A Family Lunch at Ego Mediterranean Restaurant

Last weekend we were invited to Ego in West Bridgford, a new mediterranean restaurant offering great food in a light and airy environment, but most excitingly on a Sunday they offer children's entertainment, to make dining with your little ones that little bit easier.

Both of my children are pretty good when we are dining out, I take books or felt tips to keep them occupied and they usually sit still. However, like most children they do get a bit bored after a while and this is where in addition to a colouring pack on arrival, the children's entertainment comes into its own.

With colouring in, balloon animals and some fabulous scratch art bookmarks the team from Party Crew keep the children entertained whilst you get some time to yourself, whether for a chat or to mull over the menu in peace. It is a great idea and one that I think makes the dining experience for everyone that little bit more relaxed.

On to the food itself, we ordered the Greek Meze to start, a mixture of hummus, chicken, stuffed vine leaves, pittas, cous cous and halloumi. A tasty starter with something on it that both the adults and children could enjoy.

Being a Sunday it meant that they had a Sunday roast on offer, or you could choose from the A La Carte menu, I love a roast but equally the food on the menu really caught my eye. I chose the Andalucian Pork Fillet, tender pork wrapped in prosciutto, pan roasted & served with apricot & sherry cream sauce served with dauphinoise potatoes, it was really tasty and the portion size was generous.

My partner chose Lemon Chicken Milanese, flattened breaded lemon chicken, rocket, sun blush tomato & Grana Padano with lemon caper dressing & skin-on fries, I am told this was rather delicious and the plate was empty so I am guessing so.

For the children they have the standard range of children's option, chicken goujons, pizza, pasta, roast chicken, however since a smaller roast was on offer the children chose to have this instead. And I am glad they did, as what came out was amazing and I was kind of jealous.

The Elfe potatoes, giant Yorkshire pudding and beautifully tender vegetables made for a fabulous Sunday lunch and I think i'll chose this next time we go, because there will be a next time.

Puddings were equally as tasty, with a large range of sweet treats we were spoilt for choice, I chose my one of my all time favourites, Tiramisu, the children both had brownie and my partner had Sicilian Lemon Tart, all very tasty and all eaten rather quickly.

Just outside of Nottingham it is easy to get to and for us is on the way back from Rushcliffe Country Park, one of our favourite places to go for a walk. I think it is safe to say this is one place I will find myself visiting regularly for a Sunday lunch, I have already recommended it to many people.

The staff were all super friendly and attentive, the service was quick and we felt un-rushed, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon following a walk.

With the giant roast dinner costing just £10.95 I think this is a great option to get out of doing the dishes on a Sunday. The mains are a little more expensive but the portion sizes are plentiful and the food really tasty as well as being something a bit different. The children's menu is very reasonable costing just £4.95 for two courses.

We all left full and very happy after a wonderful few hours at Ego, the children had a wonderful time and for me if all four of us are happy then that is always a bonus.

We were invited to try lunch for free, however all words, opinions and pictures are my own.

Pieminister Nottingham Review

We were recently invited to try out the new Pieminister restaurant in Nottingham, a welcome addition to Nottingham’s blossoming food scene.

The industrial interior was interesting, with a mix of booths and tables filling the space, an open bar at the back and then a food counter near the front.

We were seated in front of the bar, now normally I am all for mood lighting, however we were seated under a red light. Not only was it difficult to photograph my food, but it also made it a rather strange eating experience. With the food looking red, it meant I couldn’t really enjoy the colour of the pie and side dishes that were served with it. So I apologise in advance for the photos, they are not my normal quality and don't represent the food at it's best.

We chose to have some of the pimp up your pie options which they kindly bought as soon as we ordered, some yummy halloumi on a stick, as well as chorizo and some pigs in blankets, the pigs weren't really that great, I would have preferred them to be nice and crisp and they were a little bit cheap tasting, my son ate still ate them though.

The main event however, was delicious. I opted for the Wild Shroom Pie, one of their vegetarian options. The pie was filled with mushrooms, asparagus and a creamy white wine sauce which was really tasty. The white wine flavours come through well and there were plenty of mushrooms. I opted for a side salad and their homemade slaw, I'm not sure what was in this but my it was the tastiest slaw I've ever had.

Some of their other veggie options sound equally as delicious and each Monday they offer 50p off their vegetarian pies as part of Meat Free Monday. So if you fancy a try of one then this is certainly a bonus on a Monday.

My husband went with the Chilli Con Carnage pie, his first comment was it was weird as you don't normallly expect a pie to be filled with chilli and spicy. But he really enjoyed it, served with chips and mushy peas. The chips were nice and crisp and the mushy peas were well mixed with mint sauce, nothing upsets me more in this world than mushy peas without enough mint sauce.

For our children, we chose a pie for them to share off the main menu, however there is a children's menu serving the likes of mac and cheese, cottage pie and fish pie, but since we were there for pie they chose the Moo & Blue pie which was a combination of beef and Long Clawson stilton.

They chose sides of chips and mash, purely because my daughter wanted mash and my son wanted chips. The skin on chips are really tasty, however my daughter didn't like the mash, it was an off day and I forgot to try it to find out why she didn't like it. My husband who hates mash made by anyone but himself also didn't like it, this is an honest opinion but maybe not a realistic once since we had two fusspots on our hands.

Each plate or bowl, gravy boat and side was served on a plank of wood, this looked great however it meant we all struggled to eat on a smallish table with four of us, we had to remove one of them from the table in order to fit everything on. It felt quite cramped and to be honest didn't really add anything to the dining experience for us.

My husband and I both had one of their fantastic selection of beers to drink, served in pint pot style glasses.

For a Saturday the restaurant felt understaffed, it is however early days and we will be keeping this on our list of places to visit with a pie and two sides coming in under £10 it is a great hearty meal and all of us certainly enjoyed the pies. They also offer a few Gluten Free options in the form of hot pots, which sound delicious and I will be trying one of those next time.

NB: We were given vouchers for a pie feast (pie and two sides), we paid for the beer and extra sides ourselves. All words and opinions are my own, pictures 

Thaikhun Nottingham Review

We love taking the children out to try new foods, so when we were invited to a new Thai Restaurant in Nottingham I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to get them to try something new.

Thaikhun is one of the new restaurants in Nottingham's Victoria Centre food court, offering quick and tasty food in one of the most wonderful settings I’ve ever seen, a mixture of traditional and industrial with a hint of retro kitch it was great for me and the kids loved it too.

Once we were sat down with our menus, the children were given a pencil case with crayons in and their menu to colour, anyone who has ever been out with children, especially on the spur of the moment will know only too well how important these little touches are.

To drink, I chose a smoothie, my daughter an apple juice and my husband some guava juice, they were all welcome after our mornings shopping and very tasty. I would have preferred mine in a glass as it arrived in a plastic cup but that’s just me being picky.

We ordered some starters, a selection with a bit of everything on, a great way to get the children to try some bits they normally wouldn’t. My son loved everything but the fish balls, but that was possibly because of the lemongrass in it, an acquired taste I think you’ll agree.

For mains, my daughter chose from the children’s menu, she loves noodles so we picked her some Chicken Pad Thai Dek, it arrived on a cute melamine plate but was a really good portion, she loved it but didn’t quite manage it all.

My son, being a little more adventurous chose from the proper menu, he had a Chicken Massoman curry with rice, he loved it and the flavour was good and not too spicy.

My husband had the Geang Phed Ped (duck curry) and I had the Khao Mun Gai Tod which was a tasty chicken with coconut rice, this was really lovely and I would definitely choose this rice again, if I had to pick one fault with it would be it was served with quite a lot of lettuce.

Overall the food was well cooked and had plenty of flavour, there was plenty of it and we all really enjoyed it.

The great thing about Thaikhun is that it has a wonderful outdoor area, this will be perfect on warm summer days and into the evening, perfect for meals with family or even romantic date night.

I really loved the atmosphere at Thaikhun, the staff were helpful and polite and bowed as we arrived and left, it made for such an authentic atmosphere and great food and drinks made it all the more exciting. 

We were all really full afterwards so didn't sample the puddings, they sounded great though and I know This Mummy Loves did so check out her blog for some pudding info.

NB: We were invited to Thaikhun to try out their menu, all words and opinions are my own.

The Entertainer App London Review

For the last few years, we have headed down to London on New Years Day to visit the many wonderful museums that it has to offer. We decided this time to stay overnight to make the most of our day whilst also getting to see some of the many Christmas lights and decorations at night.

On day two, we used a new app called The Entertainer, this app has been around in few countries for a while now and has now launched in London, it allows you to get access to great offers throughout the capital. It is free to download the app and there are some offers included, although to unlock the best offers, you have to pay a yearly subscription of £40. This sounds like a lot but considering we saved £32.65 on the our one day out alone it could be rather useful app for someone who lives in London or who visits the capital a lot.

Available to use in restaurants, attractions, shops as well as at beauty and fitness venues around the city (and some further afield) it is a great way to save money as well as find new places to see and visit.

We chose the Tower of London as our first stop (more on our visit soon), you can search by location or scroll through to see what takes you fancy, you can also view on a map to see if there is anything close to you.

There are different offers at different venues, but the details are listed for you to see easily. Once you have decided the best option for you then you select the offer and it comes up with the redeem screen, you enter a pin and pass the phone to the member of staff who enters their code, it then gives them the reference for the discount code. Simple!

Since this app was newly launched, the lady who served us at the Tower of London wasn't aware of the app, however after a few discussions with her colleagues, they managed to sort it out, with a venue this big and so many staff we more than understood how it may have not yet filtered down to the front line.

Our second trip of the day, to the thai restaurant chain Busaba, was more successful, they were aware of what they needed to do and it all happened as smoothly as something this new possibly could of. The app allows you to see in your redemption history how much you have saved, although this isn't entirely correct as it is based on the average saving at that venue.

If you are looking to visit London this year, I highly recommend this app, not only might you find somewhere to eat or drink you didn't know about, you could also save yourself some money.

Nb: This is a collaborative review post.

Red's True BBQ Nottingham Review

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the launch night of the new Red's True BBQ restaurant in Nottingham, both my hubby and I love BBQ food, so this was right up our street.

Walking in, the smell of BBQ hits you, it's a lovely smell which reminded me of summer! The restaurant itself is very industrial, with lots of metal, wood and some velvet to soften the atmosphere!

We were shown to our table, where we were presented with the fabulous menu, it looks like a bible and contained the holy grail of a menu. It is fair to say a menu rarely excites me as much as this one did.

First of all we were bought a selection of starters, I don't normally eat chicken wings but these were tasty and done to perfection, the meat was falling off the bones and tasted delicious. The burnt ends were super tasty too and the jalepenos were sooo hot that I couldn't manage them, but the peppered bacon was like a smoked wrapper of loveliness! And finally Mac-N-Cheese balls, oh so tasty!

Whilst sat waiting for the mains we perused the sauces, as they are lined up on each table it means no waiting for sauces once your meal arrives.

For my main, I chose the skirt steak with garlic and herb butter and a side of sweet potato fries, now a lot of people won't have heard of skirt but it is a staple in our house, prepared and cooked well it is a delicious cut of meat. There was a lot, so much so, I had to take some home for lunch the next day, it was equally as good then!

My husband chose the donut burger, now this is not for the faint hearted and is about 2000 calories! However in his words 'it was amazing'. It consists of two beef patties, with bacon, cheese and dirty sauce, sandwiched between two sweet glazed donuts and topped with a giant onion ring. He looked very happy devouring it!

The donuts, they sourced from a small supplier in Leeds and the beef is sourced from the UK, as is most of the meat they serve, with the exception of the Brisket, for which they import USDA approved black angus from Nebraska, purely down to the amount they require being unavailable in the UK. He also had some pulled pork on the side to try, which was very tasty and gave us an excuse to try some of the sauces, the leftovers pulled pork came home with us too.

With lots of craft beers, several house wines, soft drinks and shakes there is something for everyone to enjoy with their meal, each item on the menu also comes with a drinks pairing suggestion, this is useful if you are looking for something to accompany your meal but not sure what.

The kids menu was also unbelievably well thought out and great value at just £6.50 for three courses, a side and a drink. Although we didn't try this the guys there gave us a pack to take home, the pack contained not only everything you need to keep a child entertained but the menu and recipes to take home, we used the Cola BBQ Sauce recipe for some brisket of our own, it was delicious.

If you are in Nottingham or close to the other Red's true BBQ restaurants I can highly recommend a visit, we will certainly be back with the children, their brunch menu looks fantastic and the whole ethos surrounding Red's is one I am happy to support. Local food, cooked well and lovely staff!

Thanks to the Red's team for inviting us, we had a great time and next time i'm going to try the puddings!

NB: I was invited to the Red's launch party in Nottingham, I was under no obligation to write this post but had such a wonderful evening that I wanted to.

Cafe Kidz Review

If you're a parent then you've probably been in this situation on at least one occasion, sat in a cafe or restaurant with a young child and then suddenly realising you've forgotten to bring something to entertain them.

Well, Cafe Kidz is a great idea for cafes and restaurants to help with this situation, these small packs provide instant entertainment for children age 3 and above and if I was in this situation somewhere and these were available to buy, I would.

Each set contains pencil crayons, a colouring pad, stickers, a key ring and much more, they are a great way to keep younger children entertained.

On opening the packet, the children went through and found the bits they wanted to do first, it kept them occupied whilst my husband and I chose what we wanted for dinner and also whilst we waited for dinner to be served.

The packs entertained them so much, it was difficult to get them to put it all away once dinner arrived.

My daughter loved the fairy set but was equally excited by the monster and robot set that is also available.

Both found it easy to get on with the activities in the pack without much prompting from us.

I can see Cafe Kidz packs sitting well in cafe's and restaurants around the country, unfortunately we weren't out for the evening in which case it would have come into it's own I think, allowing entertainment for a longer dinner.

The packs would also be great for weddings, everyone knows how frustrating it can be for both children and adults during speeches and long dinners so these packs offer a fuss free and compact way to keep children entertained.

With an RRP of £2.50-£3.00 I think the Cafe Kidz packs are well worth the money, if I was sat in a restaurant with restless children I would be prepared to add this to the bill. With so much to do and with a little something they can keep I think it is a great set.

Exciting New Resturant in Birmingham, Fleet Steet Kitchen

I love food and we very rarely get to go out as a family. Next month we have been lucky enough to be invited to visit a new restaurant in Birmingham before it opens, I am super excited as it sounds like it is going to be a wonderful experience.

This is what they have to say about the Fleet Street Kitchen

Cooking with Fire: The Barbecoa Experience: All core ingredients will be given the chef’s equivalent of a hot stone massage from Fleet Street Kitchen’s custom-designed Barbecoa grill, the first of its kind to be installed in a UK restaurant. Barbecoa is a pure charcoal indoor barbeque grill, heavily utilised in Northern Spain where it is widely used as a traditional method for cooking meat and fish to its most delicious potential. Positioned at the heart of the Kitchen, the Barbecoa grill will take centre stage as diners enjoy the theatre of its flame.

The menu at Fleet Street Kitchen will be a celebration of British meat and produce. Handpicked breeds from flock and herd will be cooked on charcoal to lock in flavour and ensure an intensely juicy experience with every mouthful.

Steak is the star with a generous selection of rare-breed cuts hunted and gathered from respected British producers and given the ultimate grilling courtesy of the Kitchen’s almighty Barbecoa grill. Rotisserie chicken and poussin, whole fish and burger sliders are exposed to the same fiery treatment while abundant deli boards and a generous helping of naughty puds round-off a deliciously comforting menu.

Sunday lunch will conclude the week for Birmingham’s urban ramblers in search of a home-cooked, family-friendly vibe.

I will be taking my two young children which is always a good test for our family, looking at the pictures of the inside I am hoping the location will be enough to keep them happy. If not then most certainly me.

Look out for my verdict at the end of next month :)

Silent Sunday