London Eats; Nem Nem Vietnamese

Happy bank holiday weekend! The weather might not be showing up for us here in the UK, but that didn’t stop me and my girl friends having a fun day together in London yesterday. Our dinner at the popular Islington neighbourhood spot Nem Nem was particularly special and too good not to share with my fellow foodies.

Located on Upper Street since it opened in 2015, Nem Nem has earned a name for itself for serving the most authentically delicious, yet affordable Vietnamese food in town. With our reservation at 8pm on a Saturday night, the place was bustling and packed out with diners, so I’d definitely recommend booking to avoid disappointment.

To start we ordered a selection of dishes including the prawn summer rice paper rolls, the vegan crispy spring rolls and the vegan Hanoi battered ‘fish’. The prawn rolls were the perfect fresh, light appetiser and the vegan fish made with marinated aubergine in a light batter was incredible.

For mains I had the squid mango salad with a side of rice which I shared with my friend who was having the squid salad too. Everything was so tasty and seasoned to perfection with the herbs and spices which feature so heavily in Vietnamese cuisine.

The portions were certainly generous and with a bottle of bubbles and a few other drinks as well, the final bill came to £28 per head. An absolute bargain for a two course dinner with wine in the centre of Islington London.

Service was very attentive and friendly and we didn’t have to wait long for food despite it being peak dining time. With another restaurant now open in Hoxton called Nom Nom, I’d say this is one of North London’s best kept secrets for exquisite Vietnamese cuisine complete with plenty of vegan options too. Highly recommend this restaurant next time you’re visiting the area and looking for a good value lunch or dinner, just make sure to book beforehand! – https://www.nemnoms.co.uk

Saturday Scenes In Surrey; The Ivy Asia Guildford

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 ❤