Tag: #foodie

Our dinner at José Pizarro Restaurant in London

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If you read my blog regularly you will know that I am a massive foodie. I love going out to the new restaurants and discovering hidden-gems on the dining scene. I recently joined my husband for a dinner-date at José Pizarro restaurant and today I would love to tell you about my experience.

Location:

José Pizarro has 3 restaurants in London:

  • Pizarro Restaurant near London Bridge;
  • José Pizarro Restaurant near Moorgate station
  • José Tapas Bar near London Bridge.

As I work near Monument, we decided to visit Pizarro restaurant on Bermondsey Street which is a short – 10 min walk from the London Bridge station.

Atmosphere:
Pizarro has a stylish décor and an informal atmosphere.

Diners are able to select their seats next to the window overlooking a picturesque church of St Mary Magdalen, at the bar, at the long communal table or the classic tables if they fancy a more intimate dinning experience. As we were on our dinner date, we decided to have a quiet table at the back of the restaurant which was overlooking an open kitchen so we could admire the chefs preparing our tasty dishes.

The menu:

The menu at Pizarro restaurant offers its diners a selection of tasty small and more substantial Spanish dishes, made using the seasonal products which can be served as starters and mains or as tapas for sharing.

To start with, we ordered a few tapas dishes to share from the Pica Pica and Starters menu:

  • Jamón Ibérico
  • Mushroom Croquetas
  • Butifarra negra & pulpo
  • Citrus prawn fritters

All of our starters were great but I absolutely loved the mushroom croquetas. They were the best croquetas I’ve tasted in a long time. You definitely need to try them when you visit Pizarro.

For my main I decided to have a fish of the day – Pescado del día – scallops with some aubergines. They were mouth watering and the flavours of cod and side worked perfectly together.

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My husband had a Castilian leg of suckling lamb with some mojo rojo and chickpeas. It was extremely tender and the portion was generous.

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Once we were done with our mains, it was a time for my favourite part of any meal – our desserts. I decided to be adventurous and ordered some cream cheese ice cream accompanied by some blackcurrant and camomile syrup. It was certainly different and not what I expected!

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My husband was less adventurous and just ordered some classic ice creams and enjoyed them.

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Overall experience:

We both enjoyed our dining experience. I my opinion, Pizarro is definitely one of the best Spanish eateries in London and it offers some great traditional dishes with a modern twist. The restaurant is perfect for a romantic dinner for two or a casual meeting with friends over some delicious tapas and quality Spanish wine. Throughout our meal the service was attentive and the waitress made sure that we had a wonderful evening. The restaurant is also conveniently located (especially if you travel to or work in the City of London) so I would definitely visit it again soon!

Website:
For more information and to book visit:

https://josepizarro.com/pizarro-restaurant/

Address:

194 Bermondsey St,

London

SE1 3TQ

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Iceland Foods Feaster Dinner

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As some of you know I am a massive foodie and I love trying different products, recipes and cuisines. I normally write about dining at top restaurants but where do I shop to create meals in the comfort of my home? You will probably be surprised by what I have to tell you today so read on… I have recently attended ‘Iceland Feaster’ event focusing on Iceland’s Easter range and today I would love to share with you my thoughts about their products.

Background:

Iceland Foods launched a while ago in 1970 and it is currently one of Britain’s fastest-growing retailers with over 900 stores based in UK. Iceland focuses on frozen products and a recently conducted blind taste test by 32 UK chefs showed that there were no significant differences when eight frozen products and their fresh equivalents were put to test. In addition to it’s own branded products, Iceland offers lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, food cupboard, bakery options and variety of other products from famous brands such as: Slimming World, Pizza Express, Millie’s Cookies. There’s something delicious for everyone! What’s more, if you like eco-friendly brands then you will be pleased to discover that Iceland is the first major retailer to commit to being plastic-free across their own label range by 2023.

Event: 

I was invited to attend the Feaster event last week and I was really looking forward to it as I have recently discovered that Iceland won multiple awards such as ‘Business Initiative of the Year’ and ‘Online Supermarket of the Year’ (Which? 2016 and 2017).

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The event was lead by the UK Food Hero Award winning chef – Neil Nugent. The purpose of the event was to showcase some of Iceland’s Easter products and show all attendees how they can create a perfect Easter dinner for their family using high-quality frozen products.

Firstly, chef Neil showed us how to prepare a perfect fish-cake with a running egg in the middle. It was great to watch him conducting live cooking show demo and sharing his tips with all attendees.

I loved discovering little tricks such as cooking a pierced egg for 6 minutes and 10 seconds. Once our starter was prepared, all attendees had an opportunity to taste it. Our fishcake was served with a bit of sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard dressing. It was delicious! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to prepare it and I have already recreated it at home since I returned from the event.

Secondly, chef Neil worked on our mains.

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He showed us how to create a perfect dish based on the Iceland’s British Turkey Crown, broccoli on a bed of beans, couscous with an edible egg shell and accompanied by some rich Morley sauce with cranberries. It was delectable.

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After our mains, we were shown how to create some perfect hot cross buns in two different ways.

Chef Neil showed us how to make a perfect bacon jam and shared with us his rarebit recipe. I really enjoyed the bacon jam and I definitely need to prepare some for my husband!

Lastly, we were served some of the Iceland Luxury Raspberry & Pistachio Layered Pavlova.

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I have a very bad sweet tooth and this cake was simply delightful. It was better than some of the cakes I buy from Patisserie Valerie and was definitely my favourite product I tasted during the event. I couldn’t believe that it only costs £6 and serves 8. Clearly delicious food doesn’t have to be expensive.

Final thoughts: 

I think that lots of you probably think that frozen food cannot be tasty. I had a similar preconception however it changed after I attended Iceland’s Feaster event. All food was mouth-watering and I will surely do my Easter Weekend shopping at Iceland. As I loved the Luxury Raspberry & Pistachio Layered Pavlova, I am looking forward to trying some more of the Iceland’s desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. You should definitely give Iceland foods a go and I hope that you will be as positively surprised as I was!

X

Pauline

Godiva Easter Egg Masterclass

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As some of you might know, I have a very bad sweet tooth. As Easter approaches, I decided to attend a Godiva Easter Egg Masterclass in London this week on Monday.

Godiva has recently partnered with six influences (Henry Holland, Gizzi Erskine, Candice Brown, Rosie Fortescue, Sophie Tea and Emma Block), to create six one-of-a-kind Easter eggs, to mark their Sainsbury’s Spring Collection launch.

Left to right; Sophie Tea, Emma Block, Gizzi Erskine, Rosie Fortescue, Henry Holland and Candice Brown

The creations include decadent dark and milk chocolate leopard print egg and glamourous jewel and peacock feather adorned creation.  The eggs will be given away to lucky members of public via Godiva’s social media platforms ahead of 1st April so make sure that you check their Twitter and Instagram page.

Godiva’s chocolates are always a perfect treat for those looking to treat themselves or others. After I saw these beautiful Easter Eggs, I was really looking forward to my masterclass. When I arrived, I saw a beautiful, flowery decoration throughout a room and I was welcomed by a glass of bubbly.

After a few minutes all attendees sat down at our egg decorating stations and we started our masterclass by some chocolate testing. It really enjoyed listening to one of Godiva’s chocolatiers about the differences in chocolate – how it smells, its texture, sound, taste and taste. Chocolate has never felt, or looked, or smelt so good…

Once our tasting was completed we started decorating our Easter eggs with a help of another chocolatier who assisted us with our design and provided us with some valuable tips. There were lots of edible  When my Easter egg was ready I was really proud of it. My final masterpiece looked amazing and I decided to gift it to my mother-in-law.

You should definitely check Godiva’s Collection as it’s not only delicious but it also looks great.

I hope you all enjoy your chocolate Easter eggs and treats!

Godiva’s Exclusive Easter range can be bought online:

http://www.godivachocolates.co.uk/spring-sale

X

Pauline

 

Dinner at Cinc Sentits Restaurant in Barcelona, Spain

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Last month, I was with my husband in Barcelona in Spain to celebrate his 30th birthday. During our last day in this beautiful city, we booked a table at the famous local restaurant – Cinc Sentits. It made me question what do I consider to be the perfect dining experience? For me it’s firstly great food then service and lastly the atmosphere. Cinc Sentits definitely exceeded my expectation and I can definitely say that our lunch there was the best meal we had whilst in Barcelona.

I loved the restaurant philosophy which follows the Catalan proverb:

‘He who eats well and drinks well, does everything right’. 
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Location:

The Cinc Sentits restaurant is located in central Barcelona very close to Universitat tube station and is around 10min walk from the Placa De Catalunya.

Atmosphere:

The decoration of Cinc Sentits restaurant is modern and elegant.

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It is run by a Michellin star chef – Jordi Artal who aims to share a vision of modern Catalan cuisine with its dinners. His goal is to create memorable gastronomic experiences designed to engage the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

From the moment we arrived, the waiting staff at the restaurant were all knowledgeable, warm and inviting. There was some quiet music playing in the background…

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The menu:

Cinc Sentits offers 2 testing menus (4 and 6 dishes) which are inspired by the freshest ingredients currently in season, as well as Catalonia’s culinary traditions.

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In addition, diners have an opportunity to select a pairing of wines that have been carefully chosen to harmonize with the flavours and aromas of each course. All the wines in the restaurant pairings are exclusively Catalan and Spanish.

What these menus have in common is that they change seasonally and they are the same at both lunch and dinner, so the dining experience is identical. Before we started, we were asked if we had any allergies and our waitress explained that every course we’ll  receive will be a surprise. As we had a flight to catch, we decided to try a testing menu 4 with a pairing of some carefully selected wines. Our waitress explained that we will get:

  • 5 tapas dishes
  • 1 starter
  • 1 fish dish
  • 1 meat dish
  • 1 pre-dessert
  • 1 dessert

I love being surprised and Cinc Sentits offers its dinners a really unique experience where you do not exactly know what you will get for any of the courses until they arrive. I really enjoy this concept as it stimulates conversation and the discovery part enables your senses to bring back some food memories or discover some new textures.

Whilst we were waiting for our food to arrive, we received a delicious shot based on maple syrup, cream, cava sabayon and sea salt. I am not much of a drinker but I really enjoyed it.

Our first course consisted of 5 tapas dishes:

  • Iberian Jamon de bellota;
  • Grilled vegetable flatbread with olive oil ‘caviar’;
  • Freshly shucked baby clams with Cinc Sentis secret sauce number 3;
  • Salt-baked potato, bonito tuna belly, carrot & green bean puree
  • Anchovy with quince paste and pickled pepper.

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They were all mouth-watering and delicious. This course was accompanied by some Cinc Sentits Vermouth wine which was full of aromas and nicely complemented our tapas.

Next, we received our starter-a dish called ‘ Land and Sea of Catalonia’ which was based on some baby peas, pea shoots, pea essence, black truffle, anise sea urchin, razor clams, green apple and ice plant. It was really enjoyable.

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Moving on, we received some wild turbot-it was divine.

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This dish was accompanied by some Contino Blanco 2015 wine.

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This dish was followed by a smoked hen’s egg with crisp thyme brown butter breadcrumbs and pickled onion.

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It was accompanied by some Pre Pairal 1999 wine which worked perfectly with it.

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Next, we received some our main showcasing different parts of duck: duck breast with sauteed pear, duck leg with some red wine gel and pistachio in addition to some roasted duck wing and neck pancake with some pear chutney.

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It was my favorite dish which was simply amazing! It was accompanied by some Magnum Acos 2007 wine.

For our pre-dessert, our waitress brought us some ‘lemon textures’ consisting of some lemon sorbet, lemon cake, lemon meringue and vodka ice sorbet to clean the palette. It was very refreshing.

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If you regularly read my blog, then you will probably know that I have a very bad sweet tooth. As soon as I saw our dessert which was restaurants interpretation of a famous Ferrero Rocher, I couldn’t wait to try it.

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It was simply delectable and was based on some toasted hazelnut mousse, candied hazelnuts with yogurt powder and tangerine sorbet. Our dessert was accompanied by some Moscatel Montegudo wine.

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As a final temptation, just before we asked for our bill, we received some signature cheesecake with carmelised apple and white chocolate. What an amazing, unexpected treat!

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Overall experience:

We both loved every minute of our unique gastronomic experience at the Cinc Sentits based on sampling and discovering some great locally sourced food. Each dish was beautifully presented and made from fresh seasonal foods. In addition to the food, the service was very knowledgeable and welcoming and the restaurant is centrally located so I would definitely visit it again when I am back in Barcelona.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://cincsentits.com/en/

Address:

Carrer d’Aribau 58,

08011 Barcelona, Spain

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Our dinner at Informal Restaurant in Barcelona, Spain

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As you are probably aware, I love travelling and I am a massive foodie. During my recent trip to Barcelona, I visited lots of local restaurant and bars but only 2 of them really stood out from the rest. Today, I would like to tell you about my experience at Informal Restaurant in Barcelona.

Location:

The Informal Restaurant is located in the Serras Hotel in Barcelona. It is situated in a famous Bari Gotic area, just a few minutes away from Barceloneta station. It is a 7 minute walk from Las Ramblas.

Atmosphere:
The whole hotel has a minimalist, modern decor with its linen fabrics, neutral colors and use of materials like iron and wood that connect it to the surrounding marina. As soon as we entered the restaurant we were welcome by a friendly hostess and introduced to Rodrigo who was our waiter throughout the evening. There was a relaxing music playing at the background. In the middle of the restaurant there was an open kitchen and grill which was great as you could admire your food being made.

The menu:

The menu at Informal Restaurant is developed by Michelin Star Chef Marc Gascons who focuses or Catalan and Mediterranean specialties. He aims to provide its dinners with a delicious selection of dishes made using locally sourced products from land and sea.

The restaurant offers a nice selection of dishes but we decided to order from ‘Menu Experience: Picasso’.

To start with, we ordered a few tapas dishes to share:

  • some homemade toasted flat bread with tomato and extra virgin olive oil;

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  • salted anchovies from L’Escala with olive oil and pepper;

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  • mixed salad of green beans, green peas, Iberian ham and black truffle;
  • steamed artichokes, bulgur, celeriac, orange vinaigrette and black truffle;

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  • patatas bravas;
  • free-range chicken roast croquettes.

For my main I decided to have a roasted monkfish with peas, squid and chicken juice. It was mouth watering!

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My husband had some succulent veal with potato parmentier and some seasonal mushrooms. His meal was simply amazing and he thought that it was the best veal he’s ever eaten which is a big statement to make as we eat out at least twice a week.

I love desserts and I was looking forward to trying some of Informal Restaurant’s roast apple dessert with puff pasty, pine nuts and lemon cream. It was delicious!

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My husband ordered some chocolate ice cream and gnache with olive oil and salt. It was a perfect combination of sweet and salty experiences in one dessert.

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Overall experience:
We both enjoyed our dinner at Informal Restaurant. Chef Marc Gascons offers its diners a great selection of some of the best best local food with a modern twist. Throughout our meal the service was friendly and attentive. They made us feel relaxed and welcomed. The restaurant is also very conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again next time I am in Barcelona.

Website:
For more information and to book visit:

https://hoteltheserrasbarcelona.com/en/informal.html

Address:

Carrer de la Plata, 4,

08002 Barcelona, Spain

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Dinner at Grande Hotel do Porto restaurant in Porto, Portugal

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A few weeks ago, I was with my husband in Porto, Portugal. During our stay we visited lots of different bars and restaurants and today I would like to tell you about our dinner at the Grande Hotel’s D. Pedro II Restaurant.

Location:

Grande Hotel do Porto is located on a famous shopping street- Rua de Santa Catarina. The restaurant is located at the quiet area of the hotel-away from all the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Atmosphere:

The D. Pedro II Restaurant offers its dinner a space where guests cross daily with local clients and passing tourists that when strolling by Santa Catarina Street can’t resist the temptation to come inside

The hotel has an exclusive décor and some beautiful pieces of art are visible throughout the communal areas. Many famous guests have stayed in this property. The restaurant is named after D. Pedro II – the former emperor of Brazil, who found refuge here during the fall of the Monarchy in that country. At the time, the royal entourage took up the entire first floor of the Hotel and stayed here for a while.

The menu:

Antonio-our waiter brought us our menus in no time and that’s when we discovered that the restaurant offers a great selection of dishes. Both myself and my husband are a massive foodies so we were looking forward to our meal.

To start with, we received a complimentary amouse brioche – a glass with some smoked haddock.

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I then ordered a stuffed Portobello mushroom with truffle and vegetables cream and quail egg. It was really tasty.

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My husband ordered some smoked ham cantelloni with arugula in pesto sauce, gratinated brie croutons with honey. He enjoyed it and finished it in no time.

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For our mains we both decided to have a fish. I ordered some bream fillet with olive cream and roasted peppers composition. It was mouth watering!

My husband had some braised salmon with bread crust and chard sautéed in garlic sauce. Not only his main was presented nicely, it tasted even better.

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Dessert is always my favorite part of any meal and I had some beautiful creamy coconut cake and fruit composition. It was delicious!

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My husband ordered a cheese board with a nice selection of cheeses and finish his meal with a glass of traditional port.

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Overall experience:

We both had a nice time at the D. Pedro II Restaurant. The restaurant serves tasty food and offers a great, friendly service. It is also very conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.grandehotelporto.com/en/restaurant-bar/d-pedro-ii-restaurant/

Address:

Rua de Santa Catarina 197,

4000-450 Porto, Portugal

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

 

Dinner at The Artist Bistro in Porto, Portugal

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Last week, I was with my husband in Porto in Portugal. On our last evening, we booked a table at the popular local restaurant – The Artist Bistro. It was definitely the best meal we had whilst in Portugal.

Location:

The Artist Bistro is located inside The Artist Hotel. The hotel is based in a former art school and provides a contemporary and comfortable environment, inspiring and developing the skills of the current students of the Hotel and Tourism school who work there. It is just around a corner from a famous shopping street and commercial area of Rua de Santa Catarina. The metro closest station (Campo de Agosto) is just a few minutes away.

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Atmosphere:

The Artist Bistro is inspired by the artistic heritage of the building which has previously hosted an Art School. The decoration of the restaurant is classy and elegant.

All art visible in the restaurant is made up of pieces from previous students of the old school Soares dos Reis.

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The dinning experience at The Artist Bistro is designed to socialise with the art one can see, smell, taste and feel. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm and inviting. We were welcomed by Katia who was attending our table through the night. She was really friendly and professional. Quiet jazz music was playing in the background…

The menu:

Do you like surprises and trying new things? If you are quite open to the new experiences and you like being surprised then you will love The Artist Bistro. The key aim of the Head Chef – Hugo Dias is to surprise his dinners with a unique experience of sampling some great locally sourced food.

You can now be surprised by selecting one of 3 sampling menus:

  • Myth 5 experiences
  • Musa 7 experiences
  • Bistro 9 experiences

What all of these menus have in common is that they change on a daily basis and they offer dinners a combination of unforgettable flavours. At the beginning of the meal, we were asked if we had any allergies and whether there were any ingredients we really didn’t like. Our waitress took notes and explained that every course we’ll  receive will be a surprise-we could only choose what type of main dish we wanted to receive (fish/ meat / vegetarian). The really unique think about this restaurant was that we didn’t know what we will have for any of the courses!

We decided to try a Musa – 7 course dinning experience. Each dish was beautifully presented and made from fresh seasonal foods.

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While sipping some crispy white wine, our first course arrived- oysters with some red onions.

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We finished them in no time and the waitress brought us some mouth-watering mushroom soup with some olive oil, croutons and chives. It was delicious.

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From the next course onward we were surprised with different dish each. We received ‘Samosas de Artist’. We decided to play a game and identify the ingredients of our samosas-a great way of having fun whilst enjoying your meal. My samosa was with goats cheese with pumpkin and my husband received a samosa with a chicken and chorizo filling.

Next, we received some vegetable brioche with some potatoes, carrots, peppers, balsamic vinegar, courgettes which were all baked with egg. It was really enjoyable.

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Moving on, I received caramelized scallops with a cauliflower mouse-they were divine.

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My husband, on the other hand, got an octopus with a lime foam with breadcrumbs and site salad. It crackled like a sea because of the foam popping up.

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Following on from our great seafood dishes, I received some green beans stew based on a traditional Portuguese sausage and bread in a rich tomatoes sauce.

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My husband got some pork belly, crackling with balsamic vinegar.

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Before our main dishes were served, our waitress brought us some lemon & vodka sorbet to clean the palette. It was really refreshing.

At the begging of our meal I decided to have a fish main and I received some beautifully cooked sea bass paired up with an appetizing vegetable puree.

My husband decided to have a meat main and he received some quail with roasted carrots, potatoes pure in a port sauce with some figs and rosemary. It was the best quail he has ever eaten-extremely tender and cooked to perfection.

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If you read my reviews regularly then you will know that a dessert is always my favorite part of any meal. I received a delectable chocolate brownie with large pieces of nuts and some vanilla ice-cream.

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To finish off his meal my husband received a pear that was boiled in port and paired up with some raspberry ice-creams.

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Overall experience:

We both had an amazing time at The Artist Bistro. As I like surprises and trying new food, I was delighted with the concept of discovery. The restaurant serves delicious food with a twist. In addition to food, the service was great and the restaurant is conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again.

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Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.shotels.pt/restaurantetheartistbistrot/en/home

Address:

 Rua da Firmeza 49,

4000-099 Porto, Portugal

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

 

Dinner at Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant in Fishmore Hall Hotel

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During our recent stay at Fishmore Hall Hotel we decided to book a table at hotel’s Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant. As we are both massive foodies and the restaurant is among the best places to eat in Ludlow, we decided to check it out.

Location:

Forelles Fine Dining Restaurant is located in Fishomore Hall Hotel that is only a mile away from Ludlow.

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 7:00 p.m. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who took us to our table and made us feel welcomed.

The restaurant has a welcoming decor featuring simple beige chairs. Each table displayed a candle and a rose to add a bit of romantic atmosphere for its dinners. There was lots of natural light coming through the large French windows giving dinners opportunity to relax whilst admiring the beautiful countryside. The relaxing music was playing in the background.

The menu:

Forelles Fine Dinning restaurant offers classically based, modern British cuisine and welcomes both residents and non-residents who can choose from two menus; a three course A la Carte menu, as well as a six course tasting menu with the option of pairing each dish with an accompanying wine.

The menu at Forelles Restaurant offers a nice selection of dishes that are all built around the best produce from the area. The Head Chef-Andrew Birch provides his diners with a high quality, traditional cuisine with a twist that is based on a fresh and locally sourced ingredients from producers from all over the Shropshire Marshes.

We started our evening with some wine and we  some complimentary bread, olives and nuts.

We decided to try a six course tasting menu. As we weren’t sure which wine to go for, we decided to go for the accompanying wines.

To start with we received some signature Orkney hand dived scallops with some cauliflower, apple and ham hock croquette. They were divine. Our sommelier brought us a glass of unoaked Chardonnay Australian (2016) white wine. It offered a rich and creamy mouth feel that lead to soft tropical fruits and orange zest on the palate.

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Secondly we received some Isle of Wight tomato with black olive crumb and some goats curd. It was mouth watering and accompanied by some Pinot Noir, Whitehaven (2016) wine. This delicate petal rose brimmed with refreshing crushed strawberry, cherry, watermelon notes that lingered.

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Thirdly, some Gigha Halibut was served. It was definitely my favorite course. It was cooked to perfection and accompanied with some sea vegetables and spiced seafood bisque. Absolutely perfect combination! Our sommelier presented us with a glass of Gavi di Gavi Italian wine (2015) that had aromatic, zesty notes with apple, lime and kiwi. It was juicy with a citric and mouthwatering feel creating a refreshing, satisfying finish.

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Next, we had some corn fed duck breast with some smoked potato puree, carmelised shallots and hispi cabbage. It was flavorsome. For this course we received some Saumur Champigny Vielles Vignes French wine (2014) – a medium bodied red with a winning combination of plump black fruits and a refreshing dryness on the palate.

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Moving on, it was time for two sweet courses. As I have a bad sweet tooth, I was looking forward to trying them. First of all, we received some lavender cremeaux with raspberry meringues and raspberry sorbet. It was delicious. Our sommelier brought us some Chardonnay Navarra (2012) dessert wine of intense gold colour. It was deeply complex with notes of tinned pineapple, apricot, quince, orange peel and rosemary honey.

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The last course was ‘chocolate delice’. A rich dark chocolate dessert accompanied with some sorbet based on black cherries and ice cream, which was scrumptious. Our sommelier brought along some Black Muscat, Quady Elisim wine (2014) with a rose-like aroma. It was very intense on the palate and full of fantastic rich velvety fruit.

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Overall experience:

We both really enjoyed our fine dinning experience offered by Forelles Restaurant. If you wish to try some superb Shropshire’s cuisine then I would recommend trying one of the Tasting Menus with the accompanying wines. All dishes were delectable and presented beautifully, in addition to service which was flawless so we couldn’t have asked for more. We cleared the plates in no time which is always a good sight.

Address:

Forelles Restaurant at Fishmore Hall, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 3DP England

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

CAKE Restaurant Payment app

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Do you live or work in central London? If you do then I would like to tell you about CAKE – the new payment application for Londoners. I decided to give it a go as I go out regularly and the application promises to make it easier to enjoy London’s best restaurants and bars.

You can pay or split your bill all in one app.

Firstly, you can plan where to eat by browsing the places nearby or see a full list of places where you can pay with the app when you tap ‘Explore’.

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As soon as you are sure where you would like to go for your meal or drinks you can contact the venue to request a table.

There is a good selection of restaurants and bars to choose from. Some of the restaurants that CAKE collaborates with are:

  • Rum Kitchen
  • Bunga Bunga
  • Tonteria
  • Lima
  • 100 Kensington
  • Aroma Italia
  • Bar American

As my husband loves Indian food, on Tuesday we decided to book a table at Cinnamon Bazaar located in Covent Garden.

The experience:

After we had our meal at Cinnamon Bazaar we let our server know that we wanted to pay with CAKE. The payment was simple-when I opened a tab in the app and showed my reference number to my waiter who then connected my bill to the app. The payment amount owed was shown in the app and when I approved it the payment was made. There was also an option to split a bill with other dinners which would be really handy if you went out with friends.

Overall experience:

I really enjoyed using CAKE app as it gives anyone opportunity to browse and pay for your meal at many local cafes and restaurants. In addition, the app offers you the possibility to quickly split your bill if you decide to use it while out with your friends.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Ross & Ross – Wedding Anniversary Foodie Gift Idea

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It is our first wedding anniversary next week. My husband is a git of a computer geek so he requested some vouchers so he can buy a new gaming equipment. I wanted to also get him something he can enjoy straight away and as both myself and my husband are massive foodies I decided to get him The XL Man Box from Ross and Ross.

Company:

Ross & Ross is a small, multi award winning fine food company based in the Cotswolds. It specializes in Wedding & Event Catering and Handmade British food gifts. The company has just won 2 stars in The Great Taste Awards for their BBQ Salt and The Cotswold Pig-the beer that goes into a lot of the hampers. In addition, Ross and Ross won some other awards including:

  • Winner of ‘Gift of the Year’ Food & Drink Award 2017 (Homemade Curing Kit, Salmon)
  • Finalists of Best Independent Retailer Award at the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards 2017

The owners Ross Bearman and Ross Whitmill share a passion for great British food. They have worked in the fine food industry for over 15 years. Their website offers a range of fine-food gift boxes and last year they expanded the popular Man Box collection to include a cider variety in addition to launching The Homemade Curing Kit.

Who are the boxes for?

The boxes are suitable for any male that enjoy a quality food and beverage. Ross & Ross range ranges from themed Father’s Day and Wedding boxes (for Ushers, Best Man, Father of the Bride) to generic boxes suitable for any occasion.

I decided to get my husband The XL Man Box described on the website as:

‘It’s BIG, it’s spicy and totally separates the men from the boys.’

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The XL Man Box contains:

  • Premium Cotswold Lager, 5.0% 330ml Made by The Cotswold Brewing Co, Bourton on the Water. A smooth, subtle lager with a soft, fruity flavour. Additive free, preservative free and unpasteurised for the freshest, truest possible taste.
  • Cotswold Pig Ale, 4.4%, 500ml Made by Stratford-upon-Avon Brewery
  • British Charcuterie 100g – Original Salami Made by the Cotswold Curer, Cirencester. Artisan producer of salami and chorizo made from locally sourced free range pork in the Cotswolds.
  • British Charcuterie 100g – Spicy Chorizo Made by the Cotswold Curer, Cirencester. Artisan producer of salami and chorizo made from locally sourced free range pork in the Cotswolds.
  • Mr Trotter’s Great British Crackling – Original 60g Pork Scratchings made from 100% prime British pork skin from the finest British pigs.
  • Mr Trotter’s Great British Crackling – Jalapeno Chilli 60g Pork Scratchings made from 100% prime British pork skin from the finest British pigs.
  • Plum Chutney 115g jar Slow cooked Cotswold plums with spices and apples. A great all-rounder for cheeses and terrines.

Prices:

All Ross & Ross boxes are reasonably priced and offer a great selection of gifts ranging from £20-40.

Please refer to the website for more details.

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Pauline