Birthday Weekend
Yesterday was my birthday, the big 2-6 and so this weekend was a whirlwind of celebration
We started by treating ourselves to blow dries and bubbles and the lovely Richard Ward in Chelsea
Before swinging by The Good Life Eatery for some health in a bottle (we figured we were going to need it).
And then heading back to my friend Sara’s (our base for the weekend) to relax and get ready for the evening ahead. I had no idea what was to come, having been told only that i needed to dress up and be ready to leave at 6.30pm, my friend Sophie having planned the evening as a surprise.
And oh, what a surprise it was. We pulled up outside Chiltern Firehouse amid squeals of excitement – it being somewhere I was desperate to try but impossible to get a table at.
We kicked things off with a bottle of Bolly and some perfectly crafted snacks from the kitchen.
Raw cauliflower florets with a thick truffle dip
Perfectly crisp morsels of fried chicken with a bacon-ranch dip
And pillowy crab doughnuts. These were the snacks we were most excited about and ended up being our least favourite. Whilst delicious, the need to up the ante with the crab as there was a little too much doughnut in comparison to filling.
Next up came the starters, which we all agreed were our favourite parts of the meal.
Sara and I went for steak tartare, which was both delicious and cute – just look at those little bottles! I genuinely could eat this every day.
As you can see, it disappeared rather quickly.
Sophie had the sea-trout carpaccio and Sarah the cod, both of which were full of flavour, light and fresh and were similarly inhaled.
Next up came the mains, which were equally spectacular.
Iberico pork with roasted garlic purée
Rare roasted Salmon filet with edible flowers
Pan roasted chicken with mustard greens and what we think were little chunks of bread soaked in chickeny juices *drool*
And roast Turbot which wasn’t very photogenic but made up for it with the taste.
Everyone’s plates got passed around and we chatted and laughed our way through the evening before we decided to get some shots of each other, rather than just the food!
Look how gorgeous my girls are!
Sadly we decided we were probably a little full for pudding given that we were off dancing but we couldn’t resist an espresso martini and a quick peek at the hidden garden.
You go downstairs and through the ladies loos where one of the mirrors is actually a secret doorway, far too exciting.
We eventually conceded we had to tear ourselves away from the grotto and go and meet some other friends for drinks and dancing at Bodos Schloss (by which point we had abandoned the cameras, too focused on our boogie-ing). Thanks to everyone who made my weekend such fun and a huge thanks to Sophie for organising such an incredible dinner and evening. Love you all xx
If you’re looking for your next favourite restaurant then definitely go and check out Chiltern Firehouse, between the genius of Nuno Mendes in the kitchen and the lovely service and atmosphere it has shot straight to the top of my favourites list (I’m already looking for an excuse to return).
Tales of a London Girl 