Dinner at Cau...

I was delighted recently when another new restaurant opened in Liverpool, we are enjoying such a flourishing dining scene at the moment with so many excellent new places opening of late. Cau secured one of the highly prized units on Castle Street right in the shadow of Liverpool Town Hall. This historic street is one of my favourite streets in the city, both for its architecture and for the selection of restaurants in and around the area.
I have been eager to dine at Cau  for a while now and we recently reserved a table for dinner on a Friday evening. I was already looking forward to going out to dinner, and the fact that I went with my partner Tim and my lovely friend Hana made it even more special. We were given a warm welcome and shown to a spacious table in the restaurant which was already bustling with contented diners during the height of Friday evening service. Our reservation was fairly late because we had all been to a party first, so we had worked up a good appetite! We were kindly sent over Prosecco by Kate the lovely manager of Cau, which we enjoyed as we nibbled on fresh bread with chipotle butter and perused the extensive menu.
Cau is an Argentinian style restaurant so there is a wealth of steaks and burgers on the menu alongside several small plates which are ideal to share. We decided to sample a few dishes such as quesadilla, smoked haddock and manchego croquettes,Argentinian flatbread with sweet onion, mozzarella and oregano and hummus with aubergine caviar, chilli and crispbreads. Tim meanwhile opted for the Ribeye steak with Chimichurri sauce and fries.

 The quesadilla was delicious, stuffed with roasted vegetables, manchego and mozzarella and served with handmade guacamole. The smoked haddock croquettes were irresistibly moreish meanwhile, with a delicious caper mayonnaise dipping sauce. The presentation of all the dishes was really pleasing to the eye, with slates used to serve the sharing dishes and baskets for the fries. Tim adored his steak which was perfectly cooked with crispy fries and piquant chimichurri.

The Argentinian flatbread was dreamy, with the sweet roasted onion providing a lovely zing against the rich melted cheeses. These dishes were ideal to share and Hana and I also ordered some triple cooked chunky chips which were perfectly cooked and so indulgent! We loved the tasty and fiery hummus too, and the aubergine caviar was a delightful touch.

 Argentinian flatbread with sweet onion, mozzarella and oregano.

Smoked haddock and manchego croquettes.

Hummus with homemade aubergine caviar, chilli and  roasted nuts, served with crispbreads.

Ribeye steak with fries.

The homemade guacamole was a real treat!

Ribeye steak with chimichurri sauce.

What a feast!

 Quirky lighting!

The cool interior of the restaurant creates a great ambience.

We decided to forgo a dessert because we were so full and the food was hearty and flavoursome. Service was excellent throughout the meal and the ambience of the restaurant was warm and vibrant. I really like the decor of Cau which is modern and minimal with eye catching touches such as white booth seats, display wine cases and quirky lighting. It is elegant and simple, the ideal place to head to for a special meal. I love discovering new restaurants and I am certainly glad to have found out for myself what all the fuss is about surrounding Cau. We all had such a fun evening and it was lovely having dinner with my friend Hana. We will definitely be returning to Cau again soon and I think it is just the place to go out for dinner before continuing the evening with some late night cocktails in the city!

Do you like to order small sharing plates when you go out to a restaurant or do you prefer ordering a main course? Have you ever dined at Cau, and what dish would you have eaten first from what we ordered? As always I can't wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Cau 

3-7 Castle Street,

Liverpool

 L2 4SW

 01512 271 818

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

Riding through my old hood, but I'm in my new whip...

Hi everyone I hope that you are all well. I have not shared a style post with you all for a while so I thought that I would share this little street style photo shoot with you. One evening last week, I had a restaurant review to do and just before I met up with a friend of mine who is a photographer and we decided to put together an impromptu photo shoot!

Don't you just love the trend for sleeveless blazer at the moment? I think they are chic and stylish and they dress up even a plain shorts and vest top ensemble. Best of all, they are everywhere so even though there are more expensive versions available, there are also more reasonably priced ones such as this white one I bought recently in Primark.  It was just £17 but looks much more expensive and it is also available in black (yes, I bought the black version too!) 

You all know by now how much I do love a trip to Primark. You can find gorgeous pieces there which do not cost the earth. These beautiful embellished sandals were just £10 and the handbag was also around £10. Just amazing that you can come out with three gorgeous pieces for less than £40 this is why I love shopping there! I was sent the sunglasses by Sunglasses Shop which is a great place to find some designer shades for a good price. I love the overall look of this easy breezy outfit and I think the dark red bag adds the perfect pop of colour.

I paired the sleeveless blazer with a floaty top from Zara and some tailored shorts which were another Primark bargain. They have a pretty scalloped edge which makes them so cute and they are ideal to wear either for work or to go out for the evening. Please tell me about what summer staples you have been wearing lately. As always I love to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading ths post!

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo 

Cakes and Ale...

I called this post Cakes and Ale after the novel by W.Somerset Maugham. Even though this cake was not served with ale, it still tasted pretty delicious! Nothing says summertime quite like the appearance of home grown strawberries on the shelves. These versatile fruits are used to make everything from cakes to salads and the best and sweetest ones are always those grown on our own shores. Whether they are taken along to a picnic in the park, added to a jug of Pimms or eaten smothered in cream to celebrate Wimbledon, strawberries are quintessentially British and it makes me so happy to buy a big crate of them to share with family and friends.
The other week I snapped up a big box of strawberries and I decided to make a traditional Victoria Sponge and top it with a few of them. I always find Victoria Sponge to be a fail-safe cake to bake which is not too much hassle. It  has been a while since I have found the time to do as much baking as I used to, but I really enjoy rolling my sleeves up and making a big cake or a pie occasionally. For me half the fun of baking is nurturing others and getting to enjoy seeing my family or friends tucking into something I have made (whilst eating it myself too of course!)  

Here is the recipe I used.

Ingredients:

200g caster sugar

200g softened butter

4 eggs, beaten

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

For the filling

100g butter, softened

140g icing sugar

1 teaspoon Madagascan vanilla extract (optional)

340g jar good-quality strawberry jam

Method:

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter.

Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

To make the filling, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in icing sugar. Beat in vanilla extract if you’re using it. Spread the butter cream over the bottom of one of the sponges, top it with jam and sandwich the second sponge on top. 

I then topped the cake with classic vanilla frosting and the fresh strawberries and served it with cups of Earl Grey tea in the garden. It was so relaxing and I enjoyed one or two delicious slices of cake whilst catching up on reading a couple of my favourite glossy magazines. Bliss! 

What do you all think, is this cake your idea of a good way to use fresh summer strawberries, or do you have another recipe to recommend to me? As always I can't wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille

xo

Pizza Party with Chicago Town

Hi everyone I hope that you are all well. You all know by now how much I love pizza, my addiction to this cheese-topped doughy slice of heaven is just ridiculous and you can guarantee that if I am ever in a bad mood pizza will instantly put a smile back on my downcast face! You may recall that a few weeks ago I was invited to work with Chicago Town* and review their Takeaway Pizza, well I was delighted to receive the opportunity to work with them again recently, this time reviewing their Deep Dish range. One Sunday evening whilst I was visiting my family at home in Derbyshire, I popped the pizzas in to the oven and we all piled into the garden to enjoy an impromptu pizza party!

 I had baked a chocolate fudge cake, so dessert was already sorted and we whipped up a quick salad and threw some garlic bread in the oven to accompany the pizza. We had plenty of chilled rosé Cava on hand to ensure that this was a pizza party to remember, and before long we were all having an amazing time. These Chicago Town pizzas were so impressive because even though they are quick to heat in the oven, further convenience is added by the fact that you can also microwave them making them ideal for a quick snack or a speedy meal when you simply do not have the time to be slaving over a hot stove. We tried two varieties, firstly the Pepperoni variety which was topped with signature tomato sauce,plenty of luscious mozzarella and tasty pepperoni. Yum! Next we tried the Four Cheese,
rich with melted mozzarella, mature Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Emmental cheeses and signature tomato sauce. They were both so satisfying and full of flavour that we soon finished every bite!

I love to set the table with freshly cut wild flowers, mismatched crockery, a Moroccan style lantern, a vintage tablecloth and Alessi flatware. It is so simple to create a lovely al fresco meal when you can make such delicious pizza at home in record time and there is no need to wait for it to be delivered.

We sipped our Cava and tucked in to the lovely pizza and fresh salad whilst we caught up on gossip and news. I would definitely recommend the Chicago Town Deep Dish range to anybody who loves delicious, fresh pizza. The toppings were plentiful and rich in flavour and the crust was doughy and irresistible. These are the perfect option to keep in your freezer for when you are pushed for time and you want perfect pizza served pronto!

What do you all think, does the idea of delicious pizza served fast sound good to you? I can't wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo 

*Disclaimer

These items were sent to me on a complimentary basis for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest.