-
TRAVEL DIARIES & FOOD/ An English gal in New York…where to eat
I think of myself as a bit of a food connosiour – if there’s good food to be had, I will find it! New York is home of some of the best food, so there was definitely some searching to be done.
Having visited before I already had some favourites I was keen to visit, but here are some of the places I ate at in #NewYorkCity during my recent visit which will hopefully help anybody out who may be going.
Junior’s
I can sum this place up in 3 words – best. cheesecake. EVER. And you can’t possibly go to New York without eating cheesecake! According to the Mr they also do the 2nd best chocolate cake ever (the first is the ‘chocolate chocolate cake’ they used to do, but it’s been discontinued). In addition the decor is very classic American diner which makes the experience feel even more authentic.
These came in at about $7.50 a slice before tax, but it’s worth it for the most delicious desserts that you don’t have to walk miles for. The original Junior’s is in Brooklyn but there are two around Times Square so super easy to get to.The Smith
To be honest, we probably wouldn’t have gone here If it had been right across the street from our hotel, but it turned out to be a pretty good choice. The theme is just ‘good food’ which is all fairly traditional American fayre, including some delicious breakfast/brunch choices. This French toast was INSANE. 
The portion sizes are pretty generous too – we went for dinner on our first evening and just wanted a couple of starters to pick at, which turned out to be massive (but very yummy). 
Havana Central
Viva la Cuba! We wanted to eat something a little different to pizza and pasta and found this place online, which is just off Times Square. Side note: The light was a bit odd in here, hence the look of the pictures.
They’re well known in the area for their sangria (delicious) and margaritas, however the Mr was unimpressed with his mojito (it was fine, but I think he was expecting a bit of a showstopper). 
The food is yummy and varied, despite this being a themed restaurant it felt like there’d be something to suit most palettes.
I couldn’t hit up a Cuban restaurant and not have coffee – I ordered this Cortidito which I expected to be like rocket fuel based on what I’d heard, but it ended up being fairly tame so I was a bit disappointed. I wasn’t however disappointed by this milk cake. That is literally what is was – cake made with 3 different kinds of milk that made it very moist, literally oozing milk, topped with delicious cream. The perfect way to end the meal.Ray’s Pizza
We went to Ray’s because everybody tells you it’s THE place to eat pizza in the city, I’m not quite sure I agree with the sentiment if I’m honest.
The pizza wasn’t horrible, as you can see here it looks pretty darn good, however it tasted fairly ‘normal’ and not very New York to me. Serendipity 3
If you’re not staying close to to Upper Manhattan this could feel like a bit of a trek, but if you like chocolate and quirky decor then I promise it’s worth it!
If you’re able to find time to book in advance, do (and make sure you’re there on time or you’ll be bumped) however when we rocked up at 2.30pm on a Friday we had only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table.The upstairs and downstairs have very different decor – downstairs was a mirror balled, Alice in Wonderland-esque affair, whilst the area upstairs (pictured) was more super girly, candy-coloured tea party.
I didn’t need to see the menu, there was only one thing I wanted to order – the famous frozen hot chocolate (before you ask – no, I don’t understand why it’s called that either)
I went for the peanut butter chocolate, and it tasted just as amazing as it looks. Very filling, it kept me going until dinner. I also bought the cutest Serendipity mug whilst I was there too.Two Boots
I didn’t get to visit Two Boots this time around, but the memory from my previous visit is still weighing hungrily on my mind! Apparently this place is a fave of the babe that is SJP too, and you try a slice you’ll know why. We put together a great combo including locally made sweet Italian sausage which was delish. There’s restaurants and take outs all over town, and as you can see they look pretty jazzy for a hearty pizza joint too!
Hot dog stand/ food trucks
You have to get a traditional, all-American hot dog from a street vendor in NYC; it’s just something you have to do. As with pizza, you can’t really go far wrong.Don’t rule out the ‘cheesey’ chain joints!
I have never seen any blog posts that include chain restaurants when they visit NYC, which I think is a shame as they form an important part of American culture. I was excited to try something from what seems to be viewed as a ‘cheesy’ chain restaurant by Americans, and as a result I had the best omelette I have ever tasted on a breakfast trip to Applebees.
in my eyes, eating anywhere you can’t eat at home is a worthwhile experience when you’re on vacation as you’re still getting an authentic food experience from the country, so I’d definitely recommend broadening your scope and giving one a go for a breakfast or lunch.And now, as I feel some of you may be doing, I’m off in search of a snack!
Stay Stylish,
J xx
-
TRAVEL DIARIES/ An English gal in New York…Where to stay
I usually pick hotels based on aesthetics, location and price, pretty much in that order. I know a lot of people have the opinion that the hotel is just somewhere to sleep and change, but even so I like it to look and feel nice for the time that I’m there.
My first visit to New York was a surprise, so I didn’t choose where we stayed (which was the New Yorker on 34/8 – the location and appearance were pretty darn spot on to my taste) so this time around I wanted to stay somewhere that looked as good.
We pretty much hit the nail on the head with The Empire Hotel. It’s a lot higher up than a the ‘main touristy area’ in midtown, it’s one block west of the park and is virtually in uptown Manhattan. This meant that you could get more of an insight into a true New York neighbourhood which felt more relaxed, a bit of a escape from the hustle if the inner city.
We could pretty much see as soon as we stepped into the lobby that it was cool AF – full of drama and classic colours, with this awesome sweeping staircase to the mezzanine.
The theme carried through to the lobby bar, which had a really chill vibe.
The bedrooms also had the same kind of classy feel – as with a lot of NYC hotels the room wasn’t massive, but there was plenty of room to put all of our stuff (and we had a decent amount of it) and move around easily.
The bathroom was pretty small but they made really good use of the space with the design and bathroom cabinet (I wash more hotels had them).
The crowning glory for us was the awesome rooftop bar.
Up there you could see the hotel signs that lit up at night (sadly I didn’t manage to get picture when they were lit- the bar was very popular and pretty busy so there were a lot of people in the way when it got dark)
There were 3 areas of the bar that all had a different look and feel which made it even more appealing. There was the secret garden…
…the classy yet comfortable indoor area…
…and the holiday bar. 
We tried all of them out during our stay and all of them had their merits depending on what you want the mood of your afternoon/ evening to be about. Each area had views over the city and Lincoln centre
There’s also a daily happy hour (that lasts about 3, that definitely made me happy) which makes the expensive drinks of Manhattan just a little bit cheaper.
Both of us loved this hotel, I would definitely recommend it but more likely for someone that had visited the city before and had an idea as to where things are a little already.
Just one last thing about this hotel – I understand that it’s a big deal for fans of Gossip Girl (I’ve never watched it so it didn’t have same appeal for me) but there is nothing remotely referencing it either inside or in the bar, so don’t be disappointed if you go and find this is the case. It’s still a bloomin’ lovely hotel!
Parts 2 and 3 of my NYC series will be up soon – what to do, where to eat, he’ll I may even through in a bonus outfit post. Stay tuned…
Stay stylish,
J xx
-
Life Update – September 2017
(Glass, ASDA/ Drink, Frozen Fizz by Ice & Easy)Oh hey!
I’ve been super quiet online this month – no blog posts and virtually no social media, so I thought I’d fill you in on what’s been happening:
I’ve moved house
(I’d definitely recommend Whitakers for anybody looking to sell in the Hull area)Anybody that’s ever moved as adult knows how time consuming and stressful this can be anyway, however our situation has been a little different in that we sold our house and don’t have another to move into at the moment. As a result we’ve had to pack all our stuff away into storage (and into the spare rooms of some very generous family members!) and move into temporary accommodation until we find our next home. We’re struggling to find something we love, but I’m hoping we get there soon.
I’ve been on holiday
(Times Square, Manhattan)That’s right, I’ve been to the Big Apple. This pic is totally cheesy, involved me buying fruit from a street vendor and carrying it around in my bag all day, but there’s no shame in my game! It was my second visit to #NewYork and the only holiday I’ve had this year, and I was super excited to get some great pics for social media. And I definitely did, I really enjoyed getting to grips with my camera, I just didn’t feel compelled to share many of them whilst I was away. I’m excited to share them in future blog posts though, which will be on the way very soon.
I’ve been failing at life a bit
(Marina, Hull)Going on a long haul holiday, selling a house, searching in vain for a new home AND job, as well as being very ill with allergies since spring time, have taken their toll. I’ve been constantly exhausted and withdrawing from things I enjoy, but I’m hoping now things have settled a bit I can start to put some joy back into my life.
So that’s where I’ve been! But I have some really nice content to share in future posts that I’ve started working on, so I hope you come back to see that soon. Stay tuned to my social media channels for updates.
Stay stylish,
J xx
-
FOOD/ Great British Food Festival (2017)
(Image credit: Tastecard)Last weekend I hit up the Great British Food Festival with Tastecard* as it reached the Castle Howard leg of its UK tour. Weirdly, as much as I enjoy food I’ve never been to a large scale food festival before!
Armed with comfy clothes, sensible shoes and a massive bag for all the goodies I was sure we’d buy, off we trotted to explore Yorkshire’s finest food in a field. But first, tastecard wanted to see if we had culinary skills…kinda.
Myself and the Mr both took part in the ‘Great British Blog Off’ which involved decorating biscuits with our favourite foods.
(Image credit: Tastecard)I don’t profess to be a decorating expert (quite the opposite) but for my limited skills I didn’t think my efforts were too terrible until the icing started to melt! Clockwise from top left, I did: rainbow cake, a slice of pizza and burger with fries.
They didn’t win but tasted nice! And then, off to explore the stalls…there were so many really lovely ones, but I’m just going to mention those I sampled items at (as well as chuck in a few more snaps of some yummy things)
I kicked off by trying the award-winning Pink grapefruit and prosecco marmalade; I’m not a huge grapefruit fan as I find it bitter, but I enjoyed the initial prosecco notes. This is going to be couple with another two preserves to make a ‘boozy trio’ giftset which would be perfect for Sunday brunch.
I’m a massive pesto fan so I dived straight in with cracker to sample the Roasted red pepper flavour (which I’m fairly sure I was told was one of their newer pesto products). It was fresh and delicious. Peckish is definitely the perfect name for them!
I think this was the hardest stall to get close to throughout the whole day; apparently everyone shares my love of cheese! I VERY into flavoured cheeses so this was a bit of a foodie dream; I really liked this Smoky tomato and garlic cheddar as it contains a lot of my favourite things.
I was very sad that I didn’t get to the savoury scones before they sold out (which was pretty early in the day) but they had a great selection which also included pesto and sundries to tomato…nom nom nom.
It was the sweet versions that really caught my attention though, as I like to think of myself as a bit of a scone aficionado (I do a mean Fat Rascal) but have never though to try some of these flavours before. It was pretty tough deciding which I wanted to take home to try!
Harrison and Griffiths finest Caribbean cakes
I love me some rum, I love me some cake, this stand was always gonna steal my heart! I sampled the Rum cake and pineapple cake and they were both so moist and delicious. The alcohol created a delicate flavour that complimented rather than overpowered the other ingredients, and I could’ve quite happily had a lovely cup of tea and worked my way through and entire loaf-sized slice for the remainder of the day.
There was a mouth watering selection of sponge puddings on display, including this Raspberry and White chocolate pudding which seems to combine summer eating with a warm sponge perfectly.
Tricky Dickies sticky toffee pudding company
The main reason we stopped here is because they had a massive ‘sticky toffee pudding’ sign we spotted fro across the tent, which is one of our faves! We were not disappointed – their traditional version had a lovey delicate taste, and the salted caramel version was about as extra as a sponge pudding can get.
This is apparently the lowest calorie, fastest growing soft drink in the U.K. So seemed worth a nosey. A lot of the flavours are infused with tea and have a really subtle flavour about them (very much like a flavoured water). The green one was a particular fave of mine.
I’m not a gin fan, but it’s the drink du jour so thought it was my public duty to try st least one whilst I was here. The vendor kindly mixed it with a little tonic for me and I found I really enjoyed it, there were a lot of tasty botanical notes that took the edge of what is usually a harsh spirit.
My mum is obsessed with this stuff! I’ve only ever drank this neat in shot form so I was delighted to read about a number of cocktails and mixers this can be pared with (including prosecco – is there nothing you can’t put with it??)
The only wine I usually drink is sparkling, so I sampled Taste of Paradise sparkling blush which ended up being a bit too dry for my taste, but then on the advice of the staff tried the white Yorkshire Lass made with 4 different kinds of grapes, which I really liked.
There’s still time to sample treats from #gbbf as there are two more stops around the UK this year – their website details the dates and locations.
I’m going to do a follow up post which is a kind of haul/review of the items I picked up from the festival, so keep a lookout for that later on this week.
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
-
BEAUTY/ My current love affair with Garnier
I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different skincare products over the past few months – this year my skin hasn’t been the best so I’ve been trying out lots of different things to see what works and making sure my skin doesn’t get too used to anything and stop working.
I started out with one Garnier product and slowly introduced more as I felt and saw them working, so I thought I’d share what has been working for me.
This product I mentioned a little while ago in my March favourites and it’s still one of ,y favourite beauty products of the year. It cleans makeup off really well and leaves your skin fresh and prepped night time.
Rose milk cleanser & Rose toner
I wanted this combo as soon as it was launched, purely because they sounded and looked pretty! They’re definitely more than that though – a great way to fully clean and purify the skins after taking off my makeup and smell really nice and soothing (as the name ‘soothing botanical’ might suggest I guess!). The toner in particular is a lot cheaper than some of the others I’ve tried and has worked just as well for me.
Anti-Blemish soap-free gel wash & 3 in 1 charcoal anti-blackhead
I’ve had a fair few breakouts this year so bought these two recently, buoyed by the success of the other products. The gel wash I’ve used for a few weeks has drastically reduced the spots that were popping up on my cheekbones and chin (though I still need to work on the leftover scarring) and lathers up really nicely so you almost have proof that it’s working. The charcoal scrub I’ve only used a couple of times and it is proving effective, but it’s a real bitch to get off your nose area as it got in my nose a little.
So all in all, Garnier has been a skin delight this year! There’s only one product I’m not quite sold on so far, which is the body bronzer I mentioned in my last post – it is a lovely natural colour but definitely has streaking potential if not worked into the skin well, and I discovered on the first test that it isn’t 100% non-transferable as claimed. I’ll probably test it a little more before I make up my mind fully.
Have you got any other good skin recommendations? Leave your tips in the comment box or get in touch on social media.
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
Jenny Chat 