Last month I finally got a chance to visit the renowned Ritz Restaurant. It was my Aunty's birthday so she invited us along to celebrate with her.
Before I even begin, let me just say... WOW. What a truly fabulous evening it was.
As soon as you step into the hotel you immediately feel the luxury and grandeur of it all. You have to walk past the Palm Court where they do their afternoon tea and it's simply wonderful, especially the piano player and singer right opposite it. As you approach the restaurant entrance you are greeted and asked if you would like to leave anything in the cloakroom. Another touch of much appreciated service.
As you walk into the restaurant there is no other way to describe it except for stunningly breathtaking. The decor is extremely grand and rich in history. The table setting itself is very pretty - not too much but still very glam. Another thing we noticed and really appreciated is that the tables were not close to each other at all. We couldn't hear any one elses conversations and felt comfortable knowing that nobody else could hear ours (despite being quite a loud bunch) The piano player and singer in the room really added to the feeling of luxury and decadence. The beautiful wine we ordered also helped (lol)
Our waiting staff were great! After being seated we were served our champagne within minutes! There was no waiting around at any point of our dinner and the petit fours were exquisite.
Honestly, if I could afford it, I'd visit this restaurant every week... It was such a lovely experience, and I'd highly recommend it for anyone in London - it's a must!
My beautiful Mum & aunty with me
Loin of lamb, caramelised shallot, mint & broad beans
Desert - Chocolate souffle
I wish I could play...
The birthday girl
My love came to spend his birthday with me in London.
Excited was not even the word when he text me to say he had landed. I was already at Heathrow Airport arrivals, nervous and doing breathing exercises.
When I finally saw him walk through with his suitcase, my heart skipped a beat (cheesy I know)
We set off straight away to our lovely boutique hotel and had some welcome celebratory drinks on their lovely balcony terrace. How cute was the telephone in our room?
In true American fashion, Michael went and bought another glass of wine for me at £6, gave the waiter a £10 note and told him to keep the change -__- It's safe to say after the telling off I gave him, he didn't tip anyone such an amount for the rest of our trip.
Of COURSE I had to take him to Nando's the next day for lunch! He loved it and I was thrilled.
We had an English breakfast but all he'd eat is eggs and bacon, smh. Baked beans seems to be a foreign concept for Americans.
Our room didn't have a mini fridge so this was a common occurrence in our sink most nights, Michael would go and buy me wine and then fill up the sink with ice to keep it chilled lol. We had the most perfect nights in with wine, snacks and movies.
On the first and third night we went to visit my parents and brothers. We sat outside in the garden both times and had a lovely dinner. It was so perfect.
Michael's birthday, I took him to Sushisamba at the Heron Tower. The views were amazing
This desert was EVERYTHING
So we tried to go sight seeing and made it as far as the Natural history Museum. It was raining so bad I was relieved when my baby suggested we grab a bottle of wine and head back to the hotel to snuggle and watch movies.
It took me a while to finally write this post but work has been so hectic. I'm missing Michael so much but I'll be in Dallas in October so I'm hoping and praying the time just goes by quickly.
LDR's are hard but so worth it <3
Now I'm sure most of you have seen the hash tag WCW all over instagram by now, but for those of you who haven't its the current phenomenon sweeping across instagram at the moment. How it works: You simply upload a post (on Wednesday) dedicated to your Woman Crush Wednesday. Now I think intially it was for people to swoon over their partners and show appreciation but recently I've seen it used by anyone and everyone to show appreciation to women who are special to them.
I know some people don't believe in "idolising" or showing appreciation to other people but I personally think it's important to have someone positive to look up to. In this day and age, positive role models are extremely hard to come by ( I say this like I'm some old school veteran lol). Loads of young women and girls nowadays draw inspiration from women like Kim Kardashian. I know she's aesthetically pleasing, she's making her money etc etc but, what about the women who are fierceless, who stand up for what they believe in regardless of what the backlash might be? The women who contribute positively to our society and encourage others to be themselves? These are the women that I believe truly deserve our admiration and appreciation. It's all good admiring physical beauty, don't get me wrong I like to look to women like Kim and Rihanna for beauty and fashion and inspiration - but we can't let the true Queens go unnoticed.
So, in light of this, I have decided to dedicate every Wednesday to a woman that I admire, respect and appreciate.
This week I am dedicating my WCW to none other than the wonderful Angelina Jolie.
Not only is Angelina Jolie a prominent actress, but she is also a deeply caring and concerned humanitarian. Angelina is currently a special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees after serving as a goodwill ambassador to the UNHCR for more than 10 years. I commend anyone, especially those in very fortunate circumstances such as Angelina, who use their fame and status to create awareness and support for those who are less fortunate. For me, this is what makes Angelina truly beautiful.
On top of being hugely philanthropic, Angelina recently underwent a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer from 87 percent to under 5 percent. She said did it for her children. I think it was amazingly brave of her and sends a great message to women who may find themselves in similar difficult situations. Salute, Ange.
I love how dedicated she is to her children and how gracefully she has dealt with her eldest daughter's (formerly known as Shiloh) want to dress as a boy and be called John. As a parent, I don't think there is anything more important than embracing your child's curiosity, independence, and supporting their journey to discover who they truly are.
My favourite Angelina Jolie Quote:
"We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering. I honestly want to help. I don't believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us."
EUROPE
Ireland - Dublin
I've wanted to go to Dublin for a while now. I love that they are so friendly and love a good drink. I have some cousins over there so really need to go and visit as soon as possible!
France - Paris, Cannes
I still cannot believe that I live in London and have never taken the Eurostar over to Paris. I really want to go there and just walk for hours looking at the beautiful architecture, sit at a coffee shop and eat a baguette.
Disneyland Paris
Germany - Berlin
Belgium - Bruges
Denmark - Copenhagen
Monaco -Montonegro
Portugal - Algarve, Madeira
Italy - Venice, Tuscany
Greece - Santorini, Mykonos
Turkey, Anatyla, Istanbul, Capodoccia
Croatia- Dubrovnik
Sweden - Finland, Helsinki
Iceland -Blue Lagoon in GrindavÃk or Reykjavik,
MIDDLE EAST
Duabi
Abu
Dhabi
ASIA
India - Dehli, Goa
China - Great
wall of china, Hong
Kong, The Felix Restaurant
Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Mount Fuji
Thailand - Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, Chiang Mai
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand - Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, Chiang Mai
Singapore
Sri
Lanka
Maldives
Indonesia - Bali
AUSTRALASIA
Australia - Sydney
Fiji
Seychelles
Bora Bora
US, CENTRAL AMERICA & SOUTH AMERICA
New York, Brooklyn, LA, Miami, Las Vegas,
Hawaii
Brazil
CARIBBEAN
Jamaica
Cuba
AFRICA
Kenya
What would be on the top of your travel bucketlist? Leave me a comment xx
