Heeltap London

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

Perfect evenings spent outside with great food, fabulous cocktails and our trusty camera in tow. Food photography is one of my total favourite pastimes. Food reviews are even better as we actually get to eat the food after shooting it. We get to sample delicious meals so you guys know where’s hot and happening. Heeltap is a heck of a find and if you already know this place you need to revisit it as soon as possible. Once you do you will know why we are about to give it rave reviews. If you don’t then you need to seek it out. Tucked in a little corner off London Bridge you could miss it if you didn’t know it was there. Now we eat out and shoot at countless places all the time but this is in our top 10 of all time. Yes we are rating this heavenly place 10/10. They have recently revamped all the offerings at this little bar and we can say hand on heart they have got it spot on. Its buzzing and thriving, so whatever they are doing its working.

The entire evening we spent sampling their new menu and it was divine. The cocktails where superior, the staff incredible and the food was so delicious we’d happily eat there every day of the week.

We arrived and settled in our seats with a couple of cocktails. An Espresso martini for me and a Long Island iced tea for Ian. These set us up perfectly for our food.

The new menu is packed with simple and ravishingly dribblsome dishes. If you like burgers this is the place to come. Home cooked brioche buns cooked fresh using the chefs grandma’s secret recipe! Just these alone will make you want to eat here all the time.

Our dishes where served and we got stuck in straight away. If your ready for some serious foodie snaps that will make you groan with delight then here goes….Ian went for the jerk chicken burger with fries and I had the spicy option. Jalapeño and chorizo burger with sides of Parmesan, truffle oil fries and a fresh tomato and basil leaf salad. Yes my eyes are always bigger than my belly and I endeavoured to eat it all!

We washed all this down with a bottle of fizz and a side of fruit flavoured water, trying to be a little good.

The chat at this point stopped while we savoured each and every morsel. Jealous on lookers stated that the food looked spectacular and we can report it was as good as it looked.

My burger was perfectly seasoned with heavenly hot spices. It was garnished with Gherkins, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and the dressing created the most amazing kick. Simply the best burger tower know to mankind!

Ian’s burger was pretty much devotedly demolished along with satisfied mumblings! As he took bite after bite the dressing oozed out and made the ideal amount of mess. Finger licking goodness to satisfy any soul.

Now normally I’m all about the burgers but here we have a slight problem. I have a real addictive nature when it comes to Parmesan and truffle oil fries. They where definitely the best thing about the entire meal. They know me and I was allowed to order these off menu. I’m sure if you take a visit and mention this article you might just be able to get the chef to rustle you up a plate or 3!! They are simply the best.

Then…it was time for pudding….Not just any old pudding either!

Now at this stage we where really rather full….But pudding, you guys need to know what to expect don’t you…We do what we do for you. Remember that if you ever see us out stuffing our faces! And the fact that you can’t not have a sticky toffee Sunday when it’s up for grabs. An odd mix but by gosh was it good. Custard is a thing of the past my friends. Velvety ice cream is the only thing to serve with toffee these days!

So the verdicts in….We give Heeltap one of the biggest thumbs up for excellence, staff attentiveness, friendliness and a double thumbs up for the fabulous food!

Find them on Twitter here and now dash off to see them near London Bridge. Get those taste buds working over time as your in for one gastronomic ride of your life! They are just opposite Borough market and down a little side ally. Worth a little wander we think.

Holborn Dining Room

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

The Holborn Dining Room is a beautiful classy and chilled establishment. The interior is splendid but isn’t as impressive as the outside area in when the sun is shining. We headed out for a wander mid afternoon to grab a few drinks and stumbled upon this place. The menu was basic, delicious, and very impressive. We plumped for good old fish finger sandwich and a classic chicken and bacon salad. Washed down with a few Gin cocktails.

With seasonal, locally sourced British cuisine on the menu this place will go down very well when needing to impress a lady or friends. Grab yourself a pint of local lager a burger or a glass of fizz and a pint of prawns. Fine wines are on offer at this renowned restaurant.

Holborn Dining Room is a welcome find for us. London life is so very grand when you find places just like this to share with all of you. It’s possibly one of the nicest bars on the scene in the city.

The first cocktails we tested where the Hendricks and the G Vine. The G Vine was simply amazing flavoured with elderflower tonic and garnished with grapes. I happily sat and sipped while we waited for the food to arrive. This place is where you need to chill and soak up the amazing atmosphere. Their is no rush, just take your time to relax.

Another cocktail before we ate… This one was the Smooth Amber, garnished with cinnamon and orange zest. Pocky and pretty darn good. Ian went for a more simple one. The sipsmith, flavoured with juniper, lemon and orange. Both had us feeling chilled in a matter of moments! Ready for some food by this point and we where not disappointed. Out came our dishes served by a lovely waitress. We chatted for a few moments about how grand it would be to stay in one of the many rooms on offer. You can actually rent an entire floor in the hotel, POA of course! Other rooms start from around £250 per night if you are tempted.

Who would have thought a simple chicken and bacon salad could look this divine and taste so utterly wonderful. A side of chips as thats just how we like to roll! Ian’s fish finger sandwich was severed on sourdough bread. A little fiddly to eat but impressive none the less. It was garnished with horseradish and by all accounts was really rather a good choice. The menu is made up of simple dishes with a twist. All the other dishes being served to various tables looked and smelt divine. This is most certainly one place we need to come back to review the evenings offerings.

Well worth a little trip very soon if your in the area. The prices reflect the area and the quality of the food. Not an everyday treat for some but possibly the nicest of afternoons you could have. We spent the rest of the day wandering back home with full bellies and happy smiles.

Find them at NO 252 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM WC1V 7EN

NSpa Mum To Be Nourishing Stretchmark Oil Review

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Amy Voce

nspa is an exclusive skincare brand available at Asda.com. They have a Mum To Be range which includes a Nourishing Stretch Mark Oil. It retails at £6 and it’s enriched with sweet almond and jojoba to moisturise and nourish. I have had some stretchmarks for a while now and they really annoy me. I used nspa Nourishing Stretch Mark Oil twice a day. In a few months they do fade. The oil absorbs well and I really like the smell. Overall I am impressed and would continue to use it.

I would buy nspa Nourishing Stretch Mark Oil. It is only £6 and works well.

Hardys Shiraz Langhorne Creek 2014 & Kumala Cabernet Shiraz 2013 Review

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Frostie

Hardys Shiraz Langhorne Creek 2014

This shiraz is a smooth, full-bodied red wine with intense autumn fruit flavours of fresh blackberry & mulberry. Accompanied by rich black pepper & vanilla spice. It is well balanced and delicious.

Goes well with pasta, meat and cheese. This wine would be perfect with roast beef, steak and at barbecues.

Kumala Cabernet Shiraz 2013

This shiraz is a South African Wine. A dark ruby red in colour. It is full bodied and has glorious spicy barbecue notes which are complimented by forest fruit flavours. A rich, high quality wine full of wonderful tastes. Smooth and goes down well.

Surrounding South Africa’s Legendary Table Mountain is a place of lush fertility and natural beauty. This is the home of Kumala, where the company make quality wines that are full of character.

Can be enjoyed on its own or with red meat dishes, at a barbecue (of course) and with cheese.

Red wine should be served at room temperature. Red wine is graded from A (light) to E (full bodied).

The Railways of Great Britain – A Historical Atlas by Col. Michael H Cobb PhD, MA, FRCS, MInstRE

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Margaret Graham

This is the dream read for any railway and map lover, and I speak as one who is both. It is the definitive historic guide to all the railways in Britain, both existing and lost. All train lines in operation between 1807 and 1994 are dramatically set in colour against an Ordnance Survey grid, alongside the names of the companies that built them, and the opening and closing dates of the stations they connect.

Colonel Cobb, cartographer, railway historian and WW2 veteran created this magnificent atlas after he expertly pinpointed PG Wodehouse’s fictional Blandings Castle by examining the railway information and train times, mentioned in all of Wodehouse’s stories.

Inspired by the task, this amazing man embarked on an epic study of all of Britain’s railways, past and present. It took 18 years of painstaking plotting and researching, as well as traveling on every train line in the country.

Colonel Cobb was awarded a PhD by Cambridge University for this work at the age of 91, making him the oldest person on record to be award a PhD by a university. The first atlas was published in 2003 and sold out immediately, as did a subsequent reprint. This edition has been carefully edited and improved by Patrick Cobb, Michael Cobb’s eldest son.

With over 646 pages of beautifully reproduced maps, this luxury edition consists of two volumes in a slipcase. It is the perfect companion for collectors of special, limited-edition, art books.

In 1940 Michael Cobb participated in the Battle of France, the Dunkirk evacuation and also trained commandos and saw action at Nijmegen. En route to the Far East in 1944 his troopship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea. After the war he joined Military Survey, becoming FRICS. He retired in 1965 as a colonel and spent some years as a professional cartographer before becoming fully retired in 1971.

I love it. The maps are just an amazing feast of information, and constantly one is aware of the love of the task, and the sheer consistent endeavour. Fascinating and moving. I love the fact that Patrick, Michael’s son has cared for, and improved his father’s life’s work.

Published on 13^th July by Riley Dunn & Wilson (Huddersfield) Ltd. £295 www.rdw.co.uk

www.railwaysofgreatbritain.com

Mocka Lounge Cardiff

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

If your after a vibrant and happening place to drink some serious cocktails and your in Cardiff we have found one heck of a place to visit. You can sample countless famous cocktails made by the best bartenders in the land. Mocka Lounge Cardiff is the place to go. We ditched our usual drink of choice, a glass of fizz or a G&T and let the brilliant bartender surprise us! And surprisingly he did just that with such triumphant accomplishment we just had to have a few more varieties. Mocka Lounge will leave you happy and heady that’s for sure!! Perfectly packed punch poured over ice and styled so utterly beautiful. Presentation here is as good as the drinks. Social media fans this is the place to take selfies, Instagrams and tweet how fantastic it is. #Thisismockalounge go check them out! Fun tweets and posts galore!

See for yourself how darn Fun and fab this place is! Check out their YouTube channel.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLxlQtsNhM]

So grab a friend, throw on those disco pants and head off to Cardiff for the weekend. Leave behind the Londoners life and shake your booty at one of the most happening places in the UK. Who would have thought Cardiff was the place to go! Its well worth a visit. Make sure you stay at the Hilton Hotel Cardiff while you are there. It has an amazing spa, pool and treatment rooms. You might well need it after an amazing night out at this wicked and wild little bar! Bring on the cocktails, bring on the fun and seriously bring lots of friends!

Ling Ling in Mykonos, at Hakkasan, Hanway Place

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

The first of the Hakkasan realm of restaurants, Hanway Place plays host to a celebration of food, drink and dance (known as the Izakaya concept) with its limited edition summer menu.

Mirroring the dishes launched in Hakkasan, Mykonos in Greece, diners will be able to opt for one of three choices from the Ling Ling menu:

– Fish and seafood

– Meat and seafood

– Vegetarian.

And this week we sampled the variety of Cantonese-style dishes which are “perfect for island living and late night revelry”.

But on our own English island and in the heart of London, the vibe was fun, the food had flair and the drinks were flowing. While we sipped on bubbly, a signature cocktail to accompany the dishes has also been released – the Ling Ling Collins.

My favourite was the grilled Chilean seabass in honey, oozing with taste and textures. The seabass slithered on the tongue; it was smoky yet sweet which contrasted with the crispy deep fried mushroom nestled on top.

Next the spicey prawn with lily bulb and almond left an explosion in the mouth – hot but moreish and the plump prawn was beautifully juicy.

The homemade pumpkin tofu was deep-fried and a rather nice alternate dish among the seafood dishes. Crispy on the outside and squidgy on the inside, there was just the right hint of pumpkin to mask the distinctive flavour of the tofu.

And the steamed dim sum platter of scallop shumai came beautifully presented in the bamboo steamer.

The array of macarons were a feast for the eyes, each with their own distinct flavour. I bit into a pink macaron which radiated flowery tastes in the palate, a rose-water-like tang.

And I also sampled a macaron filled with sweet chocolate, ending the evening on a sugary high.

The limited edition Ling Ling summer menu will be available at Hakkasan Hanway Place and Mayfair until 31 August, priced at £35/person and £45/person respectively.

Our Little Secret By Jenna Ellis Review by Jan Speedie

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Frostie

Our Little Secret is the debut novel of Jenna Ellis. As a freelance photographer Jenna has worked and lived all over the world. Her saucy, erotic tale about Sophie Henshall is made for holiday reading.

At 20 something, Sophie longs for some excitement in her life. Living in Manchester with her Dad and brother, she works as a nursery assistant at FunPlex. With her boyfriend Scott, she shares a love of dancing and techno music and a healthy sex life in his drab bedsit.

Life changes for Sophie Henshall when she answers an advertisement in The Lady for a live-in nanny to a New York family. This is her chance to change her life forever as she is transported to a new and glamorous world in the Big Apple with the elusive Mr and Mrs Parker. Out of her depth, she is drawn into a world of designer clothes, grand houses, lavish parties, sexual intrigue and secrets.

Sophie is irresistibly drawn to Edward and Marnie Parker who are both flirtatious and attractive and lead her into temptations she is unable to resist. But the Parkers have a darker side and secrets to share with Sophie that she must never tell. Secrets can bring pleasure or pain.

Can Sophie Henshall survive or must she return to her old life in Manchester?

Ellis has written an enjoyable romp, a page turner, and what a setting. It will be interesting to see what Jenna Ellis produces next.

Published in paperback on 16^th July 2015, by PanMacmillan.

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