June Fun Things – Part 2

So I have to admit that June has been a pretty quiet month for me, with one thing or another going on, but I’ve just about managed to stretch it to 10 fun things this month (ish), although sadly I haven’t got round to doing the Harry Potter tour yet!

I should also point out that this is a very restaurant heavy blog post!

5) Avenue Restaurant

Another OpenTable find, a few friends and I tried out Avenue a few weeks ago. When we were deciding on where to go, we saw that it was American inspired. If you’re looking for an authentic American diner, this isn’t the place for you, but well worth a visit. It definitely reminded me of a few places I’ve been to in Manhattan (that sentence makes my life sound A LOT more interesting than it actually is), and the food, wine and cocktails delicious. I’d say that it’s definitely somewhere to go for a treat – we had 2 courses for £20 on OpenTable, but that wasn’t including drinks, although we did get a free glass of Prosecco. But it made for a really lovely evening, and as it was still sunny when we left, we had a wander around the area on our way back to Green Park.

 

6) Hamleys

It was my Godson’s 1st birthday and my cousin’s 40th birthday this month, so we met up in central London for birthday celebrations. As my family live outside of London, it was nice to experience the tourist side for once. Top of our list of things to see (with a 6 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old in tow) was Hamleys – I haven’t been since I was a child, and I must admit, was quite excited at spending the afternoon surrounded by toys. I was sadly excited by the lego bus stop outside (although didn’t manage to get a photo), and just about managed to survive 7 floors packed with children whilst pushing a buggy. And if you’re wondering, my favourite floor was clearly the princess Barbie floor…

7) The NightJar

This was perhaps my favourite place I visited in June. I’ve been wanting to go for ages, and never got round to it (read: incompetent, disorganised ex-boy). You have to make a booking to even have a chance to get in here, which I really like, as it built up the excitement. The Nightjar is a hidden away jazz bar in Old Street which serves AMAZING cocktails – one of ours was served in a shell (yep, you read that correctly), and another had a chocolate spoon. We arrived at 8 and ended up leaving at midnight – the jazz was great, and it was a really chilled out place to sit and chat for a few hours (and be amazed at all of the cocktails on offer).

8) Udderbelly

Number 8 on the list was Frisky and Mannish at Udderbelly on the Southbank. A few friends and I go each year and it’s always a real giggle. We all love Frisky and Mannish, as I strongly believe you can’t go wrong with ironic comedy pop. Udderbelly the tickets are generally really cheap and it’s a great way to enjoy a school night – all in an upside down purple cow!

9) Smokehouse

Sticking to my very restaurant themed month, I visited Smokehouse in Islington. I hadn’t heard of it before, but my friend had been a few times and was keen to go back, and a few girls in the office were quite jealous I had a reservation so I was excited (and starving!) when it came to visiting on Friday. It definitely didn’t disappoint – the building itself reminded me of a cosy pub you would typically find outside of London, and again, it was a great place to sit and chat. I went for the Grilled Salmon with chili and peanut relish, as well as the sticky toffee apple cobbler and both were delicious. Again, it was really chilled out, and I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you’re North London based.

10) Fig & Olive/ Upper Street

My final thing this month was brunch in Fig & Olive, and general wanderings around Upper Street. My friends and I have lived in this area for a good while now, and we absolutely love it. Although we had to queue to get in to Fig & Olive, it was well worth the wait (and our fault for not making a reservation), and we had a really lovely brunch catching up over a few glasses of Pimms and Bloody Marys. Afterwards, as we made our way back down Upper Street, we took a look in the few independent shops – I love how much they seem to love and support the local area as well. One of my favourite ones to browse is The Only Place for Pictures – I’d say my friend and I spent a good 30 minutes in there, looking at all of the pictures on offer. Whilst most people in their mid-20s fear middle age, I genuinely think that my friendship group can’t wait – we spent the afternoon fantasizing about the kitchen ware we could own when we had our own houses, and the art we would buy to hang on the walls. I’m almost 100% sure that we’ll look back at ourselves when we’re in our 40s and think that we were ridiculous. But in the meantime, I invested in this cool print from Big Jon for my room, which I’m particularly proud of.

July might be quiet (and distinctly Austrian/ German themed) as I’m on holiday for 10 days, but I’ll try to cram as much in as possible whilst I’m on UK soil. As always, let me know if you have any suggestions for good things to try out! xo

June Fun Things, Part One

So firstly I have to admit that I only reached 8 fun things in May – life got in the way etc etc, although I did get a new job which surely boosts it up and above 10 (if you REALLY think about it…).

Even though we’re only in the first week of June, I’ve managed to cram quite a lot in, so I thought that it merited a blog post whilst I had a spare half an hour to write it (the bank balance is definitely suffering…thank God for the new job).

1) Speed Dating

If you’ve read my previous blogs/ Twitter feed/ know me you’ll know that I’m recently single (AGAIN). I’ve been moping around for a while about it (not that the idiot in question particularly deserves that much of my time, but still), so when my friend asked if I fancied joining her, I decided to force myself to go along. We chose a fairly cheap option (2 for 1, yes please) and decided that our coping strategy was alcohol. After sharing a bottle of prosecco we went along to the bar in Farringdon. We had 15 dates, each 3 minutes long. After a few G&Ts we got started…if I’m being 100% honest, I can’t say that the guys on offer were great (one particular guy REALLY wanted to get to the bottom of my last break up…that makes 2 of us) but it was a giggle and a small step to getting my confidence in dating back. And in case you’re wondering, I don’t know if I got any matches, because we got too drunk to ask for the pin to log them online…

2) Changed my hairstyle

I’ll be honest, this blog is very much going in the direction of me being in the stage of a break up where I get out there and do something about it, so the 2nd ‘fun’ thing for June is going back to blonde. I was always blonde up until last year when I decided to try out brunette. I liked being brunette, but it just wasn’t ‘me’. I’ve been going to Rush King’s Cross for a while now, mainly as it’s about a minutes walk from my office and their 50% discount on colour on Tuesdays is a pretty good offer. Although there was a slight mix up with my appointment, they were really apologetic and ended up doing a great job with my hair – as I was still brunette I was wary when they suggested highlights, but it came out looking sun-kissed which is a great way to start the summer…

3) Cinnamon Kitchen

Partly to celebrate my new job, and partly to catch up with my friend we decided to visit Cinnamon Kitchen in Liverpool Street for dinner (and partly because it was 3 courses for £21 including a cocktail on Open Table…). I’ve been a couple of times a few years ago and really liked the menu then, so was looking forward to visiting again. I tweeted a really off-hand message a couple of days before saying that I was looking forward to celebrate my new job there and thought nothing off it (since I tweet about a million times a day). We had a really lovely meal there, including a blueberry creme brulee which was AMAZING and were about to ask for the bill when the waitress brought out a cake with ‘congratulations’ written on the plate. We genuinely thought that they’d got the wrong table, but she then said it was to celebrate my new job…it was a really lovely touch (although I am a social media geek, since I work in marketing, so I was probably a little bit more excited about it than others would be) and I’ll definitely go back to the restaurant again with such great customer service, food and cocktails.

4) Brixton Village

I met up with a few university friends over the weekend, which was really lovely in itself, as I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to. We thought it was going to rain and couldn’t decided on where to go, until one friend suggested Brixton Village. I’d not been before (living up to the North London stereotype) but I’d heard some really great things so I was excited to check it out. It ended up being lovely and sunny, which was a bonus and it was great to check out all of the stalls on the market there. We ended up going to Jalisco, a Mexican cafe, for a very long lunch, and discovered their amazing Margaritas (as well as their HUGE burritos).

I’m hoping that June stays sunny so I can try out more outdoorsy things in London – hopefully going to try out a Harry Potter tour next weekend, which the geek in me is SO excited about. Let me know if you have any suggestions… xo

May #10FunThings – 6,7 and 8

Whilst my memory is fresh, I thought that I would update my blog with numbers 6,7 and 8 of May’s 10 Fun Things. Due to a few other things going on May has been a fairly quiet month, but it’s impossible not to find something fun to do in London!

Fun Thing #6

As a colleague was over from the US, we took it upon ourselves to show her some of the tourist sights of London. We started off with dinner in Dim t in London Bridge and we were lucky enough to get a table on a busy Friday evening without a booking. The food and drinks were delicious, and the menu impressively catered for a whole host of allergies and intolerances in our group. We ended the night with a walk along the Thames to take in the sights of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and HMS Belfast. When I first arrived in London 7 years ago, one of my first nights out involved crossing Tower Bridge with the Thames lit up – this has really stuck in my mind, and I truly believe that no other city can rival this beautiful view.

Fun Thing #7

A few friends and I regularly meet up for a monthly gossip session, and May was no exception. We were looking for somewhere in North London to meet, and stumbled upon The Grill on the Market in Smithfield Market. The menu looked good so we decided to give it a try. We had a few cocktails in the main bar area (taking full advantage of Happy Hour) when we first arrived, and then moved through to the restaurant. I really would highly recommend The Grill on the Market – the food was amazing, and it was a relaxed atmosphere – perfect for a catch up. Although the restaurant was busy we didn’t feel rushed at all, and the staff were friendly, whilst letting us catch up in peace. I’ll definitely be going back to try out the rest of the menu.

Fun Thing #8

My final Fun Thing for this blog post is something that money can’t buy (look away now if you don’t like football)…Arsenal winning the FA Cup. If you know me/ follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’m a MASSIVE Arsenal fan and I attend most home matches (as well as living about 5 minutes walk from the stadium…). I love going to the football, even more so because it’s with my Dad. We’ve always been close, but what I really like is that the football is our thing that we do together, just the 2 of us. We were lucky enough to attend all of the FA Cup rounds this season, from the rainy matches in January, through to the semi final in April in Wembley, but unfortunately weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket for the final. We did however attend the live screening at the Emirates, which was the next best thing and fueled on by (very expensive) rounds and the atmosphere, celebrated Arsenal’s first trophy in 9 years with 20,000 other very happy Gooners. As I live so close to the stadium, I went along to the victory parade on Sunday and it really reminded me (although I am Islington’s biggest advocate anyway), why I love the borough. I love how a club can bring together people from all walks of life, just for the weekend in common celebration. I especially love that 2 guys who celebrated so hard that they slept in our front garden before walking to the parade on Sunday. Freddy – if you’re reading this, you’re welcome, hope the hangover wasn’t too bad.

I’m keeping this blog post short and sweet, mainly because I’m using it as a way to procrastinate from a million other things in life that I need to sort out. I need to find two more fun things to do this month, so let me know if you have any suggestions on something a bit out of the ordinary, and I’ll happily try them out!

xo

 

#10FunThings – May, Part One

I’ve decided to break my May 10 Fun Things up in to two posts this month, mainly because I’ll probably forget the first 5 by the time I’ve completed the final 5…

Fun Thing #1

My friend and I visited Dirty Martini in Covent Garden last Thursday for a much needed catch/ good place for me to moan about my current boy sitch. Happily this coincided with Happy Hour, and we treated ourselves to a cocktail or two. My personal favourite was the Passion Fruit Martini, which tasted just as good as it looked!

Dirty Martini is definitely a great place to go with the girls and reasonably priced (for central London), regardless of Happy Hour. I’ll definitely be heading back in the future to try out more of the cocktails on offer…

 

Fun Thing #2

My Mum came down to visit over the weekend, and we decided to treat ourselves to a spot of retail therapy. My Mum wanted to visit Regent Street, so we decided to take a look in Liberty whilst we were in the area. Although I’ve lived in London for 7 years now, I’ve only ever been to Liberty once before when I was younger, and intrigued by the recent behind the scenes documentary, was pleasantly surprised. Although most things were out of my price range, I treated myself to a few bits and pieces, and now have my purple Liberty bag hanging in my room…

Fun Thing #3

Having decided to brave Oxford Street, we remembered that John Lewis was celebrating its 150th birthday, and had opened
up a garden on the roof. As it was sunny we decided to explore further, and it was well worth it for the views. As there was deck chairs and a cafe up there, we stayed for a drink (whilst working on our tans…) and it provided a nice escape from the busy streets below…

After a rough few months, it was nice to be able to spend time with my Mum, who really does offer the best life advice (however much I used to doubt that in my teens). My personal favourite pieces of advice this weekend were a) “No offence, but he sounds a bit wet” and b) “I really do think you only need to keep him around as your back up plan”. Wise words from the mother….

Fun Thing #4

I mentioned this in my April blog-post, and managed to visit this time around. After 7 years in London, and one history degree, I’ve finally managed to visit Westminster Abbey. Mainly due to my inner history-geek, I’ve always been quite fascinated by it (more so after the royal wedding/ White Queen….) and I battled through the tourists to visit on Bank Holiday Monday. Although we were greeted by a long queue and a sign saying we’d have to wait for 45 minutes, we only ended up queuing for about 15. Although the ticket was quite steep (£18 for an adult), I’d say it was worth it for the sheer amount of history you get to see (if that’s your thing). More excitingly, you can see Britain’s oldest door whilst you’re there (although the ban on photography meant that I sadly wasn’t able to document this momentous occasion in my life…). The gift shop’s also worth a visit, to fulfill all of your William & Kate memorabilia needs…

Fun Thing #5

Finally, completing my first 5 Fun Things in May was a trip to Flemings in Mayfair for afternoon tea. Having spent a few hours wandering around Westminster Abbey/ St James’ Park, we’d built up an appetite by the time we arrived and Flemings didn’t disappoint. I went for the Darjeeling tea, which I had a constant supply of, and I was a particular fan of the macaroons and scones, although I sadly didn’t have enough room for the chocolate cupcakes. As in April, we took advantage of the Emerald Street 2 for 1 offer, and the bill came to a total of £31 between us….well worth it for the relaxed atmosphere, delicious food and stylish surroundings…

One thing that didn’t quite make the final cut, but deserves an honourable mention anyway was good old Vodka Revolution in Clapham Junction, purely for taking me back to the days when I was pretty much still at school, and for the very drunk soldier who tried to kiss my hand to prove he was a gentleman and accidentally ended up licking it instead. A low point, in the life of Emma…

I’m on the lookout for more Fun Things to fill my time with in May, so if you know of anything particularly exciting/ unusual happening in London let me know (and the cheaper the better….)

xo

#10FunThings

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed recently that I’ve been using the #10FunThings hashtag. After a personally challenging few weeks, I wanted to find a way to shift my bad mood and decided to set myself a target of doing 10 fun things in 10 days. Not as easy as you’d think when you’re working with a limited budget, and a 9-5 to contend with during the week.

Luckily, I live and work in central London, so I had plenty of options on my doorstep, and after spending the previous 3 weeks sulking in my PJs at home, quite frankly anything counted as fun at that point in time.

Having had a really great reaction on Twitter, I decided to put all my finds into a blog post and I’m hoping to continue my #10FunThings quest in the future (but maybe not all in a row, or my bank manager might actually kill me…)

Fun Thing #1

Day one started off in Fire and Stone in Covent Garden for a much needed catch up with one of my closest friends. Fruity cocktails, 2 pizzas for £12 (with chorizo and roast potatoes as a topping…) and cinnamon covered dough sticks provided an excellent accompaniment to our chats about grown up life and relationship woes. I would highly recommend a visit to the restaurant – the staff were super friendly, and the food delicious. And a big shout out to their Twitter account manager who provided me with the #10FunThings hashtag.

Fun Thing #2

Day two involved a visit to one of my favourite locals, Highbury Barn with the flatmates. A few bottles of wine and the gloriously named Godfrey’s Bangers and Mash provided the perfect setting for a girlie night out, and, at the time, the very amusing what would Will do motto (don’t ask…), making the inevitable next day hangover worth it.

Fun Thing #3

I decided to treat myself and hit the shops as my 3rd Fun Thing. Working in King’s Cross, I’m perfectly placed to pop along to The Brunswick Centre – I’ve never been one to resist Joy, and I treated myself to a few accessories to help improve my mood…

Fun Thing #4

Day 4 meant another dinner with friends, this time at La Tasca in Covent Garden to make the most of my 50% Tastecard option – my friend’s musings on men and their failings certainly gave me reason to smile….

Fun Thing #5

Perhaps one of my favourite days, day 5 was courtesy of my Dad’s very generous birthday present: tickets to see Arsenal play in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Although the match wasn’t the best, the penalties at the end and spending 3 hours with very drunk Gooners certainly made my day. The £5 I spent on a Smirnoff Ice (desperate times), not so much…

Fun Things #6&7

Sunday meant that I had plenty of time to fit in fun things in London. Although we originally planned to visit Westminster Abbey for a bit of culture-vulture time, turns out it’s closed for the whole religious thing on Sunday. Who knew? So instead we settled on London City Farm at Mudchute, and stumbled upon the London Marathon on the way. Although I sadly missed out on a selfie with a piglet, I did manage to get one with a donkey (a proud social media moment) and also discovered the delicious ice cream they serve there. The farm is free, and I’ll definitely be taking my God-daughter at some point. Walking round a farm and watching the marathon accidentally (not to mention battling past the 1000s of tourists) proved tiring, and Fun Thing #7 relaxed us nicely. I’ve always been a fan of afternoon tea, and when Emerald Street emailed a 2 for 1 offer earlier in the week, I jumped at the chance. We settled upon the Charing Cross Hotel, and we weren’t disappointed – plenty of cakes, sandwiches and tea was the perfect end to a day in the sun. I’m already planning my next afternoon tea looking at the list of delicious options on the Emerald Street website….

Fun Things #8&9

Days 8 and 9 proved tricky, as I had to travel up to Harrogate for work at the last minute. However, plenty of free wine and food, and staying in such a beautiful town gave me plenty of time to reflect on the past few weeks, and discover the delights of a Yorkshire sloe gin cocktail…

Fun Thing #10

My final Fun Thing ended in Canterbury, with a much needed catch up with some old school friends at Chimichanga – good food, and hilariously named cocktails (Havana Good Time, anyone?) were the backdrop to a lovely evening.

Whilst I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of things to do in London, the last 10 days have shown me that no matter how down in the dumps you feel, there’s always something to cheer you up, no matter how small it seems. In my quest to regain my sparkle in the next few months, I’m looking forward to exploring more places and blogging my findings. The cafe run by grannies in East London is next on my list of things to do….