Chain Reaction - Wagamama's Birthday Lunch

I am a girl (Hmmm can you be 41 and still refer to yourself as a girl?) who usually favours a independent restaurant over a chain.  However, I wanted Thai/oriental food but most places that I wanted to go were shut on Monday's, did I mention a Monday for a Birthday is kinda sucky.  So as I really wanted the nibbly starters I decided Wagamama's would be a good option.  So the Mother ship and I headed to Canterbury and after heading the wrong way down a one way system arrived at Wagamama's.

So what did I munch to celebrate my 41 years on this earth. I started with the spicy squid, it was hot tasty, the vinegary dip was delicious, although I am a spicy old bird and could have hone a bit hotter.

I then was brought out my Prawn Gyoza, my honest opinion don't bother, they were bland.  I was a bit gutted as due to the lack of places I can get Dim Sum in deepest darkest Kent, Gyoza had been high up as a suitable replacement.  Next time I know my local takeaway (shout out to Hey Hey) do better Gyoza and Dim Sim.

The next dish was my wildcard it was Korean BBQ beef bun, and yes we have a winner.  It was delicious BBQ Beef in a soft bun with onion, coriander and a mayo.  It was tender nommy and luckily as I am a greedy girl the Mother ship did not like it so I did not have to share the lovely sweet aromatic flavours much.

Finally there was another portion of Chicken Gyoza equally as uninspiring as the prawn.  Then a sea food Ramen that the Mother ship (It was Mum's choice I would have had Salmon Teriyaki Soba, but she doesn't like this)and I shared it was okay delicate flavours, the sea bream was yummy and so were the prawns.

Overall it was a okay dinner it was pretty reasonable and you got free Green Tea.  Would I rush back?  I might pop in for the Korean BBQ Beef bun but the rest was okay but forgettable, and I remain a champion of the Independent Restaurant where I feel you get more interesting and flavourful foods.
over a chain.

Plus 40 Fabulous - The February Edition

I participate with a wonderful. stylish bunch of women in a Monthly blog event called Plus 40 fabulous, as despite what people think 40 does not mean you suddenly wish to dress in beige slacks and give up hope of ever being fashionable again, unless you count the over 50 renaissance fashion seems to be enjoying at the moment with Advanced age and JD Williams having a pretty stylish over 50 range, since when did style have a age????? Any how I digress, this months rather splendid theme is:  What makes me happy?

Not to be cliched I will start with the important stuff My Family.

I live with the Hub and a rather wonderful elderly Staffrador (we think she is Staff cross lab, although at her last vet visit they said there may be some Collie, so a mongrel but we prefer Staffrador)  called Madame Beyonce.  I have to say chilling with these two is my favourite thing and I am very grateful to have them both in my life,

I have also been blessed with a wonderful family, unfortunately I no longer have my Dad but I have my fantastic Mum who is my biggest cheerleader, help, support and I am so lucky to have her.  I also have a pretty fab big brother who is big support and help to us all.  Here they are at my nieces wedding.

Friends

I am also blessed with some understanding friends as I work long hours as a carer and often am not about at weekends or when they are off, but they are always there.

And although I have not seen them all together in some time one of the things I am really looking forward to this year is my college reunion with these guys and recreating this photo,

Through Blogging I have also made an amazing group of virtual friends and one of my aims this year is try and see them a bit more in the flesh.

My Home town.

I live in Deal and although as a teenager I didn't appreciate it. referring to it as the seaside town they forgot to even open.  As a adult I bloody love the place even if it is full of expensive coffee shops and not much else it is a place of great beauty and in my opinion a bloody great place to live.

From The Telegraph

One of our beautiful side streets

Eating Out

I love good food and if I can eat out all the better.  Recently I ate a really good Vietnamese after an appointment with the eye geeks in London - that made me very happy.

Music

 I will always love Pulp, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Saint Etienne, Camera Obscura, girl bands, Amy Winehouse and the Foo Fighters.  A bit eclectic I know and I am huge Brit Pop fan and love interesting covers at the moment Postmodern Jukebox is a fave.

Books.

I have recently got back into reading and am on track for my two books a month target.  So far this year I have read Jojo Moyes, Before You and After You which I highly recommend.  A forgettable easy read called The Angel Tree and at the moment I am reading The Diary of a Teenage Girl, which is set in 70's San Fransisco which so far I am enjoying.

Authors I love are Maggie O'Farrell, Lisa Jewell and Sarra Manning, especially her new book Save the last dance,

Then there is clothes and accessories my tastes veer I guess to the quirky and at the moment I love the 60's with my latest purchase being this amazing Heart of Haute dress.

I also love prints and have several print dresses this Gnome dress is my oldest but always makes me happy, as does the fox print.

I am also having a bit of a love affair with novelty bags and the skinnydip ones are just amazing, I have just got my hands on this Ray gun bag, which my work mates declared hideous but zero effs given here.

There are other things such as Crown and Glory and Janine Basil.  TV shows like the Big Bang Theory. Bojack Horseman, Gold Rush and House of Cards that make me smile but these are the main.

Please read what is making everyone else happy and if you feel inclined tell me what is making you happy,

Cathy: http://www.southernyacht.blogspot.co.uk/
Christy: http://www.sprintingwithscissors.blogspot.co.uk/
Daisy: http://daisysays.co.uk
Kate: https://wearingmywardrobein2016.wordpress.com
Kath: https://fatheffalump.wordpress.com
Leah: http://www.justmeleah.co.uk
Lee: http://www.pinkybellesshed.co.uk/
Lisa: http://www.kitandkoboodle75.blogspot.co.uk/
Mookie: http://www.mookieslife.com/
Nikki :http://www.nattynikki.com/
Perelandra: http://www.pamperandcurves.com/
Sarah: http://www.plussizeproud.co.uk
Steph: http://www.misskittenheel.com
Yvonne: http://woosangwashere.blogspot.com

Local Lunches - The Hayman's Kitchen

When my lovely friend Micky said she was returning to Deal and opening up a Cafe in Walmer (For those who aren't local Deal and Walmer are pretty much the same place) I was super excited.  This August The Hayman's Kitchen opened, serving delicious homemade vegetarian breakfasts, cakes, soups and other specials, she has also branched out into selling amazingly delicious sourdough loaves.

The Hayman's Kitchen - photo from Facebook page

I have visited back when it opened but as I am a terrible blogger no pictures were taken but I can report my Mum had a homemade rosti and poached eggs which I can report was bloomin delicious, whilst I had the damn tasty garlic mushrooms on toast.

I have of course ventured back and this time indulged in the yummy looking cakes.  I went for the home made sourdough cinnamon bun which was sweet but not cloying whilst remaining deliciously moist (God I hate that word but I can't think of a better one) and with a decent taste of cinnamon.

My Mum is more of a traditionalist and went for the scone, which was served with butter and local W.I. Jam, cream is available but my Mum is not a fan and asked for it without.  She said it was delicious and I know this to be true as she didn't offer me a bite.

Micky is a charming hostess and the whole place has a lovely welcoming atmosphere. It is also great to have somewhere in the plethora of local cafes that is exclusively vegetarian.  To check out what other options or specials are planned there is a facebook page, which also gives opening times,

Guilty Pleasures - The Hunt for The Best Veggie Breakfast, The Sea Cafe, Walmer Green

I have a secret I LOVE a fry up. As a recent sorta veggie (I eat fish still) the  wife of a Veggie and the lover of a going out for a brekkie, I am a girl who is on a hunt to find the best brekkie that my area has to offer!

So as it was a glorious day me and The Hub thought we would walk Madame Beyonce our aging Staffrador (Mongrel, if we're going old school) down to the seafront and try our fried breakfast luck at The Sea Cafe as there is a lot of seating outside and it looked dog friendly.

The Sea Cafe is converted from the old public toilets, which upsets some people on Trip Advisor but not me I didn't spot a dirty old urinal in the kitchen so I feel quite happy!  Now this is not chi chi Latte Deal and I may well come to that in further reviews, but more your greasy spoon but that was the order of the day I wanted a hearty breakfast.

Inside is kind of arty and eclectic with mismatched furniture and art.  However as we had Beyonce we chose a seat outside and me and the hub went for the Veggie Breakfast which came with a Veggie sausage, egg, fried bread or toast, beans, mushrooms, egg, hash browns, bread and butter and a mug of tea at £4.50.  Madame Beyonce prefers a more meaty option and I thought she would appreciate a sausage.

A slight disclaimer any breakfast with beans and a fried slice is a winner for me and the fried bread was good.  I would have liked more mushrooms and if I was to return I would order extra mushrooms and I was thrilled that they were real as a few times I have been horrified by tinned mushrooms on my breakfast.  The egg was well cooked and still runny and I liked the veggie sausage (I think it was a Linda McCartney one) The tea was good and strong so I am voting this breakfast a 8 out of 10.

I think my happy face bellow sums it up.

Now as I am ridiculously in love and proud of my home town I will leave you with some pictures of our splendid seafront and the Lifeboat station on Walmer Green

A random Totem pole by the beach huts

Those benches were home of many a teenage snog!

Stay tuned for more of guilty pleasures and if you know of the finest breakfast available to humanity let me know people!

PS; Beyonce also enjoyed her sausage, but this should not necessarily be taken as a recommendation as she is not the most discerning of eaters

Raw Like Sushi - Nishimura, Swansea

Sometimes a girl has gotta eat and she doesn't want a sandwich for lunch or some soup, she wants some fancy pants sushi.  In honesty I am a big fan of Japanese food and when I heard there was a new one opened in Swansea a mild longing became a full on I WANT get in my mouth now!

So I grabbed the Mama, as The Hub is not a fan and is engrossed in a new Video Game and as I have worked like a bitch all last month and it is near pay day said I would treat her to lunch.  From outside it is nothing special really a plainish looking shop front with a small bench in front of the window, that I prayed I wouldn't be seated at as I would have felt like I was eating in a fish bowl but I think my Mum who is a self confessed nosy parker would have liked this, apart from this there was a very long Japanese style dining bench, so if the idea of sitting next to a stranger freaks you out this is not the place for you.

So the food we both had a main and a side which we shared.  For my main I had Chirashi Don which is sushi rice topped with Salmon, Octopus, other types of Sashimi, egg, prawn and something called amarbi which is a sweet shrimp and a miso soup.  It was beautifully presented but bad blogger me forgot to take a picture, but they did have a picture on their website.

Image taken from Nishimura's own website

If anything it was even prettier in its presentation.  However, as soon as I ordered I realised I had made a mistake as it was served cold although nice I wouldn't get this again as I discovered I don't like Sashimi as much as I thought some of it was just to like munching the seabed for my liking and I do like hot food better than cold as a rule.  Also the Amarbi (sweet prawn) was very strange and not something I would go out of my way to eat again as a sweetish/pickled prawn is odd and left as starange sensation in my mouth.  I warmed the rice by mixing it with the miso and that worked well for me.

My Mum's Main was a lovely Seafood Hotpot but we didn't read the menu carefully enough as all the other Hotpots came with noodles but the seafood was just vegetables and seafood which is great for something light but if you wanted something more substantianal I would get some noodles or rice to accompany.

I thought this was lovely packed with seafood and veggies with a nice delicate taste and was a hit with both me and my Mum.  We also had some Gyoza which were perfectly cooked hot tasty, crisp without overdoing it and not oily they were such a hit no pictures were taken.

Finally we had a rainbow Sushi this roll was crabstick and cucumber inside and topped with different toppings of tuna, salmon, sea bass and avocado and was lovely and colourful.  This sushi was fresh soft and tasty, served at the perfect temperature and frankly a work of art to look at.

Following the success of this I bought some spicy dragon roll sushi to take home, it was nice but not as good, but the packaging was cute with a sticker on the box with the restaurant logo on it and chopsticks.

 The service was good attentive but not intrusive and very polite, we were also the only caucasians in the place when I arrived which I always think is a sign that it is a good authentic place.  I am a bit cack handed so I tend to take training chopsticks (as I am trying to learn for my planned South Korea adventure) with me that I think got some amused glances from the men next to me but when I forgot them and Mum went back for them the older ladies nearer the counter seemed to think they were clever.  So I will leave you with a pic of my training chopsticks do they help?  Well I can eat well with them but don't feel that my actual chopstick technique has improved tremendously so maybe I will update.

If you want to know more about Nishimura, they have a pretty good website with location a full menu complete with pictures.

OOTD - Sweet Saturdays

Soooooo I am aware it has been a while since I posted on my little bloggy, but I have been a busy Twee moving back from Wales, which hasn't been smooth sailing but perhaps more of that another time.

So today I have a rare Saturday off where I can indulge myself and see friends who work normalish hours.  So off I went to see my dear friend Maxi Moo for a cuppa and a snack at a new cafe in Deal where I live.  It was a nice morning so my pictures are quite smiley a departure from my usual bitch face.

Yesterday I dyed my hair a pastel pink over a pale blue so it is kinda pale pinky lilac which reminds me of sweeties, so I decided there was only one print for it my Vampire Bunnies Junk food dress.

I did wear this dress to Plus London last year but I love it so much I think you all need to see it again to truly appreciate it.  I like Vampire Bunnies and although they only do to a size 18 on the website, they do custom orders for larger sizes, making it longer and putting straps although they do charge a bit extra for this.  A lot of their designs feature the elastic back I have some mixed feelings about this as although it allows for growing and shrinking, I sometimes think it can flatten my boobies a bit in the sweetheart styles.

I teamed this with my trusty H by Henry Holland Denim Jacket from last year and my Red Mel shoes from a little shop in London.  I love these cos there Red and they have bows!

I also gave my wonderful Blackheart Creatives " Your the one for me Fattie."  Necklace a outing cos I'm the kind of girl who wants a cupcake with her Junkfood.

And as I am trying to grow the pixie out into a bob and it is getting longer (But not that long as you can see) I added a bow headband from Janine Basil to round it all off.  These are amazing and glittery and available in loads of colours too!

My lipstick is a Bourjois is a Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo and I am impressed as this is after eating a Croque Monsieur and drinking a cup of tea at Deal's newest Cafe,  Hope and Lane.

Sorry I should have taken a pic whilst it wasn't half eaten but I was starving!!!  I quite liked the place there was big selection of teas and coffees and a small variety of pastries and snacks to go with this but no bigger hot snacks so probably won't become a local favourite for me, that said the Croque was good but would have liked a bigger cheese to white sauce ratio.

Finally a gratuitous shot of the church that was the backdrop for the pictures as I love Deal and there is many pretty buildings in my little town.

Shop my look:

Dress - Vampire Bunnies

Shoes - Mel (similar here as old)

Denim Jacket - H by Henry Holland at Debenhams (similar here)

Necklace - Blackheart Creatives

Headband - Janine Basil

Birthday Bliss!

I have been a very bad blogger (Even with this I had planned a lot of OOTD posts and to write it just after my Birthday, but y'know life) with very few posts, but as I think I mentioned in my last post I had been wallowing in the pit of black sadness that I was wearing like a big ol' coat in the middle of winter that I couldn't take off. However, to shake me out of this a bit was my Birthday and Mamma treated me and the Hub to go to London to see Wicked and stay for 2 nights, which I have to say lifted the spirits!

We stayed at The Travelodge, Covent Garden which was an amazing location just off Dury Lane on High Holborn (round the corner from The Diner on Shaftsbury Avenue)  I liked the Travellodge a lot sure it was basic but it was clean, comfortable and surprisingly quiet with a fantastic view.

After a long train journey from Port Talbot we headed straight over and ate at The Diner before checking in.  I have long been jealous when I read the London based bloggers blogs and tweets about The Diner, so I indulged in a Diablo Burger, The Hub had some kind of pulled Pork topped Burger extravaganza and a shared order of Chilli cheese fries and Tator Tots, and a Colonel Parker, which is a bourbon, with vanilla and chocolate ice cream and peanut butter milkshake, heaven in a glass for me.

A lot of pics of Food I know but the girl loves food

Then after checking in I demanded we did the tourist thing, as I had never done a Ghost Tour or the London Eye as living quite near in Kent and spending a lot of time in London as a kid, I never felt I needed to, but I used my Wowchers and Cereal Box coupons and did this, and it was fun! Although on a side note I would never pay full for The London Eye as although the view is spectacular I think what would have been £40.00 for 2 adults for under an hour is steep.

Then it was my Birthday we went to Chinatown bought cool cakes, and explored the Chinatown market where we bought some cool Hello Kitty stuff and earrings.  If you are into Kawaii stuff I can highly recommend, it is in the Chinatown Market on Charring Cross Road and called Qu'tse.

Then I had a mooch round Covent Garden and bought some Converse and Mel shoes which I will feature soon, before heading over to Victoria to see Wicked, which was amazing and the Art Deco of the Apollo Victoria was beautiful and the emerald neon that was decorating the place really complimented the architecture.

On the Saturday we Geeked it up at The Natural History Museum, which as well as being free has so many amazing exhibits but if I am honest I was just as awestruck by the architecture which is so Gothic and has so much attention to detail.

Darwin - The Daddy of Evolution

The Dino star of the show!

 Then we returned back to Wales, I was happy to be home with the Dog but sad to leave London, it really is an amazing vibrant city and I want to spend more time there.

What about you guys are you London lovers or does it leave you a bit meh!  Let me know your top tips and how you spend your time cos I am dead nosey.