Thursday, 7 March 2013
Places to visit: Liv Hair and Beauty, Exmouth Market
Located just off Exmouth Market. This is certainly a hidden gem. Myself and a work friend wandered down here one lunchtime. We had our eyebrows threaded for £5 each! Unbelievable value for central London. The lady doing our treatment was highly skilled, very fast and didn't hurt a bit. You don't have to book an appointment here, people just seemed to drop in. Well worth a visit if your in the area. I've included a price list, as I can't seem to find a website or Facebook page for them.
Places to eat: The Cliff Hotel, Gorleston
I loved the vibe of the restaurant bar at the Cliff Hotel. It's definitely a popular venue. Bright with ceiling to floor windows, leading on to an outside terrace hosting views of the sea. The outside tables where accompanied by large brown wicker armchairs and fire heaters. Unfortunately it was a little too nippy to eat outside on this occasion.
We ordered our cream tea and took a seat. I was so excited when it arrived. A pot of tea, clotted cream, jam and some beautiful warm scones dusted in icing sugar. Yum! Olly went as far as saying this was one of the best cream teas he had had.
Later that day we nipped down for a cheeky drink. The place was packed. Being nosey, we checked out what others were eating for dinner. The food looked absolutely superb and I've never seen such thick cut chips in my life!
Breakfast the next morning offered a buffet table consisting of fresh fruit salad, yogurts, cereals and a selection of jams and honey. We then ordered from the hot breakfast menu, as you can see the menu doesn't just comprise of your standard fry up. I liked the selection but we still plumped for the cooked breakfast. As I'm trying to be gluten free, I called the hotel a few days before hand and asked if they have a gluten free offering. Turns out one of the staff went out especially and bought me some gluten free bread for toast. I was really chuffed about that!
Loved the grandeur of the room we were in, very Downton Abbey.
We ordered our cream tea and took a seat. I was so excited when it arrived. A pot of tea, clotted cream, jam and some beautiful warm scones dusted in icing sugar. Yum! Olly went as far as saying this was one of the best cream teas he had had.
Later that day we nipped down for a cheeky drink. The place was packed. Being nosey, we checked out what others were eating for dinner. The food looked absolutely superb and I've never seen such thick cut chips in my life!
Breakfast the next morning offered a buffet table consisting of fresh fruit salad, yogurts, cereals and a selection of jams and honey. We then ordered from the hot breakfast menu, as you can see the menu doesn't just comprise of your standard fry up. I liked the selection but we still plumped for the cooked breakfast. As I'm trying to be gluten free, I called the hotel a few days before hand and asked if they have a gluten free offering. Turns out one of the staff went out especially and bought me some gluten free bread for toast. I was really chuffed about that!
Loved the grandeur of the room we were in, very Downton Abbey.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Places to eat: Market Cross Cafe, Swaffham
Driving home from the coast, we decided to take a pit stop and have a look around Swaffham, a small village in Norfolk. Turns out on a Sunday, Swaffham is closed, the only places open seem to be serving a Sunday roast, which we didn't fancy. We came across the Market Cross Cafe on the way back to the car.
The interior is very fitting to the area, full with shabby farmhouse style. I really loved its quaintness. It had creaky little steps up to the second floor and an beautiful fireplace.
I loved the mug my latte was served in.
Food wise, I ordered a haluomi salad served with balsamic vinegar. Haluomi was grilled, salad was fresh. It was light but filling, perfect for lunch.
Olly ordered a falafel ciabatta. I was pretty envious.
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Places to stay: The Cliff Hotel, Gorleston
Decided we needed to take a little break, so booked in at the Cliff Hotel. We saw an offer on Groupon - one night stay including cream tea and breakfast, perfect! This hotel is found in Gorleston, a little sea side town just outside Great Yarmouth. As the name suggests the hotel is set up on the top of the cliff, with views over the sea.
First impressions are important and this hotel really delivered. We were greeted at reception by a very friendly young lady who immediately made a joke about us having issues with the entrance door, just to clarify, there's nothing wrong with the door. We just struggled with it for some reason. I'm cross that I didn't get the lady's name but she was very sweet and made us feel welcome, making jokes about her dramatic role in the murder mystery nights hosted there.
The hotel is currently being revamped, the corridors were being decorated; looked like they were replacing mattresses etc too. Our room looked like it had been newly decorated and was finished to a very high standard. The carpets were soft, it felt like they had just been laid. The headboard was grand and stylish. The bathroom was crisp and fresh, and super modern.
We had a really lovely time here. Our room was warm, cosy and comfortable. There were ample refreshments including some bottled still and sparkling water. Plenty of channels to choose from. Shower in the morning was nice and hot. Perfect weekend getaway. Please see my post about the food at The Cliff Hotel for info on cream tea and breakfast.
First impressions are important and this hotel really delivered. We were greeted at reception by a very friendly young lady who immediately made a joke about us having issues with the entrance door, just to clarify, there's nothing wrong with the door. We just struggled with it for some reason. I'm cross that I didn't get the lady's name but she was very sweet and made us feel welcome, making jokes about her dramatic role in the murder mystery nights hosted there.
The hotel is currently being revamped, the corridors were being decorated; looked like they were replacing mattresses etc too. Our room looked like it had been newly decorated and was finished to a very high standard. The carpets were soft, it felt like they had just been laid. The headboard was grand and stylish. The bathroom was crisp and fresh, and super modern.
We had a really lovely time here. Our room was warm, cosy and comfortable. There were ample refreshments including some bottled still and sparkling water. Plenty of channels to choose from. Shower in the morning was nice and hot. Perfect weekend getaway. Please see my post about the food at The Cliff Hotel for info on cream tea and breakfast.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Places to eat: Joyland American Diner, Great Yarmouth
Quirky little American Diner on the sea front, right next to the pier. Loved the decor, music and atmosphere of this place.
Looks like the have an opening for those chilling on the beach during the summer.
For starters cheesy potato shells for me, and chicken wings for Olly.
For mains, we obviously had to opt for a burger. Piled high with twister fries, mmm my favourite!
We left full to the brim!
http://www.joyland.org.uk/
Looks like the have an opening for those chilling on the beach during the summer.
For starters cheesy potato shells for me, and chicken wings for Olly.
For mains, we obviously had to opt for a burger. Piled high with twister fries, mmm my favourite!
We left full to the brim!
http://www.joyland.org.uk/
Places to visit: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
We always have to visit the amusements, so that Olly can get his 2p machine fix.
Love visiting the coast in the winter. To be fair, at this time of the year it was like a ghost town, but there's something quite nice about being the only ones walking along the beach front.
Love visiting the coast in the winter. To be fair, at this time of the year it was like a ghost town, but there's something quite nice about being the only ones walking along the beach front.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Places to eat in London: Kaslik, Soho
We arrived at Kaslik around 6:30, there didn't seem to be a single table free. Luckily, we had booked, and was escorted downstairs to a small basement room. It was draped head to toe in rich red fabrics, complete with middle eastern style lights and candles. The tables were made from large, intricate, gold platters and the seating was low. I immediately warmed to the place. Food choice was vast, it took us ages to decide what we wanted.
I eventually went for a selection of mezzes:
I was so excited to see the food arrive. Everything was lovely and hot and filled our table. Food was superb; great quality and authentic. Washed down nicely with a bottle of white. We received 50% off our food bill too, as we had a Tastecard.. Bonus! I am definitely going to be visiting Kaslik again! Yum!
http://www.kasliksoho.com
I eventually went for a selection of mezzes:
- MOUHAMARA - Mixed oriental nuts, crushed in a spicy sauce, served with olive oi
- FALAFEL - Fried balls of chick peas served with tahini sauce
- HALLOUMI CHEESE - Fried halloumi cheese served with tomatoes and cucumber
- BATATA HARRA - Spicy potato cubes fried with garlic, coriander and green pepper
- My friends opted for the MIXED GRILL - Shish Tawuk, Lamb Kebab and Lamb or Chicken Kafta.
- The waiters were very friendly, they even began teaching us how to pronounce the different dishes.
I was so excited to see the food arrive. Everything was lovely and hot and filled our table. Food was superb; great quality and authentic. Washed down nicely with a bottle of white. We received 50% off our food bill too, as we had a Tastecard.. Bonus! I am definitely going to be visiting Kaslik again! Yum!
http://www.kasliksoho.com
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