It’s been a busy few weeks for me, not half because Christmas is nearly around the corner.

However the C word I’ll be referring to in this post is the phenomenal fashion extravaganza that is The Clothes Show, which wrapped up it’s final show of this year on Wednesday.

For a special birthday treat for my cousin, we decided to travel up on the Friday night, stay over at the Hilton Metropole by the NEC, then spend all day Saturday shopping til we drop, before enjoying some of Birmingham’s culinary delights in the evening.

It was a good choice! The Hilton was a fab hotel, and the room service pizza Marinara I ordered at 10pm was much appreciated. It had so much cheese I thought it may give me nightmares but I was pleasantly surprised!

So after a bottle of prosecco and room service, Saturday was upon us before we knew it, and having spent ages getting ready our full English breakfasts were spot on, as was the view of the lovely Jeff Brazier sitting over the other side of the restaurant to us!

A short walk over to the NEC followed, and what awaited us there was simply amazing! This has got to have been the best year yet. The catwalk show was stunning, as were the male models and dancers strutting down it (Nick Geurts, Andrew Hamshire and Max Rogers to name but a few)! I thought it would be difficult to top last year, but this really was something else. The Department Store theme was such a clever way to showcase the best of British fashion and the dancers were spectacular.

Onto the shopping… boy did we shop. Muubaa, Jovonna, Bolongaro Trevor, Juicy Couture, Religion, Jelly Pong Pong, Barry M and many, many more were taken home by me that day at some amazing discounts. We had so many bags between us that even the gorgeous George Lamb commented! He said ”I would wish you happy shopping girls, but I think you’ve done that already!” We lauged, he laughed, it was a beautiful moment. Had I been able to fit him into one of my many bags, I think I would have tried.

Now contrary to my usual self, we shopped so hard we didn’t even stop for lunch!Although saying that, the chocolate coated waffles didn’t pass us by either. So after a hard day on our feet, we treated ourselves to an Elemis massage in the spa bus and trotted back to the Hilton to get ready for dinner.

We caught the train into Birmingham and had the obligatory stop at the German Christmas Market, where I introduced Sophia to the joys of German Lebkuchen, but sadle due to the sheer volume of people queueing up for beers we didn’t stay long.

Onwards we went to Browns Bar & Brasserie at the newly opened Spiceal Street. To say the place was buzzing is an understatement. Full house, live pianist in the background and a really good atmosphere.

We were seated straight away, upstairs by the full length glass windows with a view of the Bullring and the church all lit up spectacularly in the cold evening. The view was really lovely, and a great backdrop to our meal. Our waitress Meg was fab too. She helped us choose a bottle of wine, a really refreshing Pinot Grigio, and we had plenty of time to order without feeling rushed.

We both started with Duck Parfait which arrived really quickly, which was good news for both of us as at this point, we were starving! The parfait was smooth and rich, the beetroot and apple chutney really delicious and home made bread topped it off. Very impressive first round.

I then had lobster tagliatelli with a white wine, cream and chive sauce, which was, I must say, perfection. The food again arrived without us even noticing the wait, and mine looked absolutely amazing! There was half a grilled lobster on top, which was sweet and succulent, the pasta was cooked really well, a tiny bit al dente, and the sauce was flavoursome and really complimented the fish.

By this point you’d have thought we were full, which we were, but we still decided to have puddings anyway. We opted for the Creme Brulee as I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fit anything else in. I was very pleased I did - the portion size was perfect, small enough to not make my dress split at the seams, big enough to feel like a proper dessert. The top was crisp and golden and the centre was really vanillary and velvety.

I was very impressed with the food, but I have to say, the service was impeccable. A full restaurant, barely any waiting time for the food, service with a smile every time, very knowledgable staff, and no rush to throw us out when we’d finished. I’ve gotta hand it to them, really well done. Definitely recommend a try!

Well, following our delicious meal, the the only thing left to do was retire to bed back at the Hilton, having booked some spa treatments for the morning.

Breakfast was a somewhat lighter affair the next morning, but both me and my cousin were impressed with the Hilton’s omelette and pancake station. I had a really well cooked cheese and mushroom omelette, with a side of George Lamb sitting across the way from us this time, then a much needed massage to ease the aching shopping muscles before the drive home.

What a weekend huh?!

My spoils from the Frankfurt Christmas Market! Consisting of Marzipan Stollen, candied cashew nuts, gingerbread, chocolate, biscuits, smoked bacon and luxury salami with chilli, peppercorns and mustard seeds. Sadly the Berliners didn’t last long enough to be photographed! But no doubt I’ll be back for more soon!

Halloween & bonfire night are traditionally associated with being a whole lot of fun for kids.

For me, however, it’s the perfect excuse for some food indulgence (like I need an excuse…)

Although I have been known to dress up in some weird and wonderful costumes and go out on the hunt for sweeties, this year my Halloween was a much more grown up affair as I celebrated Dia De Los Muertos with my good friend Sarah at Birmingham’s own little slice of South America, Bodega.

Their event included a pop-up shop, a special cocktail and a healthy dose of delicious food.

Whenever I frequent Bodega (and it happens a lot) it takes me an age to decide what to eat. Do I play it safe with a tried and tested Burrito or do I dare try something new? This time, however, greed got the better of both of us, as we opted for the Bodega Selection platter with a selection of some of their best dishes, like Pork Carnitas Tacos, Patatas Bravas, Frijoles, Nachos, Albondigas Cubanas and Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas. Plus we got a side of sweet potato fries!

I tucked into the Albondigas Cubanas first of all, tender and juicy beef meatballs in a deliciously rich red wine and tomato sauce, which were a flavour explosion in the mouth. Definitely gives Italian meatballs a run for their money! The patatas bravas in the same sauce were equally as impressive.

Next up I tucked into the quesadillas which had the tiniest hint of spice, delicious flavour and stayed crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Just the right amount of cheese complimented the chicken and made the quesadillas surprisingly light.

The nachos were a surefire winner, smothered in tomato salsa, fresh guacamole and sour cream topped with melted cheese. You can’t go wrong with that combination and these were definitely right.

The Pork Carnitas Tacos were also really good, with succulent, spicy shredded pork in a soft shell taco.

The biggest surprise for me though, were the Frijoles. Call me uncultured, but on paper, double cooked black beans with cream and crumbled cheese doesn’t sound as appetising as the rest of the menu, but man was I surprised. The Frijoles were absolutely delicious - perfectly cooked, tender rice, flavoursome black beans with a really creamy and rich texture, all topped with gooey melted cheddar cheese. If this is a true taste of South American food, then I’m in. I’ll definitely be ordering them again.

And of course, a trip to Bodega couldn’t go without one of their signature cocktails. I indulged in the Bodega Punch - a fruity mix of dark rum, lime, pineapple and pomegranate, before going down to the Sugarloaf bar to have the special Dia De Los Muertos cocktail, spookily purple and adorned with a floating blackberry. The cocktail was delicious, but I was surprised that the bar was fairly empty apart from the group of Beadesaurus staff. The pop up shop had some cute bags and accessories featuring the traditional Mexican image of the sugar skulls, however the staff weren’t the most sociable and didn’t pay any attention to anybody browsing the goods or entering the colouring competiton. My friend Sarah did, however, enter a very artful looking skull so I hope she wins the vouchers!

We finished off our cocktails and headed home, no trick or treating on the way, though I don’t expect Harvey Nichols in the Mailbox would have appreciated two twenty-somethings asking for a treat!

So that was Tuesday night. I then spent the rest of the week gearing up for an epic Guy Fawkes night barbecue and bonfire! Barbecues in our household are always a big deal, with most of the family coming over to enjoy a barbecue of epic proportions.

I spent most of the day chopping onions and garlic for a mammoth pot of Steven’s mum’s home-made chilli con carne and Harley’s home-made curry. I also washed the biggest pot full of rice I have ever seen. The amazing thing is, that all of it got eaten!

On the barbecue, we treated ourselves to four different flavours of chicken drumsticks - hot & spicy, Chinese, Kentucky BBQ and tandoori, as well as Chinese chicken kebabs, garlic butter prawn kebabs, jumbo sausages with fried onions and mustard, beef burgers as big as a dinner plate and barbecue pork spare ribs.

Everything was just beautiful, and with a massive bonfire burning all the old wood from the bottom of the garden, everything (including me) was infused with a smoky flavour you can only get from cooking with fire!

Now an earlier version of this blog may have mentioned a particular culinary event involving a Turkey but my dear friend Sarah mentioned earlier has corrected me, as before November is out the German Christmas Market opens and Spiceal Street at the Bullring opens it’s doors. So there is more fun to be had before the big day! So thank you Sarah! And until next time X

Oh yes. I’ve been a busy little bee this week (it is payday after all).

First off was the work’s curry night at Cafe Rickshaw in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton. The restaurant itself is tiny, our group of 10 filled the whole place and we were the only ones there aside from the staff for most of the evening. The menu was… well, interesting. There weren’t many staple curry dishes on the menu, and considering the place is called Rickshaw Balti, there wasn’t a balti in sight! They had an Italian jalfrezi with curry spices and mozzarella cheese that to be honest, didn’t sound too appetising, however I did find myself torn between three dishes on the menu which all sounded lush.

I opted for the North Indian garlic chilli chicken, which proclaimed itself as the hottest thing on the menu, so for a spice junkie like me, this was a must. I also ordered a Pilau rice and naan bread to share with my neighbour, who opted for the Tandoori Mixed Grill.

I’ve heard Cafe Rickshaw are notorious for slow service, however the food arrived in what I thought was fairly good time, bearing in mind I was expecting a long wait. They could have been a bit more attentive to our wineglasses though.

My garlic chilli chicken arrived on a cast iron sizzling plate, so it was piping hot. The taste was really impressive, not too garlicky and a lovely flavour to the spices, only problem was I was expecting it to be as hot as lava, and unfortunately it was only about on par with a tikka masalla in terms of heat. Now I can comfortably enjoy a Madras so although the flavour was great, I’d have really preferred some more heat. Luckily for me there was a shaker of dried chillies on the table which ended up on my plate!

The naan bread was fantastic. Not only was it huge, it was really soft and delicious, and the rice was well cooked and tasted lovely, just could have done with a bit more of it, and my neighbour who I shared these with said she enjoyed her mixed grill but it was fairly dry and could have done with some sauce. All in all, a decent meal, but definitely could have done with some more spice and a bit more attention from the waiting staff.

Onto my next escapade! Another works do, this time a treat from our sales manager and MD for our impressive performance last quarter. We were taken to the Rectory Bar & Restaurant in St Paul’s Square in the Jewellery Quarter, which is a classy little venue serving up traditional English fayre.

Our table was booked for 7 but there weren’t any problems when a few of us turned up late. We took full advantage of the 2 for 1 cocktail offers on the Thursday when we went. I found it a bit odd that the free cocktail had to be the same as the paid for one, but it wasn’t a problem for me as I just had two Singapore Slings all to myself! Although it has to be said, the cocktails were pleasant but not a patch on the Rose Villa Tavern also in the jewellery quarter.

Once we’d all arrived and had drinks, we were seated at a long table by a window which accomodated our whole group and had free reign of both the prix fixe menu and the main menu. I opted for Baked Brie Boxes with onion chutney for a starter which was delicious. Crisp breadcrumbs on the outside and gooey melted Brie on the inside, winning combination for me, and most of the others in our party! I then had the 8oz sirloin steak for my main course, which came with chunky chips, crispy onions and a thick mushroom sauce.

The steak was amazing, tender, tasty and cooked to perfection (I always have my steak rare) and the chunky chips were a thing to behold. The mushroom sauce could have been better, as it was a little on the bland side, however it didn’t take anything away from the fantastic steak.

The pork belly was also a hit with our group and looked fantastic when it turned up on the table. The crackling was crunchy enough to get everyone paying attention and the black pudding mash looked creamy and fluffy.

The service was somewhat sporadic as one of our group had to wait an age for her meal while everyone else’s had been served, which was disappointing, but on the whole it was a great night. The food was fantastic and I’d definitely recommend a trip to try the steak.

Then to top off all that I won a £10 voucher for Birmingham Wine School courtesy of Marketing Birmingham which I’m more than tempted to spend on the food and wine matching evening, although I’m definitely more one for the food than the wine!

So after a hectic week of eating, you’d think I’d give it a rest, but not me! I’ll be chowing down at my favourite Cantina Bodega on Tuesday for their Dia De Los Muertos celebrations.

I may not be young enough to go trick or treating anymore, but I can certainly enjoy Halloween treats for adults in the shape of cocktails, sugar skulls and a mountain of sweet potato fries! I promise I’ll take some photos before I eat them all this time.

Happy Halloween!

helloyoucreatives:

Any creative directors dream; tea and a pun all in one.

Also reminds us of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuxVlY_CrLc

(via Juliet and Clint) 

I need one of these!!

Anyone living in or around Birmingham will probably have heard about the Birmingham Food Festival kicking off today. So as any good foodie would, I popped along to see what was going on!

The ‘Hidden Gems’ launch event based in Victoria Square featured stalls selling food from some home-grown talent, from the famed Balti chefs of Brum, to Chinese delicacies and modern takes on Dim Sum from the Chung Ying Garden, to the Kitchen Garden Cafe selling herbs and organics all grown in our very own concrete jungle.

I sampled some Satay chicken from Sabai Sabai, which was nice, but not the best I’ve had. The churros and chocolate sauce were good, but then how can you go wrong with fried doughnut sticks and chocolate?

The piece de resistance for me was the Jerk Chicken from the chefs with The Drum. Caribbean hospitality with a massive breast of juicy, perfectly spiced jerk chicken, home-made barbecue sauceand fluffy white rice. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Sadly there weren’t half as many free sampling opportunities as I’ve had liked (but then I’m a Camden Market girl and they’re always giving you stuff for free!) however I did get to taste some of the Chung Ying Garden’s cute Dim Sum. I had a locust bean and pastry treat shaped like a carrot with parsley for leaves. It tasted a bit like peanut butter, but it was very pretty! And the demonstration cooking prawn and chive dumplings looked and smelled delicious. I may well have to stop by to try the rest of the menu.

The food festival is on for another 9 days with most of the events happening in restaurants, with cocktail masterclasses, wine tastings and even a special Balti created for the food fest by Imran’s restaurant on Ladypool Road. Edible Eastside are launching their first edible garden on Friday 21st with a celebratory art installation, and they’re also hosting foraging tours along the canals which look fun.

The thing that’s really caught my eye though is the Chilli Festival in Brindleyplace next weekend. I love my spicy food, and I like a challenge, but I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to enter the chilli eating contest! I may be persuaded to partake in some cocktails and Thai food though.

There’s also a Big Brum Cookbook available to buy while the food fest is on and at Frankfurt Christmas Market (just typing those words gets me excited already!) which features some of Birmingham’s best recipes.

And lastly, while I was out and about, I got interviewed by brmb who wanted to know my thoughts on the food fest and the food scene in Birmingham, so I’ll be sure to post the video when I get my hands on it!

For now I’m going to go and enjoy the rest of my jerk chicken. Happy eating!

Elderflower fizz + pork carnitas taco + stuffed jalapeños + batatas fritas = 1 very happy girl.

If you haven’t frequented Bodega on Bennetts Hill yet, make it your mission to! This is South American hospitality at it’s best. Birmingham’s all year round sunshine destination.

Cupcakes from Sugacane in Sutton Coldfield, yummy! (Taken with instagram)

… but this week has reignited my passion and calls for a blog!

So having been working flat out for the past few weeks,the night of the annual Orion Media Gathering… the OMG… was upon us.

Hosted at The Belfry Hotel & Gold Club on the outskirts of Sutton Coldfield, this was a glitzy affair. Award Ceremony glamour was the dress code and believe me, we delivered!

We had a drinks reception, entertainment from the Wedding Crashers, and somehow my band consisting of me, a newsreader, the boss, the breakfast show DJ and… erm… Wagner from the X Factor also put in a performance (after a good few rounds of Gin & Tonic mind you!) Though the less said about that the better, I haven’t seen the youtube footage yet!

Anyway, back to the food, we had a set menu which consisted of Asparagus, Parma Ham & Hollandaise Sauce to start, Chicken with a vegetable parcel, leek sauce and what I think was meant to be fondant potatoes, and for dessert a creme brulee.

It did look very pretty, however it wasn’t half as good as I’d hoped. The Asparagus and Ham was hard to get wrong, so that was a fairly decent starter, but although the chicken for the main course was lovely, the potato disappointed and the leek and onion sauce was very overpowering! The creme brulee was nice enough although could have done with being a bit crunchier on the top.

Service was brilliant but not the best dinner I’ve had, even after a few drinks!

The night in all though was fantastic. Lots of drinking, lots of dancing and even more laughs so well and truly enjoyable!

After this night of decadence I felt I’d truly fallen off the healthy lifestyle wagon and ended up thinking, oh well, start as you mean to continue!

Lunchtime at work yesterday consisted of a trip to Gluttons for Nourishment in Tettenhall, a lovely little coffee shop in the village up the road from work. I had a gorgeous and smooth hot chocolate while my colleagues opted for caramel latte’s and a good cup of tea. The sandwich menu was astonishing, so I’ll definitely be taking a trip there again. They also made us some adorable bra cupcakes for the launch of our “bring a bra to work” campaign.

On the subject of cupcakes, having spent the morning in Sutton I have managed to find a retro sweet shop with some of the nicest cupcakes I’ve ever had.

The cupcakes are not only beautiful, they actually taste amazing too. I had a Terry’s Chocolate Orange inspired cupcake, and dished out the chocolate buttercream and Neopolitan ice cream flavour out to my friends.

I also managed to find spoons with big blocks of chocolate attached ready to dunk into some hot milk for an amazing hot chocolate, and a milkshake shop that blends anything from fresh fruit, to biscuits, to cheesecake to chocolate bars into a milkshake. There’s even a haribo starmix flavour! I opted for maple syrup, so my milkshake tasted like ice cream pancakes. Went down a treat!

Although after that almighty sugar rush I may need to have a nap before dinner time though!