A whirlwind winter weekend in Paris

A few weeks ago I went on my first trip of the year to Paris. I managed to snag some bargain Eurostar tickets for my mum's christmas present and conveniently booked it for my birthday weekend. Two birds, one stone eh? It was my mum's first time to Paris and first time on the Eurostar so I was pretty excited to show her around. It's always so lovely to see something through someone else's eyes for the first time.

We were in the French capital for less than 24 hours but we packed in a hell of a lot. After pulling into Gare Du Nord station, we jumped straight on the metro to dump our bags at our hotel. Hotel Cervantes was the perfect location for us and did the job for one night. A 15 minute walk from Galeries Lafayette department store and a 20 min metro ride away from the Eiffel Tower.

Our first stop of the day was the Arc D'Triomphe. I'd seen it a few times but never managed to walk to the top until that weekend. After struggling up the stairs - convinced my mum was going to stop breathing at one point - the view we were rewarded with was beautiful. It's my favourite thing I've ever seen in Paris and looking out at Paris' most famous landmark was pretty special.

Then it was off to Galeries Lafayette, again something I had never done. We wondered around marvelling at the stunning dome before reading the food section to take some goodies home. Sadly we couldn't stay long as we had a dinner reservation at Corsican Le Wagon Bleu. On my mum's bucket list is riding the Orient Express. So as the next best thing, I booked a restaurant in an old Orient Express carriage. It served delicious food, good wine and didn't break the bank. A great choice! We very nearly went straight back to the hotel room after drinking a bit too much wine but we decided to jump back on the metro to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. I am so glad we did as it was the perfect end to the trip. I had such a wonderful weekend away with my mum and made me think why I don't do it more often. We're already planning out next trip!

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How to style a stripy shirt

Outfit:
Blue stripy shirt with embroidery: Zara (similar)
Black distressed ankle grazer skinny jeans: New Look (similar)
Grey tailored coat: New Look (similar)
Faux snakeskin skater shoes: Vans (similar)

Who knew such an urban oasis existed in central London? During a farewell trip to Lily's flat for an annual picnic - good luck in Dubai! - a few of us snuck out to snap a few outfit photos. Those pesky bloggers eh? What a treat it was to finally go to the Barbican conservatory. I loved it and hoping I can make it for afternoon tea very soon.

I know I've made a schoolboy error featuring this grey coat in two consecutive outfit posts but I just can get enough of it. It's such a great length and I adore the two splits up the side. I spotted it in the sale before Christmas and managed to blag it as a present. Since having an offer accepted on a house, I've been manically sale shopping because I just can't justify spending too much money on clothes. It's amazing what you can find! ASOS have a great sale section all year round and Love The Sales has 500 retailers all in one place proving you don't just have to wait till January to grab a bargain!

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Restaurant review: Bar & Block, Kings Cross, north London

Despite the huge regeneration scheme Kings Cross isn't an area of London that I frequent too often. My Essex train comes into Liverpool Street so naturally I spend a lot of my time in east London. But when an invite popped up to to try out the new Bar & Block in that part of town, I took it as a sign that I should head north and catch up with Kim. And I'm very glad I did!

Located just a five minute walk from the station, the specialist steak restaurant looks slick and welcoming. After being ushered into our booth, we were almost immediately presented with some addictive beef-flavoured popcorn. After pouring over the cocktail menu, we decided to opt for the refreshing gin smash cocktail. A lovely light choice to go alongside our starters. 

The juicy meatballs were covered in a tangy tomato sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese, Served with crusty ciabatta bread, this was just the right size for a starter and had me looking forward to the main course. My dining companion had creamy mixed mushrooms on two slices of ciabatta topped with a poached egg. I have it on very good authority that this was great too. It certainly looked it!

Given that it was a steak restaurant I opted to go for the butcher's block. This changes daily and I thought it would be good to try something I hadn't had before. On this particular day it was short rib topped with samphire and served alongside beer dripping chunky chips and chimichurri sauce. The meat was tender and the chips were beautifully crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. Kim went for the slow-cooked pork belly on a bed of wholegrain mustard mash with a smattering of rocket and apples. This looked divine and got the thumbs up!

Despite declaring we couldn't eat another thing, we took one for the team and ordered another cocktail - strawberry mojito - and poured over the dessert menu. As soon as I clocked the churro sundae there wasn't any other option. It was a monster when it appeared! Two gigantic churros were on top of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, clotted cream, brownie chunks and biscuit bites. Drizzled with a toffee sauce, it was pure indulgence. Kim's apple and blackberry crumble looked divine too.

Bar & Block is a great addition to the buzzing Kings Cross restaurant scene. There's something for everyone on the menu - even if steak isn't your favourite thing - and portion sizes are pretty decent. Our waitress couldn't have been more helpful or attentive and really made the restaurant experience all the better. Thanks for having us guys!

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