Dinner in an Assembly Hall at the Baluchi Restaurant at the LaLit London

I am a massive fan of converted spaces, especially ones decked in history. On Tooley street, used to be a Tudor inspired red brick building, which was home to St Olave’s grammar establishment for boys from 1835 to 1968. It has now become a luxurious hotel and the first venture abroad by the prestigious LaLit group. Some of the aspects of the design have been restored but it is amazing to see how a hotel has taken its place.

I attended an influencers evening at this gorgeous venue and as I walked through the grounds to the entrance of the hotel, I was greeted with that traditional indian style “Namaskar,” a gesture which I loved. First impressions are very important to me and I instantly felt welcome and relaxed as I walked through the doors.

The event started off in the balcony overlooking the Baluchi restaurant, which used to be the assembly hall at the school. Decked with gorgeous interiors such as art handpicked by the owner, blue chandeliers and intricate designs on the furniture and fittings, I took a moment to just marvel at the beauty of the room (with a glass of bubbly of course).

We nibbled on some stunning canapés whilst we awaited all the guests to arrive before embarking on a hotel tour. Pictured below are goats cheese and beetroot canapés.

I love the theme running through the hotel where everything is linked to the building’s history. The rooms are called classrooms, which I adored, and the bar areas are called The Teacher’s Room and the Headmaster’s Room. There are 70 rooms in total and the views from the hotel are rather epic – you can see The Shard as well as The Thames.

The rooms have a fabulous design and are ultra modern with Japanese toilets with swanky functions. Some of the rooms have drool worthy tubs and they all have fantastic interiors, bringing that indian touch. I would certainly love to wake up with a view of the Shard!

After our tour, as it was a brilliantly sunny day in London, we headed to the outside terrace for some more bubbly and there was a superb view of the Shard from here too.

The terrace is so  gorgeous and definitely a little oasis away from the busy financial services buzz of London Bridge. I know I will be back for a Mojito or two on a summery day.

My favourite part of the terrace was the statue of Lord Ganesha, an indian god who is my personal favourite. It has great meaning to the owner of the hotel too and I noticed statues dotted around some of the rooms and spaces of the hotel.

Once the final guest arrived we headed indoors to our gorgeous table, excited to try the summer tasting menu at the in-house Pan-Indian restaurant called Baluchi. The food is split into categories themed by the building’s past. Term 1 signifies starters, whilst Mid Term stands for mains. I loved this novel touch as it is such a clever way to link the present and the past of the gorgeous building.

I was intrigued by the Pan-Indian menu and first to arrive was the Amuse Bouche which was a Tamatar ka Shorba –  a broth made from delicately spiced tomato, as well as dhokla to accompany it, which is a steamed chick pea cake. Utterly delicious.

Next up was Barwan Zucchini with Mushroom Ki Gaulati. The Mushroom Ki Gaulati melted in my mouth whilst I loved the contrasting crispy Barwan Zucchini. The fresh flavours impressed me.

Tandoori Salmon arrived with theatrical flair and I loved the aroma of barbeque that appealed to the senses as soon as the lid was lifted.

I am not a massive salmon fan generally so this wasn’t my favourite dish from the menu but it seemed to be a popular one amongst the seafood lovers on the table.

Mid meal we had the most gorgeous palate cleanser – a Fennel and Pineapple Sorbet, whose flavours took me straight back to my childhood in Kenya, where we used to get an ice lolly with a similar flavour. It was a superb dish and so beautifully presented.

My favourite savoury dish was the Zafrani malai murg, which is chicken flavoured with saffron. It was delectable and the flavours complimented each other so much.

The cashew crumble that lined the plate was also extremely addictive! The presentation was beautiful.

Baghara Baingan was my favourite vegetarian savoury dish, and again was plated as a work of art.

The aubergine was filled with soft spicy paneer and a side chutney which had a little kick but was just so tasty. I loved both the presentation and execution of this dish.

To accompany our dishes we had a selection of breads. They were soft, fluffy and just how I like them. The flavours ranged from fig and date to garlic.

For every dish on the tasting menu we also had a paired wine and I loved this aspect as I have been to very few wine pairings with indian food and it worked so well.

Now the star of the meal – dessert, or in keeping with the theme, Term Break or School holidays! Bhapa Doi, served with Passion fruit gel, pistachio, rose petals and cardamom flavoured Indian shortbread biscuits as well as Paan ki kulfi, which is Indian ice cream flavoured with betel leaves and nuts.

The latter was my favourite from the two as in our household we normally finish meals with Paan whenever we have gatherings. The kulfi was so delicious and just the right amount of flavour as Paan can be very strong in taste.

The service at the restaurant was amazing and the Great Hall, the location of the restaurant is stunning and very grand!

I loved the summer tasting menu and will definitely be back to try the Indian High Chai, which also sounds fantastic. For more information about Baluchi visit their website here.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Baluchi. All views and photos are my own.

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Dinner at Rick Stein, Barnes

Without a doubt Rick Stein is the most loved Television Chef in our home and I absolutely adore my copy of his book Rick Stein’s India, which I purchased after watchinf the series. It has been recorded permanently and every now and then we re-watch them along with all this other shows. I’ve heard he has recently been filming in Mexico so am excited for the next instalment of shows.

We have always wanted to go to one of his restaurants but they were outside London so hadn’t had a chance yet. However, he has now opened a restaurant in Barnes by the River Thames which we had to go and try out for dinner.

I knew I was going to love it as soon as we arrived and saw the water bowls laid out with “Chalky’s Pals” on them. Chalky was Rick Stein’s dog who sadly passed away and we felt like we experienced his grief with him as Chalky used to feature in all his shows.

The decor inside was gorgeous with shades of green and enviable views of the river. Definitely the kind of restaurant that is family friendly and has a more casual feel compared to other celebrity chef restaurants.

The service was excellent from the moment we walked in and we were greeted with lots of smiles and enthusiasm and immediately felt welcome and relaxed.

For drinks Amit went for a glass of Rick Stein’s Spanish white wine and I went for Jill Stein’s Mint Julep. Absolutely delicious cocktail and Amit really enjoyed his wine.

We were brought some bread and olive oil to nibble on whilst we pondered what to order from the menu. There were so many brilliant choices we were finding it tough to make a decision.

I settled for the Asparagus which was sourced from  Cobrey Farm, Wye Valley and poached in olive oil and served with a scrumptious hollandaise sauce. It was beautifully cooked and the sauce was so lovely.

Amit went for the stir-fried Salt and Pepper Squid garnished with red chilli slices, spring onions and served on a salad of watercress, beansprouts and cucumber with drizzles of a sesame and soy dressing. He adored his starter.

For mains, I was intrigued by the Ravioli filled with sweet onion, Parmesan and fennel seeds and in a sauce of Porcini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and hazelnuts. It was definitely one of the best and unique Ravioli dishes I have had.

Amit went for the Hake Alla Carlina which is pan fried hake fillet cooked a Venetian way with a sauce of tomatoes and capers. He really enjoyed his main dish too and I did try a little and thought it was excellent.

Desserts are always my favourite part of a meal and I have to say the desserts we had at this restaurant were just outstanding. I went for a Sticky Toffee Pudding topped with Cornish Clotted Cream and I am still dreaming about that dish to this day.

Amit went for the Salted Peanut Butter and Chocolate cheesecake which was UTTERLY DIVINE.

Our entire meal was highly enjoyable and so reasonably priced too. We will definitely be back and make the most of the gorgeous river views. The menu was also very well balanced and although Rick Stein is known for his seafood dishes, there was a fantastic range of choices for vegetarians and other meat eaters too. I highly recommend it and we are so pleased we now have a London venue to visit.

For more information and to see menus visit the website here.

 

Breakfast and Cocktails with Panoramic views at Aqua Shard

London has a very pretty and ultra mesmerising cityscape and I never tire of staring at the views (apart from when I am sat at my desk). My favourite venue of late, for city gazing though has been Aqua Shard, which is located in the iconic Shard on the 31st floor. It is so fun identifying London’s popular skyscrapers and landmarks from it. Can you spot the Walkie Talkie and Gherkin buildings in the picture below?

One way to really start your day on a high note (literally) is to enjoy the unrivalled views of London’s gems, sparkling away in the distance as you sip on your coffee and take a bite of your delicious breakfast. I have been lucky to have had breakfast at Aqua Shard on two occasions and I ordered two very different things each time.

On my first visit, I indulged in Brioche French Toast which came topped with Caramelised Banana, Yoghurt and Puffed Rice. Yeah Baby! This was a dreamy breakfast and totally instagrammable too! With a side of a panoramic view of the city there is no place I would rather be!

Literally it was like having dessert for breakfast and I highly recommend it for a special breakfast or just because…you know you are worth it and calories don’t count when you are up in the sky 😉

On my second visit, it was a very exciting occasion. It was the morning of the surprise trip we had planned for our friend Aftab’s birthday and we can reveal now we went to Bovey Castle for a luxurious and very royal staycation.

This time I went for the Vegetarian Full English Breakfast, which had an amazing variety of choices which included Two Free-Range Eggs cooked in a way of your liking, spinach, tomatoes, sauteed potatoes. portobello mushrooms, homemade baked beans and avocado on brown bread toast. I decided to go for poached eggs. The whole selection was so delicious and a real treat.

Our dining companions, the lovely Christina and Emma had the much renowned signature Lobster Benedict and Benedict Queen Emma from the Adventures of a London Kiwi has said that the Lobster Benedict at Aqua Shard is the best one she has had and I trust her opinion as she really is the queen of brunch. Emma has blogged about brunch at Aqua Shard and you can read about it here.

Photo credit: Aftab from Fresh and Fearless

To accompany our breakfast we had some champagne cocktails (of course) as well as a range of pastries. It was a real delight! PS There may have been multiple boomerang attempts of the Champagne cocktails.

Aside from breakfast, I have also visited Aqua Shard for cocktails and the best part is they have a no reservations policy for drinks and so you can just turn up to the 31st floor of the Shard and enjoy the views!

Other notable landmarks that you can see from Aqua Shard include Tate Modern, St Pauls, as well as views of Canary Wharf. Try and get a window seat if possible!

 

They do a pretty lush Mojito amongst other fabulous cocktails and you know how fussy I am about Mojitos 😉

It is so impressive and the ideal place to bring a date, or clients you want to seriously impress or just as a lovely bar to catch up with friends or family at. The service is fantastic, the drinks, in terms of choice, innovativeness and flavour are top notch and the views are unrivalled.

For more information or to see menus visit the website here.

Disclaimer: All views and photos are my own. However, my meals were complimentary.

A Celebratory dinner at Michelin Starred Hakkasan Mayfair

For our seven year wedding anniversary we decided to go back to an old favourite instead of trying somewhere new. This was pretty unlike us but we were both craving Dim Sum and fondly remembered our meal at Hakkasan in Abu Dhabi. That had been a truly opulent affair as the Hakkasan in Abu Dhabi is located in the glitzy Emirates Palace hotel. Our meal there had been excellent and faultless. As we hadn’t been to the Mayfair branch of Hakkasan yet we booked a table there.

You’ll have to excuse the photos as it was really dark and our table was quite small so a little difficult to take proper photos.

For drinks Amit went for a Beer and I tried one of the cocktails. They did have a Mojito on the menu but it was made with Tequila and I can’t handle Tequila at all so decided to try the Ginger Cooler. This is a rum based cocktail made with Diplomático Mantuano rum, and flavoured with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, apple and ginger ale. It was delicious! I just wish that the Mojito was a normal classic one as I would have been happiest having my favourite tipple on my anniversary.

 

To banish those Dim Sum cravings we selected the Vegetarian dim sum platter, which has crystal dumplings, yam bean and shiitake dumplings, water chestnut dumplings, and vegetable beancurd rolls. It was colourful, tasty and just exactly what we had wanted.

I loved that there was equal portions of each dim sum for us so we weren’t fighting over them!

We also tried the Salt and pepper tofu, for which they used homemade pumpkin tofu. It was incredible and my favourite dish of the meal. I loved the garnishing and scraped it all up and didn’t let any go to waste. Definitely a dish I would order again

 

Grilled Shanghai dumpling was our next dish to share and these are similar in taste and texture to Japanese Gyozas and they were superb.

For our mains we shared a Sanpei chicken claypot which was chicken cooked with sweet basil, chilli and spring onions. We had some egg fried rice to accompany it and we were pretty full after our selection of dishes and couldn’t manage dessert. It was really scrumptious and I think we has ordered just the right amount of food.

 

We loved our meal so we will be back to try some more dishes and hopefully dessert next time! I loved the ambience in the restaurant and it was buzzing, and obviously very popular.

It has trendy decor, has a real upmarket feel and it is easy to see why Hakkasan has retained its Michelin star. The Dim Sum was just gorgeous and even as I type this I already want to go back for another fix. I have seen some great deals on Bookatable for Hakkasan so will definitely be using one of those soon.

Have you been to Hakkasan? What were your favourite dishes?

Monthly Round Up: April Adventures

April is a bit of a celebratory month as it is my blog’s birthday, Aftab’s blog birthday and my wedding anniversary! We also celebrated Aftab’s birthday, Angie launched her YouTube Channel and Emma booked a hell of an amazing trip after going full time on the blog and starting a brand new chapter. As you can imagine in true Angles style, we celebrated over lots of Mojitos, Pornstar Martinis and Champagne.

We kicked off the month with a Sunday breakfast with a seriously amazing view at Aqua Shard with Emma, Aftab and Christina. Over some champagne cocktails and seriously good food we had a fabulous catch up. If you haven’t been to Aqua Shard yet it is a must for either breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or cocktails!

 

Full of energy after our wonderful breakfast, on the same morning, Aftab, Emma and I headed to Paddington train station where we met fellow blogger friend Angie. We were off on a very special trip which was a surprise for Aftab and now we can reveal that we played Prince and Princesses at Bovey castle! I hope you enjoy reading the tale of our stay as I wrote it in a very different way!

Photo credit: Angie

We had the most wonderful time and I fell in love with Devon so much that I returned again later in the month, as you will see. If you have always wanted to stay in a castle I can’t recommend it enough.

Once back and recharged after all that clean crisp countryside air, I attended a preview of the ChocolaTEA – Chocolate Afternoon Tea in collaboration with Green and Blacks launched at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. I reviewed the tea here and it is definitely worth indulging in!

April was also the month of the London Coffee Festival and I explored all the various stalls and tried lots of drinks at Truman Brewery with my siblings. I love coffee and it was a great afternoon! If you missed it this year would definitely recommend going next year.

As far as High Tea’s go, I also tried a unique one at Cinnamon Bazaar called The Trader’s High Tea, which I highly recommend if you are a chaat fan. It is so reasonably priced and the dishes are a real delight.

For our 7th wedding anniversary we returned to our favourite bar, Smith and Whistle, for some cocktails before venturing to our favourite restaurant, Hakkasan, where we thoroughly enjoyed Dim Sum in the Mayfair branch.

Easter weekend soon arrived and having already eaten all my chocolate before hand I had a mini meltdown and headed straight to Hotel Chocolat to replenish the stock (which didn’t last very long either).

I was craving my all time favourite Butter chicken at Jamavar so I headed there for lunch, where this time we dined in the luxurious Sapphire Dining Room, with my siblings in tow.

This seemed to be the month of Afternoon Teas, especially chocolate themed ones, and I also tried out the limited edition Easter Special Chocoholic Afternoon Tea at the swanky new Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square. It is a stunning hotel so if you haven’t been yet go!

It was also great fun pretending to be a tourist in the area and wandering around Tower Hill. Sometimes it is great to go sightseeing in your own city just to rekindle your love with it.

Using the Easter weekend as my excuse, I continued my feasting early on Easter Sunday with breakfast at Farm Girl, where they did the cutest coffee art on our coffees. I had some baked eggs and Amit went for scrambled eggs on sourdough toast. The concept is healthy food and I loved it but Amit is not quite sold.

We also popped into the Ivy Chelsea Garden after for a coffee after a leisurely walk from Portobello Road to Chelsea. It was worth it though to see this flower wall and we were lucky to have a warm sunny day.

It was then back to work after the lovely Easter break and since I hadn’t seen Aftab in ages we decided to catch up over cocktails and dim sum so we went to Ivy Soho Brasserie for drinks and then to Yautcha for dinner. We always have the best time together!

I luckily somehow had quite a few short weeks this month and had booked Friday off so Amit and I had a weekday date night on a Thursday evening which rarely happens! We started off at Bar Boulud for drinks and decided to go for home comforts at Haandi for dinner.

It was then time to return to Devon again and this time we stayed at the Moorland Garden Hotel, which is in South Devon, close to Plymouth. We had a wonderful weekend in the serenity of the Moorlands and returned to London a little refreshed.

 

The final weekend of the month and again a long one thanks to it being a bank holiday weekend so I participated in some more indulging! We had lunch at Asia de Cuba as I really wanted a Cuban Mojito. It didn’t beat my favourite though!

It was then time to brace the mad crowds in Camden and a little queue to try the signature hot chocolate at Chin Chin Labs which comes with a massive marshmallow on top. I can confirm it was worth the wait and the walk. Chin Chin also have nitrogen ice cream in such amazing flavours. I will be back to try those!

My favourite Blogs and Vlogs this month

In April, I experienced severe travel envy and nostalgia whilst my bestie Aftab toured Lisbon. If you are planning a trip to the Portuguese city (which is seriously amazing), you can read about the 5 Things that surprised Aftab about Lisbon  as well as the Sheraton Lisboa, where he stayed for part of his trip. The restaurant at the Sheraton Lisboa has a panoramic view of the city and some seriously amazing food and you can read about the Creative Classics Aftab ate here.

If SilverSpoon London wasn’t already an addictive blog to read, she has now launched a YouTube channel which is fabulous. Make sure you subscribe and watch her videos. My favourites so far are her Maldives Vlogs and her family stay over Easter at Coworth Park.

If you love Paris as much as I do, you will love reading about Emma’s solo adventure to the city of lights where she had the perfect day! It makes me want to head to Kings Cross St Pancras now! I loved her post about our brunch in the London clouds at Aqua Shard and the serious tub goals at The Scarlet Hotel in Cornwall.

Maggie from Planes and Champagne has making me want to book a spontaneous trip to the beach all month with her posts about her AMAZING stay in the Maldives. She pampered herself at an Underwater Spa in Huvafen Fushi (yes underwater!!) I loved her post about the Hideaway Bliss at Huvafen Fushi and just made me want to head there straight away. Once back, she indulged in a fabulous afternoon tea at Hamyard Hotel and you can get pastry envy here.

What did everyone get up to in April? I would love to know in the comments section below.

Binny xx

 

 

An indulgent ChocolaTEA at The Montagu at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill

A ChocolaTEA, which is a Chocolate themed afternoon tea, is literally the afternoon tea of dreams. Available from Friday 14 April at The Montagu at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill in collaboration with Green and Blacks, there is an element of chocolate in each treat, savoury and sweet and is amazing! If you gave up chocolate for Lent there is no better way to indulge!

This was Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite dessert and it also happens to be Green and Black’s 25th Anniversary so what better way to celebrate than to launch London’s only entire chocolate afternoon tea! This plays homage to the cocoa bean, which traditionally has only been associated with sweet dishes. I personally only discovered that chocolate was used in savoury dishes when I visited St Lucia and went on a trip to see how chocolate was made!

We started off the afternoon tea session with a delicious Sir Winston’s Martini cocktail, which is a classic Martinez garnished with Green & Black’s Rich Dark 85% Chocolate, whilst real life “willy wonka” aka The Taste Specialist Brandt Maybury, from Green & Blacks, talked us through the concept of the afternoon tea, which will be available permanently at The Montagu at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

First to arrive was a selection of savoury items which comprised of a Smoked Salmon Sushi sandwich with cucumber and dill cream cheese and garnished with Green & Black’s White Chocolate flakes, a Churchill Mini Burger with Chilli Chocolate-infused BBQ Sauce, a Venison and Milk Chocolate Pate with Fresh Raspberry braised with Green & Black’s Milk Chocolate, an Aubergine Mousse Éclair which is dusted with Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder and a Coronation Chicken Sandwich in Homemade Green & Black’s Chocolate Bread.

Everyones clear favourite was the Churchill Mini burger. The theatrical award went to the Smoked Salmon Sushi sandwich which was smoking away and my second favourite savoury dish was the Aubergine Mousse Éclair . They were all really tasty and the one which surprised me the most was the Coronation Chicken Sandwich in chocolate bread. This combination totally worked as unusual as it sounds and I now am on the hunt for chocolate bread loaves!

As a palate cleanser we had a really refreshing Lime Sorbet served in a ginger Chocolate Dipped Cone. I absolutely loved the presentation of this!

Then followed a variety of sweet treats which included a Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Macarons, Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Buttercream & Salted Chocolate DIY garnish in the form of a syringe, Butterscotch Tea Cake with gold leaf garnish and Raspberry & Dark Chocolate layered mousse with fresh raspberries.

I absolutely loved all of them but if I had to pick a firm favourite it would be the Butterscotch Tea Cake with the gold leaf garnish.

To accompany the afternoon tea we had pots of Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea, which was infused with orange, cinnamon & nutmeg, which I am so going to try and recreate at home! Not only did it look really pretty in the tea pot, it tasted lush too.

The scones were divine too! It wouldn’t be an afternoon tea without scones and these included a Chocolate and Pistachio Scone with a Chocolate Curd, deliberately included as the colours symbolises the Green & Black’s name. Green stands for the brands commitment to ethically sourced cocoa while black for the high quality element as well as delicious taste of the chocolate.

If you love chocolate or want to try something unique and new, definitely get booking for the ChocolaTEA as it is a really good one!

The afternoon tea is available at The Montagu at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill daily during the following time slots:

Monday to Friday: 1:00 – 5:30p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 3:30 – 5:30p.m.

It costs £38 per person or £47 including a glass of Champagne or Sir Winston’s Martini cocktail.

For more information or to book visit this website.

Disclaimer: I attended the media preview of the ChocolaTEA and all views and photos are my own.

 

 

 

 

Review: Indian Tapas and Cocktails at Lokhandwala

One of the best things about work has been the dear friends I have made and one of them has been Jas. We decided to catch up over some cocktails and food and our choice of venue was newly opened Lokhandwala, by the team behind The Grub Fest, which is India’s biggest food festival.

In fact it was so new when we walked in we couldn’t help notice that “brand new” scent in the air with all the fixtures, fittings and interiors.

We wanted a cocktail before dinner so we settled at the in house bar at the rear of the restaurant called “The Hot House” which had a Victorian theme. Stunning area!

I was really impressed by the selection of cocktails on the menu which were very inventive and unusual for an Indian restaurant. They also offer an interesting variety of vegan shots and smoothies. Want your Turmeric Latte fix? This is the place to come!

We decided on The Herbalist for Jas, which was a blend of Tanqueray Gin, Absentheroux, Herbal Liquor, Vanilla syrup, Cucumber and Coriander, Rose Lemonade.

I went for a rum based cocktail called Great Journey, which was a blend of Rum infused with Lemon and Thyme, Liquor 43, Fresh Lime, Ginger beer, Angostura and Cola Bitters.

We ended up sitting at the Cocktail Bar an hour longer than we were meant to as we had so much to catch up on. At no point though did the staff rush us to our table or even hint that we were an hour late for our dinner reservation. Instead we felt really relaxed and well looked after and the bartender was really lovely.

When we did move to our table and settle down, we loved the decor in the restaurant, having the time to observe it properly. It is so pretty and romantic inside Lokhandwala, with a French Boudoir/Victorian theme complete with distressed mirrors and grey furniture. I absolutely loved it and especially as it was not the type of decor you would assume to find inside an Indian restaurant.

Of course moved on to Prosecco because our catch up was very special! I loved that they served them in these coupe glasses.

The menu is focused around Indian Tapas, which are small plates, and from this section we ordered a selection to share.

Our first choice was the Gujju Vaal Daal Chat. This is a dish made from Lentils from the Broad Bean Family mixed with black pulses and served with yoghurt and imli chutney on the side. This wasn’t my favourite of the dishes although very tasty.

Our next choice, which was the Celery Prawns, was my favourite and to die for. These were Lava Grilled Prawns marinated with Yoghurt, Celery, Coriander, Mint and Green Chilli and served with a Ginger pickle. The flavour combination was ridiculously good.

Our third choice was Lamb Sliders, which were oven baked Shammi Kebab sliders, topped with grilled brie and tomato, cardamom scented onion confit and coriander aioli. These were so cute and so tasty too!

3 Tapas dishes was just the right amount for a table for 2 to start with and we were excited about our mains, which we chose from the “Imperial Jewels” section.

We opted for Chicken Chettinad, which is a classic Southern Tamil Nadu dish cooked with 18 ingredients and served with rice. It was heavenly and I loved the presentation of it in a clay pot.

To accompany this dish we had the Blue Stilton Naan with Truffle oil which is a must order. The flavour combination is a match made in heaven and it was served hot and went down quickly!

We always leave space for desserts and we had 2 beautifully presented desserts  between us – the baked Kheer Creme Brulee and a Salted Chilli, Choc and Nuts stuffed crispy Naan with grilled Marshmallows. These were good and I was really happy with the Creme Brulee as I am always hesitant to try versions that deviate from the classic, but this was very well adapted.

The prices are really reasonable despite the location being in trendy Fitzrovia and the choices for both the food and cocktails are really novel, with some classics, and really good. There is enough variety to please both vegetarians and non-vegetarians and it is a really fun place to socialise and catch up. I loved the decor and the service was really friendly, nice and not intrusive at any point.

A great addition to Charlotte Street!

Lokhandwala can be found at 93 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4PY

My 11 favourite London Hotel Cocktail Bars

The best part about living in London is there are so many fabulous cocktail bars to choose from, and some of my favourites are housed inside luxury hotels. In the name of research (!!) I have tried lots of them and here are my favourites. I couldn’t cut my list down to ten so you have 11 choices instead!

I will caveat that at the majority of them I had a Mojito but I did try some other cocktails at some of them too. I have chosen these based on factors which include ambience, atmosphere, deliciousness of the cocktails and service and are listed in no particular order.

1. The Blue Bar, The Berkeley

With its plush, trendy interiors, the Blue Bar at the Berkeley is a really swish venue with delicious cocktails. It is all blue too! My favourite cocktail was the Toffee and Bubbles. The drinks are colour coded and it is definitely the place to bring a date to impress them!

For more info: The Blue Bar

2. The Connaught Bar at The Connaught Hotel

Ask anyone and this bar tops so many people’s favourite bars lists in London and I can see why! The Mojito was pretty damn good! It has won many accolades and is housed inside the iconic Connaught Hotel.

For more info: The Connaught

3. The Artesian Bar at The Langham

The Artesian is one of my favourite and most picked drinking establishments and as much as they perfect the Mojito, they also do some quirky cocktails too which are served in treasure chests, by example, and with so much flair and theatrical style. Perfect place to escape a crazy shopping day away from Oxford Street.

For more info: Artesian Bar

4. The American Bar at The Savoy

I visited here with some friends and we all ordered our classic favourite drinks and each one was just perfect and spot on! This bar tops international best bar lists and it is much deserved. I loved how the waiters were all so dressed up in tux’s and you would feel like dressing up to go here! Perfect for a special occasion.

For more info: The American Bar

5. The Churchill Bar and Terrace at The Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill

This is the first time I have seen a Mojito served with so much snazziness and it was definitely worth it! My friend had the Raj Mojito, which had some chillies in it, whilst I opted for the classic and we both enjoyed our drinks thoroughly. The comfy sofas were a massive plus point and the living room style charm meant that we could have sat there for hours!

For more info: The Churchill Bar and Terrace

6. The Amaranto bar at the Four Seasons London Park Lane

This has been our choice of venue for pre-dinner drinks on many the occasion and it continues to draw us in with its trendy vibe and superb service! It is an oasis away from herds of tourists in Mayfair and the perfect venue to catch up with friends. The food in the neighbouring restaurant is really good too!

For more info: Amaranto Bar

7. The Arch Bar at the InterContinental, London Park Lane

The best place to people watch from whilst enjoying a really good cocktail! They do a mean Mojito and they also do really good Pornstar Martinis, as the Dynamic Duo have tested rigorously! Lovely place to pop in for a drink and maybe then have dinner at Theo Randall’s restaurant after too.

For more info: The Arch Bar

8. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood London

I adore the decor in the Scarfes Bar in Holborn and its library feel. It has a grand vibe with comfortable seats, a long bar that you can sit at and they serve some really good indian food too! It has a quintessential British feel and it is housed at the Rosewood London, which is such a beaut hotel. Go to the Mirror room first for brunch and then pop in to the Scarfes bar after for some refreshments!

For more info: Scarfes Bar

9. Smith & Whistle at Sheraton Grand Park Lane

Smith & Whistle is my secret absolute favourite from the list and is always my top choice when in the area for a quick drink or a pre-dinner tipple. I adore this bar and if you haven’t been you have got to go! It has a Mayfair mystery theme to it and has such a lovely relaxed and casual vibe for Mayfair that you feel like you are going home everytime you go in!

For more info: Smith and Whistle

10. The Courtyard Bar and The Long Bar at The Sanderson Hotel, London

The perfect spot for G&Ts or a glass or two of champagne – love the vibe in the Courtyard, especially on a bright day, you could easily forget you are steps away from the madness of Oxford Street! If you haven’t had the afternoon tea here yet it is a must!

For more info: Sanderson Hotel

11. The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel

I can’t believe how long it took me to discover this fashionable bar and boy is it a gem in Mayfair! I love the quirky presentation of the cocktails, the fun vibe, the ambience and it is the best place to forget a bad day or celebrate milestones over some excellent drinks. This cocktail was The Photographer and just loved that it was served inside a Camera Lens. The drink was Chase Marmalade mixed with Cointreau, fresh lemon juice, mango juice, fresh strawberries, fresh blackberries, homemade raspberry syrup and a few drops of Donovan bar Bitters. NOM NOM NOM

For more info: The Donovan Bar

There you have my favourites! What are yours? Would love to know in the comments below.

5 Romantic Things to do in London

London is full of romance, whether you are dining at the city’s finest restaurants, taking in its seductive views from different sites, or trying out brand new experiences. Here are my 5 favourite romantic things to do in my favourite city.

Go sightseeing 

I can never tire of London and there is nothing more romantic than strolling hand in hand walking around the city marvelling at its grand sights.

There are so many lovely vantage points for some of the finest views. You could even go for a ride on the London Eye or take a boat ride on the Thames Clipper.  I challenge you to find the best spots, whether at sunrise, sunset or in the middle of the day, and do let me know in the comments section below! I would recommend starting off at Southbank!

A Cheese and Wine Date

Sharing an epic cheese board whilst sipping on wine and sherry in a gorgeous restaurant? Yes now you can have someone prepare the ultimate cheese board for you while you just relax and stare at each other lovingly at The Montagu restaurant at The Hyatt Regency – The Churchill.

The experience is fantastic and so interactive. You learn so much about the cheese, which are the finest from Alsop & Walker, and it is a truly unique and fun way to spend an evening.

Fun fact, Winston Churchill used to indulge in a cheese platter almost every day! A lovely fact to use as an ice breaker or to impress your date with!

I absolutely loved my experience and you can read about it in depth here.

To make a booking click here.

Cocktails with a view

Take your romance to new heights by sharing cocktails with a rather spectacular view of all the key landmarks in London from the 31st floor, at  Aqua Shard. Not only are the cocktails delicious, the restaurant and bar area are stunning and the view…doesn’t get better than this! No better way to spend time soaking up London’s sexy skyline with a cocktail in hand.

The best bit is there is no need to book if you are going for drinks so go if you haven’t been!  They also have a brilliant breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea menu if you want to make it extra special but you will need to book for that.

For more information and to book click here.

Table for two at an Italian restaurant

For me every time I think of a romantic meal, the image of the kissing scene from the Lady and the Tramp comes to mind, where they are sharing spaghetti.

While I prefer pizza and tagliatelle or pappardelle, Italian food shouts romance to me and my current favourite and recommendation is Fucina.

The food is marvellous, the ambience is lovely and very romantic, the restaurant is pretty and the service is excellent. For my review click here.

“Press for Champagne” at Bob Bob Ricard

A restaurant where you can press a button to order more Champagne? Your date will definitely be suitably impressed. The food is fantastic but  please do save space for the dessert, especially the Signature Chocolate Glory! You won’t be disappointed.

For more information click here.

If you have any suggestions for romantic things to do in London would love to hear them in the comments section below.

 

Caricature fun at Inamo Camden

I had been to Inamo when it used to be in St James (now relocated to Covent Garden) on a Friday night date night with my other half and also my best friend, when she was visiting London. We had great fun that evening and may have had one too many lychee martinis but ever since then the concept at Inamo has been one of my favourites.

A restaurant where you can change the table cloth electronically, order food and drinks from a menu displayed on the table, as well as see what the food actually looks like with the visuals appearing on your plate, and entertaining yourselves while you wait by playing games directly on the table. You can also order by iPad and it is such a fun experience.

It is perfect for dates as the interactive table gives you something to do to fill in any awkward silences or you can play games against each other 😛 Great for kids too to keep them entertained.

I was recently invited to the sparkly new Inamo Camden, located a 2 minute walk (or less) from Mornington Crescent tube station. It is such a beautiful, spacious venue and our task that evening was to have a tutorial using Inamo’s inadoodle software available on their tables to learn how to draw caricatures with the help of David Groves, an on the spot caricaturist. He had pre-drawn some diners at our table that evening, which you can see below.

Lets just say my artistic skills are extremely questionable so my drawing ended up being this:

Other press had much more talent than me and came up with drawings like this!

We enjoyed  plenty of bubbles and a selection of dishes from the menu while we chatted away. Favourites included the Korean Chicken Wings, Spicy Aubergine, Char Sui Buns and Duck with pancakes, and of course the sushi selection, in particular the California rolls.

The food was incredible and I would definitely return for a meal on a date night with my other half at this brand new branch in Mornington Crescent as it is the closest to us too.

They have a rooftop terrace area too which is so cute! Definitely a fabulous hidden gem to keep in mind for spring and summer, although they have heaters so it is perfect for winter months too.

If you love Pan-Asian food (the sushi is to die for), and want a fun evening, it is definitely worth checking out Inamo.

For more information, click here.