Review: Birthday Shenanigans at La Choza

30 June 2013





The lovely staff at La Choza
Skulls for children to colour in! Perfect for keeping them entertained :)

I've been keen as mustard to try out La Choza for a while now and my birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity. La Choza offers authentic Mexican street food in a colourful, fun setting in Brighton's North Laines. Take a seat in one of the booths inside or there's seating outside (providing the good old British summer doesn't put you off!). Mexican style blankets are offered to customers for when it starts to get a bit chilly.

We were unable to book a table for 7 as they only take bookings for parties of 10+ and anything less is on a 'first come, first served' basis, so when we arrived at La Choza I was a little apprehensive to whether we would get a table at all (something that you don't really want to worry about on your birthday). It was very busy on arrival and after a short wait outside we were moved to a table inside and got busy ordering drinks and perusing the menu. The food is very simple, healthy and affordable. You start off by choosing your base (tacos, burrito, quesadilla or tostadas) then your filling (slow cooked beef, pulled pork. homemade chorizo are more besides) and then finally your salsa (habernero, chipotle, green salsa or if your feeling really brave... XXXtra hot naga salsa!). All ranging from about £6.50 - £7.50.
Pulled Pork Tacos
Kiddies sized meals for the little ones
Taco flavoured kisses
Munching down on a Churros or two for dessert
To start off with we had 2 plates of nachos (£5.50 each) to share between the seven of us whilst we nattered about news and going ons. The nachos were delicious and smothered in melted cheese, refried beans, sour cream and guacamole. They didn't last very long and were quickly demolished. Everyone ordered different things for their mains but I decided to go for tacos with pan fried prawns in chilli, garlic and lime topped with habernero salsa. It was a bit of a wait for the food but we were not in any particular hurry and were quite happy trying out the Mexican style drinks that La Choza had to offer. I highly recommend the hibiscus margaritas or why not try the Michelado? A Modelo Especial (light beer) served with lime, chilli and salt. Surprisingly delicious. Several members of our group favoured the frozen Lemon & Lime margaritas.

One of the other reasons I chose La Choza is because they catered for children. Molly (our 4 year old) dined with us and she enjoyed munching down on a chicken taco from the kids menu, that was also reasonably priced at £4.50. Included in the price is a kiddie's drink and she quite happily slurped down a hibiscus frozen drink (a bit like a slushy) or two. She told me, "It's wonderful! The food is yummy and I love the skeleton above the door". For times when she got a bit restless and bored of adult conversation there were colouring-in sheets provided with a variety of Day of the Dead skulls. This certainly kept her occupied and was very happy when the staff pinned it on the wall with some skulls that had been coloured-in by other  mini-customers.

All in all, La Choza was the perfect spot for some birthday fun and much needed catch up with friends. With an affordable menu, great service and delicious drinks, it was everything I had hoped it would be and much more. A very entertaining spot for grown-ups and kids alike,  La Choza is a colourful addition to the North Laines' eclectic mix of eateries. I can't help but wonder why they weren't here before! The fact that they also do takeaway means that I can see Mexican food on the menu at Cassa Owly for some time to come.

Head to 36 Gloucester Road, Brighton for some taco treats at La Choza. Also check out their Facebook page for special offers and updates.


BRING ON THE TACOS!

AKA Hooting Miss Owl







Meerkuts enjoying a frozen lemon and lime margaritas



 ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT
PLEASE ASK PERMISSION BEFORE USING!
THANK YOU

What I Wore: Ditsy Floral Birthday

26 June 2013






What Mr.D Wore: Shirt from Primark // Skinny jeans from H&M // Deck shoes from Primark // Sunglasses from Tiger
What I Wore: Vintage strapless dress from Vintage Owl Boutique // Suede fringed shawl from Beyond Retro // Floral cape was made by myself // Shoes from New Look // Owl ring from Tatty Devine // Cat ring from Porta

It was my birthday yesterday and I had a wonderful relaxing day with Mr. D. The day involved eating lots of food, soaking up some rays and climbing trees. Even though I've now a year older, my dress sense is probably not like your average female in her 30s. I don't really like to follow rules and I'm not a huge fan of high-street. Mainly because I had an incident when I went clubbing in Brighton years ago and in the queue for the toilet there were 4 girls wearing the same dress as me! It was very embarrassing :(
So, for my birthday I decided to embrace my inner owl in a ditsy floral kind of way and these are the results. What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Big love,
AKA Hooting Miss Owl











ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT
PLEASE ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE USING!
THANK YOU




My Week in Photos...

17 June 2013

Love spotting The Big Wheel down side streets on St James Street
Time for Cream Teas at Blackbird Tea Rooms
Proper tablecloths & dainty vintage china
Beautiful old shelving and displays at Blackbird Tea Rooms
Yummy cakes at Julien Plumart
Colourful macaroons
Clippity-clop red shoes
Bit of street art advertising
Wise words
Uploading new products to the online shop. Soon to be launched!

Colourful Dr. Martens at the new Brighton store
Booty DM tattoos at the Dr. Martens launch party (taken by Vintage Brighton)
Abi Wade performing at the Dr.Martens launch party
Rockabilly barbers at The Mesmerist
Jess Eaton at BFW13's Zeitgeist show
Jess Eaton at BFW13's Zeitgeist show
My outfit for BFW's Sustain show. Vintage lace dress from Beyond Retro
Rebecca Jayne Taylor at BFW13's Sustain show
Louise O'Mahony at BFW13's Showreel show
MC Gaff E modelling Jylle Navarro's collection at BFW13's Showreel show




WOW, what a week! I'm thrilled to announce that Pretty Litter have asked me to be their new Fashion Editor, and this week I've been out and about covering Brighton Fashion Week. The photos above are a quick peek into the week's activities featuring some sneak peaks of our coverage and some behind the scenes shots.

Dr. Martens also launched their first ever store in Brighton's South Laines this week. I was lucky enough to go to their launch party for Pretty Litter Magazine. You can read all about it, as well as lot's more on Brighton Fashion Week, here.

I'm really excited and I can't wait to work with Lyssa and her team. I'll still be blogging about all things vintage on here and I will be announcing some great news about the online shop soon.

So, WATCH THIS SPACE!                         

 
Big love!
AKA Hooting Miss Owl






ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT 
AND ARE TAKEN BY MYSELF UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE
PLEASE ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE USING
THANK YOU!