Sheesh Mangal Turkish Restaurant, Worcester park

Otherwise known as a graveyard for retailers, Worcester Park High Street's latest offering describes itself as an authentic Turkish restaurant. Sheesh Mangal is is a breath of fresh air for my humble high street which consists predominantly of about 12 hair salons and 8 charity shops and numerous Italian restaurants.
Sheesh Mangal offers an extensive menu with a variety of hot and cold mezes (starters), making it hard for a diner to decide what to begin with, especially if you're not familiar with Turkish food. I had the hallumi cheese starter which was gloriously flavoursome and salty, perfect for cheese lovers like myself. The main courses are typically Turkish with different types of grilled chicken and lamb meats and a small selection of fish and seafood dishes to choose from. There is also a a selection of steaks which I went for being the steak lover that I am. The steak was slightly undercooked for my liking, I asked for medium, but the waitress was more than happy to take it back to the chef to cook it a little bit longer. Great flavours and good quality meat, served with chips/salad/rice and warm Turkish bread, what's not to love? The chilli sauce on the side is great for those who like their spice. The drinks menu is fairly extensive, aiming to cater for all drinkers.
The decor in Sheesh Mangal is tasteful with many exotic artifacts, including some rather intriguing paintings. Having used the same layout as it's predecessors (Avventura Italian), the owners have paid attention to detail with beautiful lanterns set in bold colours.
One of the good things about this restaurant is that it's child friendly with a great kids menu, which includes ice-cream!
Sheesh Mangal is exactly what Worcester Park needed. Having been to Turkey many times, I can verify that the food is authentic and a real taste of the orient, so support a local business and visit Sheesh Mangal. Oh and they also provide a take away service, which is similar to Aroma in Kingston, so well worth a visit.

Dover Street Restaurant & Jazz Bar, Mayfair, London

I decided to take my husband here for his birthday as somewhere different to our usual eating places. With two small children it's not often we get the luxury to go somewhere for adults only. After some car trouble we arrived in Mayfair, two hours after my initial booking. I had phoned in advance and managed to talk the staff into saving our table. At first they weren't very helpful saying they were fully booked but as I was very hungry and had paid a deposit I was adamant on getting a table. And we did thankfully. The staff were really welcoming on arrival and service prompt.
I was slightly concerned about the food as I'd read bad reviews but decided to give it the benefit of doubt, and I'm glad I did.
Dover Street Restaurant has live jazz in the evenings, but before the various bands start playing they have a DJ spinning out tunes. It was far from 'jazz' but we loved the music the DJ was playing, from Abba to Beyonce to Rick Astley!
As it was after 10pm by the time we sat down and we both ordered the calamari starter which came in a very generous portion. I wolfed it down much to my detriment as I was then unable to finish my main. And forget about desert, there was absolutley no room.
The menu is limited here, with only about 10 main courses to choose from. I had a roasted fillet of seabass which came with a variety of roasted vegetables, sauteed sweet potato and a red pepper coulis. The dish was colourful and appealing but a tad greasy for me. The sweet potato accompanied the fish beautifully. The coulis could have done with a bit more depth but overall the dish was satisfying. My husband ordered the four cheese ravioli which was phenomenal as one of the cheeses was smoked. It was one of the best ravioli dishes I've ever come across, and must have had goodness knows how many calories in it.
The band playing that night were called 'Milestones' who are a soul and r&b band. The lead singer had such a powerful voice, and did full justice to the Aretha Franklin numbers as well as all the artists songs they sang.
One of the nice things we noticed about Dover Street Restaurant were the type of people who were there. There were many middle aged couples as well as groups of young women, and some younger couples too. The crowd was really varied, and it's seldom that you get such a wide range of custom under one roof. I would definitely come here again perhaps in a large group next time, and maybe get the train instead of driving....

Hilton Dalaman Resort and Spa - Sarigerme, Turkey

Award winning resort the Hilton Dalaman situated in the south west of Turkey is the perfect location for a family holiday. Ideal for half term holidays, Turkey's long summers mean that even in the October half term, temperatures are warm enough to sunbathe.
Spacious rooms and modern decor with a host of recreational activities, this resort certainly has it all.

Ask Italian - Southampton Row, London

If you're looking for some simple hearty Italian food, Ask hits the spot pretty well. Similar to other chained 'Italians' restaurants of the same stature namely Pizza Express and Prezzo, Ask offers a fairly exciting variety of pasta dishes and pizza. If you're a seafood fan like me 'Ravioli Marittimo' is the one to go for. Although I don't usually go for ravioli, but the combination of crayfish, crab and poached salmon was too tempting to resist. A very pleasing and hearty pasta, I would order it again and again. Unfortunately the 'Bruschetta' starter wasn't up to scratch as it lacked seasoning and the tomatoes were too raw for my liking. The perfect end to any meal is of course is dessert, and the dessert menu has a good assortment to choose from. 'Our Chocolate Nemesis' is a substantial dessert, fantastic for chocolate lovers like myself and makes a great end to this satisfying meal.

Dalchini Restaurant, SW19

Situated in the heart of Wimbledon Park, Dalchini is a delightful little restaurant serving unique 'fusion' cuisine. The Chinese chef born and raised in India has created a menu full of flavour, spice and everything needed to tattle those taste buds. The cuisine is referred to as 'Hakka Chinese' cuisine and is the type of Chinese food you would find in India-Indian ingredients with Chinese cooking methods. The combination, if created correctly is awesome. Dalchini has been around a while and is popular with the locals, but if you’re not a Wimbledon resident, it’s a hidden gem.

'No Pressure To Be Funny' - Review

On Wednesday I went to see 'No Pressure to be Funny' which is a live topical comedy panel show, hosted by the broadcast journalist James O'Brien. Joining James O'Brien were the creators of the show Nick Revell and Alistair Barrie.

Jom Makan - Pall Mall East, London

It actually pains me writing this review. Being a fan of Malaysian cuisine, I've always loved coming to Jom Makan to enjoy fresh, authentic Malaysian food. Sadly I was left disappointed for the first time. 

KeraSpa Brazilian Blow Dry @ Membis Salon

I'd been thinking about having the 'Brazilian Blow Dry' for a while but couldn't justify spending over £100 on a hair treatment that only lasts 3 months. So along came Groupon with their numerous Brazilian Blow Dry offers.

Loco Mexicano - Westbourne Grove, London

What a breath of fresh air. I’ve had some recent bad experiences eating at Mexican restaurants, but Loco Mexicano has restored my faith in Mexican food.

I amsterdam - July 2011

What can I say about Amsterdam? I could actually write pages and pages about Amsterdam. If you haven't been there, do believe the hype because it is everything you imagine it to be. Only 45 minutes away from London, Amsterdam is a multicultural, vibrant city full of friendly and relaxed people. Let me get the drugs and sex out the way in the beginning.

Jannat Spa, Crawford Street, London

I was given a Groupon voucher by a relative as a gift, for a 1hr body massage and an Ayurvedic facial. I was very pleased ofcourse and made my way to Marylebone on a rainy Wednesday afternoon and ended up in Crawford Place instead of Crawford Street.

Potato Gnocchi with Coconut Sauce and Dukkah recipe, from Stylist

This recipe is living proof that some types of fusion cuisine simply don't work. The recipe featured in this weeks Stylist is taken from 'Orient Express' by Silvena Rowe and is described as a Middle Eastern and Italian cuisine fusion, under the banner 'Gourmet on the Go'. Being fans of middle eastern cuisine, my husband and I decided to give this recipe a go.

Thorpe Park - Egham, Surrey

Adrenalin junkies look no further. Thorpe Park is the ideal place for thrill seekers, and those wanting a fun and exciting day out. Really, it is that good. There are a number of great rides that are in a league of their own compared to those at other theme parks nearby such as Chessington or Legoland.

Here are my highlights of the day:

Strada – Great Queen Street, London - Review

As far as Lunchtime menus go, Strada’s seemed quite reasonable at first glance. £6.95 is a bit of a bargain for an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Covent Garden. However this is only for one course.

Legoland, Windsor - 21st May

If you want to do a selfless good deed for your rugrats, then this is the place to take them. Legoland truly is the British equivalent to Disneyland, except that Lego is Danish but you know what I mean!

Sharm el Sheikh - Easter 2011

Wednesday
Wow. Norwich Airport. It certainly isn’t Heathrow Terminal 5 but that’s to be expected, out here in the sticks. It certainly isn’t very ‘multicultural’ either.  I am a Londoner ok, anything north of Watford is the sticks. Why are we flying from Norwich? Well given that it’s the Easter holidays and this was a last minute holiday, the only availability was from Norwich. And no, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Norwich Airport. I certainly didn’t anticipate the 4-hour journey from Surrey the day before but the hotel where we stayed the night made up for it – The Sparston Manor, in case anyone’s asking.

Zorbing In Croydon

I booked a Zorbing experience for my husband as a birthday present from the kids. I thought it would be a nice thing for hubby and I to do together. In case you don't know, Zorbing involves climbing inside a very large inflatable ball, being harnessed in, and then rolling down a hill.