It’s no secret I have an illicit love affair with Pinto’s in Glasgow ever since it opened & things just got better….. they are sharing the love!

Have you ever been to a Restaurant which leaves a lasting impression on you & your friends for days, weeks and months? A Restaurant you can’t stop thinking about and recommend to everybody and anybody who’d listen.

Piccolino’s in Newcastle is just that.

A few months ago, I was recommended Piccolino’s by Club Individual while I was away on Business in Newcastle for 2 months. As a lover of one of their sister Restaurants, The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Glasgow, I couldn’t say no!

Via twitter, I booked a table (always handy!) for my friends who recently moved to Newcastle & myself. When we arrived, we were sat at the bar & given glasses of complimentary Rose Prosecco before sitting down and ordering. Looking at the menu, there was a lot of variety & it was hard choosing. I think we spent a good 15 minutes trying to pick!

For Starters, I ordered Calamari Fritti (£6.95), my friend Emma ordered Bruschetta Con Pomodoro (£5.25) & her husband Rory ordered Caprese which is a Tomato & Mozzarella Salad (£6.75). The dishes were presented beautifully, I instantly fell in love with the Calamari & the homemade mayonnaise which accompanied it. If I really had to find fault, the batter of the Calamari was a little too salty for my personal taste but it didn’t stop me from loving every single bite.

My friends loved their Starters as well. The Mozzarella was fresh, the basil pesto drizzled over it teased your mouth with a whole lot of flavours. The Bruschetta was equally as good. The amount of garlic on the tomatoes was perfect, very ripe, fresh and it was a great size as well. Usually when you order Bruschetta, it is usually too small or too big.

After the plates were taken away, our Main Courses arrived around 10 minutes later, the perfect amount of time to wait I think, not too soon so you are still digesting food & not too long that you are starving. It was really hard for me to choose my Main but I decided to try Linguine ai Gamberetti which is Sautéed King Prawns, Chilli, Garlic & Parsley (£12.50). Emma ordered Nodino di Vitello which is a 12oz Veal Chop, grilled with Rosemary & Lemon Butter and Hand Cut Fries (£21.95). Rory ordered one of the specials of the day which I don’t honestly remember the name of but it was a white fish (sea bass maybe?) oven cooked in baking parchment paper alongside herbs, garlic, vegetables & capers.

My main course was full of flavour, the linguine was cooked perfectly to my liking, the prawns were a great size & they didn’t scrape on the quantity I was served either. The thing I loved most about my order was the fact that minimal ingredients were used in something that had so much flavour, good simple food.

Emma’s Veal was literally to die for. I had a good few slices of it after begging her to try it & I have to tell you, I instantly fell in love. To me, that dish alone summed up my love of Piccolino in a few bites. Can you literally be that in love with a veal chop? Hell yes. It was very simple, full of flavour & cooked perfectly. Emma was also madly in love with her Veal Chop and also loved the mayo I had with my Calamari so much she asked the waiter if she could have some so she could dip her fries in it LOL. Oh it was good. So good.

Rory’s fishy dish (sorry I have no clue what it was!) was nice. I’m not a huge fan of fish so I never tried it but he really enjoyed it. The amount of capers that the fish was cooked in, made it very salty but not overpowering. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, melting in your mouth & the dish was a good size. Once again, the dish was full of flavour. Sometimes with fish, it can be very bland but this was not the case at Piccolino.

Main Courses done & it was safe to say that we were all stuffed. I wasn’t going to have any dessert, however, as soon as I saw that they had Pistachio Gelato (£5.50) on the menu, my eyes instantly lit up. How could I not eat my favourite gelato? I adore anything Pistachio. The Gelato was so smooth and creamy, I could have eaten more but alas, other than licking the bowl clean or ordering more Gelato, I didn’t I would have loved Pistachio Gelato with little grounded bits of Pistachio through it instead of being all smooth, but hey…. smooth is just as good! It was served with a Pistachio Biscotti which was nice & crunchy. Maybe the next time I go, they’ll have little bits in the Gelato for me? *wink wink*

Emma ordered Tiramisu (£6.20). It was light, fluffy, full of flavour from the coffee & smelt amazing. It was served with a light custard & you could have licked the plate clean as with everything we ate that day!

It’s safe to say that after that meal, Piccolino is one of my favourite Restaurants EVER. I am also quite lucky that I travel to Newcastle a lot with my new job so I will be able to visit Piccolino’s more often. My next trip? Next week! I can’t wait! The first thing I did was let them know I’d be booking a table I would without question, advise everyone and anyone to visit this Restaurant. You’ll leave with a smile on your face & it will not disappoint.

Piccolino’s is located in Stockbridge House, Trinity Gardens, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2HJ. You can also visit their website, facebook & twitter pages for more information.

It’s no secret that one of my guilty pleasures is Pinto after visiting since the first day it opened. My ultimate order? Char Grilled Steak, Brown Cilantro Lime Rice, Pinto Beans topped with oodles of Hell of a Hot Habanero Sauce. Full of Burrito goodness!

& now, as a special offer throughout January…..

So, if you are in Glasgow…. what are you waiting for? Pinto is one of the must visit places in Glasgow if you love quick & tasty Mexican food

Pinto is located on 138 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3BX

The beauty of social media sites such as twitter, they allow you to follow a whole host of different businesses as well as people. I follow a good amount of Restaurants on twitter, ones where I frequent a lot and others where I’m dying to go to. The people behind the account, make time for you, chat away to you and from those conversations, entice you into going to their Restaurant.

For me, two Restaurants stand out. Piccolino’s in Newcastle’s Quay Side and Restaurant Bar & Grill within Glasgow’s Princes Square. I love both Restaurants & the staff behind the twitter accounts. I’ve boasted about how good Restaurant Bar & Grill is already on my blog & twitter with reviews of food & events there, I can’t get enough of the place. I even got my parents hooked!

While in the Newcastle office for 2 months, I was recommended to go to Piccolino’s. So I did. It didn’t disappoint. I instantly fell in love with their Calamari, Veal Chop & Pistachio Ice Cream. I’ve recommended the Restaurant to everyone and anyone who goes to Newcastle, even my father who lives & works in Paris but goes to the Newcastle Office of the company he works for a lot.

& Now, I’m due to go back to Newcastle for work again for a while. Piccolino’s is where I’ll be heading ASAP. They also know me very very well now as you can see from the twitter conversation below….

& that Ladies & Gentlemen is how Restaurants should use Social Media sites.

Can’t wait for my pistachio ice cream now

Last night I got an email from Starbucks talking about the launch of My Starbucks Rewards and the benefits. Now, every time you pay using your Starbucks Card, you’ll get a star. Every time you collect 15 stars – you will be given a free Tall drink! Not bad.

The app’s loyalty scheme will encourage people to qualify as a ‘gold level member’ to get free drinks. Customers paying with a registered Starbucks Card will get a free drink every 15 visits. After 50 visits they move from Green to Gold Level and get extra benefits such as free espresso shots, soy, syrups and whipped cream. If you already were a Starbucks card holder, you are automatically upgraded to Gold.

Your Starbucks Card works exactly the same, you will still receive vouchers for free drinks during promotional periods and the best new feature? If you have an iPhone, you can now pay for your drinks via the Starbucks App in the UK which is available on iTunes from today. Since the launch of mobile payments in America last January, there have been over 26 million mobile transactions and approx $110 million has been loaded onto Starbucks Cards directly through the mobile app. No more worrying about trying to find your card in your bag or forgetting it at all. It’s about time!

I downloaded the new version of the Starbucks App & played around with it, up until the point where you are barcode scanned. Sadly I am nowhere near a Starbucks at the moment so I can properly try it out, which I am not happy about. Serious caffeine withdrawals!

Looks good & I can’t wait to try it! Triple Venti Caramel Skimmed Caramel Drizzle Caffè Latte anyone?

Christmas…

& New Year are over….

& so is overdosing on amazing food! When else can you get away with stuffing your face like a squirrel full of chocolate for breakfast? or eat until you physically cannot move?

Don’t get me started on all the alcohol. I don’t think I have ever drank as much in my life as I did on New Years Eve. Champagne, Red Wine, Vodka/7up, French Martini’s.. the lot. I drank, I mixed, I got drunk. I regretted it. Cue the 3am toilet run, vomiting my guts up, wrestling with party poppers that were tangled around me & passing out fast asleep hugging a towel.

Was it worth the monster hangover the next day? Hell yes. But please don’t let me smell or look at alcohol for at least the next 2 months. I don’t think my liver could cope!

Working in IT & Coffee are a natural partnership. I can sit at my desk at work, drink over 6 cups a day then go home and have some more. I crave coffee, I want coffee, I love coffee and I find people who don’t, strange. I was recently sent 250g of Guatemala Finca Santa Clara Genuine Antigua Coffee from Kopi who are a monthly gourmet coffee company & spent an entire evening drinking an obscene amount of coffee within a brink of overdosing, enjoying every last mouthful

Kopi love coffee. Our premium bean habit warms us up, wakes us up and inspires us to shake things up. Too long we’ve put up with one-size-fits-all coffee from supermarkets and only danced around posher brews. Until now.

Kopi are dedicated to bringing you outstanding single-estate coffees from around the world. Beautiful, freshly-roasted brews you won’t find in the usual places – delivered straight to your doorstep, once a month.

We also share our insider knowledge on how to get the best out of your coffee – how to make it, how to enjoy its perkily unique characteristics – and reveal some of the remarkable stories behind each one. All for the price of two grande lattes and a banana muffin.

Guatemala Finca Santa Clara Genuine Antigua Coffee was their October blend which is described as “a lovely full body, filling the mouth with a generous, lingering velvetiness & prized for its pronounced, well balanced chocolatey/spicy acidity”. One thing I love about Kopi is that you can learn all about the coffee you are drinking. The website explains where the coffee originates from, the history behind it, how it is prepared and processed which is something you generally wouldn’t expect to find.

So the tasting began. I got my cafetière, put 4 scoops of freshly grounded coffee beans into it, topped it all up with water & let it settle for a few minutes before pushing the plunger down. I poured a cup, added a tiny bit of milk & waited. The first thing that hit me was the smell of the coffee. It was amazing. One of my favourite things ever is the smell of fresh coffee. I took a sip & as the coffee was described, it was velvety & very very drinkable. I poured over 8 cups of the coffee in the end & kept wanting more. Addicted? Yes. I’ve never tried Guatemalan coffee before and probably would never have if it wasn’t introduced to me by Kopi.

I love the idea of Kopi. What better way of being introduced to a variety of different coffees from all over the world by being sent a surprise 250g package monthly along with a little booklet describing it in detail? Kopi have a team of dedicated “professional coffee gurus” (I so want that job!) who have close relationships with the world’s best coffee regions and farmers. The coffee they select, from over 80 countries worldwide, is not available at your local supermarket so you’ve probably never been introduced to it before, making it extremely special.

Our focus is obsessively on unearthing outstanding original coffees – well-farmed top quality beans that have an amazing aroma, taste and a strong story. They could be from award- winning single estates or simple small co-operative farms – wherever the best beans are at that time of year.

Kopi is a monthly subscription service & subscriptions start at £9 a month for a 250g bag of coffee, you can choose between grounded or beans depending on your preference. Your coffee is posted to you around the 14th of every month, you can cancel your subscription at any time if you are not happy & you can even gift a subscription of coffee to someone, an amazing gift for a coffee addict in your life!

Pasta, the carbs of happiness. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love pasta (well, unless you live a Gluten-Free life!). My favourite? Tagliatelle, Linguine & Penne. So when the chance came up to transform myself into a pasta making Italian Goddess, I snapped it & headed to The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Princes Square for the evening. Slightly ignoring the fact that I am neither Italian or a Goddess, but my very vivid imagination allowed me to dream!

I arrived with my friend with no idea what we would be doing (or let ourselves in for!) & sat down with a complementary glass of Shiraz Mouvedre Percheron Red Wine from South Africa (small glass £4.25, large glass £5.75 & entire bottle for £15.50). I took one sip of it & I fell instantly in love. I rarely drink alcohol but my oh my if I could have hugged that glass of wine, I would have. My love affair with that wine began.

We were then shown into the function room with 7 other class members and met by the Head Chef & his Boss who was here for the occasion. Tables were laid out with the key ingredients for our pasta adventure along with aprons and paper chef hats. The chefs then spoke about the history of pasta and discussed various types of pasta before demonstrating how to make the dough for pasta. It was then left up to us to make our own! Scary thought!

The ratio that they use to make Pasta is 100g strong flour to 1 egg, pretty basic. Flour was poured onto the table, a well made & egg cracked into the middle making a well. The mixture was then worked on a flour bench until it all comes together resulting in a smooth ball (same texture as a boob, according to the chef!). The dough is then cut in half, patted with flour with the palm of your hands then you are ready to pass it through the pasta machine changing numbers from the highest to lowest passing it through several times on each number. We were told that some places pass it through the machine around 20 times which seems a little excessive but I’m sure the pasta would have been so smooth and silky! Stephen and I opted for 6 times. Passing, folding, passing again, dusting with flour, passing, folding on repeat until we got the pasta as thin as we wanted. I decided to make ravioli whereas Stephen decided to make Spaghetti, Tortellini & a letter P for Pasta with leftovers. My ravioli was stuffed with Ricotta Cheese & Spinach, cut & then folded over. Egg yolk was then used to stick the ends together before using a cutter to make little wiggly corners. That is when it got a little difficult! The room was so warm that the pasta started being sticky so we had to keep flouring the table to rescue our pasta. Thankfully it was all in 1 piece and we put it onto our trays for the judging panel! Nerve racking getting our pasta judged by appearance, consistency & texture when it was the very first time we EVER made pasta.

While the judging was taking place, we all sat down to dinner. For appetizers, Bread with Olive Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar dip and Olives in Garlic & Herbs. For main course, I decided on Linguine ai gamberetti (Sauteed king prawns, chilli, garlic & parsley). Stephen had Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (Slow-cooked beef & tomato ragu). Both dishes were amazing. I’ve always loved eating at The Restaurant Bar & Grill but this was the first time I ever ate pasta there. I was not disappointed at all. The king prawns were cooked perfectly, the pasta so soft and silky & the herbs complimented it all. Stephen’s ragu was the perfect mix of beef, tomatoes, garlic & herbs. I kept stealing some of his it was that good! After the main course we had a little break before dessert & I abused my love of Shiraz Mouvedre Percheron ordering a few LARGE glasses of it. It is the type of wine that is rather dangerous because it is so easy to drink. I loved it so much, I had to ask Rosanna the Events Manager to send me the name of it the next day as there was no way I would have remembered it. Tipsy on red wine is so much fun! I still have a love affair with that wine, every time I go to the restaurant, I have to have a glass of it with dinner. But enough about that wine, the dessert needs to be discussed! I had the Summer Fruits pudding with clotted cream & Stephen had the Limoncello Cheesecake. Aaah puddings how I adore thee! I think that is the quickest I’ve ever ate something & wish I ate it all over again. The meal as a whole was superb & I couldn’t shut up about it for days afterwards!

The entire event was a huge success. Sadly Stephen & I didn’t win first place in the judging competition but we all left with goodie bags which had an apron, a recipe guide on making pasta at home, a £10 voucher to use within the restaurant & a little box of chocolates. I had an amazing time at the event put on by Rosanna & would recommend it to anyone wishing to do something different one evening! The event & dinner lasted around 4 hours and cost £30 which is a bargain if you think about it! The food within The Restaurant Bar & Grill is by far my favourite in Glasgow & even if you can’t make it to any of the events they put on, I would recommend that you have dinner there at least once. I found the restaurant by chance & haven’t looked back. To die for.

I have to say a huge thank you to Rosanna & the chefs for putting on a great event! Can’t wait until I get to the next one…. cocktails anyone? *hiccup*

In Collaboration with JML Direct to celebrate their 25th Birthday this month, I’m running a little competition on my blog & giving away 2 of my favourite products from JML for those who love to bake

The company was founded by John Mills in 1986 from the basement of his house in Camden Town, London. The company has seen rapid growth in recent years and now has over 300 staff in the UK alone. Global expansion has also been critical to JML’s success and the company has established offices in USA, Germany, Holland, Slovakia and Singapore.

The Prizes up for grabs are:

All you need to do to take part is answer these questions:

1. What does JML stand for?
2. What JML product has been voted the UK Grooming product of the year? (answer on the JML Facebook page!)

Rules:
1. You must live in the UK & Ireland
2. Only 1 entry per person

How will I determine the winner?
Entries will be accepted by commenting this post. Once you comment your answers to the questions, your comment number will automatically be your entry number, for example if you are first to comment, you’ll be Number 1 and so on.

Once all entries have been gathered, I will be using Random.ORG to determine the winner by inputting the total amount of entries and randomly generating the winning number. The winning number will be captured and posted to show that I’m not favouring one entrant over another.

The winner will then be posted on the entry after the closing date (so check for updates!) as well as on twitter, and will be emailed for contact details, so make sure you enter your correct email address when you comment!

Closing Date:

The competition ends Friday 29th July at Midnight.

Good Luck to everyone & while you’re at it, go “like” JML on Facebook & follow them on Twitter

Update:

The winner is Lynne (Comment Number 9!) Congratulations! I will be in touch to get contact details

Gelato (Italian pronunciation: [dʒeˈlaːto]; plural: gelati) is an Italian frozen dessert, similar to ice cream. Its ingredients include milk and sugar, often combined with flavorings and fruit, chocolate, liquor, spices, or nuts. Unlike true ice cream, gelato often does not contain cream, and traditionally has a much lower fat content. The term gelato also refers to similar frozen desserts that are prepared in this method. Gelato is often compared to ice milk rather than ice cream.

I was recently asked to sample Joe Delucci’s Gelato & couldn’t wait. I love Gelato (& Ice Cream for that matter!). I’m pretty sure that Gelato is one of my biggest weaknesses. Favourite flavour? Pistachio. That is hands down THE BEST. Never tried it? Well it’s about time you do! (unless you’re allergic to nuts, that is!)

Joe Delucci’s have several Gelato Parlours all over the UK & opening more as the year goes on. I visited the Braehead Shopping Mall one as it was the closest to my house (they also have one in Silverburn in Glasgow). Previously, I have passed the stall while shopping & always seen it busy, people young & old always waiting to get a cone or tub. Let’s face it, who doesn’t like Gelato! Joe Delucci’s Gelato is made using fresh fruit and natural ingredients blended with Piemonte milk (or sometimes even water) as opposed to the heavy cream used in traditional British ice creams. This makes for a far more intense flavour experience and also makes it lower in fat. That means, it doesn’t hurt if you more & more of it

As stated previously, Pistachio is my favourite & last year I remember walking passed the stall hoping they had my favourite because it’s so hard to find in Glasgow. To my excitement they did. I ordered 2 large scoops & enjoyed every last bit of it. Since then, I’ve always passed Joe Delucci’s hoping to see it again, unfortunately, it was only a limited edition Gelato at the time & have never had it back again, much to my disapointment.

Due to my past experiences with trying Joe Delucci’s, I knew that no matter what Gelato I was going to get, it would be good. I ordered a scoop of Oreo Gelato & Nocciolata, which is a Hazelnut and Chocolate Gelati blended into a praline & tastes exactly like nutella! Both tasted amazing. My favourite of the two had to be Nocciolata though! It was rich & creamy, left a nice after taste in your mouth. My mom ordered a scoop of Vanilla & Fragola (Strawberry). The Strawberry Gelato was very refreshing, tasted like a creamy sorbet & would highly recommend it. The plain Vanilla was really tasty as well, you could tell that it used quality Vanilla pods in the making of the Gelato.

Joe Delucci’s have over 20 flavours of Gelato & Sorbets. A 2 scoop cone or tub is £3 & can also be made into a milkshake. If you want to see if there is a Gelato Parlour near you, check out the Store Finder.