Courtauld Gallery

The Courtauld Institute of Art is one of the world's most prestigious art history schools in the world, and also claims to be one of the finest small museums in the world.

Located just of The Strand, within Somerset House, stepping into the Courtauld Gallery really makes you feel as though you've been whisked back to the 1800's, with long, winding staircases, chandeliers and candelabras, velvet chaises and wooden floors; you get the idea.

The bar at the Folies-Bergère - Edouard Manet

Admission is free for full-time students, and a bunch of other people (see here) but otherwise tickets will set you back around £6. Although the layman sometimes turns their nose up at museums and galleries that have a price tag, given the amount of incredible art the Courtauld has its hands on, I would gladly pay a fee to view the art again.

Paul Cézanne - Route Tournante

Located on 3-4 floors, with many rooms branching off each other and curling back round to the winding staircase, the gallery is tardis-esque, and we were surprised how long it took to move across one floor. Set aside at least 2-3 hours for this place, as we arrived an hour before closing time and unfortunately didn't get round to seeing everything.

Antibes - Claude Monet

Even the least arty person will recognise some of the names in Courtauld: Van Gogh, Monet, Manet; Bellini and Botticelli for Renaissance lovers; Rousseau and Cézanne also made appearances, and there was a Picasso exhibition when we visited, which is included in the ticket price.

The Red Beach - Henri Matisse

I'm not an art student, but it was quite nice how many of the paintings I recognised, but also how much better the paintings are in the flesh. Some of the Matisse pieces really were spectacular, and Cézanne, who I wasn't familiar with before the visit, also impressed me with his bright, soft colours.

Georges Seurat - Young Woman Powdering Herself

The Betrothal of the Matador - Wyndham Lewis

The Courtauld Gallery is a great place to visit, surrounded by the stunning Somerset House, located near the Thames and housing some of the world's most incredible art, it makes for a wonderful day out. And, it's not nearly as crowded as the likes of the British Museum.

Avocado, Salmon and Parmesan salad

This is a great meal if you're after something that quick to rustle up, loaded with nutrients and won't leave you feeling bloated. It's very simple to make, with no strict measurements or specific order.

For one portion, I use: 

Half an avocado

Two/ three slices of smoked salmon

One pepper

Two tomatoes

1/3 cucumber

Handful of lettuce (I like rocket but anything works)

Small pieces of Parmesan cheese to taste

Dice the pepper, tomato and cucumer up. 

Wash the lettuce.

Chop up the salmon and avocado.

Mix it all together.

Sprinkle however much Parmesan you like on top.

Et voila! Enjoy.

My dog liked the smell of salmon and she's really cute so she's got her own little picture.

Byron, London

I implore anyone in London to visit Byron. Other than a cheeseburger from a random restaurant in the French Alps, Byron have time and time again confirmed my decision that they, unequivocally, serve the best burgers in the world. 

In the above picture I went for the Byron burger, which contains bacon and cheese and set me back £9.25. For an extra £3.50 I got a side of macaroni cheese, because my friend and I thought it would be funny to do that at the time. I wasn't laughing when I felt sick from ploughing through all the heavy pasta and meat, although I'm pretty sure he was.

Anyway, the staff at Byron are always extremely friendly and service is fast. We had a great chat with our waiter before our order. The burgers are Byron are cooked medium and to perfection - it is the juiciest, tenderest, most delicious burger, with fresh patties and crunchy salad and the perfect dollop of sauce that dribbles enticingly down your finger or, if you're really lucky, down your chin.



I was told the decor in the Byron restaurants is deliberately simple, almost rustic, to represent how there's nothing artificial or unhealthy about their food - other than the fact they're burgers, of course. I'm not sure how true it is that Byron don't use artificial ingredients, it's probably not true at all, but for how wonderful their food is, it is well worth putting clean-eating on hold for a day.

The Cheesecake Factory, Dubai

As a fan of The Big Bang Theory, a visit to The Cheesecake Factory was mandatory after it opened its doors in Mall of the Emirates.

In typical Dubai-fashion, what I had anticipated on being a cosy restaurant tucked in between two equally cosy restaurants, was actually a cavernous space filled with endless tables and chairs that could never possibly be filled simultaneously. 

Dubai's Cheesecake Factory really should be in the record books for Largest Restaurant to have Ever Existed, Ever.

After the 5-mile trek to our table and scouring the novel-esque menu for something that whetted our appetites, one of the hundreds of waiters milling around took our order and we sank our teeth into the deliciously warm, soft bread placed in front of us. 

The menu at the Cheesecake Factory was ridiculously large; so large, in fact, that I got bored of flicking through it and never made it past the "Glamburger" section, which boasted over 15 different types of burgers at 60dhs a pop, from the "Classic Cheeseburger" to the "Over the top Meatloaf Sandwich".

Peanut butter, banana and honey milkshake - 28 dhs

I wasn't overly hungry and fancied being healthy so I ordered the Cobb Salad for 76 dhs. With promises of chicken breast, avocado, blue cheese, beef bacon, tomato, egg and mixed greens tossed in a vinaigrette, I thought I'd done well for myself, plumping for an all-round nutritious option. This proved to be a massive error on my part.

I have never seen such a large salad in my life. The whole concept of salads being light and healthy was bulldozed the minute the waiter set the gargantuan creation in front of us: there was more cheese in it that is probably healthy to eat in a lifetime, let alone a sitting, and the salad was so drenched in dressing it seemed pointless having any actual food on there.

With an appetite rivaling a killer whale, I'm all for big portions, but the size of food at the Cheesecake Factory verges on gluttony and just seemed like a complete waste. Not only that, but the salad tasted artificial and judging from how much water I guzzled down, was plied with salt and other nasty additives.

And as for the cheesecake, I was spellbound by the number of cheesecakes on display, but when it came to settling on a contender (I went for The Original) I found it to be extremely heavy and lacking in taste; none of this melt in the mouth delectability that I had assumed would have been necessary to catapult the restaurant into the limelight. The cheesecakes aren't cheap either, at around 30dhs for a standard slice.

So. Many. Cheesecakes.

Overall, I found the Cheesecake Factory to be a disappointing experience and certainly doesn't live up to its hype. 

Sangria Tapas Bar, London

After quitting my pub job one miserable Friday evening, my friend and I got spontaneously drunk and found ourselves in the Sangria Tapas Bar, on Upper Street in Angel, London.

It was probably quite clear that we weren't certain what we were doing there, nor what we wanted, but the waitress seemed equally uncertain about our presence and it took her several trips to the cashier and back until she seated us.

The decor in the Tapas Bar was wonderful; filled with candles and plush cushions and tiny little wooden tables that created a very cosy, happy ambiance, which was contrasted nicely with the pouring, grey sky outside.

Despite not being hungry, I ordered a small pepper and dish dish and garlic bread with cheese, along with a jug of Sangria for us to share. The food took a long time to come, and proved to be extremely small portions with not a huge amount of flavour to them when they did. As for the Sangria; it was my first taste of the stuff, and I was fairly drunk at the time of drinking it, so I'm no authority on the matter, but it was incredible; fruity and tangy and it heated me up on the inside.



My friend must have felt the same as the culmination of delicious sangria and a warm atmosphere ignited glorious plans of a summer trip to Spain.

But drunken visions of basking in Mallorca sun were shot down remarkably quickly by the hefty bill that was placed in front of us. For over £20 we received a very small portion of food and a jug of Sangria.

Yet despite the large price tag, the Sangria Tapas Bar was a great place to spent a drab evening, and is probably even better during the summer months. Although I doubt I'll be willing to fork out £20 for two small dishes again, I have no doubt I will return in a bid to reignite a Spanish dream with the help of a little sangria.