Sisters Dine Out

I always love a good country pub. You can't beat a beer garden in the summer and warm fire in the winter. We were lucky enough to have warm weather, so we decided to take advantage of the garden at The New Inn in Baschurch. The pub is located opposite the most beautiful church, which can be admired from the pub garden. I was so pleased to see one of my favourite gin's on offer at the bar, Blue Bottle Gin. Usually you can only find this Gin in Guernsey (where it is made) or Gin Bars. A little country pub in Shropshire was the last place I was planning on seeing it, such a treat. My starter was the Gin Cured Salmon. The cucumber with a few pieces of soda bread made the dish light and full of flavour and texture. It was the perfect size portion to start the meal. Gin Cured Salmon  with compressed cucumber, tonic gel, dill mayonnaise, soda bread crumb The Smoked Newport 'quiche' was an interesting twist on a British classic. And when I say interes...

Co-founded by original Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers, Wahaca is a laidback Mexican street food restaurant. This was my second visit to Wahaca in the last few months, the first trip was with a group of work colleagues and the second trip was with my other half.  The first thing you will notice about Wahaca is its playful feel. With beautiful, bright street art adorning the walls and a free football table in the entrance , you feel like you are stepping out of Southampton and into a vibrant Mexican eatery. The bar is centre stage on the ground floor and brings its own level of liveliness with bright green tiles and orange seats. The other thing I really like is the fact that you can see into the kitchen. I love being able to 1) see how clean the kitchen is (so OCD I know!) and 2) sometimes it’s nice to watch the food being served up.  As I mentioned above, I popped along to Wahaca with some colleagues a few weeks ago and had the most delicious meal. Because there...

A few weeks ago, we had our first trip to Tooting Market. The venue is full of little eateries and offers all kinds of cuisines. You can mooch around at your own merry pace having a little nosy at what everyone else is eating before you decide what you want. It is also a great place to go if you are a large group and can't decide on what to eat. Go your separate ways for food, then meet up afterwards at one of the many bars! So after wondering here and there, we decided a big ol' burger would do the trick. We stumbled across Boom Bap Burger, aptly named because they love 'Flippin' meats, droppin' beats'. The beef comes from grass fed Scottish cows and is aged on the bone for 28 wonderful days. ( Source : Instagram.com/p/BoLiDz0FnI8/)  Being super cool beans, we decided on the same burger, The Notorious P.I.G. Aged beef patty topped with slow cooked pull pork, streaky beacon, double cheese and Boom Bap source, I mean what's not to like about that me...

By now, I'm sure it's rather obvious that I enjoy going to the White Horse Brasserie in Romsey (WHR). However, this weekend I decided to take my beautiful mum for lunch and her first experience at the wonderful WHR. In the spirit of mummies, WHR had a special cocktail on offer which was Elderflower and Pomegranate Fizz. I love drinks with elderflower due to them being so refreshing so I was really looking forward to this. It was perfectly sweet and fresh and the perfect beverage to sip on whilst perusing the menu. Here is a little photo of me and my mummy...I've been told we look alike!    Again, due to it being Mothering Sunday, the WHR had a special menu on offer. The menu was £35 per person for 3 courses with an amuse-bouche to start. They also offer a smaller option for Children.  The amuse-bouche was watercress and potato. However, it had hints of pea and the texture of a leek and potato soup. It was delicious and nice way to start the meal a...

Having stayed in a number of Hotel Du Vin's over the years, Wimbledon shines through as my favourite in the chain. The hotel is set in beautiful grounds with number of gardens and walks. During the summer months it is the perfect place to sit in the sun and enjoy a Sunday afternoon. It's great being a short walk from the gorgeous Wimbledon village, a fantastic part of London which we love staying in. We popped to London back in October and ended up staying for two nights to celebrate my birthday. On the first night, we opted to eat in and make the most of the beautiful restaurant. During summer, it has the most stunning views across the glorious grounds. For the start of my 3 course dinner, I picked the mussels. I have had this dish at Hotel du Vin on a number of occasions and always love treating myself to their mussels whenever I stay. You can also opt for this dish as a main course with fries if you want too. For me, the best bit about this dish is reaching th...

Dubai is a place where you can pretty much get any food you want, any time. Having been to the Black Tap in New York, I was intrigued to see how Black Tap Dubai would square up. If you haven't seen any of the social media from Black Tap,  where have you been hiding? Their milkshakes, or as they call them 'crazy shakes' took Instagram by storm due to their over the top and glutenous design. Oreo's, candyfloss, cream, sweeties, lollipops...you name it, they have a shake that has that topping. The Black Tap in Dubai is located at Waterfront Level, Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City. To access it, we entered through the Intercontinental hotel however, I think you may also be able to access if from Dubai Festival City shopping complex. You may think that the Intercontinental and the Black Tap are worlds apart in terms of their atheistic, which is true, however when you head down to the restaurant, you will be greeted by the graffiti design you would expect in ...

A little over a month ago I was enjoying 30 degree sunshine and blissful views across Dubai creek while enjoying beautiful dinning and drinks. I had the pleasure of eating at Pierre's Bistro Dubai which is located at Promenade Level, Dubai Festival City and is owned by three Michelin star Chef Pierre Gagnaire . The elegant décor of blush pinks and the occasional pop of colour makes the venue inviting and interesting. The occasional Flamingo and golden turtle add a playful feel and oddly don’t seem to clash with the elegant feel the rest of the restaurant exudes. (source : Instagram) To start, I selected the pan fried squid with kale, shiitake mushrooms and black garlic butter sauce. The mountain of squid was cooked to perfection and well balanced. The only complaint I have is it really was a very large portion. To be completely honest, it would have sufficed as a main course. However, it was divine. On to mains, and I opted for the Roasted duck breast fillet, ...