lifestyle Archives - Page 38 of 54

bloomzy / March 7, 2014

Where to Eat in London: Bone Daddies

Bone Daddies | Japanese Ramen | Lunch/Dinner | Soho | Website
– reservations not available –

Bone Daddies is a ramen bar based in Soho. This is a rather spacious take on the Japanese ramen bar, with a simple interior.

I headed there on a Saturday afternoon, with 3 friends. I was a little worried we would be queuing for a while as we headed there about an hour after they had opened for lunch. Luckily there was no queue and we were seated as soon as we arrived. I’d heard a lot about Bone Daddies, and being a big fan of ramen (and deeply missing sitting at a noodle bar with strangers in Tokyo) I was really hoping the hype was justified. The food menu is simple yet plentiful, and the drinks menu were aptly themed, however I personally would have loved to see some umeshu on the menu. I choose the ramen salad as I fancied the asparagus and corn. My friends chose the Tantanmen (spicy!) and T22, with a side of fried chicken. My ramen was delicious but I don’t think it was clear enough as to what I would be getting, yet I didn’t mind…because it was so damn delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food too, making me wish I’d had one of everything. The service at Bone Daddies was friendly, and everything was dealt with promptly. Yet I was still left feeling like I’d missed something. The atmosphere just wasn’t there, and people were left queuing along by where our bags were hooked making it a bit cramped. My bowl was chipped, which isn’t a big deal to me but actually bothers quite a few people I know. The prices are close to extortionate, compared to the ramen bars in Japan (where the quality is just as good). I know this isn’t Japan, but I feel that if you’re going to run something so niche you need to do it justice. As much as I enjoyed the food I don’t think I’ll be going back, purely based on the price and atmosphere.

bloomzy / February 14, 2014

Review: Boujies London Candles

Boujies London Earl Grey and Black Ginger Candles*

Last week Boujies sent me a couple of their candles.

Now I am a massive candle addict so this was wonderful.

I can’t resist buying a candle in a particular scent that I adore.

These two definitely fit that bill; Earl Grey and Black Ginger.

Ginger and Earl Grey tea are two of my favourites scents!

Boujies started out just down the road from me at Spitalfields market in 2009.

They believe in using 100% natural wax in their candles, which they manufacture in Britain.

Their range of 7 scents are expertly chosen and feature fragrances such as Indian Vetiver and Black Dahlia.

The candles start at £14 and the diffusers start at £19, with prices going up to £68 for gift sets.

For luxury scented candles hand-poured in England, the pricing is pretty amazing.

I was so excited to receive these and see if they smelt as good as they sounded.

The packaging was the first thing I noticed – I really like the minimalist approach.

The mini candles have a paint pot type lid that you need to pry off before lighting them.

These ones in particular burn for around 20 hours, so they may look tiny but they have a good life.

The scents from both these candles is completely spot on and they absolutely smell amazing.

Part of me wants to burn these all day so my apartment smells like Earl Grey tea or Ginger.

The other part of me wants to save them because I don’t want to use them up completely.

You can purchase both the Earl Grey candle and the Black Ginger candle at Boujies.

bloomzy / February 3, 2014

Photo Diary: Birthday Celebrations

As some of you may have noticed it was my birthday this week.

I know people say that your birthday gets less exciting the older you get, but I dislike that saying.

So I always end up using my birthday as an excuse to fill the whole week with things I love to do.

This week I went out to several different restaurants for meals, with the fiancé, and my friends.

The fiancé and I went for an amazing French dinner at La Sacre Coeur in Angel, Islington.

The food was traditionally French and very authentic, as well as being incredibly delicious.

My birthday is also the date of our anniversary (which makes it a lot easier to remember).

The next day I visited the Saatchi Gallery with Hanni, which I’ve been meaning to do for ages.

We had a lovely lunch on Kings road, which involved pasta and cake…although not altogether.

The following day a bunch of us went for food at Far Rockaway and then for drinks at The Book Club.

I received some amazing birthday presents of course, from some wonderful people, which I’m so grateful for.

Yes that is one of the new Tatty Devine horse brooches, a dino-sir card and a brand new iPhone 5S.

I’ve been uploading photos of them every now and again, because I’m just so giddy over everything.

Going out also means an excuse to dress up, so I’ve been uploading my outfits over the last few days too.

You can follow me on Instagram: @bloomzy

bloomzy / January 30, 2014

Cuticura Lemon Sherbet & Sugar Candy Hand Gels

Cuticura Lemon Sherbet & Sugar Candy Anti-Bac Hand Gels*

I wasn’t sure whether to blog about these when I received them as it’s not my usual content.

Then the fiancé came home and told me that one of his work colleagues was sick with a cold.

I grabbed up one of these and put the other in my handbag – I don’t need a cold on my birthday!

It made me realise that anti-vac hand gels are commonplace now, and very helpful in the Winter months.

These arrived with a personalised jar of sherbet lemons too (not included with purchase unfortunately).

How cute is that? Cuticura had definitely got my attention, and I decided that warranted a post.

Cuticura are known for their lovely scented anti bacterial hand gels and hand washes.

They come in two sweet and delicious scents: Sugar Candy & Lemon Sherbet.

The scent isn’t amazingly strong, as they are alcohol based gels, but it’s sweet.

The lemon sherbet is my favourite of the two, but it wasn’t an easy choice.

These are perfect for carrying around with you or taking to the gym/work etc.

I like the idea of a sweet smelling alcohol gel that isn’t just in a boring bottle.

The packaging is incredibly cute and fits the concept perfectly.

Both scents are exclusive to Primark stores from February, and are priced at only £1.

bloomzy / January 22, 2014

Where to Eat in London: Village East of Bermondsey

Village East of Bermondsey – Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch – Bermondsey: Website

– reservations available –

Village East of Bermondsey is a European bar/restaurant located on Bermondsey Street. The outside is welcoming, and inside the decor is simple and stylish. I headed there on a Friday evening with 3 friends. Bermondsey is not somewhere I head often. I’ve only been there twice and I never really expected to find any ‘decent’ restaurants. Luckily a foodie friend of mine just moved to the area and had already checked out the place. We had made reservations and were lead to our table as soon as we arrived. It turned out that we were sat directly opposite the kitchen, and this wasn’t any little ol’kitchen with a window. This was an open plan kitchen with chefs plating up the food right in front of you. I thought it might be a bit noisy and off-putting to start with, but it added to the lively atmosphere, and we all enjoyed watching the chefs and wondering if it was our plate heading out next. We ordered a main and a dessert each; I went for the Soft Shell Crab Bap, and the Pineapple & Mascarpone Trifle. My crab bap originally seemed like an odd choice for an evening meal but my woes were left behind me as soon as I took my first bite. The bun and crab were delicious, and the sauce & garnish complimented it wonderfully, whilst the chips were cooked perfectly. I didn’t want it to end. As for the dessert, I felt it was a fun and tasty take on the traditional British trifle, but it lacked a little extra something. I think next time I would go for something a bit sweeter.

The service at Village East of Bermondsey was perfectly on point. The waiters were friendly and fast with our food and orders, but didn’t make us feel as though we had to be herded in and out. I will definitely be heading back, most certainly to check out the brunch menu.