Pizzas at Timeless Pizza Bar

When Beth finished her exams we celebrated with pizza and wine. As we had yet to check out Timeless Pizza Bar, on Chandos Road, we decided that this was exactly how we could pep up our celebrating on a Friday night.  We popped in about 8pm and Michael and Rich had already ordered a caraffe of red, how kind of them, so all we had to do was choose what pizzas to have.  A margherita costs just £5 and any toppings you want to add are an additional £1 each. Seeing as that was such a bargain I decided to pop artichokes and chorizo on mine, artichokes on pizza are a particular favourite so I was delighted to see them on the menu. The boys also ordered some garlic bread for us to share whilst waiting for our pizzas to arrive. 

The garlic bread that appeared first was nothing special, a bit dry could have done with more butter, nothing to write home about. However the pizzas that came out were enormous, fairly thin base and covered generously in the desired toppings. They looked heavenly. I tucked into mine immediately as after a glass or two of wine I was famished. My pizza hit the spot completely with all the soft artichokes and salty chorizo, I was impressed, the value is astonishing. Most of the table could not finish their pizzas due to the sheer size but I ploughed on like a hero. Timeless Pizza Bar impressed me, the pizzas are extremely tasty and amazing value for money. This is perfect for when you are looking for a filling but reasonably priced treat. To find out more visit their Facebook page.

Burgers at The Shakespeare in Redland

Although we have a pub right on our doorstep it's not really everything I could want in a pub. So when I heard the Shakespeare on Lower Redland Road had been given a snazzy new makeover and encouraging noises about it were surfacing, I was compelled to check it out. We headed over on a Wednesday evening and decided to take advantage of their new menu. A good number of pub classics with an emphasis on burgers, and I like love burgers.

I decided to opt for their special, beef with chorizo and red leicester with sweet potato chips. Whilst Rich went for beef topped with smoked applewood, smoked bacon and barbecue sauce, plus some chips which were given a shake of rosemary salt. Homemade dips such as lemon mayonnaise and spicy relish are available for 50p each. Prices for the burgers hover just under the £10 mark, which considering the size of them is fairly reasonable.

Apart from the sheer thickness of my burger I just want to alert you, dear readers, to the fact that it had a whole chorizo sauage in the centre. None of those thin weak ass chorizo slices from a packet that one could get from any supermarket but a juicy, smokey whole sausage. Red Leicester has never been high on my cheese favourites list but this had melted beautifully over the generous meat patty. I wasn't sure what to expect from the burgers here, pub burgers are often generic but acceptable. This was a whole different ball game.

Soft brioche bun, well seasoned meat and toppings that went very well together all made for a great burger.  The sweet potato fries were a bit of a let down but the rosemary salted standard chips were much better. So basically if they can add that chorizo burger to the regular's list I will be even happier.  If you haven't already checked out the refit of the Shakespeare in Redland, please do it's rather good. To find out more visit their website.

Pre Cinema Munchings at Giggling Squid

My birthday present from the lovely Kym was dinner or lunch at wherever I fancied. This is the best kind of present because I get to eat, which is my favourite thing to do, and I get to spend time with a good friend.  A browse of places we had yet to feast occurred and Giggling Squid was decided upon. Occupying the venue which was previously vacated by a Strada, Giggling Squid is a mini chain of just over a dozen restaurants all based in the South boasting rustic and local Thai dishes.  Lunchtimes have several set menu options allowing you to have a big dish all to yourself or to sample a couple of dishes if you can't just choose one. Kym and I decided to go for a tapas set each, dishes included; salt & pepper squid, sleeping honey duck, chicken massaman curry and beef salad. The tapas sets hover around the £11-12 mark which for lunch isn't too bad. 

With some very tasty Thai spiced prawn crackers to start us off we got stuck into the mains as soon as we were able. The good stuff first. Kym's honey duck was the stand out dish, very much recommended, closely followed by the chicken massaman and the beef salad. Pretty good portion sizes considering they were smaller dishes and the flavours were very delicious and warming. I was a touch disappointed by the squid as the batter was too thick for my tastes so it masked the squid a little. However I really liked the idea of having lots of small dishes for lunch because then you get to sample more of the menu, which is perfect for someone as curious as me. 

I have heard that the evening menu is a bit more pricey than normally expected to pay for Thai food but everyone I have spoken to who has been there has been fairly impressed on the whole. I would definitely make a return trip on a lunch time but whether it is enough to coax me away from more reasonably priced Thai restaurants in the evening, the jury is still out. To find out more about Giggling Squid check out their website. 

Spicy Lunch at Chilli Daddy

I have a confession to make. Forgive me Father for I have sinned, I have become obsessed with something to the point it consumes all my lunchtime thoughts.  Yes readers, I have finally tried Chilli Daddy and I adore it, in the past month I have been 4 times. What started as a street food stall has quickly grown into having two central shops one just off Park Row and one on Baldwin Street.  I was a bit slow in becoming a convert to the Szechuan dishes that Chilli Daddy provides, mainly because I wasn't sure how customisable they are. One of my only real dislikes is coriander and I knew the noodles came with quite a bit, but once finding out that you can order without I headed to the Baldwin Street branch as soon as I was able. Accompanied by Mr Popple on my first visit he was able to give a little advice on the heat levels and additions you can make.

The menu at Chilli Daddy is fairly simple choose chicken, beef or tofu in either noodle salad, rice box or hotpot. The heat ranges from 1-5 with 5 being the spiciest. I decided to go for the chicken dan dan hotpot, level 3 spicy with no coriander. Tim was brave opting for the same dish but at level 4. Note that there are potato noodles for those of you looking for gluten free options. Another point to mention is it is cash only so remember to plan ahead when you go there.

chicken dan dan hotpot

chicken dan dan hotpot with added tea egg (2nd visit)

takeaway beef hotpot (3rd visit)

Oh my word. Chilli Daddy know how to do a hugely tasty and addictive lunch. Level 3 was just right for me a good spicy kick  but not over powering. I have sampled level 4 and I could eat it but whether I would want a whole bowl of it is uncertain. Although the next time I have a cold could well be the best time to try. If you haven't already tried Chilli Daddy do check them out the food is simply amazing. Prices range from £4.50-6 and the portions are huge and very filling. I am lucky to be surrounded by such temptation every day. To find out more and hear where Chilli Daddy got his inspiration from check out their website.

Lunching at Edna's Kitchen

My first trip to Edna's was one that was long overdue. I have no excuse at all. Edna's is two minutes from my office. Anyway after all the good things I'd heard, especially from my desk mate at work I decided to meet my friend Abi there, it was a sunny day after all. Abi is vegetarian so my choice for lunch was perfect. Edna's Kitchen is the little hexagonal hut at the top of Castle Park, they do pittas, wraps and salad boxes all vegetarian and some vegan.  I decided to go for a salad box which is £5 and comes with cous cous, crunchy salad, a stuffed vine leaf, falafel, houmous and optional chilli sauce. 

Oh Edna you minx. Why had I been resisting your charms all this time? Best houmous I've had from a falafel joint and the chilli sauce has quite a kick. I personally prefer my stuffed vine leaves to be warm but that is personal preference. The falafels were the stars of the show crunchy but soft in the middle, not dry, and full of flavour. Short and sweet but if you want a falafel salad box or a pitta stuffed with falafelly goodness, look no further than Edna's Kitchen, does the best falafels in town. Great choices for veggies and vegans alike so get on down there. For £5 I was stuffed so it's a good feed for sure. To find out more about Edna's Kitchen check out the website.

Anniversary at Allium Brasserie

Last month we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Some of you know this has been a particularly difficult first year of marriage for us. Fighting off the big C for Rich has been more draining than we could imagine, but with hopefully the worst over we are starting to look forward to the years to come.  Postponing our honeymoon is one of the first things we did so in the next 12-24 months we hope to be able to see Italy as planned and eat many of the delicious foods it has to offer. For our first anniversary we booked a meal at Allium Brasserie, run by head chef Chris Staines, in Bath because I'd heard such great things.

Sure enough the weather was really sunny when we arrived and we were a touch early so we headed to the Artbar for a drink. The bar is really beautifully decorated and feels pretty cosy. They have a fairly large cocktail menu as well as the usual stuff. I decided on the gingerbread mule whilst Rich went for a bourbon. Please go and try the gingerbread mule if you find yourself in Bath and passing Allium, they have a nice outdoor seating area and everything, it's the best cocktail I've had in a long time. Hugely refreshing and light, full of gingery goodness you will not regret it.

Once our table was ready we were led into the dining area and handed some menus. The dining room is quite eclectically decorated, part modern part abandoned chateau, I'm not entirely sold on the salmon pink walls but they sort of go with all the gold curtains. Allium do set menu deals for lunch and from 5.30 - 7pm, two courses for £17.50 or three for £23. As we were booked in after 7 we went straight to the ala carte menu. Sipping our glasses of fizz we decided to share some olives and some crab and prawn croquettes with aioli plus we each ordered a 28 day aged black Angus rib eye steak for our main which came with triple cooked chips and beer battered onion rings.

prawn and crab croquettes with aioli

Those crab and prawn croquettes melted in the mouth and went splendidly with the creamy aioli. A perfect little appetiser before our mains.  The steaks arrived along with a glass of red wine each. It was a healthy portion that sat before us. The meat was perfectly cooked and melted in the mouth, right up there with some of the best steaks I've had. The chips were crunchy yet fluffy and well salted, basically what you want from a triple cooked chip. The onion marmalade went very well with the meat.

Personally I found the raw onion in the salad a bit much with onion rings and onion marmalade, but that is just my taste. The onion rings were golden brown and had the crispness longed for in a good onion ring. It was a very tasty and indulgent meal. We didn't have quite enough room for a full dessert so we decided to order a selection of sweet things to go with our after dinner coffee and tea.

In addition, because it was our anniversary, they brought us out a wonderful chocolate mini cake to take home, which was so light and delicious it had to be chiffon or genoise sponge, a touchingly sweet end to a fantastic meal. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu. to find out more about what Allium has to offer visit their website. Allium is a great contribution to the Bath food scene so definitely check it out, if not just for that gingerbread mule cocktail.

Lunching at Fuego

Fuego is looking to fire up your soul by bringing their Latin/Caribbean spirit and food to Bristol. I have lunched at Fuego, what used to be My Burrito until two months or so ago, twice. Each time having different items off the menu. The first time Jo and I had burritos one steak and one pork, although suspending the idea that burritos are not Latin American but tex-mex. However they do a handy burrito and a drink for £5.55 at lunch time which is a great deal.  I like the newly revamped seating area it makes it look a lot tidier and inviting as restaurants go.  My second visit, with Sarah, I branched out and tried the chicken Mofongo, at £9.99. Mofongo is a dish from Puerto Rico made from smashed fried plantain, spices, stock and crackling. This is then shaped to contain pretty much anything, vegetables, meat or fish, the description grabbed my attention as something a bit different. 

Firstly the burritos. They were tasty enough, but did not set my world alight, but I did enjoy the range of hot sauces that are on the table to spice up your lunch, the chipotle one was rather delicious in particular. My other main gripe is that the whole shebang was just not wrapped tight enough so it fell apart more than it should, which is not the point really. It sounds harsh but I have strong feelings about compact burritos.

Mofongo!

the whole meal

pinto beans and chorizo

The Mofongo however was a real surprise. A huge plate of food was brought to me and it smelled intoxicating. It tasted even better. It is a little hard to describe but it's a bit like having a bowl lined with stuffing and the stuffing tastes out of this world but then the bowl is filled with a hearty chicken and tomato stew which is smoky. The black beans didn't do a lot for me but the pinto beans and the rice were really nice. I couldn't quite finish my plate, which considering my healthy appetite was quite a feat. Basically the burritos are fine but if you want to taste something extra delicious go for the Mofongo. To find out more about Fuego visit their website or follow them on Twitter.