REVIEW: Chicken Shop Tooting

Tooting is my home town and we're not often the location of a new restaurant that has a lot of 'cool' buzz around it. Chicken Shop seemed to pop up as if over night and when I went down there to check out what all the hype was about, I was ultimately surprised! 

STREET FEAST

A few Friday's ago we scrambled out of work and de-camped to East London in the promise of bonfires, street food and alcohol. 

REVIEW: One Kensington

Situated just opposite Kensington Palace Gardens on the bustling High Street, One Kensington is an elegant oasis away from the throngs of shoppers and tourists.

Island Escape

"This land resembles no other place. Sardinia is something else. Enchanting spaces and distances to travel, nothing finished, nothing definitive. It is like freedom itself." 
D. H. Lawrence

Lovely Evening at Bar 366 St John's Hill

Two Loves London were very kindly invited to Bar366 on St John's Hill, Clapham, London for an evening food & drinks. We were warmly welcomed by the lovely staff and were sat on an informal sofa and low table by a big open window, which was perfect on a beautiful early summer's evening. I went with my boyfriend Patrick last Friday after work.

Wet dog days

On our last day in the Lake District we took the dogs on a long, beautiful, hilly walk and had an amazing pub lunch outside in the drizzle. The perfect antidote to congested London living. I am missing the clean air and windy walks immensely.

Weekend in the Lakes

A few relaxing days by Lake Windermere....

HAPPY EASTER x

BRICKWOOD BRUNCHING

If you follow us on Instagram you'll already be familiar with my love for Brickwood. It is without a doubt my favourite coffee shop/ brunch spot in Clapham. My go-to place for catching up with friends over a yummy plate of eggs & avocado (the best brunch combo) or grabbing a coffee on the way to work. I thought Brickwood deserved a whole blogpost as a brilliant brunch destination in London, so here is a little compilation of photos comprising many visits to the Antipodean-style cafe situated right on the common.

RECIPE: Spanish inspired Baked Eggs

This spanish inspired baked eggs recipe makes the perfect lazy Sunday brunch!

Street Food along London's South Bank

A couple of Sundays ago Patrick & I decided to have a little stroll along the South Bank in London to find somewhere to have some lunch... 

REVIEW: Street Feast @ Hawker House

This Saturday & Sunday is the last weekend of Street Feast at Hawker House in East London.

Bedroom Storage & Decor Ideas

One of my New Year's resolutions (as it is every year) is to keep my room looking lovely. So the other day I rearranged my room and thought I'd take a few pictures to share with with you. 

Merry Xmas!

Love Harriet & Izzy X

Xmas Gift Guide for Boys

Thought I would compile a list of purse friendly gifts for a boyfriend or friend whist I was mainly just getting inspiration for gifts to buy others. Surprisingly for me I haven't left it until Xmas Eve to do, which believe me, is a first! 

1. Lovely Winter Bobble Hat - Urban Outfitters £18

Every boy needs to stay warm this winter and you can help them do this is style with this cute, festive bobble hat. Personally, I think Urban Outfitters has the best selection of winter warmers on the high street this year. 

2. Tartan Scarf - Asos £12

On trend, useful and a bit of a bargain!

3. Unique Illustrative Print - greatlittleplace.com £40

A charming illustration by artist Chris Davis of all the greatest little spots in London. Comes unframed, I just added this for effect.

4. Live Lounge CD - iTunes £10.99

In my opinion, one of the better albums released this Xmas. A real eclectic mix of songs and artists, there's got to be something for everybody. Plus you can upload the songs to your own computer before giving it away! Sneaky ;-) 

5. Plectrum Maker - notonthehighstreet.com £22

A great, quirky little gift for budding musicians or long legged guitar picking men. Plectrums can be made out of any old credit cards and store cards. 

6. Men's Travel Buddies - Origins £25
A great introduction for boys to the world of skin care! Contains 4 minis including Blade Runner Energizing Shave Cream, Save the Males Moisturiser, Skin Diver Active Charcoal Body Wash & Fire Fighter Face Soothe (all 50ml). This is a seasonal offer and a total steal.

7. Classic Casio Watch - Watch Warehouse £31 (RRP £40)
I don't think you can ever go wrong with giving a boy a watch for Xmas, and totally not a cop-out with this uber cool Classic Casio Watch. Hurry up, get one quick as I've learned that WatchWarehouse.co.uk have some mega offers on at the moment including a Christmas Discount Corner, 10% off when you sign up to their newsletter and a 20% Off Everything Flash Sale!

Hope you enjoyed,

Izzy x

Brunch at M1LK

Last week I made a slightly hungover trip to M1LK in Balham with a couple of friends. 

I'd already been wowed by the breakfast menu back in the summer, after from Suzanne from i make it fashion suggested we try out the new addition to the Hildreth Street Market. 

I've been raving about the place & the vibrant original food ever since so this return visit was long overdue.

The seating inside is quite limited, which combined with the amazing food & artisan coffee on offer can create pretty big queues, especially at busy weekend times. 

The decor is eclectic & a little bit hipster but there's always a really nice mix of people eating there. 

I love that you can see the tiny open kitchen from the dining area, seeing the chefs whipping up all the delicious food just adds to the laid-back friendly environment.

Drinks-wise I went for a hot chocolate (I needed the sugar otherwise I would have got a flat white, as the coffee here is GOOD) whilst the others went for English breakfast tea.

I love how they serve the teapot, cup, saucer & milk in a little stack like this.

The brunch menu reads like my idea of food heaven, I could eat breakfast food all day long! 

This time I opted for the baked eggs with butternut squash & feta, Chris went for the Young Betty (poached eggs, drycure bacon & burnt butter hollandaise) & Christina got the Young Betty with salmon instead of bacon.

As well as an excellent cooked brunch M1LK also have an amazing selection of homemade cakes, which they display along the counter. One day I will try the strawberry milk cake!

The distressed cosy interior is covered in hung artwork, shelves & framed pictures all of which contribute to the happy vibe exuded by the Aussie diner.

The baked eggs were absolutely delicious, they were cooked & seasoned perfectly. 

Butternut squash & feta makes a lovely light addition to the dish that doesn't leave you feeling overly full. 

The toasted sourdough was crispy & tangy, perfect for dipping in the bright orange Burford Brown yolks.

The salmon on Christina's Young Betty looked amazingly fresh & tasty. She said it was incredible.

Even Chris who is pretty hard to impress loved his bacon with poached eggs & hollandaise. 

I appreciated the flowers garnishing his dish even if he didn't pay them much attention. 

Definitely an Instagram worthy plate of food!

We left M1LK happy & full, all traces of a hangover gone.

One of the best brunch spots I've found in London & it only set us back a tenner each.

M1LK are open 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday

            9am - 5pm Sunday

They do not take reservations, first come first served.

Harriet x

Life Lately; Borough Market, Covent Garden & Shake Shack

I love reading these kind of day-in-the-life posts on other peoples blogs so thought I would give one a whirl & share a lovely day I had around London earlier this week.

Having started my day very early with a sunrise workout near London Bridge, I found myself with a free morning in what had turned into one of those gorgeous low lying sun-filled days with bright blue  skies.

Being around London Bridge means one thing to me, Borough Market & Monmouth coffee. We arrived at the market just as it was setting up & it was really relaxing to wander around without all the hustle & bustle of the crowds.

We grabbed a couple of cappuccinos & sat on the benches outside Monmouth making the most of the sunshine.

 

The stalls that seem to open the earliest are the fruit & veg sellers. I was in fruit heaven & would have bought a whole baskets worth if we had been heading home straight after.

Instead I got some delicious antioxidant packed blueberries to have as a post-workout snack. 

We were heading into Covent Garden to pick up something from the Apple Store & since it was such a beautiful day we decided to walk. It's only about thirty minutes from London Bridge & a beautiful route along the Southbank, across Blackfriars Bridge, past Somerset House & onto The Strand. Doing things like this really makes me appreciate living in London as normally I would just jump on the tube & miss out on seeing how beautiful the City can be.

 

I can't get enough of those autumn colours! I have developed a slight obsession with the changing leaves this year.

After queuing for a lifetime at the genius bar, we left the Apple Store feeling like we deserved some lunch. There was one place I've been wanting to try out for a while, & seeing as I had already done a workout that day... It seemed a good time to try Shake Shack.

Located inside the piazza of Covent Garden market, the whole place was looking extremely Christmasy with huge red & silver baubles hanging from the arched ceiling of the market. 

 

The frozen custard & shakes sounded (and looked) amazing but I wasn't feeling quite indulgent enough for one that day. I love idea of the little doggy section on the menu! I might have to return before Christmas & buy Ajax some red velvet dog biscuits.

 

We both went for the shack-made lemonade, Daniel ordered a triple SmokeShack whilst I got a single ShackBurger & fries. The burgers looked very appetising with lots of fresh salad poking out of the bun & overall we both really enjoyed them. My only complaint would be that the cheese sauce is a little artificial tasting. The chips were really good, super fluffy inside, light & non-greasy. For me Shake Shack doesn't compare to Honest or Patty&Bun for a really amazing burger but it did have the advantage of being a lot less filling & without the queues of Honest & P&B it's better for a quick bite to eat.

To walk off our lunch we had a long wander round the markets & up to Seven Dials. Covent Garden is probably the most Christmasy place in London, they really go to town on the decorations & you just can't help getting in the festive spirit after spending an afternoon here.

After lots of window-shopping & planning Christmas presents we hopped on the tube home in time to walk Ajax just as the sun was setting & the sky turned the most wonderful shade of pink.

Harriet x

Muriel's Kitchen

A couple of days ago Harriet & I met up for a pre-work/gym breakfast. We had both been wanting to try Muriel's Kitchen in South Kensington for ages after spending many mornings ogling over the sumptuous looking cakes that they always present so beautifully in the window. 

After having a little peruse of the rather sexy looking menu Harriet decided on Eggs Florentine & I decided on Eggs Benedict...

   

My eggs were absolutely gorgeous with perfectly runny, orange egg yolks. I loved the cutesy decor complete with quaint chicken print plates that truly made me feel I was sitting in Muriel's actual kitchen.   

And of course I couldn't help myself eyeing up the mouthwatering selection of cakes and as if I wasn't full enough from the breakfast feast I walked out with a (gigantic) slice of red velvet cake which I ate later...and it was delicious!

Hope you enjoyed the post, and mainly the various food porn!

Have a lovely Sunday.

Izzy x