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!

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!

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

Wintery Wondering at Somerset House : LOCAL LOVES

Festive fun at Somerset House is probably the most horrendously over-blogged thing at the moment but...Hey guys! I went to Somerset House and had loads of festive fun!

I went with lovely Annie (of Telegraph Julie Madly Deeply review fame) and lovely Sophie (of graceful log reclining fame). Annie recieved a little invite to go and see the amazing ACM Gospel Choir singing some crimbo tunes under the tree so we tottered off there after work and had a lovely little evening!

At this time of year Somerset House is most well know for it's ice rink but there's actually a lot more going on there - especially on 'Glad Tidings Tuesdays'. On this particular Tuesday there was free mini manicures and hand treatments from Crabtree & Evelyn. Such a treat.

We arrived just in time for the start of the carols and a large crowd quickly gathered - I mean who doesn't like a gospel choir?! We hummed along with great gusto and managed to avoid the audience participation. Phew!

We then skipped down the steps to watch the skaters glide gracefully on ice/fall over. It's so beautifully lit and not at all over crowded - you can see why it's so popular.

As you can imagine watching all this zooming about was really quite tiring so off to the bar we went for some scrummy mulled wine in Tom's Skate Lounge and then for a wonder through the Christmas Arcade.

In the arcade was the Crabtree & Evelyn pop-up....

Somerset House is full of pop-up shops all year round but of course they're lovely and festive at the moment. We followed our noses and found ourselves in the hot chocolate room first.....and it was DREAMY. Quite simple the best hot chocolate I've ever had!

Please note the most sparkly festive manicure you've ever seen!

We then went for a little snoop around the building, it's just gorgeous. The place is packed full of shops, restaurants, bars, delis...so much to discover.

So lovely followers you really must...

- Get yourself over to Somerset House - it's cracking all year round and totally free to go in. The ice rink will be there until 5th January and you can get tickets here. Nearest tubes are Temple or Charing Cross. The main website is here.

- Pop along for lunch at Tom's Kitchen, located in the South Wing.

- Tell me what your favourite London festive activity is!

All the world's a stage, What to see this month - Part II : LOCAL LOVES

Oh gang, I'm sorry - I've been a rubbish blogger! I seem to have been ridiculously busy the past few weeks doing very dull stuff that just isn't worth blogging about...especially not my dentist appointment or that night I made my sister cook me supper.

But fear not, I have been to theatre! So here we have Part II of....

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS!

And this month we have a right mixed bag - a West End powerhouse, some fringe theatre and a teeny tiny studio production. Shall we start with the biggest one first?

ONCE

Once is a musical, but you could almost call it the 'anti-musical' as it's the most low-key, understated show in London's glittering West End. Set in a Dublin bar, it's a beautifully simple love story between a local lad and a Czech girl struggling in the Irish Republic capital, bound by a love for music. 

The show is a huuuuge hit on Broadway where it opened a couple of years ago and has made a seamless transition over to London, opening about six months ago and wowing the crowds ever since. The music is fantastically folksy, slightly Mumford & Sons-esque - I actually have it on my iPhone and play it as a normal person on the bus, not a West End Wannabe like I do with other show soundtracks....!

This is a show for people who are looking for something heartfelt and earnest. All the music is played live on stage by the cast, the blooming ridiculously talented cast, and it's simply brill to see them play.

But, there's one fabulous bit about this show that you just HAVE to experience....the bar on stage is a real working bar!! So get there early enough and you can go up on to the stage and buy a pint whilst the cast come out and play some rowdy jigs! WARNING: It's hard not to get swept away...I accidentally got caught up in the pre-show performance and ended up surrounded by the gorgeous guys and their guitars, singing my heart out/guessing the words and shouting along. Cracking stuff.

WHAT: Once
WHERE: Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road
WHO: Everyone really! Couples will love it. Go if you want to see some top class musicality mixed in with a big dollop of honest love. Also go if you like pints.
TUBE: Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: Forever! There's no end in sight for this show but tickets are currently on sale until the end of May 2014.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

This musical really packs a punch - based on a true story, The Scottsboro Boys presents the terrible trait of nine black boys wrongly accused of the rape of two white girls on a train travelling through Southern America. Not exactly the plot you'd expect to be told through a vaudevillian style musical!

It is at the Young Vic Theatre, which is one of my favourite theatres in London - they produce some really cutting edge stuff and it's just so effortlessly cool there. Definitely a place to pop into just for a drink.

The show is extremely high quality and the cast is stonkingly strong - they're all singing, all dancing stage gods really. At one hour and fifty minutes long without an interval the cast are going full pelt the entire time. Their stamina alone is seriously impressive.

Incredibly powerful and heartbreaking, at the same time as being hilarious and overly silly this really is the show to see at the moment outside the West End.


WHAT: The Scottsboro Boys
WHERE The Old Vic, The Cut
WHO: Anyone who values quality theatre, especially fans of To Kill A Mockingbird.
TUBE: Waterloo or Southwark
TICKETS: Only 'day seats' are left for this one - you'll have seen in my first theatre blog I explained that these are tickets that only get released on the day of the performance and must be bought in person. Queueing starts pretty early so get yourself down there with your camping stool.
DATES: There really isn't long left on this one - last performance is 21st December.

JULIE MADLY DEEPLY

This show is excellent. No it's SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC and you certainly don't need a spoonful of sugar to help it go down. Based on the life of the wonderful Julie Andrews, this one woman show is a cheeky cabaret of mountain climbing, chimney sweeping, nazi escaping joy. Absolute joy.

Staged in the brilliantly intimate Trafalgar Studio 2 it is bloody good fun. Andrews mega fan, Sarah-Louise Young, has lovingly constructed this ode to Julie and it's even better than it was when it was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

Young takes the audience on a journey through Julie's life, the early discovery of her magnificent voice, her success in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, weaving through the difficult years of failing relationships and a difficulty to break the mold, right up to the devastating loss of her voice. Interspersing the story with songs Young has a brill voice and does a mean impression of not only Julie but also Liza Minnelli and Audrey Hepburn. She's one funny lady.

She got some cracking reviews that are well worth a read - take a look at The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Evening Standard.

And do you want to know the best bit? THERE IS A SINGALONG AT THE END!! It's impossible to leave the show without a huge grin on your face. And the girl mentioned at the end of the Telegraph review? That's my gorgeous friend Annie! She's pretty much famous now....

WHAT: Julie Madly Deeply
WHERE:Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall
WHO: Anyone who's ever watched a Julie Andrews film. So basically everyone.
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: The final performances is 12th Jan...go, go, go!

Walking and Watching, Box Hill and Electric Cinema : LOCAL LOVES

Now that we are only days away from December, that scandalous month of constant drinking, I decided to have an alcohol free weekend! Brave, I know!

So with a combination of fresh countryside air and luxurious relaxation on the schedule I practically skipped out of the office on Friday.

First stop was Box Hill in Surrey -  wrapped up in tweed and patterned knitwear I met up with lovely Catriona and jumped in the car. After a quick 40 minute drive and several goes around one particular roundabout we found the other girls in the Stepping Stones car park. But there was one fantastic new addition to the gang - everyone meet Griff! Isn't he brill?!

As you can tell from the name of the car park our walk started with a pretty hairy river crossing, Griff definitely didn't fancy it at all. The water was running high and quick due to all the rain we've been having recently so the little dog was gathered up into Emily's arms and we tackled the stepping stones.

It was round about now that I began to wish that I was a gym goer - Box Hill is flipping steep! Bear Grylls steep. And although the Hunter wellies looked the part they certainly didn't help with the climb. Boy I was pooped. So pooped in fact that none of us fancied the pink fizz I had hidden in my bag when we reached the top! This definitely isn't one for the faint hearted but it is certainly worth it for the view.

Although the day started in beautiful sunshine the clouds had unfortunately gathered by the time we were at the top so the photos aren't great but I hope you get the idea!

At the top is a visitors centre and cafe so you can stop for lunch. There were hundreds of cyclists up and I began to wish I was wearing lycra and not a pair of knee high Jack Wills socks!

The route we took down was much more relaxing and Griff had a lovely time. What a handsome chap. At the bottom of the hill is a lovely pub called the Running Horses (which recently featured in an episode of Made in Chelsea ha!) and we thought we had definitely earned a pub lunch so off down the leaf strewn road  in it's direction we went. Hilariously Griff decided he didn't like walking on leaves and turned into quite an efficient snowplow!

Leaving our muddy boots by the door we found a perfect spot by the fire and munched on humungous sandwiches and the chunkiest of chunky chips. Feeling completely full up and chuffed with ourselves we jumped into the cars before the food coma hit. I slept like a baby that night!

The following day (which I woke up on without a hangover hurrah!) I bounced out of bed and put on my new fox dress - perfect for a trip to Notting Hill. My destination - Electric Cinema on Portobello Road. Notting Hill is a really beautiful area of London with pastel coloured mews houses, tiny candlelit bistros and that famous market. 

It really is the most fantastic place and I can't go back to normal cinemas after experiencing this level of cinematic bliss! Gone are the fold down velvet chairs and popcorn strewn carpets...instead you enter the most luxurious hall full of leather sofas, armchairs, footstools and even beds on the front row! The bar serves cheeseboards, freshly made sausage rolls and, of course, gourmet hot dogs. And there isn't the normal balancing act of food on knees and drinks in cup holders - every seat has a beautiful little mirrored side-table and vintage lamp. Then, just as the lights went down I realised the foot stool had a lid and inside was a cashmere blanket! Flipping heck I was in heaven. 

Gosh, I haven't even told you what movie I was there to see!! It was called Sunshine on Leith and it was so good that I downloaded the soundtrack on the way home! It's similar to how Mamma Mia used the music of Abba - instead this film is made with the music of The Proclaimers. Now don't let a lack of knowledge of The Proclaimers back catalogue put you off - I walked into the cinema only knowing one song. Yep 'I would walk 500 miles.....do do do do!'

The film is so utterly heartwarming and the performances are fantastic. I am now head over heels in love with George Mackay the male lead and was so surprised when I found out he isn't Scottish in real life - such a great (and sexy) accent!

As you can imagine the tickets aren't cheap but they are only about £3 more than a normal cinema if you go on a Sunday - and could there be a more perfect Sunday activity?! Armchairs are £15.50, a sofa for two people is £40 and I think a bed at the front is £25. Upcoming shows are The Counsellor and Saving Mr Banks so head over to the website and book yourself in.  

And one more hidden gem about Electric is that there is a fantastic restaurant next door! Check out the menu here - it's a perfect winter warmer on a chilly dark evening.

So that's three suggestions from me today:

 - Stride up Boxhill and fill your lungs with that beautiful air... Then tumble down to the pub!

- Try and see Sunshine on Leith before it finishes in cinemas! It really is one of my new faves and I can't wait for the dvd to come out in January.

- Go to the Electric Cinema as soon as possible and experience the luxury. Even the walk from the tube is a treat, pottering down Portobello Road we bought chocolate waffles for supper. 

p.s. one little admission....I had a half pint of cider at the Running Horses and a little beer at the cinema...dammit!!