Review: Nopi, Soho, London

I'd been eyeing up Nopi after hearing rave reviews about the cookbook. As tempted as I was to take the plunge, I wanted to try out the restaurant first. Luckily Hannah suggested it for brunch so off we went one Sunday morning.

We opted for a spot at the communal table downstairs in front of the hustle and bustle of the open kitchen - right in the heart of the action. The clattering of plates and chopping of knives wasn't a distraction in the slightly. Simply adding to the atmosphere. Coming hungry we decided to opt for three dishes to share. Gotta try as much as possible right?! Shaksuka (baked eggs) with chunky sourdough, beef brisket hash and corn and polenta cakes were the meals of choice.

The beef brisket hash just melted in your mouth and had a great flavour. The crispy potatoes may have been slightly overdone but it didn't take anything away from the dish. Just a matter of personal preference. The corn and polenta cakes were the stand out star for me. Perched on top of smashed avocado and smothered in a mixture of green leaves and fried egg, these fluffy parcels were delicious. The dish felt light, filling and the runny yolk was the perfect finishing touch. Finally the baked eggs were packed with peppers, tomatoes and smoked cream. The dish had a great kick to it and the sourdough was the perfect partner to mop up all the juices.

Nopi was brilliant and the brunch has made me desperate to try even more of the menu. There's so much I wanted to order. I'd also love to go along for dinner but I've heard it can get quite pricey. I think it's about time I invested in the cookbook to recreate the dishes at home!

These pictures were taken using a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. As a iPhone nerd I'd always wondered about the other side. And when I crossed over to the other side I was delighted. The camera on the phone is absolutely great and hands down is one of the best phone cameras I've ever used. An Instagrammers dream. Thanks for letting me try it out Three mobile! Keep an eye out for some more reviews showing off the camera over the next week.

Read more

Timex A/W collection

A few weeks ago I was invited along to have a sneak peak at the new Timex a/w collection at Shoreditch House - a venue that has been on my wish list to visit for ages! A brand I have a soft spot for and a venue that promises to offer fantastic views of the city? Win win situation! The American heritage brand certainly had a lot of fancy watches to show off.

I found that brightly coloured material straps were very popular. These statement watches had a great nautical theme to them. In fact, I was lucky enough to take home the yellow and blue number and my boyfriend is already trying to steal it from me - the little rascal. The straps on the Weekender Fairfield are reversible making them perfect for those who change their mind like the weather!

If leather straps are more your jam, the earthy neutral watches come with matching face. This heritage collection offers a more subtle watch but still makes a style statement.

What I loved most about the different collection was that they were all unisex and timeless. I got the impression that wouldn't date and would look just as good now as they would in ten years time. Perfect for an investment piece. Can you believe the brand is over 160 years old?

Do you have a favourite design? Thanks so much for a lovely evening Timex - my wish list is now as long as my arm!

Read more

Review: Origin's Of pop up, Blessings, Spitalfields

After sampling my first Lebanese meal in Cologne last month, I was eager to try more Middle Eastern inspired dishes. So when an invite to the launch of Origin Of landed in my inbox, it seemed like fate. I hotfooted it down to Spitalfields with Lily to see what the new Middle Eastern inspired pop up had to offer.

Situated in the instagram friendly venue of Blessings - see picture below for reference - we were taken upstairs where the food didn't stop coming. First up for the absolutely tantalising spice infused buttermilk chicken topped with crunchy radishes, cucumber ribbons and a slither of scotch bonnet mayo on a flatbread. to give it a satisfying kick. This was by far my favourite dish and I could have eaten it all night. Next was the veggie version. Buttermilk fried cauliflower poppers. Just as addictive.

The pace was changed with the introduction of beetroot falafel and a selection of mouth-watering dips such as sumac yogurt, tahini hype and fresh sweet chilli. The falafel were perfectly cooked with a delicious soft middle topped with sesame seeds to give them a crunch. Finally we rounded off the evening with a bowl of creamy hummus and soft flatbread. The olive oil was the perfect finishing touch.

The kitchen is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4pm till 11pm. Get yourself down to Spitalfields and make sure you don't miss out!

Read more

Recipe: Apple cider cake

When Waddlegoose offered to send me some of their cider to try, I immediately thought of baking with it. Coming in two delicious flavours, crisp apple and fruity berry,  the first flavour seemed the perfect one to create a cake. The flavoursome new launch from Aspell, gave the cake a delicious flavour without being too over-powering. It's even better the next day served with a steaming hot cup of tea!

Taken from a Paul Hollywood recipe

Ingredients
100g unsalted butter
100g unrefined light muscovado sugar
2 free range eggs
225g plain white flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp of cinnamon
150ml of cider

For the glaze
Icing sugar
Cider

Method

1.  Heat the oven to 160 degrees - adjust the temperature if you don't have a fan oven. Grease a cake pan and line with baking paper.

2. Beat the better and sugar together using an electric hand mixer. Once fluffy, beat in the two eggs.

3. In a separate bowl, shift the flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together.

4. Using a metal spoon, fold in a third of the flour into the beaten mixture. Then half the cider. Fold in another third and then the rest of the cider. Finally fold in the final third of flour.

5. Transfer the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Cook for around 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it as mine was ready within 20 minutes.

6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before taking it out and leaving it to cool full on a wire wrack.

7. Once cool, it's time to make the glaze. Mix icing sugar and cider together to create a thin glaze. How much you use is depending on your taste. Pour over the cake before leaving to dry.

8. Tuck in and enjoy!

As always please do tweet me if you try this cake at home. It's definitely one I'll be trying again!

Read more

Hotel review: Hotel Lyskirchen Cologne, Germany

For our trip to Cologne we wanted a hotel that was central yet far enough away from the main strip to still be quiet - it's never about only having a few hours sleep. We stumbled across Hotel Lyskirchen*, a modern hotel close to the River Rhine.

Offering 105 rooms, free wifi and air conditioning, the hotel is located 1.5km away from the famous Cologne Cathedral and just 300 metres away from the old town. Our economy room was a good size, with a fridge, sofa and wardrobe offering lots of storage space. It was so lovely to not feel cramped as what is common with many city hotels. Check in was a doddle and the staff were extremely helpful - I felt like I could go down quite easily if I had any queries. The breakfast buffet was the perfect way to set us up for the day - so much food! I'd really recommend booking Lyskirchen if you ever find yourself in the city!

Read more

Exploring the UK: Regents Canal, London

Ah North London. One of my favourite parts of the city. I love the fact that each place is so different. It almost feels like each place is a little village within a big city. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like you're in the city at all. Angel is brilliant for a night out. Camden is great for trying lots of new foods.  Primrose Hill is a fantastic place to soak up the city sights. Regents Park is the perfect place to lose a few hours. The list goes on and on.

A new place I've recently discovered in North London is Regents Canal. Last weekend was the first time I'd taken a walk down the canal. I'd sat on the walls in camden eating street food and has some outfits snapped in Kings Cross. But never walked along it so I decided to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine and tick it off my list.

Starting at Granary Square, we started to head north. Buzzing with cyclists, dog walkers and people sitting at the edge indulging in a few ciders, it didn't feel like we were in the capital city at all. We walked and walked until we hit Camden. We battled through the crowds at Camden Lock before rejoining the canal front and walking past London Zoo in Regents Park. We left the canal for a trip up to Primrose Hill to take in the city in all it's glory. If you carry on you'll hit Little Venice.

All in all the leisurely walk takes about 50 minutes. A good stroll to burn off lunch, admire the pretty houses and be at nature. One I'll definitely be doing again when summer hits.

Read more

OOTD: Star print shirt

Outfit:
Star print silky shirt: Boohoo* Only £8 in the sale!
Khaki trench coat: Primark (similar)
Ripped ankle grazer skinny jeans: F&F (similar)
Red skater shoes: Vans (similar)
Red lipstick: 97 Incandescente Chanel
Poppy red Lily: Mulberry

How beautiful was the weather last Saturday? It finally felt like the spring we've all been waiting for. The sunshine prompted a an impromptu day to trip to North London. We didn't really have any plans in mind apart from a trip to Dishoom. It was so nice to go with the flow and aimlessly wander around the winding streets without an end destination. We ended up walking along Regents Canal from Kings Cross to Camden, trekked to the top of Primrose Hill for the incredible view above, marvelled at all the huge houses in St John's Wood before heading over to Abbey Road to laugh at all the tourists holding up the traffic trying to recreate the Beatle album cover. It was time to head home when it started to rain for a bottle of wine in bed to watch Jonathan Ross. Exactly how all Saturdays should end - what on earth is this going out out business?!

Read more

OOTD: floral dress

Outfit:
Floral skate dress: F&F (similar)
Burgundy leather ankle boots: Next (similar)
Grey and burgundy ombre coat: ASOS (similar)
Poppy red lily bag: Mulberry

Is there a bigger London cliche than red double deckers and the backdrop of Trafalgar Square? Nothing quite like catching the beauty of London when the sun starts to goes down and the city glows. Last month I treated myself to a few things from F&F for work. The supermarket chain always comes up trumps. This in between seasons is making me feel a bit of frump. I'm not quite sure what to wear and my wardrobe is uninspiring. I just wanted a few bits and pieces that I could throw on and look pretty decent. Yet still look presentable for an office despite not having put too much brainpower into choosing the outfit. This 5.30am alarm calls tends to decrease your ability to do much thinking in the morning.

Next week is yet again pretty jam packed but after a few weeks taking it easy I'm looking forward to getting out and about. Seeing things, eating things and doing things. I'm on countdown to a weekend in Leamington Spa at Sarah's with all my favourite blogger girls. A weekend of wine and cake is just what's needed to bring April in with a bang.

Read more

Exploring Cologne: Places to eat

Spending four days in Cologne meant that we literally ate our way around the city. We sampled traditional dishes as well as international cuisines. I think working in London has turned me into a massive food snob and I struggle to find food that hits my high standards. But Cologne did well. It's not the best food I've ever tasted but it hit the spot and I don't think we had a dud meal. So where did we stuff our fat faces?!

Beruit
I had wanted to try Lebanese food for a while but just never got round to it. When we found that a restaurant in the top 20 on TripAdviser was just a five minute walk from our hotel, it was fate that we finally got a chance to sample the cuisine. Tucked away down a side street, this unassuming restaurant doesn't really look much from the outside and it's tiny. It was packed but luckily we soon found a table. As complete novices we had no idea what to order so we opted for the sample menu which consisted of different hot and cold meze to start, lamb skewers with flatbreads and a milky pudding for dessert. It was such a feast - so much so we had to leave at 8.30 to have a lay down at the hotel. Definitely somewhere to put top of your list if you ever make it to Cologne.

Brauhaus Sunner Im Walfisch
After googling the best pork knuckle in the city, the dish at this beer hall was in 4th or 5th place. It was a stones throw away from our hotel so it won. The atmosphere was buzzing with locals and tourists enjoying themselves. We didn't even need to look at the menu, already knowing exactly what we wanted to order. The gigantic tender pork knuckle came with creamy mash potato, thick sweet gravy and a mountain of sauerkraut. The meat fell off the bone and the crackling was perfection. Definitely somewhere to go for a quick casual dinner or lunch.

Fruh Am Dom

For our first meal in the city I was determined to hunt down some traditional German grub. We opted for the nearest beerhall we could find in our Lonely Planet bible. What a good choice it was. This no nonsense, no frills restaurant was the perfect place to have our foodie introduction to Cologne. Although the waiter misheard my boyfriend's order and brought him the wrong food. But being the Brits we are, we never complained and it turned out to be a great alternative - he was glad of the mix up! The food's never going to win any gourmet prizes but it's comfort food at it's finest. 

Burgerlich
I'm a sucker for a gimmick and a sucker for a burger. So when I came across a restaurant on my research where you can order on a pop up touch screen, I was sold. I popped it on my list of paces to try if we were ever in that area. After a mammoth day of walking, it turned out we were in the area so decided it was worth a sort. While its not the best burger I've ever eaten, it was a solid 7. The very sweet brioche bun soaked up the medium patty, beef tomato, gooey American cheese and crispy bacon to a tee. The shoestring fries were incredibly addictive and the chilli mayo was a thing of beauty.

La Bodega Tapas Bar
This tapas bar was once again on our list of places to go if we were in the area. We'd had a few beers in a beer hall nearby and decided to opt for a late dinner. After grabbing one of the last tables in the restaurant we set about trying to recreate what we ate in Barcelona. Now it wasn't quite the same as the Catalan city but it was pretty good. We ordered a selection of cream cheese stuffed peppers, a platter of cured meats, spicy patatas bravas and Spanish omelette. I'm still dreaming about those stuffed peppers now.

Read more