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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Falling victim to the London bubble

I spend so much of my time in one of the most multi-cultural, forwarding thinking cities in the world. A city so rich thanks to embracing other cultures from around the world. I surround myself with people with similar views on both politics and the essential purchase of a Mulberry handbag. I follow strong, independent women on Twitter that encourage me to be the best of myself. People who are desperate to make a change and have their voices heard.

But then I see comments on newspaper sites, hear people discussing things in the street, and catch posts on social media. Then realise that I've fallen victim to the London bubble. I have forgotten that there is a huge world outside the city and despite my thoughts, it is not the centre of the universe. There's a vast majority of people all over the world straining to get their voices heard too. But not always doing it in the best way. To put it nicely. People are angry and frustrated, desperate for change. But in their desperation, they're blaming the wrong people, taking the wrong action and being blindsided by toxic information. Change doesn't come from the status quo, of voting in the exact same type of people who believe in making the rich richer and poor poorer. It comes from men like Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders who offer a different type of politics. I understand their sometimes stubborn stances are not for everyone but there's lots of other people who offer different views. It's a just a matter of finding them. You'd be surprised at what people are fighting for.

The world is so uncertain at the moment. Sometimes I just can't comprehend what is happening at the minute and I feel at such a loss. It feels like something I would have been learning in my A Level history class. But all is not lost. I've watched Hillary Clinton's gracious speech numerous times and cried. In the face of defeat she was empowering and humble. You don't fight hate with hate. You defeat hate by standing up with love. And boy is there endless people in the world showing love to each other. I proud to say I know some of them personally.

The world has just lost it's way at the moment but it will find it's way back. It has too.

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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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