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...!!

 

 

Shoreditch Rooftop Pop-Up : Forza Win...

We hit full mice quota in London this weekend and as always we decided to celebrate by packing it full to the brim with plans! Luckily it was scorching hot so we spent the majority of our time soaking up the sun with jugs of Pimms to avoid dehydration! 

As we only had a few nights together I was intent on making it super fun and full of new gems for HK mouse, (maybe slightly tactical to entice her home) and this was just the ticket!

For those of you who haven't heard of Forza Win, it's a pop up restaurant serving freshly made pizzas on a secret rooftop in London. They got lots of rave reviews last summer and were even touted as the best pizzas in London, but i was sadly too late to sample and confirm this! As soon as I heard whispers last winter that they were returning with a cosy version, I manically clicked through to the site only to find tickets were yet again sold out!

So this time round we made sure we got in there and bagged ourselves three tickets for the Saturday night!

When you purchase the tickets you're told the address but that's about it. Luckily for us it was a short skip from Mice Towers, despite this we still managed to be twenty minutes late! After climbing a trillion stairs we were finally at our destination for the evening....!

The rooftop is situated slap bang in the middle of Shoreditch, providing London skyline views complete with towering blocks of flats and office buildings. On paper this doesn't sound too appealing but in reality you feel a million miles away in the secluded little sun trap. Strings of exposed light bulbs and market stall awning create a retro feel and the smokey aroma from the pizza ovens make your tummy rumble as soon as you arrive! 

As soon as we sat down we were served three icy cups of Aperol Spritz, the perfect refreshment for a hot summers day! The atmosphere is pretty laid back with sharing tables and chairs very close together, however don't be put off as the whole idea is to encourage everyone to socialise and after a few drinks this makes for a really fun evening! 

Onto the food....simple yet delicious! We were all served a starter of lemon and garlic marinated courgettes, creamy ricotta and homemade sourdough. Not ideal for a date but otherwise a 'lick your plate clean' moment, one word of advice don't be polite when they offer second, like us, you will regret it as no one else holds back! 

After polishing off course number one we decided it was time to give the beach hut bar a visit and get some wine flowing! Forza Win boasts a carefully selected Italian wine list all from family owned vineyards, the one we opted for was perfectly crisp, cold and far too easy to drink!

Unfortunately the council have banned music being played, however everyone gets chatting so it really isn't missed. Plus the pizza stretching, flipping and spinning is quite enough entertainment for one evening! 

And the results were just as impressive! Pizzas bursting with flavour, quality being far more important than quantity when it comes to toppings - with your first bite it is clear only the freshest ingredients are used. Even the simple tomato and basil left you reaching out for another slice! The evening continued with sharing...your table is served two pizzas at a time and you're to slice them, share them around and swap between your group! There are four rounds of pizza so the idea is by the end of the evening you will have had 8 slices, a whole pizza but different slices! My favourites had to be the Courgette and Lemon Bianca and the Parma Ham and Fig combo...pizzas will never be the same again!

Our Final course was ricotta ice cream topped with sea salt and olive oil, sounds strange but surprisingly it worked really well!

Three carafes of wine down and we were all feeling suitably full with a large dose of summer time buzz! The rooftop closes at half eleven so we popped to the bar downstairs for a quick drink before moving on for cocktails with our neighbours for the evening Natalie and Henry! 

I would highly recommend the evening to anyone, perfect for a fun night out or even as a quirky date idea! Tickets cost £30 which includes a welcome Aperol Spritz and all three courses, drinks are on top from the cash bar so remember to stop by an ATM beforehand! All evenings are sold out, however further tickets/cancellations are released so drop them an email now and keep those fingers crossed!! 

New York Food Scene...

Another day another blog solely about food - yes if you hadn't already noticed, us mice are a little obsessed with good food ... we'll have to change the name of the blog to '3FatPiglets' soon! 

So the New York food scene is today's hot topic. It's not all mammoth burgers, street food trucks and giant pretzels, the Big Apple boasts some seriously amazing restaurants. As with any city it's always a job finding the real treasures especially when there are so many options to choose from ... 23,499 in NYC to be exact! Well with a bit of pre-trip research and the help of some top notch recommendations, I had the pleasure of dining out at three AMAZING restaurants which i'm going to share with you all...

Top of the pops for me was ABC Kitchen on lower broadway. The restaurant is organic in everything it does from its recycled paper menus to its locally sourced delicious produce. The vibe is laid back too with low-hanging soft lighting, beautiful wild flower arrangements and the waiting staff all sporting Converse-style trainers. The detail in this place is what really struck me...the white washed sanded floor boards, the hand crafted wire light fixtures and the clay rustic-style plates and dishes. Stunning. Oh and how could I forget to mention, the restaurant in based in the ABC Carpet & Home department store which means you can combine great food and shopping! What could be more perfect?!

Family style seems to be very common in NYC, where you share as a group which we did for our starters and desserts at ABC. I'm a big fan of this as I am partial to suffering with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when it comes to food, this way you get a taster of everything, omitting the dreaded food envy feeling! 

So lets move onto critiquing the all important food. To start with we demolished portions of Heirloom tomato toast, roasted carrot and avocado salad with crunchy seed and sour cream and last but not least pretzel dusted calamari, mariana and mustard aioli - wow what a way to start...

Next up - main course! We were given the sumptuous choice of...

* Homemade ricotta ravioli, herbs and tomato sauce
* Slow baked hake, summer squash and nasturtium vinaigrette
* Grilled chicken, corn and tomato salad, watercress and chilies

I opted for the ravioli and it was quite possibly the best of my life...

The dessert was then wheeled out and boy oh boy what a pud! Sundae with salted caramel ice cream, candied peanuts and popcorn, whipped cream and chocolate sauce... 

If that wasn't enough we were also treated to a cookie plate with a lemon ricotta bar with blueberries, choco chip cookie, marshmallow bar and a ham filled cornmeal shortbread...

ABC Kitchen

35 East 18th Street

New York

NY 10003

(212) 475-5829

Up next the Wythe Hotel, boutique sensation in trendy Williamsburg. Housed within a restored industrial building, the hotel is packed with tons of character and design spirit. We ate at the Reynards restaurant which was superb. Its interior was rustic in appearance with exposed brick walls, intricate muted mosaic flooring and cast-iron columns and piping. 

We had heard that the hotel's rooftop city view was to die for so tried with all our might to persuade the hotel manager to let us up there but apparently you need an appointment. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with the way in which this was handled, the manager was rude and stand-offish leaving a rather sour taste in our mouths. The food however didn't disappoint so I shall focus on that!

We didn't stop for a full blown meal but instead ordered some picky bits to satisfy our rumbling tummies.

The devilled eggs were to die for...

As were the apples, ricotta and sage honey pudding. At face value the dessert seemed like an odd combination but not at all, the flavours complimented each other beautifully - yumsters infact! 

Wythe Hotel

80 Wythe Avenue

Brooklyn

NY 11249

(718) 460-8000

And last but by no means least... Acme.

Refurbished and re-opened in January of this year, Acme is only for the seriously cool. This restaurant holds a lot of history, 20 years to be precise, previously a Southern Cajun restaurant now of Nordic cuisine. The sign above the restaurant still remains the same though which adds to its overall charm - a lasting memory of the former joint if you like. Expect to wait weeks for a table though as this is the hot cake in NoHo right now!

The food - winter cooking through and through. You know the type to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, coupled with a giant glass of red and all's good in the world! 

Whilst we waited for our food to arrive, we passed the time sipping on a seriously strong but oh so good, 'Fair Lady' cocktail made up of aperol, gin, lemon, st germain, honey, orange bitters and champagne.  

Image via photo-hungry.com

So onto my favourite subject - FOOD! We opted to eat family style again so we could try a bit of everything. Here's what we went for. Apologies in advance for not getting any snaps, the restaurant was so dark...

To start:

* Country toast with nectarine, caramelised onion, brie and honey

* Market salad with walnuts and blackened lemon

* Salmon tartare in a jar with pickled vegetables 

* Heirloom Tomatoes with pickled watermelon and flowering herbs

* Lobster with wild mushrooms and sweet corn

* Pan-roasted bass with pickled green tomatoes, cardamom and vanilla

For our main course:

* Chicken and eggs with new potatoes

* Rib-eye Steak, glazed carrots and dill

Puds:

* Beer and bread porridge with salted caramel ice cream

* Goat and sheep's milk sorbet with pepper rose and mint

My conclusion... to start there was a clear winner, the Salmon tartare for sure, next up the chicken and eggs combo and to finish, there wasn't really any competition, the the porridge won hands down! There are no words that can truly sum up how mind blowing this dessert was!!!

Acme

9 Great Jones Street

New York

NY 10012

(212) 203-2121