Brunch at HotBox

My brother and I have always been close and I like to make sure we see each other often. We both love food and eating out so we often meet for dinner but this time I fancied testing out a brunch I had heard good things about, Hotbox in Shoreditch. So on one very sunny Sunday morning, I crossed the river to meet my brother and Charlie for a feast of a brunch.

They don't take bookings and I don't like queueing so we made sure we were there for 11am when it opened. The setting is simple, long tables with benches and bar stools around the windows. It's very casual, loud and fun. They bring you bottomless coffee or tea while you get stuck in to the menus. I'm one of those people who find it really hard to settle for just one thing. I want a little bit of everything, I want to try it all. Luckily the other two obliged, sharing is caring after all.

We also got the bottomless cocktails, a variety of bloody mary's, bubbly and mimosas.

We ordered the truffle egg toast and it was as good as it sounds.

The beef rib tacos, amazingly tasty and surprisingly light and fresh.

Chicken Belgian waffles, super crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.

Fluffy pancakes with very thick cut bacon, unfortunately my least favourite.

Mac and cheese that I could happily live on for the rest of my life.

And finally the skillet smoked meat hash, very tasty and meaty.

We ate for ages, and I am not ashamed to say that we finished absolutely everything. I was determined to sample the puddings too but we were just too full. There is always next time right?

 

A Sunday morning well spent in the best company, I will always cheers to that!

I recommend giving Hotbox a try, you can check out their website here. Let me know if you loved it or loved it! 

Saadiyat Beach Club

This place is one of our favourite places in Abu Dhabi. It's a gorgeous beach club located on Saadiyat Island, on a natural beach. It's always super relaxing and you feel like you can truly unwind here. They have a gorgeous pool area with luxurious, huge fluffy towels, a couple of lovely restaurants, two bars, gym, spa, library and various different areas just to sit back and relax. It's a members club but you can also buy a day pass, perfect if you are on holiday.

We got to Saadiyat in the morning and spent the first few hours just lounging around the gorgeous pool, reading while Ibiza style tunes play in the background. Closer to lunch time we jumped in for a refreshing swim to build up an appetite. The pool is amazing!

Around one o'clock it starts to get busier as people start to arrive for lunch, from ladies that lunch to business men. We headed to the restaurant for some lunch, a glass or crisp cold white wine and a couple of games of connect four. 

I had a delicious burrata salad and crispy baby calamari, he had a club sandwich.

After lunch we retired back to our sun loungers to digest and catch the afternoon sun.

As the sun starts to set, the temperature drops slightly so we decided to go for a run on the beach to balance out all that lazing around. Saadiyat beach is my favourite out of the beaches I have been to in the UAE, probably because it's a real one. You get great views of the Abu Dhabi sky line and stunning sunsets.

This time we didn't have time for the spa, but its the perfect end for the most relaxing day. Get ready in the beautiful and luxurious changing rooms and then head out for a drink to watch the sun set over the Arabian Gulf.

They also organise parties and events so it's worth taking a look at their website if you want to visit.

On a different note, I have been considering writing in Finnish as well as English. Would love to hear your thoughts and whether you would be more keen to read the blog with Finnish text as well?

Kiinnostaisiko tämän blogin lukeminen myös suomeksi?

Brunch at the Fairmont

The boyfriend got a new job so we decided to get a bit of winter sun before he started. We packed our bags, booked our flights (in that order) and headed to Abu Dhabi where his parents live. We are so lucky to have my parents in Finland and his in Abu Dhabi for snow or sun while getting to spend time with our families!

In the UAE Friday is like our Saturday and brunches are huge in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They are held at hotels normally and often restaurants join up to put together a huge feast. You can choose a non alcoholic package, a wine and cocktails or a champagne package and your drinks are unlimited and constantly topped up.

We headed to the Fairmont for the Brunch hoping that we could sit outside by the pool. Unfortunately there was a slight sandstorm so for health and safety reasons the outdoor seating area was closed and we sat inside but got a lovely table by the window. Brunch is a seriously fancy affair and I felt slightly underdressed in my maxi and flat shoes. Girls wear sky high heels and glamorous mini dresses and men are all very smartly dressed.

We ordered cocktails and headed to get some food. There is so much to choose from its a good thing you have 4 hours to eat!

I am a huge lover of sushi and could live on it. The sushi was absolutely delicious and I went up several times for it!

The set up is buffet style but you also have a selection of beautifully presented individual dishes such as this foie gras.

Before dessert we had to go for a bit of a walk to make some space. The hotel grounds were lovely and you get amazing views of the Grand Mosque on the other side of the creek. It was a very hot day but you can see the fog like sand in the air.

 Then for dessert, a huge selection of goodies that I only attempted to finish as well as some gorgeous cheeses.

Sunglasses: Chanel

Dress: Asos

Sandals: Charles and Keith

Super full, we did some more walking and popped into some shops in the Souk before going home for a well earned nap before heading into the night again. Safe to say we skipped dinner!

The World's Best Bacon Butty

I know, I know... It's a bold claim to make but I am honestly telling you this is the best bacon butty (roll/sandwich) I have ever had. Now, it's not the first time I have had it, I had one last summer and was seriously blown away. Sometimes the simplest things really are the best.

Maddock's Tea Room is a little cafe in Pennard where we did our walk. It's run by husband and wife Anthony and Pat from their home. It's warm and cozy inside and they have a display of delicious looking pastries, tarts, quiches and desserts. They have a homely menu serving honest home cooked food, simple and delicious. Their desserts are gorgeous as well, I had the lemon cheese cake last time. Maddock's uses quality ingredients and local produce where possible and everything is home made on the premises. They also offer an afternoon tea, the table next to us had it and it's definitely something for next time.

Right back to the bacon butty. It's a warm, fluffy, soft white roll filled with a generous amount of butter and lots of probably the best bacon you will ever have. The bacon is salty and cooked so that it's perfectly crispy without too much fat. You can also ask to have the fat trimmed off. The roll is so soft it almost melts in your mouth. This is a world class bacon butty, let's take a little look.

Look at all that bacon! I have mine with ketchup but you can ask for any sauce you want, or have it without sauce, I'm sure it would be just as good.

If you are ever in the Gower Peninsula pop into Maddock's for some treats, you will not leave disappointed or hungry. And after you have had a bacon butty at Maddock's, you will want to go back!

Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad

Once a month the girls and I meet up for book club. We take turns in hosting a night of nibbles, wine, gossip and of course to discuss the book of the month. This week it was my turn to host my first book club evening and I was quite excited. Food wise, I wanted to serve something relatively healthy but with a bit of naughty mixed in. As book club is around dinner time, I find you often don't eat and then fill yourself with snacks. My sister makes an amazing chicken pasta salad and kindly shared her recipe with me, it's simple, filling and healthy. On top of this, I served mozzarella and tomato sticks, a selection of cheeses, multigrain crackers and melba toast, whole grain baguette, skinny popcorn and a sweet treat of mini cupcakes.

The salad is super easy to make and something you can have for lunch the next day if you have left overs. You will need:

A couple of chicken breasts

Some brown pasta

A small honeydew melon

Lime marinated red onion

Pine nuts

Either home made or shop bought basil pesto

Now I had every intention of making my own pesto, and I did, but I really should have hand chopped it as it turned out too smooth. It just didn't have the texture I wanted so I sent the boyfriend to get me the best pesto he could find at Sainsbury's.

Thinly slice about 1/4 of a large red onion, add some sea salt, olive oil and the juice of two limes and leave to marinate. Dice up your chicken breast and cook with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Boil your pasta so that it's nice and al dente, you don't want soggy pasta in a salad. Leave both to cool while you chop up or spoon out your honeydew. Lightly toast your pine nuts on a frying pan, don't use oil. After everything has cooled, combine all your ingredients and add pesto to taste, I used about half a jar for quite a large portion. Just before serving mix through some rocket. Super easy and I guarantee it will go down well, the saltiness of the pesto and the sweetness of the melon is a lovely combination and the kick from the onion and crunch from the pine nuts makes it a winner for me.

The mini cupcakes were delicious as well and went down a treat as well but unfortunately I can't share the very secret recipe with you. My best friend Nafsika who runs Cupcake Factory in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania has kindly trusted me with it so you will just have to imagine how yummy they were. They are by far the best cupcakes I have ever tasted.

I've been asked for details about what I'm wearing so I have updated all previous posts. This is my what I wore for book club, comfy and casual and perfect for a night in with the girls.

Jeans: Zara

Cape: JZD

Tank Top: H & M
Jewellery: URU Diamonds