THE OLIVE OIL BUYERS GUIDE WITH JAMIE'S ITALIAN

I'm a huge foodie, and being very familiar with Jamie's Italian (You can read my full review here and book a table at the Norwich branch here)  I thought a guide on finding the right olive oil for the job would fit in perfectly here. If I'm honest, when it comes to cooking I'm not very observant and throw in any oil to get the job done, so after having a read of the simple guide I'm able to work out which oil is the best choice to enhance my dish. I don't think I'm alone in admitting that I take a 'one thing fits all' approach to things, so it's great to have something simple to refer to when making sure we are getting the most out of what we do. It's interesting that most Olive Oil is form Spain, and who knew there was a way to taste the oil?

Pure Olive Oil is great for:

Grilling

Frying

Sauteing 

Extra Olive Oil is great for:

Dipping Bread

Dressings

Cold Dishes

Light Olive Oil is great for:

Baking

Grilling 

Frying

I'm pretty pleased to now be clued up in the Olive Oil world as I was pretty clueless and now I'll apply this guide to when I cook. My food knowledge is now a pinch better and I can appreciate different Olive Oils and apply what I know when needed, and I hope you feel inspired to apply this to all your meals!

TURTLE BAY - NEW MENU REVIEW

I hadn't been to Turtle Bay since the opening, so when I was asked to swing by to taste their new menu I was all too excited. I asked my bestie Sophie to come with me as she's been to Turtle Bay many times, and I knew she'd love to give the new menu a go. I was told that there are now more vegan and vegetarian options which is amazing to hear! Many of my friends are either vegan or veggies, so I will be recommending Turtle Bay to all of them. There's something for everyone, and even the pickiest of eaters can find something they love. As you can probably guess, this post will be photo heavy - The food is so photogenic!

The venue is beautiful. There's Caribbean vibes everywhere, from the colours to the music. It's not often you go to a restaurant and get completely transported to another place. I've been to themed places before, and nowhere quite does it like Turtle Bay.

On arrival we were greeted by the loveliest waitress, Courtney. She was attentive, helpful and made the experience that much better. She helped pick cocktails and recommended side dishes. As soon as we sat down I began reading the menu as I listened to the Reggae music that played in the background. I instantly went to the cocktails (I'm a cocktail girl through and through) and found loads that I fancied. After we ordered our drinks we ordered food. I ordered the Stuffed Pepper Roti for starters followed by the Caribbean Curry Fish with a side dish of Trini Pineapple Chow. Sophie ordered Trini Doubles for starters and for mains she went for the Spinach, Aubergine and Sweet Potato Curry.

Trini Doubles

Stuffed Pepper Roti

 Bay Bramble cocktail

Spinach, Aubergine and Sweet Potato Curry.

Trini Pineapple Chow.

Caribbean Curry Fish

I adore the Stuffed Pepper Roti and I've had it before. It has the right amount of spice and it just tastes beautiful. I was initially going to try something new, but I absolutely love the Stuffed Pepper Roti and knew I couldn't go on without it. Sophie loved her Trini Doubles, which I had a sneaky try of. They were full of flavour and will be something I'll go for next time! I went for the Caribbean Curry Fish for mains as I rarely go for fish so I ushered myself to try something different, and I wasn't disappointed. The dish wasn't 'fishy' which I was slightly cautious of. The fish was soft and full of flavours from the ginger and coconut. The fish absorbed all the flavours around it which tasted beautiful!
I love that Turtle Bay has such a different menu to anywhere I know, and I know I'm going to get on a ride of new and exciting flavours each time I go. One example is the Trini Pineapple Chow. The idea of it being covered in scotch bonnet terrified me, but honestly, combined with the pineapple it just works. The sweetness of the pineapple against the hot scotch bonnet tastes so good! For her mains, Sophie also went for a One Pot, she chose the Spinach, Aubergine and Sweet Potato Curry. She kept going on about how amazing it tasted, so I obviously had to give it a go - and she wasn't lying! I haven't had a bad dish from Turtle Bay and I don't think I ever will.

Dark Chocolate Brownie

Banana and Toffee Cheesecake

For dessert I went for the Banana and Toffee Cheesecake which I had also had before. I can literally taste it now just thinking about it! I'm not a fan of bananas at all, but I can't get enough of this. It was sweet and delicate, and just the right amount of banana. Easily one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tried. Again, I tried a bit of Sophie's dessert. She went for the brownie (Which is also vegan) so it would be silly of me not to give it a go. Any chocolate lovers must give this a go when they come here, it's the yummiest, most chocolatey brownie you'll find.  

Overall, Turtle Bay is a must. If you've been toying with the idea, just go, you won't regret it. And if you're a veggie or a vegan, there's plenty of options for you to delve into! I'm planning on taking my boyfriend here as he's a veggie, and I know he's going to love it. Also, if you're a cocktail lover and wanting a place to stop on your way out to the club, Turtle Bay is the place. Not only is the music and cocktails great, they also have a 2 4 1 happy hour! What's not to love?!

Visit the Turtle Bay website here and have

a look at the menu.

You can also find your nearest Turtle Bay

and book from the website.

Thanks for reading!

NORWICH BLOGGERS CHRISTMAS MEAL AT WARWICK STREET SOCIAL

As one of the 3 organisers of the Norwich Blogger events, alongside Courteney and Justine, we had been organising this event since June. A Christmas meal being organised in June?! That's right - These Norwich Blogger events take a lot longer to organise that people realise! Making sure we have the best place, the best food and the best company doesn't happen over night. After having a few ideas on who to have our meal with, we settled on Warwick Street Social with its fantastic food, lovely and attentive staff and a beautiful venue. Previously to this event we held a cocktail evening to find the two best cocktails to compliment the Christmas Meal which turned out to be the Gingerbread Man cocktail and Candy Cane cocktail. 

We were lucky enough to have the lovely people down at Neal's Yard send us over some beautiful Wild Rose Beauty Balm for little party favours, which I adore and will review properly soon! Me and my mum (Thanks mumma!) Spent a fair few hours making the table names too, which looked lovely on the tables. We made sure the table looked perfect with candy canes!

 Gingerbread Man Cocktail

 Prawn, Crayfish & Mango Martini Cocktail & Avocado Puree.

 Modern Ham, Egg and Chips – Crispy Ham Hock, 

Cured Egg Yolk, Spiral Potato & Pineapple Salsa.

 Pan Roast Hake Fillet, Crushed New Potatoes, Wild Mushroom Cream & Buttered Leeks.

 Crispy Spiced Buttermilk Chicken, Home Slaw & Tomato Skinny Fries.

I started off with the Modern Ham, Egg & Chips which was lovely! I loved how cool the knot of fries looked. I've never seen anything like it! I then went for the Buttermilk Chicken, which isn't actually on the festive menu, because I am the pickiest person alive! I've had this meal here before and I always love it!

 My secret Santa!

 Chocolate Fondant, Salted Caramel Puree & Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

 Prosecco Jelly, Red Berries, Dehydrated Raspberries & Strawberry Sorbet.

 Cinnamon Doughnuts, Star Anise Poached Pineapple & Crème Fraiche Sorbet.

Because I'm greedy, I managed to have a taste of everyone's dessert. I actually chose the Cinnamon Doughnuts which were utterly incredible! I loved the Creme Fraiche Sorbet as well - Oh my goodness! What I'd give right now to devour that. We then finished off the night with some adorable Candy Cane cocktails which finished off the night beautifully. A massive thank you to my secret Santa too! I have my diffuser going in my room and everywhere is constantly smelling of beautiful coconut! Overall I had the best night with the most loveliest girls! I've met some amazing people which I can now call friends, which is such a lovely thing to be able to say. I'm constantly proud of being part of the Norwich Bloggers and I'm always overwhelmed by what we achieve.

You can read the full WSS Festieve Menu here.

Thanks for reading!

Candy Cane cocktail.

GIGGLING SQUID - NORWICH REVIEW*

Before I get stuck into the review, this will be a post with many photos. The place and the food are incredibly gorgeous, so I had to take as many photos as I could. I had to seriously condense the amount of photos that I wanted in this post as there were so many photos of the stunning restaurant. Giggling Squid in Norwich is located in Tombland, one of my favourite places in Norwich. I love all the book shops and of course the cathedral, so I was happy to hear that Giggling Squid had made its home here. Giggling Squid is a family owned restaurant, and proudly serves authentic, rustic Thai food. You can read all about the history of Giggling Squid on their website here.

As soon as I walked in the staff were lovely and welcoming, and there was a calm and chilled atmosphere. It's lovely to go to a restaurant that's busy but not loud, so you can actually have a calm conversation without having to talk over music. The waiter - who was lovely - asked us what wine we preferred. My guest also pointed out that they were vegetarian, to which they bought out a vegetarian menu which was brilliant. It's nice to not have to filter through a whole menu to find the veggie options, so this instantly gave the restaurant some serious brownie points.

We began drinking our wine as we decided what to eat. The wine was gorgeous - It was way too easy to drink! We asked for a white wine so they bought over a Sauvignon Blanc, which was really, really lovely, going perfectly with the food. We settled on the Vegetarian Sharing Platter, Vegetable Tropical Jungle Curry and the Sea Bass Pad Cha. While that was all going through, the lovely waiter said I can pop up stairs to take some photos, even though it wasn't open to the public. The upstairs was as gorgeous as I expected. With lovely hues of beige and brown, delicately decorated with flowers and pops of colours from books, this restaurant is one of the most chic place to eat - day and night.

 All of the above - Vegetarian Sharing Platter.

The Vegetarian Sharing Platter came out pretty quickly, and it was amazing! The platter consisted of fried tofu, Thai corn fritters, vegetable tempura and vegetable spring roll. These also came with three dipping sauces, each as scrummy as each other and each with a different heat kick. This was a great idea as you could change how much heat you wanted depending on what you were eating. I had never tried tofu before, and the fried tofu almost tastes like a fried bread roll, which is lovely dipped in some sauce! The spring rolls were beautiful. I couldn't stop going on about how amazing the roll itself tasted, and the tempura vegetables were a great accompaniment. The highlight of the platter for me, which was a toss up between this at the spring rolls, were the Thai corn fritters. They were amazing. If I only ate that for the rest of my life I wouldn't complain. These are a mix of sweetcorn, which I never usually like, red curry paste and lime leaves which give it a slight sweet tint, and dipped into the sauce - perfection.

Tropical Jungle Curry with Sticky Rice.

Sea Bass Pad Cha.

Coconut Rice.

Sea Bass Pan Cha.

My Sea Bass Pan Cha was beautiful. The fish was soft and melted in my mouth, and was packed full of flavour. This dish is so aromatic with all its herbs and spices, the sauce and vegetables tasted amazing and never left me bored. Each mouthful was as adventurous as the next. If you love fish and some heat, you'll love this. The Coconut Rice went with the dish perfectly and tasted gorgeous with some vegetables and the sauce from the dish. This was a dream to photograph as the colours look divine - It really does taste as good as it looks. I tried a bit of the Tropical Jungle Curry and it is HOT. I can handle a bit of spice, but even that was pretty hot. That said, I could still taste the flavours with the sticky rice - But I wasn't the one eating the whole dish! If you're a fan of hot food, this is the one to go for as it's not just hot, but bursting with flavour. Instead of having it with vegetables you can have it with either beef or chicken. I love that a lot of the dishes you can choose between chicken, beef and vegetables. It means you can really personalise the dish for yourself and make it perfect for you. There really is a Thai dish for everyone on the menu and you can view the full Norwich menu here.

Chocolate Feuillantine.

Mint & Lychee Sorbet.

All the ice cream and sorbet are made in a tiny Brighton shop at their request, which is lovely knowing that it's made specially. I went for the Mint & Lychee Sorbet, not just because I'm a huge lover of sorbet but I felt the idea of it be a refreshing way to end a meal. It was fruity from the Lychee but fresh because of the mint, so it was a beautiful thing to finish on. It was sweet but not too sweet so I was able to eat it without feeling like I'd eaten too much! I also had a little bit of the Chocolate Feuillantine which was super yum! It's a rich mousse that's chocolatey and soft. I find that rich chocolate mousses can be bitter, but this was perfect! It had the perfect amount of chocolate and the fruit was a lovely side. It also looked stunning - Look at that presentation!

Americano.

Flora "Flowering" Tea.

I went for the Flora "Flowering" Tea to finish the evening off which is made of a handmade lotus flower and jasmine green tea. This ended the evening perfectly, It was good to unwind with a beautiful tea and debrief from the meal and the long day previous, I popped in the little sphere of dried flowers into the teapot and it opens up to reveal a beautiful pink flower. It looked stunning in the teapot and I couldn't believe that it was actually tea! The tea was refreshing and calmed me down, making me feel at ease.

Flora "Flowering" Tea.

I don't need to point out that the food and the restaurant look phenomenal. The staff were one of the stand outs of the evening. Good food is nothing without amazing waiters, waitresses, bar staff and chefs, and the Giggling Squid should be proud of the knowledgeable and approachable staff that they have. Every person I approached that evening was lovely, and a special thank you to the man who served us most of the evening - I wish I had gotten his name! He knew everything there was about everything on the menu, and genuinely seemed  interested in talking to me, which made me feel welcome and eager to come back again.

Overall, if you are wanting to treat yourself or another to a lovely evening meal, Giggling Squid will be highly recommended from me. They also have a lunch menu and tapas, which I am dying to try out (I love tapas!), so there really is something for everyone. 

You can find more information on the

location and opening times here,

or if you want to treat yourself in the comfort

of your home, grab a takeaway here.

Thanks for reading!

*Inivited for review.