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.

REVIEW: Ben's Canteen

Ben's Canteen, London

Last weekend my boyfriend Patrick & I decided to sample the delights of Ben's Canteen on St John's Hill, London.

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.

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.

Deer Stalking

I don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me want to go on walks. A couple of Sundays ago my Mum and I decided it was perfect Autumnal weather for a stroll amongst the deer in Richmond Park.

I went suitably dressed in country-esq attire. I channelled my inner Scot with these tartan leggings and Arran Knit cream jumper both from Asos. I paired this with a bowler hat from H&M that I wear constantly at the moment and my Black Nike Air Max 1s. Perfect for a bit of deer spotting!  

I couldn't help taking some arty snaps (or at least attempting to) of the lovely chopped down trees and logs that scattered the landscape with their beautiful colours. 

In perfect timing, before it started to rain, we took shelter in the Cafe. I had a cream tea with an Earl Grey...delicious but almost heart attack inducing! Cue sugar coma!

We then rolled sleepily back into the car - a perfect day had. Hope you enjoyed the post!

Izzy x

Honest Burgers

Last Saturday feeling pretty exhausted after a very early start at work, an evening out of the house unwinding with drinks & good food was much needed. 

Honest Burgers in Brixton Village has long been on my list of restaurants to visit. I've tried to go a few times before but have always been put off by the huge lunchtime queues. As it was still well before the evening rush I thought we might get lucky & squeeze in before the hordes of burger lovers descended.

I've never actually been to Brixton Village in the evening & it has a completely different atmosphere to that of during the day. Bohemian & bustling with energy it could almost be mistaken for a buzzy plaza in Barcelona.

When we arrived we were told that there was a 40 minute wait for a table, the lovely waitress popped our names & phone number into a tablet & told us they'd send us a text when our table was ready.

I wish all restaurants with a no reservations policy would adopt this system! I have no problem waiting for a table if I'm allowed to wander around, find a nearby bar & have a have a lovely pre-dinner cocktail.

Brixton Village is a great place to take advantage of this, if you haven't been before I seriously recommend having a walk round the vibrant market taking in the multitude to foodie spots & stalls selling a mis-match of Caribbean fruit & veg, fresh fish, paintings by local artists & vintage clothes.

Seeing as most of the bars & restaurants were boasting happy hour menus in swirly writing on their windows we decided to sit down outside, get a couple of drinks and watch the world go by.

What's better than an ice cold Coke (with real sugar) in a glass bottle? A cocktail. This was the best mojito I've had in ages full of fresh lime & not too sweet it certainly hit the spot. Senzala incidentally do the best crepes as well as a great mojito, a perfect spot for leisurely brunch. 

As we finished our drinks a well timed message from Honest arrived telling us our table was ready. Revitalised with rum & sugar we crossed over the market to the cosy restaurant.

We ordered huge jam jars filled with homemade lemonade, lots of ice & old fashioned stripey straws.

After a quick look at the menu we both went for the 'Honest' Burger. Beef, red onion relish, smoked bacon, mature cheddar, pickled cucumber & lettuce.

So perfect & maybe the best burger I've had in London, really good quality beef patty (sourced from  the premium butcher Ginger Pig) perfectly cooked with just the right amount of toppings. The rosemary chips really stole the show. Look how crispy they are! It ties with my other No.1 burger favourite Patty & Bun, it doesn't feel quite as naughty as P&B's oozing burgers- a good or bad thing depending what you look for in a burger (personally I think I might prefer it)!

Harriet x

An Afternoon in Chelsea

Last week my Mum, Daniel & I wandered up to the King's Road on a gorgeous mild sunny day. We headed off to Gallery Mess attached to the Saatchi Gallery. I've been to the gallery many times but never ventured into the charming little restaurant/cafe/bar next to it.

It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, all high ceilings & exposed brickwork with fairy lights & eclectic artwork dotted about. Having opted for a table outside in the sunshine the heavens promptly opened with a deluge of English summer rain.

Ensconced under a huge parasol the lovely staff were very attentive & brought us out some delicious cocktails & nibbles. Most tables remained outside eating their meals (safely dry) surrounded by the pouring rain, reminding me somewhat me of numerous summers spent in Cornwall, eating picnics from the safety of a cave watching the rain hit the beach.

We got a fresh seafood platter & some mouthwatering fish & chips to share. The food was delicious & for the service we received & the location pretty reasonably priced.

We braved the rain, had a quick look round the shops & picked up a few sale bargains. Then retreated to the cosy depths of Ca'puccino for coffee & cake.

A lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon!

Harriet x

An Evening at L'Occitane

Last Wednesday my Mum and I went to an event at L'Occitane on the King's Road. Tickets were £10 and it was a really fab evening. Sorry about rubbish iPhone photos, I did not go prepared! I've become a huge fan of L'Occitane recently but whilst I'd love to fill my cupboards with their delicious products I feel they are rather pricey. We were treated to champagne and canapes and invited to have a look around the products with 15% off on any purchases we made that night. 

There was also complimentary facials and hand massages which we were not going to miss out on despite the slightly hectic queues! The lovely lady who gave me a mini facial told me I had very dry skin (which I knew already) and recommended that I use a heavy night cream. I have to say not using night cream is probably on of my biggest beauty sins. I didn't realise the importance of this step in my skincare routine so I will definitely be more strict with myself from now on. The other little tip she gave me was to wet the cotton pads you're using to apply toner. Apparently this makes it less harsh - just had to share that one with you! 

But probably the best part of the evening was the goody bag (worth £45) that was given to us as we left! In the bag were lots of minis (not samples might I add!) inside a cute travel-sized case. Which included:

Radiance & Colour Care - Shampoo & Conditioner

Brightening Hand Care

Dry Skin Foot Cream

Precious Cream 

Amande Shower Oil

Brightening Cleansing Foam

Precious Eye Balm 

Jasmin & Bergamote Eau de Toilette

Verbena Soap

I can safely say I had a lovely evening thanks to L'Occitane and I'll definitely be looking out for more events like this.

Isobel x

Field Day OOTD

Miss Selfridge Jacket

Zara Scarf

Topshop Jumper

Zara Jeans

Office Boots

I went to Field Day Festival in Victoria Park on Saturday and thought I'd post my outfit for the day. I love these Zara jeans I bought recently, they are summery and fun. I normally opt for darker colours on my legs as my Mum tells me its slimming (you should always listen to your Mum) but I thought these were so cool I just couldn't resist. The scarf is also Zara and I literally haven't taken it off since I bought it. I feel a light, colourful scarf is a real staple for Summer (especially English summers!). 

Field Day is quite a small, intimate festival, we had a real blast. The line up was really good, lots of House Djs which took me back to my Uni days, I would seriously recommend it. 

Isobel x

Review - Lush Hair Products

What's great about going into Lush is that the staff are so knowledgeable and can really help you find what you're looking for. You will definitely need a spare half an hour or so as they can ramble on a bit! I've been looking for the right shampoo & conditioner for ages so I thought I'd give Lush a whirl. When I went in to talk to someone about hair products I found out that Mark Constantine, the co-founder of Lush actually started out as an herbal Trichologist (Trichology is the study of hair and scalp) and that Lush's hair care range is their most extensive. I literally thought all Lush sold was pretty bath bombs! So I had a chat with a lovely shop assistant and came away with Fair Trade Honey Shampoo and Veganese Conditioner.  

Fair Trade Honey Shampoo

This shampoo was recommended for me on the basis that I have quite damaged hair in need of some moisture but is very fine. As you can expect from Lush products it is all completely natural and paraben free (you can check the ingredients list here) and I was told that it is 50% honey. It smells of turkish delight which is quite overpowering when you smell it just from the bottle but actually has a really nice aroma when used in your hair. Because of it's obviously very natural ingredients it doesn't lather too much which makes it quite difficult to spread all the product through my hair - I ended up sectioning my hair in two and using a fair amount at each application. The shop assistant said it would last me about 3 months which it certainly didn't (I do wash my hair most days). However, negatives aside, this shampoo has left my hair soft, manageable and feeling very nourished. It has definitely smoothed out my wispy bits and flyaways and I can much more easily leave my hair to dry and head out without styling. The best thing about this product is that whilst it is making my hair look good I also know it's doing good as I know there are no nasty chemicals in it! I will definitely repurchase but it's not cheap at £7 for just 110g.

Veganese Conditioner

Again because my hair is fine I was recommended a conditioner that is very light that wouldn't weigh my hair down. This conditioner has a very runny consistency. Because my hair is always dry and damaged I normally go for a thick, creamy conditioner so this was a very new experience for me. But as it's quite thin you don't need to use an awful lot as it spreads through the hair nicely. The smell of this product is of fresh lemon grass which is just delicious! The defining ingredient in this conditioner is the agar agar gel which comes from seaweed which is what helps restore dry or frizzy hair. Yet without the presence of lanolin also makes it Lush's lightest conditioner (check the ingredients here). This conditioner is a bit of a revelation for me as my hair feels so soft and moisturised after washing it yet also with a definite "squeaky clean" feeling. I would absolutely recommend this conditioner to anyone who has fine/thin hair. Again, like the shampoo, my gripe with this product is that it doesn't last very long. This product is obviously great for vegans as it doesn't contain lanolin (oil from sheep's wool) and as it happens I'm allergic to lanolin, not that I think my hair minds but it's nice to know it's not there! A little cheaper at £4.15 for 100g.

I hope you have enjoyed this review. Let me know your thoughts!

Isobel x