Food: The Florist, Liverpool

Food: The Florist, Liverpool

Monday, 14 May 2018

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Everything these days, concerning bars and restaurants, has the added task, on top of serving fantastic food and drinks, of being ‘instagram friendly.’ I’ll admit it myself- as a blogger, whether a place will provide excellent social media content or not does have an influence on whether I choose to go there or not, as sad as that might seem. It’s no longer enough to just have good food and drinks- the vibe has to be right to attract the crowds and there has to be a certain je ne sais quoi about the place to ensure that the crowds return.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the opening night of The Florist, a brand new restaurant and bar opening in the heart of Liverpool City Centre, on Hanover Street. Hanover Street already has a plethora of stylish bars in its midst, and occupying the Old Blind School, The Florist certainly sits in with these – it arguably even stands out as being a cut above the rest.

The event was spread across the weekend, with an emphasis on cocktails and nibbles on the Saturday evening and then a taster of the Sunday lunch menu on the Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, due to my intensive schedule and some serious time constraints, I was only able to attend the Saturday night part of the weekend but that by no means was a complete negative. With my friend Emily in tow, glammed up to the maximum, we arrived at the beautiful venue ready to explore and see what The Florist has to offer.

It has a LOT to offer.

The entire venue is beautifully decorated- every single detail has been thought through with the most intricate of designs presented. The drinks menu has been crafted with their vision completely in mind and nothing is out of place. Walking around the inside of the building was a treat in itself – beautifully crafted flower arrangements adorn every possible area and it is, to be frank, a blogger’s haven. It honestly felt as though I’d walked into a showroom – I and everyone around me was completely blown away by what we had before us. Terrace areas outside allow for the fun to be extended to beautifully sunny days. We walked in to the event to be greeted by charming, excited staff members and the most incredible tasting Elderflower and Lychee Daiquiri that I’ve ever had the fortune of drinking. It was incredibly light tasting and adorned with a beautiful sprig of flowers – really adding that glamour to a classic drink. Over the course of the evening, I tried a number of different cocktails, including one called Rhubarb in Bloom (10/10 would drink again) and another that was a refreshing mixture of Prosecco and peach liquor stylishly named Peaches and Prosecco. The Florist offered a number of workshops on the night, ranging from flower arranging to gin tasting, all courses which are available to book in your own time if you so wish.

Of course, me being me, the highlight of my evening was, of course, the food and the nibbles that were on offer went above and beyond the call of duty. Emily and I filled our plates with a combination of different nibbles, including Crispy Mussel Popcorn, Baked Kale Crisps, Potatoes, Sweet Potato Fries and, my absolute favourite, Lavender, honey and Sunflower seed bread dipped in whipped goats cheese butter. I would return to The Florist JUST for that bread, no word of a lie. It was divine. To say that I was gutted not to have a taste of the roast dinner on Sunday is a complete and utter understatement but it just gives me reason to return in the future (as if I needed any convincing on this!)

In fact, I’ve already booked Richard and I in to return at the end of June to have a proper taste of the menu for a lovely romantic date night. I’m excited to try out their mains and see if they’re as delicious as everyone I know has said that they are!

Long story short? Go. It’s worth every single penny.

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: #YourNewMcDonalds #AD

Food: #YourNewMcDonalds #AD

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

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Ever since I was a little girl, McDonald’s has always been a place filled with excitement and good feelings. Whether it be a treat after a good school report, a place to hang out with friends on the Maltese waterfront after-school, or else just somewhere to go now, as a teacher, when a quick snack is needed after a long day of teaching and marking books, I know that I can always rely on McDonald’s to give me that little bit of comfort. I’ve eaten McDonald’s all over the world, in France, Spain and Germany alike, and the convenience of going into a restaurant and ordering a meal, knowing full well that it’ll be exactly as you want it, appeals to me on so many levels.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited witness the entire magic of McDonalds behind the scenes, in their Huyton Page Moss restaurant. Huyton’s a little bit out of the way for me, but the promise of an amazing experience spurred me on and I made my way (bags of school books in hand) to see what REALLY happens in the McDonald’s kitchen. I was advised that we (a few other bloggers and I) would get to meet a few of the people behind the Page Moss restaurant and learn all about how the company has transitioned into a multi-functional, technologically advanced comapny, as well as have the opportunity to make my very own burger. That’s right: with my own, bare hands. What a blinking fabulous opportunity!

I happened to go to the restaurant with 2 of my blogger friends, and after a quick detour via a different restaurant in Huyton, we arrived at Page Moss just in time for the shenanigans. We were greeted by Diane, the restaurant manager, and one of the men who had franchised into the McDonald’s brand, Mark Blundell. Mark has worked within the McDonald’s brand for 30 years and currently owns 5 restaurants across Liverpool. He is set to open a sixth restaurant, in Great Homer Street which will inevitably introduce jobs to the area. It’s also the first restaurant to be built within restaurant for 16 years, so definitely something to look forward to!

We sat down and Mark provided little drinks for us to sip at whilst he explained the enormous amount of changes that the restaurant, and the brand as a whole, had undergone over the last few years. He explained that whilst in the past food may have been sitting around for a short period of time (as in, twenty seconds maximum), ALL food at McDonald’s is now made fresh to order so there are no concerns about whether or not the food is fresh, hot and properly cooked. It also leads to improved customer convenience; you can order your burger exactly as you want it, with or without different ingredients, with no worry that you’ll be standing around waiting for an insufferable amount of time for your lunch. Making a quarter pounder without onions, for example, would take exactly the same amount of time to make as a normal, unaltered quarter pounder because of their fresh to order policy – an average time of between 120 and 180 seconds, Mark claims. The group split into two at this point, and myself, Sam and Katy went deep into the staff area and were kitted out with our very own, personalised McDonald’s uniform. To be honest with you, I don’t think I’ve ever been more chuffed to receive an apron and a hat as a gift and I was quick to get stuck in and put it on!

I’m not a big fan of the classic Big Mac burger so I opted to make my own Quarter Pounder with Cheese (sans mustard and onions). I’m going to be honest here, the whole experience was quite a stressful one and my respect for McDonald’s staff has risen exponentially as a result. The pace in the kitchen is incredibly fast and turnaround is equally so. I felt completely in the way and found myself apologising at every opportunity! After a very thorough hand-wash, I was able to get stuck in and make my burger. I started off by putting the patties on the grill and pressing them down with a very scary looking piece of equipment. After what felt like the blink of an eye, the burgers were cooked and I transferred them over to a tray for transport to the next ‘station.’ I learnt that in the McDonald’s kitchen, everyone has a different job to do – this definitely speeds up production and makes it possible to give the customer their food in their target time. I chose my toppings (a dollop of the red stuff) and toasted my buns, evenly on both sides, in the biggest toaster I’ve ever seen. Next, I was directed over to the fries station where, salted carefully, I directed my fries into the holder with expert (HA!) precision. I finished off by making myself a Mango and Pineapple smoothie, before settling down back in the restaurant to enjoy my creation. Did it taste good? It did. Could I master that and do it on a daily basis? Probably not. Hats (and hair-nets!) off to the amazing staff who do that day-in, day-out. I salute you.

One of the main improvements that the restaurant has undergone in the last few months is one that you’ve probably, as McDonald’s customers, already familiarised yourself with: those fancy-dancy kiosks. The kiosks allow for an entirely improved customer experience: not only can you customise your order to ensure you get your meal exactly as you want it, but you can also easily access all of the nutritional information about every dish that they have available for you to purchase. I’ve also found, personally, that I’ve chosen things that I wouldn’t normally have ordered- there’s always that feeling of panic when you go to the counter to order food- you forget everything you were going to say and just order your usual, if you’re anything like me! McDonald’s have also introduced a table service option when using the kiosks- select a ‘zone’ and have your food delivered to you in pretty much the time it takes for you to sit down! They’ve also added child-friendly tablets to the tables, making McDonald’s into a place where adults and children alike can pass time and be productive. There are games available for the little ones to occupy themselves with whilst you have a coffee, as well as all the usual apps available for adults to use whilst they’re devouring their meal.

I think it’s safe to say that my experience at McDonald’s was an absolutely fantastic one and I am over the moon to have been invited to be part of such an opportunity! Thanks to McDonalds, to Diane and to Mark for the invitation. I look forward to all of the other amazing, innovative and exciting things that McDonald's will introduce in the future!