Birmingham & Sandwell Mela - Indian Party In The Park (@NLi10)

More local goodies today - this time by where I live now.  Pic at the start for Instagram! 

Every year our local park hosts a Mela - which is an Asian carnival - for the tiny price of £2 you get to enjoy all the food stalls and the music.

Plenty of selfie opportunities too.  

Nicely the Commonwealth games stands haven’t stopped appearing - there was a demo for combat sports and wheelchair basketball - and both always had a queue to participate.

And there were freebies - we got a can of Coco Cabana Coconut Water each - and despite my reservations I decided to try it.  I liked it a lot more than I usually do - I think a mix of this brand, the heat and the food I had with it.

There were things for the kids too - including this preposterously high (20ft?) inflatable slide. They are braver than I am.

They did have Euro food too - but we went for Asian delights.

I chose the Dahi Puri at the top - little crispy shells with chick-pea, masala and all kinds of spices thrown in.  Absolutely gorgeous and so fresh.

My partner had samosa chaat which is basically onion, tomato and chickpea with all the usual spices and bits, but with a scoop of samosa bits added in which soaks up the sauce and makes for a really good time.

Surprisingly they had a lovely hand painted ghost train - we didn’t go on. Only £3 though.

For pudding we had Julabi which is basically candy-floss in flavours and ingredients. So much - all the food portions were £5 for ease so you got loads of this.

And you can finish your food while enjoying the live Bhangra music and dancing.

Snaffling pig chorizo + a Las Iguanas Cuban pork sandwich (@NLi10)

Two mini reviews today - meat isn’t that exciting really (unless it’s you that’s eating it) 

First up we have this little oddity - but what is it?

Well - it’s Snaffling Pig Chorizo - tiny little bites of meat, but with a luxury twist.  As someone who cooks veggie food then adds a dash of meat this has been a really nice surprise. I’m not sure I’d sit and eat these on the bus - but as a side to food (or olives) they are perfect

Just a little bit spicy, but very meaty. Will buy again.

While out the other day we went to Las Iguanas - and I spotted that the Cuban section had a lovely pork sandwich - perfect for a hot day.

With big sides…

…and so full of things. Thin ham, thick pork, mustard and veggies. A little bit luxury and something I’d actively go back for.  Las Iguanas have always been one of the most reliable chains for interesting, exotic food and it’s great to see them keeping up the trend.

Eat Out - but actually outside - To Help Out - UK Restaurants are BACK (@NLi10)

Well the sun is out - so lets go to visit our favourite restaurants. But wait - we are still in Covid precautions - how is this possible?

We are outside on the street!

Despite the lovely cocktails it's actually quite cold - it's April in England (Lichfield) so wear a coat.

The food we chose was Ma Ma Thai, and I had the Pad Thai Moo and my partner had the Masaman Tofu Curry.  Both as amazing as usual, but particulalry sweet as our first proper meal out together in maybe 18 months!

And then I got to go and sit in my parents lovely garden and drink tea and eat cake!

These are the rewards we get for staying safe and distant and getting vaccinated.

 

Gleefully Gluten Free Brown Owl Brownie - and a walk in the country (@NL10)

 

The British Countryside - lovely and green, and blatantly about to rain.  This was in October when we were allowed out, and I figured it'd be a nice opener.

While we were out there -naturally- we picked up a snack from the socially distant hut.

Along with the paper cup tea I chose a Gleefully Gluten Free Brown Owl Brownie - which has salted caramel and dark chocolate which are exciting additions.

Look at that gooey loveliness.

I do think that the gluten free status of brownies is almost magical. If you choose Gluten Free brownies over the regular versions then you know you aren't getting a rock hard one that needs microwaving to goo up, but something like this that behaves correctly even when the large gazebo you are in is getting rained upon.

Definitely something I'd hunt for again - a lovely treat.

Eating at Giraffe - buns and filled churros (@GiraffeTweet) by @NLi10

We found ourselves in town and needing a nice little lunch so decided on Giraffe in Grand Central for a change as we only ever go as a couple when in an airport.

I decided to choose just one thing off the Tapas portion of the menu (prompting a warning from the waitress that I hadn't chosen a big option) as I really fancied more buns after having some Dim Sum in the week.  This is a Katsu version which feels a bit culture clash, but I'm fine with that.  The authenticity mostly came from the smell of all the Asian restaurants that were surrounding me and glaring...

I enjoyed it, but it was a bit small - whatever can I do?

Luckily I'd spotted this before ordering and had a plan. Churros + buns was about the price of a normal lunch.

These aren't regular churros though - they are fat ones and they are filled!

Look - it's full of apple! Well, not full, and not real apple, but close enough to be interesting.  The outsides were crispy and the insides were not hot enough to sear flesh so they were perfect.  Not sure why we got an odd chocolate dip to go with the apple version - nice though.  5 wasn't great for the money (but it's what is on the sign) and I maybe should have got them from the market instead, but the quality was certainly high.

I can't wait to go back for more (mainly because we'll probably be flying somewhere nice!)

Little Dessert Shop (Lichfield) by @NLi10 @LittleDessertSh

When out and about in England it's fun to try all the little cafes and eateries that have cropped up.  Some like Devo-Teas are very much independent and nice cosy places to hide away.  Others like the Little Dessert Shop are chains, but well meaning ones with a nice variety on offer and act as a noisy, bright place for other people to gravitate towards.

I prefer my restaurants indy and snug, but for a massive sugar hit you can't really go wrong here.

Glossy menus and well photographed food

And lots of fabulous options that you can add too if you choose.

Sam had this - it's exploded Maltesers on a waffle.  It was very nice.

I had the white chocolate cookie dough and then paid 65p to add 8 whole raspberries to the top.  I'm not sure I got good value there...

It was all very nice though, and the addition of both cream and ice-cream meant that you could get a variety of textures and bites.

I did like the little arty wafers.  I mean - I know those are easy enough to do, but it does add flair.

And it's gooey all the way to the last bite.  I'm really glad I got a glass of tap-water on the side - it's quite sweet!!

We basically had this as an afternoon treat and then skipped dinner.  Yum!

I'm often disappointed by dessert places, but here I think we got our money's worth and the food was of a high quality.  I can see us looking for more local branches to sneak in and nibble away at.  And they do have a Halloween special menu at the moment...

Harry Ramsden's Chip Shop - Blackpool Tower (@NLi10)

Blackpool in February is a little bleak. The rollercoaster are not yet rolling, and even the Stag nights and Hen parties are not yet out in force.

Late one evening we expected to be able to grab a quick takeaway of chips from the famous Harry Ramsden chain, now underneath the Blackpool tower.

It was very closed, and so we carried on round the corner into the restaurant itself, literally underneath the ballroom that we had tea in the day before.

We ordered our food after reassurances from the staff that they were definitely still serving.

 

We were the only customers there when our food arrived!  As it was late we just had the classic double fried chips and beans (or peas in my partners case).  They came with all the expected sauces and were cloaked in newspaper style wrapping.

  

Oh and you can just see the onion rings hiding at the back. These were actually quite delicate and nice and well worth adding to dip in the beans. The chips were freshly fried and crispy and fluffy exactly how chips should be. Even though the staff would clearly get to go home as soon as we left we were not rushed, and the staff even had to unlock the door to let us out! While Harry Ramsdens is probably not most people's first choice of Blackpool location for an after hours lock-in I think that the newly refurbished restaurant is perfect for a get together with friends. Or in our case for the traditional chips by the seaside on the final day of the holiday.

Santa Pie - Mad O'Rourkes Pie Factory (@NLi10)

Deep in the heart of the Black Country there is a place known as Tipton, and within it resides the spit and sawdust pub known as Mad O'Rourkes World Famous Pie Factory.  We go here a couple of times a year to be defeated by the giant pies and mystical lump hammer ale.

The seasonal offering today was Santa Pie!

Where as a chicken pie contains chicken, this is more like a vegetarian pie in that it would be suitable for Santa.  To this end it has pastry antlers so that it looks like two ears stick out of the pie.  Oddly the ears were cold even though the rest of the pie was piping hot.  I blame the frosty December weather.

As you can see - this is a pie in a bowl, which would ordinarily be a cause for concern as the pastry is almost always the star.  Here the top is amazing enough, but the filling is king.

Inside there is nothing but recognisable chunks of Turkey, carrots...

...whole intact sprouts, lots of gravy, stuffing...

...and a couple of whole potatoes, along with a small sausage and other little festive bits and bobs.  All quite amazing and filling, but I was as expected defeated by this mighty feast.  Well, I think I more ran out of time due to socialising and my arthritic hands, but I'd have struggled to have enjoyed the last bit and would have just been persevering to change the colour of the certificate presented at the end.

A wimps certificate is gifted to those that tried but failed.  At £11 it's not a cheap pie, but frankly it's almost two days dinners in one!  A little salty for my taste (I don't think I add salt to anything these days), but with a lovely deep flavour, and all the real textures of the actual food I'd happily by defeated by another one of these any day.

Las iguanas - new menu choices (by @NLi10)

We are on a mini break in deepest darkest Wales (Pembrookshire) at the moment so have been eating out a few times. On the way down in Cribbs Causeway near Bristol were stopped off at a Las Iguanas for a change and spotted that the menu was very different to the last time we ate in our home one in Birmingham.

There are a couple of notable new steaks

And this fantastic sounding Bahian (it's a region of Brazil) curry - which I will certainly go back and try.  Today however I had the Picanha Steak.

This wasn't quite what I had pictured, but it was certainly very appetising. The plate was mostly sweet potato fries (a fashionable trend I can get behind) and the sauces were separate as if they may scare the more reserved diner. Despite all the wonderful descriptive text on the menu I'd ordered the safe choice - darn!

The green sauce was basically minty pesto, and the chopped tomato was a simple enough garnish. The steak was nicely done but had none of the regional flair I'd hoped for. It tasted pretty English! When mixed together the flavours came alive and I did really enjoy the meal. It was certainly filling enough and well put together but with someone whose tastes are a little more conservative in mind. This does mean I could take my Granddad to Las Iguanas and he could have this while I go for something that sizzles and pops with flavour.  Just means I definitely have to go back for the curry now!