Bottomless boozy brunch at Avenue, St James, London

There is no denying that bottomless boozy brunches are still gaining popularity – the idea of combining brunch (one of the best meals of the day) and booze is a wonder child. The good news with them increasing in popularity isn’t just the fact you have legitimately have prosecco with  your eggs benedict or a bloody Mary with your pancakes, but that places are doing them bigger and better!

Just after Christmas I blogged about Shoreditch’s Forge and Co. Great prices and a decent helping on the bottomless prosecco for two hours!

Well today I am going to blog about Avenue, in London’s St James area. 

Brunch at Brickwood, Tooting Broadway London

After a particularly heavy birthday celebration one Saturday night courtesy of my friend Frenchy, we went to refresh ourselves with a brunch in Tooting Broadway Market.

I used to live in Tooting Bec a couple of years ago but it has developed since then, with cute cafes and brunch places popping up everywhere. 

Our chosen venue was Brickwood, tucked in the corner of the market.

A boozy brunch at Forge and Co Shoreditch

Who doesn't like a weekend brunch?
Who doesn't like a weekend brunch that also involves booze?
Lots of booze at that - unlimited in fact!

unlimited prosecco at Forge and Co 

Boozy brunches are the thing right now. I love it!

I went to one a few weeks ago with the Boy and the girls from home, to Forge and Co in Shoreditch, London. Eggs Royale with bubbles, what's not to love? 

Vauxhall City Farm, London

We office workers are notorious for not taking a proper lunch break, even though we all know that it is good for you, but what better excuse to have a lunch break than going to see some farm animals! 

That is exactly what me and my friend did on our lunch break the other day, taking a quick trip to Vauxhall City Farm, a stone's throw from Vauxhall underground and station. 

feeding time! 

love that the rabbits and chickens are
playing together 

how cute is he! 

Vauxhall City Farm is absolutely diddy, so it is a perfect quick trip just to get some fresh air and for a moment, get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

look carefully and you'l see the dead Xmas
tree in the background

loving the pony! 

They have the cutest animals, from rabbits, chickens and shetland ponies. My favourite though were definitely the llamas and alpacas (sorry I still can't tell the difference) - they are the weirdest looking creatures with their long  noses, buck teeth and deep stare! 

The Big Easy Bar.B.Q Crabshack

The other day, me, the Boy and a few friends ventured to Covent Garden for a Sunday lunch at The Big Easy Bar.B.Q and Crabshack (it is also labelled as a lobstershack which seemed to totally confuse me!). There is a Big Easy on Kings Road near to where I live but since moving to the area, I had yet to go, so I was really looking forward to it! 

After being seated with the others (at first the waitress tried seating us with a 70 year old couple - we might have been drinking heavy the other night, but not that heavy), we were offered a menu that was tasty BBQ come American diner, offering steaks, grilled seafood and of course, lobster. 

served with a bib for you messy eaters! 

Seeing as the lobster was a pretty good deal, this seemed obvious choice. 

the whole lobster deal

leather jacket - River Island,
top (with matching skirt) Miss Guided 

For £20, you can get a small whole lobster, with a portion of tasty chips and sauce, which seems to me a pretty sweet deal but it also comes with a slushy cocktail! Yea it was a Sunday but when it is technically free, it would be rude not to have a strawberry daiquiri slushy. 

lobsters are actually blue, they change colour when cooked 

crack 'em open for a low cal meat 

Afternoon tea at The Ritz, Mayfair, London

As a treat, I took the Boy for a spot of Afternoon Tea at The Ritz last week.  We have done our fair share of afternoon teas but I think this is up there as one of the best! Not surprisingly I guess, as the world famous hotel is renowned for its sophistication and well, poshness!

ready to tuck in! 

doing my best posh pose

my afternoon tea outfit - white shirt & tulle skirt

Walking in to The Ritz, you are instantly met with an elegant decor. A gorgeous colour scheme of cream, gold and rose (one of my favourites actually) decorates the Palm Court where Afternoon Tea is served.

The whole place is so striking, with the high ceiling, decorated walls and ornate features. Even the ladies "powder room" was impeccably polished!  
I absolutely loved it. 

how decadent is the ceiling! 

gold statues, this must be posh! 

I had to take a photo of the powder room! 

Smart waiters in their tail-coats start the tea by bringing you your tea (there is a selection of 16). The Boy went for the English Breakfast, a classic, but I opted for an orangey one. There was so much tea as well! The tea pot was huge!!! Although I would advise that you don't fill up on tea before you get to the sweet stuff! 

In true tradition, the afternoon tea is served on a three tier rack with finger sandwiches (with the crusts cut off of course), a plate of tempting pastries and a plate of fresh scones which comes with a huge pot of cream and strawberry jam! 

cakes and finger sandwiches 

Eat Tokyo! Japanese restaurant Soho, London

I have blogged about this before but the restaurant has moved so U feel I have a duty to my fellow Japanese food lovers to let them know! 

My favourite Japanese is called Eat Tokyo and their Trafalgar Sqaure branch has gone bigger and better (and less queue time) and moved to Soho. I am addicted to Japanese and have to get my fix every couple of weeks! 

Eat Tokyo serves up the tastiest, freshest dishes which are totally authentic and delicious. Call me biased but Japanese is my favourite cuisine (Lebanese follows in second). 

a salmon and chicken teriyaki bento 

tucking in to my bento! 

If like the Boy you're unsure what "takoyaki" "udon noodles" and "jyu" are, fear not. The whole menu has pictures so you know what you're ordering! 

I have been eating Japanese food for 20-something years and I am still learning! They do everything from set menus, sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempura, the list goes on. The feel inside is relaxed and friendly, unpretentious and cosy.

kobacha - pumpkin croquettes 

Four Corners cafe, Lower Marsh, Waterloo London

The other day at work, me and my friend grabbed a bite to eat on our lunch break, popping over to the Four Corners Cafe in Lower Marsh, Waterloo. I have been there a few times but haven't got round to sharing it on my blog. It is such a cute little place though, I want to share it with you as it is worth a lunch if you are in the area. 

the four corners cafe, lower marsh 

friendly staff serve your needs

Serving decent sandwiches, soups and tempting cakes, this is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat. It also has that vibe where you could happily sit all day with your laptop, working away, ploughing through tea. And you'd be there a while as it has the largest loose tea selection!

mozzarella and rocket 

serrano and cheddar 

I love the concept of the cafe, which as the name suggests, has a focus on world travel. From the decor to the merchandise, you'll feel at home if you like to travel. They even have lonely planet guides on the side for you to browse whilst you dine. 

travel inspired decor 

plan your next trip with your cake! 

We opted for the ciabatta style sandwiches - I went for mozzarella, rocket and pesto and Georgina went for serrano ham and cheddar. I was trying to be good that day so skipped the cake, but they did look good! 

soya hot chocolate for me 

slurping on my hot chocolate 

Unlike other cafes, Four Corners sells wine and beer, which is a nice touch I think! My favourite though is their tea and coffee infused spirits, such as their earl grey gin and tonic (which I have confirmation from my dad that this is pretty good).

X x X 

Christopher's restaurant Covent Garden, London

Last week I took my dad for a treat of a meal to celebrate a new promotion. Seeing as my dad now lives in Cambodia and is forever moaning saying that there aren’t enough nice restaurants in the area, I knew he’d be wowed by my choice of restaurant – Christopher's in Covent Garden.

our feast! 

Christopher's Covert Garden

He’d mentioned before that they have a fabulous bar downstairs, serving the best martinis, although he had never eaten there, and he was right. Accidentally arriving 25 minutes before our booking, I had no other choice than to prop up the bar and order  myself a martini. 

My choice? The Earl Grey Mar-tea-ni. Get it? A tasty blend of Earl Grey infused gin, Earl Grey tea syrup, fresh lemon juice and orange bitters. 

Earl Grey Mar-tea-ni and a classic Martini 

When my dad arrived we ordered some particularly strong dirty martinis and headed upstairs to the restaurant. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was impressed by the place!!! Elegant and classic, this was a lovely setting to celebrate.

tuck in! 

The "validation facial" at Lush Spa

For my birthday last year (a whole 13 months ago!) the Boy treated me to three spa treatments at the Lush Spa on Kings Road in Chelsea - the sound bath, a tailor made massage (read the blog about that here) and a validation facial. If like me, you didn't realise that the Lush cosmetics company also did spas, then look into it! They are so amazing and nothing like other beauty spa treatments you might have tried before! 

ready for my facial!

The year has gone so quick and I still hadn't made it back for the facial, but with a trip to New York coming up, I felt that last week was as good as any time to have it.

spa treatment room 

Having had two gorgeous treatments there already I knew I was in for a treat and I was right. If I could some up the treatment from start to finish, it would be "wonderful".

Lush seem to employ the happiest, friendliest and most relaxed staff and just talking to my softly spoken therapist made me feel ten levels calmer.

my skin was in need of a facemask! 

Asking about my skin needs, he took me through the shop, giving me the chance to play with the products, smelling them and touching them, to see what ones I would like to use in the treatment. Plopped on to a round slate, by the end it looked like an artist's palate! Let's hope it can make my skin a work of art!

the beauty products I chose 

Maxwell's bar and grill, Covent Garden, London

Last weekend, before heading to the Prince Edward Theatre to see Miss Saigon (read my blog entry about this musical here), we needed somewhere in Central London to eat. Trying to think what was around Leicester Square, we decided to head 5 minutes further to Covent Garden, as I find that everywhere around there is just the same old same chain (if anyone does have any suggestions for cool eateries then let me know).

classic - burger and fries

I have been to Maxwell’s in Covent Garden once before but only for some pre-event cocktails with the girls. Although being a food perv, I had a good look around at what was on offer and it looked pretty good, so I decide to take the in-laws there.

the place was packed!

Maxwell’s is a large American style grill, serving up big hearty plates of burgers, grills and platters. The vibe is relaxed and friendly, filled with chatting families and groups of friends laughing away. 

The décor is kind of like an American diner (think wooden seats and booths) and dark panelling on the wall. The service was ten out of ten! They waitresses and waiters were all so friendly and even though rushed off their feet, made the effort to accommodate you and check that you were happy with the meal.

my dinner! 

Miss Saigon, West End London

Last night my lovely inlaws took me and the Boy to see Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End, something we were keen to see after we saw a snippet of the songs at West End Live (a free day at Trafalgar Square showcasing the top West Ends shows - see my blog here). If you like the music in Les Mis, then I think you'll like Miss Saigon as the music has the similar kind of dramatic, theatrical style of songs. 

the legendary Miss Saigon 

Seeing as I didn't know the plot at all before going, except that it was based on the Vietnam war, I was surprised (in a good way) about how political, how sad and also how sexually suggestive the show was! But all this combined made it up to be a really great production! 

waiting for the show to begin!!! 

The essence of the show is the love story between an American marine who falls in love with a Vietnamese prostitute and vows to return to Saigon to bring her back to the USA. However, because no true love story can be without pain and a struggle to return to your loved one, the reunion of the two is not an easy one. I don't want to give anything away for those that haven't seen it, but the ending is certainly not one that I was expecting! This is not your standard happy ending, it is not all sunshine and roses! But because of this, it made it pretty refreshing and keeps the audience on their toes in my view! 

London Cocktail Week #LCW14

I first heard of London Cocktail Week last year but never got the chance to get involved, so when my friend suggested it this year, I jumped at it. For those of you that haven't heard of it, the organisers mark it as "a unique celebration of our capital's unrivalled cocktail culture. For seven days, 200 of the best bars throw open their doors to offer £4 cocktails to wristband wearers, plus there’s pop-ups, parties and tastings galore. A festival to inspire, educate and unite cocktail lovers across our brilliant city". 

A festival to 'educate'? Perfect! It is a legit way to get cheeky with come cocktails! 

We decided to make the most of it - start East and spend the afternoon (and evening) working our way into Central London and then back down to SW. 

Rachel, Charlie, Me  "cheers"

It is such a clever event, as it allows you to try bars and cocktails you never normally would. So for me, it meant exploring Shoreditch and finding out that after years wrongly snubbing egg whites in cocktail, it makes it really frothy and it delicious! 

First up for us was Hixter near Liverpool Street, with the Autumnal Orchard - a tasty blend of Tanqueray gin, sweet vermouth, apple juice and elderflower cordial. This was one of my favourites actually - good cocktail and loved the comfy sofa chairs and the super soft blankets. 

chilling outside Hixters 

Next up, was Barrio East which had such a funky, colourful vibe and the food looked incredible (I have told the Boy that he needs to take me there for a date night). If I am honest, the Island Jam cocktail was a little to sweet for me thanks to the vanilla syrup and raspberry jam, but the setting was great. They also do a daily happy hour until 8pm!

camper van seats at Barrio East 

adding the finishing touches 

Our third bar on our "cocktail Safari" as my friend Charlie dubbed it, was the Golden Bee in Shoreditch which was a right find! We found this totally by accident as we looked up and saw this cool roof top bar and just headed there with no idea what bar it was. Relaxed and unpretentious this was quite a cool spot although the cocktail however was Jack Daniels based which none of us liked except Frenchy, who courageously took it for the team and finished ours off!