Ready to Roka

For a couple of years I've wanted to try Roka, an upmarket Japanese restaurant in Canary Wharf but was too busy wasting my money on overpriced cocktails in ridiculously busy bars. Over the past month or so my head pains have been pretty bad so I'm trying not to overdo things and eating out is the perfect way for me to get out of the house, get dressed up, socialise but is also chilled enough not to affect my health. My friend Sarah also wanted to try it so we booked a table for last Thursday to see what all the fuss was about. It definitely lives up to its good reputation as the food was amazing and I really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. I don't like cold or raw food (I know, I'm weird but that's another story) so we chose a selection of hot dishes including baby back ribs, vegetable tempura, lamb cutlets, steamed rice and chicken skewers. The ribs were my favourite but I enjoyed all of the dishes

We also enjoyed a champagne cocktail each (more than one makes my head worse!) and I chose an apple, pear and cinnamon bellini which was quite festive

The desserts were weird but wonderful! I went for the concoction on the right which was banana ice cream with crunchy chocolate pieces and a roll of rice paper wrapped ice cream which tasted like yoghurt. I was very impressed and would definitely go back to Roka

Candle Crazy

Since I fell ill last December, I've enjoyed a much slower pace of life which involves less nights out and more time at home. During this period my obsession with scented candles has grown! Now that the winter nights are drawing in I love nothing more than burning a (preferably festive scented) candle and enjoying the cosy atmosphere and subtle scent that it creates. My favourites include Yankee Candle, Diptique, Jo Malone and Pecksniff's and I prefer the votive or jar candles rather than wax tarts as the smell is more subtle and no tea lights are needed

Pecksniff's Pine and Clove votives from TK Maxx

Some of my Yankee Candle festive votives which I plan to use up between now and December. Pine and cinnamon scents are my favourites

Diptyque and Jo Malone candles are a special treat

The only problem with the sweet scented versions is that they make me want to eat sweet or cakes, especially any that smell like vanilla or cinnamon! Which candles are your favourites?

Jump On It

Jumpsuits have always been one of my favourite items to wear on a night out. Despite the palava every time you need to use the toilet, I really like them because they are usually smart, versatile and comfortable. I own about 3 jumpsuits but have had others in the past which I sadly no longer have. (I'm still mourning a black velvet asos jumpsuit which I sold a couple of years ago as it didn't fit at the time) On friday night I went for a few drinks in the city to celebrate my birthday which was the perfect opportunity to wear a navy sparkly lurex jumpsuit which I bought in New Look last winter but hadn't had the chance to wear as I fell ill last December. (Read more about this here)

My friend Eleni wore a similar jumpsuit in black but obviously she looks much better in it than I did! I really must invest in a pair of spanx!

I think next time I wear it I'll wear a long jacket to hide my stomach and thigh area as I don't really like clothes that are too fitted to my body. It could also be dressed down with a roll neck top underneath and a pair of ankle boots

Birthday Boisdale

It was my birthday last week and I don't get out much so I wanted to celebrate in style. I've been thinking about trying Boisdale, a Scottish restaurant over Canary Wharf for a while so it was the perfect opportunity. I wanted to match my outfit to the red decor and wear something with plenty of room for my post dinner belly so my red tunic dress from Topshop was ideal. Popping a Lurex Topshop top on underneath prevented me from flashing any flesh and scaring the waiters! My favourite things about Boisdale were the food, view and atmosphere, the tartan carpet and the fairground mirrors near the entrance which gave us a laugh

My bag is a trusty M&S sale bargain and I got my patent boots in the Zara sale early this year. I was having a bad hair day (as usual) so went for quite bold smokey eyes which look much better in my selfies! (See my Instagram; @ChelseyPrentice)

For my main course I went for the poached Halibut which was delicious and came with prawns, greens and champagne & chive sauce. It makes my mouth water thinking about it!

The weekend after my birthday was a quiet affair but I plan to have a few birthday drinks in the city on Friday night which I'm looking forward to as I can't remember my last non restaurant night out.

Gothic Glam

Until this year I hadn't been out on Halloween since 2009 so when my friend invited me out for a meal for her brother's birthday I had to accept. The gothic trend is one of my favourites this season so I went all out with Goth inspired make-up and accessories, lace and PVC. My friends wore halloween face paint so we did look slightly out of place in a casual Turkish restaurant on Roman Road! The food was delicious though and we had a fun night, although I was home by 10.30 as I get so tired.

 My lace shirt with necktie is from Primark, the asos skirt is two years old and the tights and accessories are all a few years old too. The shoe boots are from River Island. I love it when trends come back around and I can dig out clothes or jewellery that I've had for years.