date night / Georgina Does

date night

Showing posts with label date night. Show all posts

Swingers Crazy Golf, West End

Thursday, 30 September 2021

I was one of Swingers very first customers when they opened back in 2014.

Apparently, that 'pop-up in a leaky warehouse in Shoreditch' was their first venture. I remember heading there for an event and leaky warehouse does it justice; it was kinda dark and a little cramped.

Fast forward to 2021 and Swingers crazy golf has come a long way.

Last week, I was invited down to their newest London venue, which is just behind Oxford Circus.

I love central London, there's always something fun going on and this is no different!

These sort of activity bars are a very welcome new addition to London's nightlife scene. They mean that you can do something substantial with your evening but still enjoy all the fun of meeting up for a drink at a bar.

The fun atmosphere and banging music made Swingers, almost a bar in its own right.

We dumped our stuff in the cloakroom and found a comfy spot with great people watching views. There were all sorts - we saw groups of friends, date nights and even a stag do.

Having cycled there, I was starving so we had a quick look at the menus from the four foodie pop ups and I went straight with a 'Smokey Robinson' from Patty&Bun and we got a couple of cocktails.

David ordered a 14" slice of pizza, which was inhaled and swiftly followed by also a 'Smokey Robinson.'

Clearly they were very good.

The hour beforehand disappeared; that in itself was a load of fun so I would recommend getting there with enough time before or after your booking to take advantage of it.

When 7.30 finally rolled around, we grabbed what was left of our cocktails and made our way over to the course.

There are two bespoke crazy golf courses at this Swingers; and two in the city. We did the Helter Skelter one and after the night we had, I'm excited to go back and try the other.

The course was super fun, each hole had its own quirk. My favourite was hole 3 because it moved and I very much enjoyed watching the less co-ordinated of people give it a go; and also number 4 which had a loop de loop.

Crazy golf wasn't my idea of a big night out but Swingers is definitely worthy of your Friday night. I'm sure we'll be back very soon.

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Sunday, 12 September 2021

When The Pilgrm started appearing on my feed, I initially thought it was a brunch cafe, all anyone ever posted were photos of pancakes and avocado toast but that was enough for me to have a click around and find out that actually, it's a hotel - quite possibly the most instsgrammable new hotel in London at that. Just look at this lobby:

This is what they would call the reception; if this were a normal hotel but this was by no means a traditional lobby. From the street, similarly to as online, you could quite easily mistake the place for a coffee shop although like any good lobby, (pr coffee shop) the madness of the street outside disappears as soon as you step in. You feel the serenity hit you as you're greeted by a grand wooden staircase, a wall of hanging plants and a coffee bar come check in desk.

Check in can all be done prior to arrival so all you really need to do is pick up your key. It was all very quick and informal which was nice considering I was a bit of a sweaty mess having just cycled there from SW London. It was a really nice day so I did enjoy the ride but with Paddington station just across the road, I needn't have bothered - the transport links are pretty awesome.

The dark wood of the staircase and the theme of hanging plants is continued through to the bar and restaurant upstairs; it's full of character. With two separate indoor dining areas plus an outside terrace, the public spaces in the hotel were really well done and actually very peaceful considering the hustle and bustle outside. The sort of place made for ordering a coffee and getting some work done; which was exactly my plan for the afternoon.

Less relaxing is the maze of corridors which had me feeling like I was lost deep somewhere in the hotel for a few minutes although I was initially given very good directions to my room so I only got lost when I went for a wander to see what else was around.

The rooms aren't quite as pretty as the public space although absolutely nothing to complain about. Very simplistic with lots of natural light and a puffy white bed. There was a full length mirror which is always appreciated, a small rail for a couple of hangers, a TV, a fan and a little armchair in the corner. My favourite thing however was the Marshall speaker which I promptly connected my phone to whilst I got ready to head out for the evening.

The bathroom was awesome in black and white. There was a big rainfall shower and ample space to move, although the sink area was lacking, in terms of size and space for much more than a toothbrush.

I saw it being described somewhere as a hotel for locals and I can get behind this. It was the perfect base for us since we were heading to regents park that evening.

Oh, and I forgot the mention the most amazing thing about this stay - it only cost me £2 (that's if you disregard the bottle of prosecco we drank.)

Sometime way back in lockdown (the days all blend into one don't they?) I saw their pay the date promotion in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and managed to nab a room on the 2nd day - obviously a great cause and I was pleased to be a part of it.

Normal room rates start as low as £69 and in my opinion, it blows any other budget friendly hotel out of the water- a great new spot if you ask me!

Thursday, 17 June 2021

I've always loved Gaucho. I've been for birthdays, graduations, date nights and for brunch at the weekend! It was the first place I wanted to go to as we came out of Lockdown one last summer; so yes, needless to say I'm a big fan.

Having just moved to Southwest London, I was very eager to check out the Richmond venue - which is not only my new local branch but it also sits on the riverside. I'd actually not been to Richmond before so having spotted with current promotion on Instagram, I couldn't resist making a booking.

Book your table at any Gaucho restaurant from Monday to Wednesday between 17th May and 28th July and we will give you a fantastic celebratory percentage off your food bill for your birthday decade. If you’re celebrating your 26th birthday, you and your table will enjoy twenty percent off your bill"

I got lucky with this one. I made this booking maybe six weeks ago and it just so happened to be 29° when the day finally rolled around. Ii had picked up one of my favourite dresses from home the week before and it was the perfect opportunity to wear it. I was ecstatic to get a table outside - it was the perfect evening.

The food was as good as ever, plus even more of a treat than usual as it had been a while since I'd eaten steak.

I don't rate the starters at all but it seemed silly not to make the most of the discount so I tried to sea bass ceviche whilst David ordered the empanadas. Nice, but nothing special.

Luckily I can't say the same about the steak, that was just what I needed it to be. We shared a 400g fillet which was served sliced up on a board in the middle of the table. In the heat, I found this much less overwhelming than having a huge lump of meat placed down in front of me.

Buttery soft and cooked just as we wanted it, I ate mine with béarnaise sauce and garlic spinach whilst trying to avoid gorging too much on the mac and cheese we'd also ordered.

Washed down with a sweet, summery blackberry and gin cocktail, I also insisted on dessert after seeing a huge slab of sticky toffee pudding arrive at the table next to us.

It was pretty dreamy too.

It was my first proper trip into Richmond and I thought it was just the most magical place.

We went for a little wander after dinner to let to food go down and make the most of the wonderful weather. Like us, there were lots of friends and couples enjoying green space and waterside paths. The river was filled with local boats and lined with lovely pubs. One particular place had dished out cushions so people were sitting against the walls and on the curbs, with a plastic pint watching the sun go down over the water. I just didn't want to leave.

Next time I'm in the mood for steak, I know exactly where I'm going.

Thursday, 18 August 2016

Andrew and I go out for dinner more than anyone else we know, last week we ended up eating out four times, you know pizza express, nandos, the usual. But every now and then date night comes around and we fancy somewhere a little bit nicer. We may have been together for almost 7 years now but we still love date night!

Our last one was a few months ago now; Andrew took me for dinner at the Savoy Grill and afterwards we went for a little wander and ended up drinking cocktails at the ME hotel before jumping in an uber home - date night always means a cab all the way home back to Essex. But as I said, that was a few months ago so we were in need of our next, which came around again on Saturday.

We decided to go back to one of our favourites - Gaucho. We've actually been to quite a few of the branches in London but the Piccadilly circus one is definitely our favourite - it has the best atmosphere and I also really love the building that it's in! We visit here at least two or three times a year and we even booked it for NYE a couple of years ago as well.

It was a lovely warm evening in London so I decided to wear my new dress from River Island. I get a bit funny about wearing tight dresses when its hot, especially if I have to get the tube in so this was perfect because it is so floaty. I thought it print was so pretty and the waist tie was perfect for a big meal haha.

Gaucho have seemed to update their menu since the last time we went so we ended up spending a lot more than usual because Andrew wanted to try some of the new things as well. Usually, I can just about handle my steak but we went for starters this time as well - I had the tuna ceviche hoping that it wouldnt be too heavy and he went for the short ribs - mine was on a bed of smashed avo so I was happy. Then, of course I went for my usual fillet medallions whilst Andrew ordered the biggest steak on the menu - all delicious as always.

The only thing that I don't like about Gaucho is their choice of desserts. I think I've only ordered dessert at that branch once and that was when there was a sticky toffee pudding on the menu but I was far too full for that now anyway so we decided to skip dessert and go for an evening walk around London instead.

Knowing me, I'm sure you can guess what happened next! We got as far as Tottenham court road when dessert became a priority again. Luckily, I work around there and knew exactly what I wanted! I had spotted an ice cream in the co-op with Juanita earlier that week and stopped myself because I just couldn't justify it on a Wednesday afternoon whilst it was raining but this was the perfect excuse!

I love a tub of Haagen Dazs at home and they have just brought out these stick bars so I was really excited to try them. It was just the treat I needed for a late dessert.

Haagen Dazs ice cream is always so indulgent and creamy and they bars were the same. I went for the salted caramel one and the ice cream inside was packed full with chunks of sauce and fudge, coated with a layer on milk chocolate.

We ate them as we walked further through London..

And when they were finished we called an uber to take us home!

*In collaboration with brand

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Friday, 4 December 2015

Last week, The Brewery invited Andrew and I along for a cheeky little date in the run up to Christmas! We haven't made time to go out and just have a nice afternoon together for ages, so it was really lovely to have an excuse to do so at our local center.

They have my favourite Nandos there but apart from that we dont tend to venture to all the other resturants so they decided we should try something new and sent us to Zizzi's to try their new Christmas offerings. Not only have I never been to the Zizzis at The Brewery, I actually havent ever been altogether!

We started with a glass of prosecco each while we looked through the menu - I aboslutely loved the presentation of these, to be honest, I thought every single dish came out looking lovely!

The set menus were amazingly priced and brilliant value for money! The one we went for was £24.95 and included a three course meal, a glass of prosecco to start and a shot of limonchello to finish, lets just say we were totally stuffed by the time we left - the portions were huge plus I can honestly say every dish was delicious.

After the enormous meal, we were off upstairs to the cinema! I grew up going to this one so it was lovely to be back really, you know just those little things like knowing where the toilets are and stuff. They were showing the new hunger games film but we decided to see Spectre since we hadnt seen it yet and Andrew is a big Bond fan! And we obvs cant go to the cinema without popcorn and a tango ice blast!

When Was Your Last Date Night?

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Monday, 20 April 2015

Andrew and I go out on date nights quite alot so whenever his parents go on holiday or for a weekend away, we like to have an at home date night which usually involve bringing his double duvet down to the sofa, buying yummy food and watching TV as loud as I want to all night haha.

Jacamo recently got in touch with their new campaign which is dedicated to helping the men of Britain get off on the right foot, in both the shoe and the dating department. To go along with this, they sent me a box of goodies and told me to leave it to Andrew.

The box was full of all the sorts of things you want for a perfect night in - bubble bath, candles, chocolates, a film and two little bottles of prosecco.

We are pretty well known for eating out and having no idea how to cook so we decided to cook dinner together. We made fajitas on my mums suggestion and they are pretty good! I also made brownies earlier in the day which came out fantastically - Andrew ate 5 of them as the night progressed.

After dinner we settled in front of the TV with a glass of prosecco, some strawberries and the film - Friends With Benefits, which strangely was a chick flick that we hadnt seen. It stared Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis so we were both pleased to watch it!

Photos taken by Andrew (apart from the brownies)

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Friday, 25 July 2014

Pizza Express have a new summer menu which Andrew and I were invited to come and try! I seriously haven't been to Pizza Express since I was about 15, but what I have come to realise is that just because your in Pizza Express, you don't need to eat a pizza!

The restaurant was so lovely, bright and airy as we walked in, it was a really nice place to spend the evening! I saw the most amazing looking drink on the new menu which of course I had to order, poor Andrew, he was driving so stuck with an appletiser! Anyway my drink had a name, he was called The Hugo and consisted of elderflower, prosecco and mint leaves, I could have drunk quite a few Hugos. He was tasty! haha

We started with some garlic bread and doughballs which were both lovely and soft and yummy. For mains, Andrew went for his predictable chicken and chorizo pizza but I wanted to try something from the new menu so I went for the Leggera summer salad which I really wasn't too sure about when I ordered since it was a mix of salad leaves, chicken, cheese and fruit, very odd but when I got stuck in, it was so yummy! I sometimes find I'm not always satisfied after a salad but not this time. There was loads of moist chicken, yummy soft cheese and little blueberry explosions.

For dessert I tried another dish from the new menu which was sorbet and fruit and on the waitresses recommendations, Andrew tried the chocolate cake which were both as delicious as the rest of the meal!

Another amazing point I though I'd better tell you - both my main and dessert were part of the Leggera range which meant between them both, I'd eaten less than 600 calories! Aaaaaazing

Have You Been To A Pizza Express Lately?