SUITE LIFE AT THE BONHAM HOTEL

I'm back, once again with another hotel review. I feel like travel has been a huge focus this year in Scotland's blogging industry and I ain't complaining.

This time, I was headed to the Capital to stay at a charming 4 star hotel situated in the West End. The Bonham Hotel has recently undergone a huge refurb which has seen the bedroom interiors given a modern update which still reflects its original design. The hotel feels traditional Edinburgh but with wood panelled walls and original fire places but with a young, fresh twist mixed with plush turquoise velvet sofas and glitzy chandeliers.

Myself and some of my favourite Glasgow bloggers were kindly invited to the hotel to indulge in,what sounded like, the most festive night ever. After checking-in, Suzy and I headed to our room - a newly refurbed twin room that was going to be the perfect spot to rest of our heads. Eager to see the Executive Suite, we quickly hurried along to where Victoria was sleeping as this was where the main activities would take place. A large spacious room complete with not one, but two, bay windows, a fire place, two sofas, a tv cabinet, lovely white bathroom with both shower and tub, a big kingsize bed and a dinner table and Christmas tree set-up for later. I was so excited for the night ahead...

Not before long, we were sipping on champagne before the first activity commenced - cookie decorating. If there was ever a therapeutic Christmas activity to indulge in, this was it. We laughed at realising our serious concentration levels and successful and failing icing designs.  I went for a wreath, holly and (slightly dodgy) looking fairy light design.

Next up: cocktail making in their intimate bar area. We shaked up espresso martinis by the fire place and took the opportunity to capture a few pictures.

Two activities ticked off the list, we headed back to our suite to find gifts left for each of us at the table. This was one of the sweetest things ever and I was kindly gifted a hair set by Ouai - perfect! The rest of the evening saw us enjoy a deliscious three course meal in the suite while listening to Christmas music, followed by silly games, lots more prosecco and girly chat until 3am.

After a leisurely morning we enjoyed breakfast in the restaurant together before checking out. Myself, Rachel and Victoria took a quick jaunt to the Christmas markets before catching the train back home - both of which were handily in walking distance from the hotel. Heading back West, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky to experience things like this. A huge thank you to The Bonham Hotel and Beattie Communications!

The Bonham Hotel is still undergoing a phased refurb and early 2019 will see exciting new looks for the bar, restaurant, lounge and reception. I can't wait to see what the do with the place! It's already gorgeous and can only get better.

If you have an upcoming trip to Edinburgh and looking for a convenient hotel in the city centre definitely check out The Bonham Hotel.

XoXo

Foodie Finds | August

If you enjoy your grub like me, then trying somewhere new for breakfast, lunch or dinner will bring a lot of happy smiles to your face. Despite my best efforts, I find I’m a creature of habit when it comes to eating out and often book into the restaurants I know and love all too often. In a bid to spread my wings, I introduced the Foodie Finds feature on my blog a few months back and I’m finally back with a few new discoveries.

Mono - South Bridge, Edinburgh

When you look at the website for Mono, it reads, ‘Progressive Italian Dining’ and that’s exactly what you’re served. Inside, the restaurant is very minimalistic, with a nod to Scandi style interiors featuring a quaint fireplace, wood floors, tables and chairs, and modern lighting. 

After missing Mono’s bloggers banquet a few weeks before, I was kindly invited to try out their Apertivi menu on a date that suited. When we arrived, my friend Tessa and I were greeted with a warm welcome from staff before being shown to our table.

So, what’s their Appretivi menu I hear you ask. Essentially, it’s their early evening menu that runs from 5-6.30pm and offers a pre-starter with a house spritz followed by three courses from a selective menu.

We started off our meal with a selection of delicious breads with oil and a few bite-sized canapes, otherwise known as ‘stuzzichini. In all honesty I didn’t know what to expect and these snazzy little pre-starters put the bar high for the rest of the meal. 

Following our bread and stuzzichini, we were served our first (or Primi) course. Both Tessa and I went for the baked ricotta with pine nuts, peppers, aubergine, olives and tomato. Again, what was served took me by surprise but in the best possible way. After the first curious mouthful we scoffed down the rest.

Course two, I went for the Dry Aged Beef Ox Cheek with kohlrabi, cauliflower, hazelnut and sea truffle and Tessa tried the Octopus Alla Piastra with courgette, spring onion and curried butter. Again, we both really enjoyed our choices and each were cooked to perfection.

We finished off with dessert - I went for the cherry and chocolate and if I’m honest, regretted my choice. I think I realised I’m not really a fan of cherry however I’m sure the desert would be enjoyed by anyone that does. Tessa rated her Caramelised Peach, (almond milk, peach sorbet with Amaretti biscuits) as the best course out of the lot and I was envious to say the least!

Overall, we really enjoyed trying something completely different. Each course was presented beautifully and at the end of the meal we felt satisfied but not over-full (as I often find I do). I’d really recommend giving Mono a try if you’re in Edinburgh. The restaurant also offers a regular A La Carte menu, Lunch Menu and rather exciting Tasting Menu which looks ideal for a special occasion. You can view all of the menus on their website here.

Mozza – Renfield Street, Glasgow

Sticking with Italian cuisine, another new try for me this month was Mozza in Glasgow. Last week, the girls and I headed here to celebrate the exciting news of Rachel’s engagement (eek!). Side note – check out her beautiful ring here.

Now back to Mozza - the restaurant is conveniently located a few minutes-walk from Glasgow Central station…the ideal spot for some Friday night grub, pre-cocktails.

Inside, you’ll find a nice big space with the name Mozza in lights on the wall. From the menu you can choose one of 13 different styles of neopolitan pizza. I went for number five which was a spicy tomato-based pizza with mozzarella, spicy salami, ricotta cheese, black pepper, basil and oil. It was super tasty and actually really reminded me of Peasano's pizza (which I'm guessing are also Neopolitan?). 

The prices are extremely reasonable too with pizzas starting from just £5 with the priciest at £9 – bargain! I didn’t try any of the sides or desserts so can’t comment on them, but I did try some of their white wine which went perfectly with my pizza.

I’ll definitely be heading back to Mozza and would highly recommend for all of you pizza lovers out there.

Thanks again to Mono for inviting us along to try out their food!

Until next time.

XoXo