We saw that the Battersea location of Pho was having a refurbishment launch, offering 50% off all of it’s menu items for one weekend only and we had to go check it out. The venue was packed, with a full bar and all the seats were full. We didn’t have to wait too long for a table to free up though! The venue itself is quite nice, though it’s a bit dark when it comes to lighting, apart from spotlights that literally shine on a single person in one of the seats, which feels odd.
[Ad- gifted experience] While in Reading, we ended up at the bar of The Botanist, through a slight mix up. Normally, a mix up is never the best situation, but as it happens, The Botanist is a wonderful venue with very unique and tasty drinks, which we were very excited to try. After our Day Out in London Bridge, finding ourselves with a couple of rounds of interesting drinks to taste sounded like a surprisingly great way to end our day.
We took the time to try a handful of the most unique and interesting cocktails on the menu and Dann tried a beer type he had not had before. These cocktails not only tasted delicious but also came in a variety of strange and intriguing glasses! We drank our drinks in rounds, so see the captions of pictures to know what drink goes with what name.
[Ad- gifted experience] The King’s Head in Billericay, Essex have refurbished the interior and exterior, as well as extended their menu to include a very lovely brunch menu! The interior is stunning – beautifully presented tables, couches, a well-presented bar. All of the bar staff seemed really knowledgeable about the menu – and we were told after that they actually had a large menu tasting when it came to this brunch, so that they knew everything on this new menu. The look is pretty modern now, with a bright feel that you don’t often find inside pubs. The King’s Head felt modern and casual, and the dining experience was wonderful as well.
[Ad- gifted experience] After a major refurbishment, we all were invited to The Blackberry Jack pub in St Albans. We always enjoy a classic British pub meal and there is always something for everyone, from the youngest picky eater to our adult pallet. As we’ve not been to Blackberry Jack, we aren’t really sure what the pub looked like before the refurbishment, but when we went, everything seemed very clean and quirky. We sat at a big, oval table with different colours painted onto various bits of the wood. Each of our chairs were a different design, giving a really quirky feel to the place.
The car park is actually at the back of the restaurant, meaning we entered through the back, which was a bit confusing for first-time visitors, but someone quickly noticed us and helped us to our table. Like most pubs, we ordered at the bar and items were delivered to our table. The Sizzling Pubs have an app that you can install and download so that you can order from your table, but by the looks of things, Blackberry Jack wasn’t on the app at the time that we went (probably due to the refurbish) so we just ordered at the bar. There are a good amount of variety on the menu, as well as a children’s menu and a children’s dessert menu. We were also given some colouring sheets for the younger kids, which was fun.
I kept seeing the Artbox Cafe on Instagram – a cafe that serves different desserts, with a different character featured at the cafe for a limited amount of time. When it comes to holidays, the cafe also changes, having special Halloween items and Winter themed desserts. The cafe is split into two floors, the bottom floor is where you can get takeaway ice creams or drinks, as well as purchase a bunch of cute, themed items. As the theme was Pusheen, the items in the bottom floor was all Pusheen; notebooks, books, mugs, jewellery, sushi sets, tumblers, squishes – something for everyone. Upstairs, you can find a small, sit down dining experience where you can order from a slightly larger menu. Dann, Claire (who wrote her own post on this) and I went to the Pusheen x Artbox Cafe in the last week that Pusheen was there!
