The Real Greek

I've been pretty sad since I came home from Spain so I took a cheeky trip to London in a bid to cheer myself up. It worked. London has healing powers in the form of excellent shopping, food and of course brilliant company.

I met up with my lovely friend Zoe and we filled the day hoping on and off the tube manically trying to see EVERYTHING!

We found some sexy, sexy cars.

One day I will be Batman.

Eventually our stomachs began to rumble and we left the comfort of the Selfridge's shoe department and headed to Bankside for a feast at The Real Greek. Determined to enjoy our 'summer' we sat outside and enjoyed the views of the river but luckily for us the outdoor heating kept us deliciously warm all evening.

Spoilt for choice we order an array of plates to share and they were all pretty darn good!

Greek Flatbread, Hummus, Gigandes Plaki, Dolmades 

Classic Greek Salad

Grilled Halloumi... om nom nom

My personal favourite was the stuffed vine leaves however the Greek flat bread and hummus were unreal too and I am not a huge fan of hummus!

If you can't decide what to have then I would suggest getting one of the sharer menus which have some of the best dishes for you to choose from

We caught up on three months of gossip until the stars came out and we had finished our wine and coffee.

The last time I had Greek food like this I was in Naxos so if you want some decent food and can't quite afford the flight maybe you should pop in to one of their restaurants in London town.

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Cocktails and Cake

'A birthday is nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.' ~ Anonymous~

What a wise person that was! It has come to the time in my life when the parade of 21st birthdays has begun. First up Zoe. 

My beautiful, stylish friend spent her actual birthday in London as she is one of those swanky city types but, we were determined to celebrate in style and that we did! The evening was shrouded in secrets in order not to scare the poor girl into not showing up. 

We started with dinner and cocktails in The Vauxhall Quay, a pizzeria on the edge of the harbour looking across to Plymouth Barbican. We sat outside under the tarpaulin browsing the cocktail menu, praying that the rain would hold off for the evening (it was not to be!). A Pretty Woman, Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini, Raspberry Druplets and Scilla Wreck later, we were ready to have the long awaited catch up. 

And ohhh what a pretty woman she was.

The birthday girl with her Wreck.

We barely came up for air until our food arrived...which silenced us all. Having not eaten since half past eleven that morning it was safe to say I was about to eat my arm, luckily it didn't come to that!! Instead...

a mass of fresh stone baked pizza stuffed full of delicious spicy chorizo, fresh chillies, torn mozzarella, peppery rocket and drizzled in sticky, sweet balsamic vinegar. Big Ben was a beast and I am sorry to say I was shamefully defeated. We all were! Seriously, the portions are huge so make sure you are hungry...or share? 

A Rum Manhattan washed it all down as we sat and listened to the musical stylings of Joseph Biddle and Elani Evangelou. It was almost as though we were having our own private show especially when 'Happy Birthday' was played in three different styles for Zoe! 

Dinner and a view

The Vauxhall Quay was perfect for five friends having a girly night but it is also lovely for a relaxed drink. If you are ever in Plymouth on a Tuesday check out The Acoustic Academy starting at 8pm where you will find some absolutely beautiful voices and raw talent. Being a Sunday it wasn't particularly busy, in fact we were the largest group there, but in sunny weather it can fill up pretty quickly so it may be wise to book.

After a cheeky slice of cake made by the fair hands of Katherine we headed off to the second surprise of the evening.

I started a small love affair with my hat.

We lead the way into the Sunday night kareoke at Walkabout...something you must understand is that Zoe has been bugging us to go to one of these for the past three years so hence, we granted her her wish! After a bit of Dutch courage we managed to work our way through the songbook performing the classics by Wheatus and One Direction. But, of course the birthday girl stole the show singing Eliza Doolittle's 'Pack Up' earning herself a phone number and a £25 bar tab. An excellent end to a special night! 

The first two photos are not mine they can be found on The VQ facebook page.

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Finger food

I feel as though I have somewhat neglected my blogging duties over the last week or so but, I have many a tale to tell! This week I have had the boyfriend down and made an attempt to share some of the cultural delights of Plymouth whilst cramming in some work as well. The weather initially looked like it would ruin all our plans but, luckily the sun forced it's way through the clouds to shine gloriously down upon us!

We started on the Hoe (a classic for tourists) and strolled down the sea front to one of my newly acquired favourite restaurants, Maritimo. From the street you wouldn't even realise this gem exists, there is a coffee shack surrounded by a few metal tables... Like District 13 in The Hunger Games, the real hive of activity lies beneath. As you descend the stairs the essence of Spain comes seeping through every aspect of the restaurant, from the art on the walls to the wooden panelling and wicker chairs. Now, heed my advice, if it is a dry day (not necessarily sunny!) sit out on the terrace and you will fall in love with Plymouth all over again. Sitting with a glass of wine watching the boats sailing around the sound...perfect!

Of course the main factor for my complete adoration of this place is the tapas! There is a huge selection of bread, olives, fish, meat and vegetable dishes served with various dressings and sauces.

From left going clockwise: Sun-dried tomato salad with mozzarella pearls, fig and goats cheese parcels,  pan fried  scallops and chorizo,  deep fried white fish, spanish olives, crab cakes with salad, all served with garlic mayonnaise and olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Yummy olives...I don't even like olives!

Nothing can compete with that.

Now you see it..now you don't

Seriously this was the best meal I have had in a long time! Go and check it out! We went at lunchtime so there was no need to book however, I am not sure if you would need to in the evening either as they have plenty of tables. It is the perfect place for a date, catch up with friends or just an afternoon beverage with spectacular views. Here is the website if you want to check out some of the best tapas in Plymouth! Pin It