Castle Street Townhouse...

Castle Street Townhouse opened its doors last week bringing a sophisticated new all-day dining venue and bar to the area, located in a Grade II listed building in the shadow of Liverpool Town Hall. There is a sweeping marble bar area with opulent mirrors and the ambience of understated elegance continues in the restaurant beyond, where the stylish interior design features plush green velvet booths and bowler hat lighting.

Last week I attended the launch party and there was a great atmosphere, as we sipped champagne and enjoyed canapés which gave an insight in to the menu, including smoothie shots, tender chicken skewers and the ‘townhouse tier’ laden with goodies.

On Friday evening I went back to Castle Street Townhouse for some evening drinks and small plates, plenty of people were already enjoying a drink at the bar and there was an inviting warmth to the atmosphere. I was impressed by the excellent service as I was shown to a comfortable sofa where I sipped chilled Pinot Grigio rosé and looked at the menu, where several small plates caught my eye.

There is so much to offer on the menu including breakfast, brunch and small plates. Bircher muesli and granola are good options for a healthy breakfast and dishes including the ‘full house’ cooked breakfast, rump steak with straw potato and fried eggs and French toast are ideal for when you are feeling a little bit more indulgent. I was impressed to see a ‘full veggie’ breakfast on the menu too. Brunch is served from 11am and the food on offer is pleasingly varied with fish, meat, salads, superfoods and eggs available as well as the aforementioned 'townhouse tier' (cornfritters, poached egg with chorizo jam, French toast and bacon, Danish & French pastries, fresh fruit and smoothie shots) as well as bottomless brunch which sounds good too.
We settled down with our drinks and I ordered a selection of small plates which are good to share. Chicken with quinoa and sweetcorn, beef hash with red onion jus, straw potatoes and toad in the hole with savoy cabbage was what we decided on after significant deliberation. The first dish I tried was the chicken, which was tender and the quinoa and vegetables added further layers of flavour.

Toad in the hole has to be one of my favourite comfort food classics and I enjoyed this mini version of it, the Yorkshire pudding was golden and light while the Savoy cabbage added an earthy taste which sat well with the sausages.

The beef hash cake was rustic and filling with a fluffy texture and crisp edges, it was full of hearty flavour offset by the the rich red onion jus.

The crispy straw potatoes we ordered proved to be the ideal accompaniment to the other small plates,and the array of dishes we chose showed off simple yet satisfying flavours.

The lights were turned down low and there was a relaxed mood as I ordered a Mai Tai to round off the meal in style and we lingered for a little longer, something which is easy to do at Castle Street Townhouse.

This is certainly a bar and restaurant which has a lot to offer, not least the refined setting which exudes style and glamour. The menu consists of a multitude of tempting dishes served throughout the day, so it is a perfect place for a leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends or simply an impromptu evening cocktail or two.

Castle Street Townhouse 

Castle Street 

Liverpool 

L2 7LQ

www.castlestreettownhouse.co.uk 


What do you all think, do you like small plates and which of these dishes would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.


Until next time,

Camille

xo 

Writing for Olive Magazine...

This is a short but sweet midweek post to share with you a little about my writing work. Alongside running this blog, I write about food and drink for publications and one of these is Olive Magazine. I love writing, and writing for Olive Magazine is so enjoyable. I have reviewed some great restaurants so far and eaten some memorable dishes during the reviews. My first review for Olive Magazine was the new pub and bake house The Viking in West Kirby, Wirral. I had a tasty chargrilled halloumi with chilli, lime and coriander for starter, a summer salad for main and a lemon posset for dessert.

Read my full review of The Viking for Olive Magazine here: http://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants-and-travel/the-viking-west-kirby-merseyside-restaurant-review/14846.html

I reviewed District House in Liverpool next, where a starter of avocado on golden toasted brioche with red onion jam, cherry tomatoes, rocket, poached egg and mustard dressing awaited me, followed by chicken breast with potato fondant, truffle green beans and jus. Dessert of chocolate fondant with black cherry and Amaretto ice cream completed my meal.

Read my full review of District House for Olive Magazine here: http://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants-and-travel/district-house-liverpool-restaurant-review/14961.html

I also recently reviewed the pizza and cocktail restaurant Santa Maluco in Liverpool for Olive Magazine, where pizza is served in the Brazilian rodizio style (table service of pizza, in an 'all you can eat') style. I sampled several delicious pizzas including a dessert pizza.

Read my full review of Santa Maluco for Olive Magazine here: http://www.olivemagazine.com/restaurants-and-travel/santa-maluco-liverpool-restaurant-review/15084.html

So that is all from me for now, I just wanted to share with you a little about the work I do outside this blog. I really enjoy writing and I am happy to share a little about my work with you. I would love it if you could all check out some of my reviews for Olive Magazine and thank you so much for your support as always.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

Dinner at The Bastion Restaurant...

With Autumn and Winter just around the corner, it is a great time to head out for dinner at night and relax over some classic comfort food. I went along and sample the new Pre Theatre and Early Bird menu at The Bastion Restaurant* which is located in the opulent Shankly Hotel in the centre of Liverpool. The first impression of The Bastion is one of understated elegance; the restaurant is spacious with leather booths, neutral colours and feature lighting. 

After a warm welcome, we were seated in a large booth and we perused the menu as we sipped a bottle of Il Banchetto, a good house red from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italia with plenty of body and notes of raspberry and cherry. 

My starter of mushroom and thyme soup was smooth with plenty of earthy mushroom flavour and fresh, crusty rolls were the ideal accompaniment. I love to order soup at this time of the year and this had all the rustic and hearty qualities I look for in a soup. 

There was a good selection of starters to choose from, including Gloucester Old Spot ham hock terrine with focaccia, piccalilli and pea shoots as well as smoked hake and prawn fishcake with tartar sauce and lemon. 

My dining companion enjoyed a starter of Lancashire black bomber rarebit with stout soda bread and chutney, the malty bread had absorbed the distinctive flavour of stout and it was exquisite with the creamy, mild Lancashire bomber while the chutney added sweet and sharp elements to the dish. 

My dining companion chose the steak frites for his main course, served with garlic mushrooms and skinny fries as well as a choice of sauces. The dish was well presented and the steak was perfectly cooked to his preference of medium rare, while crisp skinny fries and garlic mushrooms paired well with creamy blue cheese sauce. 

My main course of spinach and ricotta tortellini with pesto and pine nut cream was served in a generous portion, the tortellini were fresh and light and the pine nut cream had an intense depth of flavour. A side of garlic bread was a classic companion to the tortellini, buttery with an understated garlic flavour. 

On to dessert and my baked chocolate fondant with caramel ice cream and dark chocolate sauce was an indulgent treat, with a slightly bitter cocoa depth to the dark chocolate sauce which was offset by the caramel ice cream. 

The second dessert of coffee and walnut cheesecake with coffee syrup and whipped cream was not overly sweet, with a light texture to the cheesecake and a good kick of coffee. 

The Pre Theatre and Early Bird menu at The Bastion offers good value, with two courses for £12.95 or three courses for £15.95. There is a pleasing choice of options on the menu and the dishes were tasty and well presented with an eye for detail. The service was outstanding, combining the level of friendliness and efficiency which always makes me feel at home in a restaurant. 

The Bastion Restaurant 

Millennium House, 

60 Victoria St, 

Liverpool 

L1 6DN

www. shanklyhotel.com/restaurants-bars/

What do you all think, do you like the idea of pre theatre and early bird menus and which of these dishes appeals to you? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*I was a guest of The Bastion, this meal was complimentary for review purposes. Opinions stated herein are my own and honest. 

New menu launch at Scene Indian Street Kitchen...

I went along to the stylish Spinningfields area of Manchester last night, to sample the new menu at Scene Indian Street Kitchen. I have reviewed Scene before and I was impressed by the delicious flavours and generous portion sizes as well as the varied menu.
Scene is a family run business and it has a warm and welcoming atmosphere as well as a contemporary interior design aesthetic featuring two outdoor terraces and soft lighting inside the restaurant which has a bustling open kitchen. After a warm welcome, we had a drink at the bar before being shown to our table, adorned with copies of the new menu and a stack of poppadoms with assorted chutneys.

There was a talk from Emaan, who heads up the Marketing at Scene and she told us all about the inspiration behind the new menu which includes several healthy options and a section devoted to high protein, low carb superfoods and juice shots which was developed with the help of a skilled Nutritionist.

The menu offers a range of Indian street food inspired dishes, as well as sharing platters which are a great way to try a few different items from the menu.
We started off the meal on a high note with a silky Carrot and Coriander Soup which had a thick texture and plenty of flavour as well as a pleasant kick of spice.

We moved on to sampling a selection of the other starters, I love Paneer cheese, so the Paneer Pakora was a favourite of mine, while Lucknowi Chicken Wings were extremely tender and the Chicken 65, a classic street food dish from Chennai of chicken thigh in a crispy coating with herbs and spices was so satisfying.

Mirchi Pakora was a show-stopping dish consisting of a large pepper stuffed with a tantalising filling, coated in a light batter and topped with a spicy sauce.

I loved the Potato and Mint Chaat, which had a balance of sweet and spicy notes which was hard to resist. This is such a filling dish too and the red onion and pomegranate added an extra dimension of taste, it is easy to see why this is such a popular dish at Scene.

After this vast selection of starters, the odyssey through the new menu continued with Spiced Grill Chicken which was succulent with a subtle spice, complemented perfectly by the kale and spiced orange salad this was served with, which added a refreshing zing.

Rada Chicken and Lamb had a fiery sauce which was not overpowering, cooked with tomato, onion and fresh methi, while a huge platter of Chicken Biryani was delicious, with mounds of juicy chicken and Basmati rice.

Daal Punjabi was a hearty vegetarian dish consisting of yellow and black daal and kidney beans, with coriander, ginger, garlic and spices which worked well together and Naan bread so fresh it was still warm was the ideal counterpart to the rich array of dishes we were fortunate to enjoy.

The evening at Scene was a feast which took us on a sublime voyage of flavours and I am sure the new menu will prove popular, with plenty of options to appeal to everyone from samosa burgers to gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options alongside classic curries and street food dishes.

Scene Indian Street Kitchen 

4 Left Bank, 

Manchester 

M3 3AN

www.scenedining.com

What do you all think, do you like the sound of such a varied menu which includes healthy options and which of these dishes would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille

xo

A seaside escape...

Don't you just love that feeling, when all your bags are packed and you hit the road ready for an adventure? That is the feeling I had recently when I set off to spend just over a week in Anglesey, one of my favourite places in the world to unwind. We were staying in a traditional Welsh cottage which belongs to our friends, the cottage has been sympathetically restored and there is a cosy wood burning stove to snuggle up in front of at night. Perfect! I was so excited because I have not had a real holiday for some considerable time, most of my trips recently have been work related so this was a chance to relax as things have been pretty hectic lately. 

Anglesey is just heaven, with breathtaking beaches and sweeping mountain views to Snowdonia across the Menai Straits. We were staying close to Newborough, a village which has a breathtaking beach and forest. Newborough Forest has some amazing forest trails, so every day we went walking through the forest to the beach where we had a picnic and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming on some of the sunnier days. It is remarkable because I have always felt such a connection to Anglesey and there is so much inspiration everywhere you look, which is so important to me as a writer. I am hoping to live there one day in the future, in a cottage by the sea, but until then I will content myself with visiting as often as possible.

On Sunday, we drove up to another of our favourite beaches, Cable Bay or Porth Trecastell as it is also known, which is a popular spot for surfers and kayakers. We got some delicious ice cream from Mon Ar Lwy, a local company which make their own ice cream on their farm in nearby Bodorgan. I had one scoop of blueberry and one of honeycomb whilst my partner had tropical cheesecake and blueberry. This was some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted, so creamy and with natural and intense flavours. The fact that this ice cream was of local provenance made it taste even better as I love to support independent producers. 

After that amazing ice cream, we walked up to the top of Cable Bay, where the Neolithic burial site of Barclodiad y Gawres is situated. This historic site has an incredible atmosphere and I love to visit it whenever I go to Anglesey. The views are stunning, as are the decorated stones which are visible inside the chamber, which is an example of a cruciform passage grave.

One of the most enjoyable things to do on a visit to Anglesey, is to walk to Llanddwyn Island or Ynys Llanddwyn, a tidal island situated on the end of Llanddwyn Beach where there is a ruined church, cottages and a lighthouse. Sometimes there are also ponies grazing the island, but they were not there during our visit. Legend has it that St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers lived on the island during the 5th century AD. I will leave a link below where you can read more about her and the fascinating legend surrounding the island. It is somewhere I love to visit over and over, there is a spiritual atmosphere to the island and the views are unforgettable with the sea and mountains forming a striking panorama. 

Another thing I love about Anglesey are the sunsets. Some days are inevitably overcast, but when the sun shines the sunsets are tremendous, filling the sky with a spectrum of pink, lilac and orange hues and turning the sea in to a golden pool of light. I cannot describe the sunsets in a way which do them justice, so all I can do is recommend a visit to Anglesey if you get the opportunity. 

I had a wonderful week and I am already planning my next visit to Anglesey. What do you all think, have you ever visited Anglesey and what is your favourite place for a relaxing holiday? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille

xo

Visit Anglesey History to find out more about Llanddwyn Island :

http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/llanddwyn/