FITNESS: BARRECore, Mayfair

It would appear that barre is the one exercise class that just won’t go away this year. From supermodels to Fulham mummies, barre classes are loved across the UK and US. The class is inspired by the beauty of ballet and the hardcore training that ballerinas go through. As my first barre teacher once said, “ballerinas need abs”. Yes, yes they do.

One of London’s best loved barre classes is held at barrecore. With several locations across the city including Mayfair, Kensington and Chelsea barrecore certainly fits the yummy-mummy stereotype. However, I actually found the class and whole experience very relaxed, calm and comfortable. Never once are you expected to know every move or be wearing the latest Lululemon clothing. The class is a mix of different body shapes, weight, ethnicity and ages which gives the experience a really inclusive feel.

Though the Mayfair location is the most central for barrecore it is really tiny! Hidden away in a basement on Cavendish Square, it’s possible to miss the studio completely. The reception area features boxes for shoes, a single white desk and a selection of healthy snacks and essentials. Oh and a juice fridge (duh). The receptionist I spoke to on the day was so lovely in a way that just can’t be faked. She even let me use her phone charger whilst I was in class. This kindness extended into our instructor Chiara. She was enthusiastic, engaging and encouraging throughout the whole class with boundless amounts of energy and love. This was incredibly motivating and made us push ourselves even harder. No scary shouting here.

 The class features a mix of floor and barre work, exploring balance and strength to create a beautifully sculpted physique. According to their posters four classes a week is the ideal number to aim for if you want to maintain that ballet-beautiful body. The classes certainly kick ass so I don’t know if I could reach that number, but I like the challenge. The class starts with a busting warm-up of floor work and mini cardio gently waking up your major muscle groups before moving into the finer muscle groups. Each major set of moves is repeated on each leg and then followed by deep stretching to encourage muscle strength and agility.

My favourite part of the class was the savasana at the end! It was so unexpected and a really calming way to end the fabulous class. I visited barrecore through Class Pass and you can learn more here.

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TRAVEL: Lisbon Photo Diary

Just a quick post today to share my favourite foodie and beach snaps from the stunning city of Lisbon. Known as Lisboa to locals, the capital city of Portugal offers visitors sun, sea and incredible food. I must have made my way through 15 pastel de nata (Portuguese Egg Tarts) during my time there, and even travel out to Belem to visit the best pastel de nata shop in the city. Enjoy the snaps and Happy Friday! 

On board our EasyJet flight - no fear, no worries!

Our first pastel de nata at a small coffee hut in the middle of the main road into Lisbon

Chilling by the pool at our 5* Hotel (we only stayed here one night)

Our first experience of Lisbon's famous sea food; from fresh lobsters to stunning prawns, oysters and clams

The beautiful square in the center of Lisbon. From here you arrive in Down Town or the party area

The monument to discoveries. This thing was huge! We sent on friend up to take photos and we chilled by the sea instead.

The view from beneath the monument

 Exploring Cascai (cash-kei). The harbour town is rammed with tourists but boasts amazing restaurants and views if you leave the main area.

 We devoured the grilled grub from this tiny little restaurant. We waited over an hour for a table and enjoyed a place of 'meat' or 'fish'. I got sardines, the boys got pork chops

 The modern art collection in Belem. This photo does not do justice to how huge this building is. We explored the stunning collection of 20th and 21st Century art works and installations. 

Inside the modern art collection building.

 And finally the beautiful cathedral in Belem. 

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REVIEW: Sheba, Brick Lane

This post is really late! It's been saved in my drafts since before I went to Lisbon so apologies for that.

Today I am sharing my review on Sheba, an award winning Indian restaurant on Brick Lane. In the last year it has won the UK's Best Curry House award, which is a pretty major statement to have outside the door. Wandering up and down Brick Lane it's hard to not been caught up in the push and pull techniques of the restaurants taunts. From "Come on in darlin', we've got what you want", to "Have you eaten today" - these lads are well versed on how to get clients through the door. Luckily for me, Sheba does not have one of these diner-grabbers outside. At least they didn't when we went. In fact throughout our meal we were treated with respect and privacy, which was quite refreshing.

Now Sheba certainly isn't the fanciest place I have ever dined, but that doesn't mean the experience wasn't great. The staff were lovely, the food was great and the Indian music channel on the telly was enrapturing! We began with the classic Cobra beer, which I actually really like, and poppadoms with various dips. Crisp and crunchy, the poppadoms tasted really delicious with a mix of the riata and fresh onion salad, whilst Alex preferred the mango chutney which was hot, sweet and sour all at one - AKA perfect.

 For our starter we shared a lovely paneer dish. I find that many Indian restaurants really do vegetarian dishes so much better than meat dishes, most likely because many Indian people are vegetarian. My friend for Gujarat once told me that when visiting a new Indian restaurant you should try one fish, one chicken and one paneer dish; if all these are good then it's a winner. Anyway back to the paneer; spiced with chilli and garlic, the cubes of paneer were lightly grilled with a bouncy texture.

We also shared Zalzala bread: a special naan stuffed with cheese, chilli, garlic, light spices and minced lamb meat, apparently a real favourite at the restaurant. I felt the bread could have taken more of the mince meat but the chilli and garlic came through really well. I loved wrapping a piece of paneer inside the naan to devour. It had a really fragrant, hot and spicy finish.

 For main courses we went for the tandoori salmon and chicken masala shashlik. Both dishes were absolutely delicious and really moorish. My salmon came mildly spiced and marinated with dill, fennel, ginger, honey and mustard oil. The salmon came in manageable chunks and was well cooked, not perfect but good. The salmon was served alongside a sweet and hot sauce which actually worked really nicely with the sweetness from the salmon.

Alex's dish of chicken masala shashlik was a truly memorable dish. the meat is charred in the tandoor with peppers, onions and tomatoes and then cooked in a unique sauce giving it multiple layers of flavour. The chicken was lovely and soft and worked really brilliantly with the sauce.

 We enjoyed our mains with two side dishes; sag paneer and mishtikodu (Bengali pumpkin.  For me, sag paneer is the best Indian dish in the world and this version from Sheba did not dissapoint. Bold in its flavours with a great mix of textures, I actually asked for a portion to take home it was so yummy. The Bengali pumpkin was a really unique dish and something I have not tried before. The pumpkin was well spiced and balanced with a sweet and hot finish.

 Overall I would absolutely reccomend a visit to Sheba, especially on a fun Friday night. It's packed with local East Londoners and is a really enjoyable experience. The tables are all smushed together so grab a beer, enjoy a curry and have a great night out.

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RECIPE: My Favourite Green Smoothie

GUESS WHAT! I can now eat coconut!!! As you can see form my ridiculous number of explanation marks I am clearly delighted at this news. Although I still cannot eat nuts, being able to consume coconut will make my healthful lifestyle so much easier. I have been indulging in coconut water like it's going out of fashion (which I am sure it is now), and cannot wait to try using coconut flour and coconut sugar.

Which leads my nicely into today's post. The green juice or smoothie is a staple for most Instagram accounts and an essential for most health-girls/boy's mornings. Packed with instant hits of nutrition, the green juice or smoothie is a perfect way to start your day. I've been drinking green juices or smoothies with my breakfast for a few months now and have experienced the good, the bad and the truly awful (see: Suprntrl Kale Juice).

Making your own green juice or smoothie is not only cheaper for your wallet but it means you can have it any time you like with any combination of ingredients. Today I wanted to share some of my favourite combinations. Let me know if you give them a try.

Base
I always use spinach and kale as a base for my green juice or smoothie. These power-houses of nutrition will give you energy, boost your digestion and bring a glow to your skin. Alongside these I generally use coconut water or tap water to help blend everything together.

Ingredient Combinations
Here are a few of my favourite flavour combinations to add to that base:

• Mango, Lime and Ginger - A tropical combination that is sweet, sour and hot
• Cucumber, Pineapple and Mint - A refreshing combination that's great on a hot summer's day
• Banana, Date and Honey - A lovely sweet treat with plenty of nutritional benefits
• Granny Smith Apple, Avocado and Ginger - A smooth and sweet finish
• Cucumber, Pear and Lemon - A great detoxing option

You can pretty much add anything you like to your green smoothie, ensuring you keep the base the same. Using soft ingredients such as banana or avocado will give your drink a smooth and silky finish, whereas using pineapple will give it a much more watery consistency.

What is your favourite green smoothie combination? Where do you like to buy yours from? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter. 

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REVIEW: BunBunBun, Kingsland Road

There's been a lot of buzz in the foodie community about Vietnamese restaurant BunBunBun. In the heart of super-cool Hoxton and situated on the iconic Kingsland Road it's a mark of honour that BunBunBunhas made such a impact amongst hot competition in the area. After visiting for review last week it's easy to see why. The restaurant serves authentic, fresh and frankly mind blowingly good Vietnamese food.BunBunBunboasts an Extensive and varied menu with lots of delights to the excite the senses. There is Plenty of pork and seafood dishes, plus classic bahn mi inspired salads, sumptuous pho and refreshing summer rolls. When you walk around the restaurant delicious smells tickle your tastebuds, while the exposed printed walls, wooden tables and mismatched chairs give the restaurant a hint of cool.
We were kindly served by a Team of two who appeared to be running the show. They were very polite and helpful, especially when We asked our waitress for her recommended dishes and she had plenty of advice. So upon her choices we dived in.


Where
BunBunBun, Hoxton
When
Saturday lunch, 2pm
What
Gois Cuon Tom (Prawn Summer Rolls), Thit Ba Chi Nuong (Honey Marinated Pork Belly), Muc Muoi Ot (Salt and Chilli Squid), Bun Cha Hanoi (Lemongrass Pork and Noodle Salad), Bun bo hue (Spicy Lemongrass Beef and Pork Noodle Soup)

Highlights:

• The portion sizes are massive- and not just bulked out with the cheapest part of the dish. My pho came with tonnes of fresh herbs and vegetables on the side which allowed me to alter the flavour completely to my taste. As I went for the spicy broth I avoided added any chilli!
• Alex's intriguing bahn mi salad was unlike anything I have seen before. The noodles were served cold with an overflowing plate of lettuce wraps, herbs and seasonings. Next to this was a steaming bowl of pork meat patties in a stunning hot dressing. The idea for this salad is to allow you to mix and match flavour combinations and have a different experience with each bite.
• The salt and pepper squid starter was amazingly tasty with fresh lime juice and soft, crunchy tempura.

Lowlights:

• The summer rolls are served with. Peanut sauce, which is fine but it would have been nice to have this stated on the menu.

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RECIPE: Easy Home Made Oat Milk

Finally!! I hear you cry; a recipe! I know guys and dolls it's been a long old time but to be honest Alex and I have not been experimenting that much. I've been focusing a lot on speeding up my evening processes so I have more free time with Alex (and to watch copious amounts of Game of Thrones- SRSLY WHO SAW LAST WEEKS?!). This means that dinners are getting simplified and I am not photographing my steps. Sorry!

So luckily today's recipe is unbelievably easy. You only need a blender and a fine sieve. A spoon would be ideal too but if you're going super minimalist....
I drank oat milk a lot while I was at university and found a love for it when I couldn't drink dairy as a teenager. However there's no denying that oat milk (and most milk alternatives) are really expensive. The oat milk I used to but was £1.89 for 1 litre and I found it went off really quickly too. When you can get 2 litres of cows milk for 89p down our local shop its hard to justify the spend nowadays.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/245305510926545568/

Upon reflection that milk probably had loads of sugar in and as I bought the UHT version all try goodness was probably pasteurized out. Thank god for health bloggers like Deliciously Ella and Madeleine Shaw for teaching us health bunnies about this!

So what do you do when shop-bought stuff is too expensive and less  beneficial for you than it could be? Well you make your own! Yep. I'm actually making milk this week. No I haven't lost my mind: it's so easy, makes enough for the week and helps those who want to avoid dairy do it in a cost effective way. Let me know if you make this recipe in the comments below.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 4 cups of water (use a little less if you're used to full-fat milk for a thicker consistency)
• 2 dates

Method

• Whack everything in a blender and whizz it up for 2 minutes. I used my Breville Blend Active
• Pour this mixture through a sieve into a jug. Remove the left over pulp from the sieve.
• Repeat this process a couple of times until you're no longer left with pulp.
• Pour this into a sealed bottle container and keep in the fridge.

I have found the milk is best used over cereal, especially oat based granola, porridge or Bircher.

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FITNESS: Why Hot Yoga Isn't For Me

I'm back from Portugal! SO SAD!

As many of my regular readers will know I love yoga. I go to at least two yoga classes a week varying from cardio-style vinyasa flow through to truly restorative Feldenkrais yoga (more on that soon!). However there is one incredibly popular style of yoga that really doesn't sit well with me: hot yoga.

Hot yoga itself can come in many forms. The most well-known style is Bikram which requires exacting standards including carpeted rooms, which I have always thought is super unhygienic! There is also a wide range of classes and studios available across London to the hot yoga crowd: Fierce Grace, Hot Pod Yoga, triyoga hot, Lumi Power Yoga and more. These studios are dedicated to the practise of hot yoga and are definitely experts in their field, but the class just really doesn't do it for me. 

I use yoga for stretching, relaxation and a little bit of massage. My biggest issue with hot yoga is that the intense heat takes away the relaxation element and actually makes getting through the class really hard. This isn't like the heat you get on holiday; it's all encompassing and impossible to escape without walking out of the class. I find I feel really dizzy, sick and uncomfortable. I prefer to ease into my poses allowing my body to naturally move with what I am asking it to do, rather than feeling under pressure from the intense heat. Many people say that the point of hot yoga is to allow you to stretch deeper by having already warned up the muscles, which is fair enough, but for me it's just too intense. 

All of the above said, I do enjoy 'warm' yoga. I have taken several Forrest yoga classes which are taught warm and organised in a way that means you're not stood up for ages getting more and more dizzy. I would recommend the warm yoga classes at triyoga in Soho. Learn more about their classes here.

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LOCATION: Chatime, Shoreditch

When you read this I will be chilling on the beach in Portugal. Yeahhhhh I'm soooooo chilled!

We booked a last minute flight out to Lisbon last week for a quick four-day holiday, and I certainly hope that the flight and holiday will be really relaxed and without issue. Speaking of flights and thus going abroad today I am sharing with you an exotic import that is making massive waves in London: Bubble Tea. 

I know if you're an urban-dweller like me you're probably very familiar with this Taiwanese delight, however for those of you who haven't tried bubble tea before you're in for a treat. Last week Alex, May from Red Velvet London and I visited the new Chatime outlet on Rivington Street in Shoreditch. Chatime is one of the world's best known bubble tea cafes with stores across London, Leeds, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and of course Taiwan

According to their website, Chatime is a fresh tea specialist focussing on modernised Taiwanese tea culture. I think we Brits can agree that nothing beats freshly brewed tea, and this modern take on the classic cuppa is a great treat. Chatime brews their tea fresh in store using high quality tea leaves and natural ingredients. 

You can also fully customised your drink using Chatime's step by step guide:

1. Chose your drink from the extensive menu: for example Chatime Milk Tea
2. Select your size. A regular is 500ml, a large 700ml
3. Add your toppings! These are what are commonly referred to as the 'bubbles' but it's not true! You can chose from pearls, coffee jelly, red beans, coconut jelly, aloe vera, pudding and rainbow jelly
4. Finally chose your ice and sugar levels! I actually found that I preferred a much lower sugar level for my milk tea to May. I generally avoid sugar in my diet anyway, but according to May Asian customers prefer really sugary milk tea. Who knew!

However, Chatime does not just serve up classic milk tea. We also sampled the lovely fresh tea range which is basically just cold tea. In Japan this is incredibly common, especially with green tea, however we went for a big-favourite; brown rice green tea. I drink green tea everyday and love the taste, but found this brown rice green tea really strange! It had a really strong savoury flavour which didn't sit quite well with me but Alex really liked it.

Lastly we enjoyed my favourite Chatime offering OF ALL TIME: mousse. Yep seriously, a milk tea mousse. Oh my god this mousse is simply the best thing in the entire world that you can get from Chatime. Yes I am a bit biased at a white Westerner customer, but honestly I couldn't get enough of the mousse drink and actually finished May's! The mousse drink looks a little like a Guinness, but this is simply a sweet cream-foam that sits atop the stunning milkshake like tea below. I opted for the chocolate option and literally fell in love. It's sweet, chocolately and creamy; the mousse drink is like a pudding in a drink. The calories and sugar are probably off the scale, but this would be my cheat 'meal' every single week!

To learn more about Chatime click on this link. Be sure to visit the new Shoreditch store soon!

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FITNESS: Posture Alignment Yoga at The Light Centre, Belgravia

In the modern age we are all plagued by difficulties with our posture. You may not feel it day to day but over time back pain does creep in and when it does you can be reduced to a mess. I have an ergonomically designed chair at work but because of the desk height I can never get the position quite right. Couple that with my high heel and Instagram obsession and you can say hello to the hunchback of Notre Dame - London stylee. 

Anyway as part of my ongoing yoga experiences and love of Class Pass I decided to give the Posture Alignment Yoga at The Light Centre a go. One of my favourite pilates teachers Lottie Murphy teachers at The Light Centre and their previous yoga class I attended was so good I fell asleep, thus I was keen to revisit the centre.

The posture alignment class was quite unlike yoga I had experienced before. Because you were working on specific areas on the body rather than flowing through a series of movements the jump between moves was definitely more prevalent. However the class itself is really well structured, focussed and effective.

We started with simple cat-cow movements, using the breath to stretch and bend the spine. This gave a massaging effect which we then used to move the whole body while maintaining the cat-cow movement. Next we moved onto knee-led spinal twist which required a bit of arm strength but got into the really deep muscles that surround the spine and the sides of the body. Lastly we used a mini-football under the spine to create pressure directly on the muscles while releasing the rest of the back. This helped to create a really straight spine and was a great massage on our hunched-over figures.

Although the class was only 45 minutes the effect was incredible. I noticed myself in shop windows walking along tall with a straight spine and head held high. Yep, I'm that vain.

Check out the Light Centre at this link. Also sign up to Class Pass here. 
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HEALTH: My Experience of Reiki Massage, at Beta Ki Massage

Hello! I'm back from my little blogging break and feeling like sharing some of my latest health and fitness experiences.

I mentioned in my 'Redefining the Young Domestic Goddess' blog post that I was keen to feature more health, fitness and general well-being posts. Then life got in the way. I was invited to multiple restaurants and events by the lovely PR teams that I work with across London, and was beginning to become super dedicated to my exercise schedule. Due to this hectic life style (don't forget I have a full time job too!) my health really took a nose dive, hence my break, and I have been exploring holistic therapies to treat myself. And anyway, who doesn't love a massage?

Using the amazing Wahanda app, seriously get it - it will change your life, I booked myself a cheeky massage at Beta Ki Massage in Highgate. What really stood out to me about Beta Ki Massage was their focus on massage as a health therapy, rather than a lovely treat we get at the spa once a year. The owner Zannah is a Reiki Master, which she explained to me basically meant she was a total ace at this style of massage. She trained in New York and currently runs the Beta Ki Massage business from her beautiful home. I even got to meet her cat!

Before the treatment we discussed what I was looking for from the massage, my previous experiences, what health issues I had and what medication I was taking. Zannah introduced me to the various instruments she would be using during the treatment including a tuning fork which was tuned to the Om. This was something I had never come across before and it certainly heightened my interest in the treatment. 

Using a mix of the tuning fork, essential oils, pebbles and stunning Reiki techniques I received a full-body massage like no other. We focussed on breathing to start with to create a meditative state allowing Zannah to really access my mind and treat specific areas of my body. She carried out a great deal of reflexology which felt divine and made me feel really comfortable at every stage of the process.

Zannah is a warm, kind and open-minded woman who's massage treatments I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. In terms of holistic therapy I cannot wait to visit Beta Ki massage again soon. I feel a weekly or fortnightly treatment could truly make a difference and I encourage you all to check her out.

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