PowerBar 5Electrolytes 0Calorie Sports Drink [by @NLI10]

Another Holland & Barrett pick up - again from the penny sale effectively meaning these were half price (as it's buy one get one for a penny).  I've been a fan of these 'energy' drinks that you make up yourself as a kind of pick-me-up for a while.  The ones I take to festivals have all the energy I need in them too, but these have taken a more modern approach and are zero calorie - and they don't contain caffeine too! (there is a flavour that does but I avoided that)

Essentially all you need is water (which is usually available at most exercise establishments) and a suitable receptacle to put it in.  The large tablets fizz up and make a pleasing looking and smelling mixture.

Sometimes this kind of drink tastes of the baking powder style substances they use to make sure it all dissolves, but these are pretty good.  They both taste vaguely like the flavours they advertise (mango/Passionfruit and raspberry/pomegranate) but the differences are real enough that I prefer the green one to the red one!

There is a horrible tendency amongst my friends and peers to drink insane amounts of calories via Relentless Monsters of energy drinks which has led to quite a few of them being - well - a bit larger than necessary.  I think that if all zero calorie sports drinks tasted like this (and the Lucozade Sport Zero which is similar) then more people would switch.

Coupled with the convenient tablet form I will continue to buy these (or whichever version is cheapest due to offers) as a slightly healthy alternative.

Maille Pepper Sauce (Waitrose) [By @SpectreUK]

Maille, pronounced "My" was established in 1747, which is a very long time to be producing French condiments. This pepper sauce has black pepper, Espelette Pepper and Almagnac in its ingredients. On opening it had an immediate rich smell of mayonnaise mixed with rapeseed oil and a tantalising nose tingling touch of pepper.
I found this Pepper Sauce a complex journey of flavours. There was an initial creaminess followed by a sour citric and vinegary mayonnaise, with a sharpened edge of rapeseed oil mixed with a hint of Almagnac, and then a medium peppery finish that tickled my nose hairs and left a light burn in my mouth. The jar recommended trying this Maille Pepper Sauce with grilled steak or duck breast, but hey I enjoyed lashings of it on my chips and Pigs-in-Blankets! I also tried it with various flavours of crisps, Salt and Vinegar being the preferred flavour. It also worked really well on a beef sandwich. I reckon it would go well with anything you like to eat mayonnaise with, especially if you like strong flavoursome mayonnaise with a peppery kick!

Information on the label;
200g pot with suggested portions of 15g having 75 calories, 7.5g of fat and 0.6g of sugar. Please see photograph for ingredients.

By Spectre

Twinings Bollywood Chai Latte (Waitrose) [By @Cinabar]

If I’m drinking tea the chances are it is Chai. I drink copious amounts of the stuff. I have a love of cinnamon so what would be more natural than to drink spiced tea, black tea mixed with warming spices, it is just so perfect for me. I’ve tried several brands of Chai, and love them all. Twinings Chai is a regular purchase for me, and if I’m out I like a Chai Latte at Starbucks too.
We were out shopping at Waitrose, hunting for Foodstuff Finds, when I spotted in the tea section on a big stand, this new tea from Twinings; Bollywood Chai Latte. How could I resist. Il ove the posh packaging and the decoration on the bag, inside of which are twelve tea pyramids.
I couldn’t wait to try the tea out and the second I was home the kettle was excitedly flicked on. I had a look at the instructions and it suggests making it with a mix of hot water and hot milk, so I readied up the microwave too. The bags smelt really strong before being brewed, but not like I expected. The aroma was like a mix of liquorice, almond and honey, which was a bit weird.
I made the tea as per the suggestion on the label and even added a little sugar. I took my first sip and couldn’t believe the taste. It was strong, overly sweet and tasted like liquidised Battenburg cake. I couldn’t finish the cup. It was so almondy and lacking the important spices, the flavours I expected. I have a love-hate relationship with almonds at the best of times, but I do like Battenburg cake. However I do not want to drink the stuff, I only added a half teaspoon of sugar (as per the suggestion on the pack) but the overly sweet marzipan drink it made meant that I ended up feeling a bit sick.
If you are going to make a limited edition or flavoured chai the key rule to remember is that spices should be at the forefront, they are the key ingredient. Vanilla and other flavours can enhance it no end, I’ve tried a few teas like this and loved them. The key to success though is the spicy flavour and ideally cinnamon, if you can’t pick up on them it isn’t a proper Chai.

By Cinabar

McPizza Pepperoni Burger and Toffee Latte (@McDonaldsUK) #MyBurger [By @Cinabar]

McDonalds are currently running a contest called My Burger in which members of the public have put forward their ideas for dream burgers, and now McDonalds are trailing a few of the varieties. I have to admit to not being a regular in McDonalds so I shan’t be reviewing them all, but I did manage to try out the McPizza Pepperoni Burger, currently on offer.

The burger is beef and it has a cheese topped bun, a specialty ketchup, salad, mozzarella slices and pepperoni layered in the bun. As a fan of pizza I liked how they mimicked a pizza flavour and thought the pepperoni layer sounded like a really fun edition. Cheese and tomato aren’t anything new on a burger but pepperoni added a nice new twist.
I liked the shape of the burger, it is slightly elongated and looks quite posh. The extra ingredients are all quite generous with plenty of cheese and posh ketchup. The mozzarella was melting pleasingly and added a nice soft gooey texture. The flavour was nice, it is mostly beef but the pepperoni and speciality ketchup add a nice hint of spice, I could pick up on paprika, and the extra meatiness. It was a very enjoyable burger, although the pizza flavours are subtle they do the trick nicely. A good hint of pepperoni pizza flavour without ruining the beef rush you get from a McDonalds meal.

Obviously while I was in McDonalds there was only one possible choice of drink for me, which was the Christmas Limited Edition Toffee Latte. The board behind the counter showed them served in super cute Christmas cups, but mine arrived in a plain cup sadly. The flavour was rather indulgent, and I liked the cream on top of my latte too, it made it feel special. The toffee syrup added a nice soft sweetness and gave the drink a dessert like feel, and turned it into a bit of a treat.
I have to say I very much enjoyed our trip to McDonalds, and although we don’t go regularly I’ll certainly look forward to our next visit. I’d also like to see the McPizza Pepperoni Burger again and hope it does well in the competition.

By Cinabar

Salvador - Gourmet Burger Kitchen (Mailbox, Birmingham) [by @NLi10]

As the nights draw in and Christmas looms on the horizon we seem to go out more with work.  Whether it be festive celebrations, or in this case a leaving do there is no shortage of opportunities to try new things. Hurrah!

On this occasion we ended up at Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Birmingham's Mailbox.  The place was a lot less busy that we'd expected and our table of 16 easily outnumbered the other people we saw that evening, but mid week and later in the evening I guess most places are quiet.

Here is the extensive menu!

I went for the Salvador (as it had lots of unusual things together that I like)

And it looked like this! I decided to take the top off first, but didn't think to take it from a shallow angle so you could see the contents...

It was a lovely mix of flavours from the sausage and the ketchup at the strong end, with the lighter more cooling flavours underneath.  I'd probably choose this again, depending on what other exciting things are on offer.

Also on offer were skinny fries.  And they are much skinnier than I'd anticipated! I loved them and finished mine easily but a lot of people did not as they got cold a bit too fast.  Maybe they need to heat the bowls when they serve them so that you can eat your burger first and still have great fries.  I had no such problem as I ate all mine pretty fast - but didn't hoover up the other people's as they were less nice once cold.

All in all a decent menu and everyone enjoyed what they ordered.  I'd be happy to go back - although there are a good few new luxury burger places that have opened and I have to try some of those first.  The skinny fries may just tempt me back though...