CLASSPASS REVIEW 2016

You know those adverts that pop up on your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that are targeted to your personality and hobbies? The scary ones that link you to that overpriced handbag you were looking at three weeks ago and had almost forgotten about? The ones that will eventually bankrupt you? 

Well - there was one link for me that was quite persistent - "ClassPass Limited-Time Trial - Choose Any 5 Classes for £19" - it was everywhere. After a quick bit of research it appeared this is an app/website that allows you to do 5 classes a month at some of London's best studios at any time in the day. 

https://classpass.com

Eventually I succumbed to the temptation and signed up for the £19/month trial and after 4 weeks of intense training that left me aching and slightly depressed about how unfit I truly was, I swiftly signed up to the £55/month deal and have never looked back! 

The app offers thousands of classes across London varying from Bikram Yoga and Cross Fit to PT sessions for you and a couple of friends. 

Having been signed up to Class Pass for over 6 months now I am a huge fan and wanted to review ClassPass and talk you through what I love about it and why you might enjoy it too. (As a true English Lit grad I have to argue both sides of everything with a conclusion at the end so be prepared for some cons as well....)

Pros;

• Motivation - it pushes me to actually workout. Paying £55/month means I am keen to get my monies worth. 
• Sociable - several of my colleagues and a couple of friends have ClassPass. This means that if I am looking to do a class on the evening I can invite a few friends to come alone and afterwards we can all share an overpriced protein smoothie and can all revel at how we are winning at life (for that evening anyway....)
• Price - in London a class can cost circa £20 for an hour, meaning it is quite economical.
• Variety - I have tried classes I would never get to try f I went to a gym (Bikram Yoga is next on my list...)
• Unlimited - if you pay £110/month you can go as much as you like, even up to several times a day...if you could manage it physically (although this treads the line between pro and con.) 
• Locations - unlike a gym membership I am not restricted to one place, meaning if I am meeting a client in Canary Wharf late one day I can book onto a class straight after. (Which is yet to happen but I like having the option, okay?)

Cons;

• Bookings - you can only book up to a week in advance - this works fine for myself but if you like to plan ahead it can be tricky. Additionally, you cannot book too close to the class start time which is annoying for me as I am a last minute kinda gal. 
• Cancelation - you have to cancel the class 12 hours before or face a £15 charge. I get why they do it but sometimes plans change and the be charged £15 when you are already paying for the app seems a little stingy. 
• Holidays - if you are going on holiday for a lengthy period of time you can either miss 2 weeks worth of classes or "freeze" your classes for that length of time for... (yep you guessed it) £20 extra. 
• Availability - the popular classes get booked up incredibly quickly. One of my favourite classes is Core Collective and I am sure there are psychic ClassPass goers that book up the class within the first minute of it being available because I never get it and get the same feeling I do when I lose out to an item on Ebay even though I was SURE I was the last bidder! 
• Posers - some of the trainers are incredibly annoying. Not all, but some are more interested in posting the class on their Snap-chat/Instagram rather than check if your technique is correct. Also - some trainers will push people too far  and I have had a few injuries as a result. A simple "leave me alone" seems to do the trick though... However some are incredible and hugely motivating, you get used to which ones you like attending. 

Overall I am a bit of a ClassPass addict and find myself paying extra for classes when I have ran out of the 5 classes after week 2. it is fun, different and much more interesting then working out in my gym where I live. Oh - it's also a great way to check out the current Sweaty Betty/LuLu Lemon season in action by everyone else who attends. That is probably an extra con actually - it will make replenish your work out wardrobe - arriving for my first class in old leggings and baggy charity 10k t-shirt was a bit of an eye-opener... 

THE TABLE

I promise...I do other things than brunch.
However having visited my other favourite brunch place I figured why not continue with the theme and do a post on The Table in Southwark.

Now, I only actually discovered this place when I was meeting a friend from brunch at The Breakfast Club in London Bridge. We met bang on 11am and as predicted there was a huge queue of hungry Londoners/tourists waiting to delve into their menu and most likely purchase a souvenir mug.
Don't get me wrong...that's exactly what I was going to do - however having gone for a morning gym class, I was not in the mood to stand and wait for food for a good hour.
My friend said she knew a place round the corner which was just as good so off we walked down to Southwark whilst I tried to hide my hanger. That was my first time at The Table and I can safely say I am now an addict.

This place has found the perfect balance of always been packed but managing to seat people instantly. 

After finding a cosy table in the corner (albeit it nearly rubbing elbows with the couple next to us... #london) we quickly ordered a cuppa tea and a 'Going for Gold' (which used to be called Morning Glory...they must have received some feedback) which is a gorgeous pineapple, mango and lime with orange juice smoothie.

Now - with food - I am a creature of habit so got down to ordering avocado on toast with poached eggs which were done to perfection (aka the Breakfast Bruschetta). My boyfriend ordered a Full English as per, with sourdough bread, baked beans with ham and chorizo, fried eggs, garlic fried mushroom and la pièce de résistance.... pork and leek sausages. These sausages are easily the best sausages I have ever had (.... insert immature joke here.) In fact, they are so tasty that we asked where they source them from to make a bulk order later that day. To our dismay they are made by the owner of the restaurant in a farm way up North and are only sold at this restaurant. 

Over all this restaurant is reasonably priced, has a great atmosphere and food to die for. It has won several awards and is well worth a visit.

If you are ever in Southwark or have a hankering for a sausage then give it a try! You won't regret it.

DISHOOM

Okay okay I admit it - I have fully embraced the idea of "brunch" in London and when I say embrace I mean I have become obsessed with it...

Brunching on a weekend is my new hobby which is both questionable and pricey. When I first moved to London I never really used the word or saw the appeal but now my weekends are pretty much planned around the event. 

I go through phases of my favourite places "to brunch' (yes it is now a verb) and recently a usual frequent of mine is Dishoom - a restaurant that replicates classic 1960s Bombay style, with a modern twist at an affordable price. 

The decor is stunning and of course instagrammable (which is the main reason for brunch, right?) and the menu is tempting and varied! 

Having looked over the enormous menu and ordered ourselves a Chai Tea Latte each (officially the best one I have ever had...) we decided to get a few things to share between us. I had tried the bacon and egg naan roll and remembered it was incredible so that was the first thing to make the cut. We then ordered Kerijiwal (just order it for the challenge of pronouncing it correctly...) and granola - cancels out that bad right? The Kerijowal was pretty much cheese on toast with a chilli twist and amazing! My boyfriend got a side of masala beans for good luck and we both had an americano each to fully wake us up!

The only downside is you cannot book in advance in groups under 6 so in peak hours there is a queue. Breakfast runs until 11.45am however queues can sometimes be up to 40 minutes on a weekend and you have to sit down and order by 11.4am so make sure you get there with plenty of time to spare. 

The upside to this is they offer free chai tea to those waiting to keep them warm...not too shabby! 

But don't take my word for it - with three locations in London (Covent Garden, Kings Cross and Shoreditch) it's a must try!

FAVOURITE BLOGS

It's official – I am addicted to blog/vlogs. Getting lost within youtube vlogs and endless scrolling through content has to be up there as one of my favourite pastimes (others include reading depressing literature, eating, watching funny vines, on-line window shopping and KUWTK - an eclectic but satisfying mix.)

Sharing is caring so I thought I would write a post on my top 5 best beauty reads. 

*warning, this is an enabler post and once you delve into these goodies you will lose several hours of your life. 

VIVANNA DOES MAKEUP.  Anna is queen of copy in my opinion and has an impressive way with words that I am envious of. She writes about beauty, fashion, lifestyle and most recently fitness! Her recent fitness obsession has not only lead me to actually go to the gym, but more importantly invest into my workout wardrobe! Having been hooked from post 1, I would advise to go read her thoughts immediately if not sooner.

SACCONEJOLYS. Firstly - my addiction to this amazing family proves that I am moving (no, correct that, RUNNING) into a different stage in my life. In the past I was obsessed with fashion, beauty and socialising. Now I am entering a novel phase of loving interior design, property renovations and family vlogs! The SacconeJolys are #squadgoals and are the perfect bit of fun escapism that we all need every once in a while. 

LILYPEBBLES. Lily is down to earth, honest and seems to know everything there is to know about London. Although I have followed Lily when I lived in Liverpool, France and Durham and she has probably been my biggest blogger enabler...now I have moved to London she has opened up a whole new world of activities/events/restaurants/bars/gigs that are amazing. 

DELICIOUSLY ELLA Having just come back from a holiday which consisted of eating pasta, drinking wine and lying on the beach...I am in serious need of Ella's blog and book. Clean eating seems so much more doable when I scroll through her blog and am filled with inspiration to try new ingredients and stay away from processed snacks! I religiously check to see what updates she has put and attempt to cook them (the end results never looks as aesthetically pleasing as her attempt but I can live with that.)