Friday 24 January 2014

This Londoner is Paris bound! : FURTHER AFIELD

Well gang, it's an exciting day! Tonight I am hopping onto the Eurostar, prosecco and plastic champers flutes in hand, and going to Paris for the very first time! Any tips on where I should visit?

I'm taking my snazzy camera with me so a big ole' blog will be winging its way to you on my return. I also promise to have a new 'All the world's a stage, What to see this month' post for you next week including a West End transfer, a Downton themed impressionist and a sparkling new musical hitting the Savoy.

But for now, au revoir, I'm off to the Eiffel Tower!


P.S. This is what I'm wearing (complete with Parisian pout) - it's the most Paris thing I could muster and miles away from usual patterned trouser and cosy jumper combo!

Friday 17 January 2014

What's cooking good-looking? Electric Diner : LOCAL LOVES


"Portobello Road, Portobello Road
Street where the riches of ages are stowed.
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Is sold off the barrow in Portobello Road.
You’ll find what you want in the Portobello Road."


'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'







Notting Hill has got to be one of the loveliest areas of London and I have to admit - I really haven't explored it nearly enough. However, there is one place you just can't avoid stumbling upon and this is the mega brill Portobello Road! This is where the world's largest antiques market has lived since 1945. Selling antiques, food, fashion and second hand goodies this road comes alive each morning with stall upon stall lining the two mile stretch. It's also where Hugh Grant's character in the movie Notting Hill lives - although sadly the blue door no longer exists as it was sold as a souvenir!




Now, you'll remember back in November that I told you all about the best cinema this fair city has to offer - Electric Cinema - which is on Portobello Road, and in that post I mentioned the Electric Diner which snugly sits next to it....well, I went there for dinner recently and it was shed-loads of fun!


I went with the girls from work for our 2014 what-I-did-on-my-holidays catch up. And what better place than this buzzy little American style joint on the bottom of the Portobello Road hey? We sat in a leather clad booth right by the bar and after ordering a bottle of prosecco to get us started we feasted our eyes on the menu.



With burgers, hot dogs and mussels on the menu Electric Diner boasts an array of simple dishes done very well. I opted for the hot dog which arrived with a humungous gherkin and arty swirls of bright yellow mustard, Annie plumped for the mussels and Emily hit the jackpot with this scrummy dish of macaroni cheese.



I'm beginning to think I should set myself the challenge of trying every macaroni cheese in London, I'm obsessed with the stuff. Word on the street is that the Curtain's Up pub in Baron's Court makes theirs with Stinking Bishop cheese - sign me up for a plate of that please chef!! Hmmm I'm going to give them one a bit of thought my little blogging pals...I might be on to something...WATCH THIS SPACE.

The atmosphere is great in there - we went on a Friday and it was jam packed  (you can book online here to ensure you get a table). There was a constant flow of people coming in and out of the place, waiters rushing past with bottle after bottle of wine and that lovely background hum of TGIF conversation. It was the perfect way to unwind from the week.

Money-wise it certainly doesn't break the bank. Mains are between £9 and £19, with loads of side dishes to pick from. Drinks are the usual London prices, but prosecco was a bit pricey for some reason! I'd really recommend going along with a gaggle of friends and maybe catching a film next door afterwards. The films are on the menu in the diner to tempt you in....but take a look here too if you want to plan ahead.

So, that's it folks - a cracking little place to eat on the wonderful Portobello Road.

- Grab some friends, book a table and get over there! There's something mighty comforting about this snazzy joint.

- Visit the market, it really is a sight to see. Check out more info on opening times and the history of this little London gem here.

- My macaroni cheese challenge - should I do it? Where have you had brilliant versions of this? Please let me know in the comments bar below and I'll get myself along to try as many of them as possible!



Thursday 2 January 2014

Let's do drinks in the New Year! : LOCAL LOVES

Happy New Year happy campers!! It's great to be back in the blogosphere - I've been in deepest, darkest Cheshire over Christmas with a poor internet connection but now I'm back in town and ready for some more Perks of Being a Londoner. Thanks so much for reading last year, I'm slowly getting to grips with this malarkey and have some great plans coming up that I can't wait to share with you. So without further ado, let's get this party started......

"Let's do drinks in the New Year!" How often did you find yourself saying that in December? I'm definitely guilty of that one, a hundred times over, sooo I thought I'd make those promises a little bit easier to keep by suggesting some really fun bars I've been to recently!

Now, I don't know about you, but I have a bit of a thing for 'activities'. If a bar can offer a little bit more than just cocktails sat on high bar stools then I'm well and truly sucked in - and that is why I have two awesomely fun places to suggest for your 2014 kick off drinks!


Ice Bar

Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus or Oxford Circus





This is pretty much what it say on the tin - a bar made of ice! But not only is the bar ice, the walls are, the seats are, the GLASSES ARE! Yep, pretty cool. They serve very scrummy cocktails.....


I went with a big gang from work so we hired the entire thing out privately. It has a capacity of 60 people so really fun for a party, but equally fun just to pop along with your pals. You do have to book in advance though - check it out here. Prices range from £13-£16 depending on the day and include a cocktail.

One thing to factor in, because it's so damn chilly you can only stay in the bar for 40 mins. They give you a fetching blue hooded cape and gloves (see pic of me looking fetching below) so you're toasty as anything when you're in there. There is a 'normal' bar there too so you can stay on and continue the New Year catch up in the warmth, with dinner or just drinks. Or, if you fancy a change of scenery, as the bar is on Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, there's shed-loads of other bars to carry on to. Perfecto.



Ping

Nearest tubes: Earls Court or Gloucester Road


Nearest tubes: Earls Court or Gloucester Road

This bar is ridiculous fun - drinks and PING PONG!! With five tables in total and a cracking DJ this place just oozes silliness. I went with the girls and we had a hilarious evening, despite our table tennis skills being mightily impaired by the lovely drinks on offer at the two bars in there - scroll past the food, we've got no time for that, we're busy Londoners!



You can book a time slot in advance or just jump on a free table, or do as we did, befriend some handsome chaps who are already playing and insist they need your mad skillz on their team! I met a lovely bloke called David and kindly told me "you're a fantastic ping pong player and don't let anyone tell you differently." Nothing like pity compliment haha!



Entry before 11pm is free so scoot along at 10.55pm and grab a bat! Also, they have Tournament Tuesdays - kick off is 8pm, it's free to join and there's a prize every week. You gotta love a prize.

So there you have it guys - two Activity Bars (for want of a better name...) that you really should try out. Let me know in the comments bar below if you know any others that I can try out and if you go to Ice Bar or Ping send me a pic on twitter @abbiemorrow, I'd love to see you enjoying these super dooper hot spots!

That's all for now folks, a Morrow's Monthly Musings theatre blog will be on it's way soon.

x