Category Archives: Food

Frankie and Benny’s 2 Courses For £10.95 Review

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We went to Frankie and Benny’s in the Rotunda in Kingston last Wednesday after we saw the excellent new Star Trek film  review here. Frankie and Benny’s is a fun, affordable Italian American style restaurant. it has an excellent atmosphere. The decor is good and I like the old black and white photographs of Frankie and Benny up on the walls. We sit in a stylish booth with a comfy banquette on each side. The service staff were friendly and attentive.  We take advantage of the two course for £10.95 deal available all day on every day except Saturday.

To start with we have a blue cheese mushroom crostini. Button mushrooms tossed in a rich blue cream sauce and served over toasted ciabatta. Rich and creamy.

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We also have the crab bruschetta. Tomato, red onion, crab, basil and pepper again over toasted ciabatta. You can’t go wrong with a good Bruschetta.

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For our mains we have the Philly cheese steak sandwich. Steak sautéed with red pepper, red onion and sliced mushrooms. Piled high in a toasted ciabatta bun with philly cheese sauce. As you can see it was pretty decadent. Frankie and Benny’s always gives you excellent portion sizes.

We also try the veggie Gnocchi bake. Gnocchi tossed tomato sauce, red onion and green chilli, topped with mozzarella cheese. Very tasty and lots of chilli.

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At two courses for £10.95 you can argue about the price. A great place to feed the whole family.

http://www.frankieandbennys.com/

Tel: 0208 439 1270 Unit 7, First Floor

Frankie and Benny’s Kingston

The Rotunda
Kingston
KT1 1QT

 

 

 

 

 

Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 Wine Review

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Domaine-Vintur-Le-Gentleman-wine reviewI am fussy about red wine. Some of it just tastes like acid and gives me a headache. So was Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 (£14) drinkable? Yes, more than. It is a very good, full bodied red wine with a great taste and no bad aftertaste. It has a bit of spice and is well balanced. It has ripe, dark fruits and a good balancing of acidity,

This lightly oaked wine has full, fresh tastes of cherry and red fruit. It is a very fruity red wine. It has lots of flavour and does not have the acid-like aftertaste I feel some red wines have. It is also dominated by grenache.

My favourite thing about this wine is that it is not too heavy. It is just fresh and light and full of flavour. Worth every pound of the 14 it cost.

The wine is dedicated to all the cyclists who have climbed Mon Ventoux – one of the most famous final ascents in Tour de France history by the English owner of the estate Graham Shore.

What They Say.

Cuvée Le Gentleman 2011, Appellation AOC Ventoux

Our flagship red wine, made from grapes selected from the best and oldest vines. 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan. Aged for 20 months before bottling with a light touch of oak.

The wine is complex. It has a round nose rich in woodland fruit, with a hint of oak. The palate is full and succulent, with fresh cherries and notes of the garrigue -Provençal herbs- and spice. Its tannins complement the length and balance of the sweet wild fruit and give a rounded full finish.

It is named to honour all the men who have ridden up Mont Ventoux by bike and to celebrate Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France win in 2012. It is a wine to enjoy with meats, cheeses and on its own. Ready to drink now but with aging potential.

 

Brugal Rum Cocktails | Cocktails and Rum Review

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Brugal Rum is the Caribbean and Spain’s No 1 selling rum. High praise indeed. It is 100% Dominican and has 80% of the market in the Dominican Republic. I received some bottles of the beautifully packaged rum; The Brugal Aňejo (RRP £20.29) and the Brugal Especial Extra Dry (RRP £20.27). I mean, look at it, if this bottle of rum was a model it would be Naomi Campbell. I love the rope detail. It just looks beautiful. But beauty alone does not make the world go around and taste is what really matters when it comes to rum. So let’s make some cocktails….

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Brugal Especial Extra Dry with Lemonade. Delicious. Just a great mix. These two clear liquids work well together.

The Brugal Aňejo with Ginger Beer. Rum and Ginger Beer is one of my favourite drinks. It is just a classic exotic drink.

I decided to make my own cocktail called Fruity Brugal. The ingredients are Lemonade, orange juice, lime, lemon, sugar and Brugal Especial Extra Dry.The Fruity Brugal. Cocktail created by Frost Magazine.

Put the rum in first. You need a shot of rum. Squeeze the lemon and lime in.
Add orange juice and then add lemonade.
Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir. Serve over ice.
Yummy.

I love rum and the amount of drinks you can make with it is vast.

Add your own cocktail recipes below.

Sponsored Post.

 

The Young Airhawk | Wine Review

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The Young Airhawk 2011 pack shot (LR)The Young Airhawk is a very interesting wine. In fact it is different from most other wines I have tried. It is a dry wine. Very much so. It also makes you want more. It tastes expensive, fresh and crisp. It also has a running taste of oak, but not too much.

I loved how fruity it was. It has a great, notable taste of peach, some lemon tones, green fig and a unique taste of asparagus. Which I don’t think I have ever tried in a wine before. This is a great wine full of a lot of great different flavours. A unique mix that really works. Fans of dry wine will especially love it.

Although this wine is priced at £14.99 from Morrisons I do think it is worth it. It tastes much more expensive.

The Young Airhawk – This wine is made entirely from barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Bouquet: Layer of green figs, asparagus and minerality, very well integrated with wood. Fresh, crisp and zesty with creamy texture.

The Young Airhawk, a fresh, crisp and zesty wine with a creamy texture made entirely from barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, pays tribute to Nederburg founder Johann Graue’s son, Arnold. Arnold Graue loved speed, action and adventure and showed his bravery from an early age by signing on as a trainee air gunner with the South African Air Force.

Like his father, Arnold was renowned for his winemaking prowess, winning many wine prizes, but sadly after hiring a light aircraft to celebrate a perfect spring day his life was tragically cut short in a fatal collision with another aircraft. The Young Airhawk Wooded Sauvignon Blanc captures the spirit of this professionally driven young man with a huge appetite for life.

The Young Airhawk is available from Morrisons for £14.99

Toulouse in Instagram Pictures Part 1 | Travel

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I am fresh from a trip to Toulouse, I explored the wonderful city in the South of France, visiting hotels, restaurants, markets and tourist spots. All for my wonderful readers, It was hard, but someone had to do it. We are going to be doing a series of travel guides on the area but here is the first of Toulouse in Instagram Pictures. Our Toulouse Travel Guide is here.

Train to Birmingham Airport. Here is the shuttle to the airport.

Shuttle to Birmingham Airport.

No 1 Traveller Lounge at Birmingham Airport. A truly VIP experience.

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BMI Regional plane to Toulouse Blagnac Airport. We flew business class and were looked after by the amazing Michael Love.

BMI Regional plane

G & T time. When in the sky….

Gin and Tonic on BMI Regional flightView from the sky.

We stayed at the Citiz Hotel. A very stylish four star hotel. I loved my room.

Citiz Hotel

Dinner at J’GO Toulouse. The best pork and chips I have ever had in my life.

J'GO Toulouse

While we were having dinner a brass band started up outside and played ‘Funky Town’.

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It was Special National Music Day. The day that all of France get together and party. It was a lot of fun.

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My hotel room is top left. Needless to say there was no point in getting an early night. So we partied.

National Music Day in Toulouse

The next day we went to the Cite de l’espace. An amazing space museum and theme park. I saw rock from mars and the moon, saw astronauts suits. I also experienced walking on the moon thanks to the Moon Runner. I also spent some time in a Space Capsule and saw a great temporary Mars exhibition, With David Leach-Davies of 69 Magazine.

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Part 2 is here.

Part 3 is here.

Have you ever been to Toulouse? Make recommendations below.

About No.1 Traveller – fast facts

· No.1 Traveller specialises in premium hospitality and provides a complete ‘driveway to runway’ service – smart Chauffeur-driven airport transfers, express train tickets, airport parking, airport meet-and-greet and airport lounges (No.1 Traveller’s own collection, plus associate lounges abroad)

· It works with airlines, businesses and individuals to offer a convenient and comfortable service to take the stress out of going to and through airports – the smart traveller’s choice

· No.1 Traveller can be booked by anyone at www.No1Traveller.com or passengers can make their way to the reception of the airport lounge on the day

Airport lounge: Birmingham

· Opened October 2012; the first of No.1 Traveller’s lounges outside London

· Accessible to all passengers travelling through the airport

· Open daily from 0430hrs – 2030hrs; facilities include a range of seating areas across two levels, fully-tended bar, bistro area serving complimentary hot and cold dishes, complimentary newspapers, magazines and internet access

· Entry £27.50 per adult at reception, for up to three hours access (children £17.50 each), £22.50 if booked in advance (children £15)

BMI regional operates over 450 flights a week throughout the UK and Europe with one way prices starting from £59. bmi regional flies from Aberdeen, Antwerp, Bristol, Bremen, Billund, Birmingham, Bristol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Gothenburg, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Esbjerg, Frankfurt, Hannover, Hamburg, Lyon, Milan, Munich, Norwich, Manchester, Toulouse and Zurich. All flights include complimentary food & drink on-board, free 20kg hold baggage allowance and 30 minute check-in. bmi regional is the world’s most punctual airline having recently been crowned the title for the 8th consecutive year.  For more information, visit www.bmiregional.com.

Blackhouse Grill on the Market Restaurant Review

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The Blackhouse Grill on the market restaurant is located right next to Smithfields market. As we enter the restaurant we are taken to the back and around a corner to a beautifully designed room hidden from the street. It feels exclusive and relaxed. A long way from the hustle and bustle of the London streets we have just left. Grill on the Market’s menu focuses on seafood and steaks.

The atmosphere was great, very calm and relaxed. The staff immediately put us at ease. They were very friendly and knowledgeable. The seats were really comfortable. This would be a perfect place to go with some friends and the Blackhouse actively encourages this with its unlimited Prosecco deal every Saturday if you go with friends. Full details below. Your Prosecco is unlimited for two hours as long as you bring two friends. This great deal seems to be working, despite it being lunch time in the middle of the week there are plenty of people in the restaurant. Everyone seem to be  aged between 20 and 30. This seems to be a very trendy place hidden slightly away from the masses which makes it feel exclusive.

We start off with the Blackhouse sharing platter which gives us a chance to taste a lot of dishes in one. The platter includes honey, rosemary and lemon chicken skewer, fish cakes, duck spring roll and calamari.

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It looked amazing and all the elements were absolutely delicious. Often when you order a big platter like this the food is rushed and average. This was certainly not the case here. The rosemary and lemon chicken was succulent and beautifully flavoured. The deep fried calamari was crunchy and tasty. I particularly liked the beautuiful duck spring rolls. The sauces which accompanied the dish were also particularly good. They were sweet chilli, honey mustard and sour cream. All were filled with flavour and went beautifully with the different assortments. A great starter it tasted as good as it looks and lived up to the Blackhouse ‘honest proper food’ mantra.

For our mains we had the sesame crusted tuna from the seafood menu and from their special premium beef menu we had a fillet of English Longhorn.

My sesame crusted tuna was a beautiful piece of fish perfectly cooked and superbly presented. Tuna is often overcooked but not here the fish was perfect and shone.

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The soy sauce and sweet pickled vegetables were the perfect accompaniment. A really beautiful lunch. The sirloin steak was equally good if not better. The English Longhorn steak was really special. Perfectly cooked as you can see, it came with a superb peppercorn sauce and was probably the best steak I’ve ever had. The chunky chips were also excellent. To drink we were treated to unlimited Prosecco for two hours. The Prosecco was crisp and wonderful and it was great to have your glass constantly refilled. The whole meal was relaxed easy and fun.

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Our puddings didn’t disappoint either. My trifle was again beautifully presented (as all our food was) and was delicious. photo (86)

Trifles are not easy to get right, sometimes I find restaurants make them too heavy. But this was an excellent trifle.photo (85) The portion size was perfect and the cream and jelly were light and delicious. I really enjoyed it and the creme brulee was also delicious

The Blackhouse grill claims to offer solid, honest and simple proper food. It delivers 100% on this promise. The food was first class as were the service and atmosphere. We will definitely be going back to take advantage of that free Prosecco!

http://blackhouse.uk.com/restaurant/london-smithfield/

The Grill on the Market
2-3 West Smithfield, City of London, EC1A 9JX
T: 020 7246 0900
Twitter: @GotmSmithfield

Put some sparkle into your Saturdays with unlimited bubbly when brunching at the recently opened steak and seafood restaurant and bar, The Grill on the Market in Smithfield.Starting this Saturday (2nd February) from noon – 6pm,
diners can indulge in deliciously restorative brunch dishes such as eggs ‘any way you like them’ – poached,
scrambled, fried or Royale with smoked salmon; a classic BLT; steak, egg and chips; and maple glaze gammon
with home cut chips and sweet pineapple as well as a the ‘full works’ cooked breakfast, all washed down with unlimited fizz.
Simply take along two or more friends, order anything off the brunch menu to be treated to unlimited Prosecco
for the duration of your meal (maximum of two hours). With brunch dishes starting at just £9, the Grill on the
Market’s bubbly brunch represents excellent value for money.
Booking is essential, please visit www.blackhouse.uk.com/bubblybrunch to put some sparkle into your Saturdays and kick start the weekend in style.
2-3 West Smithfield, City of London, EC1A 9JX
T: 020 7246 0900
Twitter: @GotmSmithfield

 

 

How To Make Kale Chips

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How to make Kale Crisps.
If you are one of the few people who have not heard of Kale Chips then you are in for a treat. Mix this healthy vegetable with a little decadence and you get a delicious snack.

Just take some Kale, cover it in olive oil and add some salt. Then put in the oven for 15 minutes at gas mark 6. Cook for longer if you feel they need it. There you have it: delicious, crispy kale chips. Yum.

Spice Market at the W Hotel Restaurant Review.

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Spice Market is located in the fashionable and trendy W Hotel. One of the places to be seen in London. This is not the only Spice Market, there are now 4 of them located everywhere from Dubai to New York.

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The food is South East Asian and is very good. They have a menu with variety which left me needing quite a while to choose what I wanted. It all looked so good and had some great twists. Eventually we ordered and our starters came with poppadums and chutney. Here is what we had.

Crab Dumblings

Sugar Snap Peas, Aromatic Spices

This starter was tasty. Great dumplings with a choice of three great sauces to dip into.

 

 

Crunchy Squid Saladphoto (73) Ginger, Papaya and Cashew.

I loved this starter. It was a very generous portion and all of the flavors worked well together. The squid was fried and the combination of the ginger and papaya went brilliantly with the crunchiness of the cashew nuts. A delicious starter that is just a bit different. Was spicy but not too much. This was also the only time I have had rocket on a plate and it has added to the dish rather than just being a plate filler. Was well marinated.

Red Curried Duck
Pineapple Sambal

This curried duck was amazing, The best dish of the evening. It was served in a beautiful pot. The sauce was creamy and tasty the duck was well cooked and the little cubes of pineapple burst in your mouth giving you a delightful shot of sweetness. Both our mains came with little bowls of perfectly cooked rice.

photo (74)Tempura Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab.
Thai Basil and Lime Sauce.

I liked this main but it was a bit similar to my starter and I would have liked some variety. This was completely my fault of course. The crab was well cooked and the sauce was tasty.

Ovaltine Kulfi

Caramelised banana, Spiced Mike Chocolate Sauce

This was like a deconstructed Banoffee pie. The waiter said it was rich and it was. It was very heavy. It tasted amazing though. If you love rich chocolate or banoffee pie. The caramlised bananas were perfect and the chocolate tasted amazing.

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Fruits with Crushed Coconut Ice.

This is Spice Market’s specialty. It is a wonderfully refreshing dessert. Exotic fruit on top of crushed coconut ice. Heavenly. A delicious and visually spectactular dessert.

Cocktails

We went through quite a lot of their cocktails just because they are so well made. They all have a twist on a classic, or are just purely original.

Ginger Margarita
Sauza ‘Hornitos’ Reposado Tequila, Ginger, Lime, Ginger Salt

This take on a Margarita is yummy. Will leave you wanting more.photo (70)

Passion Whiskey Sour
Bulleit Bourbon, Passion Fruit, Ginger Ale

This is strong but amazing.

Thai Smash
Belvedere Vodka, Grapefruit, Thai Basil

Refreshing and different. Tasted great.

Lychee Raspberry Bellini
Bristol ‘Jeio’ Prosecco, Lychee, Raspberry

Sweet and delicious.

Kumquat Mojito
Bacardi Light Rum, Kumquat, Mint photo (69)

Exotic and wonderful.

The Spice Market is a good place to eat in London. Our waiter was amazing (they all were) giving us recommendations on food and telling us about the dish, the decor is trendy and fresh and our banquet seats were super comfortable. The manager was also very helpful answering my questions.

I give the Spice Market full marks on food, style and service. Oh, and their cocktails which are to die for.