NYC - 185 Hope Street

After purchasing a voucher for 2 Beers and 2 burgers from itison.com, I took my first venture to NYC - a newly opened bar / restaurant on Hope Street.

I sat down to lunch with a friend in one of the window seats, the place was pretty quiet with one staff member behind the bar. After we ordered our beers we both had a swatch at the menu on the table. It very quickly became apparent that I was not getting a choice in what I was ordering from the 'burger menu'. So it was a falafel pita sandwich with garlic mayo for me and a Manhattan burger for my friend.

After a little while I once again felt the familiar pang of food envy as we were given our respective dishes. I stared across at my pal's burger; piled high with cheese, bacon, onion rings and barbecue sauce. Then I looked down at my pita, with two balls of falafel popped in next to some salad. Both dishes came with a healthy dose of fries and a selection of condiments on the table. After chopping my falafel and attempting to spread it across the pita I got stuck in, it was pretty tasty, but it was no burger.

I think perhaps the common misconception about vegetarians is that we want to be healthy, which is true to an extent, I watch what I eat. However, if I'm going to a restaurant to eat a burger, I want the works! I want cheese, I want onion rings, I want fried, fatty and filling. I want brioche, I want a bun!

If you are choosing from the rest of the New York themed menu you will be choosing from a bagel and cream cheese (not bad for lunch), nachos, penne arrabiata or a pizza / calzone with toppings of your choice (think little Italy).

Overall, I was disappointed in the lack of choice as opposed to the actual quality of the dish. I will however definitely be back. After lunch we decided to sample a cocktail from the extremely varied, New York novelty drinks menu with a cocktail to suit every person and every occasion (and all meat free!). I sipped on a strawberry daiquiri from a tall, frosty milkshake glass which was outstanding value at a mere £3.50! With tempting alternatives such as the 'Especial Mojito' (Havana, fresh limes, sugar, mint and soda) or the 'Sex and the City' (Lime vodka, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, Creme de Cassis and apple juice) I was spoiled for choice. With all that fruit in there, maybe I should spend my next visit dining on the cocktails!?

NYC's Drinks Menu

Quick Rating:

Choice: 2/5

Quality: 3/5

Overall Experience: 3/5

For more information: Visit NYC's website here.

Pass The Vegetables...

I have a Bee in my bonnet, a thorn in my side, nae - I have HAM in my cheese toastie. 

Let me give you a bit of context; 

As a teenager I was a struggling vegetarian. I then relapsed into meat eating through my university years but in November last year I resolved to be a pescetarian (no food with lungs, gills are ok). 

Now, I like my food and I LOVE eating out but it would seem that cafes and restaurants do not love me. Just the other day I found myself walking out of a cafe because they had 'run out' of vegetarian options. The week before, I found myself at two very high-end establishments; while I watched everyone around me eat their choice of duck, lamb, steak, or chicken, I had no choice but a beef tomato stuffed with mushrooms (two of my least favourite vegetables)or casual, Italian gnocci, with a basic tomato and parmesan sauce. The kind of dish I make on a Monday night when I'm too lazy to really cook. Don't even get me started on Chinese takeaways!

My questions are; Why are vegetables only a side dish? Why are vegetarians an after thought? Why should I have to worry about eating on a night out? More and more of us are trying to eat more veg and less meat. Sure, there are plenty of quaint little places that are completely vegetarian or even vegan but that's not exactly appetising either. Try convincing your meat loving pals that they should all spend their hard earned cash in a restaurant that has no burger, steak or chicken.

I am now going to make it my personal quest to find the best veggie friendly eateries in Glasgow. From now on, each of my dining out experiences will be documented online, scrutinised for the number of veggie choices and the originality of the dishes. Points off for safe options like mushrooms and goats cheese (NOT ALL VEGETARIANS LOVE MUSHROOMS). Glasgow - I'm coming to eat you, one vegetable at a time!

My Home made vegetable lasagne.

Tune of the week; Daft Punk - Get Lucky

We were teased last week with a 30 second clip and then, just in time for the weekend, we were treated to the almighty audio track! Yes! Finally! Daft Punk is back. Featuring Pharrell Williams, front man of NERD, this track is the perfect blend of disco, funk and smooth soul lyrics. EVERYONE is talking about it.

Daft Punk - Get Lucky

Already, other artists are jumping on this track to produce their own edits. Check out Sam Sparro's version.

Sam Sparro, Get Lucky - Sound Cloud.

This is what Pharrell Williams had to say about collaborating with the world's favourite disco bots.

I can't wait for the album to come out... Get Lucky!

The Grand Total

So after a few weeks we have finally managed to total up our donations for One Skirt One Month. I am really pleased to announce that we managed to smash our £200 target and raised £387! Thank you to all who donated and to my friends and colleagues who suffered along with me. Penumbra is a really worthwhile charity and is a great support to our SBC students. It was a month of garment torture but I survived. As a bonus, I managed to never wear the skirt with the same thing twice, quite an achievement I think.

These are a few of my favourite outfits from the month. Thanks again everyone. Your support means a  lot. :)

Tomorrow.. and there will be one week left.

Each day I find myself a little more rushed in the morning as I struggle to find something new to wear with the skirt. Tomorrow marks the start of the FINAL week. Oh how I will never moan about having nothing to wear EVER again (that's a lie). However I do like to think this challenge has taught me to appreciate the great clothes I do have.

Day 19:

Keeping it relaxed and casual today. Peace necklace from Miss Selfridge.

Day 20:

Doing a double skirt! Nude pleated skirt from Urban Outfitters.

Day 20(Today!):

Trying to look slightly smart in my sheer blouse (New Look). Trainers are from PUMA for anyone who has been eyeing them up in recent photos.

I'm off out with the Uni girls tomorrow night which means glitter, glamour, more glitter, rum and glitter. I think I might take a pair of scissors to the skirt...

If you have any requests of what you would like to see me do with the skirt then

DONATE

and comment below and I will see what I can do!

Still wearing the skirt.

Apologies for the lack of updates, last week was a busy week. As you can see I look pretty tired in all these end-of-day shots....

Days: 11, 12, and 13

Then it was off to jive Dancing on Day 14;

I nearly had everyone fooled in this outfit but I am definitely STILL wearing the skirt!

Day 15:

Off to Bier Halle for a catch up with my old flatmate.

Day 16 is currently MIA, much like my dignity. I spent Saturday night at Melting Pot's 12th Birthday and DJ Francois K brought the 'House' down.... (pun totally intended!)

I will post the snap when I get it.

Day 16:

Day 17:

Jumper / Duvet day. Nuff said.

Day 18:

Cleaning up the wee flat after the weekend. Hmm... starting to look a bit fed up.

Today is Day 19.. but I don't have a picture yet. I'll slot it in tomorrow.

Don't forget to donate! Click Here!

Tune of the week

This week I can't get enough of this track!

'Green Garden' - Laura Mvula

this tune is from the album 'Sing To The Moon' available on the 4th of March.

I really hope I'm still loving this track when the warmer months come rolling in. There is such a poetic innocence to the soft chimes that introduce the track. I can picture myself on a soft spring morning cycling my bike in Kelvingrove park, playing Laura's album through the headphones. This woman is going to be a hit!

And then there was the weekend...

So I may have got a bit carried away at the weekend... BUT I'M STILL WEARING THE SKIRT!

Day 7:

Peplum top from Miss Selfridge

Day 8:

Election Night @ HW Student Union

Leather Jacket from ASOS, tights House of Holland.

 Day 9:

THIRST Pre-Launch Party (BYOB)

Lace Top from Forever21 and Hooded Jumper from Adidas

Day 10:

I may have not got dressed.....

The hangover was definitely deserved.

Day 6: At eh Dancin'

I spent the day down in Gala today with my fellow fashion friends so we opted for the group shot:

Me and Katie are keeping it casual and cosy with our matching bobble hats. Whereas Jonathon and Rachel are putting us to office shame in their ship sharp shirts.

I powered on through and had the skirt on at Jive dancing tonight,yes I'm still going, and thanks to those who sponsored me! :) What I didn't anticipate was the intense dancing session which followed and me desperately trying to keep up with a whole host of new steps...

So, skirt's in the wash and straight on the radiator for tomorrow morning!

Don't forget you can sponsor me online, just click here!

Day 4/5

Day 4:

It was back to work yesterday and I opted for a very sensible pencil skirt look with a split to the side. Slightly over compensating for my lack of clothing options by choosing bright red shoes.

Between the two days I managed to wash and dry my skirt in record time. I don't have a tumble dryer so was counting on my radiators / hair dryer.

Day 5:

Looking cool an casual today with my trainers and sparkly, knitted top. 

I am definitely running out of options. I caught myself day dreaming today about what I am going to wear on my night out on Saturday. Then I remembered... I'll be wearing this skirt.

Sad Face.

Day 3

Like I said, it's Day 3 and already, I am BORED. 

I spent a good 45 minutes this morning fiddling and folding around and have managed to create myself some sort of dress. The skirt actually splits right up to my pants but I slipped on another jersey mini skirt underneath to create a layered effect.

It was a nice day today so I opted for my first bare legs of 2013, teamed with some cosy Fairisle  socks and a borrowed cardigan. My heeled trainers are from ASOS and are now in the sale, typical, so snap up a bargain! They are super comfy.

I ventured to the West End this afternoon to visit Glasgow's newest vintage shop.

The £10 Thrift Store

I was in the market for a nice, kind-of-long, definitely cosy, mature-but-cool, wool (but doesn't have to be), parka / jacket / coat. You know the one I mean...

The thrift store had many an exciting bargain including outrageous 80's prom dresses and an entire rail of leather but sadly not my dream coat. I left empty handed. 

The shop itself is a great concept and I can see myself frequenting it in the future, what I will say is watch out for broken zips / stains, these faults are only to be expected in vintage clothing but just make sure you are capable of fixing them before you rush to the till.

Hope everyone had a swell weekend. Anyone else been thrifty recently?

One Skirt, One Month

Yes, you heard me! 

One Skirt.

One Month.

For the next 30 days I have accepted the challenge of wearing the same skirt (I am allowed to wash it) in as many different ways as I can manage.

Here is the item in Question:

DAY 1

DAY 2

One average, run-of-the-mill, black, split back, maxi skirt.

Many of my friends say they rarely see me in the same thing twice so lets just say by tomorrow, I will definitely be struggling...

Me and a handful of girls down at SBC are all jumping the fashion hurdles in order to raise money for Penumbra, Scotland's most innovative mental health charity, as part of our Well Being Month. I will be recording all my own fashion adventures on here.

If you want to follow us all, we're on Facebook here!

If you want to sponsor us; click here!

Let the styling begin!

Tune of the Week.

Some listening pleasure for you all:

This tune is nestled among the likes of James Brown and the Rolling Stones in my 'Get Up Offa That Thang' playlist. What I love about it is it's cool, funky, off-beat rhythm. These guys practically defined the British punk scene and this song in particular makes me think of some suave Larry strutting through a vintage market. Very fitting considering I was in London over the weekend. 

Enjoy!