April Catch-Up
A month full of city breaks, day trips from London and debunking preconceptions of a major travel destination
Not to be dramatic but April felt like a weight being lifted. With the clocks back and that torrential rain gone, suddenly there is life after work and the mornings don’t seem so bad?! There is nothing we love more than to bask in even daylight at this point, but London has been her unusual sunny self - pub corners a-flowing, terraces adorned and bbqs prematurely lit. With that being said, we saw each other ONCE in April so there’s quite a bit to catch up on.
C: It’s my nearest and dearests’ birthdays so April is always a big one and with the Manchester Marathon weekend falling on one of them, for the last couple of years it has also meant a manny weekender is inevitable. My love for this city has only grown over the last decade, from student nights at uni and visiting friends to hardcore foodie staycations. Jemima and I have only been once together with the girls but we were young & probably didn’t leave Spinningfields. Since then it’s been a mix of being taken around by locals and doing some actual research. I’ve got some go-to spots now that I wish we’d known then, so will be dropping a Manchester guide this month, but one thing I can’t stop talking about is the curried potato and mango chutney sandwich, more of a whole loaf, from a neighbourhood favourite, Companio, so much so that I’d book a train back for this alone.
My hobbies may well centre around food but my partner is the real food snob. When we go out to eat I need to be very particular about my choices, so when Jemima told me about her evening at Tiella I knew it was the one. Cosy dining room with original features of the pub it once was, serving simple, regional Italian dishes and although new to Columbia Road, it feels like it has always been a part of the neighbourhood.
I clearly had withdrawal symptoms from Margate so for my mum’s birthday I took advantage of the fact she hadn’t been and we went for a surprise day trip. It wasn’t until we got to the promenade that she realised she had in fact been before and the last time she came, she was busy growing me!! I booked Angela’s for lunch because it’s a place that makes you feel very special without too much fuss. Beautiful seafood with a sea view.
For the rest of the day, we hopped around from shop to pub to shop to bar and back again.
I fell in love with some more shops since my last visit in March and came home with some incredible vintage glassware that were a steal. I’ve been on the lookout for unusual dinky glasses in the wave of teeny cocktails, so when I saw these I had to have them. I should probably start enjoying shots…
We’re always updating our Margate guide with new finds like these, and of course our Step map (linked in our bio) for those who appreciate the practical aid!
For those that know my mum, I couldn’t not take her to Margate House. She is to thank for a lot of my great loves; boutique hotels, a good time and a bold colour scheme. As we sipped cocktails in the pink drawing room, gushing over the art (by local artists), characterful pieces (sourced by their FOH) and the colour-drenched walls, we got chatting to two trendy lads. Turns out one of them was Will Jenkins, owner of Margate House, who until then had been enjoying his brainchild peacefully. Eavesdropping on our colour talk, he let us in on their exciting collab with Coat Paints which has now gone live so it looks like we could live in our own Margate House after all.
J: If you follow us on Instagram you’ll have seen I’ve been spamming our account with turquoise seas, white sand beaches and luxe hotels from our trip to Thailand last month. Having never been on my radar and admittedly judging a whole country on horror stories of teens backpacking and full moon parties, I wasn’t ready for how deeply I’d fall in love with it. I booked the majority of our stays through Small Luxury Hotels and you just can’t go wrong. From sleek high-rise city suites to hidden villas in tropical forests, I have gone in on where you should and shouldn’t spend your time. I also ticked off a huge bucket list experience but not in the usual way. The full Thailand debrief can be found here.
Whilst we were away, work continued on our flat so we’re finally at the fun stage; choosing tiles, picking out wall sconces and fabric swatching for our ottoman of dreams (any help on which fabric I should choose below would be much appreciated). I’ve been keeping up with India Cardona’s renovation do’s and don’ts on Substack whilst Pinterest is fast becoming my most used app.
Which is your favourite to go with my sofa swatch (middle): blue left, red top or blue right?
In the midst of all this, we managed to squeeze in one last Sunday roast of the season at Bistro Sable and finally got our hands on their tarte tatin which was absolutely worth the wait. We also ventured to Charlotte street to try Elsa’s monthly set menu. The seasonal bistro is hosting monthly set menus in an effort to explore the food and wines from different regions of France and Germany with prices starting at a very doable £50.
