July 2025 Archives

When I was in Vienna, Austria in late May, I spent a day browsing the art galleries/museums at Belvedere. There are three of these galleries located in the buildings that once functioned as palaces: Upper Belvedere, Lower Belvedere, and Belvedere 21. The Upper and Lower ones were former palaces, but Belvedere 21 is located a short walk away and is a modern building and modern art gallery. Upper Belvedere is the most popular of the three museums with a lot of work by famous artists, notably Gustav Klimt who lived in the city and whose work is popular. I also saw some work by Monet, Van Gogh, Rodin, Munch, and many other popular artists, and they also had an area dedicated to women artists, which have been greatly overlooked.

Upper Belvedere had a lot of different rooms with different works, and each other rooms also had some information about the room's purpose when it was the palace. Much of the beautiful wall and ceiling paintings and decorations still exist.

One room was two storeys tall and beautiful.

It also had glimpses across to Lower Belvedere.

I took some photographs of some of the famous work and work that I also liked.

Afterwards, I decided to see Belvedere 21. I haded to the back of the Upper Belvedere palace. The other side of the building was having some work done, but the grounds are beautiful with pools and fountains and gardens.

Belvedere 21 is a modern building, and there are three floors with the ground and upper floor having most of the artwork.

I got a photograph of one of the outside sculptures, which was actually displayed in London a few years ago.

The modern art gallery was not really my taste in art.

Afterwards, I headed back to the grounds to visit Lower Belvedere. On the way, I discovered an outdoor art gallery, which was ruins discovered now in park area.

Lower Belvedere is a smaller gallery in a beautiful palace, and there is an exhibit on Klimt's artwork and additional displays for religious artwork and a selection by female artists.

I did enjoy seeing the beautiful designs of the rooms.

The other side of Lower Belvedere had some internal gardens.

I enjoyed the visit to the galleries, and I will be covering the park and gardens in a later post.

I visited Potters Resorts Five Lakes in Essex near London at the end of June for a short break. The resort offers all-inclusive breaks with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and an all-inclusive range of hot and cold drinks, including alcohol. There are games, entertainment, and other activities to enjoy with a schedule that changes daily and to suit all ages and interests.

I stayed in a spacious room. The resort itself is quite small and situated on a golf course.

There was entertainment every night and into the early hours with dancing. The live entertainment included live music, comedy, and dancing. There were musical music and older music, and it was well-presented. Before the live shows, there was also bingo to play, although I did not win anything.

There were also grounds to walk around, and some of the activies were located a short walk away, such as rally karts, archery, and shooting.

The menus changed daily for lunch and dinner, and there were three course meals and a buffet with a large range of choices and always a roast meal. The desserts also changed daily, but they also had a few desserts on a list that could be enjoyed if the daily offering did not appeal.

I spent a lot of time in the twice-daily craft classes. I had a watercolour class, and later that day I painted a canvas bag.

There was also live music and seating outside.

The favourite craft that I did was the "iris folding", and I loved this. 

I also tried my luck at archery (and got a bull's eye) and shooting.

On the last day, I only did one of the crafts, and that was pottery-painting.

I also created "glass painting", but it really wasn't. I won a medal.

There is a huge games room and dance studio too. I also spent a little bit of time in the gym, and there was also a pool and a spa.

I enjoyed my visit to Potters Resorts, but the time went much too quickly.

Earlier this month, I visited Moor Park Mansion in Rickmansworth for one of their "open days" that thy host during the summer months where members of the public can join and visit the mansion and a few of the rooms open to the public with historical significance. The mansion house is set in 300 acres of grounds. It was constructed in the early 1700s and became a golf course in 1923, owned by the council and then purchased by the golf course who have an agreement to open the mansion to the public.

Moor Park is located in northwest London near Rickmansworth. It is about a fifteen-minute walk from Moor Park underground station on the Metropolitan line. After arriving, I walked through the housing estate up through a lane that leads to the golf course through wooded land.

The mansion soon came into view, and there are tennis courts as well as the golf club. Moor Park Mansion grounds have even more history and was used in the 1500s and known as "Manor of the More", but the house there became a ruin by the 17th century. It was rebuilt in the late-1600s inside a deer park and just southwest from the former house.

"The More" was owned by Cardinal Wolsey in the time of Henry VIII, and the French visited it in the mid-1500s to settle a treaty with England, and the house was considered more beautiful than Henrey VIII's at Hampton Court. Catherine of Aragon moved into the house here after her marriage to Henry VIII was annuled, and the king visited here to go hunting.

Tea, coffee, and biscuits were available when I entered to wait for the tour.

We waited in one room that has some photographs. We were shown a presentation that mentioned the history of the house and grounds. We first looked at the Great Hall, which is impressive and reminded me of Queen's House, which I visited in the spring. 

The dome was inspired by St. Peter's in Rome, but it is a painting. The paintings are inspired by Greek classics.

We then headed into the hallway, where we were told about the paintings and the meaning of the paintings here, which was meant to be the origin of the four seasons. 

Then we headed upstairs to admire the Great Hall from the upper level but paused to look at the paintings in the hallway.

More photographs of the Great Hall are below.

Off of the Great Hall on the first floor is another important room. This room was used in World War II. The British Airbourne Corps was based here in 1944 and 1945, and the room was where planning of "Operation Market Garden" for the Battle of Arnhem was conducted. A model with sand was placed in the room with various leaders planning the attack.

The room has lovely views over the golf course. The parkland was landscaped in the 1700s by "Capability" Brown.

We then went into th ground floor and the room on the end of the building that is used for events. The ceiling decoration was amazing and created with skill.

Afterwards, we went into the room just off of the Great Hall and directly back, which faces the back of the building and parkland. This is also a beautiful room with paintings depicting the seasons. 

There are beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling.

We then went outside and examined the building. The hound was the symbol of the family who owned the house.

In the grounds is a statue "Father Thames", made in the late 1700s. It was discovered in the grounds and had possibly been broken during the time that the house was used during World War II.

We also saw the stables for the house.

We then headed around the side of the building where a few of the fuzzless apricot trees are planted, and these apricots are named "Moorpark" after the location. The owner of Moor Park at that time was Adminral Anson, and he planted apricot seeds around different places where the ships sailed so that if the crew stopped there again, they could eat from the fruit. The seeds came from Asia. There was also one of the first commercial strawberry plants grown at Moor Park.

After the tour, I went to the bar and bought a drink to have inside the beautiful room off of the Great Hall.

I then had a quick look at my own pace around the gardens. 

The day was lovely, and it was one of those very warm days that we had earlier this month. I would recommend a visit to the mansion to see the artwork and learn about the history of the grounds.

On my visit to Vienna, Austria at the end of May, I went to the theme park named Prater (Wurstelprater) in the city. The theme park is open all year around with the different rides, shops, restaurants, and other attractions opening at different times throughout the day with the main hours from mid-March until the end of October. There are a variety of different rides for all types of ages and thrills. I had a look around.

There are so many rides and attractions here over a large area.

I recommend a visit to the theme park if in Vienna during the spring and summer months.

In Vienna a couple of months ago, I discovered additional street art by the French and Austrian duo Jana & JS. These artists use themselves as subjects in their street art that they paint across the world. In the piece pictured below, the duo painted themelves with a variety of polaroid camera shots and a camera, and this was painted in 2013 along with some additional work in Vienna.

Welcome to the winter and spring 2025 edition of "empties", the beauty and skin-care products that I have used up over the winter and spring. I wanted to showcase the products that I have used so that I can remember which ones that I would purchase again and recommend. 

Eyeko Black Magic mascara: This little tube of mascara adds a rich colour and has lasting power on lashes and promises a dramatic effect. Would I buy it again? Yes, this is one of my favourite mascaras, and I love that the tube can claim as much of the product as possible as the hard plastic tubes that other brands use tend to dry out.

Galderma Calmurid Pro Body Lipolotion: This is a moisturiser that promises to increase the water content of skin. Would I buy it again? No, I found the product to be clumpy and did not seem to do what it promised.

Colorsensational lipstick in 'sultry sand': The product is brought to use by Maybelline, and the colour is a pale pink-brown, basically the colour of my skin. Would I buy it again? No, my colouring cannot pull off this shade of lipstick; I would have received it in a beauty box. Also, I found the product to not spread evenly.

Diamond Extreme Eye Cream: The product promises to demish signs of aging around the eye area. Would I buy it again? No.

Elemis freshSkin Loving Lips: This balm for lips has a minty fragrance and adds deep moisture to lips. Would I buy it again? I would buy it for the winter months to replenish moisture in lips.

The Body Shop cranberry lip balm: The cranberry-scented lip balm was one of the winter offerings for the brand. Would I buy it again? The product lasted a long while, and it did add moisture to lips although it did feel a little thick. I may buy it again if there was a scent that appealed.

Th White Company candles: I received several of their scents in sample size in an advent calendar a few years ago, so I used them up. Unfortunately, one of the candles broke when it was lit, the glass and wax falling to the floor. Thankfully I was present and dealt with it immediately, but I felt this was unsafe as the candle glass was compromised for the size. I contacted the company, but they did nothing. Would I buy it again? No, it is dangerous and the company did not respond.

I Love Revolution Fixing Spray: This fixing spray promises to keep make-up from running. Would I buy it again? I bought three different scents at the same time, and the product seems to work okay.

Green & King relaxing candle: I purchased this candle a few years ago, and it has a relaxing scent and a beautiful design with a bird. Would I buy it again? I would if I did not own too many candles.

Cetraben cream: This cream promises to correct very dry skin and is good for people with skin conditions, such as excezma. Would I buy it again? The product did add moisture to the skin, so it does work. However, despite the winter months, my skin doesn't suffer much with dry issues, but I would recommend to others.

Sally nail: I bought this nail polish, which is meant to be good for strengthening nails. Would I buy it again? No, I did not like the product, and it took too long to dry.

Sensai cream: This cream promises to add moisture to skin and use as a day cream, and it has a nice scent. Would I buy it again? I found the product to be okay and had a nice scent, and a little goes a long way. I would consider to purchase again.

All Yours lip balm: This was a cheap balm I purchased in a tinted red colour, and I liked the heart Valentine's theme of the design. Would I buy it again? No, it was a cheap product and I don't like having to use my finger to add the lipstick.

Nail Berry nail polish: This nail polish I received in a red colour. Would I buy it again? Yes, and it dries quickly as well.

Bath and Body Works - 'Sunrise woods': This is a winter scent perfect for January with slightly warming tones. Would I buy it again? I love the brand and love to try different scents.

REN creams: I received a duo of creams for hands and face (day cream). Would I buy it again? The products are good, and this brand do make products that work. I found the creams absorbed into skin.

Holka Holka watermelon mask sheet:I love watermelon, so I wanted to try this mask. Would I buy it again? No, I did not find any benefits.

Good Housekeeping cucumber melon: I received this as a gift, and tries to compete with other brands, and I do love this scent as one of my favourites. Would I buy it again? No.

Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer: The label wore off in my bag, but I picked up several different scents. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Rituals Sakura hand lotion: This brand creates nice scents, and I received this hand lotion inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom. Would I buy it again? I like the brand, but I don't tend to use hand cream.

Philosophy 'snow angel': This product can be used as a shampoo, shower gel, or bubble bath. It is a winter scent with a fresh and cool fragrance. Would I buy it again? I like the brand, but I would not buy this scent again.

When I visited Vienna at the end of May, I visited Sacher hotel to indulge in a bottomless champagne breakfast. I also really wanted to try the famous Sacher chocolate cake available and mentioned in a song "The Ballad of John and Yoko" by the Beatles. John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed at the hotel in Vienna in Austria and had a press conference within a bag (and I assume also ate chocolate cake from it as per the song).

The breakfast room is designed with red marble and chandeliers with red flowers hanging from the ceiling.

There was so much choice in the breakfast buffet along with bottomless champagne and a range of cooked options, breads, pastries, cheeses, meats, and olives.

There were different cakes on offer as well.

I tried a piece of the famous chocolate torte cake.

There were cereals too, museli and nuts.

I also had some fruit and tried a little bit of different items.

Cold meats and cheeses were also available for those who like them.

The chocolate torte was not overly sweet and a heavy sponge that seems to be popular in the region.

There was also a range of cooked items to enjoy, and I had an egg dish with tomato sauce and bread, which was very tasty.

There were other types of cake that I also tried. 

I also checked out a couple of the other rooms at the hotel, such as the bar and also an interesting room near to the bathrooms with various people who stayed at the hotel over the ages.

I enjoyed my visit to Sacher hotel and enjoyed trying the bottomless champagne breakfast.

Columbian street artist Stinkfish has painted across th world, and his work features people that he has seen on his travels. In this large-scale mural for Calle Libra festival in Vienna, Austria, he has painted a portrait of a man holding his child on his shoulders. The artwork was painted in 2016 and uses the colour palette used by the artist featuring yellow for the flesh colour and using bold and bright colours for the backgrounds and other elements, including geometric style.

This is one of the largest-scale murals that I have discovered from the artist.

I also discovered this work by Stinkfish in Vienna:

For more additional work by Stinkfish on this blog, see:

Stinkfish in Penge in 2017
Stinkfish on Hanbury Street
Stinkfish Paints Hanbury Street Ahead of "Portraits in Transit'
Street Art: Stinkfish, Acaro, Mazatl

Street artist Mantra is a French-born artist who has lived in various places in the world and who creates street art featuring butterflies, insects, and nature landscapes. Butterflies are one of his favourite subjects, and the artwork is created using depth and colour across boring building walls. This mural was painted for Callibre festival in Vienna using freehand back in 2017, so the colours are not as bright as they once were, but it is still a stunning piece.

The artwork appears to show the butterflies as if they are in a collection in a framed box. The work is near to a mural by Stinkfish.

To see the Stinkfish artwork in Vienna next to this work by Mantra, see below:

Stinkfish Large Mural in VIenna in 2017

At the beginning of the month, I visited the Air Raid Shelter Cafe in High Wycombe for brunch. The cafe closes later this month after having been in operation since 2018 and is the most interesting cafe with 1940s decor and seating in various "rooms" made to look like a 1940s kitchen, parlour, air raid shelter, train, and more. The cafe itself is like a museum with different items from the time period and has hosted special events and acts throughout its time in High Wycombe. Although the cafe will be closing this month, it hopes to reopen in another location.

I discovered many rooms and areas themed for the 1940s and World War II era, including an area meant to look like a garden with hanging washing and an air raid shelter.

There was also an outside toilet or outhouse, which would have been in place in those days in some areas.

There was also a kitchen equipped with posters and goods from the time period.

There are separate areas for the army and the navy and for the RAF and home guard.

Not to mention a memorial wall...

Upstairs were also some themed rooms.

I had a look at the menu and cakes. I would have loved the afternoon tea, but it is for minimum of two only, and so I opted for a slice of carrot cake and a cheese sandwich.

I did also have scones and tea.

The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the cheese and onion toastie.

Visitors can sit wherever they wish - parlour, air raid shelter, train, or any number of tables around the venue.

The train section is also unique with its own train station theme. There were two tables made to appear to be "inside" the train.

Across the venue are a lot of items, such as this doll house made by a German prisoner of war.

Beyond this is an area known as "town hall" which is a large seated venue that can host live music.

This cafe is very unique and I hope they can find another new venue quickly and reopen.

At the end of May, I visited Vienna for a spring visit as I have always wanted to see the city in the spring or summer. I was meant to see my cousin again, but he had to leave Vienna early, so I had the city to explore myself for a long weekend. I had visited Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna when I visited the city in February (my photographs and write-up can be seen here for the Palace and here for the gardens), and I wanted to explore the gardens in bloom. 

One of my colleagues from the last project that I was on visited the city, and we went together to explore the gardens. I had a walk around the gardens. The first gardens entered at the side of the palace had beautiful rose bushes in different colours.

Some of the gardens looked like they were in progress to have plants installed.

Going around to the back of the palace were the beautiful gardens with views in bloom.

The fountains were beautiful, and there were little caverns at the top with waterfalls and views over the palace. I started to climb the hill with the view of Vienna's skyline in front.

And some views over the palace, but this gets obscured by trees.

Th gloriette is at the top of the hill, and this colonade was built in the 1770s on the edge of the woodland with fantastic views.

Back down near the bottom of the hill are some good views looking at the palace on the other side of the fountain pool.

And there were many good photographs of the palace.

Schoenbrunn Palace gardens in spring are worth a visit to enjoy the colour and a nice walk. There's also the zoo, palace tour, palm house, and the desert house to see here. 

Visiting Schonbrunn Gardens in Vienna in February
A Morning at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
A Visit to Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna

When I was in Vienna at the end of May, I visited the ROLLERCOASTERRESTAURANT® located at Prater's theme park just north of the city centre. The restaurant is the first of its kind in the world where food and drink is sent through loops of a "rollercoaster" and delivered onto the table. The track is 1.2 meters long, and the items are transported up to 30km per hour, through a variety of loops. The tracks are lit up, and they can put on a special birthday performance with music along with the lights that flash.

I had a seat and ordered the chicken and chips in children's size, a cocktail, and a water. The food and drink items came delivered in trays connected to the rails and sealed so that the items do not fall out. The drinks came in sealed glass containers.

I had a children's size of chicken and chips, which was actually too much food for me. 

I also had the birthday cake with the birthday light and sound show with birthday music. Note that the cake was delivered by hand due to the lit candle.

The rails changed colour during the show.

Overall, this is a very unique dining experience and a memorial one that is fitting in the setting of the Prater's theme park in Vienna.

This year is going quickly, and I have taken a lot of photographs during my walks, visits into London, and with friends. I started a new project at work, and I have been prioritizing my fitness and health as well as reading a lot of books and listening to audio books. The new project is going alright, and I am glad to be off of the old one as the management was not great. I have been doing a lot of walking every day after I finish work, and the weather had been nice. I've also been doing fitness classes once a week. 

I love daffodils, and they are my favourite spring flower. I captured this photograph of daffodils early in March at the Ruislip Manor house.

I also bought some beautiful spring flowers to enjoy inside, which was nice for those days where it was grey and a bit cold earlier in the spring.

At Eastcote House Gardens, I enjoyed these snake-head fritillaries. They were out in early April. 

I also enjoyed the displays of tulips around the area, such as Eastcote House Gardens and in Pinner Memorial Park.

While I was in London, I also discovered many tulips in St. James' Park.

In early May, the street had a street party for VE Day. The weather was not great and was very cold, but we made the most of it.

I made delicious waffles with whipped cream and berries.

One of my friends' birthdays was in early April, and we celebrated at The Fox in Ickenham, which used to be Home Bar but which is under new management and recently just re-opened. We had some drinks and pizzas.

I also enjoyed seeing the iris flowers come out in Eastcote House Gardens.

In London's Hyde Park, I discovered some bautiful gardens near to Lancaster Gate. These are the Italian-inspired gardens and were colourful.

Easter was in late April, and I bought a couple of cupcakes from a visit to Greenwich.

For my friend's birthday, I took her to Sergio's Italian restaurant in London north of Oxford Street (see my previous visit post here). A lot of celebrities visit here, and they have photographs of them at the restaurant. We enjoyed pasta and dessert and received a free shot glass. Afterwards, we went to Frevd bar, which I visited a few times: here and here.

I also tried the Dubai chocolate strawberries, which was from Love Cocoa next to Bond Street station.

Ruislip Woods and Eastcote House Gardens also had some bluebells in bloom at the end of April.

With the nice weather, I enjoyed some cocktails in the garden.

A couple of friends came up from Bournemouth, and I got to see the semi-final of "Britain's Got Talent" live show in mid-May.

I had another street party this year to watch the Eurovision Song Contest with a few neighbours. As in previous years, we brought food from different regions in Europe.

One of my friends was starting a new job in early June, so we enjoyed some drinks and a set food menu at Ten in Ruislip. There were starters, and I had the chicken burger and ice cream.

My friend's daughter also celebrated her birthday in early June, and she likes "Friends", so it was themed. 

And finally, the cornflowers were coming out in early June. I cannot believe that spring is over already. The weather has been warm, and I have also enjoyed some visits to Ruislip lido.

A few years ago, I visited Yaprak in Eastcote for dinner, and I also visited on my birthday this year. Yaprak is a stylish Turkish restaurant that is popular for its food and drinks and stylish interior. On my first visit a few years ago, I went with a friend and tried a few cocktails, starters/sides, and I had the princess chicken main. The portion sizes are very large.

On my most recent visit in mid-June, I tried three different cocktails. 

All of the meals are served with bread and dip.

I had the halloumi starter.

I had the chicken dish served with brown rice.

For dessert, I had the chocolate souffle.

On the first visit a few years ago, I was sat at the back of the restaurant.

I ordered vegetable samosa and tabuleh. My friend ordered some meat starter.

I cannot remember what their main was.

The princess chicken is a huge platter of creamy chicken, which was served with rice. There was so much food.

I enjoyed the food and drinks at Yaprak. The first visit, the staff were friendly, but there was a lack of attention on my second (birthday) visit unfortunately. It was also not at all busy on this visit when compared to my first.

In 2018, SkyHigh and Voyder painted at the annual White Cross Party and left behind some beautiful murals. Sky High painted a colourful bird, and Voyder painted his tag with a silver "metallic" foil glow to it. Both artworks look great together.

Every now and again I come across something that is a little bit peculiar in London, and this used to happen more often when I worked on Brick Lane and would often see a lot of crazy things. On this occassion, I discovered a piece of concrete, a heavy and sizable chunk, lying on the pavement. Written on the concrete chunk were the stenciled words "Keith Did This" in red. Now, I am not sure who Keith is and why he "did this", but if anyone knows anything, please send me a message.

Street artist Daniel Mac Lloyd is originally from Luxembourg, and he paints imagery that inspires him from nature and to add calm to the chaos of the world, finding beauty in the small and over-looked parts of life. The artist was inspired at an early age and created work in his local skatepark. He has painted all over the world, and I located a couple of paintings in London. Both feature birds, which is a favourite subject of the artist.

I've been going through my street art photographs recently and would like to share some artwork that I captured in London over the past year from street artist 5kyh1gh (SkyHigh), SMO Crew. The artist has a range of styles from animals (especially birds) to the "Smile More Often" text. I captured some of these photographs in Kingston and some in east London.

I love seeing cat street art, and this piece was in Kingston.

The "Mario Brothers" street art was also in Kingston.

More artwork from the artist can be seen below:

• SkyHigh Kingfisher
• Leicester's Bring the Paint Festivals 2017 and 2019
• Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
• Manchester Street Art
• Leake Street Recent Street Art
• Street Art: 5kyh1gh Kingfisher
• Street Art: Artista, DecoLife, Binty Bint, Ino, Irony, Pixie, SeaPuppy

I captured several new street art from Fat Cap Sprays over the past few months. Fat Cap Sprays paints cartoon characters using a technique to make the artwork appear to be neon and glowing, which is made with several layers of paint to create the "glow" effect on top of a black background. 

Previous work by Fat Cap Sprays on this blog is below:

Fat Cap Sprays in Penge
Street Art: Fat Cap Sprays 

Godfrey's sells gourmet small-batch popcorn in the heart of London at Covent Garden, and the shop has been open since last summer. I love popcorn, so I happened to chance upon this little shop when I was in the area and bought a bag of the butter. Butter popcorn is the popular flavour in America when visiting the cinema, and cheese and caramel are also staple flavours of American popcorn. The shop sold all three with additional seasonal flavours.

I bought and enjoyed the butter flavour, and it was delicious. The shop started out of a love for popcorn and the grandfather of the owner having been a lover of popcorn at the cinema during the 1940s and enjoying to experiment with different flavours. (At first, I thought this may be an American company due to the flavours on offer, but it is British.)

The popcorn is popped into fluffy large-sized pieces, and this was better for me so that I didn't chip a tooth on a hard kernel. 

Getting together with friends this year has proved to be difficult with everyone's schedules, but I was happy to have arranged successfully a quick get-together a few days after my birthday on a Friday night to have cocktails and food in Hatch End, where I had not been out to before. The venue was Izgara, a restaurant with Turkish or Middle Eastern cuisine because one of my friends has to be careful about the food she eats, so my first choice of Indian was out of the question. Izgara had an offer on two-for-one cocktails, and we could mix and match the cocktails that we wanted, so we did not have to get two of the same one, which was amazing because we could try them all.

The restaurant itself is located on the main street with a terrace open to the elements on a nice day, and I enjoyed watching the people walk by outside. 

We had a nice selection of cocktails. From the Porn Star Martini, Pina Colada, Cosmopolitan, Daiquiri, and the Flirtini (a raspberry version of the Porn Star Martini), we enjoyed trying the selection. We could also choose a mocktail.

Bread with a selection of dips came out first, and we all had starters that we shared.

Beetroot Kisir was one of my friends' starters, and I had a taste and thought that it was okay, but it is something that I would not normally have.

One of my friends ordered cacik, and I also had a try, but this was not to my liking at all. It is made from yoghurt, and I don't like the texture nor taste.

Another friend had the fried brie, and this was tasty and came with a mango sauce.

I ordered the sigara borek, which is halloumi and feta cheese in filo pastry and served with a sweet chilli dip. It was also tasty.

A little later, we had some live music being played.

For the main, I had the vegetable iskender. It was tasty, but I couldn't eat it all, so part of it went home with me to have the following day. Two of us ordered the same dish.

The other two friends ordered the chicken shish.

As it was my birthday, I had the chocolate souffle, which was served with ice cream. It came to my table with a lit candle and a birthday song.

After we finished eating, we went to Wetherspoons just further up the road. It was so packed inside, and it was humid. I was feeling tired, so we did not do a late one, and I didn't want to drink anymore than I had, so we had an early night but an enjoyable one with dinner. 

Quick get-togethers with friends to celebrate special occassions is wonderful, and I hope that we can do more of these gatherings in the future.