A Birthday Day Out

So, today is the 22nd birthday of a fabulous chum of mine, Laura. When it came to deciding on presents, she's put us all in a pickle by deciding to disappear off travelling in a couple of weeks, and isn't back properly until this time next year. I decided that meant there was no point in buying clothes/books/makeup etc, and her family are buying her the rest of her travel essentials.

So what better excuse is there for a day out? Food, the hairdressers, and more food, to celebrate Laura's birthday by doing something and having a fun afternoon. And that's just what we did on Saturday.

We started at Salt Bar, a Scandinavian restaurant which has recently been featured on BBC2's The Restaurant Man. It's not food I'd usually go for, so we headed to find out what was on offer. It's quite a small restaurant, with lovely little wooden tables, and simple wall hangings. There is a bar at the back, with what looks like a fairly small kitchen immediately behind it. The menu looks great, it has a variety of foods, but isn't so overwhelmingly big you can't choose what to eat.





We both opted for the vegetarian meatballs - chickpea, spinach and parmesan - mine in the tomato sauce, and Laura's on toast with a beetroot salad. The portions were absolutely huge, but it did taste good.




Unfortunately, we waited over half an hour for our food, which wasn't the ideal situation, and also found certain members of staff weren't the most welcoming. It's worth a visit for the authenticity of the food, but I don't think we'd hurry back...

Next was hair time, and I'd booked Laura in for a blow dry at Roe 11. It's such a nice salon, really open and polished, and the staff were all really friendly. Getting my hair dried and styled at the end of a hair appointment is always the best bit, and I wished I'd booked one for myself too!






The final plan was cake, and as most independent bakeries had closed at 4, we headed to Cafe Nero for big slices of red velvet cake. Their red velvet cake is so yum, and was the perfect sweet treat for the end of the day.





It turned out to be such a lovely afternoon out! It was Laura's birthday treats, but I definitely enjoyed it just as much. It was great to just have a relaxing afternoon out, say happy birthday, and also thank Laura for being a fabulous friend through all of the hard stuff I've been through over the last couple of months. Tonight is round two - Thai food with her family... Roll on 6.30 :)


Comments

  1. jennie18 March 2014 at 13:12

    So pleased you had a lovely afternoon! That cake looks SO good! <3

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katie19 March 2014 at 16:06

    Sophie! What a wonderful thing to do for your friend. Sounds absolutely lovely and her hair looks gorgeous! Shame lunch was a bit stuffy - what a let down! Good old Nero for stepping up to the plate with a slice of yummy cake!

    Katie <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown19 March 2014 at 19:01

    You're such a lovely friend! Shame about the appalling service though, I really hate that! It can ruin a meal. Love your hair :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous30 March 2014 at 17:05

    Those veggie 'meat'balls look delicious, definitely going to do an online snoop for a similar recipe :)

    Hannah's Haven

    ReplyDelete

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