PRIVATE DINING AT CITY SOCIAL TOWER 42

I got married a few months ago and had a very low key wedding in Chelsea at 9am on a Monday morning with a few friends. My husband and I then wanted to celebrate again with more friends - we knew what we wanted, one table for around 24 people in a private room and a view of London. What we didnt know was that this is very hard to come by in London. Who would have thought??!! 

Two of the restaurants at the Shard have private rooms but you are on two tables, Galvin at Windows at the Hilton on Park Lane charge you a fortune just for the area and then only do up to 20 people on one table. Although the Oxo tower charges you even more if you want the private area on a Friday night….I dont like my friends that much!!! Babylon at the Roof Gardens and Paramount dont do big enough tables and the private room at Pont de la tour doesnt have a view of the bridge…I nearly gave up! 

Thankfully City Social ticked all the boxes and although they normally only do 22 on one table, they managed to squeeze in 23 for us, the view was phenomenal and you could tell by the food, that the chef had recently received a Michelin star.

There was a choice of 3 different menus at 3 different prices, the menus change depending on the season. Here was ours:

To start there was the choice of :

Beetroot Cured Cornish Mackerel, Cheltenham Beetroot, Watercress and Goats Cheese Sorbet.

Pigs Trotter and Ham Hock with Crispy Mrs Browns Black Pudding, Apple and Madeira.

Potato Gnocchi, Jerusalem Artichokes, Girolles and Roasted Oats.

For mains there was the choice of:

Middle White Pork Loin and Braised Belly, Cavolo Nero, Black Pudding & Cider Gel.

Newlyn Line Caught Cod, Salted Cod Branade, Chorizo, Baby Squid, Squid Ink Aioli.

Chestnut Tagliatelle, Butternut Squash, Smoked Chestnuts, Sage Infused Veloute (Unfortunately I forgot to snap this one).

For puddings there was:

Exotic Fruit Pavlova, Passion Fruit Cream, Kaffir Lime and Coconut Sorbet.

Selection of Sorbets and Ice Creams.

Selections of Cheeses and Chutneys and Crackers.

Wow - what a fantastic meal - the photos really dont do it justice! The food was really incredible, so flavoursome and well presented. The views of London were breathtaking and the service polite and courteous, making the restaurant a perfect venue for a special occasion. I would really recommend it. PS make sure you go to the loos, fab views there too!!

I look forward to coming back and trying the main restaurant for our anniversary (if not before)!!

CITY SOCIAL

Tower 42,
25 Old Broad Street,
London
EC2N 1HQ
Tel: 020 7877 7703
Email: reservations@citysociallondon.com or privatedining@citysociallondon.com

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Day 42 of Metamorphosis

Yes, I started level 5 yesterday… I think on April 13 I will celebrate the half-done Meta… I am so proud of myself and am a little surprised all the same with how much I managed to achieve so far. Tomorrow I have a rest day (yes, I missed some days here and there, so my rest day moved a little too), but then I am going to continue rocking it.

I find DC getting easier and easier. I mean, it should, right? After 40 or so times doing it?! And I keep changing music, sometimes returning to Tracy’s list, sometimes choosing my own. But the MS in level 5 is a killer. I know, I say that about every level, but honestly, this time I realise what a “killer” actually means – before those were just rehearsals… Really, even level 2 is nothing compared to this. Somehow throughout arms I keep finding myself wondering: “Just how on Earth can she move so fast – with weights in her hands too??!!” I mean, I sometimes feel that if I go faster, my arms will fall off – as I still have to use a little bit of momentum to go that fast… So I decided to slow down just a little… My muscles were not sore since week 1, and here I was today in the morning: my arms and thighs were in amazingly satisfactory pain. Abs also got harder – with all the “both-legs-lifts” – I feel like giving up in the middle (but I don’t!). Legs… well legs… Plunks are back (only one exercise though), and then the weird lunges and extending leg to the side… At some point I feel a LOT of muscle pain and find myself gritting my teeth and swearing aloud. I cannot do all the reps, I am slowly doing about 10-15 less than Tracy does, but it’s OK, I think. As long as I am doing my best.

So, beware all Omnis – level 5 is no joke! :)

Just to share a little thing I am proud of: I finished off the first page of the calendar.... I am using the TA calendars from the community, as I just feel horrible writing on glossy paper and all. Besides, it gives you an incredible feeling of achievement, when you finish each page!!!

The change of the direction of crossing out of each date is the change in level. Half-crossed day is a day, where only half the workout was done, on this sheet it was always DC that suffered from being neglected. Missed DC: 5, missed days: 1. Not proud, but it is how it is. :) I also notice, how much my weight fluctuates... sometimes by 2 kilos over two consecutive days... I guess it is partially the process of fast weight loss.

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