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Where to Eat in London: BIRD

where-to-eat-in-london-bird-restaurantBIRD | Fried Chicken | Hackney | Website
– reservations available –

Fried chicken is my guilty pleasure. In fact it’s one of the few things I think I could eat everyday…without growing sick of it. Even though it’s relatively common in the UK, it can be difficult to find good fried chicken. BIRD isn’t exactly the new kid on the block. But in the short time it has been open, it has made a pretty good name for itself. I’ve been a few times myself, what with the restaurant being only a 10min walk from my office. So when BIRD invited me back to try their new lunch menu of course I said yes.

I had been drooling over some of the new additions to the menu, such as the Korean Burger (fried chicken, gochujang glaze and kimchi slaw) and the Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich (freshly baked buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, honey butter & hot sauce). Naturally we ordered both when we arrived, alongside some fries and pickled cucumber. I had been excited for the biscuit as it’s something I have only had in America (and loved). It was crunchy outside and soft inside, with a slightly oily aftertaste. Although I felt it definitely could have been bigger, it was pretty authentic. The chicken was moist in both the sandwich and the burger, with a slightly crispy outer. The Kimchi Burger boasted a delicious slaw and oozed hot sauce. This is one messy burger. Over all it’s wasn’t the best fried chicken I’ve had, but it made for a good lunch. I saved my doughnut for later, and boy was it worth the wait. I honestly think BIRD make the best doughnut dough in London. This one was bigger than my hand, and I finished every last bit of it.

Our lunches came to £10 each (without drink), which included a main, side and a doughnut – or £8 with a side or doughnut. The difference between BIRD and other fried chicken restaurants is definitely in the ingredients. The chicken is brought in fresh everyday, and cooked twice to make sure that it is perfectly done. The doughnuts are made daily in-store, and the flavours change to match. The fresh, quality ingredients are definitely reflected in the taste, right down to the special seasoning on the fries. In fact I loved the little details so much that I ended up taking away the recipe for the seasoning, and jotting down the name of the hot sauce. BIRD may look like a hipster joint, but it the food feels more like home cooking. This may mean a few mishaps here and there, but more often than not they get it right.

If you liked this, why not check out the rest of my Where to Eat in London series.

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A London Life… at The Basics Store Pop-up

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Finding a brand that encompasses your personal style is not easy. Why would it be when there are stores aplenty? I personally prefer to stick to shopping in a few quality stores though (coucou Sandro & Claudie Pierlot). Maybe my time in Japan influenced me, but once I fall for a brand I stay loyal. So being able to find a store with a concept that suits me is a miracle.

Enter The Basics Store.

The Basics Store is a curated concept store for everyday essentials, with a focus on craftsmanship and luxury. Brands include: Marina London, Danielle Foster, Dear Frances, Blake LDN, Clarice Price Thomas and Jessie Harris. I knew of all of the brands before visiting the store, which is certainly a good sign. Blake LDN and Marina offer up beautifully crafted garments, whilst Danielle Foster, Clarice and Jessie provide exceptional accessories. The Avery Perfume Gallery has also taken up residency, to keep you smelling as good as you look. Honestly I hadn’t heard of any of the perfume brands, however I instantly fell for ROADS fragrances (in particular Cloud 9). In a nutshell, it’s easy to see that The Basics Store has chosen a handful of high quality brands and designers. Expertly curated, this is one store I dare anyone not to love.

The shop is open for one month, from 13th June – 13th July. Located in the heart of Shoreditch at 30a Redchurch Street, the pop-up will be offering free talks and workshops throughout the month including ear-piercing, live music, style consultancy and juicing demonstrations.

Thank you to Eva who took the photos of me.

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If you liked this, check out the rest of my A London Life series.

bloomzy /

Goodbye DSLR, Hello iPhone 6?

Sometimes I think us bloggers hide behind our DSLRs and photoshop. We forget that having the latest fancy camera doesn’t always equal good photos…or a good time. As much as I love documenting my life through photos, I do find that at some blogger events it can all get a bit much. Elbows flailing around as we each try to get the best macro shot of that single piece of sushi. Trying to stay as still as possible because the lighting is terrible and your aperture is so low it’s about to give Flo Rida a run for his money. It’s tiring to say the least. So when Three Mobile invited me to celebrate their Feel At Home Tariff at a foodie event with a difference, I was equal parts nervous and excited.

On Wednesday evening I was asked to turn up at Tramontana Brindisa Shoreditch with no DSLR. No compact camera. Nothing. So I did as I was told and made my way to the venue. When I arrived I was greeted by our lovely hostesses and a special package at my place setting. It turned out that each of us had identical boxes, and inside was the iPhone 6. By a fluke I actually ended up as the only person at the table with the iPhone 6 plus, but I wasn’t about to complain. Three explained to us that they wanted us to experience the evening through the new iPhone. They had already kindly downloaded us the bloggers survival kit: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Dropbox. The reason we had been asked to leave our cameras behind was because the new iPhone 6 comes with an 8MP iSight camera with Focus Pixels (the 6 plus also has optical image stabilisation), and is perfect for carrying with you on the go. I was a little worried without my trusty Nikon by my side as the lighting was pretty poor, and I’d only ever used my iPhone 5s for Instagram shots. Still, with a little bit of composition, and some heavy editing on VSCOcam, I managed to come out with photos such as this. In fact all of the photos in this post were taken on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Was I won over? Honestly I’d be lying if I said I was going to up and leave my Nikon for a sexier hand-held alternative, but I’m not lying when I say that I was impressed. Not having to mess around with my DSLR made for a nice change, and I can definitely see that the iPhone 6 would be great for those times where you are caught out without your camera. The quality of the photos was noticeably different to my 5s and the screen was much clearer. I had a lot of fun playing with the slow-mo and timelapse functions too. In fact I had so much fun that I have begun plotting to off my current phone so I have an excuse to buy a new one. Now where’s the nearest Three store?

bloomzy /

East London Jewels at Parla, Boxpark

Jessie Harris
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EABurns
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Clarice Price Thomas
Jenny Sweetnam
Smith/Grey
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Cooee
 
If you’ve been reading my blog since my move to London then you will know my background is in jewellery. Well that love goes back a long time. As a child I would buy jewellery making kits with my pocket money; creating necklaces and bracelets for myself and my friends. I wish I had continued with my jewellery making during my teenage years, but instead photoshop and html took over. Naturally I have a lot of respect for those who design and create their own jewellery.
Parla is one of the latest additions to Boxpark in Shoreditch. A jewellery boutique offering sustainable Scandinavian styled creations by British, Swedish and Norwegian designers. Put Scandinavian in front of anything and I’m sold. Minimalistic yet distinctive, that’s my kind of style. I headed to the store last week for a press night where I was able to meet my favourite designers (of those stocked at Parla) – Jenny Sweetnam and Clarice Price Thomas. Both were incredibly lovely and talked me through their collections and the inspiration behind their work. Their pieces are minimalistic and modern. Both work in sterling silver and gold, meaning the pieces are of the highest quality. I could go on and on, but instead I plan to talk more about both of them in my ‘Designer Spotlight‘ series.

If you like what you see, you can browse all of the designers and pieces at Parla.

bloomzy /

A London Life… in Shoreditch

 Yellow Stripe Bag by Hanelca, at Luna and Curious
 
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 Coffee break (Fika) at Fika, on Brick Lane
Tote bag by Wonderound

A London Life is a new photo diary series I have decided to start on the blog. I often get friends from outside of London, be it from Norfolk or as far away as Tokyo, asking me for more of an insight (read: less touristy) into the city. So I’ve decided to upload a series of photo diaries of my adventures/life in London. I won’t be including massively long descriptions in these posts, unless needed. Instead, I’ll be adding short and sweet tag lines and links to the photos e.g. “Coffee Break at Fika, on Brick Lane”.

If you have any questions always feel free to comment or tweet me.
As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see, let me know.

View more of the  ‘A London Life…’ series

bloomzy /

Wonderound: South Korean Designer Fashion Pop-Up in Shoreditch

It’s not everyday you find a store that encompasses your style to perfection. Yet that’s exactly how I felt when I walked into Wonderound. The store started online, stocking pieces from South Korean designers in a variety of styles. Now that concept has been realised in the form of their pop-up shop in Shoreditch, which is currently open 7 days a week, until December.

Good quality, minimalistic clothing that isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is – I like that. In fact that’s pretty much Wonderound’s concept “…we believe that simple and comfortable clothing makes the person look effortlessly beautiful.” The items for sale reflect this idea, featuring a variety of shapes, sizes, cuts and colours. I’ve always admired South Korean fashion, and Wonderound has managed to showcase some of the best current trends. Although fashion isn’t the only thing you’ll find, as lifestyle items are littered throughout the store also. The mix of complimentary lifestyle and fashion goods is a refreshing idea, and something I was all too happy to see. We all love a good pair of shoes, but sometimes you just want a nice smelling candle – at Wonderound you can buy all of these things, because they understand that fashion and style don’t end with clothing. They want to help you accessorise your life, as well as your wardrobe.


You can find Wonderound on Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch or you can shop online at Wonderound.