That was exactly how I first came to be in The Happenstance, nearly a year ago, when a colleague suggested it for my leaving do. I had some fabulous cocktails there, super fun ideas such as a sugary sweet pina colada-y style one served in a massive pineapple glass, and a cocktail which tasted just like popcorn, served in a glass just like a popcorn box. It was a really chilled feel and the food looked incredible - and the cocktails were fab.
So, when my mother darling asked me where I would like to go as a special lunch after my graduation, I remembered this place, and booked a table.
My family, en masse, are a dining nightmare. Two pescatarians, my step-father doesn't really deviate from a "meat and carb combo", so finding something to placate us all can be a bit tricksy. But the Happenstance has a wide menu, with a bit of everything which was perfect.
Seeing as it was a special occasion, it would be rude not to start the lunch with an alcoholic beverage. I opted for the Princess Sparkle, which was a very fruity, kir royal-esque glass of fizz, with an edible flower in it. Fit for a princess indeed, which is lucky as I am one (or will be when a charming European prince flies to London and realises I'm the girl of his dreams…)
Now onto pudding. And I fear I might have shot myself in the foot a wee bit here with my "need to branch out at every restaurant I go to ever". The most delectable sounding pud on offer was the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Classic. Decadent. Something I get nearly every time I go out. So, I thought NO, I would choose something else, and that something else was an ice cream parfait (£4.95). In my head, this was like a sundae and the selling point of pistachios and cherries with a little mini donut and raspberry coulis was just heaven. But it isn't a sundae. It is a slab of ice cream with cherries and nuts through it (not enough actually for my liking), with a mini donut of the side (which was either still a bit frozen or massively overcooked because it was rock solid) and a really nice coulis. So effectively I had unwittingly ordered vanilla ice cream. Which is alright but really just alright. I would never order it because, well, it's boring isn't it. At least I know when I go back, which I most certainly will despite the dessert debacle, that I won't order parfait.