dinner / Georgina Does

dinner

Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts

Opening week at the Ivy Asia, Chelsea

Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Finally, the long awaited Ivy Asia on the Kings Road opened and with my mum coming to stay later that week, we went along for dinner.

If you've been to the St Paul's one, you will recognise the signature green crystal floor and all the rest of the decoration however this one is much smaller and more intimate. It also seems to be a little more expensive although that's not completely unexpected with it being in Chelsea.

The space wasn't a problem when we got there at 5pm as it was pretty quiet although as it started to fill up, it got to feel quite closed in and a claustrophobic. Once there were loads of people in close proximity in every direction, I was ready to leave.

That being said, we had a great time and I am very pleased to have been. Not only is there food always good but the staff here seemed to be particularly friendly, I'm sure they were excited for their first week!

We ordered the sesame crusted prawn dumplings to start. I love dumplings and these were quite special. The ponzu and daikon sauce complemented the taste of the prawn filling very well but it was the sesame seeds on top of these that brought a whole new level to the dish. It was a totally different texture as it hits your mouth and the crunch was awesome.

We had a good long discussion about what to order next as they make it a very hard decision when trying to weigh up what you want to eat with what you want to look at.

Let me explain; there are quite a few 'spectacle' dishes as I would describe them, the sort that come served on some kind of weird and wonderful dish, brought to the table in a puff of smoke. I wanted the duck, but I didn't actually want the duck, I just wanted the big golden sculpture but mum talked me out of it and I was glad she did. It was just a very expensive, small plate of takeaway duck which was evident when the table next to us ordered it.

Still chasing the high of a sweet, sticky sauce, we went for the chicken and the beef - but the beef was sold out before the lunch cover was over apparently so we went for the lamb instead; with a side of pak choi.

The robata glazed chicken was a very picky dish, perfect for grabbing a piece in between everything else. The smooth spiced avocado mash underneath was really good but sadly, the overly efficient service meant that it was taken away from the table as soon as the chicken was done, meaning we didn't get to enjoy the last bits and the crispy shallots which was a real shame. The same thing actually happened with the dumplings, quite a pain actually.

Sticky lamb dishes are not something I often see on a menu but BBQ Korean lamb cutlets sounded great and they were! Korean sauces have that extra kick, paired with the smashed sesame and cucumber mash underneath, the succulent meat was a delicious bite.

Pak Choi coated in ginger and soy was the perfect accompaniment and broke up all of the meat.

The dessert menu is pretty similar to the St Paul's one and we both knew what we were going to order before we'd even left the flat. The Sphere. A very rich dessert, a much better idea to share but of course we ordered one each as sharing dessert with my mum is never a good idea.

Passionfruit and yuzu are two of my favourite fruity flavours and combined with the white chocolate and caramel, this dessert is just a dream. With hidden popping candy and the whole theatrics of the caramel sauce which melts the sphere as it is poured in front of you it's an all round great dessert and one that I order again and again. Sadly it doesn't photograph very well so you'll just have to take my word for it on this one.

Sunday, 5 June 2016

I always see people tweeting photos of incredible cocktails from The Alchemist but for some reason, I was convinced that they only had one branch and that it was in Leeds. Well, I got an email a couple of weeks ago confirming that in fact, I was wrong and there are actually five branches including one in London. Doh. This mysterious email also invited me along to come and try the amazing cocktails for myself as well as a meal while I was there.

We booked in for Friday night and as you can imagine a bar in the city at that time of week, it was packed out. Initially, I thought it looked great as a bar, but I was a bit worried about having to eat a meal in those surroundings, although that didn't last long at all when they lead us upstairs to a much calmer, romantically lit, dining area.

After a quick look through the very cool menus, we started off with a cocktail for two. Someone suggested trying the Mad Hatters Tea Party and once I saw the components, (aka elderflower, passion fruit and vodka,) I was happy to oblige. I knew these cocktails were going to be alot of fun as soon as we started seeing big puffs of smoke appear around the room every time someone ordered something.

Ours arrived in something that reminded me of GCSE science and was heated up at the table with a little blue bunsen burner. It soon started to bubble away after which the waitress removed the flame and poured the concoction into a conical flask. Soon enough, we had our very own puff of smoke.

Once that had disappeared, our hot cocktail was poured into pretty china cups ready to be drunk. While all of this was happening, our starters arrived. They have got their starters down and I would happily have just ordered a few starters and nothing else. Sticking with just one, I went for the duck spring rolls which were stuffed full of meat, which was great with a side of hoisin sauce. Very tasty. Andrew went for chicken wings and although mine tasted great, I was pretty jealous of how cool his looked! How blogger is this copper mug?!

The mains were pretty average but then again, they were pretty good for a bar that does food. I was impressed with the presentation of my fajitas but chicken was a bit dry and wraps had steamed to each other. Andrew had a big juicy burger and we also ordered a side of kale which tasted just like seaweed from the chinese and sweet potato fries!

I decided against dessert for the first time in my life and went with a white chocolate and raspberry cocktail instead. Andrew had a slice of chocolate fudge which he did go on about quite a bit so it must have been good. My cocktail on the other hand arrived, looking and tasting for that matter, more like jelly and cream. It was neon red and topped with whipped cream. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but still very desserty and filled my dessert spot!

I quite enjoyed my night there and would defitenly return although I'm not sure I'd order mains again but just lots of yummy started to share!

*Our food was complimentary in return for this review although all thoughts are 100% my own

Bloglovin / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Youtube

Tuesday, 1 September 2015

A few weeks ago, I was invited along to The Trading House, Bank, for dinner! Of course I took Andrew with which was convenient for him - he works on the next street!

It was a Wednesday night and it was super busy as we walked it! Especially considering it had only been open for eight weeks at the time - pretty impressive if you ask me!

I had heard many good things about their cocktails so of course we ordered some before we did anything else - the rumors are true by the way - they were good! I started with a blueberry and passion fruit martini which was delicious. I was a little shocked when it turned up in a deep blue rather than orange but it was really delicious. Andrew doesn't usually like passion fruit martinis but he loved it too because the sweetness wasn't too over powering.

I also loved that they came in old fashioned crystal glasses to go with the decor - its actually located on the site of the former Bank of New Zealand which is a grade II listed building with lots of original details.

As we sat drinking our cocktails we could smell all the amazing food around us. When it came to order I still had the smell of calamari in my head so thats what I went for as a starter whilst Andrew got deep fried chicken wings. The menu was absolutely huge and we were both surprised to find so much choice!

Andrew put our waiter to the test by being awkward and ordering a burger but with no tomato or pickle, cheese on his chips, oh and some bacon as well so he was very pleased when his perfectly modified burger turned up. It's always a shame with you ask to add something and they forget.

I ordered the chicken kebab because it just looked like so much fun and reminded me of when we were in Greece a few years ago. It turned up hanging on a skewer with a bowl of chips at the bottom ( I switched it for mash) and a bowl of melted garlic butter at the top which your poured down. I really enjoyed eating that!

Now it was time for some more cocktails. Andrew went for an apple and blueberry Collins which he loved but I wasn't a fan of - I hate anything that tastes like ginger beer. I went for an English which was prosecco, cucumber and elderflower. Definitely more my style!

After our cocktails it was time to have a look at dessert. Andrew couldn't handle any more food so he just ordered a peppermint tea but I was super excited to see a trifle on the menu. Its been a long time since I've seen that on a menu anywhere! I love trifle.

We both really enjoyed the food, cocktails and the whole atmosphere there and are looking forward to going back soon.

The team at the Trading House have given me 20% off to share with you guys! Just book here!

Have You Been To The Trading House?

Bloglovin / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube / Facebook

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

I had a pretty jam packed bank holiday thanks to Andrew! I had booked us a hotel in Marble Arch so he decided to make a whole weekend out of it and booked some super fun things for us to do while we were there. He didn't tell me about any of them so they were all a lovely surprise!

On Friday after work, he met me on oxford street and we wandered the back streets until we came across Grovsner square. We had dinner at Maze, Gordon Ramsey restaurants in Mayfair. Three courses and lots of cocktails, everything was delicious, including the drinks. I started with a terrine followed by the lamb and Andrew had giant garlic prawns and then a steak. Of course I had the chocolate tart for dessert too while Andrew had another cocktail. It was all very posh and expensive but it is somewhere we have spoken about going to before and we both really enjoyed the whole experience. We were so full afterwards that we decided to get ourselves an uber home. Andrew picked so well - it was a really great night!

The next morning we were up early and on the train for the next surprise. We ended up at Charing Cross station which isn't somewhere I go that often so I had no idea what was in store! Half way down the road I saw it! I didn't even realise he was listening to me when I mentioned the Afternoon Tea Tour Bus once, months ago but obviously he was because he had booked us on it for the afternoon! We have been wanting to do some more touristy things lately so this was perfect for us. More yummy food and lots of laughing at each other trying to pour milk into our tea on a moving bus plus we got to see some more sights of London from the top of a bus! So much fun!

It was such a warm day that when we got off of the bus I really didn't want to get on the tube so I convinced Andrew to that we should walk to Marble Arch. Finally after an hour of walking, we came across the hotel. The entrance is around the back but what I didnt realise is it acutally sits on oxford street - right opposite Primark which puts it in a pretty amazing location for anyone whos visiting London.

The hotel has just had over £26million spent on it which (after the odd entrace and up the escalator) you could see- the place looked brand new and everything was sparkling clean. The lobby area had a strange old fashioned feel to it but everything, you could tell was brand new - it reminded me of being on a posh old cruise ship.

And then we were off to our room on the 7th floor and we were impressed. The big windows left the room filled with natural light making it bright and airy, it was already very spacious as it is. There was a little note left for me with some chocolates. The bed was big and very comfortable which to be fair, is the most important thing when staying in a hotel. I was very impressed to see plug sockets everywhere with a socket and two USB charging ports within reach of the bed. There was also super fast free wifi and a Nespresso coffee machine.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in bed watching Harry Potter! I love when they are on TV because I never ever remember what happens in the end so its always like watching it for the first time!

As part of our room, we had been given access to The Executive Lounge which is something we hadn't experienced before so of course we went exploring to see what it was. Located on the 2nd floor and you needed your special key to get, which we were given at check in. It was a relaxing lounge with a bar full of drinks and canapes, all free as part of the executive room that we had. We stopped off for some champagne and snacks while we discussed what we wanted to do for the evening.

We decided on a Chinese, which ordered to the room and a night in with Britians Got Talent. I also wanted to use my new bath bomb from the Oxford Street Lush. I picked up Intergalactic because it smelt so fresh and minty - hotel stays are the perfect opportunity for a bath bomb!

It was getting pretty late when I decided I wanted to have a bath but for some off reason I couldn't get the plug to stay in. We called down and they said they would sent someone up soon but by the time the arrived an hour later, I just wanted to go to bed, plus he couldnt fix it either. It was a real shame as I called up twice during the week to ensure we would have a bath with our room. I'm sure it will get used soon so watch out for a review!

The next morning we woke up super early to the lovely sunshine! After a quick shower, we went down to breakfast - I didn't eat too much because we had a BBQ later that day but I couldn't resist a couple pieces of bacon to go with my healthy melon!

Check out was quick and easy and soon enough we were off back to Essex for some sunshine with our friends and their family! Andrew even got burnt!

Our stay at the Thistle hotel was complementarity although, as always, all comments are 100% honest. Apart from the bath incident, we had an amazing stay and would be very happy to stay there again.

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?