Dalloway Terrace

Who doesn't love an instagrammable spot for lunch? After following Secret London on Instagram I came across Dalloway Terrace and decided to venture their for some brunch today. The decor is so chic and the outside area looks perfect in the sun with the array of flower walls. The staff were all super friendly and accommodated to my intolerances amazingly, which always makes my experience at restaurants that much better. It is a 2 minute walk from Tottenham Court Road and has seats on the lovely terrace or for when it is colder they have lots of seating inside too.

You can find their website here.  

I hope you enjoyed this post! Thank you for reading. Let me know if you've been here before!

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

My Favourite Dubai Restaurants

After the most amazing week of my life I am back from Dubai! It was my first time visiting this amazing city and it exceeded all expectations. Food is one of my favourite things and when I go away I love to eat at and visit different restaurants. In Dubai there are so many amazing restaurants where I could list them all but I have managed to limit it down to four of my favourites.

1. Pierchic

This was one of my absolute favourite places. It is a seafood restaurant that is located at the end of a pier, sitting on the sea. This restaurant had everything, the views, food and hospitality were just incredible. I haven intolerances to a few things and so when I eat out I often find it difficult as much of the menu contains what I can't have but at Pierchic they catered to my needs so well. I told them what I would like off the menu and they created it so that I could have it. If you are looking for a really romantic evening with gorgeous views of the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah beach then this is the restaurant for you. This is the link to its website- Pierchic. (Pictures have been taken from their website).

2. Burj Khalifa- Atmosphere.

Out of any restaurant that I have ever been to this was by far the most breathtaking. Atmosphere is located on the 123rd floor of the Burj Khalifa where you have views overlooking the whole city. We went for drinks in the lounge between 5:30-6:30 so we were able to watch the sunset and the Dubai fountain. The staff, food and views again were incredible. This was another restaurant that catered to my food intolerances really well, as they also adapted the menu so that I was able to have what I wanted. It was so romantic and the best night of my holiday. This is definitely somewhere to visit when you are in Dubai, I can't recommend it enough. Below are pictures of the view that we had when we were sitting in the lounge having drinks and when the Dubai fountain started. The link to the restaurant is here- Atmosphere.

3. Burj Al Arab- Nathan Outlaw at Al Mahara

We went for dinner here on our first night and it was a great way to start the holiday! The Burj is such a beautiful hotel and this restaurant was no exception. We were literally sat in front of a fish tank, where you could see the fish swimming around while eating dinner. The food and hospitality again where amazing. If you love seafood and want a bit of a different experience then I would highly recommend this place, as the food was some of the best I have ever eaten. You can find their website here- Nathan Outlaw. (Picture taken from their website).

4. Shimmers

And last but certainly not least is Shimmers. This is a much more chilled and relaxed atmosphere than the restaurants that I have previously mentioned where you can slip on some sandals and a summery dress and be ready to go. This restaurant was located on the beach where you had direct views of the Burj Al Arab, which looks so pretty at night time when it is lit up. This restaurant served meat and fish and was more of Greek/Turkish food and it was delicious! Afterwards you can sit by the sea and continue drinks and smoke shisha. It is lovely for both lunch and dinner and I would highly recommend it if you are visiting Dubai. The link to their website is here- Shimmers.

Dubai has now become my favourite place on the planet! If you need anymore recommendations for restaurants or things to do in Dubai comment below.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

Finding allergy treats!

So this post today is a little different to usual. As you may know from my York Test post, which you can find here, I recently discovered that I have intolerances to yeast, egg and cows and goats milk. I'm not going to lie when I first found out I was so annoyed because I thought that I was going to miss out on all the delicious meals and treats that I normally would indulge into. But after a lot of research and googling I found that I actually can still enjoy food to the fullest but I just have to change the ingredients around a bit more like with milk, rather than using cows milk I have switched to almond and coconut milk, which I actually really enjoy. 

I know that a lot of people suffer with allergies and intolerances and it can be so daunting and hard to find substitutes for stuff but I have found a few treats that require barely any ingredients and I am able to have. So if you suffer from any of the above you will definitely be able to give these a go, as well as many others.

1. Vegan Shortbread

I found this recipe on the Wallflower Kitchen here. I made these over Christmas and they were delicious, everyone said that they could not taste the difference! All you need for this recipe is:

200g of dairy free butter- I use the flora one, which you can find here.

1 tsp of vanilla paste

100g caster sugar

300g plain flour sifted.

The instructions on how to cook are in the link provided but incase you just want it here they are:

1. Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar together. Stir in the flour and mix into a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160c / 140c (fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
3. Once the dough is chilled, roll out to approximately 1/2 cm thickness and cut into shapes. Place on the baking sheet, sprinkle with a little extra sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown at the edges, turning half way through to ensure even baking.
4. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving or decorating.
   
   

2. Baked choc chip banana bites

This recipe is from Dr Michael Mosley which I found on the Daily Mail here. 

These are so tasty and easy to make and you only need 5 ingredients for it! If you have a nut allergy this is not one for you! The recipe serves 8 people and you make it like this:

2 bananas mashed

2 tbs of mixed seeds

50g nuts, roughly chopped

50g mixed dried fruit, roughly chopped

50g vegan chocolate- I use the moo free one, which you can find here.

Instructions on cooking are:

1. Pre heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas mark 6.

2. Mix all the ingredients together and press into a small lined baking dish.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm and golden.

4. Allow to cool and then cut into eight squares.

3. Frozen chocolate chunk bites

This recipe is also one of Dr Michael Mosley's found on the link above. These are also super yummy and are perfect for vegans and those intolerant to milk if you switch up the ingredients like I do. This recipe makes 14 and the ingredients are:

100ml coconut cream

2 dates, pitted

100ml of either almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

25g of vegan chocolate- the one I linked in the recipe above.

Instructions on cooking are:

1. Blitz the coconut cream, dates, milk and cocoa powder in a blender.

2. Pour the mixture into ice-cube trays.

3. Top with the chocolate chunks.

4. Freeze for 2-3 hours until they pop out of the trays easily. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post!

I will definitely do another on like this with regards to breakfasts and main meals, so please let me know if you want anything in particular.

All these recipes and images are taken from the website provided.

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

The best Indian street food!

Over the Christmas period I went back home to the Wirral to spend time with my family and friends, as living in London makes it really difficult to have much time with them. So whenever I am home we make sure that we go for lots of meals and go out together.

While I was home this time, we went to Mowgli on Bold Street in Liverpool and when I say it is the best Indian food I have ever had, I am not exaggerating. It was incredible!

My mum has raved about Mowgli for so long and I now understand why. It is so different to a normal Indian where you go for your standard curry and rice, this place offers so much more than that. All the dishes are cute tapas sizes and taste unbelievable. They have a range of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan dishes and even for me who is intolerant to most things... is actually able to eat a majority of the menu! Liverpool also has a Mowgli on Water Street, which is a lot bigger than the Bold Street one. But I prefer the smaller one as it is cosier and I just love the feel of the atmosphere. You can find their website here.

If you are ever in Liverpool I would definitely recommend checking it out because it really is one of the best places that I have ever eaten and it is so affordable, literally like £4.50 for a starter dish and they are pretty generous.

They also sell really good cocktails, the Lychee Rose Martini is my absolute favourite.

They also have a Mowgli in Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and 

Nottingham.

I really recommend visiting here, all the staff are so lovely and it is an overall amazing dining experience. Even if you don't particularly like curries or Indian food I can be sure that this will change your mind!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you have been here or any questions you have about it.

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

(Some of these pictures have been taken from google images). 

Zuma

This bank holiday weekend has been the busiest of my life, out every night eating and drinking. And it is safe to say that I am absolutely exhausted. But it was such a fun weekend for the end of summer. 

If you know me, you will know that I absolutely love food. Especially Japanese! On Saturday for my friends birthday we went to Zuma in Knightsbridge and if you have ever been to Roka it is very similar to that as it is a sister restaurant. The food was unbelievable with an array of dishes from salmon sashimi to lamb cutlets and vegetarian sushi. The decor and atmosphere there is amazing too and I would definitely recommend it if you are wanting a sophisticated meal in London and you like Japanese food.

These pictures below are not mine and are taken from google images as my pictures were taken after a few glasses of red...

This is such a lovely restaurant and the food is incredible, with lovely staff and a chic feel to it.

 I would highly recommend it! I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you want more posts like this.

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

  

My two favourite places in NYC

As I stated in my previous post I have recently been to NYC. It is definitely my second favourite vacation spot to go to with my favourite being Venice. NYC is like nowhere else that I have ever been, everything is magnified by hundreds, even the food... These are a couple of my favourite things I experienced whilst I was there and would definitely recommend.

One place that I was desperate to visit was Black Tap NYC, I had seen quite a few people post about it and then I followed them on instagram and all I can say is WOW. There instagram page is here and trust me you want to have a look. If you love milkshakes, burgers and cake then this is definitely the place for you. There milkshakes are insane, I ordered a cake shake and this is no word of a lie when I say that the piece of cake that came with it was bigger than my hand, it was unbelievable and tasted so good. They have so many different flavoured ones from Oreo, to peanut butter, to sweet flavoured. 

The picture below is taken from their instagram as mine is really bad quality.

Another must do thing in NYC is to go to the Empire State Building. I went at night time and I was so happy that I did, it was unbelievable, you could see across all of New York with all of the twinkling lights and the non-stop traffic. The pictures that I took do not do the view justice but to give you an idea of how magical it was these are a couple that I took.

You literally feel like you are on top of the world and it was a real breathtaking experience. 

There are endless amounts of things to do in NY from taking a ferry to Staten Island, looking at the Statute of Liberty, the 9/11 memorial, Bloomingdales, Central Park... the list goes on. Anyone who is thinking of going you have to, it is a place I will never forget and really hope to go back to in the near future.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you like posts like this and if you want anymore recommendations of places. 

Lots of love,

chuck xxx

Sushi and Cocktail making

Yesterday was super fun, I ventured into a class of sushi and cocktail making at Kouzu in Belgravia. It is a Japanese restaurant which does experience days, the restaurant is closed to only you taking part in the class. You get taught how to make Margherita's, Clover Club Cocktail and Espresso Martini's (which are my new love). 

Then when the cocktail part of the class is over we moved onto sushi making where you are taught how to make tuna maki, salmon and avocado maki and salmon nigiri, they also do vegetarian options. This bit was really fun and I was actually super impressed how well my sushi turned out. If you love sushi and cocktails (who doesn't love one) then definitely book this experience, it is worth the money!

I didn't get that many pictures as I wanted to take the experience in but these are a few.

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any questions comment below <3

Lots of love,

chuck xxx