Join the Mile High club

My sister lives in East London, and to say she's an evangelist would be an understatement. I'm constantly told how much "cooler" it is over there. How much more "innovative", "creative", about the amazing supperclub she went to the night before. Well, what East can do well I'll wager West will take on and do better, and when it comes to pop-up restaurants, I've a case in point.

A few weeks back, I checked into a glamorous departure lounge in Notting Hill, and one hour, 3 cocktails, and around 10 moose and beetroot canapes later, arrived (in some style) in the heart of Gotenburg. Dine Mile High is the innovative new pop-up restaurant concept dreamed up by 4 cousins from West London. Inspired by the golden age of air travel, each pop-up takes passengers to a different "destination", recreated through fantastic set design, delicious canapés, cocktails and a wonderfully authentic 'local menu'.

The exceptional attention to detail was what made the whole experience so memorable. The staff were local actors and drama students, and right from the check-in desk to the roaming semi-inebriated pilot, who called passengers aboard by name, the act did not slip once. Furnished with boarding passes and passports, we hit the departure lounge bar - earning passport stamps for each drink we sampled - whilst Scandi air hostesses served us with mousse canapes, pickled beetroot and cabbage, and all manner of Swedish delights.

Soon it was time to be called aboard our 'flight', and a few short moments later we were sat in the heart of "Gotenburg". Antlers and elk skins lined the wall, we sat along minimalist wood shared tables, and the cabin crew prepared us for take off. In a very well thought out pastiche of the standard lifejacket-and-exits routine, we were taught the correct way to imbibe and enjoy the meal (always ensure your neighbours glasses are full to the brim, in case you were wondering), and then we began.

Scallops were served with creamy potato puree in sea shells, we shared a smorgasbord of shrimps, salmon and marie rose sauce with our neighbours, and we devoured the elk steak with golden beetroot and chanterelles, rounding off with a scrummy Swedish lingonberry crumble. The menu was delicious - think noma, rather than ikea - and the seating arrangement and amenable hostesses made it a really convivial evening (the half bottle of wine each certainly helped).

The whole concept was fantastically thought out, and great fun to boot. Future departures will take guests to Beirut, Sicily and Mozambique, so make sure to bookmark www.dinemilehigh.com for when the tickets come out. This is certainly one frequent flyers club I'd recommend joining!

Dine Mile High
www.dinemilehigh.com
Next departures: 1-4th and 8-11th May 2013: Beirut.

Boutique Beauty by Bishops Park

Beauty salons, hair dressers and grooming parlours in Fulham are bountiful and range from the uber posh to the uber basic, but I have never been to one that has really blown me away, excuse the pun! That was until I visited the newly opened La Durbin Boutique Salon on the Fulham Palace Road. Stepping into this old school hollywood glamour salon is like turning back the clock to a more sophisticated and indulgent era. The attention to detail with the decor is delightful and the atmosphere so inviting you feel instantly at home. 

La Durbin is not a production-line style salon, they are passionate about the experience as a whole, from the complimentary glass of champagne to relax you before you take to the chair to the plate of ferrero rocher chocolates waiting as you sit down. Spending time in this salon really celebrates the art of pampering, ensuring you leave feeling a million times more relaxed, glamorous and polished than when you arrived. 

The sound of laughter fills the vintage inspired room and the staff appear genuinely thrilled to be working there, this is no doubt testament to the owner Latifa's passion for creating a genuine and warm environment for the staff and customer. This was her dream and she has worked tirelessly to make it just so, it's paid off!  She has already built a database of loyal local clientele despite only having been open a few short weeks.

I opted for the Deluxe Blow Dry which was by far the best blow dry I have ever had, instead of leaving me with static fluffy hair which dropped ten minutes later my hair stylist lovingly tended to each strand, creating amazing volume. I was over the moon with the results and two glasses of champagne down began to feel a warm glow of girlie happiness. Once finished we were given ample time to finish our drinks and discuss the results, my sister and I felt like we could be at home it was so relaxing and fun in the salon, but alas 2013 awaited outside and our slice of hollywood glamour was soon gone, until next time...

   

                

339 FULHAM PALACE ROAD, LONDON
Info@ladurbinsalon.co.uk
0203 302 3973

A Very Hot Pod with Hotter Results!

Here in Fulham we have an ABUNDANCE of cool new start-up businesses, so much so that we are compiling a round up of the best, there is obviously something in that South West Thames water. Loving new local businesses and anything independent and passion driven, we were desperate to try out Fulham's latest craze, Hot Pod Yoga. 

Set up by Nick Higgins and Max Henderson, a yoga teacher and a strategy consultant from London in January this year, this start-up may be fresh out of the womb but it has already received an impressive amount of press coverage and attention. Max and Nick are young, enthusiastic and charming, whilst being relatable and cool, a quality not often associated with yoga. Jess and I both agree that there is nothing worse than turning up to a yoga class and feeling like the home school student who has just joined secondary school and hasn't heard of facebook. There were no die hard yogi cliques and the class felt informal and quite fun, despite the soaring temperatures in the pop up inflatable pod. 

I decided to wear my new Zaggora trousers to the class for an added workout (more on these coming soon) and despite feeling apprehensive was instantly impressed by spacious lay out and cool music inside the pod - a much less rush-hour on the district line feeling than other hot yoga studios. The class was taught by Nick and combined some Vinyasa style flowing moves with a great pilates-esque tummy toning section. Despite the sweat starting to run down my chest which usually distracts me a bit with hot yoga, I really got into it and felt my muscles really start to stretch and work, toning from the inside out. 

The class flew by and we left feeling a million times better at the end than when we had shivered our way there from the bus stop to Hortensia Road. A fun atmosphere, cool concept and brilliant start up which will no doubt grow in popularity at a rapid pace - it got both thumbs up from us and we will definitely be back! They also have a great value launch offer of £10 per class or £80 for 10 classes, and three South West London locations! For more details visit www.hotpodyoga.com