A London Hotel You Can Actually Relax In

 Last week we took our wonderful American visitors on a whistle stop tour of London. Since my flat is approximately the size of a postage stamp (and there was four of us) we decided to book a hotel in Central, so we could get an early start (and not have to lug our luggage around all day).

The K West Spa Hotel came highly recommended from a few friends of mine. It's located just around the corner from my uni (and a hop skip and a jump from Westfield White City) so I was familiar with the location, and had high hopes. We booked two rooms totally last minute (ie, the night before) but the room rate was really reasonable, and we had high hopes!

Luckily we weren't disappointed. Located on a quite residential road tucked round the corner from Shepherd's Bush tube station, it's handily placed as well as being really quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Inside we were greeted by friendly faces and checked in in a matter of minutes. The lobby of the hotel is simple but perfect, a long bar is the focal point, with a large and comfortable seating area around it. Tucked away next to the lifts however was a much more relaxed atmosphere, the 'festival hub', a room packed with books, bean bags and fairy lights. The perfect place to recline after a large meal!

 For a London hotel the rooms were super spacious and well equipped. We booked Executive Twin rooms and it was refreshing to stay in a hotel that is actually well thought out. A dressing table placed facing a large window for good makeup lighting, a large full sized mirror as well as a small one on the dressing table, plug sockets everywhere, an assortment of magazines on the coffee table, big fluffy towelling bath robes, the works. A lot of thought went into the rooms and it shows! I was particularly enamoured with an extension lead on the bedside table, with four plug sockets and two USB chargers. PLUGS NEAR THE BED GUYS, THIS NEVER HAPPENS.

The room was spacious and despite sleeping in a single bed, it didn't feel small. The rooms were modern and spotless and I really can't pick fault in anything. The only niggle is the glass bathroom door, which wasn't really a problem anyway since the bathroom is tucked around the corner. 

I also loved the idea of a tablet on the dressing table, with everything from local weather and tourist attractions to room service and spa menus. Such an easy way to consolidate a wealth of useful information.

 We were totally pooped from a day of exploring, so I decided to make the most of my serene, spa like settings and run myself a long hot bath. On the lovely lady at Lush's recommendation I picked up the Big Blue bath bomb, and it was perfect, the sea salt, rosemary, lavender and lemon all served to relax my aching muscles and send me straight off to sleep when I climbed into my comfy hotel bed!

It's a full thumbs up from me for the K West Spa Hotel, I'm already planning a trip back for one of their infamous Aromatherapy Associates massages, and a go in their Snow Room. Yes, you heard me right, a Snow Room.

Ban.do Florabunda Large Agenda

I wasn't planning on picking up a new planner (I'm very happy with my Erin Condren Life Planner), but when I spotted one last copy of the Shop Ban.do Large Florabunda 2016 Agenda in the wondrous Tottenham Court Road Paperchase store (the BEST Paperchase FYI) I had to bring it home. Having seen the Ban.do agendas blowing up Instagram over the last month I had without realising fallen in love with it's pretty, girly design. I didn't know that Paperchase stocked these, and I can't find them on the website, but it's worth having a look in your local store!

They had a couple of the smaller designs but I went for the large Florabunda design, because I wanted to have a ton of space for doodles and ramblings. For the size these are pretty reasonable too, clocking in at £25.

 I love all the cute little illustrations throughout the planner, and the sticker page is just too adorable. Because the planner is American, some of the dates don't quite match up, but I love the inclusion of fun holidays, like 'National Taco Day' and 'Hug Your Cat Day'. The weekly spreads are sprinkled with fun ideas of ways to spend the weekend, as well as some random little quotes and sayings. It's just a bit different, and that's why I like it!

Any fellow planner addicts out there, I'd love to know how you use your planners, I'm thinking of using this as more of a journal than a planner, but I need some inspiration!

Let's Talk Snacks - New In From Graze

When it comes to dieting, or even healthy eating, I have one almighty downfall. I'm a snacker. 

I'm not one of those people who can eat three big meals a day and nothing else. I like to snack, graze and generally just pick at food throughout the day. I can't help it! And this is where I slip up, because I find eating good, healthy, whole foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner easy, but snacking is hard.

There's only so many cherry tomatoes and apples a girl can eat before she starts to get a little bored. 

Enter stage left Graze Boxes. I've had a fair few standard Graze boxes in the past, my boyfriend used to have a subscription and I'd bag all the flapjacks, as well as a few free box codes that came in handy. But I stopped ordering them a while back since, in all honesty, the standard boxes are quite expensive long term. Great for every now and then, if you're having a busy week, travelling or just out and about a lot, but as a weekly thing? It wasn't really necessary for me, especially since I work from home.

However, a couple of new(ish) releases from Graze caught my eye, so voucher in hand I placed an order for a couple of bits!

First up, a sharing box. This is the answer, I think, for people like me. A one off box like this contains five resealable snack packs, each containing around 20 normal Graze servings. It's a pretty easy process, Graze have 20 different snacks available in this format, you pick out which ones you like the sound of and they'll send you a random five. These little pouches are a great size, I've got one in my desk drawer, and I think they'll be great for taking away with me when I travel too. 

So, in my box!

Spiced Apple and Ginger Granola Topper: Equally good for sprinkling on top of granola for extra flavour, or just snacking on straight from the bag! Inside is spiced granola, dried apple pieces, ginger fudge and orange raisins. That description alone has me dribbling. If you're a fan of cinnamon and ginger, you'll love this. I may be almost out already because it's that damn good.

Texan Corn Salsa: If you're a nacho lover like me, you'll love this. Corn chips, salsa almonds, roasted corn and jumbo chilli corn, a handful of this is almost like a healthy version of tortilla chips and salsa. Not too spicy, just a hint of chilli flavour, super tasty!

Herby Bread Basket: This is my answer to avoiding eating a giant garlic bread on my own at three in the afternoon. Inside are mini basil breadsticks, garlic crostini and oregano rice crackers. It's a carb fix without leaving you feeling bloated and disgusting, and the herby flavours are delicious. 

Cherries & Berries: One of my Graze favourites, I'm so glad you can get a big pack of these now! Inside are dried cherries, lingonberries, cranberries and raisins, I'm not normally a dried fruit kinda gal, but I just adore these. I've had the Tesco and Lidl knockoffs before, but I much prefer these, they're juicier! 

Sour Cream and Garlic Crostini: For when you're craving pringles! Inside are sour cream and onion cashews, and garlic crostini. I should point out that as a rule I don't like nuts, but I generally always like them in Graze boxes, since they're flavoured and tasty!

This box is normally £15 but you can get your first box for £10, which I think is really good, considering how much you get. Again, it's not something I'd buy weekly (I don't think you'd need to anyway, this stuff will last ages), but for travelling, or as an occasional one off it's perfect! 

I also ordered two of the standard graze boxes, a flapjack box and a chocolate box. Because treats. I love that these are the perfect size to slip into your letterbox, and each individual snack is individually wrapped, and a good size for your handbag!

I've never had a Graze Flapjack I didn't like so the idea of an entire box devoted to flapjacks was a no brainer. Inside was (I definitely ate this one straight away) an Apple and Cinnamon flapjack (my absolute favourite), a Lemon Curd flapjack (a close second), a Cocoa and Vanilla Protein flapjack (I hadn't tried this before but I ate this in a midafternoon slump and it gave me a real energy boost), and a Fruit and Seed flapjack (a solid contender). Not one complaint at all, except that the box doesn't come with a little man to stop you eating them all in one go. 

The chocolate box was a bit of a risk for me since I'm not a giant chocolate fan (I know, I know). I was pleasantly surprised though, these little packs are the perfect afternoon-pick-me-up when you're craving a six pack of Mars bars. Inside I had Caramel & Peanut Track and Field (Salted Caramel milk chocolate buttons oh my oh my, peanuts, fudge, and raisins), Dip Your Own Chocolate Pretzels ( poppyseed pretzels and a chocolate dip, yum yum), Graze's Chocolate Orange (orange chocolate raisins, milk chocolate buttons, jumbo raisins & orange raisins, this tasted like jaffa cakes) & After Dinner Mint (peppermint raisins that were surprisingly delicious, dark belgian chocolate and almonds). Basically, it was all delicious! 

So the verdict? I still wouldn't get a box every week, but as a treat every now and then (or before a big trip) these are just perfect! 

Also, if you want a free box, you can use the code JAYER2WLE to get one! This isn't a sponsored thing with Graze, just a code every customer gets to share with their friends! And I like you guys ;)

Aaaaaand writing this post has made me hungry.

London Eats: MEATliquor

 This place can be a real mixed bag, and it's worth keeping in mind you will either love or hate it. 

There's no reservations so you can expect around a thirty minute wait, any evening of the week. If you go for lunch you'll often be seated straight away, but the food is never quite as good. 

MEATliquor has an outdoor queue covered with heaters to keep you warm, but it's unlikely you'll wait more than ten minutes there, they usually move you to the bar area when you have about 20 minutes to go. This means if there's more than two of you, your table will be ready by the time you've got your drinks.

The cocktails are tasty, and the bar staff will make a bit of a show of preparing them, but you're essentially paying around £8 for two mouthfuls of drink and a glass of ice, so I generally stick with bottles of beer/cider which all tend to be around the £4.50 mark. 

To say the atmosphere in MEATliquor is unique is an understatement. The decor looks like it was executed by graffiti enthused pirates, and it's exceptionally loud, a place to avoid if you like intimate conversation or dislike rock music. The majority of tables are large, so if you're a smaller group you can expect to be seated with another party. Be wary if you're seated under the domed section of ceiling too, the design means that your conversation can be heard better by those on the other side of the room than those sat next to you. None of this is a bad thing, it's just worth bearing in mind, since it makes for a rather 'marmite' dining experience. 

Moving on to the main event, the food! This is a strictly eat with your hands sorta destination, all the food is served on giant trays, and you can expect to finish your burger with a good amount of grease and sauce dripping down to your elbows. Each table has a big roll of kitchen roll that comes in handy for mopping it all up, but hardly makes for a silver service experience. 

I can whole heartedly recommend the Dead Hippie Burger, but all of there burgers are delicious, cooked medium rare as standard, and served in brioche buns. I've tried a fair few of the sides (cheese fries, dead hippie fries, chilli cheese fries, onion rings, fried pickles, chicken wings, Mac & cheese) and they were all delicious, but it's worth keeping in mind that the portion size is enormous. Particularly the onion rings, which look like they started life as giant genetically modified onions the size of a boxers fist. 

The service in MEATliquor is stretched thin, you can expect to have to haul in a server for your bill at the end of the meal. They're always lovely, their just stretched thin. 

Other notable things, it's cramped quarters and always rammed, expect to be rubbing shoulders with everyone. There's a photo booth that you can purchase tokens for at the bar, which gets a good rep. 

Overall, it's definitely an experience, the food is good, but it's not something you need to repeat more than once or twice. There are other burger joints in London with better service, food, and an atmosphere better suited to being able to hear yourself breathe. 

Ladies Who Brunch

 Monday marked my final ever uni hand in (eeek, does this mean I'm technically now unemployed, or can I call myself a student until I graduate?), so to celebrate, the girls and I headed for a cocktail fueled brunch. 

Our university is right around the corner from Westfield at White City, so we headed there without much of a plan, and ended up in Balans Soho Society, a restaurant I've walked past a thousand times and never been in. 

It was pretty quiet (unsurprising since it was 10am on a Monday), and they quickly put together a table for the five of us. We took an inordinate amount of time to order, because breakfast food problems. Does anyone else think breakfast is the best meal of the day?

In the end, my friend Joanna and I split the bacon pancakes and Eggs Benedict and it was delicious. The eggs were cooked to perfection, served on English muffins with lashings of hollandaise, whilst the pancakes were thick and fluffy, the bacon crisped to perfection. The nice thing about Balans is that they really do every breakfast option, pancakes, french toast, eggs, Chorizo Con Papas, avocado toast, the lot. You'd find something to suit every breakfast taste. 

We followed up our breakfast with a round of celebratory drinks. The girls all opted for cocktails whilst I stuck with prosecco, which was delicious. The girls loved they're cocktails, but did say they were a little strong, but maybe that was just since it was a Monday morning!

They did stick a service charge of 12.5% on the bill, but we didn't mind paying since the service was fab, they were attentive and fast, but let us relax and didn't rush us out either. The meal was really reasonable, with breakfast and a round of drinks, including service charge worked out around £17 a head, pretty reasonable for London!

I could definitely get into the habit of leisurely brunches!

March Happy Mail and Messy Box

I've been an avid reader of A Beautiful Mess for a long time now, nobody can scrapbook quite like those girls! Last month I decided to try out the A Beautiful Mess Happy Mail Service, and I loved it, and ended up ordering the brand new Messy Box service this month to try it out too. I ordered a month to month subscription for both, and figured it was just a one month deal, but when my Messy Box arrived, there was this month's Happy Mail inside too, so without realising I'd been charged for two months! I figured I'd show you guys both, since I have pretty mixed feelings about the contents and the experience I've had with them too!

Sunday Night Steaks

 Last week a voucher for the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse on Kings Road dropped into my mailbox from Zomato, and, not being one to turn down a free meal I promptly booked a table for two for Sunday night. I even managed to prise the boyfriend away from his computer for part of the evening to join me (a small miracle in itself).

The boy and I don't often go out for fancy dinners, we both work best in the evenings so we tend to do lunches over dinners anyway, and with so many fantastic, more budget friendly dining options available in London, we never really feel the need to splash out, so this was an extra special treat for us.

We booked a 6.30 table since Kings Road is a bit of a trek from our flat, and we wanted to be able to get home at a reasonable time and work (yawn, I know, but we were working double time to make up for taking the weekend off for Paris)! The restaurant itself is in a fairly awkward location, the closest tube station is a good twenty minute walk away, but it was a mild night and we were happy to burn off a few calories! From the outside, this place looks pretty inconspicuous, like your run of  the mill London brasserie, but inside when you're greeted by the fancy french Maître D, there's a definite different vibe.

When we arrived the restaurant was fairly busy, but there were a couple of spare tables by the door, and we were swiftly slotted into one. First impressions were that it's pretty cramped, you can tell they're trying to fit as many covers in as possible, and our table was all of about an inch and a half from the table next to us, our friendly American neighbors could hear all of our conversations and us theirs. It's cosy, that's for sure.

The boy ordered a Peroni and I went wild on still water (I know, I know, I'm crrrrazy), whilst we perused the menu. The Peroni was £4.50, pretty standard for London prices, and a large bottle of still water (enough for four glasses) was £4, so all in all pretty standard. The wine list was pretty pricey, you were looking at around the £10 mark for one glass of house wine.

 Our starters arrived pretty swiftly, and I'll be honest, we were pretty underwhelmed. I ordered the Carpaccio of Beef, and it looked and felt like it had been prepared earlier in the week and bunged in the fridge. It was tasty, but the plate was freezing like it had come straight out of the fridge, and it was definitely lacking on the presentation front. The boy ordered the Chicken Liver Parfait with Brioche Toast, and whilst he liked it, he said it was fairly strong. It was served with a perfumey pink sauce that neither of us could figure out what it actually was, and again the presentation was really lacking. We may have been being picky, but when you're paying £12.50 and £9.50 for a starter, you kind of expect it to look nice!

 Up until this point, the service was really good, but then it started to get a little slower and disorganised, nobody would check on us for twenty minutes, and then two people would ask us the same question within thirty seconds of each other. It was almost like once it got a little busier, none of the staff really knew what each other was doing. 

Our mains came out around twenty minutes after our starters, I just ordered the 8oz House Cut Steak (£18.50) which I believe changes, this time it was rump, while the boy ordered the 10oz Tail on Ribeye (£24.75). All their steaks are matured for 21-28 days, and you could tell, they were incredibly tasty and well seasoned. I got the peppercorn sauce while The Boy tried the Bernaise, and no complaints there, except we could have done with more!

We split three sides, the seasonal veg (green beans), triple cooked chips and buttered new potatoes (all £4 each). They were all delicious, I was concerned that the chips looked a little anemic, but they tasted great, crunchy on the outside, soft in the center.

I had had my eye on the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert, but we were both stuffed so we got the bill and started to walk it off! As with all restaurants like this, they stuck on a 12.5% service charge, making our total £96.47, not by any means a cheap date. 

As we walked back, The Boy and I did a full debriefing and we pretty much agreed that we had totally mixed feelings. Whilst we enjoyed the food, we both agreed that with the price tag, we would expect better presentation, service and not to be rubbing elbows with our fellow diners. The decor is a little confused, and there were some black marks on the table cloth too. For a £100 meal, we just agreed we would expect it to be a little more polished, it was a little rough around the edges.

That being said, if you're looking to treat yourself to a good steak, and you're not fussed about the details, then this is a great little find!

Any recommendations for good steakhouses in London would be welcome!

 I was kindly given an £80 voucher to use at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse by Zomato, which covered the bulk cost of our meal. As always, this doesn't affect my review!