London Date night

So on Friday 17th October, Lee and I had a date night in London. He met me after work. We weren't entirely sure what to do but we had both said that we wanted to see the poppies at the Tower of London so that was the first stop. Unfortunately, TFL let us down a little bit meaning we arrived just as it got dark. Having said that we were still able to take in the scale of the poppies. It was unbelievable how many had been planted and especially the poppies falling from the hole in the wall.

After walking along the Tower of London we went for a few drinks. The Gin and Tonic was thoroughly enjoyable. For dinner, I had passed Bodeans several times so it was on it had begun to stick in my mind. After googling the menu and running it by the vegetarian it seemed like a sound choice.

Bodeans doesn't have a booking system however, the process is easy you walk into Bodeans and put your name down on their waiting list which is controlled via a tablet. They send you a text message giving you a link so you can keep track of where you are in the queue as well as sending you a text message when your table is ready. It is all very simple and means you don't need to hang around the bar but have the freedom to go off somewhere else while you wait. Which is exactly what we did.

When our table was ready we were seated in the downstairs of the restaurants which is done up with dim lighting, stag heads, American booths in a deep red, and dark wood all adding to a cosy but exclusive feeling.

We each started the evening with a Caribbean daiquiri which were delicious if not a little awkward to drink because they were in large cosmopolitan-esk glass. For starters we shared a bowl of nachos (which came in a hot bowl) which had plenty of proper mature cheddar smothered through the layers of nachos. Piled on the top of the nachos was sour cream, guacamole and salsa in abundance.

Next came our main meal and another alcoholic drink (this time we just stuck to wine and beer)....I had the BBQ grilled chicken burger which came with chips and Lee had the grilled veggie sandwich which came with sweet potato fries. The chicken in my burger was very moist and the chips had a nice crunch to them and I had a good beefy tomato to accompany the chicken. The condiments on the table were a nice touch especially as the BBQ chicken didn't have much BBQ mayo with it. I really enjoyed my burger although I wish that the plate had been hot because I take a while to eat my meal so it was cold by the time I finished. Also adding the extra bacon was definitely worth it as I got two large slices. But for those who aren't a fan of fat on bacon might want to cut it off. Lee's veggie burger although I didn't taste it, I could see over the table had a huge slab of goats cheese inside it as well as being stuffed with peppers and mushrooms.

I was pretty stuffed by this point so didn't think I couldn't manage a dessert but I thought I have to ask if they had a brownie. And they did! And it was a chocolate fudge brownie, As I was feeling pretty full, I decided to share the brownie with Lee and just as well I did as it is was a biggen. It came with ice cream and a chocolate fudge sauce. The brownie itself was hot and had a chocolate cake texture with hints of gooeyness.

For what was a meal which filled us up and delicious and we had drinks and we had a really friendly waiter the price of the meal was really good. It came to around £60 in total including the tip which I thought was a good price for a meal which ticked a lot of the boxes.

Bodeans is currently only located in London....fingers crossed they expand to have one in Cambridge soon.

Thanks Bodeans

Date Night at Pizza Express

Last Friday, Lee and I decided to have a date night as we hadn't been out just us two for over a month. So after work on Friday 10th October, I met Lee at Hatfield to go for dinner. The original plan was to go for a quick dinner at Pizza Express using Tesco Clubcard vouchers (trying to be sensible in the run up to Christmas) and then go an see Gone Girl. However, a small spanner was thrown into the works when there was an accident on the A505.

We could have wolfed down a main and made the film but instead we decided to just take it easy...we spend our lives rushing around and that was the last thing I wanted to do on a Friday night. Instead, we went all out on dinner, having three courses and wine.

So the link to my blog is that Pizza Express have recently introduced a brownie to their dessert menu. Two small little brownies covered in icing and a selection of cream, ice cream and mascarpone to choose between to accompany the brownie. Thick brownies rather than soft melt in the mouth but they were rich in taste and had a paper cracked top which I love. So for £5.45 you can't complain too much.

I have always thought that the desserts at Pizza Express let them down a little but they have upped their game. It wasn't just brownies which have been added to the menu, they now also offer Honeycomb cream slice and chocolate cheesecake.

A lovely chilled evening even if it wasn't quite to plan.

Best Friend's Wedding

So on Friday (3rd October) one of my best friends was married to her childhood sweetheart. It was an incredible day. The weather was gorgeous especially as it was October, the venue was picturesque, the bride was stunning and the groom incredibly dapper.

The wedding was a small affair at the Granary barns in Newmarket with around 45 guests during the day and 90 in the evening. Before the wedding, I got ready with friends which involved having too many glasses of champagne before we even headed to the wedding. When we arrived, the air of anticipation was there, all waiting to see that one girl walk down the aisle to her future husband. Now I am an emotional being so tears were expected from me but I think everyone felt it. The bit that got me the most were the heartfelt vows they had both written for one another and the line "I still can't believe I am the one who gets to marry you." That is how you should feel on your wedding day.

After the ceremony, the party began. Champagne was flowing in the court yard followed by a three course meal served with wine at the plenty in the breathtaking granary barn. The granary barn stood tall lit up with purple lighting and magnificent glass vases with orange and pink flowers on every table. The tables also had the cute little favours which were a kilner jar full of bon bons, millions and marshmallows (most of which were eaten before the starter was put down).

Now it wouldn't be a blog of mine if there wasn't some reference to a brownie or buger. And so here it is. The dessert was a trio of a milk chocolate mousse, strawberry & cream biscuit sandwich and a brownie. The brownie was a thick brownie so more chewy than gooey but a lovely rich flavour complimenting the light chocolate mousse.

After the entertaining speeches, including the one from the groom which involved a skittle vodka shot for everyone the night continued with a dj and more drinks and plenty of dancing.

A fabulous day and an entertaining evening.

With love to the bride and groom x