Harbour Life

After a few rainy days in Somerset, Rich and I took advantage of our only day of semi-sunshine to visit the South Coast. Arriving at sunset (after a fairly lazy morning) made for some beautiful pictures.

When I was younger I always thought I might like to live by the sea...the sound of the waves, the beautiful views, sand between my toes. Looks fairly tempting, wouldn't you say?

The Southampton Restaurant Edit: All the bays!

Southampton: a place that previously has been for business rather than pleasure - and its a push even to say that. I worked in Southampton on a store closure team for a week last year, spending days inputting stock data on to systems, packing boxes and loading lorries. After a hard days work, the only pleasure we got from the day is the meal we could put through expenses at the end of it. We accrued some favourite haunts during our time in Southampton and it seemed almost criminal to bypass them when we were so close by in the New Forest. So here we are...our lunch and dinner favourites in Southampton. Turtle Bay and Dock O' The Bay.

Lunch: Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay is a colourful, Caribbean restaurant which is guaranteed to wake you up  give you a pick me up after the morning desk snooze. In central Southampton, only a stones throw away from West Key shopping centre, you won't have to go out of your way to spice up your day (and maybe sneak a happy hour cocktail in...don't worry, I won't tell the boss). With its colourful murals and reggae style music, as well as the cute veranda style seating areas (my favourite place to sit for dinner dates) and laid back friendly staff, the environment itself is enough to put a smile on your face. 

A variety of dishes are on offer from their Jerk BBQ grills, gorgeous one pots (my personal faves), their lunch 'n' light meals and cutters (which are either starters or tapas, depending on the way you look at it!). Whilst usually I am a one-pot girl through and through (with the Trini fish curry, Trinidad curry chicken and Curry, shrimp and mango all under my belt), there is one cutter that I can't resist and that is the Jerk Pit Prawns. If they did this in main course size I don't think I would ever leave. It is not attractive to eat in male company (think sauce everywhere and stinking of seafood the whole night) but in my opinion Rich can just put up with it: they are food heaven! 

On this particular visit, I decided cutters were the way forward: Jerk pit prawns (non negotiable) and pulled Jerk pork.

Rich had the pork as a starter last time we came (to celebrate the end of my exams in Bristol...was that really 6 months ago?!) and I had serious good envy. Slow roast pulled jerk pork, rocket, fresh butternut squash, mango, organge and coconut shavings is the menu description - I can assure you it is a foodgasm on a plate. 

Their cocktails are also not to be frowned at (especially on Happy Hour - which seems more like Happy Afternoon!). My personal favourite is Jammin' (a la Mr Marley): White rum, apricot liquer, fresh mint, ginger, lime, apple juice and apricot jam (served on a spoon!) - maybe reserved for those with a sweet tooth or those who count cocktails as desert as I do!

Not just limited to Bristol, Turtle Bay are a thriving business who are popping up all over the place. They currently have restaurants in Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham and Milton Keynes and soon to be opening branches in Bath, Birmingham and Leamington Spa. I literally think my prayers have been answer when it comes to Turtle Bay coming to Bath...! A Turtle Bay visit was always a special occasion (even if the Bristol branch is only about half an hour away). This could mean serious trouble for my bank balance for the whole of final year but also a place to celebrate my graduation in 2015 (fingers crossed!). If you haven't already chanced upon it, your life is not yet complete!

Dinner: Dock O' The Bay

Now Dock O' The Bay is certainly a different kind of bay all together. If Turtle Bay is the steel drum party, shack serving drink, sandy BBQ pit kind of bay, then Dock O' The Bay is the bay of lapping waves, serenity and butler service to double bed style sun loungers. Both charming in their own ways! Rich actually chanced upon this gem on his longer stint in Southampton store managing (mainly because it is opposite the Travel Lodge they always shoved him in!). Its location gives no clue to how awesome it is...an unsuspecting parade of shops that it shares with Domino's pizza and an opticians. 

The restaurant has a really laid back vibe. I love the art filled space from the huge wall mural to all the hanging pieces towards the back of the restaurant and that gorgeous distressed wood floor. On all different levels, the restaurant makes a clever use of space and even when its busy (which is nigh on always) you never feel crowded. The staff are always so friendly, never rushing you  with some even recognising us from our last trip over a year ago. 

What I love about this restaurant is its simple approach. With its basis of fresh ingredients, it never makes any fuss about things - just does simple food in an exemplary fashion, which explains its loyal following in this obscure corner of town for the last 14 years!

With the rotten hang over I had when I arrived for an early dinner (one which I had been nursing all day), I thought there was nothing much that could take my fancy...but how wrong I was. I opted for the honey roast chicken breast with root vegetable mash, buttered kale and honey and mustard cream sauce. Not being a fan of kale, they quickly and kindly substituted in roasted courgettes.

STOP THE PRESS: Dock O' The Bay should have a patent on the quickest hangover cure known to man! 

Its official I might have to move in next door to this place!!

Rich's slow roasted pork belly with crispy crackling, spring onion mash, red cabbage and cider jus - what he had been looking forward to all day if not all year!

The best way to describe the food is restaurant luxury home cooking - something you think you could recreate, but if you tried would fail every time. Magical fingers is what these chefs have. I have too much love for this restaurant and its staff. As an independent, its not often that we get to visit (we figure 2 hours each way is a bit of a commute) but its a place that we have fond memories of and will revisit time after time when we get the chance. Any plans for a Somerset branch would be gratefully received.

The Bell Inn

Way back in November, in Mother Russia, I was ummming and ahhhhing about what to get Rich for his birthday. Being away, I tried painstakingly to organise a day out for him and a friend to do - so he had a nice celebration on the day itself - unfortunately, it just never came together.

Then, just as I was about to despair, I came across a great deal on a trip to the New Forest and it was a BARGAIN!

The Groupon deal included:

• A night's B&B accommodation at The Bell Inn in one of their Classic Rooms.
• A glass of champagne on arrival.
• A 2-course meal in the bar (including everything on the a la carte menu and specials boards).
• Tickets to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.

As Rich is a lover of cars, I thought it would be a good combination of romantic mini-break and lad-ish day out and BONUS it was something we could do together after a busy Christmas period. Ringing the hotel from Russia, the line was often tenuous and crackly but the ladies on reception were more than helpful, answering all of my questions (even if they were silly) and putting up with cut call after cut call. I pencilled it in to my diary and smiled, happy in the knowledge that we had something to look forward to. 

So last Thursday, I bundled myself on to a train to Southampton, voucher in hand, looking forward to a chilled out evening. Rich, who was meant to meet me from the station, was over an hour late (to those who know him, that won't be a surprise). So I spent a while wandering around the shops of West Quay. After a mere 20 minute drive, past some really awful flooding (which was what stalled Rich apparently), we arrived to the hotel, situated on a quiet-ish country road. 

The first thing that struck me was the lack of cars in the car park - Rich and I were evidently two of very few guests (which is sometimes worrying, but who really short breaks on a Thursday?!). A lovely lady greeted us at reception and gave us our key (room 8 on the ground floor).

I was impressed with the decor of the hotel - a palette of mainly greys and woods accented with colourful furniture and large flower blooms. On our way to the room, I spotted a cosy looking room filled with comfy looking sofas which looked like they needed testing out and made a mental note for later. I wasn't disappointed in the bedroom either (their standard room) with muted colour scheme and a bright patterned feature wall. I absolutely adore Jack Vettriano and was happy to see some of his canvas prints lining our walls.

I was less impressed with the bathroom which was (almost glaringly) one colour. The room showed a few signs of wear and tear (peeling paint on the handles of the white bath, a few scratches on the wall paper) but overall it was lovely and well presented. A minor problem was handled swiftly with a big apology - my dirty mug was replaced by a gleaming one with extra tea and biscuits by way of apology!

I'd made a dinner reservation for 7.30pm and we found ourselves alone in the restaurant with a 1:1 staff ratio. A table of 5 later joined us. Having had a sneak peak at the menu before hand, and the gorgeous promotional pictures on the website, I had high expectations of the food. Perusing the menu, champagne in hand, Rich decided on Mutton with potato rosti and poached egg to start whilst I chose Chicken parfait with toasted brioche and caramelised onion chutney.

The starters were divine - neither of the dishes were what we expected they would be, but had a very welcome reception. My parfait was fairly standard but the chutney was gorgeous. Rich's starter was something else entirely - the flavour combinations were unusual but they worked well and, whilst not expecting a carpaccio style mutton, he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Both Rich and I opted for the venison main course, served with a creamed parsnip and horseradish, candied beetroot, a dauphinois potato cake and some kind of red wine reduction. As a newbie to game meat, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but what I got was fabulous. It was more steak-like than I had envisaged and I enjoyed every mouthful. My only thought would be that maybe a bit of greenery would have added to the overall look of the plate which was all a bit one coloury (look at me getting all master chef).

Rich treated us to a pricey bottle of red wine to go with our lovely dinner (Pinot Noir Coopers Creek Marlborough, New Zealand 2012), which took a good ten minutes to arrive after searching the cellars! Being the girl that always orders the house wine, I let out a little gasp when he ordered it but, after sampling it, I can see that spending a little more does make a difference. It was really light and nothing like the thick reds you often get as house bottles - you could actually taste the berry notes in it! I think there is a wine connoisseur in me yet ;) 

We were both underwhelmed by the cheese portion sizes of the cheese and biscuits, but soon realised that the portions were more than sufficient after tackling a starter, main and a round of these beautiful hand baked pork scratchings with celeriac salt.

All in all I can say that we had a wonderful meal at The Bell. The flavours were great and the meals were presented just as beautifully as the promotional pictures on the website. If we are ever in the vicinity again, I will definitely be making a return visit. The bar staff were a delight and always happy to give their opinion on the menu and willing share a joke or two some of which were at their expense (they offered us the desert menu just as we finished our starters!).

Some lovely friends joined us for drinks after our meal (polishing off another two bottles of house red!) and I can confirm, after we were turfed out of the bar at closing time, that the sofa room is a must visit.

With the hang-over that proceeded in the morning I was very glad to be greeted with a steaming pot of earl grey and a fry up.

We had a wonderful stay at The Bell and would definitely recommend it as a quiet stay in the country for couples. The surrounding countryside was beautiful, with horses roaming freely on the verges of the road (be careful driving!!). Being only half and hour from Southampton, you can have the best of both worlds - city and country rolled in to one. They have got some great Valentines day offers advertised and a Game Dinner I very much had my eye on...hopefully I'll be able to return one day soon.

With love from the New Forest x

A foodie day out in Bath

Bath. I absolutely fell in love with the City the first time I visited on a University of Bath Open Day way back in 2009. I set my heart on going to the uni that day and lo and behold here I am in 2014 half way through my third year there.

So far I've had so many wonderful experiences on my placement year but I've still found myself missing the little things about my uni town, which has become so much like home! Whilst I was in Somerset visiting my boyfriend, I couldn't not take the opportunity for a flying visit...

So many of the things I love about Bath are food related...I am indeed a self confessed fatty! With so many amazing restaurants (both chain and independent), you could go to a different place for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a year and still have missed some out. I've lived there for two years and still haven't even made a dent in what is on offer.

A real favourite is Bea's Vintage Tea Room, which we made a bee-line for as soon as we parked. We got their soaked to the skin only to discover that it was closed for their annual two week holiday. Such a shame - not that I would ever bugrudge them it, the staff always work so hard and are so friendly. With wartime decor, music and mismatching tea cups, the tearoom is so quaint and is definitely the place for a traditional afternoon tea that wont break the bank. It will be one of the first places to visit in my forth year - a very British return to the city.

As we skirted the alley way next to the assembly rooms, where lots of independent boutiques are clustered, Rich suggested that we duck in to a tapas bar for a light lunch.

Same Same But Different is one of the places that I have walked past numerous times, always meant to pop in, seen how busy it was and decided against it. Luckily there was a table nestled in the window so we nabbed it before anyone else could. After umming and ahhhing over the sandwich menu and the tapas menu, we decided on a main course each (very naughty) with a bread and oil and chorizo to share.

The restaurant and its chefs have won numerous awards and I can see why...the food was SUPERB. Rich ordered the Sticky Ribs with triple cooked chips and I had the Butter Bean Cassolait with Pork Collar. Now I'm not usually a fan of pork but it was so tender in the bread crumbed cake and the sauce of the cassolait was something truly special. The Sticky Ribs will defintely be what I order next time - I'm not 100% what the sauce was made of but it had the edge of sweet balsamic to it. AMAZING. The warmed bread had a hint of char to it, perfect dipped in to the oil of the chorizo. The chorizo was perfectly cooked but not crisped (how I like it). It's given me a taste of Spain just before my departure...I'm looking forward to trialling the tapas of Sevilla. I am confident that I've found my Spanish fix for when I return in 4th year - independent over chain La Tasca any day. For anyone in the Bath area looking for a January Christmas party, Same Same But Different are doing festive tapas parties perfect for the retail crowd who couldn't fit a celebration in the busy shopping period. If anyone takes them up on that offer, let me know how that is...I'm excited to try their tapas menu in the near future...!

The West Gate was a sit-down saviour after a wander around the shops...mainly because of this little beauty...

Lilley's Apples and Pears is the love of my Somerset life, quite literally. Its the best cider on the planet and I miss it far too much when I'm away. As a pub, I love the West Gates chilled and sometimes miss-matched decor with its chilled out music and great open mic nights in the week.

I have had the odd club sandwich there on a lunch time but their evening food looks great - any recommendations from the menu?

Last but by no means least on our culinary whistle-stop tour is the Bengal Brasserie, the ultimate Indian in Bath. They put up with my fussy ordering and always bring me enough food for about 3 days (or maybe my eyes are bigger than my belly?!).

so much love for their booth layout and traditional style pieces.

Indian food is one of the things I've missed most in Russia as there are just no restaurants to cater for it - as far as I can tell Russian's aren't big fans of spice in general. Needless to say, we went a bit mad with the ordering. Sizzling Tandoori Chops that came on a hot plate (with a bowl of salad), garlic chilli chicken with mushroom rice for Rich and special biriyani (with a chicken korma sauce - told you I'm fussy!) for me as well as poppadoms and sides of sagg paneer and mushroom Bhaji (which I coerced Rich in to sharing with me).

I cannot rate this restaurant enough. The waiters are great (and, ashamedly, know us on sight now!) and the food is amazing. Most of this lot came home with us in a takeaway bag, with a cheeky 10% discount for students. I think we got a bit snap happy towards the end (food giddyiness I guess) as some gurning (and food napping) ensued.

The inner fatty in me was certainly satisfied.
Until final year Bath...

Dim Sum and Mormons...the stuff that dreams are made of.

Admittedly rather strange and twisted dreams...but never mind!

My sister and I are both theatre fanatics...both as audience members and performers (many moons ago in my case!). Because of this, it has become a wonderful Christmas tradition in our house that most years we receive theatre tickets for the whole family to go and see a musical in the awful limbo period between Christmas and New Year (thanks Mum and Dad)! Each year the tickets are nestled expectantly in the tree in an envelope addressed in Mums familiar handwriting

Living so close to London means there isn't much we haven't seen and some shows we've loved so much we've gone back for a return visit (is seeing Wicked 7 times a little excessive?!) therefore its always exciting to see which show Mum has picked for us.

I must say I nearly keeled over with excitement when I heard...
The show that beat several others to adorn our Christmas tree this year was *drum roll please...*

The Book of Mormon is something I've wanted to see from almost day dot. My first run in with the show was when the Bath Student Musicals Society (BUSMS for short) performed 'I Believe' in their yearly variety show 'Encore!'. It bought the house down not only because of the wonderful performance but because of the show's unusual choice of subject matter and the ballsy hilarity with which the lyrics bring it to the stage.

Here is the very talented Andrew Rannells performing it at the 65th Tony Awards:
From that point on, I had to know more about the show then a smash hit on Broadway and soon to be previewing in the West End. After watching the amazing Broadway cast rock 'Hello' at the 66th Tony Awards in 2012, I knew I had to see it live.
We tried to no avail to get tickets for my 21st birthday during the preview run - a sell out, the performances were met with rave reviews.

I absolutely squealed when I found out we were finally going....needless to say I had MASSIVELY high expectations of the West End Cast.

Before the show (the Saturday matinee), we headed over to China town for Dim Sum, a Chinese equivalent of tapas for those not in the know. I've been to Joy King Lau before and their service is always so quick and efficient...we were on limited time (too much time spent sale shopping in H&M - sorry, my bad) but to our amazement even with a queue snaking out of the door and half way up the stairs we were in and out within half an hour.

In such close proximity to Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus, this is the perfect place for a transition lunch between Covent Garden and Oxford Street.

 The trouble with Dim Sum is that its a minefield of dumplings, dishes and noodles and rice - I don't often know where to start. As my Mum comes fairly regularly on work lunches here, we let here weave her magic whilst slipping in a few suggestions of our own.

As per Chinese tradition, the youngest of the table poured the Jasmine tea...she did better than I would have - It would have been everywhere if I'd gone near it!

 A few quick snaps of the food - most of it was gone quicker than I could photograph it. I am a rubbish food photographer - my favourite dumplings (the scallop ones - to die for, literally!) were gone in less than one bite...my poor lens didn't even get a look in!

The table was certainly in a bad state when we left it...ah well, at least they knew that we enjoyed our meal.

Then it was off at double speed to the theatre...

I vaguely remember going to the Prince of Wales Theatre before when Mamma Mia was performed there but never remember it being so opulent inside - it was literally like stepping back in to the heyday of art deco. Grand pianos, the dimly lit bar, the gorgeous gold wallpaper and vintage posters of revue shows of days gone by. It would be a beautiful corporate venue if anyone had cause to use it...maybe a 20s/Great Gatsby Theme (If anyone needs a party planner...you know where to find me!)

Taking our seats...

By the time the curtain fell on the first act, I wasn't quite sure what I had just seen - stunned is the word. But something told me the first blasphemous act was not as crazy as it was going to get. Written by the makers of South Park, the script certainly does not take in to account the blushes and humour fueled outrage it will cause the audience. Like Avenue Q (on which Robert Lopez also collaborated), it is beyond me how they manage to get away with putting their content on the West End. Whatever powers that be that allow such things to go on, I thank them because The Book of Mormon is truly a revelation! From Ugandans cursing Gods name and reenacting fictitious sexual acts with frogs to the campest group of Mormons I have ever seen turning off their gay feelings 'like a light switch', with every song the show gets more and more risque and more and more hilarious. I have never been so outraged and never given heartier applause. There is a reason The Book of Mormon won The Times Best Night Out award!

I did wonder, however, what Mormon's themselves thought of the whole thing - seeing as it kind of defaced their entire religion! Judging by the 3 pages of adverts they put in the colour program, I guess they see the statement 'Any publicity is good publicity' to be true!

The Book of Mormon - I couldn't recommend it more!