of Scandic-chic interiors. Hairpin chairs, maps of Copenhagen and a sleek neutral colour scheme. The perfect place to whittle away a few hours enjoying good food and company.

This time we started with a bite-size treat of what I believe to be smoked haddock on a piece of rye bread. Not pictured because it was soon wolfed down! Rich and flavoursome, a great introduction to what was to come. The first course was deep fried egg on a bed of green beans and pickled mushrooms, topped with parmesan cheese shavings and a sprinkle of watercress. With a perfectly cooked yoke, the dish was simplicity at its best. It was so well put together and was a joy to eat.

Next up was smoked duck paired with artichoke, apple, red cabbage and rye. Delightfully fatty, the duck was tender and intensely flavoured. The crunchy red cabbage salad seemed to be the perfect accompaniment. For the main, I opted for the flash-fried smoked eel in cider, mustard, kartoffel and a ham crisp. The spicy mustard sauce was delicious and the eel was deliciously juicy. Such a great dish, one I would never have put together but one that I couldn't get enough of. Finally for dessert it was a divine rich, gooey chocolate brownie topped with yogurt and berry compote.

Snaps & Rye was one of the best places I've eaten at in months - I can't sing its praises enough. The food was incredible, the portions were generous and the staff were very friendly. I couldn't fault the food and it was such great value. I love the fact they change their menu weekly so I can't wait to go back and try some other dishes. The brunch menu is calling my name!

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