London Town; Summer in the City

Happy Sunday babes! I can’t believe it’s already the final day of July… where is summer going? This Saturday me and my boyfriend took a little day trip into London town to make use of our Buy A Gift vouchers we had for a Thames river cruise and the London Eye.

We started the day with a quick browse on Bond Street before heading to Carnaby Street for lunch at Kingly Court. We had our favourite vegan burritos in town from Club Mexicana, a fully vegan Mexican restaurant chain which even meat eaters will love.

From Westminster Pier we then caught a City Cruise boat for a tour down the river. It was great to see the city from a different perspective on the river and the live tour guide commentary was very interesting and actually quite amusing too.

Despite it being overcast, it was in fact a very warm and pleasant summers day in London. Following our cruise down the Thames, unfortunately we didn’t make it in time for the London Eye which to our surprise, closes at 6pm! So instead we went to Between the Bridges on Southbank for pre-dinner drinks, naughty chippies and some live music.

For dinner I booked us a table at Cote located at Hays Galleria with a terrace over looking London Bridge. It was lovely warm summers evening perfect for an al fresco dinner riverside.

I had my favourite Paillard Salad served with chargrilled chicken breast, French beans, endive, lettuce, hazelnuts, croûtons, tarragon and caper dressing. My boyfriend had the classic minute steak served pink with garlic butter, peppercorn sauce and frites. As usual the food at Cote was divine and service was fantastic, French cuisine at its finest!

I couldn’t resist a cheeky Espresso Martini to finish my meal. We had a long train journey back so this was more than necessary and the perfect way to end our summers day in the city, as those stunning golden hues showered the sky at sundown ❤

Cheers to my Gals; Always & Forever

This Saturday I hosted a long overdue night with my girls complete with prosecco, sunshine, delicious food, catchups and plenty of laughs as always.

We started the evening at mine with sundown drinks in the garden. I put out a few nibbles, got some tunes going and chilled the bubbles ready to pop when the girlies arrived at 6pm.

As the glistening light of golden hour was upon us, we chatted away and enjoyed the final hour of sunlight whilst grazing on yummy snacks and sipping our prosecco, the picture perfect summer evening setup.

I had booked a local pub for dinner at 8pm, so we finished up in the garden and locked the house before getting a lift to The Leather Bottle.

I booked a terrace table as the long summer evenings are heating up and an al fresco dinner is a must. We were on a high from the bubbles and now onto the red wine, so it was cheesy drunken grins all round!

It was a long wait for the food, but we were so occupied nattering away to even care. We went straight into mains and I had the prawn and chorizo salad served with harissa chickpeas. A nice light dish on such a warm summers night and super tasty too.

Following this, the other girls had desert and I had yet more wine… safe to say we were pretty tipsy by the end of the meal. It was a fabulous night with my girlies and I feel so lucky to have such close friends who keep me sane and keep me wild; always and forever love. ❤

Howdy Summer; Cowboy Boot Moment

The UK sun is here to stay as it’s set to be a scorching few weeks of glorious sunshine ahead. So with the first heatwave this weekend, I booked an al fresco dinner date with my boyfriend at the Bel and the Dragon in Odiham.

Cowboy boots are having a major comeback and I’m here for it! I finally got a pair from Stradivarius and I’m obsessed; they go with everything from jeans and shorts, to cute dresses and skirts.

With it being almost thirty degrees on Saturday, I paired my boots with denim shorts, a white tank and my oversized Jaeger blazer to keep the chill off my shoulders later into the evening.

We sat outside in the quaint courtyard of the pub which was buzzing on this stunning summers day. I enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine as we browsed the menu and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere.

For dinner I chose a delicious linguine of Devon crab served with spring onions and chopped chilli & garlic, whilst my boyfriend had the grilled 9oz Hampshire ribeye steak medium-rare served with triple-cooked chips and peppercorn sauce.

We also shared a side of roasted broccoli with chilli and garlic. The food was exquisite and the service impeccable, definitely a step-up from your average pub and it felt like such a treat. Very satisfied customers indeed.

We enjoyed another drink together there in the final hours of daylight before heading over to another pub for more drinks with friends. A perfect little summer’s date night with my boyfriend.

I just love getting dressed up and experimenting with cute outfits for our date nights. I’ve always loved my fashion and so these fun evenings out are a chance to get creative and feel fabulous in my carefully curated wardrobe of clothes – cheers to expressing yourself! ❤

Kettner’s Soho House; Guestlist Only

The famous Soho House collection has a number of stunning locations across London open exclusively to members only. So when my Aussie Auntie and Uncle announced they were throwing a private party at Kettner’s Studio, I was thrilled to finally get a look inside one of the Soho House London city hangouts for myself.

We got the train into London Waterloo followed by a quick tube over to Leicester Square and a short walk to Kettner’s located in Soho. London was buzzing on a Thursday night; I just love soaking up the bustling atmosphere of the city on a warm summer’s evening.

Arriving at 6:30pm, we were greeted by the family with a welcoming glass of champagne which continued to flow all night of course. It was a very special occasion in celebration of the Australian crew in town only for that one week.

We had our own private room with this feature bar exclusively for our party. I was obsessed with these exquisite champagne coupes, the only way proper champagne should be served.

They had selected three cocktails to choose from: a spicy margarita, a cucumber tonic with gin or vodka, or the Soho House special ginger flavoured concoction made with tequila. At this point I was double parked, so I thank my boyfriend who ordered me a diet coke at this point to break up all the alcohol!

Soon the canapés came out and later on some more substantial bowl food. I wasn’t too impressed with the food to be honest, but something was better than nothing to soak up all the champagne.

I actually didn’t get many photos of the evening as I was just enjoying every second with my international family whose time with us is so precious. Nothing like a few blurry group pics for the memories though.

We caught the last train home just before midnight which was super busy too. I had the most wonderful evening with my awesome family in the most idyllic surroundings of Kettner’s beautiful champagne bar. These are the moments I will cherish forever – Love you family ❤