Trade-Made for Life...

Last weekend I celebrated my birthday - no divulging my magic number fellow mice!!! To mark the occasion myself, Mini and four other pals headed to Trade-Made on Commercial Street in Shoreditch for a slap up brekkie! We had spied this hidden gem on Emerald Street a while back and had kept it earmarked to taste test and report back to you all. 

Dressed up in my laid back birthday outfit, I trotted off ready to eat for England - why not, calorie's don't count on your birthday...



Passing through Brick Lane as we went, I took a snap of some astronaut, knife, butterfly graffiti / craft work of art - random but beaut...



10 minutes later, with rumbling tummies, we arrived...



First impressions ... surprisingly spacious - from the outside Trade-Made doesn't look much but when you step inside, the space magically expands spilling out onto an pretty little outdoor terrace. A table of weekend papers entices and warehouse inspired lighting hangs from the ceiling...



The contrast between the sparse white walls and wooden panelling works beautifully...

With charming details everywhere drawing you further into the nook...

But onto the star attraction - the food is kind of a big deal! A killer menu which will leave you undecided as to where to lay your hat - yes everything just sounds so darn tasty! The meats come from an artisan supplier in Devon, the eggs are flown in from Italy, the bread from a range of local bakers and the fruit and veg is delivered every morning from New Spitalfields Market. They even have a small smokery in the back yard where they produce their Trade-Made Pastrami and a variety of other deli meats - nice touch! 

I opted for a piggy portion of scrambled eggs (oh-so-yellow-and-yummy yolks) piled on sourdough with a side of smoked salmon and smashed avo, which was a concoction of avocado, feta, mint, chilli and lemon - DELISH...

Post-brekkie we were all smiles and suitably stuffed...

But we couldn't stop there! We pushed ourselves over the edge by indulging in orgasmic chocolate and salted caramel brownies - one word - heavenly...

Trade-Made please accept a BIG thumbs up - we heart you and we'll be back in a flash!

Trade-Made

47 Commercial Street

Spitalfields

London 

E1 6BD

+44 (0)20 3490 1880

Boozy Brunch : Avenue...

As you may already be aware we're no strangers to an unlimited Champagne brunch...regardless of how terrible we feel the next day, somehow the suggestion always seems like a great idea!

Our favourite so far has to be South Place Hotel, we posted about this a while ago but it's still up there - delicious, affordable and a short trot from Shoreditch, so tonnes of post-brunch/ early evening options!

However when one of the girls suggested we try Avenue to mix it up, we thought why not?!

£20 for 2 courses with an additional £10 on top for unlimited Prosecco...we were there in a flash! The condition is that you only get two and half hours of Prosecco. But, as three hours in, we were still there with drinks being poured perhaps the rules are there to be broken...!

Located on St. Jame's Street, a five minute walk from Green Park underground, you're right slap bang in central with endless options for afterwards...believe me no matter how good your intentions are to get home, this will not happen! 

The interior is modern, chic and grand - not in an uncomfortable way, but creating the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of sipping bubbles! The small touches are what makes this venue a little more special...a chandelier style centre piece made from wine and champagne glasses, beautiful high ceilings, soft lighting and hydrangeas scattered down the centre of each table! 

10/10 for beautiful surroundings and fun, upbeat vibe. 

Now onto the food...personally I think South Place has the edge here, as the menu was a little more limited at Avenue, however saying that, the Black Truffle Mac'n'Cheese was pretty darn good! I was a little disappointed with my eggs benedict (the hollandaise was quite vinegary) however the pancakes went down a treat as did the soft shell crab bun. 

Most importantly Avenue wins top points for attentive service, there's a tendency for slightly slower service at Prosecco brunches...there's nothing worse than being the greedy kid asking for more, however Avenue ensured everyone's glass was continually filled to the brim and didn't once complain about our perhaps rather loud behaviour towards the end! 

Definitely one that we'll be visiting again...an evening followed where the majority of us don't remember getting home, but flashbacks have started to surface of rickshaw dancing, falling off chairs (a number of times!) and a nameless boy from the group being stripped of his shirt while dancing to disco! 

The pictures I'm sure are to follow...until then though this pretty much sums up the Avenue effect!!!

My Weekend in Pictures...

Two weeks on from our party fuelled Portuguese adventure the madness hasn't let up and without a moment to stop and recuperate it's fair to say we've morphed into dishevelled versions of our former selves!

Enough is enough...so I opted for a weekend of R&R, sunshine, great food and catch-ups with good friends. However, as usual, there's never a dull moment and along the way I stumbled across some blog worthy gems which definitely deserve a mention!

From Shoreditch to Peckham - this is my weekend round up...

Despite a depressing weather outlook on my iPhone all week long, I woke up to the sun shining and a blue-ish sky, so I braved it with my new summer Zara bargain and off I trotted with my umbrella buried at the bottom of my tote as back up!

 

First stop Netil360 - I'm so in love with this beauty that I actually managed to tot up two visits in one week - what a discovery it is! One of my besties Nikki took me down in the week to watch the amazing Little Shoes Big Voice perform a rooftop acoustics session and I instantly fell head over heels for both the location and music! 

 

Just imagine listening to this live...

 

 

With this view...

 

AMAZING!!

 

A few days later I took Middle Mouse back for a daytime visit and my crush became full blown love!

 

Located just a stone's throw from Broadway Market, Netil House looks pretty shabby from the outside. It's definitely one of those secrets that if you don't know about it already, you'd be pushed to just stumble across it. A shame for those not in the know but it's amazing to have a rooftop option without a queue and that doesn't require a fight to get served at the bar! 

The best thing about it is it's BYOB... I know! Literally heaven in the sky! Entry is £5 unless you're a member (find out more here) and then you can bring in anything except spirits and pay a small corkage fee per bottle. 

 

Panoramic views of London's skyline, your own specific booze choice at a cut of standard bar prices and if you pick your visit wisely live music and BBQs...what more could you want?! 

 

The decor is simple yet chic - wooden decking, strings of exposed light bulbs, quirky graffiti and fairy lights. It's the perfect hangout with a young crowd and a chilled vibe...

 

We spent a lazy Saturday with a picnic (oh yes you can also bring your own food!) and Pimms whilst listening to a great DJ set with the perfect backdrop to while the day away. As the evening drew closer, the roof filled up and we hear it was set to be a fun night partying in the clouds, however as my aim was relaxation I trotted off before the mayhem began! 

1 Westgate Street 

Hackney 

London

E8 3RL

0203 095 9749

 

With my rooftop and sunbathing quota fulfilled, I made my way to East Dulwich for a night of cocktails, delicious food and gossipping with my fabulous friend Fran.

It pretty much started like this...

 

Involved a lot of this (food...but specifically Nigella Lawson's Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu...YUMSTERS!)...

 

And ended with us being beached whales on the sofa gawping at Magic Mike...I didn't think you'd appreciate a photo of that!

Exhausted from the day's antics and evening's feast we rolled into a deep slumber to recharge for a super Sunday!

 

After a lazy sleep-in and a few mugs of tea later, our tummies rumbling eventually signalled brunch time. Fran took charge and off we marched to Anderson & Co in Peckham for another delicious feast... 

 

 

139 Bellenden Road 

Peckham 

SE15 4DH

0207 469 7078

 

Goal accomplished - with not one hangover in sight! I finally feel human again and raring to go! And, -iIf you need me this week, I think it's pretty safe to assume I'll be up at Netil360...!!

 

 

The House of Peroni: Art, Design & Lobster Croissants

You may recall us having shared our House of Peroni trips previously here, here and here to be exact - we're a tad obsessed! So, we were thrilled when we heard the next instalment was set to take place throughout May in Holborn by Lincoln's Inn Fields. 

The House of Peroni celebrates the very best of contemporary Italian style and culture - from art and fashion to design and creativity. It's inspired by the spirit of 1963, a transformative year when Italian style became renowned across the world and the year that Carlo Peroni created Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

I was mesmerised as soon as I stepped inside - full to the brim with design work that takes over entire rooms including an optical illusion wallpaper room and a fancy pom pom covered ceiling - super fab...

We wandered four-floors on our way up to the top floor where our exciting invitation awaited ... a Supper Club brunch! So, some background of why and how this Italian-inspired brunch came about. The House of Peroni approached two Italian guys - Silvio and Toto - to re-create their Nonna's Italian Sunday lunch. How lovely! Both men were spoilt as boys with gorgeous traditional Italian homemade comfort food - every Sunday they would visit their grandmother who would serve up her culinary delights. 

With this front of mind, Silvio and Toto took their Nonna's recipes and modernised them to work for The House. We were invited to join the family last Saturday at 12 0'clock sharp!

We got things off to a superb start with THE Mary of all Bloody Marys. This glass of utter heaven was made from the family's delicately spiced tomato Passata recipe, poured over a classic vodka base. The Mary also strangely included garlic, carrots and onion all of which has been slowly cooked for 4 hours with Italian tomatoes. Poured into an icy cold glass topped off with basil, a cherry tom and a wedge of Parmesan! Mini mouse said she felt like she was drinking spag boll (!!!) but I personally loved every gulp!

Alice and Kitty posing for the camera before the feast commenced...

Busy happily sipping away on our Marys, the first few dishes were placed under our noses - an antipasti round!

My absolute favourite of the whole menu - the lobster croissant! A lavish twist on the ordinary breakfast croissant that's for sure… inspired by Nonna's favourite after-mass snack, the Brichoe Salata. The traditional ham filing was tossed aside and swapped for fresh lobster with a delish lemon butter cream and chive flowers. So pretty and so tasty, I never want to eat a plain croissant again as long as I live - it's lobster all the way now… 

We were also treated to bite sized fried chicken pieces marinated in buttermilk and then breaded. This was topped off with a helping of Bloody Mary ketchup - perfection! 

Last but not least - asparagus and potato salad. It sounds dull in comparison to the above but believe me when I say it wasn't in the least. Summery and light and the asparagus was some of the best i've ever tasted...

Next up, I suppose you could call this the main brunch course. We had a choice between two options…

We took a couple of the Uova al Tegamino AKA fried eggs with cheese and a slice of salami. Nonna used to give the two boys this as an afternoon snack - a pretty heavy snack if you ask me and if i'm honest our least favourite on the menu but still very tasty… 

We then ordered just one of the Cassoela to go - served up in a takeout box - pure comfort food, traditionally served during winter months so again quite substantial and filling but wildly yummy! In short we were served up pork stew tucked up in fluffy Focaccia bread with pickled red cabbage and homemade BBQ sauce... nom nom!

It wasn't over just yet though - one final course to well and truly push us over the edge - Dolce! Silvio himself served us and he had told us when we were first seated that his grandmother was a dab hand when it came to dessert, so we had left just enough room to taste-test her inspired creations. 

Bombolone, Sicilian cannolo with a coffee cream, Pastiera tart and a cup of steaming coffee to wake us up out of our food coma… 

WOW-oh-WOW - seriously. Too much. Too good. Utter heaven!!!

The end - at last! Out we rolled, practically bursting at the seams but happy as larry after a feast fit for a king - here's photo evidence to prove it with a truck load of breathing in going on after gobbling a month's worth of food...!

Normal people would now take the opportunity to head home and have a lie down before the fun and frolics of Saturday night commenced BUT oh no we decide a bottle of champers at the Savoy sounded like a cracker of an idea so off we went to end our day on an indulgent high and start the evening off with a 'pop'...