Sunny Saturday ♥

With just a week to go before I head out of London (Christmas, moving to Australia...you know) it was high time to make the most of the few days off I had left. A frosty morning filled with sunshine greeted me as I headed off to meet Ally in London Bridge. I've worked in the area the last three months which has been lovely, but the area is even better when there's no limit to your lunch break...



First up was a wander through Borough market, but with stomach's not yet rumbling we grabbed coffee from a spot I'd been eyeing up, before taking a walk along the river. The coffee house in question was that of the Gentlemen Baristas and we loved the interior, branding, and of course - our drinks! If you're in the area, check them out - and find them on Twitter here.

winterSUITCASE x Modern Society

Now there's a pop-up. I just love party season, here's one of many I have to update you on...



Kindly invited down by Suitcase magazine I swung by the winterSuitcase x Modern Society pop-up for their Christmas drinks on Monday, with the lovely Ally in tow. An amalgamation of Suitcase magazine style, Taylor Morris eyewear and their big ideas, and Modern Society's influential and exciting pop-up expertise I knew it would likely be love at first sight (apologies bank balance...)

#BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG

So you know that piece I wrote about Thanksgiving Pop Ups for About Time magazine? No? Well here you are then, give it a read... http://www.abouttimemagazine.co.uk/discover/top-5-thanksgiving-pop-ups-london/

So, that one - the one that includes the delectable BRGR.CO Thanksgiving burger..well, I was invited down to BRGR.CO in Soho on Tuesday night to try out the Thanksgiving burger, actually served TWO ways along with a whole host of other naughty bites to tickle my tastebuds, with some lovely blogger friends.

I give you the #BRGRCOTHNKSGVNG blogger dinner...!
(Ps. See the end of this post for a super exciting spoiler!)

Photo c/o BRGR.CO

Back to the Countryside (The Linton Kitchen)

A whirlwind summer of Glastonbury, America, Latitude, graduation, working for a festival website, and catching up repeatedly with friends in London...has dropped me back at home for about four weeks. Initially a bit daunted - it's easy to feel isolated when you're surrounded by nothing but fields - I've actually begun to thoroughly enjoy rediscovering my local area. See, during my four years of University I spent very little of the holiday period at home. Instead I would be rushing around London, visiting friends and family, travelling abroad, or making the most of my University home and city to hang out with friends, feel independent, and work my ass off at those typical part-time jobs. So it was pretty evident to me that what my home town - and villages - had to offer was hardly on my radar any more. I had little idea what had closed up, opened up, and felt more than a little disenchanted with the whole thing. Luckily a few days out quickly destroyed those feelings and I'm more than happy to be at home before I head back up to London and then Australia... Australia? More on that later!

Amsterdam: A Hidden Gem & Eating Out

We started our last full day wandering in the direction of the Van Gogh Museum (definitely visit - no photos allowed, sorry!) and en route found a delicious deli-cum-bakery where we of course had to collect coffee (real good) and pastries (the perfect crispy-soft kind). You can find Stach here.

Day Two in Amsterdam

Our second day meant breakfast by the river as we made our way bright and early to the famous Rijksmuseum. We'd spent time debating which of the many museums on offer we'd make it too, and this one is not to be missed if you visit Amsterdam. It contains far too much do in one day, the range is just astounding and we enjoyed locating works by some of our favourite, or well-known, artists as well as stumbling across others we fell in love with but had previously never heard of. I decided not to share many of the photographs I took of the artwork - it's just so much better in person, so you'll just have to visit yourselves! 

Van Gogh - Self Portrait

A Day Out in Amsterdam

So many people have an incredibly one-sided view of Amsterdam as a city. Those people, in my opinion at least, can only be missing out on an incredible place with so much to offer culturally, gastronomically, historically - the list goes on. We spent four days exploring the place, staying on Amstel, and it was the area to the West of Singel which became my absolute favourite. The streets Herengracht and Keizersgracht, and those that link them (more specifically the Jordaan District and Nine Streets). This is where we found all sorts of incredible design stores (check out 360volt), independent clothing brands, perfect bakeries to pick up morning treats, and delicious restaurants to spend our evenings in. 

Eating in San Francisco: Beretta

I found this beautiful place for my 21st birthday meal with my sister, during my year in the city. Perched at the top of Valencia Street in the Mission District where I spent so much of my time it had rave reviews and the menu looked decadent without being over the top. Not only did it live up to my (pretty high) expectations, but it surpassed them.

To dine at this little gem you can only call an hour ahead to pop your name on the wait list, no reservations.

So we arrived and were told there was a 15-20 minute wait for the table. There was really only one thing for it, cocktails at the bar. The place was already bustling and we stood taking in the dark wood surfaces, hanging line of bulbs and high, open ceilings while we sipped on apple/gin/lemon/basil/honey concoctions.

Alcatraz, San Francisco

On an island in San Francisco's bay sits...