A London summer night

Following a tiring weekend, this week has been a bit painful. Thankfully, it was broken up on Wednesday with a visit from Richard.

We didn't do anything overly exciting but ended up having the perfect summer evening in London which consisted of dinner at Itsu and quite a bit of walking. I won't write much (that's a change!) and let Richard's pictures do all the talking which perfectly demonstrate the beauty of the city...

Good night lovies!

Muah

Roo xx

Let's paint the town...oatmeal?

The problem with renting a flat (which most Londoners have no choice but to do, as the endless newspapers remind us daily) is that you have very little choice over the aesthetics of it, especially when the place is furnished (like mine). Over the last year, I have grown quite fond of the granny-feel of the flat and the old furniture which is dotted in the living room and corridor. As for my room, whilst I quite like the furniture, the orange/peach coloured walls have annoyed me since the day I moved in. It has taken me over a year, but I dedicated this weekend to painting my room; getting rid of the orange and covering the walls in oatmeal...

After a painfully slow week, the weekend couldn't have come quite fast enough and given that Saturday was dedicated to painting, me and Richard made the most of Friday by going out for a lovely dinner in the evening. Richard had booked a table at Aubaine in Wimbledon Village which I have wanted to visit since I first moved to the area. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I fell slightly in love with the restaurant's interior. The whole place was the epitomy of country, shabby chic; the white wood, candles and dim lighting creating a gorgeous, warm (very French) atmosphere. We both chose from the set menu which was limited 2-3 options per course and came with a really quite lovely glass of house wine (far too easy to drink, even for a red!). Me and Richard both had the summer vegetable soup for starters with some of the most amazing, fresh bread ever (I think I would have been happy to just have that for dinner). The soup was good too; I don't think soups can really be anything out of the ordinary. As for the mains, I had sea bream with a quinoa salad which was incredibly good! The portion wasn't huge but when coupled with the starter was the perfect dinner. The salad in particular was very tasty and fresh. Richard had pork schnitzel (not very French at all) which he also enjoyed. My dessert was probably the best (which we both had off the set menu) I've had. Richard ordered the pistachio creme brule which proved to be a surprisingly large portion, not fitting in with the size of the other two courses but actually tasted really good; there was only an undercurrent of the pistachio which wasn't overpowering at all. As for me, I may have had the winner of all desserts; whilst I cannot remember the French name for it, it was basically a chocolate melt with vanilla ice cream. It was wonderfully chocolatey (which I don't typically like) and gooey : the best dessert! I think for our next visit, we would definitely try going off the set menu as the other dishes sounded so good. Either way, it proved to be a wonderful evening with great food and the quiet walk home added to the relaxing, wonderful feel of the evening.

Unusually for a Saturday, both me and Richard had an early start, ready to rid my room of the orange/peach walls. It proved to be a bigger task than we imagined, as 3 layers of paint were required to cover up the bright bright walls. Initially, the task didn't seem all that daunting; having moved the furniture to the middle of the room, with music in the background and the sun shining through the windows, painting walls seemed quite fun. After the first layer of paint though, the fun dissipated and after 12 hours of painting and 3 layers of paint, we were both exhasuted (although if I am being honest, Richard did most of the work - THANK YOU! x) and just about managed to roll into bed.

Starbucks break.
And the result after 12 hours of painting...

 Waking up still exhausted on Sunday wasn't quite the start I'd hoped for for the final day of the weekend. The morning was spent breakfasting and putting all the furniture back in my room. Neither myself nor Richard felt all that great on Sunday so we decided to spend the day at the flat, relaxing. Before we knew it though, we needed fresh air and headed out to Clapham Junction for coffee at Deli Boutique. The French café (I'm sensing a French food related theme this week?!) is a converted house, with the back garden being like the one in any ordinary house - much like my parents' - there being typical homely stairs to lead to whatever is upstairs and the ground floor containing a kitchen and a counter with some delicious looking pastries, the till and some tables. We initially thought to sit in the garden but it was quite busy and the ventilation system was blasting hot air, on an already warm day so went to sit out at the front, taking part in some people watching whilst having our coffees (or hot chocolate, in some cases). My cappuccino was a little too milky for my liking but Richard seemed to enjoy his mocha. I'm glad we tried some place new; having perused the menu, it looked like a great place to go to for brunch and will probably be my next place for that first meal of the day.

After our drinks, we walked up towards the high street to buy some food for dinner. Richard is slightly addicted to Wagamama's Katsu Curry and every time he thinks of ordering it, I brag that I have a pretty decent recipe for the dish myself, so decided to try it out for dinner. Having bought all the ingredients, we headed back to the flat where I started on the cooking. The dish turned out pretty good; having not made it since Uni, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome (Richard seemed to like it too). I plan on posting the recipe soon so anyone else can try it out...

Neither myself nor Richard feeling any better in the evening, we spent the night watching Suits and generally relaxing. It was exactly what was needed after an exhausting weekend!

Muah

Roo xx 

Al Fresco Dining

Somewhat uncharacteristically, London (along with the rest of the country, it seems) has been enjoying some beautiful summer weather over the last couple of weeks. As a Londoner, I am all too aware that this cannot last and so made sure to make the most of it last weekend.

Following a rather painful and long week, me and Richard celebrated the start of the weekend with drinks in Wimbledon Village. We had a lovely walk up to the village (almost managing to avoid the rain completely) and chose to have a drink at Hemingway's Lounge Bar. The cocktail bar was quite busy and unfortunately we missed the before 9pm offer of 2 cocktails for £12 but did manage to find a table outside which fully protected us from the rain, enjoying the still warm evening with the freshness of the rain. I had the Tiki Coco Cabana (which I thankfully ordered when sober and just about managed to say) which was very lovely and a little strong, meaning I was sleepy and tired after just one drink. Yes, I am that rock n' roll...

Failing to have a lie in on Saturday, I had a bit of a fail with breakfast by firstly, not having enough eggs to make my pretend banana 'pancakes' and then slightly charring one of them. Not quite the start I was hoping for, but luckily I had my very strong Saturday coffee which saved the morning. Me and Richard then headed so Southside in Wandsworth so I could prepare for a cousin-reunion picnic that I was going to. I was only required to bring juice and water but ended up buying footballs, cricket bats and colouring books for the kids (and Richard, apparently).

Luckily for me, the picnic took place at Wimbledon Park which meant I had to walk a whole 3 minutes to get there. There was food, cake, drinks and gorgeous sunshine which made for a nice afternoon. The kids seemed to have enjoyed themselves too - the guys played all sorts of games with the kids and once they got bored, I took them to the lake to look at the ducks and dip their feet in the water to cool down. After a little too much food and the perfect amount of sunshine, everyone headed home and I "trekked" home to my flat, to have a quick change of clothes before heading out to Embankment to meet Richard.

 

We had dinner at Wagamama, grabbing a seat outside on Southbank and after a bit of walking (and refusing to queue for drinks) went to Fire & Stone and ordered some Pina Coladas, which although very well priced (at around £6) were quite disappointing, not tasting sweet or alcoholic enough. With our drinks finished, and being absolutely shattered after our days in the sun, we made our way back home.

Sunday had a very slow start which meant that breakfast was eaten at lunchtime and myself and Richard only managed to leave the flat after 2. We headed to Fulham to buy some paint for my room (which I plan to re-paint this weekend - by I of course, I mostly mean Richard) and some food for the day. Having returned home, we had a very late lunch, most of which Richard prepared, which consisted of steak, roasted cherry tomatoes and a baguette. The food was absolutely delicious, made even more so by the fact that we were able to enjoy it outside in the garden.

The evening was incredibly relaxed and we didn't end up doing all that much at all but it was what we both needed. Before we knew it, it was time for a very late dinner which provided me with the perfect opportunity to cook something from Hemsley & Hemsley's new cook book, The Art of Eating Well. Having looked through the book, there were so many tasty looking recipes which I wanted to try, I couldn't settle on just the one, so picked two: Pablo's chicken and superfood salad with miso tahini dressing (recipe can be found here). The chicken which looked and tasted deep fried was actually oven baked and covered in almonds rather than breadcrumbs. As for the super healthy salad; it was sooooo good. Although it was supposed to be enjoyed as a main, it proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the chicken and there was even some left over for Monday's lunch! The sun having set but the weather staying perfectly warm, we decided to enjoy dinner out in the garden too. It was the nicest, tastiest, most relaxing Sunday dinner ever and proved to be the loveliest evening... The ideal end to the weekend.

Who needs a shop when you have these in your garden?!

Happy Thursday lovies!!!!

Muah

Roo xx

Battersea love

After a much needed lie in on Sunday, there was only one thing on mine and Richard's to-do list  for the day: to go out for brunch at Birdhouse in Clapham Junction. Having gone on and on (with the help of Rosie) about Birdhouse's banana bread and general greatness, I created pretty high expectations for the place, so Richard was keen to give the place a try.

Following our late start, the "brunch" was so late in the afternoon, it was really a lunch. Precisely because of that fact, however, we didn't have much of a wait for a table. Along with my latte, I had a slow-cooked egg with polenta chips, toast and cured ham with red pepper "mayo". The main reason behind my choice was the polenta chips which is not something I've heard of before. Although the polenta chips were cooked in quite a bit of oil and tasted a little greasy and the eggs were not quite cooked enough, the meal was generally quite nice; I was glad I tried it; it was quite unique. Richard had a chicken sandwich which he seemed to love. After all the savoury food, we (of course) ordered some banana bread, along with some mocha for Richard (which may be his new addiction) and some very strong espresso for me which took me back to our Rome trip.

After far too much food (and drink), not wanting to go back home nor venture out too far into the city, we decided to take a trip to Battersea Park. Being in my own little world, I was a little oblivious to Battersea Park and didn't have high expectations for the place but given that it was close and in the same area as the Battersea Dogs & Cats home, I agreed to go, adding a visit to see the animals on the to-do list. When Richard said "this is a bad idea" to me insisting on going to the Dogs & Cats Home, he was right. Whilst not being a cat person, I have always wanted to have my own little dog and a trip to look at some, with their sad, sullen eyes that say "Love Me", I was pulling sad and happy faces the whole time and wanted to take them all home with me (and made Richard promise to get me one, some time in the near future: this is now officially in writing, on my blog for the world to see). Having seen all the little, big, cute and scary dogs, we eventually left to go to the park. And what a park it was...

I am sure the beautiful, sunny weather helped but Battersea Park is gorgeous and I fell in love with it a little. It is so vast, has beautiful fountains, quiet areas, grass, sports facilities and gives the general feeling of having escaped the city. It is perfect and may be my new favourite London park (no mean feat)! We mostly walked around the park (with me pulling pouting faces at Richard every time I saw a cute dog: that was a regular occurance).

Yes it's a temple. In a park. In London. 

Having eventually returned home, we went to play some tennis, getting back just in time for a quick shower and the start of the World Cup Final, which thankfully ended just as I'd hoped.

A rather lovely Sunday, if you ask me.

Night

Muah

Roo xx

Birthday filled week(end)

Last week was filled with endless amounts of calls, texts and Facebook messages to my family and close friends, wishing them all a happy birthday. For me, July tends to be a bit like Christmas in the summer: lots of presents to buy and cards to write.

On Friday, we celebrated Rosie's birthday (eve) with some cocktails. The plan was to go to The Bermondsey Arts Club but being unable to locate it (in spite of being on the relevant road and building number) we went to the Aqua Bar in the Shard. It being my first time to the Shard, I thought it was a great substitute and I (and hope Rosie too) had a great evening. After queuing for not-that-long, we somehow managed to grab the last free table. As expected, the views were incredible; we managed to see most of the city from the ideal height of the 32nd floor. The cocktails were quite impressive too; I had the strawberries and cream cocktail which was luscious and best of all had a white chocolate covered strawberry with it (I'm going to be completely honest: it was the sole reason for me ordering the same cocktail again for seconds). I had the nicest evening: the atmosphere (and some of the conversation) had a bit of Sex and the City feel: the ideal Friday night.

 

 

Saturday started off with candles and cupcakes. As it was Richard's birthday (and I am too lazy/not a good enough baker to bake a cake), I decided to replace the traditional birthday cake with birthday cupcakes from Sweet Couture. It being too early for ample sugar and buttercream, Richard only blew out the candles and opened his presents. After a bit of a lie and breakfast (courtesy of me) we got up and ready. The plan had been to take a trip to Oxford for the day but given our not-quite-early enough start and the only-partially-functioning district line, by the time we reached Paddington, we thought it better to stay in the city, rather than rush a trip to Oxford.

Having trekked up to Paddington, me and Richard decided to enjoy the sunshine with a walk up to Notting Hill and lunch at Itsu. The Notting Hill  branch of Itsu is unlike any other I've been to; it having more of a restaurant feel and the menu being quite different. We sat down by the sushi bar where I picked off my plates of sushi from the conveyer bar which I enjoyed with some salmon miso soup, all of which tasted great - especially the miso soup with flaked pieces of salmon. Richard ordered chicken teriyaki which he also enjoyed. It was really a very nice lunch in a lovely, relaxed, restaurant-esque setting. Before leaving, we went upstairs to look at the bar which I fully intend to give try out! After lunch, we took a quick (sort of) trip to Tottenham Court Road before finally heading up Hampstead Heath which I have been trying (and failing) to visit for ages.

The Heath was relatively busy but still maintained a relaxed atmosphere. Having managed to find a fairly quiet space with some shade, we sat there and may have accidentally fallen asleep for a bit. Although perfectly lovely, I wasn't quite as impressed by the Heath, as I'd hoped. Especially when I saw rats running around in the greenery. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a great afternoon and good to feel like we escaped the city without even leaving London but I think that I built Hampstead up in my head too much and it proved to be ever-so-slightly disappointing.

Having spent the day out and with the weather being absolutely beautiful (and hot), we were left a bit tired and decided to spend the evening in. Having bought some Indian takeaway from M&S (which proved to be very tasty!) we spent the evening relaxing, watching some World Cup football and having some of Richard's birthday cupcakes for dessert (which, incidentally were delicious, if a little over-iced/buttercream-ed).

Happy birthday to all my lovelies who celebrated their birthdays last week!

Muah,

Roo xx

A visit to the zoo in the dark

The last week and a half has been a bit of a blur as I've rushing around here, there and everywhere which is part of the reason behind my lack of blogging.

Last weekend, with Richard exploring Europe with his sister, Megan (lucky sods!) I decided to dedicate the weekend to my family. On Saturday, after a relaxed morning, I prepared lunch for Edita's visit. She brought over her wedding dress which she tried on (me being the amateur photographer), whilst I tried on my bridesmaid  dress. With the flat to ourselves, we had the nicest afternoon and evening, chattering away and drinking too much wine. On Sunday, I went to visit my parents, where I had some delicious food and had a lovely catch up with my mum. 

The rest of the week consisted of work, work and more work, along with a catch up with Frosty. 

After a long, painful week, I celebrated the start of the weekend with a trip to the zoo. To celebrate summer, every Friday, the London Zoo hosts Zoo Lates - an adults only evening at the zoo. Me, Richard, Natz and Co decided to try it out. 

Myself and Richard got to the zoo before the others, using the opportunity to grab a bite to eat (a combination of a Pret salad and Pad Thai from the zoo which was really quite delicious!) We then decided to look at some animals which proved to be quite disappointing. After much searching, we managed to find some penguins, llamas, camels, monkeys and tigers. By the time we found Natz and the gang and grabbed some cider, we were told that the animals were "asleep" and all we managed to see after that were snakes and lizards (not all that interesting or great, in my humble, city-girl opinion). Once the animals went to sleep, that's when the short lived (we were thrown out at 10pm) party started. We found ourselves in a carnival atmosphere, with music, shows, tricks and a silent disco. It was really quite a unique experience; looking at the animals, amongst the smell of alcohol and although the variety of animals was disappointing, the evening turned out to be pretty great and the carnival exactly what I would have hoped for!

With the disappointing weather on Saturday, me and Richard decided to have a relaxed day with a trip to Ikea. We spent the afternoon walking around, admiring all the rooms and grabbed some Swedish meatballs for lunch. In spite of my numerous trips to Ikea, this was my first try of the meatballs which proved to be quite delicious (and very filling!). Being Ikea'd out, we then did some (extensive) food shopping, before returning home absolutely shattered. After unpacking all of the shopping, we went out again for a game of tennis in the park. 

On Sunday, to celebrate the men's Wimbledon final, we had a BBQ at the flat. With an early(ish) start in the morning, me and Richard spent the morning preparing food, sorting the flat out and making a huge mess in the kitchen. Thankfully, absolutely everyone was late which gave us a chance to create the impression that we were completely prepared! The BBQ turned out to be pretty great; it was lovely to have everyone over; friends and family who I usually don't get a chance to hang out with together. Sadly, the result wasn't what I would have hoped for but nevertheless, it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon and a great tennis match!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Muah,

Roo xx