Another post coming from me today but tbh I've had a bit of a backlog of posts that have been needing to go out and I just haven't with the overwhelm, stress and organisation that moving into a new flat brings. Although one thing that certainly helps calm you down is a fantastic meal, right?

Back at the end of January I was invited along to the Dead Dolls House in Islington to check out their menu including a few new treats they have added lately. With it being the same week as Darren's birthday, amongst the excitement of seeing the Jan/Feb issue of IOD being printed, adding in a meal for 2 was definitely the way to top it off.

The Dead Dolls House menu comprises off a mix of cocktails (including some healthy ones!) as well as a mix of veggie and vegan options. There was so many incredible options to choose from but it's fair to say that I left absolutely stuffed and happy with a lil food baby.


So what did I end up ordering? Well, to start with I went for charcoal grilled bread with hummus which omg was soooo amazing! The bread was really thick lovely slices and the hummus topped them perfectly.


For the mains I went for the vegan hot dog and a side of chips. Don't get me wrong I loved the sound of the bowls or even the badboy sweet fried tofu but if I go somewhere and they have a vegan hot dog, ya sure as hell know I'm going for the hot dog. And trust me it didn't disappoint! It went down like a treat.


To finish off our meal I had the citrus tart. It was honestly the best option to finish my meal as it left me feeling refreshed and it tasted lavish!

And finally, last but not least was the cocktails! Throughout our meal we decided to have a couple different ones because well, when in Islington! No but seriously, I cannot resit a good cocktail and trust me these were fantastic.


For my first one of the night I tried one of the healthy cocktails called smoked on the water. Initially I couldn't really think of what the cocktail tasted like but later in the evening I realised it tasted like the fruit and barley diluted juice you get. (It was so good)


My second drink I decided to go for the adios motherf#%!er, which for me tasted like a more alcoholic induced twist on the classic blue lagoon. Even though it was a classic twist of flavours it definitely tasted great and went down well with my main and dessert.

Also since Darren was with me, I obviously tried some of his cocktails he ordered. For his first one he went for the deep blue, a fruity cocktail packed with pomegranate, lemon, strawberry, blackberry and blueberries. Although it was packed with sooo much fruitiness the rum, pinot noir and angostura set it off and gave it a good kick. And with his second drink he went for the singapore sling, another classic!


Overall we had a really lovely meal at Dead Dolls House and we were great with such wonderful service too. It's definitely a place I'd love to head back too with some plant foodie friends so that I could try some of the other options on the menu. The vibe is also really nice with the decor and extra elements the bring in, it feels special. And with a energising Friday and Saturday night scene, as well as brunch there's definitely so much to check out down at the restaurant!


*Disclaimer: I was invited by Jams PR on behalf of the restaurant to come and sample their menu. In doing so I was a complimentary meal for two including x1 cocktail each (so yep I couldn't help myself and bought the second one). This does not in any way affect my opinions. All views and thoughts are my own.

Goood evening and welcome back to my corner of the internet. The blog schedules been a bit scattered lately hasn't it? Apologise! I'm finishing up this blog post in the comfort of a new flat that we moved into this weekend. So it's fair to say things have been a bit hectic the last few weeks in order to get everything sorted. One thing that's kept me calm and collected has been escaping into a fab book, and for this post I want to speak about Malia Zaidi's book, The Study of Silence. 

Lady Evelyn Carlisle has returned home to England, where she is completing her degree at St.

Hugh's, a women's college in Oxford. Her days are spent poring over ancient texts and rushing to

tutorials. All is well until a fateful morning, when her peaceful student life is turned on its head.

Stumbling upon the gruesome killing of someone she thought she knew, Evelyn is plunged into a

murder investigation once more, much to the chagrin of her friends and family, as well as the

intriguing Detective Lucas Stanton. The dreaming spires of Oxford begin to appear decidedly

less romantic as she gathers clues, and learns far more than she ever wished to know about the

darkness lurking beyond the polished veneer. Can she solve the crime before the killer strikes

once more, this time to Evelyn's own detriment?

Jumping into Malia's books you definitely get some cosy vibes which for this time of year on a cold night has been the perfect pick me up.  With the book being a period crime novel, it definitely ticked all the boxes for me when I received the email about this tour and having read it, it's certainly not disappointed! 

As I mentioned above, The Study of Silence is a period novel set within 1920's Oxford. The novel follows Lady Evelyn Carlisle while she returns to Oxford in order to complete her studies. Along the way you get to meet a variety of characters which keeps you on your toes as to who the killer is. Compared to recent books I've read, the pacing did feel slower to them but with enough clues to sway you between who was the murderer it did leave for a satisfying ending with a character who ended up making a lot of sense. 

One aspect of this book that I very much respected, especially as it being the third in the series, was the character development. I've not read the first two instalments to this series but I was still given enough background and information that led to this being an enjoyable read. Throughout this chapter of the series, you get to meet a variety of new characters as well as some that I imagine you learn more about in the initial two books. Focusing on  Lady Evelyn Carlisle solely, I found it interesting the complexity her character has which is not unlike any women growing up in modern society. Constantly battling between her own ambitions and what she should "traditionally" be doing, it gives a lot of thinking points but also shows how much has changed between almost 100 years ago and now. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing and gave me a break between some harder going crime and thrillers, it's definitely more a pick for cosying up in a blanket with a cuppa in hand. I would also state that even though it is the 3rd in a series, definitely check it out on it's own. As someone who's not heard of this series before the characters and story line made sense and I didn't feel like I was missing any major background to the characters or story. So definitely make sure to check it out if you want a lighter crime novel to read or you fancy jumping into a new series altogether. 

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