Meat Liquor

After one particularly bad student meal my housemate and I were aimlessly scrolling through the never ending droll of social media when she turned to me, phone thrust under my nose, shaking it excitedly. What I saw before me was a photograph of the most deliciously greasy burger and calorific chilli cheese fries I had yet to lay my eyes on. It looked, in a word, AMAZING. On further investigation and instagram stalking, we discovered the burger in question had come from a restaurant in London called 'Meat Liquor', which was apparently quite a big deal. I was confused as to why I had never heard of it before and feelings of being left out washed over me. We were determined to go. Unfortunately the location of our uni and our student budgets did not permit us to visit the home of the holy grail of burgers and our dreams of chilli cheese fries had to be returned the realm of our minds reserved for luxuries that students cannot afford. 

Four months later and still indefinitely burgerless, that gloriously greasy picture continued to play on my mind until one day I snapped deciding that 'today, is the day I shall have my burger!' Therefore myself and my fellow burger enthusiast boyfriend made the journey to Oxford Street in search of both meat and liquor.

Now I have to say, Meat Liquor is one of them places that you would never know was there until you've been there. It is somewhat off the beat and track. However, as I have been there I now know where it is and am willing to share my wisdom with the world; get off at Bond Street tube station, cross to the Disney store, walk down the road that runs down the right hand side and look for the que. Yes, it really is that simple! You practically cant go wrong and you definitely cannot miss the que- it is normally worryingly long as this restaurant does not take reservations. However, do not be put off! Although long the que moves fast and if its a long wait the staff bring out free onion rings and deep fried pickles to ready your taste buds for the feast that is to follow. Staff also stamp your hand once in the que to ensure that no que jumpers can get to the food before you, which is obviously a plus. No-one likes que jumpers.

Once inside, we were shown to the bar while our table was being prepared which gave us a chance to become accustomed to the ambience of the place. In a word it is very dingy- but I mean this in the best possible meaning of the word. The vibe inside is eclectic and the graffiti art and dark lighting set the scene for the very, very naughty meal you are about to consume. In some ways I think the food just tastes better because you feel like you are in a place you shouldn't be in. Either way, when visiting Meat and Liquor, do not expect to have a quiet meal. What you should expect, is loud music, grungy lighting and pub/gig atmosphere. 

Now for the liquor! I couldn't tell you the names of all the cocktails I tried, which is perhaps down to the number of them I consumed, but I have to say every single one was delicious. One that did stand out was the 'Tipping the Velvet' cocktail which did not disappoint in its red velvet cake expectations. It literally tasted like cake in drink format and who doesn't like that? The bar staff are also exceptionally friendly and although they are constantly busy they are as attentive as can be. They advise you on drinks and make sure that no one is drinking too much of the legendary 'grog' (which, incidentally, is limited to two glasses per person).

By the time we had sat at our table we both had already decided on which burger we wanted from the numerous menus we had longingly stared at in the que.. I went for the 'Green Chilli' burger while Matt chose the 'Bacon Cheeseburger'. We opted for a shared side of chilli cheese fries and some deep fried pickles. Now I am not going to bore you in trying to describe how delicious the meal was. I am simply going to say that since my intriduction to Meat Liquor I have since been a further three times in the space of a month. If that doesnt explain how good the food is then I dont know what does. What I will say, is that the Chilli burger was, although delicious, very hot and I have since moved on to the 'Dead Hippie' Burger which is, in a word, unreal. Furthermore, I found the chilli cheese fries a little too filling for me but that is perhaps because they taste so good I ate nearly the whole portion to myself. Quite simply the food in Meat Liquor is immense. 

Oh, and the deserts. They suggest you share them due to their size. Don't. They are far too good to share. Eat one to yourself and don't feel bad about it. 

All in all Meat Liquor is quite possibly the best place in the world and everyone should go. I for one, will continue to visit, talk about and introduce people to this gem of a place. For now though, I shall leave you with a couple of mouth watering photos and the link to the website. Thank me later.

www.meatliquor.com

p.s. good news for the people of Brighton, as there is a Meat Liquor there too!

     

Snorkeling with Sharks

So the trip that inspired my exploration of London I cannot take credit for. As a 21st Birthday present my best friends arranged for me to attend the 'Snorkeling with Sharks' experience at the London Aquarium. I have long been obsessed with sharks and therefore could not have been more excited to get in the water. However, I'm not going to lie- I was nervous too. The website does not explain many of the specifics and therefore I had no idea how vulnerable I was going to be next to these amazing, but lets face it, pretty scary creatures. Nevertheless, the day arrived and myself and my mum (who the girls had paid for to be a spectator) made our way to the London aquarium.

On arrival we were not entirely sure what to do as, although you have a time slot there is very little indication of where you need to be inside the aquarium, by said time spot. However, the staff were very friendly and kindly pointed us in the right direction.

As part of the experience your ticket entitles you to a 'behind the scenes' tour of the aquarium which is then followed by the snorkeling. Now, perhaps this is because I was too excited to appreciate the 45 minute long tour, or perhaps its because my obsession stops at sharks and my interest doesn't digress into other fish- but I didn't enjoy the tour. They show you the workings of the aquarium, what the fish eat and where the sick fish live (a fish hospital if you will). Yet, I found myself wishing the tour had been shark specific. I wanted to know what the sharks ate and what was interesting about the different types of sharks, not which tube pumped water into which tank. However, for someone more interested in the aquarium as a whole, I can appreciate that the tour would have been highly engaging.

After the tour it was finally time to get into our wet suits and head to the shark tank! The maximum number of people allowed in the diving cage is four and on this occasion there was myself, another girl and two men. After being shown the cage for the first time the instructor asks 'does anyone want to back out?' and, thankfully, no one did. This is probably because on seeing the tank and meeting your instructor you were made to feel completely safe. Almost immediately all of my fears were gone and all I wanted to do was get in the water and see the sharks beneath. So after getting our diving gear on it was finally time to get in...

The water is freezing- something I had not been prepared for. However, once I was fully submerged I was no longer concerned with my temperature because before me were around twenty beautiful sharks. The floor of the cage is transparent so you get a full view of the tank and everything in it. You are also given a weight belt to help pull you down so you are able to lay on the bottom of the cage and take in everything around you. (Before you get in the tank you are given a snorkel to help you breath. However, all four of us found that the snorkels kind of hindered you and that it was easier just to hold your breath and pull yourself under for a bit at a time.)

The sharks are amazing. There were two massive Sand Tiger sharks, some Nurse sharks reaching over 3 meters long and Blue sharks which were extremely curious as to who you were and why you were there. It is hard to explain what it is like to be so close to them, but if you like sharks then this is something I would highly recommend. You are submerged in the water for near on twenty minutes but due to the adrenaline, to me, it felt like two. I could have stayed there for hours.

Altogether the experience lasts around an hour and a half and costs £125. Pricey, yes. But the actual snorkeling with the sharks is amazing and your ticket allows you to go straight into the main aquarium after (smelling like fish and with soaking wet hair I might add!). Spectator tickets cost £25 per person and allow the spectator the full experience minus getting in the water. Considering a standard ticket for the aquarium is £18.63 I'd say that's a pretty reasonable price. The whole day was an enjoyable experience and is something I would 100% do again.

So, thank you girls for the best birthday present ever! My mum and I thoroughly enjoyed our day out at the aquarium.

Georgia x

P.S. Look at these cakes and cookies we found in Borough market. I'm not ashamed to say I ate two...        

No Need for a Backpack

After finishing my degree at the university of Portsmouth, I moved home to the border of London. My aim was to get a job that I wouldn't mind leaving in a year's time in order to go travelling before I settled into a career. Therefore, I took a job in retail and slowly began paying off my student overdraft. However, after one particularly interesting trip into central London something occurred to me; I live on the edge of a City that people travel from all over the world to come and visit. How is it then, that I can have focused all my energy on travelling the rest of the world when I've barely seen anything of the place I come from? The answer is we take for granted what we have right in front of us and therefore, right then and there, I decided I needed to explore London more- hence the reason (and name) for this blog. Whilst trying to save every penny for my exploration around the world, I will put aside a small amount of money each month to try and see a little bit more of London. Not only will this year be dedicated to money making, it will also be a chance for me to see what tourists see when they come to this amazing City. London offers so many exciting avenues for exploration which up until now I have somewhat ignored. However, from now on I vow to become a fully fledged, camera carrying, tube riding, tourist (minus the backpack).