London|| Date Night Ideas

FYI Before I begin I just want to let you all know, this post was originally taken from my new website which I am currently using (and designing, please bear with me) called 'Glam Travel Reviews', I wanted to post this post you are about to read, on this site as well because I understand some of you haven't had the chance to follow my new blog yet, and I don't want you to miss out on another fantastic post all about London'd great restaurants and bars.  

Date nights are always exciting, especially when there is lots of nice food and drink involved. It is always fun to get dressed up for your other half, I certainly believe it add's an element of excitement and is very essential in keeping the passion alive in a relationship.

My favourite kind of date night's usually go a little something like this:- A little pre drink in a nice sophisticated wine or cocktail bar, up the west end. Followed by a lovely 3 course meal somewhere fancy, or at one of my favourite Steakhouses. Then a little trip to a nice Sky bar or Roof top bar to have a few more cocktails, overlooking the gorgeous city skyline.   If this sounds like your ideal night out with your partner, then you need to carry on reading because I am here with a few sneaky suggestions of some fantastic places to visit in the city for your next date night.

Pre-Dinner Drinks:

Dirty Martini: 10c Hanover Square (& Various other locations)

Dirty Martini is a stylish yet relaxed Cocktail bar in the heart of Central London. This chain of bars are known for their 'bespoke range of martini's, signature cocktails & glamorous interiors'.  There are currently 9 bars most of which are in London (Bishopsgate, Clapham, Covent Garden, Hanover Square, Islington, Minories, Monument & St Paul's) & there is also one in Cardiff. I have been to just three out of the 9 bars above- Hanover Square (my favourite to date), Covent Garden & Clapham, all bars were very positive experiences.

The Bar at Hanover Square makes for a great spot to meet up for a Date night, pre-dinner drinks. The atmosphere is friendly, classy (but not too serious) and the setting I believe is quite romantic. The bar is open daily from 4pm- 12am with Happy Hour between 4pm and 10pm. The bar usually stays open later on Friday's & Saturday's, and closes at 2am.

The nearest tube stations to Dirty Martini are Oxford Circus or Bond Street.

Photo Credit: quintsocial.com

Not only does Dirty Martini sell some of the most yummiest cocktail creations, it also has a pretty decent food menu too, so if you do get a bit peckish before your evening meal out you could always order some bar snacks. They have a good and well priced menu which can be found here.

Photo Credit: annette-hothappenings.co.uk

Writer's Recommendations: 

Cocktails: Strawberry & Black Pepper Martini, (Absolut Blue Vodka, Black pepper infused Vodka & Briotett Creme de Fraise des Bois shaken with a Strawberry Shrub, served with fresh lemon juice & a pinch of black pepper). 

Blueberry and Basil Mojito, (Havana Especial Rum and Briottet liqueur de Basilic are mixed together with a homemade blueberry shrub, fresh blueberries, fresh basil leaves, fresh lime juice, blueberry juice and demerara gomme syrup, with a Myers's Jamaican Rum float)

(as well as serving Cocktails the bar also sells your usual spirits & soft drinks. There should be plenty of menu's about at the venue, with great things to choose from).

Bar Food/Snacks:  Green Olives stuffed with Red Peppers

Grilled halloumi, vegetable & pesto kebabs with mint yoghurt

Mains: Signature beef & cheese sliders with bloody mary ketchup

Sharing Platters: 'DISTINCTIVELY DIRTY' Signature beef & cheese sliders, fried buttermilk chicken with buffalo hot sauce, grilled chicken korma skewers with coriander & spices, Korean vegetable samosas, grilled flatbreads with mint yoghurt, spinach & Italian cheese dips.

So there we have just a little bit about Dirty Martini, a classy bar in the heart of the West End, which is the perfect setting for pre-dinner date night cocktails and drinks. To find out more info about the Bar and to book a reservation visit their website. 

 

Gem Bar: 10 Beak Street, Soho

Another great alternative to Dirty Martini above is Gem Bar, which is located on the edge of Carnaby Street, and just off of Regents Street in the West End. Gem Bar is a bit more relaxed and casual compared to Dirty Martini and so it is another perfect spot for a pre date dinner meet up. During the evening the party really hots up and the bar turns into a club, one thing which remains however are the cocktails, which are as expected still exceptional throughout, as is the service. The bar is open Sunday's 12pm till 12:30am, Monday 12pm till 1am & Tuesday to Saturday 12pm till 3am. So this place is the perfect place to come for a spot of lunch, casual after work drinks or a wild party until the early morning! Remember if you are planning to arrive after 10pm on either Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday there will be a door charge.

Photo Credit: latenightlondon

Just like 'Dirty Martini' above, Gem bar also offers an amazing Food Menu. Here's just a few things I have enjoyed when eating here during a lunch time. They mainly offer small plates, snacks, sandwich's and a selection of burgers, to see a full list on whats to offer please visit their website.

Writer's Recommendations: 

Small Plates: Popcorn Chicken £5.00 & Rosemary Garlic Bread Bites £4.00

Sandwiches: Southern Fried Chicken Wrap with bbq Sauce served with Chips £7.00

Sharing Platters: Classic Sharing Platter £15.00

Cocktails:  Soho Solero: (Barcardi Oakheart Rum, Passoa, Cream, Vanilla Syrup, & Passionfruit Puree) £8.25

Watermelon Fresco: (Olmecca Blanco Tequila, Watermelon Syrup with apple & lemon juices) £8.25

Photo Credit: Official website

Dinner:

Gaucho, London Bridge (& various other locations)

Gaucho is my most favourite Steak restaurant in the whole of London (and maybe actually the world). I have been to every one of their restaurant's located in London (there are 13 in total), but their London Bridge one will always remain a personal favourite, for several reasons but mainly because 1. The incredible views of London Bridge get me every time & 2. This is where my boyfriend took us on our first ever date nearly 3 years ago now, and we have been coming back on our anniversary & birthday's ever since, and 3. The food and drinks are of course to die for! So if you are looking for a lovely restaurant to wine and dine and impress you need to take them here.It is not like your average steak house it is classy, elegant and will leave a lasting impression on your other half for sure.

As mentioned above there are 13 restaurants located in London, 2 up North in Manchester & Leeds & 3 Internationally located in Dubai, Hong Kong & Sucre, Buenos Aires. The first restaurant to open was the Picadilly restaurant 22 years ago in January 1994. Since then Gaucho has become a brand, a globally recognised chain in its own right and it now has sister restaurants M Restaurant (you can read my reviews of these here & here).

Writer's Recommendations: 

All taken from the A La Carte Menu

Starter: Chorizo Sausage £8.50

Main: 225g  Fillet Medallions £29.95 with thin cut chips £4.95 & Peppercorn Sauce £3.00

Dessert: Dulce De Leche Cheesecake £9.50

So there we have just a little bit of info about one of the top chain Steakhouse restaurants in London. For all the details and to book your reservation for any of their 13 locations in the city please visit their website here. 

Sky Bars & Roof Top Bars:

So you and your date have warmed up with a few pre-dinner drinks, you have just finished your mains and now you are looking for a few classy venues to round off a perfect date night evening in the city. You definitely need to book yourselves into one of London's many Sky or Roof top bars, here's a couple of fantastic suggestions for you to choose from to make it a date you both never forget. There are SO many to choose from and I would be here all day writing about them. So I have picked just 1 place I have most recently visited and really enjoyed, I hope you enjoy reading about this fantastic Sky Bar.

Sky Garden, The Walkie Talkie Building, Fenchurch Street  

The Sky Garden is a big public viewing area with a main bar in the centre (Sky Pod Bar), there are two separate restaurants (Fenchurch Restaurant & Darwin Brasserie) on site and a few other bars scattered about (City Garden Bar & Fenchurch Terrace). It is located inside the Walkie Talkie Building aka 20 Fenchurch Street and can be found just a few minutes walk away from Monument Tube Station. You do not have to pay to access the Sky Garden space itself, but of course you will need to pay for drinks bought at the bar and if you intend to eat at one of the restaurants on site. Below I will attempt to outline a few of the unique qualities about each place located inside the Sky Garden.

Best Bar:

Sky Pod Bar (Level 35) 

The Sky Pod Bar is located on level 35 and is said to be the main attraction of the Sky Garden (apart from the views of course). This is known as the 'main' bar area and it is open to all the public daily. Monday 7am-12:45am, Tuesday-Saturday 8am-1.45am & Sunday's 9am-11:45am the last entry to this space is 11.45am when the Garden closes.

They serve food daily from 7am until close. They have quite a small amount of tables and sofa's which 9 times out of 10 you will need to pre book. Of course they do also allow walk in customers as well, but be aware you may not get a seat- they do get snapped up fast! For a full drinks menu please visit this page here.

Best Restaurant: 

So you have two main options for food here at the Sky Garden, the first being the aptly named 'Fenchurch Restaurant', which is the larger out of the two, this restaurant is a more formal setting and is open usually for just Lunch and Dinner. They have several menu's to choose from all of which can be found here. The style here is contemporary British & if you come to dine on a Monday evening you can ask for their Set Monday Menu. (I have tried this and can confirm my dinner was delicious).  They also have a bar area which serves Cocktails as well as your usual spirits and mixers, and of course they have an incredible Wine list to go with each meal, they will usually bring you over the list when you are placing your meal orders.

Fenchurch Restaurant is open daily at 11:45am until 2:45pm for lunch & on Monday- Saturday for Dinner 5:45pm until 10:15pm. On Sunday it opens at 5:45pm until 8:45pm for Dinner. Please visit their website to book a reservation or call the restaurant on 0333 772 0020. 

If you are looking for something a bit more laid back and not as British, you may wish to try out the second Restaurant called 'Darwin's Brassiere', as the name suggests the style here is very French. The best thing about Darwin's Brassiere is that it is open bright and early, and also on the weekends. They do a fantastic brunch here as well as lunch and dinner. I have to say that even though this restaurant is not as big nor as formal it seems to be more popular than the Fenchurch Restaurant. This may be because it is open all day though, who knows?

Their menu is really nice and we came here one weekend for an early dinner here is what I ordered:

Starter:

I skipped the starter and just opted for a small cocktail instead

Mains:

Roast Caldecott chicken (borlotti beans, girolles & roasting juices)- £21.75

served with a side of Truffle and Parmesan Fries £6.70

Dessert:

Pistachio cake, lemon cheesecake ice cream & raspberry meringue £9.00

Drinks:

Darwin’s Punch Rum £12.00 (Zacapa 23yro Rum, Chairman’s Spiced Rum, Appleton Estate Rum, pineapple, bergamotto liqueur, fresh lime juice &Angostura bitters).

So there we have it my complete round up of great date night ideas for your next night out! Please feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think/ and if you have visited any of these places yourself. Hopefully I will continue to find lots of other great places to visit, I will update my list for you accordingly.