Oxford Street Falafel

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Oxford Street Falafel

Like many of you, there are loads of different things I miss about my normal life. Despite the fact I used to moan daily about my lengthy Essex to White City commute, I never realised how much I would miss it once it was taken away from me. Not only did I miss the buzz of working in the office, but I also missed wandering around London buying food and drink, which, as you can tell from this blog, is quite a huge part of my life. 

So once UK lockdown laws were relaxed, I decided to take myself on a little adventure. I decided to take a trip to Oxford Street as I wanted to get some bits from Selfridges. The good thing is, there are not a significant amount of changes required to get here from Essex. Just one overground, one underground. 

Is Oxford Street Falafel, open?

You will be incredibly pleased to know, the majority of the street food stalls in Oxford Street are open. Selfridges opened at 11 am, and I got there at 10.30 am and Mr Falafal was open before I got there. I’m not sure of their exact times, but I reckon it’s safe to say they are probably open around the same times as all of the shops, which are 10 am to 11 pm.

What is Falafel’s menu like? 

Mr Falafal’s menu is quite basic, being a busy street food stall. The good thing is the few things they do, they do perfectly. Oxford Street Falafel is the place where I have experienced the best falafel I have ever eaten. Granted, I’ve never been to any Middle-Eastern countries and tried their cuisine, but it is up there in the UK as the best falafel. You can either choose to have them with tahini or hummus, or you can have halloumi with either of these. I don’t personally like tahini or hummus, so they swapped me with some halloumi. 

What are the prices like at Oxford Street Falafel?

The majority of things on the menu were between £4 and £5. The serving sizes are quite large, so you do get good value for money. You’ll find most street food in London is priced at around £5, so there isn’t any particular price different just because it is in Oxford Street.

Fudge recipe

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Scottish Tablet Fudge Recipe

*This recipe was taken from the BBC food recipe here. However, I will put into my own words the method I used.

What is Scottish Tablet fudge?

A very special fudge indeed, I can tell you. If you know the difference between them, you will understand that Scottish Tablet fudge is the delightful, creamy, crumbly cousin of the fudge you know and love from old-fashioned sweet shops. It happens to be one of my favourite fudges so this is why I wanted to make it.

Do you need a separate fudge recipe?

While I was doing my lurking, all of the fudge recipes looked pretty much the same. That being said, ensure if you do want to make tablet you find a tablet recipe, like the one from BBC Food I used.

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter
450g caster sugar
75g sweetened condensed milk
150ml of water
Method
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. The actual recipe says 22cm by 18cm but I just used a big pasta dish. Note the bit about the baking paper, you are going to want to make sure you do that, because fudge sticks like shit to a blanket.
2. Put the 150ml of water and the butter into a pan. Start melting this on low heat. If this were a Greek recipe I would tell you to do this “slowly slowly”.
3. Start stirring in the sugar. Because there is so much, you might not need to stir it in all in one go unless your pan is a cauldron, so just try and make sure you get it all in as quickly as you can.
4. Once all of the sugar is in, bring the mixture to the boil.
5. Once the mixture has started boiling, bring the heat down then stir in the condensed milk.
6. Simmer and stir until the mixture darkens in colour. Now this bit is so important: it will take half an hour AT LEAST until he mixture darkens. In this time you will lose faith in your ability to follow this recipe. You will call BBC Food all of the names under the sun. You will be ready to give up. DON’T. The mixture genuinely will darken in colour.
7. To test it, spoon a bit onto a cold plate. It should set and be “sticky” after a few seconds. Alternatively, you can use a sugar thermometer and ensure the mixture hits 115 degrees.
8. After half an hour or so, your newly darkened Scottish Tablet will look exactly as the fudge recipe says it should. Take it off of the heat, and give it another stir until the mixture thickens.
9. Leave the fudge for around half an hour to set. If you are a greedy bitch like me, you’ll want to “lock the spoon”. Don’t. The temperature of cooked sugar is unbelievably high, and you will more than likely fry your oesophagus.

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Turtle Bay to Reopen on 4th July

It’s the one we have all been waiting for. Restaurants are finally reopening on the 4th July, including Turtle Bay. I had my first dose of Turtle Bay when I visited Leicester a few years back, so as you can imagine, I was thrilled when they opened restaurants in Essex in Colchester and Chelmsford. I’ve visited a couple of times and the food really is second to none, so I am keen to see what the new social distancing measures are like, especially if they mean I get to enjoy some jerk chicken and a mocktail.

Turtle bay have put a number of measures in place to ensure they meet government requirements for reopening. Anyway, instead of taking my word for it, I will just refer you to their press release:

BOOK YOUR TROPICAL ESCAPE NOW – TURTLE BAY CHELMSFORD IS REOPENING ITS DOORS ON 4TH JULY

Caribbean restaurant and bar, Turtle Bay, are welcoming guests back to 26 of their 42 restaurants including Chelmsford on the 4th July in the first phase of their reopening plan.  

Bookings are open for brunch, lunch, dinner or drinks, both at the restaurants and on their ‘beachfronts’ – Turtle Bay’s outdoor dining and drinking terraces.


With overseas holidays off the agenda for most, the restaurant’s colourful and eclectic interior, beach shack bars, incredible rum cocktails, beautiful soul food and laidback reggae soundtrack provides a tropical escape on your doorstep.

Of course, there have been a few changes made at the restaurants, which have been operationally transformed to become COVID-secure destinations.

Measures in place in the restaurant for the safety of customers and teams include:

  • Team Health Checks: 
    Daily health checks are in place before team members start their shift to ensure they are displaying no symptoms. Individual risk assessments are completed for each team member to ensure it is safe for them to return to work.
  • Social Distancing:
    Tables are spaced in line with the 1m plus guidelines and teams will be observing this too.
  • Screens:
    Customers can choose to have a Perspex screen fitted to the table – these can be requested on booking.
  • Going cashless:
    Cash will not be taken to reduce risk, contactless payment is available
  • App:
    An order & pay at table App is being trialled with a view to rolling out nationally later this month.
  • Cleaning & hygiene: 
    Hand-sanitisers are available throughout the restaurant & a strict cleaning program will be taking place throughout the day, including frequent handwashing carried out by all team members.
  • PPE:
    Is available for every team member if they choose to use this.
  • Consolidated Menu:
    A pared-back menu will be in place for the time being to reduce waste and enable social distancing in the kitchen

The Turtle Bay grill is being fired up and most of the menu will be available. This includes their famous Jerk Chicken; Curry Goat; Beach Tapas for lazy grazing; and a huge array of vegan dishes and cocktails –  this is sunshine for the soul, right when it is needed most.

Hitting the legendary tropical cocktail collection is something likely to be on the agenda of many a Turtle Bay fan too – and the entire rum-based menu will be available at the restaurants from the 4th July.  Plus, the legendary Happy Hour is back which means that the whole rainbow of rum cocktails including One Love, Reggae Rum Punch, Ting Ray and Marley Mojito are available 2-4-1 from the moment they open till 7pm and then again from 9.30pm until close in the evening.

The 4th July also sees the return of Turtle Bay’s Bottomless Brunch (10am – 3pm daily). For £25pp, their gorgeous Caribbean brunch is served with unlimited choices from the whole tropical cocktail collection (or Red Stripe for those less keen on a cocktail) for two hours of laidback, island-style escapism.

If diners can’t get to the Bay, then the Bay will come to them, as Turtle Bay at Home will continue to bring a slice of island life into the houses of hungry jerk fans around the country. All the below restaurants will serve up their collection and delivery menu…which includes cocktails too. At-home diners can live their best island-style life in the comfort of their own kitchen/dining room/office/back garden/bedroom… anything goes!  Bespoke Caribbean takeaway feasts can be matched with incredible rum cocktails and a soundtrack of reggae specially curated by Turtle Bay through the restaurant’s Spotify channel.

Tom Sullivan General Manager of Turtle Bay Chelmsford said:
“At Turtle Bay, bringing the magic of the Caribbean to the table is what we do… I know these times have been incredibly tough for so many of our guests and our teams. But, as they say in the islands, storms don’t last forever.Now more than ever that sense of positivity and warmth will be a vital part of the Turtle Bay experience and we can’t wait to welcome our guests back to the restaurant. The Turtle Bay family has been working extraordinarily hard behind the scenes to ensure that the experience is a safe one, and we’d like to thank every team member, key worker and all of our guests, who have helped us on this journey.”

Guests can book now at the restaurants below:

  • Bath
  • Birmingham
  • Bournemouth
  • Bristol Broad Quay
  • Chelmsford
  • Colchester
  • Crawley
  • Ealing
  • Guildford
  • Leamington Spa
  • Leeds
  • Leicester
  • Liverpool Hannover St
  • Manchester NQ
  • Manchester Ox St
  • MK
  • Northampton
  • Nottingham
  • Peterborough
  • Plymouth
  • Sheffield
  • Solihull
  • Southampton
  • Staines
  • York
  • Cardiff – is open for takeaway only for now.

Places at the restaurant and beachfront are strictly limited so it’s advisable to book soon for anyone wanting to experience the magic of the Caribbean this July and beyond.

 
 

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Kricket – Tried Chicken

Kricket, White City

The fried chicken at Kricket is amazing.

I’ve already written a separate review covering Kricket in London. But if anyone has ever experienced the pleasure of their fried chicken, they will probably know why I have decided to create a different review dedicated to it. The menu at Kricket is pretty varied, but the fried chicken is the crowning glory. I work for a huge advertising agency and the fried chicken at Kricket is something of a legend.

Kricket is a very trendy venue, decor-wise. I have been lucky enough to visit the Soho Kricket as well. It is very similar to the White City one. When I found out I was visiting the White City restaurant a few weeks back, I’d already started thinking about the fried chicken before I even sent “accept” on the invite.

There were a fair few of us at the lunch so we were all sat on a bigger table, next to the serving hatch. As much as I love Kricket, this is a terrible place to sit. I only had a light breakfast, so I was STARVING by the time we sat down to eat. Unlike all of our previous visits, Kricket took a while to serve our fried chicken. I appreciate we were a big group, but it wasn’t massively busy. We did have to wait around forty-five minutes in the end, which wasn’t ideal when we all had work to get back to. 

What is the fried chicken like?

Thankfully, once we did get the fried chicken it was as good as I remembered it being. You get around four or five pieces in each bowl, so our group had ordered five bowls. The Keralan fried chicken is one of Kricket’s small plates so keep this in mind if you are going to order it with main meals.

There isn’t any “one thing” that makes the fried chicken so good here. One of the things I like the most about it is how succulent the chicken is. Although you wouldn’t think it, because you fry it in oil, fried chicken can very easily come out as dry as a nun’s chuff. This doesn’t happen at all with Kricket’s fried chicken, it is really juicy and tender.

The coating has an incredible flavour. It isn’t spicy or remotely overpowering. but it has a little bit of a kick you don’t get with standard “southern” fried chicken. The Keralan fried chicken is served with curry leaf mayo, you really don’t need any condiments with it.

It’s so nice, I actually ate around three bowls myself, which is a grand total of twelve pieces of fried chicken.

Fried chicken = 5/5

Location = 3/5

Atmosphere = 4/5

Other food = 4/5

Value for money = 2/5

Speed of service = 2/5

If you enjoy my written content, you might want to visit my Youtube channel and watch travel videos like my video of the Philippines or my interview with a vitamin iv nurse.

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If you want to try Kricket, you can book a table online.

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My Favourite Places in London

I have a love/hate relationship with the city. If I am in one of my favourite secret places in London I love it. Catch me on a bad day and I will moan about how rude the people are, how bad the weather is and how busy it is there. Catch me on a good day and I will happily tell you it is the best place on earth and I have always wanted to work there. The trick for me with London is to realise you need to split your work time and free time. Travelling up there for work is a nightmare, but I still go up to London in my free time, because when I do have the time to wander, there are some incredible places. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite places in the city you might not know about.

The Richmond Theatre

Image from atgtickets.com

Situated well-away from the traditional “theatre district”, The Richmond Theatre has a simplicity that is very attractive to someone who enjoys the theatre as much as me. Since I started writing for The Live Review, I have been lucky enough to visit quite a few shows there. I don’t know what it is that makes me feel really at home at the theatre, but this particular theatre makes me feel even more so. Maybe it’s just because it’s a little bit cosier than the bigger London theatres in the West End. The fact this place is so peaceful is the main reason it gets designated one of my best secret places in London.

Great for. . . feeling cultured

Mei Leaf

Mei Leaf is a little slice of heaven in otherwise-heaving Camden. I’ve always been a huge fan of herbal tea and I became an even bigger fan when I gave up alcohol. The thing that makes Mei Leaf so spectacular is that they have a small, sit-in cafe bit at the back where they will serve up a traditional Chinese tea in the pot, on the wooden tray and everything. The staff there know their stuff as well. Most years, some of the staff actually visit China and handpick the tea. Teatulia is another tea bar I really like in London, I found out about them after going to a blogging event at their London tea bar.

Great for. . . forgetting reality

Japanese Garden

When I first heard about it, the Japanese garden was something that was on my list of places to visit for ages. I think in the UK, we are constantly waiting for the “right” weather to do certain things. So I put the visit to the Japanese garden to the back of my mind because it was winter. Then, I realised how close it is to my office. Holland Park, where it is situated is just a couple of stops away from me on the central line.

If the weather is dry, this is a beautiful place for a little lunch-time walk. You can find all of the details you need to visit the Kyoto Garden here.

Great for. . . getting back to nature

Camden Lock Canal Boat Tours

I know you are probably thinking that a canal boat tour isn’t the first thing you would associate with the busy city, but a boat tour along Regents Canal is one of my favourite things to do in London. the London Waterbus Company do tours that go to London Zoo or Little Venice. They are inexpensive, and I can’t think of anything better to do on a sunny London afternoon than hop on a boat to one of the most beautiful places imaginable (Little Venice).

Great for. . . something different

The Churchill Arms

The Churchill Arms is one of the most famous pubs in London.

I’ve already written a review on The Churchill Arms, on my food section, but I thought it was worth mentioning again here. Based in Notting Hill, The Churchill Arms has quite an interesting outdoor and indoor decor. The food is really good as well. Unexpectedly, they do a fantastic Pad Thai.

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A Weekend In London

As part of my birthday weekend surprise from my Mum, she booked up for dinner at Hudson’s House. For someone who is never in London she did really well with all of the planning. Hudson’s House is situated in St Giles Hotel (where we were staying), which was a short ten minute walk from the theatre.

I went for a little lunch time walk beforehand and found the St Giles Hotel before we went and I was amazed at how central it was. It’s about 2 minutes from Tottenham Court Road station and you can also get a bus from Fenchurch Street that takes you really close. I’ll be honest – the outside isn’t impressive. The outside has kind of a cold war vibe so you can be forgiven for not expecting much when you go in. The hotel itself is amazing inside though. We were on the fifth floor which was great as we had a view of the whole of London, we could even see the Shard from our room. The room was lovely and nice and warm which is really what you want when you are trekking around London for the evening. My favourite part about the room was the bathroom because it had a bath, so I soaked myself and caught up on Celebs Go Dating before we went down to dinner.

Hudson’s House, London

The restaurant is located in the hotel so we didn’t have far to walk for dinner. Hudson’s House had a real trendy vibe. They were playing 80s tunes which is a bit random but I’ll always welcome a bit of 99 Red Balloons while I’m tucking into my salmon. The tables were also quite private which is nice as I’ve eaten in places before that put you so close to the people next you you, you might as well be cutting their food for them. Because the venue is so trendy you’d be forgiven that the menu will be pretentious, but it is actually simple, elegant offering that focuses on good, whole food.

Any time I go out to eat I order something I wouldn’t usually have at home. If no one else in the house likes the same thing as you then really what’s the point of cooking something entirely separate. I had the salmon which came with roast potatoes which had a distinctive crunch and tasted a bit cheesy. I have no idea if they did have cheese on them or not but if they did – that is GENIUS. As I ordered, the waitress apologetically informed me there was no kale. Thank heavens I escaped that one! Green beans are far less dreary than kale.

Hudson's House London

Since I’ve been blogging I’ve made it my mission to try as many different cheesecakes as possible. Bring them on! Who cares if I’ll be fat for Marbs, YOLO. So of course, I had cheesecake for dessert. This particular little delight was of the New York variety and it was like a little slab of cheerful. I’d eat there again in a heartbeat, it was a wonderful birthday treat.

Hudson's House London

VQ Cafe, London

When I saw our hotel also had a VQ restaurant I was quite surprised as I know they are quite famous as a restaurant in their own right. To be honest hotel breakfasts are so poor nowadays you are lucky if you get a croissant and decent cup of coffee so after a comfy nights sleep in the St Giles Hotel’s cosy bed I was thrilled to be going downstairs for a full English. We were off to the Chinese New Year parade on the Sunday so I was glad of having a great breakfast before we went. They even did a veggie option which worked out perfect as my Mum doesn’t eat meat. The staff at VQ were so, SO helpful and they were super cheerful for that time of the morning. I need at least three coffees before I put in that level of effort – fair play to them.

The entire experience was fantastic. I’d highly recommend the St Giles if you are spending a weekend in London. It’s so central and really reasonably priced.

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Aladdin, London

Aladdin London

To me, there are two versions of London. There is the London I work in. This is the London that centres around my office in Seven Dials, where I go for breakfast meetings at the Shard and pick up the Metro at Covent Garden station on my way home. Then theres the London I PLAY in. The London where I go to last minute art exhibitions, Bounce for some ping pong and a drink or Regents Park during the summer for some tanning. In my head having time to enjoy the city is a completely different thing to rushing down Charing Cross road to the office because you missed your tube by 30 seconds.

So when my Mum told me my 30th birthday surprise was in fact, a weekend in London, I was super excited even though it was in and around my work area. I’ve wanted to see Aladdin for ages, but until MAC or Urban Decay lower their prices I was never going to be affording that one. As someone who hates the tube she managed to plan everything avoiding it with military precision. We were staying at the St Giles Hotel, having dinner at their restaurant then seeing Aladdin at the theatre (something I have wanted to do for ages). So that was that.

I was seeing Aladdin at the theatre!

The Prince Edward theatre is really easy to find. That isn’t even just because I work there and know the area, it’s a short walk from Tottenham Court road station. I’ve been to the theatre quite a lot, but being that it was Aladdin I didn’t really know what to expect. When we got there and had read of the programme both of the best songs (Prince Ali and A Whole New World) were in the second act – so I assumed the first one would go slowly.

From the offset the genie was hilarious. He really is one of the best characters. He kept the jokes fresh and up to date and his banter with Aladdin was brilliant. Obviously it followed the story of Aladdin really closely so the first act was all about him being a thief and then meeting Jasmine. It ended with the part where he goes into the cave to find the lamp. The set for this scene was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it at the theatre. It looked like solid gold which is the effect they were going for but I wasn’t expecting it to be so good.

The second act opened with Prince Ali so if you are going to go and see it expect to have that one in your head for about three weeks after. When my Mum told me what we were doing I was seriously intrigued at how they would make the magic carpet scene work. I remember when I found out magic carpets were not actually real. I was shocked and horrified. The magic carpet at Aladdin in London actually flew. It seriously did. I was in awe. As Aladdin and Jasmine flew around the stage singing A Whole New World all I was doing was trying to figure out how they did it. After an extensive Google search I have come to the realisation that they don’t WANT you to know how they did it. In fact, the staff actually have to sign NDA’s to say they won’t tell anyone. It is ACTUAL magic.

I’ve always found the end of Aladdin a bit drawn out. I don’t know why as the film itself is quite short, but I can never remember what actually happens which means it is too long as I haven’t got a terribly long attention span. Luckily the theatre production doesn’t drag on, and the ending wraps up pretty quickly and neatly.

Depending on how many people are going, tickets can get pricey, but I can honestly say it is worth every penny. Aladdin is the most truly amazing West End show I have ever seen and I can’t wait to go again!

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3 Of The Best Spas In The South Of England

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One of the most under-reported 21st century crimes is the fact that good spas only really get the adequate amount of press coverage they deserve during the run up to Valentines Day. I find this to be quite devastating as I love a spa. So much do I enjoy a swimming pool and sauna that I actually refuse to be a member of a gym that does not have one. Does that mean I pay £50 a month to go once a year? Yes. But really, is there a better pleasure in life than sitting in the sauna reading about Deborah from Hull getting stood up at the alter in Pick Me Up? It’s a no from me.

So in celebration of the fact that spas don’t get much recognition as places you can go when it isn’t Valentines Day or a Hen Do, I thought I would give you the list of my three favourites, just because I can.

So where are the best spas near London?

Picking three was actually a difficult task. The spas I have visited in and around Essex have all really impressed me in my years as a professional towelling gown model, but there have been three that I have visited that have really stood out for me.

Best for Luxury – The Chelsea Harbour Hotel

This one is in London, you’d never have guessed, in Chelsea. Trust me if my Mum can make the journey from Essex to central London swearing and ignoring every single instruction her sat nav provider her with, then you can too. The Chelsea Harbour Hotel is a little slice of paradise in the metropolis of the capital city. One of the things that really makes this place appeal to me is the view from the balcony. Bag yourself the right room and you will be able to see the whole of Chelsea Harbour while enjoying a coffee from the Taissimo in your room.

The spa at the Chelsea Harbour isn’t overwhelming but the rooms and the food make up for it. We ordered dinner to our room because we basically couldn’t be bothered to dress in clothes rather than our dressing gowns. The spa has an indoor pool, a sauna and a steam room – however the spoiled brat in me does prefer the option of a jacuzzi. Either way this place really is worth a visit. The room and the hotel is so nice you will probably end up spending little time in the spa anyway.

Best All Rounder – Lifehouse Spa

There is a reason that Lifehouse pops up on so many lists on my blog  – it’s amazing. Tucked away in Frinton-on-Sea, it isn’t the most accessible or obvious place but it is well worth it when you get there. The bedrooms are quite modern, and cosy. If you are lucky like I have been every time I go then you could end up with a room that has a balcony overlooking the lake. Lifehouse is set in the grounds of an English Heritage site so if you get bored of being pampered (why would you though) you can take yourself for a stroll. They even have wellies you can borrow if the weather isn’t on your side.

The real star of the show for me is the spa itself. It has a standard swimming pool and a thermal heated pool which is a nice choice and something a bit different to what other spas offer. As well as being treated to a sauna and steam room there is also a salt inhalation room. I have no idea what it does, but it feels good when you sit in it. Complete with a freezing cold plunge pool, foot spas and sun loungers around the edge, it really is the little extras that make Lifehouse stand out. The fact that the entire building is purpose built, modern, and clean is what makes the whole experience special for me. They also have an amazing restaurant that serves well cooked, locally sourced food. It is so good I actually recently included it in my Top Five Places to Eat in Essex post.

Best Budget – Best Western Ufford Park

The Best Western Ufford Park is one of my favourite spas. They had the USP of a thermal pool long before other spas started doing it and the room it is in also contains two different types of sauna, a steam room and a relaxation room. The relaxation room here is one of my favourite places, mostly because they have herbal tea on tap. They also have a standard swimming pool that has a sauna and steam room so you are spoilt for choice. The rooms are not ultra modern but one great thing about them is that they are incredibly spacious. Literally space to do a forward roll if that’s what floats your boat. Like Lifehouse, the grounds of the spa are also really pleasant as Ufford Park also hosts a golf course.

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You Can Now Post A Bag Of Dicks

There aren’t a lot of things right in the world currently. Trump. North Korea. The fact that McDonald’s still don’t deliver. But if you were starting to fear for humanity – don’t. Following on from the popularity of sending your enemies glitter, you can now post a bag of dicks.

The UK company allows you to send a standard bag of dicks, send a big bag of dicks, and my personal favourite: send a whole workplace a corporate bag of dicks.

The best thing about it?

It’s completely anonymous. All you need is a name and address and you could be well on your way to making your annoying colleague or that family member you hate eat a huge bag of dicks. It’s clear to me now that 2018 is going to be a year of innovation.

corporate-dicks

One of the most spectacular things here is that the dicks actually look quite tasty. If I received a bag of them I would definitely eat them.

Who are you going to send a bag?

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