Christmas at Costa

Even though I absolutely love Christmas and the festive time of year, I hate getting into the Christmassy spirit too early. Its still November, and I don't let myself really think about Christmas until the beginning of December, but with the recent change in temperature and the end of term fast approaching I guess there's no harm in starting to feel a bit festive now. Especially if that means I can enjoy the Christmas specials in Costa.

I love Costa. I think their coffee is really nice, the food offerings are pretty good and it has a nice feel to it. There are a couple of stores on campus and I find myself there quite a lot, either meeting friends, grabbing a coffee to keep me going through the day or on a table in the corner doing some study.

On to the Christmas menu!

First, take a look at how cute this cup is! I love the Christmas cups from Costa. There are four designs; rudolph, snowman, elf and Santa. They are all so cute and you can also buy ceramic cups with these designs on.

I have to say I was a bit gutted Costa didn't bring back the Honeycomb Hot Chocolate from last year but the Black Forest Hot Chocolate has made a return which I am thrilled about.

Costa's hot chocolate is good anyway as its pretty thick and is chocolatey but not sickly. The Black Forest Hot Chocolate on the Christmas menu also has a shot of blackberry syrup and is topped with whipped cream, chocolate curls and some cherry sauce. I love the combination of chocolate and berries, and this tastes like a liquid black forest gateau. Very indulgent but perfect for a treat on a cold day.

I've had a sample of the Orange Hot Chocolate, which for a non-orange/chocolate fan was pretty good and I'll probably try a full sized version and I've also had the Brownie Hot Chocolate.

I asked for only a bit of whipped cream, hence why the picture above looks a bit lack lustre. I'm not sure I'd have this one again because I prefer other drinks at Costa but it was yummy and I definitely enjoyed it. It has a shot of walnut syrup which made it very brownie-like and it was topped with tiny pieces of brownie.

I probably sound like I spend all my time in Costa because I've had a couple more things from the Christmas menu. (Its true, I do go there a lot - goodbye student loan). Before a two hour lecture on Monday I popped in to get a coffee and I decided to go for the Praline Cappuccino, which I was pleasantly surprised by. I like my coffee very strong, so for me I couldn't taste coffee at all, but the praline syrup was a really nice flavour, and when it was topped with a gold dusting it really brightened up my day. (Sorry I don't have a photo)

On the food front, when I had lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago I had the bacon, brie and cranberry panini which was very festive and so good.

I'm not huge on cheese but I like a bit of brie every now and again and I'm glad there wasn't too much in this panini. I haven't had any of the cakes but I've heard the gingerbread muffin is tasty.

On the whole a lovely, festive menu that will help to get anyone in the Christmas spirit!

Handmade Burger Co - The Bullring, Birmingham City Centre

If you didn't know already, I love a good burger. I also love restaurants that specialise in burgers and Handmade Burger Co is one of my favourites. The menu is so big that you can always have something different and there are plenty of options for non-beef eaters, but it's not overwhelming and it's easy to find something that you fancy.

A couple of weeks ago I headed into town with a couple of friends for some burgers. I'd been desperate to visit Handmade Burger Co since I came back to uni in September and I was so glad we finally went there. It was pretty busy for a Tuesday night but we didn't have to wait long for a table and we quickly decided what we wanted as we were rather hungry (and by rather I mean absolutely starving). There was a bit of a queue to order but our food arrived pretty quickly after ordering.

The American Cheese Beef Burger

The Peppered Beef Burger

The Avocado and Bacon Beef Burger

We all enjoyed our burgers. I've had the peppered beef one before and it is really good but seeing as I'm still obsessed with avocados I had to go for the avocado and bacon burger. It was really good but I have to say that I think I prefered the same one in GBK. In GBK they cook the burgers medium and for me that really improves a burger. I still really enjoyed the one in Handmade Burger Co though and the meat is of really good quality, I just wish it wasn't so well done!

We shared two portions of chips between the three of us which was about the right amount I think. There were a few left over but one portion wouldn't have been enough. I don't think I can stress enough how much I love their chips. They remind me of chips you get from fish and chip shops and they are the perfect balance of crunchy and fluffy. Word of warning though, they are boiling when they first come to your table and I always forget so dive in and end up burning my tongue. They are kinda worth having a burnt tongue for a few days though. SO GOOD.

What makes Handmade Burger Co even better is the value for money. I have a loyalty card that gives you free things every few visits (this time I got a free drink) and they do pretty good student discount. 15% off  with a valid student card and I think they still do 30% off between 3-6 on a Monday (I'm not sure on that though!).

All in all a great place to grab a burger, especially if you like your meat well done!

Current Obsession: Nakd snack bars

Always on the hunt for healthy snacks, I was delighted when I tried these on the recommendation from my friend Elise. I'm a firm believer in balanced diets - eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and other good stuff, not eating too much processed food but allowing yourself treats. I think the 80/20 rule is good and pretty easy to stick to. Life's too short to deny yourself chocolate every now and again!

I've been trying to make my lifestyle a bit healthier recently, working out a lot and trying to make the most of my work in the gym by not eating too much unhealthy food. I've been trying to reduce the treat part of my diet to about 5%  which is quite tricky if you're a chocolate addict with a constant sugar craving.

Cue Nakd bars!

I was sceptical as to how good these would be, but I honestly think they are so tasty and they really satisfy my chocolate cravings. Also, they are doubly good as they give you a wonderful feeling of smugness, knowing your eating one of your five a day but enjoying the delicious cocoa flavour at the same time.

My favourite are the Cocoa Delight, made up of dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa and natural chocolate flavouring. They look a bit weird, and the texture is nothing like chocolate but they are very dense and pretty filling.

I also really like the new flavour called Cocoa Crunch, which is similar to the Cocoa Delight but with some crunchy bits in it too.

I knew Elise loved the cocoa orange ones and even though I'm not a huge fan of the chocolate/orange combination, I have to agree they are pretty tasty too. I haven't tried any of the non-chocolate flavours as they don't really appeal to me, I like the chocolatey ones as a substitute to satisfy my cravings. My friend Elise did not like the cocoa crunch ones though, claiming they tasted like dog food (which I don't agree with but each to their own!).

Now, there is one major downside to these (for students at least) - they are pretty pricey. To buy individually from a convenience shop or the food section of Boots etc they cost around 85p which is probably about 20p more than your average bar of chocolate. From supermarkets the multipack boxes have four bars in and I think they are usually over £2 (I bought a couple of boxes when they were on offer in Sainsbury's for 2 boxes for £4) which is certainly not cheap. I don't have a huge amount of cash to spend, but for me, these are worth it. If I spend my money on these I can't really afford to buy other, unhealthy, snacks and if I know I have one of these at home I don't buy chocolate to satisfy any cravings I have. Plus, although chocolate is always advertised as being quite cheap, for example chocolate is always on offer for £1, its not really that good value for money. You can end up spending quite a lot on chocolate if you take advantage of £1 offers. So really if you think about it, buying these saves money (ok even if they don't it makes me feel better about parting with my money!).

I really love these. Perfect chocolate substitute, actually healthy AND they save you money! What's not to love??

Weekend at The Plough - Harborne, Birmingham

Last weekend I was lucky enough to dine out twice at The Plough, which for a student with a fairly restricted budget, was a major treat. After my trip there at the end of last year (read all about that here) I was desperate to go back and try the rest of the menu.

On Saturday I headed to The Plough for brunch. I'm a big breakfast lover. I'm a morning person and never miss breakfast, so eating out for the first meal of the day is one of my favourite things to do, and after examining The Plough's brunch menu I was very excited. (By the way I find breakfast and brunch to be pretty similar - either way I always end up having a bit of lunch and I guess the only real difference is that you go out later for brunch).

I decided to go for a smoothie, I think it was made with strawberry and mango.

If I really think about it, it was probably a bit overpriced but it was yummy and we went out for brunch to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday, so as it was a special occasion I decided to splash out a bit. When I looked at the menu the coconut milk porridge jumped out at me and I'm not really sure why. I don't particularly like coconut but I think seeing as it came with honeycomb and mango that was what swayed me. I'm very glad I ordered it though.

The portion size was spot-on and as well as coming with a few chunks of mango, it was also served with a mango purée which was delicious.

The porridge was really tasty and I will definitely make porridge with coconut milk in the future for a a bit of variation. Everyone elses food looked really good as well, in particular the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

On Sunday my parents came up to visit so we went to The Plough for Sunday lunch. We all had the roast.

It was massive! I went for beef, which was served pink, and there was loads of it. I hate going out for Sunday lunch and only being given one small slice of meat but this is not something to worry about at The Plough. The beef was really tasty and seasoned with a fair amount of pepper. I found the roast potatoes to be a bit too salty for my liking but they weren't so salty I found them inedible. The Yorkshire pudding was good and the veg was great too (peas, red cabbage and swede mash).

It's not cheap but you definitely get your money's worth and it's all really good quality. My only niggle is that the potatoes were a tad too salty and I would've prefered more gravy, but I guess I like to drown my plate in gravy so most people would probably find it to be an adequate amount. It's the perfect place to go when parents come to visit, if you want to splash out for a special occasion or if you just love great food and money is no object.

I'm yet to try the burger so I guess I'll have to go back soon!

Gourmet Burger Kitchen - The Mailbox, Birmingham

Although on the whole I do prefer independent restaurants, I do enjoy going to a chain every now and again, especially if they focus on burgers. Generally burger chains tend to be pretty darn good. I haven't been to GBK a huge amount in the past but after going last week for a catch up with a friend I was reminded how good it is.

As you will know if you read this post I'm obsessed with avocados, and bacon and avocado is one of my favourite combinations. Naturally I went for the avocado and bacon beef burger.

It was a pretty big burger, but not so giant that eating it is a massive challenge. It came with the usual salad in burgers, as well as a burger relish that I think was a bit mustard-y. I'm not a huge fan of mustard but it wasn't too strong and just complimented the burger wonderfully. I had mine cooked medium-rare. I love it when places give you the option of how you'd like your burger cooked as I think the main way burgers are ruined is when they are well done.

My friend went for the cheeseburger (which she enjoyed) and we shared a side of sweet potato fries, which came with baconnaise. The fries were a good balance of crispy and super soft and I will definitely be having baconnaise again. We also got a free portion of garlic mayo that I got from downloading the GBK app.

Having satisfied our savoury cravings we decided to get a couple of milkshakes to round off the meal. This was one of the best decisions ever.

I got the honeycomb milkshake and it was massive. I couldn't quite finish it because it was pretty rich, but in no way sickly as a lot of milkshakes are. It had a lovely, caramel-y flavour with pieces of honeycomb in it and wasn't overly thick or sweet. The only word to describe it is perfect.

I wouldn't say the burgers at GBK are amazing or outstanding, but they're pretty good and the menu is pretty vast so you're bound to find something you like. I will definitely go there again (especially as they do student discount), if not because of their burgers but because of their milkshakes.

Current Obsession: Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn in Sweet 'n Salt

I thought I would start a series of posts on my current obsessions, which will include products, meals, ingredients etc. To begin with I have to talk about something which I have been reaching for nearly everyday for the last month or so. Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn.

I think this is amazing stuff. Tasty, sweet and salty enough to satisfy any craving and fairly healthy - what more could you want?! I really like the popcorn in Graze boxes and when I was looking for some healthy-ish snacks to take to Wimbledon with me in June I thought I'd check out what healthy popcorn was available in Sainsbury's. I spotted the pack of 6 individual bags of this Metcalfe's Topcorn and thought I'd give it ago. I love this so much I haven't even considered trying out any other brands.

The multi-pack of individual bags is great because (as it says on the front of the bags) its perfect for lunchboxes or handbags. I often get quite hungry when out and about so I love throwing one of these into my bag when I'm going to be out for several hours in case I get peckish - and at 78 calories per bag it is not something to feel guilty about later! They also make big bags, with 3 portions in, which is great for having in the house as something to munch on when watching TV etc.

This popcorn has a great flavour. Each piece is sweet and salty, which I love because recently I've been a bit obsessed with mixing sweet and salty flavours. I didn't expect it to be so packed with flavour because of how little calories are in each portion. There are only 4 ingredients - popped corn, vegetable oil, sugar and salt. They have other flavours but right now I'm too obsessed with this to try the others. Its also gluten free and suitable for vegetarians.

This is a great low fat snack that tastes a lot more indulgent than it is, it doesn't leave your fingers greasy and is perfect for loads of occasions. If you're looking for an alternative to crisps or chocolate for a go-to snack when out and about or at home, give this a try!

Places in Norwich worth trying out

Everywhere we ate in Norwich was really nice. I don't know what it is and why there aren't more places that serve really good food in Cardiff but Norwich is obviously a place to go if you're a bit of a foodie.

Mustard

One day when we were looking for somewhere for lunch in the independent quarter we stumbled across Mustard. It was a simple little café that served sandwiches or jacket potatoes with old fashioned crockery that looked like it had been picked up at a car boot sale (in a good way). There was art for sale on the walls and there is a notebook on each table with pencils for customers to doodle or write in, and the owners will stick up their favourites in the café. It may not look particularly impressive but the café had a lovely homely feel and was perfect for a quick and tasty lunch.

I had a pot of tea and the ABC sandwich (avocado, bacon and chicken).

It was very reasonably priced and I really enjoyed my sandwich - the bacon was particularly good!

Roots

We were looking for somewhere to pop into one morning for a drink and a little bite to eat and decided to try out Roots. As it was such a sunny morning we sat out in the little courtyard, which was lovely and a great advantage Roots has compared with lots of other cafés with no outdoor seating.

They had a great selection of hot drinks and cakes. I plumped for a flat white (which was perfectly made) and a slice of orange and poppyseed cake.

It was one of the best cakes I've had in a very long time. It was pretty moist but it wasn't too gooey, and it was orangey without being overpowering. My mum had a slice of the Victoria Sandwich cake which was very nice too (I tried a bit). I think Roots are also open for lunch and dinner so if I ever venture back over to Norwich I would definitely check it out as I was so impressed with the coffee and cake I had there.

Grosvenor Fish Bar

These chips are without a doubt some of the best I have ever had. The ones photographed were sprinkled with some spicy salt. They were crispy, fluffy and very good value for money. There is nothing else to say about these chips other than if you are ever in Norwich, you NEED to go and get some of these.

b'nou - Norwich City Centre

b'nou only opened a couple of months ago and its already made an impact. When we were looking on Tripadvisor for places to go we noticed b'nou was fourth and had 19 reviews, all of which were excellent, so we decided to check it out.

The restaurant is quite small and can probably only seat around 30 people (booking is essential!). It has a very homely feel to it and a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

It all kicks off at 7:30. There are no menus, but a selection of tapas-type dishes that changes each night. One by one, each dish is brought round to all of the tables. Each dish costs £4 and if you decide to have one the hosts stamp a little card so they know how much to charge you at the end. Although they're small little plates, one between 2 or 3 works out well because there's lots to try. When we went, there were 13 savoury dishes and 3 desserts available and between the 4 of us we had 19 dishes. It was great to share lots of really tasty food and be able to try a lot of different things in one meal. Also because there's enough time to eat in between the next dish coming round you don't get too full.

All the food was delicious. Simple combinations executed flawlessly. When we were chatting to one of the owners he said they had lived in Spain for the last 5 years, which shows as the food is clearly influenced by Spanish cooking. He also said that the meat is all free-range, the fish is fresh on that day and the fruit and vegetables are locally sourced. A lot of thought and care has obviously gone into b'nou and it really pays off.

Here's some pictures of some of the dishes we had and the sort of thing to expect if you ever go there.

Smoked mackerel paté.

Chorizo, butterbean and roasted pepper rocket salad.

Baked camembert. 

Paella with chorizo, bacon, cod and prawns.

Chicken drumsticks (I can't remember what they were marinaded in - I think it was lemon and honey).

Tortillas filled with spicy vegetables.

Three types of mushrooms in a creamy sauce (the picture does not do this justice -it was amazing).

Chicken (again I've forgotten the flavour of it) with couscous.

The desserts were incredible.

Lemon and lime panna cotta.

Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

Berry compote with vanilla ice cream.

We had such a lovely evening. The concept of the restaurant made it an interesting and different meal out and if I lived in Norwich I would venture there regularly. The owners were so nice, worked hard to make sure the evening was a success and are clearly passionate about their fairly new restaurant. I have absolutely no negatives about b'nou and I really hope it continues to be as successful as it has been since it opened.

Pinocchio's Restaurant - Norwich City Centre

As mentioned in my last post, I went to Norwich for a mini-break with my family and got home yesterday evening. I had no idea how nice Norwich is, I expected it to be full of 1960s and 70s grey buildings and full of chain restaurants and shops. Although there are parts like that, we mainly kept to the old part of the city centre, with cobbled lanes and independent shops and cafés. The old buildings were so interesting to look at and this part of town had such a nice character.

On Tuesday morning, we wandered down to the cathedral, which was enormous and one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the town and by the evening we were pretty hungry. After walking around for a very long time we decided the go in Pinocchio's Restaurant on St Benedicts Street. It described itself as a Mediterranean Brasserie and the food mainly focus' on an Italian theme.

I ordered the burger, which had an Italian twist as the beef patty was accompanied by pancetta, taleggio and salsa verde.

 

I hadn't had taleggio before, which is an Italian cheese that has a consistency when melted that reminded me a bit of melted mozzarella but with a more pungent flavour. I'm not a huge cheese lover so I found there to be a bit much, but it was interesting having something a bit different to the usual cheddar you get in burgers. Salsa verde is a sauce made up of ingredients like parsley and vinegar and compliments meat well. It was quite strong and there was a tad too much of it in this burger for my liking but overall it was a really good burger.

It was nice to have a slightly different version of something I always have and the triple-cooked chips it was served with were really good.

My parents both had pasta dishes - tagliatelle carbonara and pappardelle with spicy lamb ragu, both of which were delicious.

 

My sister had a lamb dish served with bulgur wheat in a pomegranate sauce (I thought it was horrible but she thought it was one of the best meals she's ever had).

Earlier in the day I had decided against getting an ice cream and planned on having dessert with dinner instead, and I'm glad I did!

I had the salted caramel filo crisp with white peaches. Salted caramel mousse sandwiched between two layers of crispy pastry filled with nuts and topped with slices of white peach. It was a combination I've never had before and it was very tasty.

The salted caramel mousse was particularly good! I wish it was served with a scoop of ice cream or some extra sauce but I still enjoyed it and I would definitely have it again.

My mum had the tiramisu which she enjoyed.

 

Overall we had a lovely meal and the service was great. If I was going back to Norwich for a couple of days I would probably find somewhere else to try out but if I lived in Norwich I would definitely go back there.