Pontefino, Gunthorpe

Italian food is by far my favourite food - I grew up eating home-made gnocchi and pizza and could quite easily eat it everyday. It's also Tom's favourite and we're always on the lookout for a new Italian restaurant to try out.

Pontefino is out in Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, in a quiet residential area next to the River Trent - a lovely change to the bustle of town on a Friday night.

We started off with garlic pizza bread and arancini (risotto balls filled with mozzarella and fried). The bread was the thinnest, crispiest base lightly topped with garlic and tomato so wasn't too heavy to start with, while the arancini were packed with flavour and beautifully served with a dash of a tomato sauce.

Our mains consisted of the calzone rustica, which had a perfect crust and was absolutely stuffed with prosciutto, cheeses, and spinach; and linguine alla Sofia Loren (I'll admit it was the name that initially caught my eye!). The linguine was coated in the type of sauce I almost always end up choosing - creamy tomato with just a hint of chilli and a sprinkling of chicken, pepperoni and olives.

We were both so full by this point but couldn't resist dessert (I'm pretty sure there's a special stomach just for dessert anyway so we couldn't leave it unsatisfied, could we?). Pannacotta arrived in a huge wine glass, smooth and creamy with a fruity berry coulis adding a tangy contrast.

Overall the food was some of the tastiest, most flavourful I've had out in a while and we agreed while still devouring pasta and calzone that we definitely needed to bring family and friends here. Service always makes a place for me and everyone was friendly and welcoming, so a winner all round!

Sorry for the lack of photos of the food; I don't really enjoy taking pictures while I'm eating out any more, apart from the odd one here and there.

Have you discovered any new restaurants recently?

Lost in Desserts

What better way to celebrate finishing the end of my Nutritional Sciences course than by a huge amount of sugar, chocolate and cream? OK so kinda contradictory but it's definitely all about balance when it comes to food and health in my opinion. And every last bite of these were worth the extra gym session I'm probably gonna need to fit in this week.

I drove down to Leicester to meet up with a friend from my course for end of year celebrations. We'd both had our ups and downs throughout the year but could finally say we'd got through the course together! She introduced me to a place in the city called Heavenly Desserts - this place definitely lives up to that. Apparently she'd tried to visit before but people were queuing outside (and this is quite common to get in?!) so had decided to wait before trying again. Thankfully we didn't have to queue and got a table in the restaurant straight away before being handed the book of a menu to choose from. You can get waffles, crepes, cookie dough, sundaes, milkshakes, shots of Belgian chocolate... let's just say it took me a while to pick. I finally went for white chocolate and raspberry cookie dough, which was served warm so the chocolate was melting and the cookie gooey, and topped with ice cream, cream and fresh raspberries. Oh. My. God. So good. And I was very glad that I'd only had a salad earlier so I could leave room for all that chocolatey goodness.

A couple of days later, back in Nottingham, my best friend treated me to a dessert plate from The Cheesecake Shop to say congrats (I have the best friends ever :)). I chose the strawberry shortcake cheesecake topped with curls of white chocolate and it was served with fresh fruit and a dollop of cream. I've been to the cheesecake shop a few times as it's fairly local and it has to be one of my favourite places to get pudding. The mudcakes they do are seriously tasty as well. There's quite a few around Nottinghamshire but I'm not sure about the rest of the UK, but definitely worth a visit if you're round here.

So it's a been a weekend of stuffing my face (and enjoying every last bit of it) but I think I'm definitely gonna feel better after a good Aerobics session this evening ha.

Cake and Cocktails

I'm officially a year older now and spent the day getting thoroughly spoilt by my amazing family and friends (thank you!). I let myself have a day off and a bit of a breather from recent madness, starting off with a delicious home cooked breakfast.

This cardigan is a present from my bestest, I love the length of it and it's so comfy.

Safe to say I spent the day all snuggled up and relaxed wearing this and my new Boux Avenue slipper boots. Normally I slide all over the place in these kind of slippers but these fit perfectly and I'm love with the design.

And then there was cake... lots and lots of cake. Which is never ever a bad thing, birthday or otherwise.
My fiancé spent the evening before baking cakes to surprise me with when I got home from work. To say these were the first cakes he'd made, they look and taste pretty damn good!

My family couldn't get down to Plymouth to come visit but surprised me by sending some gorgeous flowers and getting a box of cupcakes delivered from Choccacino. How brilliant do these look?!

I have been after a leather jacket for ages now and finally came across the perfect one in Superdry a few weeks ago, so this was my present to myself. I don't normally splash out on stuff but this jacket ticked all the boxes of what I've been looking for, it fits gorgeously and the leather is so soft, I just couldn't walk away.

After a pretty lazy day, we got dressed up and headed out to The Village, a lovely little Greek seafood restaurant in the Barbican. We indulged in tiger prawns and scallops in garlic butter, pitta bread with taramasalata, crab and calamari, followed by a plate of lemon sole and john dory accompanied by chips and Greek salad.

A wander towards the sea was in order after the extravagant amount of food - one of my favourite things is seeing the sea in the dark with just the twinkles of the boats further out, everything around so calm and quiet.

We then headed to Annabel's to check out the music and burlesque acts on for the evening, while hanging out in the cabaret-esque bar, sipping on strawberry daiquiris (poor quality photo I'm afraid).

I drifted home, sleepy and happy, and above all for grateful for the amazing people in my life who always put a huge smile on my face.

Monty's, Plymouth

Watching Pulp Fiction always makes me crave breakfast. Towards the end of the film, when John Travolta is tucking into a huge plate of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup = instant craving for my own plate of sticky fluffy pancakes topped with crispy bacon. Ok, so I'll admit that's probably a bit weird, and not the reason why I love Pulp Fiction (if you have yet to get round to watching this film, do it!).

I've always found American-style breakfasts a bit strange, and I couldn't understand what the attraction was of putting bacon on to one of the sweetest breakfast dishes you can get. So obviously I had to try it.

I first popped into Monty's for just a quick coffee break while out and about in the Barbican during my first couple of years studying in Plymouth, and checked out the menu while I was there to see if it looked good to revisit. Monty's is a modern cafe serving breakfasts and lunch all day, along with a selection of drinks and cakes. And among the numerous tempting breakfast options they also offer pancakes, bacon and syrup - I had finally found somewhere I could try the dish that had intrigued me for so long. I dragged Tom back a few days later and we indulged in an amazing, beautifully presented breakfast. I must admit pancakes with bacon is pretty damn good, and I'm slowly coming round to the whole mixing sweet and savoury thing.

We started off last weekend trying out some of the other options on the menu.

I had a bagel topped with bacon, cheese and poached eggs. The bagel was soft with a lovely toasted crunch, perfect for soaking up the runny yolk oozing out of the fluffy eggs.

Tom had the breakfast bap, a huge floury cob encasing thick rashers of bacon, sausages and mushrooms.

Monty's is great if you want something a bit different from fish and chips or pasties that are everywhere around the Barbican, either for a coffee and cake break while exploring or a tasty lunch somewhere more modern and distinct.

Bye Bye Southampton...

After spending the year in Southampton on work placement as part of my uni course, I'm now back in Plymouth ready (just about) for my final year. Our last night in Southampton was spent at our favourite place to eat, The Cowherds, located just minutes from where we were living at the edge of the Common. After a long day spent packing and cleaning, a delicious meal enjoyed outdoors was necessary.

We were accompanied by my mum and dad, who were down to help us with the move (it's scary how much stuff we've managed to accumulate and we're only 21!).

After sharing starters of fried calamari with spicy mayonnaise, chicken liver, pork and mushroom paté, and goat's cheese crostini, we indulged in mains from the wide selection offered by the country pub/restaurant.

Spanish chicken with chorizo and potatoes

Wild boar and chorizo burger

Lamb shoulder with dauphinoise potatoes

Handmade salmon and broccoli fishcakes with mixed salad

As usual, all the food was stunning and full of flavour - we've eaten here a few times while in Southampton and have always been impressed. With both incredible food and a gorgeous location, the Cowherds is perfect for a summer's evening meal. It'll definitely be a place I'll miss!

Blues Bar and Grill, Plymouth

Being back in Plymouth for a few days while flat hunting, after not being here for over a year, would be a crime if we hadn't treated ourselves to a meal here. One of my favourite restaurants, the Bar and Grill is located down in the Barbican, the historic, quaint part of Plymouth next to the sea, and a bustling hotspot for food, drink and music. I fell in love with the tourist frequented part of Plymouth from my first visit. While my feelings for the rest of the city have waxed and waned during my first two years of university, the Barbican reminds me why I originally chose to move to Plymouth.

The Bar and Grill is slightly apart from the rows of restaurants and bars that line the length of the Barbican, next to the harbour. Inside awaits two floors - the main bar downstairs with tables and sofas, and a corner allocated to the night's music act. In the evening the upstairs is opened, extending the restaurant capacity.

The wood-panelled walls are adorned with photographs of blues legends - Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan - complementary to the choice of music. There are also live acts playing most evenings, including regulars such as Vince Lee and Al Wallis (a.k.a The Wildcards), Jill Cole and Thomas Ford. My fiancé, having a huge love for blues music, is in heaven in this place, and being introduced to local musicians is definitely a highlight of living in Plymouth.

And now onto the most important part. The food is, quite simply, amazing. Everything I've tried here has never failed to impress (and believe me, that's a fair few meals). Lots of the dishes are American inspired (think Cajun spices and Tex Mex sides) and there is plenty to choose from - pasta dishes including huge homemade meatballs; nachos smothered in salsa, sour cream and guacamole; and seafood dishes making the most of the restaurant's fantastic location.

But the must-try part of the menu is the burgers.

Juicy, thick homemade burgers chargrilled to give an incredible smokey taste, served in buns with chips and quite possibly the best coleslaw I've ever had. And if that wasn't enough the burgers come with a variety of toppings to choose from.

On this occassion, Tom went for the bacon, cheese and barbecue burger.

I opted for a burger topped with a generous helping of perfectly spiced chilli and sour cream.

Much needed and appreciated after a day trawling through Plymouth looking for our new home for the year!

Turtle Bay, Southampton

I've been meaning to try out this Caribbean restaurant ever since moving to Southampton. Almost a year later and we still hadn't so we decided to check it out last night. The weather has been gorgeous this weekend, so it seemed appropriate to indulge in some barbecue-flavoured food and fruity cocktails.

To start we shared the Pepper Roti, flaky pastry encasing a pepper and potato filling. Nice and light with lovely flavours without being too hot. This was accompanied by a couple of Jumbled Julep cocktails (vodka, passoa, strawberries, mint and apple juice). I love cocktails and these definitely didn't disappoint, fresh and fruity with just the right amount of mint. They're also two for one for a good majority of the day so even more of an excuse to try them out!

For my main I had a burger, topped with pineapple and cheese and served with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. 

I could quite happily have carried on eating those fries for ever, sweet potato is so good, especially with Jerk BBQ sauce. I tried out the pepper sauce as well from the bottles provided on the table - a really nice flavour but wow it's hot!

I recommend the burger if you like them well done - I do, though I did think this one was a bit overcooked even for me. That was probably the only negative I have to say about the meal though, everything else was great. 

Tom had the 1/2 Jerk chicken with rice and peas (which is my new favourite thing, I will definitely have to try and make some soon). The chicken was cooked perfectly, and he got loads, the picture doesn't do it justice. I don't know how anyone could manage the whole chicken!

We didn't try any of the desserts as we went to watch The Avengers afterwards so pudding had to be munchies in the cinema of course. 

Overall the food was full of delicious flavours with lots of fresh ingredients, served in a friendly, laid back environment, perfect for a summer's evening meal. At the moment there's only a Turtle Bay in Southampton and Milton Keynes, but apparently they're opening up in Nottingham and Bristol soon. Great news for me for when I head back home to Nottingham!