Review of five Maison Margiela perfume samplers

In my review of the LookFantastic Autumn Scent Edit, I commented that I couldn’t see the fuss around Maison Margiela’s Lazy Sunday Morning fragrance. On FeelUnique, the site where I have been getting perfume samplers for the last few months to share my thoughts on here, they conveniently had several other Maison Margiela fragrances as samplers. Thus, I thought this would be an opportune moment to see if my ‘meh’ response to Lazy Sunday Morning was an anomaly, or if this brand as a whole wasn’t to my taste. 

Bar review: THE ROYAL HORSEGUARDS (Westminster)

I’m working through a huge backlog of restaurants and bars from which I have photos, including places I went to as far back as in 2014!

My trip to The Royal Horseguards was using a Groupon deal, £29 for a pitcher of cocktails and a sharing platter. Here they are pictured below: -

Bar review: THE HIDE (Bermondsey Street)

London has some venues which do some fabulous cocktails, ranging from Yauatcha to The Escapologist, and I wondered if The Hide, about a 10 minute walk away from London Bridge, would join this pantheon of greats.

I had a White Russian, which tasted lovely, although I was slightly disappointed it wasn’t served in an Old Fashioned glass (God, I love Old Fashioneds), but a generic tumbler instead. If the varied cocktail menu wasn’t for you, then there was also a decent beer and wine list, meaning it would be literally impossible not to cater for an alcohol drinker in The Hide.

Décor was low-key but elegant, and the contemporary music playing in the background straddled the line between atmospheric and obtrusive well.

However, remember what I said about how I was a little uneasy with La Trompette, because the waiters kept checking up on me? Well, those waiters were aloof compared to those in The Hide. I told the waiter I would need a few minutes to decide, and they came back almost immediately.

I was savouring my White Russian (it had been a long day, one needs #TreatYoSelf sometimes) at a leisurely pace, and another waitress came to my table, as if to pointedly say that me drinking one drink on my own wasn’t enough to merit a place at the table.

So, whilst I have no qualms with the quality of the drinks, or the range of tipples on offer, I have to take umbrage with the way they tried to railroad me into ordering more drinks than I wanted.

Those kind of games don’t work on me, fam. You won’t swindle Emma that way. But you will get a negative review for your troubles.

Grade: C

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For more of my bar and pub reviews, click here.

Bar review: THE JAMAICA WINE HOUSE (Monument)

During Friday nights around Bank, it is extremely difficult to find pubs or bars where one can sit down and have a proper conversation. Not altogether surprising, given that it represents the busiest day of the week in one of the most bustling parts of the capital. But still, I like to unwind after a long week without having to strain my voice to talk, and I was certain there must be some options.

Bar review: ASK FOR JANICE (Clerkenwell)

Ask for Janice is a gin bar near the bustle of St. Paul’s. I drank here one Summer’s day. It has some space outside, where I sat : -

Bar review: GORDON'S WINE BAR (Embankment)

  

My first impression of Gordon's Wine Bar, handily located equidistant between Charing Cross and Embankment tube stations, was that it was a bit dingy. No doubt regular punters at this bar would find the shabbiness endearing, but the peeling paint and decaying wood, in combination with a rather ominous smell, didn't scream 'welcome!' to me.

OOTD: Chilling in Camden

Dress: Jane Norman

Earrings: TK Maxx

Friendship bracelet: present (from the girl in question) when we went on holiday in Sicily

Glasses: Red or Dead

Bar review: DANDELYAN (South Bank)

Recipient of the 'World's Best Cocktail Menu' award, Dandelyan bar boasts some incredibly innovative drinks, all delicately crafted with the finest ingredients. 

I trialled four drinks, and whilst all  balanced delectable flavour with generous amounts of alcohol, the one I loved the most was Natural Born Gatherer, a refreshing and bittersweet drink that was decadently wonderful: the elderflower was the icing on the cake. 

The drink photographed above is the Old Fashioned, which is, admittedly difficult to get wrong, but Dandelyan produced an excellent one, and the citrus twist they added really have the drink an extra kick.

In terms of bar snacks, I had blistered padron peppers (deliciously marinated in sea salt and olive oil), and Mondrian chips, which came with some tastebud-tantalisingly good  mojo picón aioli. The key to bar snacks is to deliver them in small enough quantities to get the taster salivating for more, and salivating I most certainly was doing for the nibbles here.

Overall, Dandelyan bar oozes class. The atmosphere is chilled and the bar staff are astute and attentive. Whilst in terms of acres, it is not as spacious as Devonshire Terrace, it does have an intimate, yet classy ambiance that the former tried to manufacture, but generally lacked.

Definitely worth a visit for a mid-week post-work drink: the elegance of the decor (although the lights were a bit on the dim side) and the clientele allowed me to fulfil the delusion that I was a character in an episode of Mad Men. 

Speaking of pop culture references in bar reviews, the lady who served me looked like a petite version of Gal Gadot, and in addition to being cute A F, she was extremely switched on, and gave me some on point cocktail recommendations. Bravo, Dandelyan!

Grade: A

Pub review: SIMMONS (Fitzrovia)

Before I visited Simmons, I’d never drank cocktails out of a teacup before. Their Happy Hour, which happens to be a very generous misnomer (it’s actually a Happy FIVE Hours, 4pm to 9pm, Sunday to Friday), changed all that. 

I treated myself to an entire teapot of Long Island Ice Tea, which was reasonably priced at £15 for the teapot, and, graciously, actually contained alcohol, unlike the Long Island Ice Teas at Slug & Lettuce which are completely diluted with mixer.

The pub itself is a quirky delight, with an eclectic selection of high stools, sofas, lamps, and other such décor. The staff are cool and friendly, knowing to give service with a smile, an all-too-rare commodity in central London bars, unfortunately.

After 6 o’clock, it got very busy, very fast, which is probably to its credit, and its downfall. 

I like pubs with atmosphere, and Simmons had that in spades, with punters who were lively and tipsy. Others being merry is infectious, so I, too, had a wonderful time (although that was also down to the great company I kept; hi Simon!)

Due to its own goddamn popularity, however, it was, just a little on the over-crowded side; on the walk to the restrooms, it was somewhat of a juggling act not to impede on the personal space of other pub-goers. If I were to rank how busy Simmons was the time I went out of 10, I'd say it was about a 9. My optimal level, a 7.

Still, I would definitely recommend Simmons. Everyone has to drink alcohol out of china at some point in their life!

Grade: A-

BAR REVIEW: Number 1 London (London Bridge)

Just across the road from London Bridge Tube/Train station is Number 1 London, a sports bar that doesn't suffer from any delusions of grandeur. It has one selling point: being a spacious, welcoming, Sports Bar, and to that end, it fulfils its function very well.

My two foibles with the place were that the drinks were overpriced, especially give that if you walk for five minutes more, there's a side road with several pubs that do pints for about 80-90% of the price. Also, the picture quality of the football on the big screens they were showing weren't HD. They weren't even standard quality. Such poor satellite issues sometimes detract from my enjoyment of the game, which is a pity.

All that being said, my friends and I have regularly been driven out of the poncy casino-come-sports bars in Leicester Square, which masquerade as welcoming football fans, when really they just want to welcome people who'll easily part with their money. Once these casino places see that you're not here to gamble and actually want to focus on the football, the bouncers all but drive you out. Number 1 London has no such issues. It welcomes all its clientele, whether they be male, female, into sports, or not. And for that, I give it major kudos.

Grade: B+

The Day I Met Per Mertesacker in Sushisamba.

I was in Sushisamba with Anna (my best friend who this blog is named after) on Saturday evening, and out of the corner of my eye, I clocked someone who resembled PM a lot. I wasn't certain it was him though (the lighting in the Sushisamba bars is very dim), so I took a photo on my phone to investigate. As soon as the flash went off, the guy in question covered his face, which was basically an admission of guilt on his part. Not to be deterred by the fact that he obviously wanted a quiet drink and not be bothered, I gulped down my wine for a bit of Dutch courage, and approached the 6'6'' giant.

To Mertesacker's credit, he was very classy and obliging given this sort of thing happens to him all the time. I didn't give any intimations that I was, in fact, a Chelsea fan, and instead just gabbled 'I can't believe it's really you!!!' Smooth. But, despite recognising what an inconvenience I was, I still forced his friend to take a second photo, in case the first didn't turn out that well.

Koscielny and... Mertesacker? HAHA.

And, much as it will damage my Chelsea Girl credentials to concede it, Mertesacker is much more handsome up close and in photos than he is during games when he's being oafish and getting sent off against us because he can't deal with Costa.

One last thing: when I bothered his friend to take another photo, Mertesacker said something to the friend in German and he looked at my breasts. Given that I'm not quite dressed like a nun and the revealingness of the dress (I bought it because I thought it had an element of Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch about it), we'll allow Mertesacker this one.

Bar review: TOPOLSKI (South Bank)

Situated less than a 5 minute walk away from the multifunctional Waterloo Station, Topolski proved to be an underrated delight. They offer a wide range of alcohol (beers, ciders, champagne, wines) and the atmosphere is welcoming and unpretentious. There are seats with tables if you fancy dining there, or more comfortable sofas if you want to grab a drink with friends. The bar's main shortcoming was the loudness of the music, which became amplified at around 6pm, so much so that it became rather obstructive.

Grade: B+

Bar review: DEVONSHIRE TERRACE (Aldgate)

An elegant, well-staffed bar in the City to chill out in, it boasts some delicious, meticulously constructed cocktails. 

The cocktails are on the pricier side, making Devonshire Terrace a bar to visit when celebrating an event, rather than a frequent haunt, but if you do choose to come here, you will be served swiftly, almost certainly have somewhere to sit (we went on a  Friday evening and seating was ample) and the dim lighting and non-intrusive music all contributes to the pleasant ambience of the place.

On the negative side, such is the spaciousness of Devonshire Terrace, that I felt at times it felt a little sterile.

B

Bar/restaurant review: HARRY'S BAR (Moorgate)

A classy venue with some superb cocktails, Harry's Bar is the kind of place I'd go when celebrating a happy occasion.

My main meal, steak, was succulent and meaty, without reaching the realms of the excellence offered at Hawksmoor. However, they were aided by the thick ridge cut chips which were rendered even more delicious with the generous portion of Hollandaise sauce they came with.

The cocktail menu featured all of the classics (Negroni, Pornstar, etc) as well as a few individual creations, all made with pretty generic ingredients. As the first picture illustrates, they were presented with style and professionalism, without quite reaching the je ne sais quoi that Reverend JW Simpson's cocktails boasted.

Still, the fact they they were drank greedily exposes the folly of places like others and their fixation with trying to dazzle the client with wacky ingredients such as dust, when the end product doesn't do anything for the drinker other than make a considerable dent in their bank balance.  

The decor at Harry's Bar was low-key but elegant and the waiters were attentive, obliging to any request you gave them.

The bill came to a sum more than I could make a habit of spending on a regular basis, but I left the place with a smile on my face, meaning I didn't think the money I parted with was poorly spent.

Grade: B+

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For more restaurant and bar reviews I've written, click here.

Bar review: REVEREND J W SIMPSON (Goodge Street)

Tucked away behind one solitary door, Reverend J W Simpson juggles clandestine positioning yet popular location to give the visitor of the bar a distinctly 1920s, Prohibition-era vibe. Such an enterprising display means that you can find somewhere to go drinking on a weekend evening in central London, and still benefit from an intimate, unobtrusive ambiance.

The service in Reverent J W Simpson is impeccable, with waiters and waitresses topping up your water level without needing to be prompted. Booking in advance means they'll find a decent amount of space for you to sit (on comfortable sofa-type lounging), rather than shove you on a bar stool, which was very much appreciated. Evening badinage is always so much more fun when your bum's well-placed on plush seating!

There were an abundance of interesting-looking cocktails; particularly loved the Aphrodite (pictured above), which was a must for people who like fruity drinks! The decor was quirky yet elegant.

The only downside of Reverent J W Simpson is that the toilets, which consisted of a door in the wall, would have been very easy to miss after you've had a few drinks. The gents and ladies were all in one room as well, which I didn't love.

But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this drinking hole. An ideal spot for a date!

Grade: A-

Bar review: SUGAR CANE (Clapham)

Sugar Cane, one of Clapham's more affordable bars, has Happy Hour for a few hours every weekday, and I would recommend any of the drinks involving tropical juice, which go down a treat. And £5 for a fairly well-brewed cocktail isn't something I can argue with really, particularly as Happy Hour in most London bars equated to Buy One Get One Free, or two cocktails for a tenner. This is much better because there are no constraints on what your other drink has to be!

One slight downside is that the non-alcoholic drinks aren't as cheap as they could be: a lime cordial and soda was £2, which even for London, is pretty extortionate. So it feels one is being indirectly nudged into getting the alcoholic beverages.

Sugar Cane also has a good ambience (although the lights were a bit too dim), well-cleaned toilets, and boast a decent food menu. I've been to Sugar Cane about five times and the service has been hit-and-miss, the worst being a woman who took an absolute lifetime to make a simple cocktail, and didn't crack a smile once. However, if you get the man who appears to run the place, then you're service will be good - he knows what he's doing.

If you're around Clapham, worth a visit. 

Grade: B

Bar review: ZEBRANO (Soho)

Zebrano is an easy-to-locate, cheerful bar/restaurant in the hub of Soho. Happy Hour spans 5-8 (don’t quote me on this) in the evening, meaning that genuinely delicious cocktails (the lychee one was wonderful) can be purchased for reasonable sums. The waiters and waitresses were warm and easygoing, which is a huge novelty in such a touristy area of central London, let me tell you!

The food isn’t fantastic, although that may have been partly our error in selecting two platters. There were good things on both platters - namely, the sauces and the spring rolls, but the red meat itself was unfortunately, a little stale. However, Zebrano accepts TasteCard (provided you ring up in advance) so not too much dollar was shed, graciously.

The thing that made my Zebrano experience so likeable, however, wasn’t the food or the drink, but rather, and pardon the rather pretentious term that’s coming up - the ambience. Acoustic musicians sang in the background whilst we dined and drank our cocktails, and the blend between familiar pop songs (Crazy, No Scrubs, etc) as well as their own creations was a delight, and thankfully, the musicians could both sing and play their instruments, which is a hell of a lot more than can be said for some “singers” I’e encountered in my time.

Overall, whilst I probably wouldn’t recommend Zebrano to dine in, in terms of a drinking hole to kick back at after work, it more than does the job. Check it out.

Grade: A-/B+

Bar review: WORSHIP STREET WHISTLING SHOP (Shoreditch)

Not too far off the Finsbury Square main road and just 10 minutes walk away from Liverpool Street Station is the Worship Street Whistling Shop, a bar which epitomises Shoreditch “edginess”.

The cocktails were all extremely steep (£10+, no Happy Hour), but that was expected given the location. What was not expected, however, was that there was no such thing as getting served at the bar, which is pretty standard of all other bars and pubs I’ve been to. 

I wondered why they would make their life so much more difficult for themselves with this needless bit of bureaucracy, but then I saw the answer: by serving us in our seats, they could heap on an extra 12.5% tip. For bringing the drink from the long length of the front to 10 yards away. There’s your service charge. (to add insult to injury, when I asked a simple question, "can I pay for each drink before I receive it?", the waitress gave me a long, needless rant about how much she hated tabs. Me too! That's why I asked that question, duhh!)

I’m not really a big fan of hipsters, so I didn’t really like the vibe of the place either, and the lighting was so dim it’d make Hollister look like Disneyland. The drink itself was impeccably presented, but the taste itself was lacking, and the quantity, for £11.25, was nothing short of shocking. 

I don’t know about other people in Shoreditch, but when I go to a bar, its with an aim to get drunk and have a good time. I fulfilled neither criteria yesterday at this bloated, quirky-for-quirky’s-sake place, and thus, I really could not recommend it.

 Grade: E

Bar review: RUBY BLUE (Leicester Square)

Smack bang in the middle of London’s Leicester Square is Ruby Blue, a nightclub-bar-restaurant hybrid. With bouncers standing outside and Vegas-esque lights luring you in, there’s something rather daunting about waiting to go in as your name is being checked off a reservation list.