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Wow, April has treated us well. From gin tasting, afternoon tea at one of Yorkshire’s most stunning dining locations, gastronomic tapas and visits to exciting new restaurant openings. Tara Harris our Food Writer from the Yorkshire Food Guide shares her packed month of indulgence.

CHIDA CANTINA LEEDS REVIEW

We felt dubious when we heard of yet another Mexican eatery opening in Leeds. In comparison to the great pizza, tapas, charcuterie bars and other regional tastes on offer, we’ve always felt like Leeds is a few steps behind places like Manchester or London. Low and behold, when discovering Chida Cantina, we immediately felt like it had filled that missing gap in the market. Read full review.

SLINGSBY HARROGATE GIN TASTING EXPERIENCE REVIEW

Based in the heart of Harrogate town centre, overlooking the beautiful views of the stray you’ll find Slingsby’s ‘Spirit of Harrogate’ store. We attended their ‘Spirit of Gin’ tasting experience which included a range of activities from gin tasting from a selection of over 80 gins, mixology lessons and a chance to learn about the history of gin in their bespoke venue. Gin heaven! Read full review.

INTRODUCING ONE OF YORKSHIRE’S MOST EXCITING STREET FOOD TRADERS
STREET CLEAVER

As one of Yorkshire’s most exciting street food traders it hard to keep up with Street Cleaver. From appearances at some of our favourite foodie events, pop up restaurants, private event catering and current residency at York’s popular Evil Eye Lounge. Street Cleaver is definitely one to watch. Find out more.

CRAFTHOUSE LEEDS AFTERNOON TEA REVIEW
AN INDULGENT TREAT IN ONE OF LEEDS MOST STUNNING RESTAURANTS

When we heard that Crafthouse were launching an Afternoon Tea menu, we thought it couldn’t be more fitting in one of Leeds most stunning restaurants. With Head Chef Lee Murdoch’s modern way of cooking and the skills of in-house Pastry Chef Stefan Rose, who will again be on BBC’s Bake Off Crème de la Crème this year, their Afternoon Tea has the classic elements of what we all know and love, but with their own unique twist. Read full review.

NORSE HARROGATE REVIEW
NORSE SETTLE INTO NEW RESTAURANT FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL KICKSTARTER

Following a successful Kickstarter Campaign, Norse Harrogate has opened its new restaurant doors with a tantalising casual dining menu influenced by Nordic cuisine. After shining reviews from the UK’s top critics, Norse quietly outgrew the after-hours pop-up style restaurant they previously shared with Scandi-inspired café, Baltzersen’s. We checked out their new 40 seater. With a friendly atmosphere, great service and show-stopping dishes we can see Norse pushing for even more awards in the not too distant future. Read full review.

THE REFECTORY YORK REVIEW
SHOWCASING YORKSHIRE PRODUCE IN STUNNING SURROUNDINGS

Situated within the Grade II listed Principal Hotel, The Refectory York serves up seasonal dishes that showcase some of the best produce sourced throughout Yorkshire and the Yorkshire dales. Upon hearing about their new spring menu and seeing the mouth-watering dishes on their Instagram we decided a weekday treat was in order. Read full review.

IBERICA LEEDS REVIEW
A TASTE OF SPRING IN ONE OF LEEDS MOST STUNNING RESTAURANTS

We had the pleasure of sampling Iberica Leeds new spring menu, situated in the iconic listed antique Hepper House. Michelin-Starred executive Chef Nacho Manzano and the team have once again worked their magic to deliver an authentic Spanish dining experience whilst showcasing some of the best seasonal produce available. Read full review.

You know us and you know we love gin! So when the tastemakers at Star of Bombay invited us along for an evening of ‘Slow Artistry’ we were intrigued and just a little bit thirsty!

Slow Artistry fundamental to the development and distillation of the delicious Star of Bombay. This innovative gin is slow distilled which intensifies the flavours and aromatics from the botanicals making a stunning cocktail spirit.

To illustrate the stunning care taken while creating this spirit we were treated to a bespoke meal created by Carousel’s chef Ollie Templeton which took in bergamot cured bacon, short rib steak and a yuzu meringue all paired with increasingly innovative gin cocktails.

From the curious naturally pink watercress and olive oil starter cocktail, through home made walnut liqueur, fake red wine (see below), we ended up merry and inspired, ending on a high with a cocktail with it’s own meringue peak.

There was a final personalised surprise in store before we all wobbled out into the night… Earlier in the evening we’d taken part in a blind taste test of eccentrically flavoured jellies, chosen our favourite and were presented with a martini with those flavoured bitters.

Of all the gin joints in all the world, we were so glad we walked into this one!

Star of Bombay is available at stockists nationwide RRP£36

Carousel London, 71 Blandford St, Marylebone, London W1U 8AB

You know by now that we’re a bunch of foodies here at House of Coco but I can’t lie, when this #TeamCoco writer was invited for dinner in the heart of the City, my heart sank a little bit. The City, for all its hustle and bustle during the working week, can turn into a zombie-town in the evenings and weekends, the odd office worker (‘suit’) either stuck behind his or her desk or stumbling home after a few too many. If you ever want to re-enact ’28 days later’, it’s here on a Sunday morning!

Zombies aside, the draw of a pub dinner on a sunny weekday evening was too much to resist so off we trotted over to The White Horse, part of the Geronimo Inns stable, right next to Liverpool Street station.

Horse puns out of the way, we received an incredibly warm welcome from manager Peter and his team who took us through the mouthwateringly varied pub menu which celebrates native produce with everything from a fancy take on a classic picnic board (fish fingers, scotch eggs, chopped sausages…) right to an innovative sounding sweet potato and chickpea falafel burger. Oh, hello dinner!

We started to feel foolish about our reticence to come to this part of town as looking around we could have been in a cutesy country pub, taking in the vintage-feel décor of old car posters and advert plates adorning the walls. Those ‘suits’ we were afraid of had all definitely loosened their ties and have succumbed to their surroundings… along with a few pints of London Pale Ale!

As the bread and oil appeared on our table, even the corporate and somewhat grey view from the window started to soften and we too relaxed into the cosy pub vibes. In order to do the menu justice we opted for the classic sirloin and chips and that innovative sounding sweet potato burger. Service from the lovely team was attentive and quick and we were soon falling all over our food; on the one side trying to play food critic and, on the other, enjoying such an unpretentious, tasty dinner in an unexpected part of town.

The most important part of a pub meal is definitely dessert so we continued in our classic / innovative ordering style with both toffee pudding and chocolate panna cotta. Heartbreakingly, the toffee pudding just wasn’t ‘school-dinner’ enough for us (to use the technical term) but the panna cotta was fantastically velvety and rich.

Stepping back out onto the pavement we were quickly thrown back into the concrete jungle and immediately miss our cosy window table. However, we’re delighted to met across a trusty little steed for when we next need to escape the city!

You can find The White Horse on Exchange Square, next to Liverpool Street Station and more of Geronimo Inns’ ‘bloody good pubs’ across London. They’re not a chain but a group of pubs with their own vibes. If our experience at The White Horse (and at this #TeamCoco writer’s old local, The Fentiman Arms) is anything to go by, your new favourite pub could be waiting!

Staycations are a perfect little treat, or at least we think so here at House of Coco. If a luxury hotel, outstanding spa, beautiful beaches, and landmark venue are thrown into the mix, then Cornwall is a wonderful holiday hotspot for the fabulous!

We arrived at The Cornwall Hotel, Spa & Estate in St Austell via a long and winding driveway surrounded by lush greenery and pretty gardens, where we stumbled upon a quaint white washed hotel with a large welcoming two-story high glass entrance.

The reception team were happy to help with everything from check-in to luggage assistance, and offered advice on local amenities including our impending visit to Eden Sessions.

The second floor of thehotel housed our room for the next few days, and it was luxury all the way! A simply elegant room, with super king sized bed, excellent wardrobe space, and a TV with every possible HD channel imaginable. Pretty bird-design wallpaper adorned a stunning feature wall, and the bathroom offered a wonderful power shower, super large bath, and quirky sink basin with bathroom essentials as standard.

Dinner in the Elephant Bar & Brasserie was a feast for the senses, so much choice! A starter of local Cornish crab cakes with Thai spices, panko, lotus root crisps, pea shoots, and brown crab mayonnaise was followed by Sundried Tomato, Pesto and Ricotta Tortellini. Both were delicious, but the crab cakes with that twist of subtle herbs made the starter ‘to die for’!

The Eden Project was the venue for our first evening’s entertainment, where we were lucky to meet Sir Tom Jones prior to his gig at Eden Sessions, yes the real Sir Tom Jones!

Having only visited the Eden Project during the day prior to this visit, spending the evening at this unusual venue with the world-famous biomes lighting up red, blue and green to support the live gig on stage meant that we could experience the Eden Project by night, and we weren’t disappointed.

Our second day for House of Coco included a breakfast of Eggs Florentine, and the eggs were just the right side of runny, a perfect start to the day before a brisk woodland walk around The Cornwall Hotel Estate.

The Cornwall Hotel’s ‘The Clearing Spa’ was the destination of choice for the latter part of the day, after we had spent a leisurely couple of hours enjoying The Cornwall Hotel’s Cornish Afternoon Tea. Post Afternoon Tea we indulged in a luxurious hot lava shell massage, which was bliss relaxation, and followed this with a quick brow and lash tidy. The swimming pool beckoned, where we were spoiled to the scenic views of grand floral displays in the grounds that surrounded the spa. Total relaxation!

Dinner was served in the Elephant Bar & Brasserie. Fowey Mussels (caught just down the road) cooked with west country cider, pancetta, leak, cream and apple were chosen to start, followed by Roast rump of Cornish lamb dish served with braised lamb shoulder, Pomme Anna, charred yellow courgette, black garlic puree, and a Nicoise and lamb jus. Melt in the mouth delicious, especially the braised lamb bonbon style!

Early morning start with a swim in the pool, and leisurely stroll around the estate before having breakfast delivered to the room, scrambled eggs and mushrooms with granary toast taken on the balcony.

It was time to checkout and bid farewell to this fabulous Cornish resort, but we know we’ll be back!

There are many beaches to choose from around St Austell including the sailing haven of Pentewan Beach, plus Porthpean, Duport, Charlestown, Crinnis, Shorthorn, and Polgaver beaches. All are within walking distance of each other, and Porthpean Beach hosts the Porthpean Activity Centre for adventurers, surfers, and canoeists.

Cornwall is a county filled with exciting propositions for fabulous millennials, lovers of countryside relaxation, and beach explorers. Which made this staycation utterly brilliant!

To get more information about The Cornwall Hotel and The Clearing Spa check out the website at https://thecornwall.com and for event details at the Eden Project including Eden Sessions log onto www.edenproject.com plus for an insight to the whole of what Cornwall has to offer look up the general site www.visitcornwall.com

Hands up who loves a city break! House of Coco too! However, how often have you been on a weekend in Europe, eaten burgers, stayed in a hip chain hotel, drunk in English speaking bars and worried that you’ve missed out on a more authentic representation of that place?

House of Coco set out to learn more about Sweden by leaving Stockholm (*shock horror*) and exploring the intriguing region of Sormland that is just over an hour from the city. Known as the Stockholm Country Retreat this was the perfect place to learn about Sweden, the land of Ikea, salty liquorice, excellent pop music and so much more…

Here are 5 things that the Swedes are nailing…

Conjuring up ‘The One’

The Midsummer festival falls on the Friday nearest the 21st June (the government didn’t want people with sore heads calling in sick!) and is a traditional celebration to welcome Summer and thank it for coming along. Winters are harsher and darker than in many other places so the season is cherished!

In amongst the festivities all the single ladies pick seven different wildflowers (or nine, if you’re aiming high…) that they pop under their pillow. That evening the face or the name of ‘The One’ will come to them in a dream. Worth a try, right?

Getting a good night’s sleep

You’ll find plenty of gorgeous hotels, B&Bs and even castles to rest your head on in this beautiful region but not many truly double beds. Sweden, like many other countries in Europe respect quirks and differences in couples and often offer two separate beds and if the same bed, certainly two duvets. No more duvet tugging at 4am or disagreements about the tog situation, Sweden has your back like in this beautiful Spa hotel in idyllic seaside town, Trosa.

Coffee and bun o’clock

Swedes are the third biggest consumers of coffee in the world and forget the Starbucks you neck on the bus – coffee here is an occasion! Fika (derived from back slang of ‘Kaffi’) is the art of taking a break for coffee and a snack. Traditionally there are two Fika pauses a day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In most offices in Sweden team members take it in turns to arrange the Fika breaks. It’s a chance for everyone to take some time away from their work with their colleagues and catch up. The time spent on Fika is covered by the government so it’s actually your job to get involved! We enjoyed a cheeky Fika while perusing the collection of vintage jukeboxes, cars and bicycles at Sparreholm Castle.

Supporting Swedish Girl Bosses

In the region of Sormland you can pick up maps to female run enterprises and support the growing number of Girl Bosses who are rocking everything from traditional craft businesses to a pop-up waffle summer destination. Head over to www.vag223.se to find out more and get along to Skargardsvafflan in Oxelosund for a summer waffle with a view!

Listening to the call of nature

All Swedes, even the most urban, love getting back to their roots and visiting family homes in towns across the country. Festivals like Midsummer are the opportunity to go their ancestor’s homes and wear traditional dress. In fact, appreciating nature and Sweden’s countryside is an important theme for Swedes.

The ‘Everyman’s Right’ is a freedom granted by the Constitution of Sweden that gives a person the right to access, walk, cycle, ride, ski, and camp on any land—with the exception of private gardens, immediately near an occupied house and on land under cultivation. There are over 4,000 islands in the Sormland area and your dreams of toasting marshmallows while wild camping on a island can be a reality!

On a sunny Wednesday evening most people would be fleeing the City but not House of Coco, as we headed to one of London’s best kept secret outdoor bars. Shhh, we’re going to let you in on South Place Hotel’s humpday treat!

South Place Hotel is a gorgeous hotel-cum-membership club nestled by Liverpool Street station that offers trendy meeting space to members and bottomless brunches to all. The exclusive feel of the space extends to the Secret Garden ; a cocktail and cigar terrace in the heart of the hotel that hosts South Place Hotel’s summer live music treat – South Place Unplugged.

On this evening we were invited down to hear Henry Taylour, an enigmatic singer/songwriter who is a popular face and voice on the London live music scene. The intimate space is beautiful with a long cocktail bar and casual Ibiza-terrace style seating. As you wouldn’t know the space was there from the street, it’s a real hidden gem and certainly for those ‘in-the-know’.

We fought the flow of commuters to arrive in this serene space for 7.30pm and proceed to our next battle; choosing a cocktail from the unusual seasonal menu on offer that boasts chocolate bitters Negronis (‘The Secret Negroni’) and delicious sours like ‘The Incas Lily’ with Pisco and St Germain.

Henry, who takes inspiration from Ben Howard and Jose Gonzales, took to the corner of the bar with his guitar to take us through a set of beautiful original acoustic material and covers. The music complemented the setting beautifully and transported us away from our mid-week stresses to a relaxed resort vibe!

As live music venues become fewer and further between it’s amazing to see a venue like South Place Hotel open up their space to promote upcoming artists. South Place Unplugged runs every humpday (Wednesday) throughout the summer. Tomorrow’s show sees Tobias Diggins take to the Secret Garden; we’ll see you at the bar to soak up the holiday vibes without leaving the City!

South Place Hotel can be found at 3 South Place London EC2M 2AF

Cielo Blanco has been raved about by our writers based in Leeds for what feels like forever. This has made the London squad incredibly jealous, but no longer!

House of Coco were delighted to be invited down to support Cielo Blanco’s new outpost on the street of dreams that is Exmouth Market for their Cinco de Mayo opening party. In-between incredible cocktails made by skilled sugar skulled skeletons we leapt on the new team members bringing round Cielo Blanco’s social eating street food.

Inspired by the vibrant baracoa markets of Oaxaca, Mexico, the simplest sounding dish (such as a sweet potato taco) will transport you to South America and has us dancing in our seats. And a few more of the fantastic Mexican beer and tequila selection would have had us dancing on the tables.

Their exciting menu paired with great attention to detail in the decor makes Cielo Blanco a welcome addition to London’s burgeoning Mexican food scene. As the national obsession with spice and avocados shows no end, we predict big things for their Exmouth Market restaurant and can’t wait to come back and grab a sharing platter with some girlfriends.

Only one question remains, if this is the party they put on for Cinco de Mayo, where do we sign up for Dia de los muertos?

Cielo Blanco opens 6 May 2016 at 55-57 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QL They’ll be offering 50% off drinks from 9-20 May 2016.

Here at House of Coco you know we are never ones to pass up on a foodie experience and sharing with you all the secrets that we uncover. Seven Dials has been a fabulous shopping destination in London for years now and this #TeamCoco member loves nothing more than a good coffee in hand (try Monmouth for this!) and bobbing into boutiques. This said, until recently we couldn’t put our hands on heart and say that we had made it into that many restaurants in the area, which do tend to be packed to the brim with tourists before shows.

Step forward the amazing team at Seven Dials who invited us to try an evening of un-touristy decadence, sampling desserts in two stunning restaurants; VICO and Tredwell’s. It went a little something like this…

Our first stop was Southern Italian style trattoria, VICO (from the team behind Bocca di Lupo, read more here). Nestled between the West End and Covent Garden, this Seven Dials gem sits where a Pizza Hut used to be and boy, are we glad that it does! Stepping into the restaurant strangely feels like stepping outside, onto an Italian plaza with lights strung across the ceiling and a deep blue mosaic fountain taking centre-stage near the open kitchen.

We were warmly welcomed by the team who then proceeded to do their best to feed us everything on the dessert menu which we certainly didn’t complain about. The dessert menu here at VICO encompasses everything from fresh summery strawberries in cream, through pistachio, hazelnut and ricotta-coffee sundaes (more on the onsite gelateria Gelupo later), a sponge covered Mimosa Cakelet to what we crown the king of the desserts on our table, the tiramisu (There’s layers to this **** player, Tiramisu, Tiramisu… Yes, we went there).

Our intention was to try a little of each. That intention went fully out the window and we near licked every plate clean. Four desserts down! Alongside the delicious and varied dessert menu is a fabulous drink and wines list and we happily sampled espresso martinis which were to die for (and we count as a dessert, bringing our tally to five) and sweet dessert wine reminiscent of summer holidays.

Getting up from our seats was certainly a bigger task that when we sat down but we happily waddled over from the main restaurant for a taste of the sit in and takeaway gelateria on site, Gelupo. The sour cherry gelato was incredible but as this was already dessert six, we needed to scarper!

Just down the road from VICO we pop into Marcus Wareing’s Grand Café-style Tredwell’s, winner of AA’s 2015 Resturant of the Year award. Who knew you could get such settings a stone’s throw away from the tourist trap of Leicester Square! We were curious about the name of restaurant and when it transpired that it was the name of the butler in Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery, we knew we were in the right final destination for our Seven Dials adventure!

While the relaxed atmosphere in VICO made us very comfortable stuffing our faces, the more reserved, whitetable cloth atmosphere and reputation struck a little fear into our already overfed stomachs! We needed have worried as we were there to try Tredwell’s virtuous dessert offering, a vegan brownie.

The vegans among us are clearly onto something as this, improbably also wheat-free, dessert is rich and chocolatey. The pairing with a tart coconut yoghurt gets the tastebuds going but by this point we had to admit defeat. The brownie would a fantastic finish to a refined modern British meal that we see our fellow diners enjoying but as our dessert number seven is the icing on the cake that tells us that it’s time to go home and only eat vegetables for the rest of the week!

So, what did we learn on this adventure? Contrary to what we believed there are an astonishing number of culinary gems to be found in this very popular part of town. London is moving on so fast so that we realised that many of our memories of the restaurants area were based unfairly of Seven Dials 5, 10 years ago and it’s now alive with exciting dining opportunities.

Wherever you decide to dine in Seven Dials, leave space for dessert!

We had heard great things about Margate’s revival and dragged our other half and buddies for a weekend at the seaside back in November. We learnt to book things in advance (grr!) but still had a killer time and look forward to having more organised fun next time…

(Photo disclaimer: some of these are from more recent trips, on sunnier days!)

Saturday

11:00: Getting out to the Kent coast from London is super easy. We travelled from King’s Cross getting the high speed train that speeds through Stratford International. We’d always recommended hitting up the Sourced Market at the station for Monmouth coffee and treats from Yeast Bakery and Kooky Bakes.

12:30: After a chilled and quick journey we arrive at the seaside! One of the main pulls for our trip was to visit Dreamland, the amazingly restored retro funfair. Don’t mess up like we did and always check their site for opening times and any special events. Sadly it was shut when we went as Foals were playing and we couldn’t get tickets. More on that later.

13:00: The Old Town is a short walk from the train station so get your novel snaps of the neon outside of Dreamland and wander on down to The Greedy Cow for the best pulled pork we’ve ever had. And we are pulled pork snobs! Leave space for sweet treats afterwards and a local Kent cider.

14:30: Even chucking it down with rain we ran between independent boutiques and vintage shops. Madam Popoff is a MUST. The owner also runs this blog which is a great go to for a lowdown to help you prioritise the best places to go to.

16:00: In one vintage shop our lil’ old school indie hearts stopped when literally bumping into Yannis from aforementioned Foals. OMG.

16:01: We realised he was chatting to Alex from Franz Ferdinand.

16:02: We die and chicken out of getting a picture.

16:10: We recovered from our star struck moment by retreating to the Turner Contemporary, past Tracey Emin’s work on the Tourist Info and enjoy a complex and intriguing mix of modern art for just a donation.

16:30: We bumped into Alex Franz Ferdinand again watching a film of steel scaffolds being dropped into cement. Margate is lovely and small.

17:30: We popped to The Lifeboat , a great dark wood and vintage paraphernalia kind of place, for some pre-dinner Kent ciders and are promptly joined by the entirety of Foals. Told you Margate was small! Warning: if you are a wine drinker they honestly have a red, white and pink. Stick with cider or ale!

19:00: Accommodation is limited in Margate so we jumped on the train to Whitstable to stay in an Air BnB.

20:00: We attempted to get in somewhere to eat for dinner in Whitstable but nowhere had space. We had to eat in Zizzis and couldn’t use any discount vouchers. This #TeamCoco writer was absolutely devastated.

21:30: We had a nightcap at the kooky tiny microbrewery ale pub The Black Dog (again, wine drinkers beware!) Tonnes of instagrammable creepy things…

Sunday

09:00: We were up nice and early to explore Whitstable and suffered a similar fate as the night before looking for breakfast. We happened upon The Whitstable Coffee Company who proudly serve local food and only use local ingredients. Look out for the lovely map on the wall with details of where their meats and cheese come from.

11:00: The best thing next is to go for a walk. We got onto the seafront and got walking. Be sure to walk along to Tankerton and, on a clear day try and get a sight of the amazing and slightly spooky Red Sands Maunsell Forts.

13:30: Heading back into the main town we couldn’t pass up on some fish and chips. We popped into VC Jones for deliciousness and a cuppa, all at proper chip shop prices.

14:30: There are plenty of little galleries (and charity shops!) on the way back to the station so take your time wandering in and out of independent businesses.

15:30: If you have any time to kill pop into one of the most glamorous Wetherspoon’s we’ve ever seen; The Peter Cushing which is housed in a classic old cinema and has played up its roots with film stills on the walls.

We remain obsessed with Margate, it’s like Brighton 10 years ago. Tatty and exciting!

Spring has sprung and our thoughts have turned to staycations we can accomplish in a weekend. While we adore traveling internationally (as I’m sure you, dear reader, will have realised by now!) there are so many amazing places in the UK and Ireland to explore. #TeamCoco will be bringing you whistlestop tours of the amazing places we visit, all only a short journey away!

For our first trip Anna Willatt shares some tips on what to get up to in the fair city of Dublin.

Friday:

14:00: We were busy faffing around in London on our Friday morning so booked to fly into Dublin late in the day. The plan was to meet friends for dinner as it’s such a short flight….

17:00: Flight is 90 minutes delayed so we treat ourselves to a couple of G&Ts in the airport.

21:00: We dashed through security and jumped into a cab (c. 15 euros) which took us to a proper Irish boozer on Baggot Street where we met with rather merry friends who had been watching the rugby. Nightcap dinner at Eddy Rockets. Not a massively Irish dinner, but a damn good hotdog all the same.

23:00: We were staying with friends in Ireland but there’s no shortage of Air BnBs to suit you right in the city centre.

Saturday:

09:00: We were early to rise to drive a short way out of Dublin City to walk up Kiliney Hill for a dramatic view of the stunning Kiliney Bay.

11:00: We’d recommend you walk around a monument you’ll find which looks like a primitive pyramid, shelf by shelf clockwise and make a wish at the top. (Disclaimer: this may be folkloric or this may be something our friend made up.)

11:10: We, of course, took daft pictures somewhere high up with the bay below pretending we were “On top of the World”.

12:00: We took a short drive to the unbelievably adorable Monkstown Village. Before brunch we popped into the fantastic multi-brand shop Seagreen for an amazing selection of clothing, perfumes and lifestyle accessories. When you go check conversion rates if you are a pound user as you may get a bargain. We snapped up some Bella Freud perfume and a Melissa Odabash bikini in their sale. Score!

13:00: Be ready to be blown away by the Salt Cafe by Avoca (make sure you book in advance). If you don’t know the Avoca chain, get to know them as you will probably love them – think Anthropologie for clothes and homeware with amazing healthy hedonist styled food. We were torn between egg dishes, seeded salads and sandwiches for breakfast but opted for delicious sweet potato falafels with numerous dips and bread.

14:00: We weren’t rushed at all during our brunch so made space for dessert and coffee which was every bit as awesome as our savoury.

15:00: Stuffed from our epic brunch we chilled with our friends dog and went for a walk down by the sea. So rock and roll!

Sunday:

07:00: The joy of a chilled evening is energy the morning after so we made out to maximise our remaining hours before a 2pm flight home. Up bright and early we set out to wander Dublin city which we had so far ignored on our trip. After a quick hashtag search on Instagram (#TeamCoco secret weapon when planning for a trip!) we found a couple of places to pop by and headed out.

08:00: Fueled by a coffee from Insomnia we wandered through Trinity College, taking daft selfies in the mirrored sculptures.

08:30: In our earlier Instagram hunt we’d found out that there was an exhibition of all of the March Hares that had previously been dotted around the city at The CHQ Building and had a nose around, choosing our favourites.

9:00: We then wandered Temple Bar onto South William Street and grabbed some bargaintastic French Toast and tea at Lemon Co.

10:00: From here, we headed onto the main shopping streets and fell in love with everything in BT2, Brown Thomas’ contemporary fashion diffusion store. We popped upstairs for a delicious raw juice from Alchemy.

10:30: For souvenirs we headed to Powerscourt Townhouse and stock up on Irish made craft items, cards and notebooks at Article.

11:00: Our final stop was another Avoca on Suffolk Street (see, we told you you’d love it!) to pick up some sale bargains and pop down to the food court to grab Irish roasted coffee, a doorstep sandwich and healthy nibbles to sustain us on the flight home.

12:00: We grabbed an Uber and headed back to the airport, waving the city goodbye as we went! We loved finding another side to Dublin, which involved no Guinness and even less Jameson!