Tabule Moseley - Lebanese & Moroccan Food in Birmingham [@NLi10]

 We were in Moseley for a look round the shops and market - and it turned out the folk festival was on so it was busy.  Before we went and hit in the new Double Sixes games cafe we stopped for lunch at Tabule which is a Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant my partner had been to but I'd never tried.

For drink I had the Moroccan green tea, which is a blend of green and mint teas and tastes most traditional with far too much sugar.  I drank this on the roofs of Marrakech when we were there years ago so for me it brings back good memories.

As the main dish we shared Fatayer Bsbanekh which was a baked Lebanese pastry filled with a mixture of spinach, onions, lemon juice, pomegranate seeds, olive oil & sumac.  It's billed as their version of pizza to make it easier for us to understand, but its a lot more similar to other pastry/bread dishes that I've had.  Very deep flavours and would have been perfect with something sweet and fruity to dip it in to.

 For the meat side we had Kibbe Sajieh, which is a bulgur wheat shell filled with minced meat, onion, walnuts, Arabic spices & pomegranate molasses.  I think that as a table portion this would have been great but as a solo dish it was just a bit too rich and I was thinking I should have gone for the Moroccan sausages instead.

My partner's side was Harrak Ispaoo Traditional Damascus lentil cooed with tamarind, coriander, garlic & pomegranate. Topped with Pita chips.  It was quite large so I had to help out and found it to be a great complement to the 'pizza' and added a good crunch to the meat balls!

I think we needed to go as a 4, and have twice as many options (or do what the table next to us did and take the rest home for another day).

A great lunch and at £15 each very reasonable considering how full we were (and that a Subway 6" would have cost half that and not had any of the excitement).  

That Ale - Teme Valley Brewery (Co-Op) By @SpectreUK

This is not what I'm writing about. This was last week. This week I'm writing and That. That is a 4.3% in volume chestnut coloured ale full of nutty flavours from the brown malts, brewed by Teme Valley Brewery.

I'm hoping That will compliment my Lamb Rogan Josh and chips tonight from the local curry house. I do love curry and chips, I may have mentioned it once or twice, even very recently. I'm not sure This would have gone with it, but That should go with it rather well.

On opening That there was a strong nutty malt aroma. On pouring That was a murky deep brown colour full of scrumptious sediment. Not for the faint hearted, but the vitamin B in That is very good for you.

On taste That was super nutty. There was strong nuttiness to begin with followed by a cheerful herbal bitterness chasing the nuts into the aftertaste. It's probably the strongest nutty flavoured beer I've ever had. And my gosh, it was good. I almost forgot about my curry.

Costa Coffee Barista Creations Maple Hazel Latte (Iceland) By @Cinabar

It feels like autumn is creeping in, and this new box of Costa Coffee Barista Creations Maple Hazel Latte sachets couldn’t look more seasonal if it tried. I love autumn, so I was excited to give these a go.

When I opened the box, the first thing I noticed was the amount of air in there. The packaging looks like it could easily fit eight sachets, but inside there were only five. It felt a little disappointing before I’d even made a cup.

I put one sachet in a mug, added hot water, and it dissolved straight away. No lumps, just a nice frothy top, which looked very inviting. The flavour was spot on. The maple added a gentle sweetness, and the hazelnut brought a warm, nutty edge. Together they made a very moreish drink that really suited the season. I enjoyed every sip, I just wish Costa had been a bit more generous with the sachets.

McVities Gold Billions Wafer BUT Hazelnut [@NLi10]

 We looked at the McVities Gold bar the other week - and I realised the box contained two different flavours!  Here we have the same bar - but with non-brand hazelnut spread in it.

Looks exciting - lets try it! 

Splicey it in two parts to share

And this looks a lot more dark than the other bar.

I'd say that I couldn't really tell a remembered flavour from the other version, but I could see the wafers and hazelnut so I know that if I ate them side by side there would be something.

I think the caramel flavours are the strongest though so I think there are better nutty wafers, but this is an easy pick-up for fans of the original.

Walkers Masala Chicken Flavour Potato Crisps (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I love curry and chips. It's one of my favourite meals. A place I used to work at had a canteen in the cellar. Every Friday I kept the server talking for a while, they would pile chips onto one plate, then a huge amount of curry on another plate. I would then put lots of salt on the chips, and pour the curry on top. After that I would go to the university art gallery where they would play classical music in a theatre for half an hour whilst I ate my packed lunch. I was a lot bigger then, as you can imagine.

I have curry and chips almost once a week. I have half a bag of oven baked chips to reminisce on the old days, and after adding way too much salt, I pour whatever curry I have on top. These Walkers Masala Chicken Flavour Potato Crisps may help me snacking on the days I don't have curry and chips for dinner.

On opening the bag there was a beautiful spicy Masala smell, with a little chicken aroma to follow. On taste these orange coloured Walkers Masala Chicken Flavour Potato Crisps had a lovely spicy Masala Chicken curry flavour. First came the strong spicy Masala, and then the chicken into the aftertaste. These might not have been curry and chips, but they certainly cheered up my chicken sandwich for lunch.

Information on the bag; The 25g bag contained 128 calories, with 7.3g of fat, 0.6g of sugar, and 0.16g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

McVitie’s Hobnobs Ice Cream (Iceland) By @cinabar

I know summer feels like it’s winding down, but I still have new ice creams to explore. This one really caught my attention, Hobnobs Ice Cream. I love the idea of turning a classic biscuit into an ice cream flavour.

I ordered it online with my grocery shop and, I’ll be honest, I’d hoped the tub would be bigger. It’s quite a small pot, but it looks great with the full Hobnobs branding. Inside, the ice cream is biscuit-flavoured with a golden syrup sauce swirled through as an added bonus. The ice cream was fairly firm straight from the freezer, but there were plenty of biscuit pieces mixed in and a generous amount of sauce. From the first spoonful my sweet tooth was in heaven. The base flavour is creamy, oaty, and unmistakably Hobnobs biscuit, it tastes properly indulgent. Then you get a hit of that golden syrup swirl and it becomes truly divine. Maybe the smaller tub is a blessing in disguise, this is so moreish that portion control is definitely needed.

If you’re a Hobnobs fan, this ice cream is an absolute must-try.

KitKat HoneyComb Flavour Buzz (B&M) By @cinabar

This Kit Kat was found in a UK store, but it is an import from Australia. It’s always fun to try Kit Kats from around the world, and honeycomb is a flavour that’s hard to resist. At first glance I thought this might be a UK bar, as all the writing is in English, but the addresses on the back are Australian.

This is a large sharing bar, covered in the usual milk chocolate. The aroma had an extra sweetness to it, though the milk chocolate was still the main scent. I broke off a couple of strips and, once halved, they looked just like a regular Kit Kat inside.

The taste, however, was noticeably different. As someone with a sweet tooth, I really enjoyed it. The honeycomb (or cinder toffee as I know it) added a lovely burst of burnt caramel sweetness to the familiar Kit Kat flavour. It was smooth and indulgent, if a little on the sweet side. The one thing missing was the texture. Honeycomb usually has a crunch, but here it was only the flavour that came through. Even so, it worked well and made for a tasty variation. It isn’t one of the wildest Kit Kat imports out there, but it’s still a good bar and a great pick for anyone who likes their chocolate on the sweeter side.

Re:Nourish + Restore Soup in a bottle [@NLi10]

 My partenr picked up a few pre-made lunches for home - one of which was this soup.  I'd already tried to review it once but it got lost at the back of the fridge and was well out of date when found.  This time I jumped right in.

 

t 

I love green coloured drinks (Shrek Juice) but even for me this is an odd combo.  Pea and Leek soup just doesn't appeal!

I nuked the lot, and then added a generous amount of apple balsamic - and quite enjoyed it!  I think the flavours were a lot milder than I'd feared, and with a wholesome crusty bread (that needed using up) it worked pretty well. 

That felt too boring for a whole review - so here is Flo trying to persuade some of the creamy mash to come her way!

This Ale - Teme Valley Brewery (Co-Op) By @SpectreUK

This is a blog about This, it is not a blog about That, That is next week. This is a 3.7% in volume ale brewed by Teme Valley Brewery, with local hops from Herefordshire and Worcestershire. I'm hoping that This is good, and not reliant on That.

Described as a light drinking ale, This is gluten free, containing barley and wheat. I am hoping This will compliment my Moussaka tonight, rather than disappear under all that lamb, cheese, aubergine and potato. This will hopefully be a good strong ale.

On opening the bottle This was a deep golden coloured Ale, with sweet biscuit malt and herbal hop aromas. On taste This was a nice strong ale with a crisp herbal bitterness and sweet biscuit and caramel malts into the aftertaste. This was very flavoursome indeed, and was definitely not all That. We'll talk about That next week.

Aero Melts Double Choc Brownie Bakery Inspired (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

Aero has a new “bakery inspired” flavour out, this time based on Double Choc Brownies. Inside the bag are two shades of button, milk chocolate and white. I did wonder if the white ones were meant to represent Blondies, but the bag doesn’t make that clear.

I’m a fan of texture, and this is where Aero always shines. The aerated bubbles in these little buttons were lovely, giving that familiar light melt on the tongue. On texture alone, they absolutely deliver.

The taste was where things started to go wrong. The milk chocolate “Brownie” buttons were chocolatey at first, but quickly became overly sweet. Instead of a rich brownie flavour, they reminded me of cheap chocolate trying too hard.

The white buttons had the same problem. If they were meant to be “Blondies,” they didn’t pull it off. The flavour was again very sweet, and lacking the creamy balance I expect from white chocolate. Aero’s bubble effect was as good as ever, but the actual taste just wasn’t working for me.

Honestly, I think I’d have preferred a simple mix of regular milk and white chocolate Aero buttons. This bakery-inspired twist sounds good on paper, but in practice it didn’t live up to expectations.

Waitrose New York Lemon Cheesecake Slices [@NLi10]

 Some cakes appeared in the fridge again!

As usual - due to the discount but not too discount status.  £2 a slice is a lot, £1.20 a slice is much more a home treat.

But they have scaffolding just like the posh places to keep it fresh, and unlike last time - these are actually vegetarian!

It holds together pretty well, and is a nice light bite.  I'd have preferred a heavier base and maybe added some raspberry sauce - but that last one's on me!

Overall a great café style desert-at-home option

Nestle Kit Kat Salted Caramel (WHSmiths) By @SpectreUK

Nom nom nom. I have always loved Kit Kats for an afternoon break with a cup of tea or coffee. This new Nestle Kit Kat Salted Caramel bar has a marbled effect. On carefully unwrapping the bar for the photograph's sake, oh gosh, it smelt of caramel and milk chocolate goodness.

 

These Nestle Kit Kat Salted Caramel bars have a thick coating caramel flavoured milk chocolate, and are heavy on crème salted caramel inside, with a thin layer of oozy caramel and the usual crunchy wafers.

On taste there was the caramel milk chocolate coating to begin with, followed by the caramel crème, a thin layer of oozy caramel, with a saltiness as I crunched through the wafers. This Nestle Kit Kat Salted Caramel bar is to die for, pure luxury. Perfect for a self indulgent break anytime of the day.

Information on the wrapper; The 99g bar has apparent servings of 3 fingers (though I ate the whole bar) containing 172 calories, with 9.4g of fat, 16g of sugar, and 0.13g of salt.

Burton’s Fish and Chips - Prawn Cocktail (B&M) By @Cinabar

We often pick up the Salt and Vinegar edition of Burton’s Fish and Chips as it is a proper classic, so I was pleased to spot a new flavour on the shelves in B&M. These come in the same cute shapes, with the little fish and chip pieces that I always think look very cute. They are a savoury biscuit, crunchy but with a light airy centre, which makes them very moreish and easy to snack on.

The first thing I noticed was just how much seasoning there was. These little fish and chips were absolutely covered, which is always a promising sign. The flavour did not disappoint either. They were fully loaded with prawn cocktail, lots of tangy tomato, a sweetness in the background, and even a gentle peppery heat that caught at the back of the throat. There was also a sharp vinegar edge, balancing things out nicely.

I loved how full-on the flavour was. My fingers were even starting to turn orange from the seasoning, which is exactly how I like my snacks. These were a fun variation on a retro favourite, and definitely one I’d buy again.

If you’re a fan of bold flavours and don’t mind messy fingers, these are well worth picking up.

Kit Kat Chunky Funky (WH Smiths) By @Cinabar

This is a very pretty Kit Kat. I’ve complained before that Kit Kats in the UK aren’t the most exciting, especially compared to the wild flavours in Japan, but we do still get a steady stream of new ones to try. This latest edition is all about the look. It’s called Kit Kat Chunky Funky, which is surprisingly fun to say.

The bar has a chocolate wafer centre with a layer of vanilla crème, all coated in marbled milk and white chocolate with a white chocolate base. The wrapper is bright and cheerful, and when I opened it the bar looked just as good, lovely swirls of milk and white chocolate making it stand out. The contrast of the layers inside is spot on too.

In terms of flavour, the new part is the vanilla crème and the addition of white chocolate swirled into the milk chocolate. There are no bold Wasabi or Cherry Blossom-style experiments like Japan is enjoying right now, but this bar does look fabulous. Taste-wise it was very similar to a regular Kit Kat. The texture is the same, with the wafer layers giving way to the thick chocolate coating. The flavour reminded me of a standard milk chocolate Kit Kat, but with a creamier edge. It actually reminded me a little of Kinder Egg chocolate, thanks to the mix of the two types.

It’s a fun new bar for summer, and very Instagram-able, which I suspect is exactly what they were going for.

Waitrose Menyu Japanese selection [@NLi10]

 I foolishly forgot to take pictures of the boxes for these before they went in the recycling, but luckily the Guardian talked about the original launch of this range from 2023.  

The 2025 versions are different - more refined - and more suited to a mix and match approach.

We had

Chicken Karaage

Mushroom Gyoza

The fabulous vegetable rolls

and rice!

We had the meat and mushrooms solo, and split the rest, which was a decent meal.

And the flavours and textures were very surprisingly similar to Japanese restaurants here in the UK.  The Karaage was flavoursome and crispy and the vegetable rolls had a lot more flavour and no sogginess at all.

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that the Waitrose signature range for Japanese food is authentic and affordable, but I do worry sometimes about the flavours we get sold.  Here I'd be happy to try more in the range - if any has survived to the 2025 refresh.

Nando’s Perinaise Lemon & Black Pepper Peri-Peri Mayonnaise (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I haven't had a Nando's for ages. It's not that I don't like a Peri-Peri Chicken or that I have gone off it, just the nearest restaurant is a pain to drive to. So, been as though I miss the Nando's sauces they add to the chicken, it's good to be able to buy them in the local supermarket.

After dolloping some Nando's Perinaise Lemon & Black Pepper Peri-Peri Mayonnaise on my plate, I found there was a sharp lemon flavour to begin with complimenting the Peri-Peri flavour, and a fiery kick of black pepper into the aftertaste.

This new Nando's Perinaise Lemon & Black Pepper Peri-Peri Mayonnaise went very well indeed with my chips, as well as my rotisserie chicken, and I also dipped in some French Bread too. I will definitely enjoy more meals dipped in this mayonnaise, I can tell you.

Strawberry Lemonade Refresher and Canadian Maple Donut (Tim Horton) By @Cinabar

Our local retail park has a new arrival, a Tim Horton’s! It’s taken over the space where Pizza Hut used to be, and I’m glad it hasn’t been left sitting empty. Tim Horton’s is a big name in Canada, especially for coffee and doughnuts, so I had to go in and see what all the fuss was about.

It was a warm day, so I went for something chilled, the Strawberry Lemonade Refresher, and, because I’m me, I had to order a doughnut as well.

The drink came over ice, not blended, and had the prettiest light pink colour. First sip and… wow. The lemon was sharp, zingy, and just what I needed in the heat. The strawberry added a gentle sweetness, but it was definitely the lemon running the show. Tangy, fresh, and dangerously drinkable.

Then came the Canadian Maple Donut. This one’s topped with maple-flavoured icing and filled with cream, and it looked every bit the indulgent treat. The icing had that lovely crisp bite before you hit the soft, fluffy doughnut. The maple flavour was rich and sweet, and the filling was thick, creamy, and almost custard-like. Honestly, it was one of those “don’t speak to me while I’m eating this” moments. The pairing worked perfectly, sharp, refreshing drink meets sweet, fluffy doughnut. A little Canadian sunshine right here in the UK.

McVities Gold Billions Wafer [@NLi10]

 I know we talked about these a couple of years ago, but I think they must have been limited then as my store had a few and then they vanished.  And now they seem to be back! The corner shop had a box on the counter which I managed to resist.

Fortunately my partner did not so we got to share one.

Veggie friendly, and presumably reduced sugar and fat to be treatwise

Base is regular chocolate for structural integrity

Top is that odd caramel chocolate for deep and interesting flavours

And the inside is a combo of wafers and creme, much more of a Euro snack than a British one - which is great!

I think the flavours need to be more powerful for me, but fortunately the Polish supermarkets have powerful wafers to fill that need and this can be enjoyed as the delicate chocolaty sensation that it is.

Until it vanishes again at least. 

McCoy’s Secret Burger Sauce Flavour Crisps (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

I love a good burger and chips, especially for a quick stop on the way back from a comic con or toy fair. I love the meatiness, the relish, tomato and barbecue sauces, a seedless bun, and plenty of fries. These limited edition NFL McCoy's Secret Burger Sauce Flavour Crisps may make a quick treat instead of the calories from a real burger.

On opening the packet there was a mild pickle aroma from the crisps inside. On first taste there was a cheesy flavour with dill and gherkins. I liked the flavour, don't get me wrong. I don't know why, but I was hoping for a meaty flavour too.

I know these McCoy's Secret Burger Sauce Flavour crisps are burger sauce flavour, but I couldn't help wanting the beef that goes with it. The whole point of a burger sauce is that it compliments a beef burger. Perhaps it's just me. Maybe I'll look for a sauce to dip them in.

Information on the packet; The 25g bag contained 132 calories, with 7.8g of fat.