Tag: perfection

Monaco Diaries; Fine Wining & Dining

October 13, 2024

Monaco is the epitome of sophistication and class when it comes to wining and dining and we were keen to experience some of the most famous and highly rated hotspots. Here is a brief review of the restaurants and bars we had the pleasure of trying during our long weekend in Monte-Carlo.

*Cafe De Paris

For 150 years, it has been the beating heart of Monaco. Standing proudly on the Place du Casino, the Café De Paris Monte-Carlo is one of the legends of the Principality. An iconic brasserie where celebrities and artists, locals and visitors alike enjoy meeting up at any time of the day, whatever the occasion, to enjoy the art of living, a coffee, something sweet, or a meal to share.

We enjoyed an aperitif at the spectacular feature bar before being seated at our cosy booth table for dinner.

The opulent interiors give art deco vibes and the rich red and gold tones add to the grandeur of the main dining room.

I had a classic Caesar salad with prawns and a side of mixed vegetables; simple yet delicious.

My boyfriend had the roast farmhouse chicken served with vegetables and baby new potatoes.

Everything was exquisite and the service impeccable as you’d expect, a 10/10 fabulous experience at the famous Cafe De Paris Monte-Carlo.

We also went back for a coffee and cake overlooking the Monte-Carlo square on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it was delightful.

*Neptune

Located on Monaco’s Larvotto Beach in a chic and relaxed atmosphere, Neptune offers a creative menu of Mediterranean flavours.

We dined al fresco on the Saturday evening surrounded by palm trees and fairy lights with a live DJ too, making for the perfect date night vibes.

To start we shared the ham and cheese croquettes which were just divine.

For main course I opted for the grilled octopus in a rich marinara sauce served on top of a crisp potato rosti, a deliciously different and tasty dish.

It was an old favourite for my boyfriend, the margarita pizza topped with sun-dried tomatoes, burrata and basil. Service was superb and the chilled al fresco atmosphere made for ideal date night scenes.

*Song Qi

On our final night we were craving a different cuisine, so we found Song Qi Chinese which looked luxurious with it’s beautiful interiors featuring silky green banquettes and flower walls.

Opening in 2014 and born from the gastronomic passion of Riccardo Giraudi, the goal of Song Qi is to provide Monte-Carlo a modern fine dining Chinese restaurant.

For entrées we shared the duck lettuce wraps and a smoked chicken hot and sour soup.

The stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and vegetables in a Piri Piri sauce was my choice for main, whilst my boyfriend had the chicken Kung Po with cashew nut and chillis and we shared a portion of jasmine rice.

Despite the spicy heat of our dishes, it was all exquisite and by far the best Chinese food we’ve had for a long time.

*Amazonica

Moving onto bars, we went to Amazonica upon recommendation from a friend as well as lots of hype about it online.

On a Friday night it was very busy, but we managed to get a table for drinks on the rooftop with a view of the Monte-Carlo skyline.

We ordered three fun cocktails including a smokey mojito, a classic espresso martini and the star of the show, a sweet concoction served in this awesome jaguar head.

Whilst the cocktails were tasty and the vibes on point for a Friday night, unfortunately we had to vacate our table after an hour and just to stand at the bar. I would recommend making a reservation beforehand to avoid this situation, but otherwise it’s a very cool and trendy place with aesthetic interiors.

*Buddah Bar

An exotic and chic venue at the heart of Monte Carlo, Buddha Bar is the trendiest restaurant-bar-lounge in the heart of Monaco. This establishment offers a decor inspired by the Garnier Opera House in Paris, with a subtle mixture of gilded mouldings, ancient sculptures and a colonial Asian setting.

We found ourselves here on the Saturday night following our dinner at Neptune for night cap cocktails. I went super spicy whilst my boyfriend chose a sweet cocktail.

Sat at the main bar area with the giant buddha statue overlooking us, this is another fabulous spot for drinks which echoes that old school money sophistication and glamour of Monaco.

*Le Note Bleue

During our first stroll down to the beach front, we stopped at Le Note Bleue for an afternoon drink in the glorious sunshine. I’d seen online this was a highly rated spot and we got talking to a local couple there with their dog who said it’s their favourite restaurant in the area.

With the French Riviera style white umbrellas and palms decorating the terrace seating, it’s the most picturesque setting for an afternoon lunch or drink on the beach.

So that’s my roundup of the best restaurants and bars we tried whilst in Monaco and there’s no denying the excellent standard of gastronomy; what else would you expect from the land of the rich and wealthy!?

Cheers to a weekend of the chicest wining and dining experiences in Monaco ❤

Santorini Diaries; Fira

August 18, 2024

As the capital of Santorini, the historic town of Fira is the largest and most cosmopolitan settlement of the island. Located on the western coast it boasts stunning views of the Caldera and is another top spot for watching sunset.

We found the the walk from Imerovigli to Fira took about 30-35 minutes down the coastal path, the perfect pre dinner stroll during golden hour complete with sweeping views of the Caldera.

Whilst Oia is known to be the prettiest town on the island, I personally preferred Fira given it was far less busy, it’s equally as beautiful as Oia and as the most historic town it feels more authentic.

When it comes to dining, you’re spoilt for choice with restaurants and bars to choose from in Fira. Upon researching the best spots in Santorini for food, I booked the highly rated and popular restaurant called The Vine, located just above the main square of Fira overlooking the Caldera.

With our front row table during sunset, there was a minimum spend for our reservation making this our most expensive dinner of the trip.

However we made the most of it and stayed for about 2 hours to see through the entirety of sunset; date nights don’t get much better than that picturesque setting!

Cocktails are a must for date night too and they certainly didn’t disappoint. As always it was a Tommy’s Margarita for her and a Classic Mojito for him, but with a sweet strawberry twist.

We ordered sourdough bread and a classic Greek feta salad to start, then I had the most exquisite king prawns with veg to follow and my boyfriend had the sirloin steak cooked medium rare. To accompany our main courses we had truffle mash potato and honey glazed baby carrots.

Service was very good and whilst my boyfriend’s steak wasn’t the best cut, the food on the whole was delicious and wonderfully presented. I would recommend The Vine for couples seeking a special evening during their stay in Santorini.

A boat day during our time on the island was a must, so we booked a sunset cruise at one of the tourist offices in the centre of Fira for just 40 euros each.

To get to the port of Fira there is a cable car to take you down the steep cliff edge, a fun experience in itself. With our boat trip commencing at 3pm on the Sunday, we were greeted by our tour guide down at the port where we boarded this fantastic old pirate style ship.

First we sailed over to the famous Caldera which we climbed in the scorching heat. A sweaty yet awesome experience to be on the top of the active volcano!

Next we stopped to swim in the hot springs before heading over to the tiny island of Thirassia. This used to be part of Santorini before a volcanic erruption many hundreds of years ago separated the land.

The boat trip concluded with a sunset cruise around the port of Oia complete with a glass of wine. A truly magical way to end the day and see the sun go down at sea.

Being dropped back in the port of Fira at about 9pm, we decided to have dinner in town and stumbled across this lovely restaurant Pelican Kipos. With a large outdoor seating area full of greenery and fairy lights, it was the perfect chilled ambience for a Sunday night dinner.

I had the quinoa avocado blue cheese salad and my boyfriend had the spaghetti carbonara. The food was delicious, service very friendly and attentive, and the final bill of about 40 euros was surprisingly reasonable considering this was the centre of Fira.

Another restaurant we didn’t pre-book but came across on our final night stroll into town was Vanilia. Luckily we got seated at the very front of the terrace with uninterrupted views at golden hour, the perfect final dinner setting.

My order was the grilled squid served with a wonderful fresh salsa, whilst my boyfriend had a decadent four cheese pizza topped with parma ham and rocket leaves. We also shared a Greek feta salad as I couldn’t resist another one on our very last night in Greece.

The food came fairly quickly and was delicious, my whole squid was particularly divine. An unexpected 10/10 meal for our last night in Santorini complete with sunset views, but without the super expensive bill you might anticipate somewhere like this in Fira.

By day the capital is great for shopping and exploring the historic streets, whilst by night there is more of a vibrant scene with lots of restaurants and bars staying open late.

So that brings us to the end of my Santorini Diaries series and I hope you found my recommendations interesting and useful. There’s no questioning the idyllic beauty of this iconic island; it’s certainly won my heart and I can’t wait to go back again soon ❤

Saturday Scenes In Surrey; The Ivy Asia Guildford

June 23, 2024

Happy Sunday! I’m still on a high from the most perfect date night yesterday evening in the picturesque town of Guildford, Surrey.

With the sun glowing over Guildford Castle at golden hour, we wanted to enjoy an aperitif on the terrace of The Ivy Castle View. However we settled on a seat at the beautiful feature bar inside given outside was fully booked.

I enjoyed a beefeater pink grapefruit gin and slimline tonic and we shared some olives and rosemary almonds for a pre-dinner nibble.

With 8pm reservations, we finished up our drinks and headed next door to The Ivy Asia for our dinner date. The Ivy is always a treat and never disappoints on the service, food and a buzzing atmosphere complete with exquisite interiors.

We were sat at the counter top overlooking the kitchen where they make the sushi fresh to order and we had a great view across the restaurant too, wonderfully bustling with Saturday night vibes.

To start we shared the duck spring rolls and wonton crackers with a delicious dip. To drink I was on the red wine whilst my boyfriend had a yummy sweet lychee mocktail.

The Ivy Asia offers small plates to share, so it’s a lovely way to get a taste of lots of different dishes. We chose the spicy tuna sushi roll, honey glazed chicken skewers, miso marinated aubergine, sticky rice and chilli noodles.

Everything was so tasty and beautifully presented, but for me the aubergine dish was my favourite and my boyfriend particularly enjoyed the glazed chicken skewers.

As always, The Ivy Asia didn’t disappoint on delivering an overall seamless experience making for the most delightful date night with my boyfriend.

I was a very happy girly indeed; cheers to Saturday date night goals ❤

Burger Season; The Perfect Recipe

June 9, 2024

When it comes to burgers, it’s all about the condiments. Whether it’s a beef burger, chicken burger or vegan mock meat burger, pickles and salad are a an absolute must.

Loaded in a brioche bun I stacked baby gem lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion rings, the vegan patty, gherkins, burger relish and bbq sauce. Served with homemade potato wedges and plenty of salad, this was the perfect date night fakeaway dinner.

Classic, simple, to the point; that’s how you do burger night at home ❤

Turkish Tales; Balmy Nights

June 26, 2023

Whilst Balmy Beach Resort is a tropical paradise by day, it also comes alive at night with live music every evening and cocktails served until the early hours.

I love getting dressed up for evening dinners on holiday and having fun with cute outfits I wouldn’t get a chance to wear out at home.

With our first proper evening at the resort being a Friday night, weekend vibes were in the air from noon and by dusk the live DJ was getting the atmosphere buzzing at the beach bar.

I wore this Stradivarius skort paired with my favourite floral wrap frill blouse, these ASOS woven sliders and my new Dune white crochet handbag with gold chain which I brought in duty free at the airport.

When we were at the airport on our journey over to Turkey, I also decided to really splash out and treat myself to these magnificent MuiMui sunglasses.

I wanted to debut them for our special romantic dinner for two on Saturday evening at the Balmy a la carte restaurant.

First up though, it was sundowners at the beach bar where I enjoyed a glass of bubbly in this beautiful champagne flute looking so elegant next to by cute new bag.

Having got a golden glow from the first few days of sun, I decided to wear this white body con middy dress I got in Australia years ago paired with my pear detail sliders, a pair of oversized white shell earrings and my By Alona gold chain pearl necklace which I wore almost every night, the perfect holiday jewellery piece.

I was feeling very St Tropez in all white complete with those killer sunnies and sipping my champagne at that beautiful boho beach bar.

There’s nothing like dining al fresco on holiday with that salty sea air and mellow pink and blue sky as the sunsets and dusk draws in.

We had a wonderful evening together enjoying delicious food and being looked after so well by our lovely waiter; can you tell he was making me laugh here 😉

Sunday night I wore this tropical print maxi dress which is completely backless and features a flattering thigh split. Very little accessories needed with this number, the dress does all the talking.

That evening the live music was over at the garden bar, where we sat in the charming surroundings of the courtyard and could gaze up at the stars in the night sky.

Monday night I went a little more casual with these black crochet Zara shorts, my boho print bardot style croptop, those timeless ASOS plaited sliders and my usual gold jewellery to complete the look.

And once again we found ourselves down at the buzzing beach bar for post dinner drinks and another live band session.

For the final night we got dressed up and ready for dinner in time for golden hour down by the pool and beach bar.

I had to get out my favourite summer minidress from Abercrombie & Fitch, paired with this pastel pink shell detail ASOS clutch for a pop of colour, and of course my new MuiMui babies.

That golden hour glow was giving me all the fuzzy feels and I just wanted to bottle that magical moment forever.

Once the sun hid behind the mountains and the pastel pink sky set in, we went for pre-dinner cocktails at the beach bar.

We couldn’t have wished for a more exquisite setting for our final dinner at Balmy Beach.

Later in the evening the crescent moon came out to sit just above the mountains at dusk; how peaceful and spiritual this moment felt.

And so that marked the end of our stay at Balmy Beach Resort and we couldn’t be more grateful to the staff who were so kind and friendly in making our time there an absolute joy and pleasure.

Sunset views and moonlit hues; goodnight Balmy Beach ❤

Date Night, Steak Night

May 4, 2021

As the weather here in the UK took a rather miserable turn this weekend, the idea of sitting outside in the blustering winds at a local pub wasn’t the most enticing of ways to spend our Saturday evening. So instead we decided to bring date night to us and enjoy the comfort of our beautiful new dining room with a romantic candle lit dinner.

It was the perfect occasion to try out our new black crockery dinner set complete with gorgeous copper cutlery and our Dartington crystal wine glasses. I wanted to keep our table layout simple with those subtle touches of pattern in the Moroccan style coasters and abstract print mini dip bowls.

My look for the evening was casual yet classic, wearing a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and cute leopard print asymmetric crop top to add a little glam. Feeling fresh and flirty with my post lockdown short haircut, I was ready for a cosy date night at home.

Although I eat a predomenantly pescatarian diet, as a treat I do like to indulge in a good piece of chicken or steak every so often to top up those essential vitamins. We got these filet steaks from Lidl which I plated up alongside my special crispy roast new potatoes, charred broccolini, caramelised onions, mushrooms and a rocket salad. These steaks were top quality and cooked to perfection medium-rare, I would call this restaurant standard grub!

Paired with a fruity Merlot French red wine and our favourite chilled tunes playing in the background, this is how date night should be done ❤