88* by Bistrotheque. Where we go to dinner on a speedboat

Our destination - I didn't take this, obviously.

Last Friday evening The Actor and I had dinner at Bistrotheque's latest pop-up restaurant 88.  We're very lucky to be invited to such fun things.  The venue was a soon-to-be-demolished postmodern office building in Canary Wharf.  Built in 1988, the theme was the glamour and excess of that time.  All the music was from 1988 and the food reflected the new Italian style that became popular at some of London's most popular restaurants - Le Caprice, The River Café and Alistair Little.

The others were picked up from Westminster Pier.  We were a bit late so rather than go into town The Actor and I got a cab to Tower Bridge Millenium Pier.  Not the best shot, it was 7.30pm and the weather was a bit gloomy.

Here's our lift

What a lovely way to get there

Here's the gang

I've never been driven to dinner on a speedboat before.  Not even in the 80's!

Two of my favourite boys ever - Bistrotheque co-owner David Waddington and the wonderful Giles Deacon

G H Mumm sponsored the boat and provided the Champagne, four different varieties to go with dinner.

Someone produced a packet of Sobranie cocktail cigarettes.  Remember them?  Here's LOVE magazine Editor-in-Chief Katie Grand, designer Jonathan Saunders, Fashion Director of Wonderland magazine, Grace Cobb and Catherine Russell, the publisher of LOVE.

David has a pink Sobranie.  I just sucked on my plastic nicotine inhaler!  Note the big boat in the background, they all started waving and calling us for some reason

So everyone waved back.  Gorgeous Phoebe Arnold, Fashion Director of Ponystep

I love Grace's shoes - perfect for going on a boat!

David made me get behind the wheel for photo op.  I'm looking rather windswept here

We're here.  It only took about ten minutes.  Centre is model Missy Raydar

Heron Quay

Joanie

We're greeted by my lovely friend, actress Gwendoline Christie

Hosts David Waddington and actress Gwendoline Christie along with the waiters and waitresses were all dressed in clothes from or inspired by that period by designers including Thierry Mugler, Katharine Hamnett and Giles Deacon and styled by Grace Cobb.  I'm afraid I didn't get any more pictures of those.

They've gone really 80's in here so I won't make apologies for my pictures being pink but there was a lot of neon.

I like the fact the chap on the left is getting into the swing of 1988 with his smiley face t shirt and baseball cap

Princess Julia looking fabulous as always.  I love her vintage turban.  That nail polish looks familiar, it's Vix's favourite too

It was great to see the girls - Designer Hazel Robinson, Fashion's East's Lulu Kennedy, Hayley Richardson and designer Sophie Damann

I'm trying to show that we're in the middle of lots of office blocks.  It was quite a view.

Here's the smoking balcony.  I still hang out there even though I don't smoke anymore.

Now the food - There were big bowls of everything to share, I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of the starter so here's a professional one.  My plate had a lot more on my plate than this.  The Actor and I finished a bowl of tapenade and the gorgeous tomato salad

Bruschetta with tapenade, artichoke hearts, salted duck and gooseberries, yellow and red tomato salad 

Pea risotto

Coquelet - or to quote Princess Julia "Baby chicken to you, dears".  Julia also said "It's like a scene out of Eraserhead."

Rocket and parmesan - not that you actually need a picture of this

And pavlova for pudding

Gwendoline was force fed the pavlova.  We were into the tiramisu shots by now

A bit of acid house came on.  Lulu and Catherine were into it.  Jean Marc looks disinterested

Oh hello, here we go - he starts pulling some dance moves - I wish I took more pictures, I love Jean Marc's dancing

Hazel was on brilliant form

A little bit of fashion and in keeping with the neon theme - I love Lulu's lucite clutch by Charlotte Olympia.  And her sunnies!

And her shoes by Michael Van der Ham.  The designers give Lulu great stuff and she wears it all so brilliantly.  I always want to know what she's wearing.

Then Lulu, Gwendoline and The Actor decide to style Hazel using some torn up napkins.  I'm not sure what look they were aiming for...

She loves it really and she's pulling it off very well.

Somewhere around this point the espresso Martini shots came out - they were fantastic.  Then it was time for us to go home.

I had a really fun night, thank you so much boys xxx