I normally wouldn’t recommend going to an Indian restaurant for a date, masses of high fat food packed with spices can have an adverse effect but Quilon is not that type of restaurant. Smart, slick and stylish, Quilon is a very good Indian restaurant, a Michelin Star one in fact.
I’d walked past the Southwark Playhouse a few times before and been sufficiently intrigued but never ventured in. I’m so glad I was finally brought here on a date the other week as it’s a real find. It’s recently been refurbished and so offers a new bar with that trendy urban feel to it and a beautifully intimate theatre.
All Hallows’ Eve is approaching, time to get dressed up and spooked out. What better way to get close to someone than when you’re petrified or drinking a novelty Halloween cocktail. Trick or treat you date to London’s best original Halloween nights, and to save you the research we’ve got the list right here. Read on for our top Halloween 2013 date ideas in London.
One of The London Date Guide’s favourite London shows, Faulty Towers Dining Experience is celebrating the first birthday of their London West End residency!
This globe-trotting show featuring Basil, Sybil and Manuel opened in London’s West End last October, immediately selling out and winning five-star reviews. And now it’s celebrating its first birthday at Charing Cross with a whole month of special events and surprises. If you fancy seeing the show between 1 October and 21 December 2013 you can save £5 per ticket by simply quoting HAPPYBIRTHDAYBASIL when booking. We also have a competition to win a pair of tickets to see the show, read on!
Continue reading “Faulty Towers Dining Experience Birthday” »
Chocolate Week is upon us once again! You can discover chocolate as you’ve never tasted it before with Chocolate Week events at Gaucho restaurants across the UK from 14th – 20th October 2013.
Gaucho’s Chocolate Week events combine the British love of chocolate with Argentina’s renowned beef and Malbec to create a series of memorable and delectable dining experiences for guests. This includes complimentary Malbec chocolates for all diners, Malbec and Chocolate Masterclasses, Chocolate Cocktail Evenings and an innovative Chocolate Week Menu.
I had high hopes of Bocca Di Lupo after my date spent the journey there raving about it. And luckily for him, I wasn’t disappointed.
This beautiful Italian restaurant is stylish, buzzing and served some of the best Italian food that I’ve tasted in London. We were seated at the bar which felt really relaxed and reminded me of eating out in New York.
Last night was one of the best nights I’ve had in London for ages. Fact.
Having booked tickets to see the Book of Mormon months ago, I was thrilled to realise this week that the blessed day had finally arrived.
This light and airy cafe sits in the super swanky Inter Continental Hotel on Park Lane. As soon as you walk through the doors to this 5* hotel you feel like you’re somewhere special. Strolling through this decadent hotel to the back we arrived at the Cookbook Cafe where we were greeted by the friendly wait staff who promptly seated us.
If you’re ever on a date and somehow find yourself in the heart of tourist hell London, then don’t fear – this stylish Parisian Brasserie sits right behind the bustling cross-road at Piccadilly Circus and is a great choice if you’re in the area.
I was brought on a date to see The 39 Steps after a very long and stressful day at work and I have to admit, I wasn’t really in the mood for a night out. But believe me, this was the absolute perfect pick up.
I have been wanting to see this show ever since its burst into theatreland in 2011. Luckily I ended up coming to see it on a date a few weeks ago and it was definitely worth the wait. It’s been a runaway hit ever since it started in the National Theatre and though it’s changed theatres, it’s never stopped its run.
We’re lucky that London’s West End offers some of the best theatre productions in the world so you really have no excuse not to see some shows while you’re living here. There are a lot to choose from though and if you’re thinking of taking your date to one but don’t know where to start then we’ve listed our tops pics – we can guarantee that none of these will leave you disappointed…
I’d heard great things about Matilda so I was absolutely delighted to be surprised on one recent date with tickets to go see it!
As soon as I walked into the theatre, I knew it was going to be a fun show. Blackboards with pictures and witty remarks adorn the walls as you walk up the staircase and in the bar. We decided to make the most of this and enjoyed a drink in the bar before the show.
Though I’m not a vegetarian I tend to prefer dishes that don’t include meat so I was delighted to be taken to Vanilla Black for Valentines Day, a Michelin recommended vegetarian restaurant near Chancery Lane.
This restaurant is seriously well hidden – despite using my iPhone and following Google maps we ended up going in a big circle and taking multiple wrong turns so we turned up a little late for our booking. We were warmly welcomed though when we finally arrived and given a choice of tables. This place is sophisticated but understated class, with stylish yet muted décor and romantic low lighting.
Being brought to One New Change shopping centre near St. Paul’s on a date left me feeling a bit sceptical about how successful this evening was going to turn out as it is quite a sterile area and the city not being my favourite area of London. Luckily, I was brought here for good reason – to come to Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen.
This beautiful little place brings a touch of French flair to an otherwise unloved and rather bleak corner of London between Elephant and Castle and Kennington.
I was brought here on a date a not so long ago and I have to admit, I was very sceptical on the walk there but I couldn’t have been more wrong. We hadn’t thought to make a reservation, thinking that it wouldn’t be necessary but alas, the place was completely packed. This converted pub oozes French eccentricity and is wonderfully warm and cosy. Loving the atmosphere, we decided to set ourselves up in the bar and take advantage of the live jazz music on offer.
If you’re anything like us, when you hear ‘supperclub’, you think of over-the-top food and awkward conversation with pretentious foodies, and not a great place for a date. But we love Cannon and Cannon’s Brixton deli, so when we saw they were doing a supperclub, we had to give it a go. Fortunately for us, their supperclub involved a delicious five-course meal and, most importantly, individual tables.
If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to dine at the Faulty Towers Hotel with Basil, Sybil and Manuel then this is the perfect opportunity.
Your evening will start in the bar where you will be enjoying a drink when you suddenly notice out of the corner of your eye that Basil Faulty is in the corner swearing at Manuel for doing something wrong. It’s now that you’ll notice Sybil gradually working her way around the room, smoozing with the guests and unleashing that machine gun laugh of hers.
Continue reading “The Comedy Genius of the Faulty Towers Dining Experience” »
Voted the most romantic restaurant in London by The Times, romance is very the theme of this restaurant.
Set in on corner of the historically rich Bleeding Heart Yard, the restaurant is part of the Bleeding Heart collection of eateries. Walking downstairs to the historic oak panelled dining room, we were immediately impressed by the décor and warm candlelight. The restaurant has a cosy atmosphere and is filled with lovely little touches which added to the ambience, such as the heart painted onto the butter, and the heart stencilled onto the window.
As soon as we walked into the shabby chic hidden east end bar, we knew that we’d found somewhere special.
We were greeted by bartenders in 1950s waistcoats as we entered the Mahogany Bar which was lit by candles and vintage lamps. Local art hung on the crumbling walls, with exposed beams and brickwork being a theme throughout the rooms. Wilton’s has been a music hall since the mid 19th century and still seems to exude that air of times past.
