400. Chick n Sours.

Payday had luckily arrived for my other half so he treated me to a place he had been with his friends called "Chick n Sours". He raved on about it and seeing as we both have an immense love for fried chicken we headed there on Friday evening.

The chicken is free range from a farm in Yorkshire and the veg is organically sourced which they highlight on their menu. They also do a range of "sour" cocktails hence the name.


Menu A nice variety of sides, however the starters could also be seen as a side. I feel the menu could be a tad more creative with the chicken and slightly more descriptive.

Interior Nans home mixed with east London lighting. Comfortable and not awkward. However it was cold in there a tad to dark for my liking.

Food The Disco Wings had an Chinese sweet and sour taste to them, as boyfriend called it "sweet n sour chicken balls on steroids". However I found it slightly too sweet, although the size of the portion and quality of chicken was excellent.
For mains I chose the guest fry, which was made up of a thigh and leg doused in sauce with chilli, peppers, pineapple and coriander. For me this was more of a sharing plate as I didn't feel this was a main. Again I found the sauce to be very sugary and overwhelming, maybe I could have done with less sauce so I can taste the other texture and flavours. 
We ordered chips on the side which were wholly disappointed as they were of the frozen kind.
Although Josh's burger was almighty in size and is the kinda thing you should order if you visit.

Cocktails Maybe I'm being harsh or I just don't have the right palette for this place. I had the pencillin 3 and appletini, they just didn't taste like they were made with love. Overly sweet and that's coming from someone who loves a sweet cocktail!

Price Cocktails £6 / Guest Fry £11/ Korean Burger £12/ Disco Wings (L) £8

Rating 3/5

Verdict Worth a visit if you love fried chicken but go for the burger. I don't think it's worth the $$$, can get better for less. Not bang for your buck I'm afraid.

Address 390 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA

     

399. Banh Banh.

I ventured here for a lunch date with a friend. Having visited back in Summer last year I thoroughly enjoyed it but needed another taste to remember how good it was. It didn't fail.

Run by a Vietnamese family (turns out its my house mates, mate), the food is traditional Vietnamese food and feels healthy and fresh. 

Menu Good size, plenty of starters to pick and mix from and a good choice of mains but not an overwhelming amount which is good. 

Interior Feels easy and relax, bit of the scandi wood, exposed lightbulb vibe but not pretentious or cramped.

Food The pork skewers with lemongrass dipping sauce were so delicious we could of had a portion each (3 skewers per portion) and the Chicken Pho felt fresh and light, healthy amount of noodles, chicken could have been less chunky and a little extra chilli but overall very tasty. I went back the following week with my boyfriend and he got the chicken curry, I very much had food envy as I tried a mouthful and it was just so flavoursome. However I went for the noodle salad which came with two spring rolls and these incredible pork patties. Again nice and light but very wholesome and delicious.

Price Pork Skewers £6 / Pho £9/ Curry and Rice £11/ Noodle salad £9.5

Rating 4/5

Address 46 Peckham Rye, London SE15 4JR

398. Refresh.

Since being back from travelling over a year ago (nearly two) I stopped blogging. Firstly I didn't have the time and two I guess I got lazy. Not going to lie, I did really enjoy it, so it was my new years resolution to start it up again.

But this time a little bit different.

Watch this space.

397. Paris eats.

 1. Marche D'Aligre

A gorgeous little french market is the best place to visit for a local experience. Filled with the most amazing fresh produce you can find almost any vegetable for bargain prices. Also you can find some little treasures as there is also a little flea market filled with lots of bric a brac. Be sure to taste the Mara de Boi strawberries, they are incredible.

Nearest metro: Ledru-Rollin

2. Hero

A gorgeous little Korean restaurant, it's set an intimate dimly lit setting which as well felt rather trendy. With soft electric tunes playing in the background, there's a huge cement sink set in the middle of the small room to wash your sticky hands post chicken. I ordered the pork bao buns which were incredibly flavoursome and filled with kim chi salad, so zesty and fresh. Followed by a trio of fried chicken, one being sweet chilli chicken (bloody spicy but kept going back for more), second being garlic and spring onions then the third being plain. This plate was a mere 18 euros. Would definitely recommend this place a lovely little romantic eat or somewhere for a girly catch up. Great cocktails too!

Dinner for two plus cocktails - Roughly 50 euros.

Nearest metro: Strasbourg Saint-Denis

3. E'clair de Genie

This place will come up on every single blog, website recommendations and guides for where to eat in Paris. Number one for E'clair lovers and all things sweet. Located in the heart of the Marais, it has a slightly futuristic feel, almost as if it was designed in Japan. I tried the praline and vanilla flavour and it was deliciously light and indulgent.

E'clair: 5,50 - 6,50 euros

Nearest metro: Saint-Paul

396. Mo & Co

New favourite brand I can't get enough of. A cross between Sandro and Alexander Wang, it eptomises what every 20 something wants right now. The cool slogan sweaters, the textured and colourful bombers and the easy wearing trouser. A predominant retailer in China, it's finally made way to the UK, launching in Selfridges. Make sure to check it out, I'm obsessed with the "Computer malfunction" jumper.

Their website has a whole host of treats however slightly hard to navigate!

1.Turtleneck zip detail dress $270 Buy Me

2. Cargo wool blend jacket $445 Buy Me

3. High neck sweater $190 Buy Me

1. Longline hooded jacket $385 Buy Me

2. Appliqué dress $225 Buy Me

3. Velvet down jacket $430 Buy Me 

395. The SS16 Review.

SS16 COLOUR AND PRINT TRENDS

1. Louis Vuitton 2. Marni 3. Ashish 4. Dior

Pink has been around for a few seasons now and it doesn't look like it's going away. The focus has previously been baby pink, but candy pink in brighter hues is slowly making an emergence. I particularly like Marni's use of pink with big zip puller features and colour blocking with vibrant contrasts.

1. Celine 2. Marni 3. Dior 4. Versace

Deep forest greens and mossy tones have been seen everywhere. This is a colour you can start to channel this season and will last. It's a forever classic colour and looks divine in a luxurious fabric such a suede or satin. Dior's suede cropped jacket is a favourite.

1. Stella McCartney 2. Victoria Beckham 3. Anya Hindmarch 4. Vetements

Bright orange is my favourite colour, it compliments a warmer skin tone so well and is a great statement colour. Whether you use the colour on just your nails for a hint of brighterness or a massive jumper to build your outfit around it's an absolute must and I predict to be the new baby pink of the up and coming season.

1. Dior 2. Alexander Wang 3. Iceberg 4. No 21.

We've seen stripes many times before but not quite like this. This season they are thick and bold and make quite a statement. With super clean lines this is a head to toe look rather than just a half hearted effort. I'm a fan of Wang's cool thrown over tone with a turn back cuff.

1. Lanvin 2. Versace 3. Victoria Beckham 4. Miu miu

As co-ordinated sets have been last seasons must have for the summer, the trend continues in outrageous patterns and graphic prints. Don't hold back, I prefer a cleaner printer such as Miu miu's retro outlines.

394. The Edit.

THE EDIT

1. Winter white statement coat. £199 Buy Me
2. Grey essential tee. £27 Buy Me
3. Leather bomber jacket. £269 Buy Me
4. Charcoal embellished tee. £39 Buy Me
5. Tassel necklace. £25 Buy Me
6. Leather skirt. £249 Buy Me

Gray and Willow is the new Scandi inspired brand that has recently launched this year.  The aesthetic of the brand is tonal and relaxed, easy to wear and easy to work back into your current wardrobe. I highly recommend you take a look at the rest of the brand. It's all pretty exciting as I've been part of the buying team since July and will be filling you in on all the sneak previews of the collections soon to come.