London's Sensational Suntraps...

It's June, it's officially summer, and from what I've read, it's set to be a scorcher. Last weekend's sunny, blue-skied days kicked the month off nicely, so we thought what better way to celebrate than a post about all our fav rooftop haunts to give you a little Summer 2014 inspo! 

Forget sitting curled up under a duvet hungover on your sofa - no, no it's all about alfresco drinking, catching some early summer rays and celebrating that London can do something other than rain and moan!

Us London Mice took advantage of the sun last weekend and whiled away our Sunday with good friends and cocktails at The Boundary in Shoreditch. It's amazing how once your settled in a big comfy chair, sunglasses on and a cocktail in hand you feel a million times happier and a world away from the non-stop bustle and stresses of London. 

As we're not all fortunate enough to be members of the fabulous Shoreditch house (not jealous at ALL!!) we've got our thinking caps on for non-member options. They may not have pools and a 'no photo' policy but cocktails and BBQs are pretty much a dead cert and who wants to go somewhere you can't brag to the world about on Instagram anyway?!!

Take a look at our short list and get planning your summer weekends crammed full of daytime boozing and sunny fun...

The Boundary - a firm favourite of all three Mice, you can't get much better than this. If you're after a chic Hamptons style escape then this is the one! A sea of oversized, comfy, white sofas, a wood burning stove centre piece, chill-out music and the best bread baskets I've ever had the joy to sample! Chic, beautiful and the perfect way to spend a sunny day or laidback evening with friends.

Queen of hoxton - a more upbeat option complete with fake grass, mismatched wrought iron tables and chairs, pitchers of pimms, seaside hut toilets and a killer BBQ. Fun, happening and always a great spot for people watching. 

Dead Dolls Club - not a roof we've ventured to as of yet but it's on our June agenda. Dead Dolls itself is a quirky, fun and totally crazy place but now with an added bonus of a rooftop...I'm not sure they're going to get rid of us! Officially members only however the application form is online here and all you have to do is bring them a present (we bought them a dog from Hong Kong - a twist on the China Dog category...) and the members card is yours - AMAZING!

Radio Rooftop - if you fancy something a little more central with great skyline views then The Radio Rooftop Bar will tick the boxes. It's got a strong nod to Vegas with a lot of white going on but it had a fun vibe, great music and delish cocktails - win win!!

Madison - with St Paul's Cathedral literally on the doorstep this gem is all about the view. Warning - there's a relatively high proportion of besuited drinkers here and the queue at the bar is a bit of a shocker, but when you step out of the lift and see the skyline all's forgiven! I haven't been at the weekend but as it's right in the centre of the City, I imagine a Thursday or Friday evening is when the atmosphere's best anyway.

Aqua - slap bang in the middle of town this is the ideal option for a post-shop refuel stop! A pricier option, but that buys you an expertly shaken cocktail, impressive decor and gives you the choice of two different terraces to recline on! 

Sushi Samba - another 3BM favourite, some may say a little touristy, but nobody can blame the visitors with a view like that! We love the orange tree terrace and fire pits for when the evening chill sets in - plus delectable sushi just a skip away from the bar = heaven! 

Kensington Roof Gardens - we recently posted about this little oasis of tropical calm and it's still firmly on our favourites list. A great option to instantly whisk you away from the city with surroundings of luscious gardens, beautiful people and of course flamingos - we're pretty much head over heels!

A few others that we're yet to try, but are filling our diaries with as we type...

Vista
Coq d'Argent Dalston Roof Park 
Frank's Cafe

This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

A whole week of sunshine, no sleeves and open toed shoes! It's all been pretty amazing! Now it's not only the weekend, but it's going to be another SUPER one - what more can we ask for? Maybe a weekend with our HK Mouse sister? TICK...as you can imagine Mice Towers is buzzing with over excitement and planning is well under way!

When we haven't been bulk buying Pimms and suncream, this week the Mice have mostly been...

Overzealously spritzing ourselves from head to toe! You may have seen from previous posts that when it comes to pampering goodness we're suckers for Miller Harris but this addiction comes with a hefty price tag... or so we thought! Lyn Harris, leading British perfumer and founder of renowned perfume house, Miller Harris has joined forces with the much loved retailer Marks & Spencer to create an exclusive line of affordable (£25 for 50ml) yet standout fragrances for both men and women. 

For her we have:

• La Rose - it does just what it says on the bottle - a gorgeously classic rose petal scent
• La Fleur - floral through and through with a woody edge 
• La Poudree - oriental core with fruity flair 

I was lucky enough to be gifted both the La Rose and La Fleur scents to trial and they are both truly long lasting and sweet smelling...

For him:

• Le Noir - rich in citrus zing complemented with notes of tarragon and amber
• Le Sauvage - fruity and warming with elements of cardamon, oak moss and coriander seed
• Le Cologne - comforting herb undertone with notes of rosemary and thyme coupled with fresh and citrus ingredients including Bergamot from Sicily

Shortlisting our favourite rooftop spots to ensure you're all ready to make the most of this glorious sunshine in style! Our top three are guaranteed to make up for the fact that we're not lazying on a beach sipping a caipirinha, well nearly...

Queen of Hoxton - if like us Mice you don't have a garden and desperately miss one, then we have found the answer! A garden in the sky that comes complete with grass (it may be fake but we love it!), colourful tables and chairs, picnic benches and a BBQ! However it has one up on a quiet little garden, as it's slap bang in the middle of East London it of course comes with an eclectic crowd who will provide a far more interesting backdrop and conversations to eavesdrop!

Image via www.chillorthrill.com

The Boundary - our little slice of heaven that really does make you feel like you're a world away from busy, stressful London. Sleek, white, chic and exactly where everyone wants to while a sunny day away! You may have to queue but seriously it's worth it, there's a wood burner in the middle of the rooftop, comfy chairs and sofas and when the sun goes down they even hand out blankets to keep you snug! 

Image via www.theboundary.co.uk

Sushi Samba - if you can battle your nerve with heights then we strongly recommend whizzing up to the 39th floor and hanging out on the Sushi Samba terrace. You'll be overlooking a wonderful London skyline, served mean cocktails and be relaxing among a pulled together crowd...riff raff aren't welcome under the orange Sushi Samba tree! 

http://sushisamba.com/location/london

Snapping up a new Chanel wardrobe at a fraction of the price, with the brand new Tokidoki x Karl Lagerfeld Collection. To own a piece of Chanel would usually entail selling your car, house or self, however those extremes are well and truly over! 

The one and only Karl Lagerfeld has teamed up with the Japanese Lifestyle brand Tokidoki, to create a quirky, monochrome capsule collection with prices starting from £35! Net-a-Porter are the chosen online retailer to exclusively sell the range to the public....take a sneaky peak here of the delights that await you...

Image via www.net-a-porter.com, £159

Image via www.net-a-porter.com, £70

Image via www.net-a-porter.com, £329

Image via www.net-a-porter.com, £200

Image via www.net-a-porter.com, £35

We're off to pretend we're in our teens again and sing along with Justin Timberlake at Wireless Festival, but we wish you all a fantastically fun and super sunny weekend!

Image via www.mycutegraphics.com

Sky-high Dining in London

Eating out for me is the ultimate treat, and with so many amazing new restaurants opening in London every week, i'm often spoilt for choice for where to hit up next! Two of the newer kids in town Sushi Sumba and Duck & Waffle, both housed in the spectacular Heron Tower, have been crying out for a 3BM visit for some time now, so I took myself along and trialled both in the same week! Greedy guts I know...

Both perched at the top of Heron Tower, the restaurants share the fastest ear-popping lift zooming up above the city's skyscrapers to reveal OMG views! Both are seriously worth a trip just for the lift ride and those sprawling views of London spread out beneath you...but the food's pretty good too!

So lets start with Sushi Samba… 

Based on the 38th floor, Sushi Samba has a smart interior with wrap-around jaw-dropping views across London. I'd say the perfect date venue if you want to really impress...

The cocktails have to be given a special mention - so tasty! My favourite being the Chu-cumber made with my absolute favourite gin, Hendricks, along with shochu, fresh lime juice, Japenese cucumber water and sweetened with homemade turmeric syrup. YUM! Moving swiftly onto the food - in short, amazing, I couldn't get enough or eat it quickly enough ... out of this world green bean tempura with black truffle aioli, melt in your mouth rock shrimp tempura and soy-marinated salmon, asparagus, sesame and wasabi mayo samba rolls... 

The restaurant also boasts a gorgeous outdoor terrace with a magnificent tree centrepiece. A bit chilly for this time of year, but the perfect summer hangout spot guaranteed to be heaving with city boys who I'm sure would be more than willing to buy a Chu-cumber or six if you bat your eyelashes a little - here's hoping! Reservations have to be made for the restaurant but for drinks you can just turn up. There was a short queue when I arrived so I wouldn't leave it too late to try and get in... 

Moving swiftly onto Duck & Waffle...

Again stunning interior design with a tad more personality than Sushi Sumba. The ceiling's packed with the most beautiful light fixtures made from glass cylinders and chunky chandeliers strung up everywhere you look. 

Image via www.cntraveller.ru

The modern European menu talked a good game too. We opted for lots of sharing dishes including the BBQ-spiced crispy pig ears and the Duck & Waffle signature dish which is a definite must-try. The combination of crispy duck leg, fried egg, waffle and mustard-seeded maple syrup may sound absolutely revolting on paper but trust me when I say, it’s mind-blowingly delish!

In conclusion I had a super evening at both restaurants and would go back to both in a New York minute! If I was forced to pick between them, I would have to say Sushi Samba has the edge but that's solely down to the food. The Sushi Samba bill was twice as much as Duck & Waffle's though... 

The only grumble I have would be about the over eager waiting staff. Some diners may find super attentive service to be a sign of a top notch restaurant, I however find it annoying and in your face. When I'm trying to enjoy a meal out with a friend in peace, I don't want to be asked every second if everything is to my palette's liking! Ask me once or twice and otherwise I'll let you know if something's off... a happy medium is all I'm after. It must be a Heron Tower thing, as both restaurants were guilty of it... tone that down and these dining spots have a runaway winning formula!

Heron Tower

110 Bishopsgate 

London 

EC2N 4AY

Sushi Samba - 020 3640 7330

Duck & Waffle - 020 3640 7310

This Week the Mice Have Mostly Been...

What a sad week for the London Mice...down to only two again boo hoo hoo :-( It was a full on few days of cocktails, shopping, laughing, updates, story telling and eating until we could eat no more! I actually need a few weeks to recover...tired does not do justice to how I felt on Monday!! HK mouse was as mental as ever...even more so as she got to sleep in whilst we crept around getting ready for work...fun for us!! So this week has been spent mostly getting over our tiredness, dealing with a house leak from hell (I won't bore you with that!) and preparing for the weekend ahead!!

When we haven't been pining after Biggie, the mice have mostly been...

Getting tipsy on all things Love&Liquor...well we will be when we get round to trying the brand new bar that officially opened yesterday! Taking over the location from The Westbury on Kilburn High Road, a new late night downtown New York style bar opens! Apparently all exposed brickwork, metal piping, street art and even a caged VIP area....I want to go immediately! 

The cocktails are classics with a twist where you'll find the likes of a Velvet Elvis and Pomegranate Cosmopolitans; perfect to fuel a night of dancing to the hottest DJs! See you down there! 

Image via www.designmynight.com

Glowing in my brand new neon pink Urban Outfitters bra! It is the best thing I have ever purchased - I literally heart it and want to wear it on every possible occasion - don't worry I'm not! Although I actually wore it to work this week under a more sheer than I realised grey top...it is fair to say I had a few comments and instead of being addressed as Alice, I got 'oi pink bra' instead! 

Totally worth it though, bright pink, detachable straps, push up, bandeau shape - so super comfy and seamless...every girl's dream! 

Plus at £12 could it be any more of a bargain!? 

Day dreaming of my sister fun last week...sob sob...and one venue that is a must mention has to be the Sushi Samba / Duck and Waffle terrace! We didn't eat at either restaurant (but firmly at the top of my to-do list this month) however we had pre-dinner cocktails instead. Definitely worth a visit, the views are incredible - you are way up on the 39th floor and can see all across London plus the cocktails are divine!

Pick your seat either inside on the Sushi Samba or Duck and Waffle floor, or if the English rain holds off, then head out to the terrace. Definitely our preferred option - it has a beautiful bright orange tree in the centre framing the huge gleaming bar, a fire pit, lots of comfy seating and a hyper-buzzy atmosphere. 

We tried the Nina Fresa cocktail (One vodka is shaken with freshly squeezed lime, grapefruit, rhubarb bitters and guava juice and sweetened with strawberry purée) which were scrum! Quite a few flashy banker w*nkers but still fun none the less...as we walked out up the winding perspex staircase (beware in heels I got very disorientated!) the plates of sushi appearing from kitchen looked fantastic! 

Whilst the rain holds off I am planning my next visit back super quick!

Faking it with the news just in of the St Tropez pop up in Selfridges. Spray tans / fake tan always scares me...a hideous experience involving wine, St Tropez and white Egyptian cotton sheets rings a familiar bell and let's just say, the results were not pretty! I therefore try to steer clear of the fake stuff and instead try to head abroad as much as possible to get the real deal, however the credit card limit is currently maxed, so if I want a tan, I'm faced with no other option but to bite the bullet and go fake!

So I was very relieved when I read about the new St Tropez Skin Finishing Studio opening in Selfridges from Monday. For a bargain price of £25 you can choose from five different treatments, all hassle taken out of the disastrous process and emerge one beautiful tanned goddess! The options are...Spray Paint, an all-over, natural-looking and Shine and Polish! Shine and Polish apparently entails a deep tan with rose gold illuminator dusted on top...SOLD I defo want to get involved!

If you can't face shelling out £25 then my next best recommendation would be to head to Belfast! One of my besties Katie went back home to visit and got a 'Fake Bake' tan for £10 but not as we know it!! 'Fake' being the spray tan, followed by the 'bake' being 10 mins on a sunbed...!!! You can't make these things up however apparently it was the most 'natural' fake tan ever!

Finally I'll leave you with a song to get you in the Saturday spirit...inspired by the wedding I'm heading off to tonight with wait for it...an hour of old school garage at the end of the night!! I CANNOT wait...bring back those days of Watford High Street...Weatherspoons and Destiny!!! 

Hope you're having a fab weekend!  

The Mice xx