The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

So, I was having a pretty uneventful week when my luck suddenly changed for the better at my local Tesco. I was scrabbling for bags, trying to keep up with the super efficient cashier, when suddenly I heard those most beautiful of words – “can I ask you how old you are?” Now, were it not for the fact that I’m double the legal age for buying alcohol, she was also holding back some cordial that must have looked suspiciously like a bottle of plonk. It was like music to my ears and I nearly kissed her. Thankfully she was protected by the conveyor belt but my heart did a little twirl and I blushed with glee.

I remember not always being so happy about looking underage. My teens were spent slapping on garish make-up in an attempt to look womanly but my flat chest and spotty complexion were an instant giveaway and I was always the one who got stopped by the bouncers or refused Diamond White at the 7-11. However, these days, a demand for ID is met with jaw-dropping astonishment, amusement and extreme exhiliration. It’s the same kind of feeling you get when you walk past a building site and hear a wolf whistle. Whilst I pretend to be appalled and attempt my best ‘get a life’ face, as soon as I turn the corner it’s all I can do to stop myself from high-fiving my other hand and shouting ‘you’ve still got it’ at the top of my voice. Before noticing a girl directly behind me in a revealing mini-skirt.

So, for all of you who are legal and allowed to mix with the over-18s, I thought I’d share a great website with you. I don’t know about you but I often get bored of going to the same old stomping grounds – sometimes it’s good to find out where the young and fashionable are hanging out in London town. For this you need a website called Secret Cities. It started out on Facebook and within two weeks over 150,000 people had joined. Its aim is to inspire Londoners to explore the best that the city has to offer. You can either make suggestions about places to go or read others.

Latest discussions include ‘I want to host a power ballad night and need a bar to host it. Who knows one?’ and ‘Crazy/Fetish and Non-scary club nights?’. Hmmm, might avoid those but there are some quirky and original places on the site that may inspire you. They also have a blog and a Facebook site so you can get regular updates. Personally I think the Facebook page is even better than the website as it seems to get updated more regularly. To find the group, type ‘Secret London’ in the search bar and it’s the first group in the list.

If you haven’t got time to browse, here are some of the best recommendations this month:

St.Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square 
London WC2N 4JJ
Wind down in your lunch hour at these free lunchtime, classical concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields church. Concerts take place every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 1pm and feature new and emerging talent from young musicians.

Exit Bar
174 Brick Lane, E1 6RU
Cool DJs and delicious cocktails. Nuff said.

One Love at The Social.
5 Little Portland Street
London W1W 7JD
If you love music and art, this is the place for you. Every month The Social host a unique night where musicians come to have their live music painted by Kilford – aka, The Music
Painter.

Full House
Full House is a 6-month pop up project and the latest venture in London’s underground secret dining scene. The location is only revealed on the day of the event and guests have to sign up to menus posted on the Full House blog. Seating just 12 people around one table, professional and well known chefs begin the evening with an interactive demo and then lay on a 5 to 7 course dinner. Loosen those belts.

Supperclub
12 Acklam Road, W10 5QZ
Quite an annoying website and a wee bit pretentious [owner: ‘”Supperclub is a free state of sensual experiences”], Supperclub was started in Amsterdam by some impoverished artists. Since then it’s grown into somewhere where food, art and music combine to provide guests with a unique experience. I was a bit freaked out by the photo of a man lying down with sushi precariously placed all over his leather skirt but maybe I just need to open my mind and stop worrying about his dry cleaning bill.

Midnite Cookies
15 Exeter Street, WC2E 7DT
This sounds more like it. Get your chocolate fix from this cookie company that will deliver cookies, brownies and milkshakes to you in your PJs until 1am.

Little 15 Jewellery
15 Cullum Street, EC3M 7JJ
Gorgeous jewellery by designers such as Alex Monroe [swoon – your entire collection will be mine one day] and Clara Francis.

Love da Bop Secret Picnics
Check out the ‘Love da Bop presents “Urban Picnics”’ group on Facebook. They are getting 200m2 of turf for a flash mob-style urban picnic so pack a parka and a picnic and get ready to share a soggy sandwich with a stranger.

London Cab Tours
This is brilliant. London cabbie Graham has a BA in history and offers tours of London with a difference. Themed tours include ‘London horror: A way of death’ and ‘Dickens, Shakespeare, Chaucer: London Scenes from their Lives & Works’. Apparently his speciality is coming up with a 6 degrees of separation tour. Hold tight as Graham takes you on a literary tour, connecting ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in 6 London degrees.

So get exploring but remember, shhhh…keep it secret.
Valerie x