Alphabet Dating | B is for... Burgers & C is for... Cinema

After posting A is for... Afternoon Tea, the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that there was no date in July, no date B. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our brunch and with no other free time in the month, we couldn’t go on a date. So we decided to combine B and C this month – with a Friday night trip to TGIs and the cinema. Mum looks after Alfie on Fridays and she was staying over that night anyway, as we had plans on the Saturday, so it worked out nicely. Once I’d got in from work, there was just time for a quick freshen up and we were straight back out – our table was booked for 6:45pm.

B is also for... Bubblegum daiquiris! C is also for... Candy King

We don’t often eat at TGIs but I’m sure when I do, I generally order burgers anyway – but at least it fit the theme. As we were going to the cinema, we ate at the MK1 branch (which is at MK Dons’ stadium). Thelma was our waitress and she was simply fabulous from start to finish – attentive, friendly and funny. She was genuinely interested in us and our plans and even told us what she thought about the film (she was spot-on there, by the way).

I chose the Fridays double glazed burger: a beef burger double glazed in their legendary JD glaze, Monterey Jack cheese, candied bacon and mayo. It came with fries, apple slaw and pot of that amazing JD sauce. I also upgraded and ordered onion rings. It was so indulgent and I definitely had a case of eyes-bigger-than-belly syndrome. Some of the larger burgers sounded really tempting, but I’m glad I managed to resist them. By the end, I struggled... or could it be I was more interested in finishing my cocktails?

Ash went super-size with the Warrior burger: two beef burgers, mozzarella dippers, Colby cheese, American cheese, bacon, caramelised onions and mayo. He went for standard fries, rather than the Warrior fries to accompany his meal. He chose it for the mozzarella dippers and I don’t think anything could have prepared us for how big this burger was gonna be – but he managed to eat it all.

 

Right, let’s talk cocktails. I began with one of my all-time favourite TGI cocktails, the Bubblegum Daiquiri. I just love its sweetness and the popping candy that adorns the rim of the glass. But I have to admit, this wasn’t as good as I remembered. It wasn’t frozen enough and ended up being a little too watery – to the extent I didn’t finish it. It also tasted slightly different too, so I’m not sure if the recipe has changed or if I usually have a different rum. The Candy Cloud more than made up for it though. JD honey and Absolut vanilla, combined with bubblegum shake and topped with a candy floss cloud – it really was that dreamy and not too sweet. Delicious, but went down far too easily. I’d definitely order it again.

We decided against dessert, but were planning on popcorn and pick n mix at the cinema – and we also needed to get going to watch the film. We saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Seeing as the film started around half 8, after the adverts, and went on for over two-and-a-half hours, I amazed myself with how well I managed to sit through it and not fall asleep (like I so often do at home in front of the TV after a certain hour). When we bought the tickets, it was only the front two rows which were available, but the view was fine, I didn’t feel myself straining my eyes or neck to see. It definitely didn’t feel as long as it was, either.

I found the plot a little bit confusing, because it was a film within a film structure, but also multiple films – and I couldn’t actually tell what parts were the actual plot and what parts were one of the numerous films being filmed. I obviously knew it was based on true events and the life of Sharon Tate, with other characters being ‘real life’ characters, but I didn’t think the film utilised the character portrayed by Margot Robbie enough.

Without giving too much away, the ending was thrilling but didn’t actually match the reality, which I quite liked, given the circumstances. The lead-up to the ending was slow in places, but the ending more than made up for it. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the film and I have to say, while it wasn’t as good as my expectations, I still enjoyed it. I found some parts just completely unnecessary and it then trailed away from the action and drama.

It was nice to have evening out together, especially as we quite often used to go to the cinema together – but had only been a couple of times since having Alfie. Cinema date nights are always good. Now to start planning the next one...

Love, Lucy xx

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