Eat: Riding House Cafe

I'm starting with this picture because I just love it! So happy and sums up my friendship with these guys - always full of laughter. We took our friend Lyron out to brunch at The Riding House Cafe just behind Oxford Circus. I'd wanted to try the place out since trying to get in and being denied because we hadn't booked a table. This time I booked a table!

Open kitchens and a large central bar dominate the main room, but we were seated in the quieter room on the left, luckily.

Sleek wooden tables and plump leather couches as well as wonderfully attentive staff give the restaurant an added air of luxury.

Pictures can be deceiving...I was so hungover! So dressed in this fabulous dress and glam lippy to try and hide it...and then gave in to peer pressure to drink more cocktails!

Vanilla Apple Sour - Stolichnaya Vanil Vodka, Stolichnaya Citros Vodka, egg white, apple juice, lemon. Perfectly light, sweet and refreshing. Not too alcohol-y tasting which was just what I needed!

Red Rum - home spiced rum, cranberry and plum shrub, Taylor's Velvet falernum, lime. An amazing chest-warming, spicy after taste. Yum.

Twinkle - Stolichnaya Vodka, elderflower cordial, Devaux champagne. Vodka and champagne sweetened with elderflower. Sparkly sweet with a kick.

Lyron and I both went for the MacaroniCheese Fritter with leek, tomato and caper dressing. Sooo cheesey and the leeks were a surprisingly good accompaniment.

Buttermilk pancakes with berries, vanilla clotted cream and maple syrup. So good you have to see em again!

Chorizo hash brown with mushrooms and poached eggs.

Moreish fries and butternut squash with crushed amaretti. I found the amaretti a strange combo but the squash was tender and sweet.

After some quick shopping, we ducked into Market Place for more drinks. We always have good nights raving it up downstairs but this time we stuck to a few drinks upstairs - as usual we were the loudest people in the whole bar :/ The others weren't impressed with their cocktails but my milkshake was beautifully thick and vanilla tasting and the bottle of prosecco we polished off before we left had no complaints either. A Saturday afternoon celebrating with the besties, who could ask for more?