Chubby Chops

Here in Brighton, dog-owners are pretty lucky.  It is a very dog-friendly city we live in.  Whenever my mum comes to visit with Lily (her lovely Yorkshire terrier), she is surprised and delighted at the places we can take Lily to and the friendly reception she usually gets.

However, Chubby Chops in Hove takes this to a whole new level.  As well as having a brilliant name, it is a brilliant place.  A cafe for dogs and their owners, dogs are not only ‘allowed’ but just as important as the humans.  There is a menu of doggie treats, plenty of space for them to run around, and of course loads of other canine friends for them to hang out with.

Staycation at the Hotel Pelirocco

In a lovely historic square in Brighton lies the Hotel Pelirocco. The hotel is a Brighton institution, with an edgy, rock ‘n’ roll reputation and 19 original themed rooms inspired by pop subculture and various movers and shakers. I particularly love the look of the Diana Dors inspired Pin Up Parlour, Rockabilly Peliroccobilly room and Star Wars Lord Vader’s quarters but check them all out!

I’ve always wanted to stay at the Pelirocco but had no excuse to, because well, I live in Brighton. So we were thrilled to be invited to stay for the night and promptly booked into the Pin Up Parlour, as this seemed appropriate for a girl’s night in. Sadly Ellie couldn’t join me in the end so I invited my lucky boyfriend along instead.

D-I-Y Party Fun: The literary bespoke cocktail

By Amy Bird

So you’re having a party. You want a centrepiece, something to make your party special and unique, and to give tongue-tied new acquaintances something to chat about. A cake? Maybe, but you need significant frosting skills or cash for a truly impressive one. An ice-sculpture? Ditto. Bespoke cocktails? Now we’re talking.

A very chic party.

Holiday eating: Hive Beach Cafe

I dug out some old photos the other day that had me dreaming of summer.  And salivating.

English seaside perfection.

One of my favourite places to go in the holidays is the Hive Beach Cafe, which is located right on the beach at Burton Bradstock in Dorset.  OK, that’s a bit of a trek to go for lunch, but it’s such a quintessentially and joyfully seaside-y place that it would be entirely worth it.

London eating: The Diner

The Diner is a restaurant that seems to crop up all around London – I think Ruth and I have been to most of them between us.  I know it’s not particularly chic, but I love grubby American diner food – I can eat it by the tonne, particularly when I have a hangover.  So, it was a bit of a lifesaver when I spotted its sign on a slightly hungover morning after visiting friends in Islington.

So happy at the prospect of being saved by food.

London eating: Mishkin’s

By Kim Newman-Wood

Having been advised by my two favourite food critics (Jay Rayner and the lovely Ellie) that Mishkin’s was a lovely place to experience Jewish deli food and amazing gin cocktails, what was a girl to do? Rush there for a lovely long lunch, of course!

I loved the informal atmosphere, with the small bar and the booth-style seating. Booths always make me happy; they remind me of New York holidays and treats as a child to the local Wimpy Bar (don’t turn your nose up, their milkshakes are heavenly!). We indulged in the gin cocktail of the day whilst we looked at the menu, which appeared to have been typed by a 1930’s Olivetti. Gin, prosecco and elderflower worked extremely well. Gin cocktails at lunchtime seem faintly naughty, but I think should definitely be encouraged in the future.

A mega treat at the Waterside Inn

I am very lucky that my mum lives near that weird little golden mile of fine dining – Bray in Berkshire.  It’s a tiny village near the medium-sized town of Maidenhead, but it has an oddly disproportionate number of Michelin stars.

Best of the bunch is the Waterside Inn.  This sentence is going to make me sound like a right spoiled bitch, but never mind: I much prefer the Waterside to the Fat Duck or any other trendier places.  For us to go to the Waterside, it has to be a VERY special occasion – but, fortuitously for me, they do come along once in a while.

Yeah, just hanging out with Alain Roux.

London eating: Burger and Lobster

By Kim Newman-Wood

A late lunch on a Saturday afternoon in London is always one of life’s great pleasures. Particularly if you are lunching with the lovely Ellie. So, having put the world to rights over a glass of champagne or two, we never quite made the shopping that we had originally intended – oh well.

The Cocktail Hour’s Ellie – ever excellent at having lunch.

Our main mission was to try out the much feted Burger and Lobster restaurant in Soho. There are three restaurants now, as this interesting concept is clearly doing extremely well. Their premise is very simple: come up with a few things that you cook brilliantly and price it reasonably – and that’s exactly what they’ve done. In other words, don’t go there unless you love either burgers or lobster!