Tapas with a Kick at Pizarro London

Bermondsey Street has become a bit of a foodie area with Borough Market just a few feet away and tons of delicious cool restaurants. We had an amazing Italian lunch at Zucca a few months ago and now it was time for some Spanish tapas at Pizarro. 

We started off with one of the boy`s favourite snacks ever: the Padron peppers which were beautiful.

We then had the lentil stew with chorizo, jamon and black pudding which was one of my favourite dishes of the meal.

Another highlight of the meal was the Butifarra sausage with bread and tomato. The tomato bread was amazing. Never thought tomato on a bread can be this good.

The grilled octopus with creamy potato was lovely although I found the creaminess a bit too heavy and overpowering the octopus. 

The leg of lamb was beautifully cooked and we got this with a side of mash potatoes. By this stage we were so full and the lamb felt quite heavy so we ended up taking this for takeaway and having it for dinner. 

An English Countryside Outfit

This weekend the boy and I decided to head over to Cotswolds for some spa and relaxation time. This was by far one of the best weekends I`ve had this fall and it was incredibly hard to leave and return back to work. The English countryside is where the true beauty of this country lies in as well as the famous English politeness and hospitality. It`s such a major change to go from London where everything moves so fast to something so isolated and peaceful. I haven`t slept so well in ages. Most of the time we had no phone signal and it was amazing! This trip was all about eating, sleeping, pampering and exploring the beautiful villages of Cotswolds. 

We took these photos in the cute village of Bibury. In terms of outfit it was all about comfort: jeans, boots, and of course an elbow patched jacket to fit in with the locals :). 

What are your favourite places in the English countryside?

Jeans: Asos, similar here

Polka dot top: Asos

Blazer: Urban Outfitters, similar here

Ankle boots: Asos or in brown

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Restaurant Review

Waiter: "So what brought you here tonight? Any special occasion?"

Me: "A very long week"

This is how our dinner at Dinner by Heston started in the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London. The food was beautiful, no doubt about that however the restaurant seems to run on a winning formula with the menu staying the same for ages. The most exciting dish of the evening was of course the famous and highly photographed- meat fruit. What looked like a regular mandarin was actually filled with chicken liver & foie gras parfait. So smooth and delicious, it was definitely worth the hype. 

I`ve had the chicken oysters with marrow bone and horseradish cream which was beautifully cooked.

For mains I had the roast Iberico pork chop which was actually quite a big piece of meat. Although good it was a bit too heavy for me and didn`t enjoy it as much as the starter.

My partner had the powdered duck breast. The meat was lovely but again it just wasn`t as impressive as the starters.

Alongside the starters, the dessert was also a highlight of the night. My partner and I shared the tipsy cake which is a sort of dough baked in the oven with sugar and alcohol with roasted pineapple on the side. It was absolutely finger licking delicious.

A Blush of Colour

One of the best trends to come out is the cocoon coat. Is there anything better than wrapping yourself in a cozy large coat without looking that you`ve just ran from home with only your duvet? Cocoon coats make laziness trendy and boy I am lazy! Currently hunting down a spa break so I can further emerge in my hibernation. The process of finding a spa close to London is always pretty challenging. Everything is either already booked out, either too expensive for what you get or too old fashioned. I don`t mind old fashion as long as it doesn`t become kitsch. Old sheets are a no-no for me as well as bad wallpapers.
Do you have anything you dislike about old style hotels?

Pink Cocoon Coat: Asos, similar here or here

Jeans: Asos, similar here

White chain bag: Asos, similar here

White shirt: Topshop

12 Quick Wins to Instantly Grow Your Blog Traffic

1. Invest in a professional web design
A professional, visually appealing blog design will instantly make your readers keep returning back to your site. It`s so easy nowadays to make your blog look more professional through already made templates for sale at $5 - $25 or by hiring a freelance designer through sites like Fiverr or Odesk. Read my Top things to keep in mind when designing your blog if you`re just starting.

2. Invest in better photography
Most bloggers will say how much good photography has contributed to their success of their blog. Everyone loves beautiful, clear images and investing in your blog photography can definitely help in getting people to return back to your site.

3. Invest in a domain name
Investing in a domain is one of the key steps in making your blog look more professional and building your brand. A good name can help your readers remember your site much easier which means they`ll be more likely to return.

4. Comment on other blogs
Commenting on other blogs is a great way of getting other bloggers to discover your blog.

5. Connect with fellow bloggers on social channels
Speaking of connecting with other bloggers, social channels such as Twitter serve as a great platform for building long lasting relationships with other bloggers, sharing tips and why not cross promote each other`s posts.

6. Grow your social channels community
Pick a few social channels you think are the most important for your blog or that you enjoy the most and try to be as active as possible by posting something daily. A good part of bloggers traffic now comes from social channels so it`s very important to build a presence on other channels.

7. Cross promotion
And after building your social channels community a key part is making sure you cross promote your articles on those channels as well as other channels to ensure your blog gets the maximum exposure possible.

8. Make your articles & blog easy to share
Adding social share buttons to your articles and links to your official social channels means your blog and articles can be easily shared by your readers to their friends and family and help bring more new visitors to your site.

9. Sign Up to Bloglovin
Bloglovin` has a huge blogging community. Sign Up to their platform to allow your readers to subscribe to your blog and get new articles in their feed.

10. Use Pinterest to your advantage
Use Pinterest for more than just wasting a few hours browsing to pretty pictures and Pin your blog images and articles to help bring some of the Pinterest community to your site.

11. Post regularly
Especially if you just started a blog it is important to build up your blog content by posting multiple times a week to offer a reason for visitors to stay on your blog and press the subscribe button. If you`re also in full time work or education try to pre plan and pre write a few articles in weekends or holidays to ensure your have something up on your blog during the week.

12. Write about what people are searching for online
The Google Keyword Planner is a great tool for finding out what people are searching for online and providing your some inspiration for your future blog articles. Writing about a topic that people are interested in can help bring new visitors to your site.

The Social Eating House Restaurant Review

Last week the boy and I decided to go for our date night to The Social Eating House in Soho. Since we got there 30 mins late we had to persuade the hostess that we won`t be eating that much and we will be really fast as we had to release the table after 2 hrs. However the menu looked really good and we couldn`t really help ourselves ordering quite a bit of food. Fortunately no one kicked us out even though we passed the 2 hrs time limit which was a relief as I wouldn`t have wanted to miss my favourite part of the meal: the dessert :). 

We started off with the mussels which were gigantic and delicious. 

After which my partner really wanted to try the smoked black angus tartare with radishes. I usually find tartare way too heavy but really loved how the sourness of radishes complemented the meat and cream.

The star of the meal was definitely the smoked duck ham with soft egg and chips. A recipe for success.

Potatoes with epoisses fondue and red chicory was good but a bit too heavy for me.

 Both my partner and I loved the salami and crudités salad in a jar although we weren`t such big fans of the toasted bread that was really hard to chew on.

I love lemon tarts, pies, basically any dessert lemon based and this one was fantastic. The meringue was beautifully done as well as the black pepper biscuit.

Top 15 holiday travel destinations in 2015

1. The all American destination in Austin - Texas, USA
A vibrant city with plenty of good food, bars, shops and nightlife, Austin is the perfect place for a USA trip.

Image source: Prind1m

2. Panda watching in Chengdu, China
Cute pandas and hot springs - what more can you ask for? Luxury hotels are new opening in Chengdu so it`s the perfect time to visit before the tourist masses will come in.

Image source: Pinterest

3. Summer European trip in Montenegro
Beautiful beaches, old towns, and mountains are close to each other make Montenegro the new perfect European summer destination.

Image source: Pinterest

4. Road trip of a lifetime through Iceland
Iceland has one of the most mind blowing landscapes in the world and a road trip is the perfect way to visit this beautiful country.

Image source: Iceland

5. Havana nights in Cuba
The music, the people, the food, Cuba is the perfect trip for making memories.

Image source: Pinterest

6. Escape the rest of the world in Bhutan
Increased transport links and openness towards tourists means more and more travellers are discovering the beauty of Bhutan. This is the perfect time to visit Bhutan when it`s still remote enough to make you feel you are escaping the world.

Image source: Lonely Planet

7. Foodie trip to Copenhagen, Denmark
Visited Copenhagen for the first time this year and absolutely loved it. Copenhagen has one of the best food scenes in Europe and definitely worth the trip for all you foodies out there.

8. Natural beauty trip in Romania
Romania has some amazing natural beauty, the mountains, the traditional villages, and the amazing Danube Delta are perfect for nature lovers and taking a step back in time.

Image source: Pinterest

9. History trip to UNESCO World Heritage - Valletta, Malta
Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the architecture is beautiful with intriguing historical attractions around every corner.

Image source: thepeakeffect.com

10. Safari trip in South Africa
South Africa provides some of the most safari trips in the world. South African cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town are also buzzing with bars, restaurants and nightlife.

Image source: Pinterest

11. Taiwan shopping trip
Taiwan has one of the best shopping in the world and some amazing street food to keep you going while shopping.

Image source: fewdblog.com

12. Luxury lodging in New Zealand
Although not cheap, New Zealand is perfect for a relaxing holiday.

Image source: Huka Lodge

13. Trekking in Chile
The natural beauty of Chile is hard to resist.

Image source: National Geographic

14. Perfect beach holiday in the Philippines
The beautiful beaches of Philippines are fast becoming favourites with travellers and giving Thailand beaches a run for their money.

Image source: Pinterest

15. City trip to Athens, Greece
Athens is quickly becoming a creative hub with loads of new cafes, restaurants, bars, and a buzzing art scene. Luxury hotels also look pretty amazing. This is the perfect time to go when the prices are more affordable and you can find some amazing luxury deals which is so hard to find in Europe.

Image source: Pinterest