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OLIVE BRANCH,
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BHOOMI KITCHEN, CHELTENHAM |
RISE + GRIND,
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Wednesday 7th February
T A P A S & D A T E N I G H T The PERFECT date night in my opinion The Olive Branch Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar Romantic, gorgeous location, friendly staff & delicious food - ticks all my boxes. We haven’t been for sooo long & honestly with every mouthful I did a little dance on my chair! We started with artichoke tapenade - INCREDIBLE! Followed by - Bruschetta - an all time favourite Chorizo - Pan Fried, plain & simple Trio Fungi - MUST HAVE - Gorgonzola creamy mushrooms, Devine Chicken & Chorizo Arancini - a new one, crispy outter with perfectly cooked risotto rice & chunks of chicken & chorizo Beef Shawarma - rump steak with Lebanese spice, tahini & pomegranate Croquetas de ternera - Beef Short Ribs, with Mash Potatoes, breaded & fried Impasto Carbonara Fries - Any excuse to have those BEAUTIES! Honestly we had far too much food, we shouldn’t have ordered one of the breaded ones as we were so so full, but honestly the food honestly is sensational, I always feel they cook from the heart! It’s family run too! They do offers like 5 x tapas for £30 weekdays until 7pm - 2 x G&Ts for £10 weekdays until 7pm - Any Sharing Board & Carafe of Wine £30 weekdays until 7pm - so all perfect for early birds & date nights in the week. Still my favourite restaurant in Worcester! |
Sunday 4th February
SUNDAY FUNDAY We missed our lovely besties birthday while working away so we needed a good catch up! Both Darren & Rosy have always said how incredible Bhoomi Kitchen was and we still hadn’t had the chance to visit, so this was perfect! We booked for Sunday Lunch time, and couldn’t wait to get stuck in! The restaurant is gorgeous, same style as @prithvirestaurant being owned by the same person, I knew we were in for a treat as honestly prithvi has got to be my all time favourite restaurant ever. We ordered some cocktails and started looking at the menu, it’s so reasonable with 2 x courses for £35 or a banquet for £39 Some of the table ordered a selection of starters, I opted for the banquet which was samples of Lamb Pasliyan, Chicken Sixty Five & Kala. Followed by your choice of two mains - Chilli Chicken, Beef Curry, Kerala Lamb or Prawn Thokku served with masala potatoes & a choice of rice or bread - I chose the Beef & Prawn Darren had the Beef Curry, Rose chose the Malabar Chicken Korma & James Achari Kebab - all were delicious I feel the banquet was perfect if you like a selection like I do, and want to taste lots of different flavours. Every mouthful was beautiful, the beef tender & prawns juicy. Fab Sunday, highly recommend to visit, they now open 7 days a week too! Another great restaurant in Cheltenham! |
Sunday 7th January
SUNDAY LUNCH SHARER If you are like me and love a roast dinner, then you need to get yourself to Rise + Grind! They have just started Sunday Lunches! We decided on Rump of Dry Aged Beef & Roast Loin of Worcestershire Pork. All roasts are served with roast potatoes, cauli cheese, winter roots & Savoy cabbage,leeks + sugar snaps, and gravy of course! I loved the sharing theme, you could plate it up however you liked, like me if you are fussy about your gravy positioning then this was perfect! We decided to go half and half, another great thing about sharing as you don’t feel like you’re missing out We NEED to talk about those Roasties - have you ever seen anything more PERFECT! Golden, Crispy, Fluffy in the middle! You can imagine my delight when they came out! The Cauli cheese was delicious, I really enjoyed the mixed greens too, I love a great selection of veg on my roast. The parsnips & carrots were roasted with honey too Plates were also served warm so your food didn’t go cold! Quite possibly my favourite roast dinner spot in Worcestershire! There was plenty of food which is a massive tick in my book, I hate when you’re only allowed 3 roasties we did manage to eat it all. As you guys know I’m not really a pudding kinda girl, but STP is a must, and warm apple crumble after a roast, well we had to try them! Both - Devine! The crumble had big crunchy bits topping with oats and brown sugar and underneath soft apple & pear with warming cinnamon, served with the most incredible custard, however the STP stole the show - I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was, the cake was perfectly moist (sorry everyone) without being claggy, a rich toffee sauce & vanilla Icecream! We throughly enjoyed our Sunday lunch & will be returning very soon! Other positives about R+G - Value for Money Dog Friendly Children Friendly Menu Highchairs Available Great Breakfasts too Zipwire & play park Perfect for exploring Reindeers Seasonal Shop - just check Caribou UK for opening times. |
PISTON DISTILLERY10th February 2024
A SATURDAY WELL SPENT Massive thank you to J&B for our fabulous 30th Birthday Present! What an incredible Day! Honestly so good, great afternoon spent making, learning & praying your gin is going to be nice along with enjoying different Piston Distillery Gins along the journey! Their Forêt Noire gin was beautiful, actually we really enjoyed them all & would recommend buying any of their bottles I think the Douglas had to be my favourite though! You even get cheese & crackers to nibble on - perfect! We throughly enjoyed the whole experience & would definitely visit again, they also do gin & jazz on Sundays & you can visit for a G&T too! They have fab little shop to purchase their gins & also have another distillery in Cheltenham too! All the staff were knowledgeable, friendly & helpful. They all quite clearly enjoyed their job! Nothing was too much trouble, they all gave good advice but didn’t want to sway your ideas / thoughts We are saving our gin to those summer evenings sat in our new garden watching the sun go down. Perfect MEMSHABI'S LOUNGE, CHELTENHAM27th August 2022
We visited Memsahib's Lounge in Cheltenham on Saturday for Afternoon Tea It wasn’t what you were expecting, obviously it was Indian themed however it was almost a miniature tasting menu rather than a tea. The restaurant in beautiful, and the staff were very pleasant. We ordered the cucumber gin for two which was served in a glass teapot The drink on arrival was delicious Everything on the tea was delicious, there was a variety of different tastes and dishes nothing was overally spicy either which I think is a selling point - even though I don’t mind a bit of heat. The Prawns stole the show for me though as they really were sensational It was a fabulous experience, I was looking forward to a Indian inspired scone though - but maybe my perception of an afternoon tea is wrong? Lovely Afternoon Treat if your visiting Cheltenham It was £25pp which I do think was reasonable plus the gin teapot & we really enjoyed the experience THE COTFORD HOTEL, MALVERN20th August 2021
What an absolute beauty this was. We had been wanting to go here forever and it didn’t disappoint at all. We ordered truffle popcorn & olives to start, these were both lovely. We also ordered some sourdough with salted & marmite butter, the marmite butter was absolutely delicious. We were sent an amuse bouche which was a beetroot & mackerel, everything was sensational but the beetroot meringue stole the show. Next we ordered starters, I ordered the ham hock terrine which was perfectly seasoned, served with toasted brioche & piccalilli gel. My mom ordered the local asparagus and Hollandaise & My partner ordered the filo pastry with prawns which he said was delicious. Everything was plated incredibly. The main courses arrived next, I ordered the beef fillet, served with a homemade ravioli which was Divine, my partner & step dad ordered the pork three ways which they both really enjoyed. My mom ordered the cod with pancetta. All served with beautifully presented vegetables, and perfectly cooked. We cannot wait to come back, the restaurant was gorgeous and the service was impeccable. Thank you very much Cotford Hotel, see you again soon THE OLIVE BRANCH, WORCESTER22nd May 2021 | 8.30pm
My favourite restaurant of all time. We absolutely love the OB, I love tapas, having a bit of everything rather than one meal. We arrived and shown to our table, we were also given a Impasto menu too which you can now order from both restaurants. We HAD to order the carbonara fries - on a side note if you haven’t tried these then why not?! They are so so so good! We ordered so much food, far too much to be honest! Everything was sensational, every bite was beautiful. The service was perfect and well looked after. The Olive Branch Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar PEGGY SUES MOBIL VINTAGE BAR"4th January 2021
We loved our delivery from Peggy Sue’s Mobile Vintage Bar! We ordered the cherry bakewell which has now made it on the menu & the pornstar martini! Cherry Bakewell Cocktail which were fantastic, wish we had a bigger glass or that I didn’t have to share! It was sweet but not over the top sickly like some places. It was refreshing and delicious! Pornstar Martini, which was also delicious, this one was quite thick so it lasted longer and the cheeky shot of prosecco added a little fizz to it. They were both brilliant but the cherry bakewell was definitely our favourite, Peggy sues please can you deliver us a pitcher of that!! The cocktails were so easy to put together, and obviously they come with something to serve your cocktails in which I think is really good, you literally get everything you need (apart from some ice) in the bag, what more could you want! Cocktails are £9.50 (makes two) Thank you so much! VEG LIFE EATS, MALVERN8th January 2021
We thoroughly enjoyed everything from Veg Life Eats! You wouldn’t believe it was all vegan. Living on the Veg is based in Malvern, Worcestershire. All of their containers are compostable too! Head over to their page & give them a like - I’ve just seen the cauliflower gyros which sound amazing I know lots of people choose vegan lifestyle, but it’s not really my cup of tea, I love cheese & steak too much, however I really was gobsmacked the amount of flavour packed into these dishes. We really enjoyed these beautiful overnight oats, but you wouldn’t have known they were vegan, they were so creamy, jam packed full of flavour. We practically scraped the bowl clean & we couldn't wait for the rest of the day The flapjack was packed full of fruit with some dark chocolate drizzled on the top. The satay noodles were delicious we could have eaten those again and again and we didn’t miss meat or dairy! These could have been eaten hot or cold. The creaminess of the curry was incredible, I often make a vegan curry but that’s it, nothing else is vegan generally in my house, but it has inspired me to make a few more dishes vegan friendly. The banana loaf was light and airy and the toffee sauce really complimented the sponge. The meals all come with a nutritional sheet too which I think is really good! Thank you Rhian, it was absolutely beautiful. Even if you aren't vegan, give living on the veg a try! ANATOLIAN PALACE , WORCESTER30th December 2020
WE FINALLY GOT TO SPEND MY BIRTHDAY VOUCHER FROM THE COMMUNITY OF WFG! I was generously gifted some money to spend with fabulous businesses around Worcestershire. I decided to split the money between a few different restaurants. I Chose, Anatolian Palace, The Cotford Hotel, The Olive Branch, The Angel & Ounce. Well I'm so glad we made it here before another bloody near enough lockdown! We arrived and were greeted by the lovely Izabella,who showed us to our table. The restaurant was busy but Boris had just cancelled everyone's New Year plans so as I think most people went out. We looked at the menu and ordered our drinks, we decided on a Leffe draft & a large white wine, they don't have any beer on tap. Izabella was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We decided to order the 'Mixed Cold Meze' which was Humus, Cacik (Similar to Tzatziki), Kisir (Bulgarwheat),Saksuka (Fried Aubergine), Russian Salad (Vegetables in a Mayonnaise), Babaganush (Fried Aubergine in Yogurt), Antep Ezme (Tomatoes / Onions / Gerkins) We also ordered the 'Mixed Hot Meze' which consisted of Sigara Boregi (Filo pastry Feta & Mint), Sucuk (Turkish Sausage), Halloumi & Falafel. We decided we only needed one main as the cold meze recommends enough for 2/3 people and the hot 2 people, so we chose the 'Lamb Iskender' Grilled minced Lamb, served with a bed of diced bread & yogurt, coated with house sauce then drizzled with butter & herbs We started with the warm bread & garlic dip, if you like garlic then this was incredible, smooth and packed full of flavour. Everything on the cold meze was delicious, we love tapas and I love trying all different things so this was the perfect choice. The Sigara Boregi was incredible, it could have had 5 seconds in the fryer if I was being super critical, but 100% one of our favourites from the night. The falafel was also full of flavour & the halloumi was grilled perfectly. We saved the best until last, the Turkish Sausage, WOW! If anyone knows where I can buy some, please message me! We asked for our main to come when it was ready as we decided to pick at all of it. The main was tasty, the bread that had soaked up all the juices was sensational. Even the salad was nice! Izabella brought us some Turkish tea which was lovely & a perfect ending to the night. Normally I love milk in my tea but I felt it didn't need it. We looked at the desserts and I really wanted to try the 'Kanafeh' which was traditional cheese dessert, I was so full we decided against it but I'm regretting it now! We had some Baklava to share, I can feel my mouth watering as I type this. & TURKISH DELIGHT just to top a perfect evening! #WFGcommunity https://www.anatolianpalaceworcester.co.uk/ |
THE WHITE HART, HARTLEBURY 13th August 2021
On Saturday we visited the white hart at hartlebury. I had won their Facebook competition of 2 courses for 2 and a bottle of Prosecco! How lucky was i! We started with a local pint, and looked through the menu. I’d already had a cheeky look at their Instagram to see what the pub had to offer. We decided on the scallops to the start and the chicken liver parfait. The scallops were coooked beautifully and the parfait was perfectly pink. Both were absolutely delicious! Next we had ordered the Caribbean Lamb Shank and the belly pork. The lamb fell off the bone served with a jerk sauce, rice and peas and fresh pineapple. The pork was crispy on the outside and beautifully soft in the middle. Bonus points for extra sauce given without asking! We decided to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. It was probably one of the best sticky toffee puddings I’ve tried. Served in a butterscotch sauce it melted in your mouth. It was a fabulous date night and we will definitely be returning. Thank you The White Hart at Hartlebury TORTUGAS, WORCESTERSaturday 22nd May | 6.30pm
We had booked here for drinks on Saturday and it was fantastic, we really enjoyed the vibe and what they had done with the old sugo/ galleria. It makes you feel you are sat on an old pirate ship in the middle of the caribbean. There are so many quirky things and we loved the layout. The cocktails were spectacular, and we loved the tiki glasses too. The service was perfect and feel of the place was spot on too. The food looked really good coming out of the kitchen but we decided not to have anything as we’d already booked dinner. We will definitely be returning! Tortugas Worcester THE BHAJI EXPRESS, WORCESTER14th January 2021
The Bhaji Express, Worcester. New business in Worcestershire, Vegan friendly & utterly delicious. The chickpea curry was our favourite but both curry’s were full of flavour! We could have definitely eaten more of the curry. The Chickpea dish was so flavoursome and not too spicy, We do enjoy spice but always want to taste all the flavours too and you certainly could. We loved the pakoras & samosas with the dip, we couldn’t get enough of those. Even the rice was packed full of deliciousness! We really enjoyed the whole meal, and for £12.50 it felt like a bargain. Head over to their Facebook & Instagram and give them some love! 
TACO BANDITOS, WORCESTER7th January 2021
When your van looks this good, you know you are in for a treat! I've been following these guys since they stripped the van and announced they were making tacos! We wanted to be the first to taste them as they sounded so good! We opted for the breakfast burritos to start, these were so filling. They were packed full of everything you could want in a burrito. Bacon, Sausage, Egg, Fried Potato, Cheese, Avocado Salsa, Chipotle Sauce. This really was delicious and filled us up for the day. We also tried the The Carlos (Chicken Tacos) & The Diego (Beef Tacos). The Diego, Marinated Beef, Salsa, Fresh Coriander, Squeeze of Lime. These were simple & tasty. the lime made the tacos really fresh. The Carlos, Spicy Rubbed Chicken, Avocado Salsa & Lime Mayo. These were sensational, every mouthful was pure bliss. Check out their Facebook page / Instagram for where they will be next, you are in for a treat! DICKS SMOKEHOUSE, BROMSGROVEThursday 17th December | 8pm | 2 People
We arrived at Dick's Smokehouse and greeted by a lovely lady who showed us to our table. We were given the menus and after a short wait we ordered a pint each of both beers on tap which were Purity Lawless & Purity IPA. We were also #gifted two glasses of Prosecco from the chef. The Head Chef Richard Wainman studied extremely hard at Worcester College of Technology. I actually studied with Rich but I was the year below, I remember how hard he worked, and loved seeing what he made as he was an inspiration during my time at Tech. We looked at the menu and decided on three starters & two mains. To start we chose - - Pork belly bites - sticky BBQ glaze - red slaw £6 - Wood roasted beetroot - goats cheese - smoked hazelnuts £5.5 - Dick’s hot link sausage - south carolina sauce - onion ketchup - chicharrón £5.5 We started with the Goats Cheese, which melted in your mouth, it was beautiful & light. The hazelnuts really complimented the dish too. Next the Pork Belly - this stole the show of the whole night to be honest. We both really like belly pork but these, WOW. They really were sensational, packed full of flavour, juicy and down right delicious, the slaw complimented them with and added crunch so did the popcorn. Finally the Sausage, this was also absolutely delicious, with the zingy mustard. All three starters were simple but perfectly cooked & presented, we knew we were in for a treat. We chose - Wood Roasted Duck Leg - pit beans - black cabbage - north carolina dressing £14, 20hr Smoked Shredded Beef - texas Sauce £13 & a side of Mac & Cheese £4. We started with the duck, it was flavoursome & a lovely crispy skin, the beans was jam packed full of flavour & a gorgeous smokey flavour. Next the pulled beef, this was also flavoursome, soft. The slaw was light and the chips were lovely & crispy cooked in beef dripping! The service was brilliant as was everything else, its crazy to think they had only been open one day! We also loved the decor, and they have used the space really well. We cannot wait to go back! Thank you to Dicks Smokehouse for such a brilliant evening, wishing them the very best for 2021. #supportlocal |
THE BULL INN, FERNHILL HEATH24th May 2021
THE BULL @ Fernhill Heath 10% off with your WooCard - Worcester Discount Card (use WFG20 For 20% off when purchasing a card) We love going to the bull with my Nan and grandad & they are always so accommodating for us. 3 of us ordered the large fish and chips £12.50 and my Nan ordered the goats cheese salad £13 The salad looked really good and my Nan enjoyed it. James, my grandad and myself ordered the fish and chips. They come with chippy chips from the chip shop or you request gourmet chips (which all 3 of us ordered) it also comes with garden peas or mushy to which I asked for salad as I’m an awkward bugger. The fish was cooked to perfection the cod was flakey & white, the batter was crisp and the chips were crispy & fluffy in the middle. One of the best pub fish and chips we’ve had! Everyone throughly enjoyed their meal and I’m sure we will be visiting again soon. The Bull Inn at Fernhill Heath IMPASTO, WORCESTER1st February 2021
Impasto We were invited down last night, for a cheeky sneak peak and what an invite it was! The restaurant has such a cool vibe, exposed walls, wooden & quirky. You can tell the owner Adam Giagnotti has taken the time to think about everything. Being the owner of The Olive Branch Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar too, as some of you may know this is one of my favourite restaurants in Worcester so this had already set the tone & high expectations, they somehow managed to exceed those! It’s located in the centre of town, behind the olive branch, slightly up from Halifax. Obviously it’s just takeaway to start but there is a small hidden restaurant downstairs. We couldn’t wait to try the food, we left our dinner choice in Impasto’s more than capable hands. First we started with the Carbonara Chips. Firstly have you ever tried carbonara on chips before? These were sensational, there was so much depth, every chip was packed full of everything. A creamy béchamel sauce, bacon, flakes of cheese topped with crispy onions We couldn’t get enough of these. Next we had the Prosciutto Fungi - San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, chestnut mushrooms & mascarpone (with added wild spinach ) The base was crisp, the mozzarella melted perfectly, the wild spinach was so flavoursome, I’ve never had wild spinach before! Finally we had the Salsiccia - San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, salsiccia, sobrasada & honey. For people like me who’s not sure on itailian words this was similar to a pepperoni pizza, with n’duja (a spicy sausage) drizzled in honey. This was also incredible, we loved the spice but it wasn’t overpowering at all, the sweetness of the honey was so pleasant too. Both pizzas were so light, and crispy, the dough is served thinly which we thought was perfect. Everything served was piping hot so it would travel a fair distance before being cold. Honestly they were probably up there in the top 5 of incredible pizzas! We cannot wait to watch this business thrive and support it! They also make fresh homemade pasta & sauces! Ps - sorry about my crap photos we were in the car at night STEAMHOUSE, WORCESTER6th January 2021
I had been waiting for these guys to open for a while, before lock down we were desperate to go to Redditch just to try them! Then Covid happened but in that time Steamhouse managed to get their Worcester shop ready. Steamhouse announced they were having a soft launch so we had to go. I was actually the first customer in the Worcester store! I ordered the Plucky Clucker & the Alaskan, a creme brulee doughnut, white chocolate & raspberry doughnut. The Bagels were both tasty, I had ordered the pastrami bagel but they it hadn't arrived, just means i'll have to visit again. The stuffed Creme Brulee doughnut was delicious, crunchy caramel, soft doughnut pipped full with creme brulee cream. The white chocolate & raspberry was also nice but not as good as the stuff doughnut in my opinion. The raspberry puree was smooth and worked well with the white chocolate & soft doughnut. We really enjoyed the smoked salmon bagel, but who doesn't like smoked salmon & cream cheese! The shop is super cute & so many people have said how good their experiences were. So it's another Worcester to check out! WAYNES PIEDEMIC, DROITWICH22nd November 2020
During lockdown Wayne decided to start making some pies after a customer of his had requested some. He normally works at St Peters Garden Centre, but has been furloughed due to the current situation. He got in contact with me and asked WFG to post them on our group to see if anyone else would be interested. Well... In the first night he managed to sell a whopping 39 pies! and after 2 weeks he's sold just shy of 200!! What an achievement! We obviously HAD to try them, we had been seeing fantastic pictures of customers pies and they did look amazing. So we placed our order of 1 x Steak & Stilton & 1 x Steak & Kidney & I collected them Monday morning ready for tea time. We couldn't wait for tea time to hurry up & they did not disappoint. Both pies were devine but the Steak and Stilton was definitely the favourite, the creamy stilton & the steak that fell apart in your mouth, with the crunch pastry was sensational. We decided to accompany them with Cheddar & Mustard mash, broccoli & red onion gravy - which I made far too much of, as the pies didn't really need any! I'm sure we will be ordering some again soon, as Wayne is back at work now Boris says we can open again.. at least for now, this is his new flavour list. You are in for a treat! - Chicken & Leek, Beef & Stilton Pulled Pork with Caramelised Bramley Apple & Sage & Onion Gravy Festive Turkey, Pigs in Blankets Sage & Onion Gravy Festive Falafel with Spinach & Brie. Pies are £4 Each and if you have a small appetite one pie will feed two, however i'd recommend buying one each! Thank you very much Wayne! SIXWAYS BRASSERIE, WORCESTERSaturday 31st October | 8pm
We arrived at Sixways and the brasserie is tucked in the heart of the stadium. We signed in, and were shown the way. We were greeted and shown to our table. Sarah couldn't have been more attentive. She was polite and friendly. The menu sounded incredible and we wanted to sample it all. We decided on the Ham Hock & Pea Terrine and the Worcestershire Blue, Wild Mushroom & Walnut Risotto. Both arrived and they were presented beautifully, we couldn't wait to tuck in. The Ham Hock Terrine, was soft and full of flavour and the chutney was delicious too. The Risotto was creamy and al dente, cooked to perfection. We knew after the starters we were in for a treat. The Salmon fell apart and you could tell the ingredients were fresh, the beurre blanc ready made the dish, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Pork Belly was huge, it was tender and melted in your mouth, the fondant was rustic and the sauce was pleasant. Next it was time for pudding, now I'm not really a pudding fan, but when Creme Brulee is on the menu, I cannot refuse it! We also ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding. The Creme Brulee had a good crunch and a smooth middle. the Sticky Toffee was moist, both puddings were delicious. The whole night was sensational, the service was faultless, the food was beautiful and the company was brilliant.. It's a shame they are having to close for lockdown but when they reopen I would highly recommend to go, you will not be disapointed. Thank you so much Sixways Brasserie, we cannot wait to return. |
