Just a few weeks into living in London, and I’d won a ‘night in experience’ courtesy of Yelp. I was hugely chuffed to be involved in #YelpBigNightIn, even if it was a hectic night of photographing, instagramming and doing all the things at once.
The idea of the night was to give us the dream night in, using some of the most popular delivery services and apps in London. I certainly made as much use of this as I could!
The lovely flowers were a gift from W’s mom – very much appreciated!
I will say now, though, that I didn’t actually use all of the apps I could have done. I haven’t used Hassle, the app which sends a cleaner round, as my landlady has arranged her cleaner to pop round every couple of weeks. We only have a small flat and it all felt a bit pointless – especially as we’d all be tripping over each other. Maybe just before we move out though! I also haven’t had a chance to spend my Quiqup credit yet, they don’t deliver as far as SW18 (sob) and I’m still trying to contact them to see whether we can sort something out.
Instead I ordered wine, had plenty of junk food delivered, got laundry sorted, and treated myself to an at-home shellac manicure. Definitely my kind of Friday night…and as it coincided with W’s Summer Party it made sense to treat myself.
Wine came courtesy of Mr Vine. Iphone only, I was trying to get W to order my Shiraz for me, but for some reason both of our Paypal accounts blocked the 10p charge. In the end Chris popped round on his bike with it a few days before, in exchange for using me on their social media. Yep, I put lipstick on just for his visit…it WAS National Lipstick day though! The wine was pretty awesome. I’m not a lover of red wine, but with a bottle of white already in the fridge I wanted something different. This was really smooth and fruity – and actually went perfectly with my junk food dinner!
The #YelpBigNightIn provided us with £20 of
Bizzby credit, I somehow managed to gain an extra £10 on the night for a new account, so I decided to treat myself and put another £10 towards a Shellac manicure. Now, £40 is a LOT for one of these (I usually pay £15), however this is in the comfort of your own home. My manicurist arrived within about 20 minutes of me booking her, and was so friendly. I was worried the hour would be full of awkward silences, but it was actually quite a laugh. The above wine helped on my part! The manicure also included a hand and arm massage, which I desperately needed. I went for a really natural pale pink, and the finish is pretty good. I thought it was a bit thick towards the sides, and expected it to start peeling off after a few days – but it’s still on 10 days later. Not something I’d spend £40 on again unless I was desperate, but a lovely treat. And for the £10 I spent I have no complaints. Using the Bizzby app was a little confusing when booking the service, especially as it doesn’t register my address, but once booked I was able to see where my manicurist was, direct her to my door and pay once completed.
I was also gifted with £25 worth of credit for
Deliveroo, a site that picks up food from popular restaurants and delivers to your door. If that isn’t the perfect service I don’t know what is! I was a *little* disappointed that you couldn’t enter allergy information on the site (I’m hoping they are working on this!), so I did have to change my plan of action from GBK. Instead I went with Ed’s Diner, somewhere I’ve never really fancied. So happy to be proved wrong, it was a really good meal!
Typically my food arrived five minutes before my manicurist so I had to throw it in the oven to keep warm. I made the rookie mistake of unwrapping my burger beforehand so the bun dried out, but luckily everything survived before kept warm for an hour (it was piping, finger-burningly hot when it was delivered).
I went for the classic burger, which just comes with fried onions – as I wasn’t sure if the ‘salad’ on the cheeseburger included tomatoes. And yep, I did add a slice of cheap processed cheese myself! I also over-indulged in onion rings AND sweet potato fries. I have absolutely no regrets as both were delicious, crunchy, flavoursome and perfectly seasoned. Just yum. Once my nails were done I threw on My Big Fat Greek Wedding and gorged myself silly.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a perfect night in without pudding, right?!
I actually ordered a Peanut Butter milkshake
and a brownie desert. Completely unnecessary, totally yummy. The milkshake was thick and creamy and salty and sweet – divine. The brownie was gooey after a quick microwave, served with a pot of ice cream and a rich sauce. Not fine-dining, but all the better for it.
Now for the disappointing part of the night. The #YelpBigNightIn offered us a ‘wash and fold’ service through
Laundrapp. I arranged this, the wash was picked up late (and rather rudely). But the worst part was when it came back. Some of it was damp (and has been for a while), and all of it was ridiculously creased. Considering I regularly screw up my clothes in suitcases and bags and never have to pick up an iron, I can only conclude they were left to dry screwed up. Not impressed, and not a service I can recommend.
But other than that, this was the perfect night in. I hope I can take advantage of the Quiqup credit, but if not I’ve still chuffed to have been chosen to take part. Thanks Yelp!
What would make your perfect night in? I have an addiction, so tell me – where does the best sweet potato fries?!
