Food: Bold Street Coffee x Santa Maluco Collaboration*

Food: Bold Street Coffee x Santa Maluco Collaboration*

Wednesday, 4 April 2018

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Anyone who knows me well will know that I’m an absolute fiend for good food and going out for dinner is my favourite thing to do. I love the rush of looking at a brand new menu and picking out something that looks and sounds absolutely delicious. The idea of being a ‘lady who brunches’ appeals to me on an exponential scale so any opportunity to try out a good old fashioned brunch menu goes down a treat. 

Liverpool is renowned for having a mighty fine breakfast scene with restaurants all over the city hosting their own take on the most important meal of the day. The most recent take comes from a collaboration between two renowned Liverpool favourites – Santa Maluco and Bold Street Coffee. 

I am a massive fan of Santa Maluco, making absolutely any excuse to visit for pizza and a cocktail. Bold Street Coffee is another firm favourite, with their brunches drawing in the crowds from all sides of the city. When they announced that they were closing for refurbishment reasons, naturally, disappointment and frustration was wide-spread. Opening a pop-up shop in the Santa Maluco restaurant was a bit of a no-brainer really, utilising the mornings to share good old-fashioned breakfast and keeping the pizza loving customers happy with their traditional rodizio and mouth-watering wood fire pizzas in the afternoons and evenings. Being invited along to taste their menu made for a very happy Hollie. 

With my brunch side-kick in tow, we arrived at Santa Maluco with our stomachs empty (very impressive, considering it was Easter weekend and Easter eggs were sat there waiting to be eaten) and our expectations high. We were seated quickly and it was clear to see exactly why Santa Maluca is the perfect location for a brunch pop-up – the atmosphere of the place was relaxing and very chilled out, making for a fantastic first impression.

Deciding what to order was a difficult one, as there were so many delicious sounding options to choose from. In the end both Emily and I decided on scrambled eggs on toast, with sides to accompany our dish. I decided to add bacon on the side of my dish and Emily was a little more ambitious, going for bacon AND mushrooms. We ordered lattes to accompany them – or, as Emily referred to them as; those fancy coffees that look good on Instagram- and settled down for a good gossip while we waited for our food. The wait wasn’t a particularly long one and before long we were tucking into a generous portion of scrambled eggs on fresh crusty toast. The bacon was crispy and salty, exactly how I like it and the eggs were beautiful. I always worry that I’ve ordered the wrong thing when eating out but this was definitely not the case here – the food was delightful, left me full to the brim and feeling incredibly content, ready to seize the day (and the shops). I can guarantee I’ll be definitely going back there of my own accord in the coming months, ready to try the other items on the menu and get a feel for their entire menu.

The menu offers for people of all dietary requirements, with gluten free options and options for vegetarians as well. I’m not sure how well the restaurant accommodates vegans but I’m sure they’d be happy to change things around if you follow a vegan diet. I’m completely recommend trying out the brunch menu here while you have the chance – top notch food, a lovely environment and friendly, thoughtful staff make for a wonderful and fulfilling experience. 

You can try out the Bold Street Coffee menu at its new home in Santa Maluca from 7.30am-3.30pm during the week and 8.00am-3.30pm over the weekend. 

*Food was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thoughts, as always, remain my own.

Food: Digging in at Alma de Cuba, Liverpool

Food: Digging in at Alma de Cuba, Liverpool

Sunday, 10 September 2017

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I am always looking for beautiful restaurants to visit and eat in: I am an absolute foodie and love trying out different places, different cuisines and exploring brand new menus. When I was invited to check out the brand new menu at Alma de Cuba in Liverpool, I jumped at the opportunity.

I’ve been for drinks at Alma a few times, but I’ve never had the chance to eat there and I really didn’t know what to expect. I did, of course, expect a fantastic plate of food in front of me. I met up with my friend Becky a little before the start of the event and we made our way inside to check out what Alma had in store for us. We were greeted by glasses of Prosecco and the cutest Instagram selfie frame. Inside, we were able to check out the beautiful building and explore the restaurant a little. The restaurant is based in the old St Peter’s Church building, so needless to say the architecture is out of this world. I love a good old building and this one was definitely right up my street. There was the opportunity to network with the other people who had been invited and finally, we were led upstairs to our table.

The little details that the team had taken the time to put in place really made the experience. Everyone attending received a little personalised gift bag with choccies, sweets and Alma offers adorned inside. We also found our seats laid with beautiful name plates: 3D prints of our first names. It was a beautiful touch and really made the restaurant stand out as being something special. We ordered drinks and received our menus for the evening. I went for the Watermelon martini – I honestly believe that there is nothing more sophisticated than a martini – and it was absolutely delicious.  \

The menu left absolutely nothing to the imagination. There was honestly something for everyone and I really did struggle with choosing what I wanted to eat. I umm-ed and ahh-ed over the starters before eventually deciding on the Sweet potato and chorizo croquettas. Whenever I go to Spanish restaurants and order small plates, I always opt for croquettas as one of my dishes. I think they’re probably one of my favourite things to eat and I definitely wasn’t disappointed with Alma’s take on them. The croquettas were crunchy on the outside and soft and tasty in the middle. Of all the croquettas I’ve ever eaten (and believe me, I’ve tried all different flavours of the little devils!), I think that these were probably some of the nicest.

For the main course, as with the starters, I had a decision to make. Eventually, I went for the Chargrilled Argentinian sirloin steak which I do think was the right choice. The steak was cooked to perfection and was accompanied by yam fries and a sweetcorn fritter. The portion size was perfect and left me stuffed and incredibly content. After we’d finished eating, we took a little Alma de Cuba quiz and spent the rest of the evening catching up with one another and discussing just how fantastic the food was!

The entire evening flowed beautifully and I was incredibly happy with all aspects of the evening. As it was a Tuesday, whilst we were eating we were treated to the sounds of the Open Mic Night, which was a really relaxing background experience. It was nice to relax with some good food and listen to the beautiful music, with good friends. It was really good to hear about all the different events that Alma de Cuba have on on a weekly basis.

I’ll definitely be coming back to Alma at some point for drinks and food: a beautiful restaurant with a vibe that cries out with sophistication.  

Food: Barton Rouge, Exchange Street, Liverpool*

Food: Barton Rouge, Exchange Street, Liverpool*

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

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Last month, I received a VERY interesting invitation to a brand, swanking new establishment that was opening its doors in Liverpool city centre and last week it was FINALLY time to check it out. Barton Rouge has already fully established itself in Chester and Heswall in Cheshire, so I was very excited to go and try out some amazing grub at their new restaurant in the swanky Exchange Street in town. I dragged my friend Emily along for the ride (although, considering everything we’d heard about the restaurant, I’m not sure she was complaining about trying out the menu!)

After giving my name and being handed Liverpool themed wristbands that entitled us to complimentary food and drinks, we were shown to a lovely table right in the centre of the restaurant. There was a bit of confusion tracking down the drinks we ordered (gin and tonic for me, wine for Emily) but that was all resolved incredibly quickly and the staff were nothing but perfectly hospitable for the entire evening.

When we had our drinks and had settled down, servers started offering different canapés to us to nibble on. We tried one that was made up of potatoes in teensy weensy little poppadoms, which were little bites of happiness. They reminded me of the Chat Bombs you can get at Mowgli, which is NEVER a bad thing. We were also offered chicken tikka bites and the MOST phenomenal battered prawns that I have ever had the fortune of eating. I am still dreaming about those prawns. Eventually, a server brought us over a selection of different main dishes to feast on. I’m a bit funny about trying things that I’m not sure I’ll DEFINITELY like, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually loved both of the dishes offered and I’d probably order them for myself if I went back independently. Neither of the dishes was too spicy for my very mild palette, which was a relief – one being chicken based, a butter chicken curry, and the other a fried cheese curry, made up of paneer cheese. The cheese curry was phenomenal and definitely wouldn’t have been something that I’d personally have chosen to order. This was all coupled with basmati rice and naan bread perfectly fluffed and ready for sauce mopping.

The restaurant itself was an absolute delight. I loved the beautiful, stylistic decorations that adorned the place- it looked sophisticated and fit in perfectly with the surrounding Exchange restaurants (Fazenda and Stevie G’s own The Vincent just round the corner, I’ll have you know!) The service was fantastic, everyone was incredibly attentive and staff checked on us enough that we knew they cared but not so much that we were talking to them through a mouthful of curry. I’ll definitely be going back at some point to try out the rest of their menu, which I’ve heard is an absolute treat.

You can find Barton Rouge at 26 Exchange Street East, Liverpool, L2 3PH.

Food: A Vietnamese Treat at Pho Café, Bold Street, Liverpool*

Food: A Vietnamese Treat at Pho Café, Bold Street, Liverpool*

Sunday, 28 May 2017

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If you know anything about me at all, you’ll know that I really, really like going out for dinner and trying new foods. When I was given the opportunity to check out the menu at a new joint – Pho Café on Bold Street – I absolutely jumped at the opportunity and invited my best friend along for the ride. We booked in for a Wednesday afternoon and arrived ready and waiting to eat some amazing dishes.

Pho café is in an absolutely prime location, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the Bold Street shops and restaurants. The interiors are spectacular and I found myself spending a significant amount of time before looking at the menu just checking out all the artwork and the layout of the place. For a Wednesday night, it was quite busy, with one large table occupied by a family party. Very good first impressions.

We were greeted immediately by a waiter, who ensured that not only were we comfortable and given the help we needed, but ensured that our table was moved once a better one (with much better lighting for pictures…) became available. He told us all about the company and talked us through the menu, explaining different aspects and ensuring that we knew exactly what we were ordering!

Catrin and I decided that we weren’t actually THAT hungry (for us) so we decided to share a starter between the two of us, then grab a main and dessert each. One of the lovely ladies in the restaurant brought over a platter of prawn crackers and sweet chilli dip for us to nibble on, we ordered drinks (homemade lemonade) and finally set about deciding what we were going to eat. We umm-ed and ahh-ed over which starter to go for as they all just sounded SO delicious, but eventually decided on Cánh gà, which were crispy chicken wings with a spicy (!!) sriracha dip. The wings were salty and delicious and while I wasn’t brave enough to try the dip, Catrin was and whilst she used it sparingly, she quite liked it – I, on the other hand, dipped mine in the Sweet Chilli dip.

Mains were much easier to decide between – I’d actually decided what I was going to eat at lunch whilst at work earlier in the day and Catrin was very quick to decide what she was going to have as well. I went for Beef Phở Xào, which were wok fried noodles, with a generous serving of beef, lemongrass, beansprouts and peanuts. I’m always a little bit apprehensive getting foods with peanuts in them, not for my own safety but for other peoples’, but this dish was more than worth that. The portion sizes were fantastic, there was more than enough of everything. The entire dish was full of flavour, filling and very moreish. I’ll more than likely be returning and ordering this dish again. Catrin ordered the traditional Vietnamese dish, the Phở chín. This dish was an interesting one, as you were given the broth aspect of the dish, and then a side plate with herbs and sauces to make it exactly to your own taste: there’s absolutely no room for disappointment here. Again, the dish was plentiful in both quantity and flavour. This is another dish that I’d really like to go back and have a taste of, as I had some serious food envy watching Catrin eat it. Stomachs full, our thoughts turned straight back to the menu and what was to come next!

At this point in the meal, the lovely lady who had been so attentive towards us all evening suggested we try a few of the restaurant’s signature cocktails. I only had to see the word “Prosecco” on the menu before I pounced on the Rose Apple Bellini, whilst Catrin opted for the Phojito: a Vietnamese twist on the classic mojito. These drinks were interesting, simply because of the inclusion of rice spirit, something I’d never tasted before. The Bellini wasn’t really to my taste, as it was quite strong, but as a treat it was definitely something I was glad to have tried. On the other hand, the Phojito was absolutely delicious.

Of course, we couldn’t go to a restaurant and not get dessert. I avoid dairy, for health issues, so I decided to get the Kem sorbet, so I wouldn’t miss out. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn at all when I say that it was probably the best sorbet I’ve eaten outside of Italy: it was absolutely delicious, sweet but not overbearing and was a fantastic, light end to a delicious meal. Catrin chose the Bánh sô-cô-la truffle, a delicious looking chocolate truffle slab served with a generous helping of green tea ice cream.

All in all, the food and service at Pho was incredible. The staff were attentive to our (and more importantly, to other customers) needs and I can see myself returning time and time again. I’m always looking for good and consistent places to eat so I can see this place becoming a staple in my life.

(Food and drinks were complimentary, thoughts and opinions remain my own)