london – Lily Pebbles

LONDON MEETUP WITH ANNA!

lily — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 09:30:56 +0000

There is literally no better way to celebrate my first proper week back at work than with a meet up announcement. This time it’s not just one meetup, but TWO… and with my favourite buddy Anna, with my favourite charity Look Good Feel Better in my favourite beauty hall in Liberty London. Epic. As you guys know, Anna and I are Look Good Feel Better ambassadors and we’re so excited to be teaming up with them for these events.

There are two events so take your pick, both will be fab and we can’t wait!

Thursday 20th October 6pm – 8pm // Liberty London Beauty Hall
This event is free of charge and you don’t need to book. Anna and I will be hanging out in the beauty hall mingling and enjoying some shopping. There will be special activities taking place on the counters and money will be raised for Look Good Feel Better throughout the evening. Bring your friends or come alone, we’d love to chat and catch up!
With a percentage of proceeds going to LGFB I finally have a good excuse to shop and I’m going to go wild!!

Sunday 23rd October Two Sessions // Liberty London Cafe
This is a paid event and something really special that we’ve never done before.
Anna and I will be hosting an intimate afternoon tea in the beautiful Liberty London and it’ll be a similar setup to our Beauty Chat LIVE events but with lots of yummy afternoon treats!
Join us for a chat, a glass of prosecco, afternoon tea and an exclusive Liberty goodie bag.
The Beauty Chat Afternoon Tea will be ticketed and you’ll have to BOOK ASAP to get your ticket.
The first session will run from 1.30pm-3.30pm and the second from 4pm-6pm.

BOTH SESSIONS FOR THE TEA HAVE NOW SOLD OUT

Tickets cost £50 per person with proceeds going to Look Good Feel Better.
To book, please phone the Liberty customer service team on +44 (0) 20 7734 1234 and tell them which session you’d like to book.
Alternatively, use this link to book via email.

DISHOOM, LONDON

lily — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 10:01:17 +0000

Sundays for most people is a day of rest, time to clean the flat, slob out on the sofa watching old Friends episodes… maybe going out for a Sunday roast if you have the energy but for Rich and I, we like to explore London. After a very brief dinner at Dishoom about a month ago I was intrigued to go back and do it properly and Rich had never been so one Sunday we went along to the King’s Cross branch to check it out.

It’s not that new but I was put off from visiting for a while due to it’s long queue reputation. London restaurants have a bad habit of making people queue just to make them look busier. There are four branches around London now but the one in King’s Cross is huge so I can’t imagine waiting time could ever really be that long, unless they close one of the floors, just because they can. The good thing is if you do have to wait in line they often hand out hot chai or fresh mint tea so it’s not too bad.

I feel like us Brits sort of ruined Indian food with our takeaway habits and it’s hard to find a great indian restaurant that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated and a bit greasy. I think Dishoom is the first restaurant I’ve tried in London that has reinvented Indian food in a whole new way and I love it. It’s a really interesting way of doing Indian food that I’ve never experienced and it’s based on “The Old Irani Cafes of Bombay” that attracted all different kinds of diners, from business men to labourers, couples and students.

They very much encourage sharing which is a great way to do it so that you get to try all different dishes. I’d recommend asking your waiter for advice and letting them know what kinds of things you like and dislike. They recommenced 2/3 dishes each and let me warn you, a lot of the dishes are really spicy! You can check out the menu here.

The decor is industrial and modern but also incorporates old family portraits and traditional signage which makes it feel authentic and personal. I haven’t been for breakfast yet but I’ve heard it’s amazing so I’ll be doing that asap.

Have you been to Dishoom yet? Let me know what you think and if there are any dishes you recommend. Can’t wait to go back!

WALKING THROUGH BRICK LANE

lily — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:00:07 +0000

We found ourselves back in East London last weekend, it’s something about the sunshine that makes me want to head to the nearest market and take photos! This time round we wanted to avoid eating lunch in a restaurant and we found ourselves in the Old Truman Brewery in the Boiler House Food Hall. The huge room was filled with food stalls from every different type of cuisine you can imagine. The atmosphere was amazing with music and amazing smells all around – it took us about 30 mins to decide what to eat! I was a little disappointed with the actual quality of the food though, it seemed that most of it was “take-away” style and wasn’t very healthy. I would still recommend it for a visit though and the smoothie/juice stalls were incredible.

Behind the food stalls in the same hall were also some art, style and accessory stalls and I found myself picking up these really cute rings. It was 1 for £8 or 2 for £15, so I got both and I love them! They were from a little brand called ‘Nabi’ which unfortunately I can’t find online but they were exactly what I was looking for and I’m obsessed.

The street art around Brick Lane is amazing and I could literally spend all day taking photos of the huge pieces of art on the brick walls. Some pieces have been there for years, some are fresh! If you’re really lucky and go off-peak you might see one being created in front of you.

My outfit for the day was pretty simple, an Urban Outfitters loose top paired with my Urban Outfitters floral shorts. The un-girlify it I wore my Steve Madden boots and my fringed Brandy Melville bag. My sunglasses are Ray Ban and my nail polish is Models Own Beach Bag.

Just another weekend getting snappy in London…

MARKET DAYS

lily — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 06:00:04 +0000

Last weekend we took advantage of the bright weather and headed out to explore some London markets, which is one of my favourite and most recommended things to do in London. No matter how many times you’ve visited a market I feel like each time you see it differently and there are always new things to discover. This was only my second time to Broadway Market, which is based in East London and is predominantly food. It’s not too big so it’s easy to navigate and the general vibe is quite chilled. We stopped here for lunch, each picking something different from the market, I had a Japanese katsu wrap, Rich chose a vegetarian Indian curry and my parents got pulled pork buns. We also got a delicious fresh detox juice that was completely worth the wait. In the small part of the market based in a school playground I got myself some £10 sunglasses that were exactly what I was looking for and maybe they won’t last me that long, but they’re really nice and such a bargain.

We then drove to Spitalfields market which is a completely different vibe, based over a much larger area in the centre of East London backing onto Brick Lane. I don’t love the market itself as much as you seem to see the same pieces over and over but the independent shops that surround the market are really great. We discovered Vagabond which is the most amazing wine shop. They have all the wines and expertise, you can also sit, eat and there’s a small private room downstairs for tasting sessions. This was probably the highlight of the day – it was great!

Rich and I both wore our Novem & Knight tops, the Emile for Rich and the Hayden for me (which comes up big, I wear the small). I knew they’d be lovely but I was blown away by the quality of the items, such beautiful fabric and the perfect fit that only a stylish couple like Sammi and Jason could design! I’m so happy the brand is such a success. I wore the Hayden top with my Topshop shorts, ASOS leather jacket, Brandy Melville bag and Hudson boots. oh and Topshop ‘Green Room’ on my nails, in case you wondered!

I hope you like when I share my random photos with you, it’s something I really enjoy ding on the weekend and I feel like it’s a great way to share London with all of you all over the world.

CEREAL KILLER CAFE

lily — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 07:00:22 +0000

Last Saturday I spent the day in East London celebrating my friend’s birthday and at his request we started the day at Cereal Killer Cafe. I’d never actually heard of it before but you know me, I’m always up for trying something new and a cereal cafe sounds both ridiculous and brilliant. The cafe was set up by two very trendy twins, Alan and Gary who apparently both dreamt up the cereal cafe idea and it really is as bonkers as you’d imagine.

The entire cafe is packed full of cereal and both 80s and 90s memorabilia. Old TVs playing Clarissa Explains It All and posters of Eternal, Backstreet Boys and All Saints. It basically looks like a throwback of my teenage bedroom. They have a ridiculous amount of cereal options, both UK and International so there are your standard Cheerios, Frosties and Crunchy Nut but there’s also a huge list of cereals that I’d never heard of. You can have your cereal in small, medium or large and can pick from ten different types of milks to have with it. There are syrups you can add in and a huge range of incredible toppings to sprinkle on top. As well as cereal you can order pop tarts, cold and hot drinks and their famous cereal cocktails. So there’s a lot going on…

You order, pay and then there’s a small section of seating downstairs. It’s fun, it’s different and I’m glad we went but I’m not sure it’s somewhere I’d go back to. Personally I’m not a huge cereal lover anyway and I think Cereal Killer Cafe is for the serious cereal fans that want to discover new types or old favourites that are hard to find. It’s fun but the queue is seriously long so don’t even think about going on a weekend at prime time. It’s quite gimmicky, but of course it is, it’s a cereal cafe! I think if you know what you’re getting, you’re prepared to queue and won’t get annoyed paying over the odds for a bowl of cereal, then it’s worth heading over with some friends and enjoying a good bowl of cereal.

Oh London, you do come up with some funny concepts. So what do you guys think?

LE CHALET ON THE ROOF OF SELFRIDGES

lily — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 07:00:39 +0000

I vaguely remember there being a mini golf course on the roof of Selfridges once but it wasn’t until I watched Mr Selfridge did I remember about the roof that I’d never visited! I had no idea what was up there until I found the secret lift (by the Chanel perfume counter) that takes you directly to the 5th floor.

When the lift doors opened I was greeted by wood logs, blankets, moose heads and a sign saying “Le Chalet On The Roof”.

We booked in for tea at 4pm so it was scones and tea for us but I couldn’t ignore the incredible smell of garlic that must have been the Tiger Prawns that I spotted on the lunch menu. The Cream Tea was perfect, expensive but worth it and they didn’t mind us sharing two between four of us.

The whole atmosphere of the restaurant is magical with twinkle lights everywhere and blankets on the back of your seats if you fancy getting snugly. The restaurant is indoors though with a small section at the back outdoors and with heaters for those willing to brave the cold. There is an incredible view the roof though so it’s worth going outside to check it out. The restaurant will shut for a few weeks in March to be prepped for Spring and I can imagine it being even better in the warmer months!

You can check out the menu here, I for one can’t wait to go back for lunch and dinner. I want to try it all!