Maison du Mezzé

As part of the Bentall Centre's modernisation was the opening of Lebanese kitchen Maison du Mezzé, its first restaurant outside of Central London. As I wandered about the shopping centre, its turquoise blue façade caught my eye from a corner on the first floor. A glimpse inside reveals a beautifully decorated dining space, overlooking Clarence Street through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Now, having never flown to the Lebanon, I'm not in a position to qualify whether the décor - or food for that matter - is surely authentic, but that I really enjoyed my experience is perhaps enough to trust as much. From the interior design alone, I was transported to at least my idea of a modern Middle East, including gold inlaid tables, a marble floor, wooden screens and patterned cushions. Then the food arrived, a selection of hot mezzé, and the decor needn't have mattered, because I was elatedly filling my face with the warming and distinctive flavours of each dish.

In front of me were plates of grilled halloumi, chilli prawns, okra in tomato sauce, spicy sautéed potatoes, lamb fatayer, flatbread and hummous. And I'd have ordered even more from the menu, if what I had ordered wasn't already fighting for space. Because what I love about mezzé - and of course the same goes for tapas - is that everybody around the table can try a little bit of everything. Mezzé is sociable cuisine, encouraging the sharing of conversation as much as food.

Brand/New at the Bentall Centre

Home to a plenitude of high street and designer retailers, Kingston-upon-Thames had been the go-to shopping destination in my teens. (You can read my review from 2011 here.) So when the Bentall Centre invited me back to explore the latest collections in their "Brand/New" campaign, I couldn't pass up the chance to see what was indeed new, and what was still familiar.

Originally built in 1935 as the Bentalls department store, the Bentall Centre is the heart of Kingston's retail landscape. Its towering glass roof atrium floods the complex with natural light, as shoppers criss-cross the four-storey mall and seventy-five stores. Although much remains the same from my memories of a decade ago, the Bentall Centre is undergoing the final phases of modernisation to commemorate its twenty-fifth anniversary, including new restaurants, flagship retailers, and a boutique Curzon cinema on the second floor.

During my visit, I was encouraged to check out the latest menswear offerings from such brands as Hugo Boss, Massimo Dutti, New Look and Tommy Hilfiger, the latter being my favourite for its signature red, white and blue pieces. Awkwardly, my slimmer build does limit my shopping habits to only a handful of high street labels, therefore I have to shop strategically, and trying on everything is essential. It's too often a shame that something takes my fancy, only to find it's slightly too big for me.

After popping into every store, thereby ensuring I wouldn't make a premature purchase, my heart had settled on a faux-leather bomber jacket from Zara, complete with striped cuffs, hem and collar. It's a style I came to love only last year for its vintage-varsity vibes. Brown is normally a colour I reserve for leather accessories or tweed suits, but my perusing the various SS18 collections revealed a strong trend in warm, earthy tones. In contrast, a pale pink, cotton jumper from COS mirrors the softer colours of spring, albeit pairs surprisingly well beneath the darker fabric of my new Zara bomber.

Given the unseasonably warm temperatures that were imminent that week, I also relished the opportunity to swap some of my cosy winterwear for more weather-appropriate outfits. (As I have mentioned on previous occasions, my summer wardrobe is virtually non-existent!) I therefore picked up a selection of slim-fit t-shirts from H&M, which - unsurprisingly - became my daily get-up through all of last week's African plume.

Outside the wide selection of menswear retailers, I also enjoyed a delicious Lebanese lunch at the newly opened Maison du Mezze, which I shall review in a later blog post. (In brief, both food and service were impeccable for a cuisine and restaurant brand I was otherwise unfamiliar with.) And I couldn't resist browsing the quirky and stylish interior decor in H&M's homeware department, in which I mentally added another twenty-odd pieces to my dream home.

Finally to catch my eye was NYX Professional Makeup, the company's first standalone store outside of Central London. Albeit not a shop the average Joe might be tempted to explore, its weekly masterclasses are beneficial to my not-so-secret side project, and hence I will be returning to the Bentall Centre this very Thursday. Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see what antics I get up to!

Hopeless Romantic

If my flirting were as fine as my cooking, I wouldn't have needed apply for a dating show. As my close friends can attest, modern dating really isn't my forté - apps don't generate many matches, I struggle to speak to anybody over loud music in bars, I'm lousy at writing even a mildly humorous text message, and if by some miracle I do secure a date, I have zero chat. It's led to my feeling strangely apathetic to single life.

So I apply for ITV's Dinner Date, hoping that: 1) the casting team will do much of the legwork for me; and 2) my passion for food will compensate for what little flirtaciousness and banter I possess. I succeed, at least in point number one, because a two-person production crew is in my flat, and I'm preparing a three-course dinner for a young woman called Lois. What I fail to appreciate is how many shots the team would require of each action (stirring, pouring, opening the front door, nodding to conversation, etc), just how unnatural and stilted the date would feel with no ambience and a large camera pointing at us across the dining table, and how long a day of filming would actually take for fifteen minutes of limelight. Seventeen and a half hours, if you're wondering.

Suffice it to say, it was among the most surreal - and exhausting - experiences of my life. And ten months later, it finally airs on ITVBe. My friends and I host an unofficial viewing party, and as I'm snuggled up on the same corner sofa as on the television, I'm feeling more anxious than on the actual date. How will I be portayed? What did Lois have to say about me? Who were the other men competing for her affection? And perhaps the most important question of the night, was my food the best of the three dates?

Heart & Dagger overcoat | Noose & Monkey shirt | ASOS skinny jeans | Jeffery West Cuban heel boots

Halfway into the episode, I'm cringing as I watch my date unfold into a socially awkward mess. In fact I'm barely watching, too distracted by the swarm of butterflies fluttering madly inside me. And yet, my friends are in hysterics around me. They tell me afterwards I came across very respectful, and - most importantly - that my food looked the most delicious. Is it possible I actually came away from reality TV unscathed?

Social media takes a different angle. As a blogger, it was inevitable I would want to live-tweet my Dinner Date debut; instead I stumble upon a small number of individuals who think it deeply important to debate my heterosexuality, despite my being on a dating show. I'm not particularly fazed by the theme of their comments, because it's a presumption I often face when out and about. Rather I'm disappointed that people are still shortminded in 2018.

That isn't to say I haven't ever wondered if my flamboyant character impedes my ability to find a girlfriend. I'm at an age now when my dad half-jokes about wanting grandchildren, and my mum worries I may not bring home somebody special to meet the family, particularly when my elder sister is married and my younger is in a long-term relationship. Indeed, it's very possible that my quirks and colourful nature overshadow other qualities of my personality, but I'm not changing for anyone. Although it sounds awfully cliché, I deserve somebody who loves me for me. And if my chances are one in a million over one in a thousand, so be it.

In my naïve years, I may have compared my love life to the hopeless best friend in a teen movie, constantly sidelined, and wondering why their sensitive and well-mannered demeanour didn't win the heart of his BFF. But I've grown to despise the term "friendzoned", and anybody who feels bitter their friendliness towards a person doesn't translate into romantic or sexual relations isn't deserving of said person's acquaintance. Sure, I would be lying if I said I hadn't fancied each of my best friends at some point or another, but I love them unconditionally, and it’s an absolute privilege to have them as friends than not at all.

I suppose the message I want to finish on is that hurrying to find that special someone in life isn't the be-all and end-all. So before you go making the wild decision to cook a romantic dinner on national television in a bid to find your soulmate, it's worthwhile acknowledging the people around you, who already love you for all you are.

Photos taken lovingly by Paige Joanna Calvert