Weekend Away: Paris Getaway!

 Over the half term break, we didn't have time to go away for very long (as the Husband didn't have much leave for taking off work), so we booked a long weekend break away to Paris! It was also dictated by the travelling procedures and how much testing we had to do, which made Paris an even better choice! Add in that our 5th wedding anniversary is only a few weeks away (but during school time - and on a parent teacher night no less!) so we decided to splash out a little on this trip.

So after I finished work for the half term on Friday night, we packed our stuff ready for Saturday morning. We had a train around 9 am so we headed to the station at 7 to St Pancras. The train journey was fine - I always forget how much I like travelling by train! We had things to do and naps we could take, so even when we were delayed an hour we were not that bothered by it.

We arrived in Paris around 2pm and headed straight to our hotel in the 7th Arrondissement, right near the Eiffel Tower. We stayed at a cute hotel called 7 Eiffel in a deluxe room. It had a living space and a small terrace (although it was too cold to use it really), and we had breakfast included. We couldn't actually check in yet though, so we dropped our luggage off and walked over to the Tower itself. We decided to go up it and had a little bit heated discussion about how we were getting up/down it. In the end the line for the lift was actually shorter, so we got that ticket for all the way to the top! We headed up to the 2nd floor on the lift then joined the queue for the summit, as that has a separate lift! The top was such a good view, and we bought a tin of macaroon and a glass of champagne to share while we admired the view!

We then took the lift back to the 2nd floor (that's the only option) and walked the rest of the way down. By the time we got to the bottom it was just after 5pm so we headed back to the hotel to check in and chill for a little bit before dinner. We wanted something 'properly French' for dinner, so we settled on a Brasserie only 5 minutes walk from the hotel, Le Recrutement Cafe. It was exactly what we had hoped for! Husband had french onion soup and I had hot goats cheese for entree, then we had a steak (he) and a salad (me - although mine was better because my salad included an egg, bacon, half an avocado and blue cheese!). We thought about going to a creperie for dessert, but He wanted to go for a walk, so we headed off towards the Louvre. It was a lovely walk along the river, even though I was super tired by that point, and it meant that as soon as we got back to the room we rolled straight into bed!

Sunday we woke up in time for our room service breakfast, which was actually 40 minutes late! He was planning on going for a run, so once it arrived we had a bite to eat together and then I was able to get ready while He went for his run. Then we headed out (around 11ish) to Les Invalides and the Musee d'Armes. We did about half of the museums floors before deciding we needed our lunch. Rather than having an overpriced and not great baguette in the cafe there, we actually left the museum and headed a few blocks away to a local boulangerie (one of the only ones open on a Sunday, apparently) for fresh rolls and sat outside to eat it picnic-style. We had a lovely sunny spot so it was great! Then we headed back in for Napoleon's Tomb and the other bits of the museum we hadn't done yet. By the time we finished we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for the highlight of our trip - the Moulin Rouge! 

We were headed for dinner and the show and after arriving and queuing were shown to our seats. As we ate and shared a bottle of champagne, there were a pair of jazz singers who serenaded us, even inviting people on to the dancefloor at one point! There was a family with 3 girls there who basically took over the dancefloor after a while... I'm not sure why you'd bring your young kids (one was like 8!) to the Moulin Rouge, but oh well. After dinner it was time for the show! Unfortunately the dinner didn't fully agree with me and I had to duck out at one point (there isn't an interval so I couldn't wait for that to come around), but oh well. The dancing was pretty awesome, especially when everyone on stage is doing a unison jump split!

I do think that the highlight of the performance was the can can, although there wasn't actually as much high kicking as we thought there would be! And some of the side acts were incredible. There was a couple on roller skates who did tricks where the girl went up in the air and that one amazed me the most - I think I gasped 3 separate times!

After the show we picked up a souvenir, then headed back to the hotel - via a crepe stand for dessert!

Monday morning He had another run to do, but given how slow the breakfast was we ordered it for earlier - and then it showed up 5 minutes before the allotted time! We couldn't time it exactly right, but oh well. I got ready and packed up most of the room then He got ready too and we checked out, leaving our bags at the hotel. We didn't have the return train until 6 or 7pm, so we headed up to Montmatre. We pottered through some fabric shops (the main reason for going to that part of town in the first place!), I bought some double gauze, poly viscose and some sweatshirting which I am very excited to sew with. We had lunch at a cafe at the foot of the hill looking up, and after we ate we walked up and then back down to look at the view. Then we headed back to the hotel to grab our stuff and head to the train!

We got back to London around 8.30pm local time, and were home with dinner by half 9! Not a bad way to start a half term break.

Birthday Treat - Dinner @ Hestons

I recently celebrated my 30th birthday (gosh, I'm old!), and to celebrate, we went to a very fancy restaurant. Dinner @ Hestons is inside the Mandarin Oriental restaurant in Knightsbridge. It's a very fancy hotel (we actually Googled it and rooms go for from £800 a night at least!) and therefore a very fancy restaurant!

The theme of the restaurant is historical. They have taken recipes from historical sources and updated the recipes or added modern ingredients. They describe it as "Our menu offers modern dishes, inspired by historic British gastronomy." The whole dinner is an experience. Everything is synchronised - all of the dishes in each course arrive at the same time around the table (delivered by a team of people), you get up and go to the bathroom and they fold your napkin while you're gone!

We started our evening with drinks. I started with a gin and tonic, of course (I can't remember which gin, though) and looking at the menu. I love the historical aspect of it. For entree, I chose the Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon, which came with pickled lemon salad, gentlemen's relish and sorrel. Mum had the same, and the three boys had the Plum Meat Fruit. This is a chicken liver pate that is presented to look like a plum, and it really does! The salmon is really delicate and delicious and the other bits complement it perfectly. The salmon is from a cookbook circa 1730.

For main, I couldn't have chosen what I had last time again, because it's off the menu now! I picked the same as my brother, the Duck and Turnip with buttered black turnip, turnip cream, truffle and civet of duck. This meant a little fillet of duck and really well coordinated turnip related sides. It was a recipe from ad. 79, the oldest in the whole menu! I found that appealing too, that I was eating something that had such solid and defined historical roots. I also had my second G&T with this course!



And for dessert, I had already ordered. It is a repeat from last time after the deliciousness it caused!!! A recipe from circa 1810, and the most delicious thing I've ever eaten... Tipsy cake! Served with spit roast pineapple, it's a brioche cooked fresh to order (you have to order it when you order entree so that they can make it in time!) in a alcoholic custard sauce, with a hunk of caramelised roasted pineapple on the side. Honestly... Everyone deserves this in their lives. It's truly the best.



I also had the recommended dessert wine with it, which was perfect to go with it, of course. And truthfully, this is the best place for a special dinner. (If you have the budget.)

Half Term Holidays: Majorca Escape

This last week we have been enjoying perhaps the most relaxed holiday I’ve ever had (certainly it has been the most relaxed since I got married) and it has been such a pleasant time. I was going to do a daily blog post, but then I was also too busy relaxing - plus, we haven’t been doing enough stuff to warrant a post every day.

We got up Sunday morning and took the long route to Heathrow (the district line trains weren’t running last weekend, which was a pain). With a lunchtime flight, we didn’t have to get to the airport too early which makes a nice change to previous trips. The flight was fine - we had been warned that it might be bumpy, but that didn’t really eventuate which was good. We landed around 4pm local time and then went straight to the coach for the transfer to the hotel. It took us about an hour to get to the hotel. We were in a 4 star, adults only hotel which I requested after the last half term of business at school! Our room was small but there are lots of communal spaces which we certainly used.

Every day we went to the beach, which is only a few minutes walk away from the hotel. The weather certainly wasn’t great early on in the week, with lots of threatening clouds and rain on and off, but when it was clear we tried to make the best of it. A typical day looked like this: sleep in until 9-9:30, breakfast buffet, the Husband going for a ride and me crafting/relaxing/going for a walk/having lunch, then us going together to the beach, then resting in the room, before a shower and going out for dinner. Then it was time to sleep and do it all over again.

In terms of dinners, most were fine. We had 2 tapas, one italian, but the highlights were the seafood restaurant we went to (Las Sirenas) and the burger place (my personal favourite - called New Cacao). They were great! 

I have to say that was so great. Even when on holidays at home, I feel the pressure to do things - whether it is washing, sewing, or other busy things. Here I only had the things I brought, so I could be much more relaxed. I read a whole book (Carrie Hope Fletcher’s newest novel, In the Time We Lost), finished a cross stitch, and generally had a lovely time.

Now today is Friday and it’s going home day. And the weather is great today! Luckily out flight isn’t until 10:20pm, and our coach pickup is 6:40pm outside the hotel. So we basically get another whole day! The downside is that now we might not get back until 2am from the airport, but at least we don’t have any plans until Saturday afternoon. On the plus side, we are already intending to make this a yearly October half term trip - for the Husband to cycle, and me to relax!!!

Amazing Experience: Wimbledon (again)

On Friday, I got a phone call. I had entered a competition a few weeks back by downloading an HSBC app to my phone. What had I won? Oh, only Centre Court seats at Wimbledon for the Women's Final!!!

So we got all dressed up (because it's guaranteed Centre Court seats on a final day, so who knows how many famous people you might see?), and headed to Wimbledon station all leisurely like around 10:30. There was a special HSBC shuttle (a Jaguar) to drive us over to Gate 9, which is where the entrance to the VIP Village is with all the hospitality chalets (their phrase, not mine) is. We were greeted with Pimms and champagne, which we drank on the deck as we chatted about the day and waited for lunchtime. There were cameras around filming people as they chatted, including us, which was a bit of a strange experience.

Lunch was served at 12pm, and it was amazing! We got to pick which and starter we wanted (Richard and I both had king prawns with mayonnaise and cucumber) which was totally delicious, and then luckily instead of having 7 mains and 4 salads to choose from, we had the main course buffet style! I had some poached salmon, pulled ham hock, kung pao duck and a few savoury tarts as well as bread. Everything was delicious. It was then almost 1pm, and with the men's semi final set to resume at 1, we got our goodie bags (with seat cushion, Wimbledon radio and pockets for snacks) as well as cold water, Pimms and Haagen Daaz and headed to the court.

Our seats were in section 317, which is actually quite close to the Royal Box. We could see Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and even Emma Watson in the box! We did miss the first point though, so we had to wait until the end of the first three games before we could go to our seats. The tennis was amazing - they both clearly wanted it so much and there was some amazing rallying going on! As I'm sure you know, Djokovic won but it was a close thing and some amazing tennis got played. We were so pleased and feel so lucky to have been able to see that as well as what was to come.

The men finished playing at 3:35, so they announced a half hour delay before the start of the women's. So we returned to the hospitality area for some afternoon tea of little sandwiches, cakes and scones. Then, armed with fresh Pimms and cold water, was returned to our seats. Again we missed the first three games (although 3 games in the ladies is much faster than 3 games in the mens) but it was a very interesting match to watch after the men's. Serena didn't seem to move around very much and barely ran at all- but she didn't look injured, only tired. Kerber had some strange footwork which meant some of her shots she had to crouch to hit because her feet weren't in the right position, and she seemed to be the queen of getting back shots she shouldn't have been able to return! In the end, it was a straight sets win to Kerber for her first Wimbledon win. It was really cool to be able to watch that experience for her.

We stayed to watch the presentation of the awards, then headed back to the hospitality area to pick up our gifts - personalised Championship towels for each of us! A very cool memory and an amazing experience! Definitely once in a lifetime... Although I hope not.

Tasty Treats: J. Sheekey

Yesterday, el Husbando and I shared our very first wedding anniversary together! We took the day relatively easy, sleeping in, going out for brunch, catching a movie (Murder on the Orient Express, highly recommend), but we had a nice dinner planned. And it was amazing.

We went to a seafood restaurant near Leicester Square called J. Sheekey. We had looked at a range of restaurants, but the menu here was extensive and also many many things looked delicious.

And the food was incredible. We started with drinks - an apero cocktail for me (which featured prosecco, lime juice, gin, and bitters among a few other things - like a cross between a gin and tonic and a lemon, lime and bitters) and a martini for el Husbando. His martini came with seaweed to enhance the flavour, and it was a really cool taste!

While we waited a little while initially for anything (about 10 minutes), our server was then very apologetic and attentive, and we were very well looked after.

For entree, I ordered prawn, salmon and tune tartare, which had a little cook but was delicious, and el Husbando loved his squid salad. We also split the salmon sashimi, which was phenomenal. Definitely the best sashimi we've had in almost a year (since whenever we last went to our old Sydney local Japanese). It was so melt-in-your-mouth!

For mains, I took the recommendation of the server, and ordered the herb grilled tiger prawns. They were perfectly cooked and again, delicious. I was just a bit sad there were only 4. El Husbando thoroughly enjoyed his grilled octopus, and we shared yummy chips too.

We even still had room for dessert - honeycomb ice-cream with chocolate sauce (el Husbando), and Bramley apple pie with ice-cream and cream. The cream was so thick and delicious, and we even had a glass of Saturnes each, it being a special occasion and all.

The best part? We just walk a half hour home to walk off some of the food, then we're home. What a lovely night.