The Dirtiest Burgers Ever

 When your friend asks you if you want to go try out London's hippest burger places with her, the only appropriate answer is yes. 

That's how Ghenet and I ended up in Shoreditch on a sunny Friday afternoon, cameras in hand, ready to eat some dirty burgers at Dirty Burger.

I've heard a lot about Dirty Burger, mostly from the wonderful Carrie, who sings it's praises on the regular. 

Now steer clear of this place if you aren't a burger fan - the clue is in the name, they're only dishing up burgers here. I opted for the special, a halloumi, rep pepper and bacon jam burger, whilst Ghenet ordered the 'Dirty Cop Out' veggie burger. An order of crinkle cut fries and onion fries and we were good to go.

 When they say Dirty Burgers - they really mean it. The food arrives fresh, fast and served up on cutesy retro trays. The side portions are generous and delicious, but the burgers really are the star of the show. Both Ghenet and I didn't put them down from start to finish, and ended up with sauce and juice all down our hands. The bacon jam + halloumi combo was a real star, and Ghenet gave her portobello mushroom, applewood cheddar combo a big thumbs up too. The brioche buns were the perfect compliment to the burgers too and both Ghenet and I finished our meals with a satisfied groan. Food babies were a definite. 

So, if you're in East London and you're looking for a deliciously decadant, dirty treat - look no further! 

Chai Lattes In A Toilet

 Normally if someone asked me if I wanted to go drink a chai latte in a toilet, the answer would be no, but when that toilet is actually The Attendant, the answer is most definitely yes.

Hidden a few blocks behind Oxford Circus, The Attendant is a converted Victorian toilet block that now houses a coffee shop. Yes it's weird, and yes it's unconventional, but do you know what? It's also bloody brilliant. 

I headed to The Attendant with Ghenet, for brunch and a good old chat, and we were totally those girls, snapping away with our cameras from the second we stepped in the door. Luckily, the team were super lovely, and obviously used to lots of photos since the location is pretty unique!

We settled into a little corner table with the best view of the place. With all the original urinals and cisterns intact, it's definitely a weird venue, but it's also cute and cosy.

We opted for brunch, Ghenet went for the Avocado Toast with poached eggs, while I couldn't resist the french toast, piled high with berries and vanilla cream. Both dishes were every bit as delicious as they sound, and I can tell you with absolute certainty I'll be heading back there!

So if you're after delicious food, reasonably priced coffee, and somewhere a little different for your Instagram feed, hit up The Attendant!

Take On The Tiger

 Last week I headed down to Tiger Tiger with some awesome blogger friends for a burger based challenge . Now in my head, Tiger Tiger was something I associated with irritating freshers fueled by cheap cocktails, but after a recent restaurant remodel, it's become a foodie hotspot.

Anyway. BURGERS.

We were greeted on arrival with giant cocktails to get us in the mood for some serious eating. I've never had a Pornstar Martini before but MY GOD what a thing of deliciousness. Never before has a cocktail been so easy to drink, it was gone embarrassingly quickly and it was bloody lovely.

 Now I've never felt intimidated by a burger before (or any meal for that matter) but when the waiters approached with these burgers, I was a little bit scared. Because this burger is HUGE. A giant beef burger, a chicken breast, bacon and onion rings, all sandwiched into a brioche bun. I had to take the onion rings out, squish the burger down and chop it in half just to fit it in my face. And it was fantastic, Katy and I agreed it tasted a little like a fancy version of a Big Mac, which is a VERY good thing, but it defeated me, and I only managed a little over half.

It's served with chips (delicious), coleslaw (yummy), a shot of Jack Daniels AND a beer. I'm ashamed to admit that when I finally stood up I felt a little squiffy. My alcohol tolerance is shocking.

We were all pretty stuffed but the lure of pancakes was strong, so Katy and I decided to share a plate, 'cuz restraint. The chocolate sauce and mango coulis was a bit of a strange combo, but it satisfied my craving for a little something sweet.

The let down for me here really was the price point, for a restaurant in Piccadilly £25 is not extortionate for a giant burger, sides and two drinks, but it would put me off going back, which is a shame because it was delicious (and Connor would love this burger!).

(Big thanks to Katy for letting me use her photos from the night, I forgot my camera and my phone photos came out really crap! Thanks girl, you da best. Also big thanks to Tiger Tiger for providing us this meal in return for a review - as always, all thoughts expressed are my own.)

Dirty Dogs at The Bohemia

 I'm totally guilty of going to the same restaurants over and over in point (case in point, my Franco Manca addiction). I'm something of a creature of habit, you could say, and never wanting to pay good money for a bad meal, I tend to go back to my favourite spots again and again.

Last week I helped my girl Daphne move house, and since we didn't know anywhere in the area for food, we dropped into the first pub we saw, planning on grabbing a quick drink before picking up a Tesco meal deal and getting back to work.

We picked the Bohemia, a pub that looks rather ordinary from the outside, but inside is quite extraordinary. We took a seat (Daphne on a sofa MUCH fancier than her, and me on one that was so well worn it hugged me back), and one glance at the menu left us both craving the Beer Street Dog, so that was that and we were staying put.

Our food arrived quickly leaving us with only a few moments to admire the interior. Think hipster bar meets, industrial air craft hanger, meets micro brewery. There were even beer cans with succulents in on the table, does it get any cuter? I think not.

No matter how cute the decor, once the food arrived there was no concentrating on anything else. A brioche bun and frankfurter, with fresh chunky salsa, crispy onions and mustard, on a bed of curly fries. Yes it was every bit as good as it sounds! The food was hot and fresh, and oh so tasty, and exactly what we needed after a long day lugging boxes around!

I'm already planning my next trip back to the Bohemia (for a Sunday roast, or hot wings, or maybe even another hot dog), and if you're ever in the North Finchley area, I'd highly recommend checking it out!

Let's Talk Snacks - New In From Graze

When it comes to dieting, or even healthy eating, I have one almighty downfall. I'm a snacker. 

I'm not one of those people who can eat three big meals a day and nothing else. I like to snack, graze and generally just pick at food throughout the day. I can't help it! And this is where I slip up, because I find eating good, healthy, whole foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner easy, but snacking is hard.

There's only so many cherry tomatoes and apples a girl can eat before she starts to get a little bored. 

Enter stage left Graze Boxes. I've had a fair few standard Graze boxes in the past, my boyfriend used to have a subscription and I'd bag all the flapjacks, as well as a few free box codes that came in handy. But I stopped ordering them a while back since, in all honesty, the standard boxes are quite expensive long term. Great for every now and then, if you're having a busy week, travelling or just out and about a lot, but as a weekly thing? It wasn't really necessary for me, especially since I work from home.

However, a couple of new(ish) releases from Graze caught my eye, so voucher in hand I placed an order for a couple of bits!

First up, a sharing box. This is the answer, I think, for people like me. A one off box like this contains five resealable snack packs, each containing around 20 normal Graze servings. It's a pretty easy process, Graze have 20 different snacks available in this format, you pick out which ones you like the sound of and they'll send you a random five. These little pouches are a great size, I've got one in my desk drawer, and I think they'll be great for taking away with me when I travel too. 

So, in my box!

Spiced Apple and Ginger Granola Topper: Equally good for sprinkling on top of granola for extra flavour, or just snacking on straight from the bag! Inside is spiced granola, dried apple pieces, ginger fudge and orange raisins. That description alone has me dribbling. If you're a fan of cinnamon and ginger, you'll love this. I may be almost out already because it's that damn good.

Texan Corn Salsa: If you're a nacho lover like me, you'll love this. Corn chips, salsa almonds, roasted corn and jumbo chilli corn, a handful of this is almost like a healthy version of tortilla chips and salsa. Not too spicy, just a hint of chilli flavour, super tasty!

Herby Bread Basket: This is my answer to avoiding eating a giant garlic bread on my own at three in the afternoon. Inside are mini basil breadsticks, garlic crostini and oregano rice crackers. It's a carb fix without leaving you feeling bloated and disgusting, and the herby flavours are delicious. 

Cherries & Berries: One of my Graze favourites, I'm so glad you can get a big pack of these now! Inside are dried cherries, lingonberries, cranberries and raisins, I'm not normally a dried fruit kinda gal, but I just adore these. I've had the Tesco and Lidl knockoffs before, but I much prefer these, they're juicier! 

Sour Cream and Garlic Crostini: For when you're craving pringles! Inside are sour cream and onion cashews, and garlic crostini. I should point out that as a rule I don't like nuts, but I generally always like them in Graze boxes, since they're flavoured and tasty!

This box is normally £15 but you can get your first box for £10, which I think is really good, considering how much you get. Again, it's not something I'd buy weekly (I don't think you'd need to anyway, this stuff will last ages), but for travelling, or as an occasional one off it's perfect! 

I also ordered two of the standard graze boxes, a flapjack box and a chocolate box. Because treats. I love that these are the perfect size to slip into your letterbox, and each individual snack is individually wrapped, and a good size for your handbag!

I've never had a Graze Flapjack I didn't like so the idea of an entire box devoted to flapjacks was a no brainer. Inside was (I definitely ate this one straight away) an Apple and Cinnamon flapjack (my absolute favourite), a Lemon Curd flapjack (a close second), a Cocoa and Vanilla Protein flapjack (I hadn't tried this before but I ate this in a midafternoon slump and it gave me a real energy boost), and a Fruit and Seed flapjack (a solid contender). Not one complaint at all, except that the box doesn't come with a little man to stop you eating them all in one go. 

The chocolate box was a bit of a risk for me since I'm not a giant chocolate fan (I know, I know). I was pleasantly surprised though, these little packs are the perfect afternoon-pick-me-up when you're craving a six pack of Mars bars. Inside I had Caramel & Peanut Track and Field (Salted Caramel milk chocolate buttons oh my oh my, peanuts, fudge, and raisins), Dip Your Own Chocolate Pretzels ( poppyseed pretzels and a chocolate dip, yum yum), Graze's Chocolate Orange (orange chocolate raisins, milk chocolate buttons, jumbo raisins & orange raisins, this tasted like jaffa cakes) & After Dinner Mint (peppermint raisins that were surprisingly delicious, dark belgian chocolate and almonds). Basically, it was all delicious! 

So the verdict? I still wouldn't get a box every week, but as a treat every now and then (or before a big trip) these are just perfect! 

Also, if you want a free box, you can use the code JAYER2WLE to get one! This isn't a sponsored thing with Graze, just a code every customer gets to share with their friends! And I like you guys ;)

Aaaaaand writing this post has made me hungry.