Can a Foodie Like a Pizza?

Of course.  Providing said Foodie is standing in some Italian square snacking on the real deal before nipping into the next wine bar.

Ha! 

We're still human and I don't know about others, but I like a drink.  And when I have a drink (rather when I have a few) I get peckish.

Living in town, a lot of nights out with friends end up with everyone back at ours and the lads being sent out to fetch pizza.

Normally it's Murdoch's.  They're cheap and cheerful and around the corner; perfect for that 3am pizza fest. 

And I tell you what, at 3am after a night on the town, these pizzas taste truly amazing.  With that in mind, Gav and I tried them sober once.  Urgh!  Not good.  Not good.  At all.

So my experience of pizzas is rather limited, and poor.  If we ever have them for dinner at home, we will either make them from scratch or buy them from Waitrose (bar far the best supermarket for pizzas).  The takeaway pizza is reserved for drunken nights only.

So when Domino's asked me if I would like a voucher for a free pizza in return for a blogpost, I wasn't too sure.  I like to keep things honest and although I'm not scared of writing a bad review, I don't like to kick a gift horse in the mouth either.

Hmmmm.  In the end I decided to just do it.  After all Domino's approached me and I didn't owe them anything.  Free pizza or no free pizza!

So one sober(ish) Friday night I and my voucher popped out to the West Street, Sheffield branch.  Gav and I had already perused the pizza menu set our minds on the Firenze which is new to Domino's thanks to their Gourmet Range.  It's described as 'Ventricina Salami, Pepperoni and Peruvian Roquito Peppers on a thin crust base'.  We like a bit of heat, it was free of chicken (I'm funny about non-free range chicken) and, let's face it, it sounded a bit posh.

The thin crust base did it for me too.  I hate deep pan (it ruins the cheese to dough ratio) and after a rather bad experience of Domino's Double Decadence, an attempt to sandwich the bases of a pizza with some vile cheesy sauce (my first and last Domino's pizza before tonight), I know not to mess with the crust, so there was no stuffing either.

As I entered the shop (which is still relatively new) I was immediately welcomed by about 16 members of staff.  I handed over my voucher and mass confusion ensued.  Eventually we got there and my order was processed.  A large Firenze.

Immediately the production line got to work.  I swear, at one point there were about 5 different people working on my toppings!

When I made the order I was told it would take 8 minutes.  Now I didn't time it, but I reckon 8 minutes was about right.

Back home, I opened the box.

It looked good.

I took a slice and went for it...... and you know what?  It was alright! 

The crust was thin, as promised, and light.  And, I'm not sure, but there may have been some panko breadcrumbs in there too (at least I saw one of the 16 in the store roll the dough in some crumb like stuff, and it would explain the crisp, but not crunchy texture).  Edit - Quick thanks to @GazzamatazzZ who can confirm that it's actually semolina, not panko breadcrumbs that are used.  Panko breadcrumbs?  Whatever was I thinking?!

The meat was tasty and the peppers were sweet and all in all it was a good pizza.  In fact, if we'd have put the heating on and shut our eyes we could have been back in that Italian square.

Ok, maybe it wasn't that good, but it was way better than I thought it would be and I enjoyed it.

The only hurdle for me is the price.  My God.  It was good, but £15.99 for a pizza?  Really?

Now this is where the offers come in.  Under their Carryout Special offer you could pick up one of these for £10.99.  There's also a buy one, get one half price deal which is pretty good if there's a few of you eating.  Ok, it's never gonna be as cheap as Murdoch's, but that's probably for the best really.

Will I eat there again?  Maybe.  But I will stick to the cheap and cheerful for those drunken moments when quantity is top priority, not quality. 

For a quick and easy tea, Domino's ain't a bad takeaway option.

The Great Gatsby, Sheffield

When Olive first opened, I was unsure. With the stripy seating it looked more coffee shop than city bar to me. However, it did become a firm favourite. Its cocktails and beer garden ensured that it was often included in any night out.

Along with the coffee shop feel, it had a menu that was neither reliable nor consistent and Olive shut its doors for the last time on Christmas Eve 2010.

Thanks to the owners of the Bowery, life was soon re-injected into the place around April this year. Living very close by, I watched carefully as the unit transformed from coffee shop-esque bar to the cool and funky space that it now is.  The Great Gatsby was born!

Seating is much more eclectic with the odd dining table in there along with comfy sofas and a rather elegant chaise lounge. And it's not just the furniture that will catch your eye. Drinks are served in beautiful glassware, thanks to a few shopping trips to various Oxfam shops, I am told.

Check out the till too. Forget the swanky electronic touch screen, this is a proper traditional till. Rather than simply point at drinks on a screen, staff have to remember the prices of drinks and calculate the bill themselves. Rather them than me!

Already, The Great Gatsby is establishing itself as a place to be. The beer (or beard) garden is still there, the cocktails are as excellent as ever and they are experimenting with the food side of things too.

Gav and I managed to give their New World menu a whirl over the weekend. On first sight the menu, which is chalked up on a blackboard rather than printed up as they 'change the menus daily', looks disappointingly short. But upon closer inspection, I spotted about 4/5 dishes I would have been quite happy with.

In the end I went for a lamb wrap with mini jacket potatoes (£6 I think) and a carrot salad (£2). Gav went for mackerel fish cakes and baked eggs with peppers (£4 each).

Dishes arrived and we were instantly wowed by the presentation. Ok slates as plates is probably a dated concept (and one that highly annoys Gav as the sound of cutlery against the slate really goes through him) but there was clearly some effort put into the presentation of each dish.

My lamb wrap was delicious; packed with spicy (but not hot) flavours and juicy, succulent lamb. I was especially pleased to see that the wrap looked home made; something I wouldn't expect at lunch in a city bar, certainly not at the prices we were paying anyway. Mini jackets were topped with crème fraiche and were a nice addition to the dish, making a change to the standard chunky chips often served with wraps.

However the carrot salad was a triumph! Grated carrot with sliced dried apricots (who'd have thought it?!), black mustard seeds and herbs (possibly mint). Fresh and tasty and full of healthy goodness it was amazing; truly amazing!

Gav was equally happy with his lot. Mackerel fish cakes were packed full of smoked fish. The casing was a fine breadcrumb crust; golden brown and free of any oil or grease. There were three nicely sized cakes too, so a decent serving at £4 a pop.

Baked eggs was an interesting one. The dish was served in a little frying pan and the two eggs appeared to have simply been baked away with the selection of peppers which surrounded them. Some salad had also been added to the cooked dish before serving.

I liked the simplicity of it and having this dish served in a frying pan added to the easy feel of both the food and the bar itself.

Service was good. Staff are friendly and welcoming; chatty without being interfering or annoying. The chap behind the bar was especially keen to see that we enjoyed our food and looked rather pleased with himself when I told him that the salad was bloody gorgeous.

Well, they should be pleased with themselves. Good food, good cocktails and a good vibe to the place will keep me and many others coming back. Just keep it up guys!

P.s Apologies for the pics - we were using Gav's camera phone.

Hangover Food - Eggy bread with cheese

We've all been there haven't we?  The banging headache, the queasy stomach and the burning desire to eat everything in sight.  All thanks to too many glasses (bottles) of vino the night before.

Today I woke up with a stinker, but some eggy bread with cheese and blackcurrant cordial made with lemonade is helping me through it.

So, what's your favourite hangover cure?  Bacon sandwich?  Scrambled egg on toast?  Or do you like to try and replenish your body and get some fresh fruit goodness down you?

Use the comments box to tell me your favourite hangover cure.  After each new comment I'll add another cure too (I have a lot of experience in dealing with hangovers!).  Let's see how many we can get! 

Feast and Glory

Times are a changing!

New Blog and Twitter name - Feast And Glory.

Bet you can hardly contain your excitement, can you?!

Update and Rutland Arms

Oh dear; it's been a while since my last post hasn't it?  Mmmmmm. 

Well a fair bit has happened over the past few weeks.  Firstly I passed my course with commendation - WHOOP! 

Secondly I've been going crazy with the Sheffield Food Festival for my Exposed Blog.  Click here to see just what I've been up to.

Anyway.  Things are getting pretty back to normal (ish).  Although I am still quite busy doing stuff for Exposed, which is great actually, so I'm not complaining!

Of course this weekend is the Tramlines festival and we shall see the whole city of Sheffield transformed into a huge free for all festival.  It's been going 2 years now.  I missed the first one, but last year was amazing, and this year is just gonna get better.  There was such a lovely vibe in town and, living in the city centre, I only needed to open my window to feel part of it!

This year I'm looking forward to getting a group of friends together and drifting from one venue to the next.  I'll also be looking at the food side of things for Exposed.  There will be a blog post going up on Saturday with top tips of where to pick up your festival eats and I'll also be tweeting foodie stuff for Exposed (YES - I HAVE THE POWER!).

But before all that, I figured I owe you a review; an actual food review..... so here goes.....

Rutland Arms

The Rutland Arms is probably considered a bit of a rarity in Sheffield city centre simply because it's a proper pub. A proper pub, with proper ale, proper carpets and proper Sheffield folk.

Having said that, I have noticed that a lot of bars are slowly but surely returning to the days of the local. Take Olive bar for instance. That was definitely a bar rather than a pub (although I still think it looked more like a coffee shop with those stripy chairs) and although the Great Gatsby hasn't quite gone the whole hog, it's certainly got a bit more of a pub feel to it now.

Being a long-standing fan of The Wick At Both Ends, The Rutland Arms has been on my 'to-do list' for some time. I'd only heard good things about it, but as it is on the wrong side of town for me, my visit on Saturday was my first.

Stepping into the bar, the first thing you'll notice about this place is that it's a pub pub, if you know what I mean. There's the traditional patterned carpet, the classic furniture; all the things that you would expect to find in a pub.

I'm not a huge beer fan, so apologies for not taking much notice of them. However I can tell you that this place has a decent reputation for its beer selection and it's a member of CAMRA. I was just happy to see Budvar on tap and went for a pint of the Czech stuff. The husband spotted an English lager which was nice enough but in all honesty, I was happy with my choice.

As he ordered our food at the bar, the husband also spotted some pork scratchings hanging up. Another sign that we were definitely in pub land, i.e. there weren't any olives on offer. Obviously feeling somewhat starved he bought some, in the full knowledge that he would shortly be eating a full meal.

The pork scratchings are so naughty (and wrong) but soooo tasty!

Actually, it's a good job I like pork scratchings, and the like, as when my dish arrived (cider pig) I was amazed to find the most enormous piece of crackling I have ever seen! Not only was it huge, it was perfectly formed and delicious (if still wrong).

There was also a decent serving of shredded pork, which was tasty, if just a little dry (more gravy please!). Veg was as it should be and mash tasted of potato. Although tasting of potato should be a pre-requisite of any mash, sadly it is not, so I was happy with this!

The husband had rump steak. Neither of us are huge fans of the rump (isn't it the arse end of the cow?) but we were very pleasantly surprised by this one. Firstly it was shaped as a fillet steak, secondly it was cooked well (rare) and it was tastier than any rump I had tried before.

It came with a mustard and tarragon sauce and although the husband doesn't normally have sauce with his steak, as he prefers to let the taste of the meat do the talking, he was glad to have this one. It was gorgeous and lovely on the chips (which were also good).

It was a pretty good meal and coming in under £25 for the lot, it was good value too. There are lighter (and cheaper) bites on their menu if you're after a quick lunch.

I'll now have to start alternating between The Wick At Both Ends and The Rutland Arms! It's a hard life!

Boat Trip

My dad had his 60th birthday this year, and to celebrate he wanted the family to go on a boat trip on the canals.

He chose the Four Counties Ring which took a week and it was bloody hard work (for the boys anyway).  For me, I had to get used to being thrown across the boat every time we crashed (which was often).

My dreams of full relaxation, champagne breakfasts and trips to the pub for a swift pint between locks were quickly dashed.  I was stressed which made me irritable as I realised that this relaxing canal boat holiday was actually a journey from A to B with not much fun in between.

It didn't help that the boat was dirty, our bed kept breaking, there were only two accessible plugs and the 'sofa' was as hard as nails.

Here are some of the sights we saw along the way.

Going through the locks (one of MANY).

Cows (again, there were LOTS)

  

Dogs (yep lots of these too)

Ducks

Pub Grub

We did manage to have one pub lunch.  It was at the Red Bull pub in Kidsgrove.  It wasn't bad - a nice and friendly pub but the menu was a bit too ambitious for them!  I had swordfish which was overcooked and dry.  Others had fish and chips which were fine.  The husband had surf and turf.  The surf was fine, the turf was pretty rank and went un-eaten.  We did get a refund on that though and overall I would still recommend this place for a simple bite to eat and a pint.  The staff are friendly, the pub was clean and welcoming and it was nicely located on the canal.

We also managed to squeeze in a tea at Talbot Inn in Market Drayton.  I loved this place and everything about it; the old man pub style to the front room, the homely comfortable style to the back, the two meals for £9 offer (the food was average pub grub so fine), the chatty staff (esp the chef who gave the husband free ice cream to try), the cheap plonk, the pub quiz, the pretty beer garden and the fact that I got absolutely hammered.  Yep, I was finally on holiday.

Check out the sign on the side of the pub - amusing yeah?!

On getting to Nantwich before 5 (a miracle for us as on past nights we had been mooring up as late as 9pm) we decided to take a trip into town.  It's a pretty little place; lots of old buildings and beautiful houses.  We found The Crown Hotel.   and stopped off for a pint, then decided to eat there too.

The food is served in the restaurant side - in the casa brasserie.  It wasn't cheap as they charged restaurant rather than pub prices.  However, it was the best food I'd had all week, so I wasn't complaining.

I had salmon with wild mushroom risotto, soft poached egg and mustard sauces.  My salmon was perfectly cooked.  The skin was good and crispy, the salmon was moist and delicious.  Risotto was good with lots of wild mushrooms in there and the poached egg was as described, so the yolk oozed out onto the plate when I stabbed it with my knife.

Gav had Calves liver with bacon, onions and mash.  The liver was pink, tender and tasty.  He was happy.

My brother had pan roasted seabass with shrimps, spinach and new potatoes.  It looked good and he wolfed it down, so I assume it was.

My mum had wild mushroom risotto and my dad had pizza.  Again no complaints, although Gav reckoned that my mum's risotto was a bit too al dente. 




So.  There you go.  A week on a narrowboat.  Would I do it again?  No.

I'm off to Rome.