Paramount

If you’re looking to have a drink with a view and you can’t afford the Shard, the next best option is Paramount bar and club. You need to call to make a reservation, but after that you don’t even have to worry about being on time. The building where you find Paramount is called Centre Point, and the closest station is Tottenham Court Road. Upon arrival, you walk up the stairs and talk to the reception, they then take you up to the 33rd floor where you will find the bar. 

This isn't just an ordinary bar, its a bar with an amazing view. I like to go there around Christmas time because they’ve already set up all the lights so there’s even more to see. The drinks aren't cheap, but with a view like that it’s worth it. Also, their wine glasses are bigger than in most places around London. The staff is incredibly polite, and they know exactly when to approach you and when to leave you alone. That to me is very important I need to read the whole wine list before choosing one, and I hate being rushed.

After making your order, walk around the bar, since all the exterior walls are made of glass you can see London from every direction. Last time I went I spent hours just awing at the view. I never expected to see that much of London especially since somehow its always grey here. Overall, if you want to treat yourself to a good drink and a nice evening I strongly recommend Paramount. Where else can you go to see all the Christmas lights? 

Here’s their website: http://www.paramount.uk.net/

Anise

My friend and flatmate Emily works at Costa and she invited me to go out with her and her coworkers one Friday night. We went near their work place to a place called Anise near Liverpool Street Station. By the time I got there everyone was already a little buzzed and I soon found out why. All Friday night the cocktails are 2 for 10 pounds. And these cocktails are amazing, different, unique, and obviously delicious. 

The venue is a little bit Moroccan themed with dimmed lanterns as lights, and coffee tables and comfortable couches for the customers to enjoy. They also have a DJ there on Friday and Saturday nights, and the staff working at the bar really like to dance. Everyone seems to be having a good time. Its the type of place where normally only business men (and women) would go for a slightly high class drink but they let me in wearing jeans and a t-shirt so as long as you're buying they'll be happy to see you. 

Its a great place for a girls' night out and making yourself feel better. I had a lot of fun and I want to go back, just for those wonderful spiced martinis. Here's their website: http://www.cinnamon-kitchen.com/Anise

Belmacz Gallery

The Belmacz gallery is a tiny little gem in Mayfair. My friend Kristin's cousin showed his work there so she was invited to the opening of their new show. The gallery is tiny, with one room on the ground floor and a smaller one below but the space is used well. The pieces are shown in the window and one along each wall, except for two smaller pieces on the largest wall. Sculpture is also well integrated into the exhibit and it is set up in a way that you can truly only focus on one piece at a time, which I really liked.

One of the organizers of the gallery (Julia Muggenburg) has her own jewelry brand and make-up brand. Her necklaces and other items are shown throughout the gallery in a metal glass display hanging from the ceiling on the ground floor and in a wall display on the lower floor. Also, when arriving on the lower floor you can peak into their offices which gave me a bit more understanding of the process behind it. 

The night itself went really well, we drank a few whiskey sodas and mingled with a few artists trying to understand their thought process behind their work. The more traditional pieces were by artists who had very strong technical skills whereas the most controversial piece (Kristin's favourite) was done by a man who programmed the whole image on a computer. He was able to create a person in 3D form digitally and then map out the shape. His friend then drew the whole image that was then mapped back onto the digital body. The other layers in the piece were also created by the artist using digital software. This was really interesting to us because it shows how much the world is changing with technology, and it was really great to see what we could create. 

Here's the gallery's website: www.belmacz.com

Benets

Benets is at the end of Brick Lane. Its a beige building with tables always outside. The signs on their windows say "ice-cream" and "pancakes" so of course I walked in. My friend Emily and I had just spent the whole afternoon on Brick Lane and we were so happy to finally sit down and relax.

This place has incredible ice-cream. I was contemplating getting crepes with extra ice-cream but I thought that was a little over the top. So instead, I asked to try a few of the ice-cream flavours. I ended up deciding on a mandarin sorbet. And let me tell you, it was amazing. The cups are 2.5 pounds but its worth it because you get to find out which flavour you want before, and they fill them up quite a lot. 

Other than the amazing ice-cream the location is pretty cool too. They have a few bikes hung to the ceiling and other small quirky details but it also reminds me of a stereotypical french bistro with wooden floors and tables and the colours brown and beige being reflected throughout the interior. Next time I go there I am getting crepes! 

Slate

Walking towards Old Street I convinced my friend to try a new coffee shop and not go to her usual one (Fix 126). We stopped at Slate, which is on Curtain Road as well. The grey exterior isn't very inviting but it didn't look empty and there were a lot of fresh baked goods on display near the bar. We both got coffee, and my friend spent about 15 minutes talking with the barista to try to figure what all the flavours of the cookies were. 

I instead decided to have dinner or what I like to call "late lunch" there, and I got a cheese and bacon sandwich on ciabatta bread. (It was incredible). We sat down at the nearest table, all the tables are different and so are the chairs. I tend to like this design aesthetic when done well because it makes you feel more relaxed and free to do and say what you want. 

The food was brought out to us on black slabs, kinda like a black board or a "slate" which I thought was a creative way of serving small dishes. Everyone inside was so friendly and kept smiling so it was nice to be there. I'll probably go back again, just for another one of those sandwiches. 

Here's their website: http://www.slatecoffeelondon.co.uk/

Nails at Swapaholics

At the Swapaholics event there was also a Nail Salon. It was just a little table with a lot of nail polish and two really fun women. I chose to get my nails done because I had a date that evening and the nail polish I had on was really badly chipped. It took me forever to choose the colours I wanted painted, because I knew I wanted to have an accent nail that would have more detail than the others. 

I ended up choosing a bright pink and a gold glitter. Lately I've been really into pink and purple more, maybe its because most of my winter clothes are blue and I'd like to think the weather should be warm now. Anyways, these two hilarious women entertained my friend Kristin and I for well over an hour and our nails turned out really well. 

Kristin is a nail biter, so we were hoping that putting nail polish on her would make her stop (sadly, it didn't). 

The nail artists are: ColourRiotNails and Lalafornailart, they both are reachable on twitter and instagram under those names!

Fix 126

Fix is a coffee company with 2 stores in London. The one I went to was Fix 126, which is the Shoreditch branch. The wooden bar, and wooden tables give the place a very warm and welcoming feel. Most of the people inside are either chatting quietly, or tapping away at their laptops. You have to make your order at the bar, but unlike other Shoreditch bars they accept card payment for any purchase, so you don't have to worry about finding an ATM before you get there. 

Its set up the same way as Starbucks, you order your drink, they make it, they call out your order, you pick it up, and then you take your seat. Its nicer though, because they have a bigger variety of things to order and the atmosphere is a lot more like a community. I want to go back there soon, because I was able to focus better there than I have been able to focus at home, and it was really for me to study for my marketing exam there. 

Also one of the few other joys of Shoreditch, a random person dressed really creatively can walk in any time making your day more fun and special. Here's their website: http://www.fix-coffee.co.uk/fix-126/