Beerd

With my friend Georgia recently taking up residence in Cotham, we are now on a mission (be it rather slow) to get to know the area and try out the local eateries and drinking establishments. Last night, it was the turn of Beerd. A cute, cosy, cafe style restaurant specialising in beers (it's a Bath Ales pub) and pizza. A great combo really and with the tempting offer of two for one pizzas on a Monday, it really just had to happen. The pizza's were tasty (although a bit mean on the chili) and an offering of basil oil, chili oil and garlic mayo was gladly accepted. A fab, budget friendly place to go with a warm, welcoming atmosphere, I'll definitely be back.

Friska

We ate at Friska last night for dinner and I have to say it was really good. Positioned on the ground floor of the record store Rise on the triangle, the casual, cafe vibe was perfect for a quick and easy mid week meal. The menu is fairly small but completely catered to my tastes, even the house salad side was delicious, smothered in a yummy balsamic vinaigrette.

What A Yummy Valentines Day

I was very treated this Valentines Day and felt I had to post some pics of the amazing meal Chris made for me. Asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon with a truffle infused hollandaise sauce, poached duck egg and Gruyere cheese crisp. For pudding, a gooey chocolate souffle with creme-brule ice-cream. Absolutely delicious it was.

Homewood Park, A Fabulous Treat

We were very lucky to have a spontaneous Sunday lunch at the delightful Homewood Park just outside Bath last weekend. Entering the hotel via a quaint old, windy drive and being greeted by some lovely welcoming staff, it wasn't long before we were quaffing a glass of lovely Champagne and making some tough decisions from a hugely tempting menu. As I don't eat meat, I opted for a smoked haddock rarebit with chowder to start, followed by pan fried sea bream with Nicoise vegetables. For dessert (I simply couldn't resist), I had an utterly divine pecan pie with honey marshmallow covered in cocoa nibs and home made caramel ice-cream. Yum yum! Every dish was totally delicious and inspiring, including the freshly made, still warm bread served up on a slate and the cute petite fours which consisted of macaroons, truffles and jellies. I also had to post a couple of photo's of my dining companions choices too, to show the perfect roast beef and trio of rhubarb desserts. An experience to cherish. I hope to return again soon.

Fish And Chips

A celebratory meal last week meant beer battered hake and chips at The Mud Dock and very nice it was too!

An Indian Treat

Chris is perfecting home-made naan breads and subtly spiced tandoori delights. Last night he came up trumps with this yummy offering.

Pony And Trap

Dinner at the Pony And Trap for Chris' birthday, yum, yum, yum!

The Star And Dove - A Shining Light When It Comes To A Fantastic Sunday Roast

This Sunday we really fancied a roast. We also wanted to try somewhere new, diverting from our usual favourites, The Grain Barge and Spotted Cow (which I must say, do do a splendid roast). After some speedy Internet searching to the sound of two grumbling tummies, I quickly decided upon The Star and Dove which had some pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor, some claiming they did the best Sunday Roast in Bristol. These glowing reviews guided us towards Totterdown and the said pub. As soon as you enter, the rustic, homely traditional feel of a warm and welcoming pub awaits you. With a load of independent guest ales (which is always a guaranteed winner for us), friendly staff and an unexpected, contemporary twist on the regular Roast Menu we knew immediately, that we had made a great choice. I had the vegetarian choice, baby vegetables, with crispy barley balls and a beetroot and gin gravy-like sauce. Chris had the beef which came with a yummy looking homemade Yorkshire pudding and carrot and hibbus(?) oil puree which seemed to go down fantastically. Both were served with the most colourful array of seasonal vegetables I have ever seen and the roast potatoes were outstanding. Another fabulous find, this city never ceases to amaze me!

Tandoori Salmon

So it's time to be healthy! After year of indulging, I've been eating lots of salads and fresh vegetables, this Tandoori salmon with roasted peppers, tomato and onion salsa and salad was pretty yummy and nice and good for me too!

 

I thought I would be super excited about the Jubilee celebrations this week. Maybe it was the weather that dampened my spirits, maybe it was the incessant coverage on the TV of slow boating movements, soggy paintings and lots of waiting around but my heart wasn't really in it. I watched about 10 minutes of the Flotilla, or floater as we like to refer to it and then switched off for the rest of the weekend. As an avid collector of Royal memorabilia (in particular mugs) I thought I would be loving it, but somehow the memorabilia was more exciting than the event itself. Anyway, weather aside, I did have a lovely weekend. Starting of with the soggy Dot to Dot festival in Bristol with my Manchestaaa chum Fran and pals, followed by a Cornish family get-together, A gorgeous dinner party in the briefly sunny Bathford, Latino lunch with yummy mummy's Sarah, Polly and stunning baby Faith and ending in a day of Gym action, St Nicolas Market browsing and munching with my favourite boy, Chris. Busy, busy, but entirely lovely.

Bento Beauty

Last night was my surprise night out for Chris (we each do one a month). I bought tickets to see Alt-J at the Cooler and we started the night with a Japanese meal at Masa. We both ordered bento boxes which were yummy! Mine had teriyaki salmon, seafood tempura, salad, pickled mooli, miso soup, steamed sticky rice and huge, jumbo grilled king prawns. It really was pretty good. Then off to Alt-J who were great too. A good night.

Salad Days

I love a nice salad and can't wait for those proper sunny evenings to be back for good when this is all I want to be eating. This Cambembert Salad with cranberry drizzle is just the beginning!

A Good Roast?

Well we thought we'd brave a Toby Carvery... Just the once mind you!

Tapas Time!

Having a keen cook in the household really is a blessing! I was lucky to be treated to a nice selection of homemade Tapas, thanks to my lovely Chris when his parents came over for tea the other week. I had to get a few sneaky shots in before it was all gone.

Sometimes I feel very lucky indeed! xoxo