Iberica

I spend most of my days searching for new places to eat and I was so excited when I came across Iberica, it went straight to the top of my list and I couldn't wait for an occasion to visit. We decided to go there as my Christmas gift to my boyfriend; after all what greater gift is there than food?

Iberica is a Spanish restaurant offering amazing tapas and has chains in Manchester, Leeds, London and Glasgow, so if you are ever near one I would highly suggest you take a trip. I love going for tapas  as you get to try so many different things, however, with a menu as good as Iberia I just wanted to order everything.

Half and half board

Octopus a la Gallega

We decided to have a half and half board to get a taste of their cheeses and meats. This has to be the best chorizo I've ever tasted and the cheeses complimented the meats so nicely. Next was my favourite dish that we ordered, the octopus. This was served on a bed of potatoes and a garlic sauce; not everyone's cup of tea but it was cooked to perfection and tasted amaaaaazing.

Mini burgers

Mixed paella

Of course there was more to follow as we then had garlic prawns in pasta and mini burgers. The burgers came with a delicious mustard sauce, it's just a shame they were mini because they were gone before I knew it.
After stuffing our faces on the tapas, our paella was finally ready. This is one of my favourite dishes ever and Iberica did not disappoint. We chose the mixed paella with seafood and chicken and were amazed with the size of the dish, it was huge! You know something tastes good when you both can't stop saying "oh my god" after each mouthful, and this paella was just that.

Despite how full we both were, we didn't want to leave anything behind as we would definitely live to regret it. Everything was full of so much flavour, there wasn't anything I didn't like. This is definitely top of my list of favourite restaurants in Leeds. I am dying to go back and devour all the above all over again; I can't recommend this place enough! (ps. you have to check out their toilets, it looks like the Chamber of Secrets in Harry Potter!)

The Cartford Inn

The Cartford Inn has been a favourite of mine since I was a child as my parents used to take us there quite often. It has since evolved into a fine dining restaurant offering sophisticated dishes using the best seasonal ingredients.

When it came to picking a restaurant for celebrating Mother's Day, The Cartford Inn was top of my list as it had been ages since my last visit. One thing I love about this place it that they change their menu seasonally, I think this is a great sign of fresh food and creative chefs.

My mother and I decided to share two starters as we were tempted by too many and found it hard to make a decision. Our choices were 'marinated pork belly and watermelon with sweet pickled cucumber, mint basil and goats curd' and 'fresh crab and nori gnocchi with enoki mushrooms, yuzu and wasabi foam.' Both tasted amazing, but I have to say the pork belly was my favourite; the combination of flavours worked so well together, I didn't want it to end.

Marinated pork belly and watermelon

Fresh crab and nori gnocchi

For main course I set my sights on the whole roasted Lytham poussin, served with a sourdough, lemon and thyme stuffing, maple jersey royals, chard, butternut squash and chorizo. I could not fault this dish, all elements worked so well together and was presented so well, like all of their dishes. 

Whole roasted Lytham poussin

I very rarely order desserts as I tend to stuff myself silly, but the dishes at The Cartford Inn don't over face you and leave you feeling satisfyingly fed. However, this also means I feel the need to squeeze in pudding and of course when informed that the special for the day was chocolate fudge brownie it would have been rude to say no. I asked to swap the vanilla ice cream for Wallings toffee crunch as this is a favourite of mine and I rarely get to visit with me living in Leeds, and it made the dessert taste even better! The brownie was soooo gooey, I was in heaven.

Chocolate fudge brownie

The Cartford Inn is a place all the family will love. Great food and great service as the waiters ensure you are well looked after throughout your meal. This is also a great place for lunch as they offer a lunch menu; I once had a pulled pork sandwich with coconut coleslaw and it was to die for, I am still living in hope it will return to the menu one day!

We had an amazing day celebrating an amazing woman and will be returning very soon for sure!

Zaap

It has been so long since I posted anything on here, so as you can imagine I have a HUGE backlog of places I need to write about as I am constantly eating out and have recently been to Florida, so you can only imagine the food I ate out there. 

Having finally graduated from University, I landed myself a job in Leeds and have officially moved away from home; but this means a new city with a million new offerings of places to eat! 

I already have a list a mile long of places to go to in Leeds but one of the first places I wanted to try was Zaap, a restaurant specialising in Thai street food. As you can't book, my boyfriend and I went for an early tea in order to avoid any queue as this place can get very popular. 

Zaap is set out like a traditional Thai street market with little Tuk Tuks dotted around the place, some even converted into tables. Signs hang from the ceiling including hospital signs and their famous Chang beer, you can tell a lot of thought has been put into this place. 

With such a large menu and all items labelled in Thai it requires some studying in order to fish out the best things on there. As usual we couldn't whittle it down to two starters, so we chose 'Kanom Jeeb' - (pork and prawn steamed dumplings), 'Gai Satay' - (chicken satay skewers)  and 'Look Chin Tod' - (fried squid). 

All three tasted amazing! My personal favourite was the steamed dumplings, some find the texture weird but I love them. Would highly recommend getting a third starter in order to get a taste of something else. 

For mains we chose the Massaman Cury and Prawn Pad Thai to have half of each. The Massaman curry was so creamy and tasty and the Pad Thai was definitely the best I've ever had. With it being labelled as 'street food' we were expecting tapas style portions, so were pleasantly surprised by the servings and were stuffed by the end. 

 Three starters and two main courses came in at £30, great value for money. This is a must try if you're ever in Leeds!

Salt of the Earth

Salt of the Earth is the cutest little delicatessen in Carleton, Poulton.  This is also top of the list for lunch whenever I am home from university. I love the decor inside; it is a converted house, so you sit in different rooms named 'The Dining Room' and 'The Common Room'. With only 25 seats inside it is a small and cosy place to have some quality food and catch up with friends. They offer breakfast, brunch, lunch and a weekly Friday Night Tapas evening.

(American Club)

Their menu is so adventurous and combines so many flavours that you would never think of yourself. I love trying new things and The American Club jumped out at me. Packed full of amazing ingredients such as chicken, pastrami, swiss cheese, gherkin and mustard, my mouth waters just thinking about it! It is not the easiest thing to eat, but it is well worth the mess.

(The Club Sandwich)

(The Salt of the Earth Club)

Other gourmet sandwiches that I love are the Club Sandwich, and the Salt of The Earth Club - this is so delicious with fresh chicken, chorizo and sweet chilli sauce on a warm baked ciabatta. They also do the best sweet potato fries here and I always order some of their homemade baconnaise as a dip and the combination is heavenly! For those who haven't tried baconnaise you're missing out!

Salt of the Earth also makes my favourite cake of all time, Rainbow Cake! I bought a slice once and was obsessed, and you can imagine my delight when I found out you could buy a full cake for special occasions! I had one for my birthday last year and am looking forward to another one for my 21st this year, I have never found a Rainbow Cake as yummy as this one.

I wish it was my birthday everyday so it was acceptable to have a slice of this all the time! Also, if you can't be bothered to get ready and sit in, you can always order takeout. Sometimes I get breakfast takeout from Salt of the Earth and the one thing I get when I do is 'Porky's Revenge,' this is a sausage, pancetta and bacon sandwich smothered in baconnaise and topped with frazzle crisps! Have you ever heard of a better combination? Salt of the Earth has the most amazing menu for lunch and I hope to try their Friday Night Tapas in the near future.

American Pizza Slice

Forget Domino's and all the other pizza chains out there, you will never look back after you have experienced American Pizza Slice. This has to be the best pizza you can get in Liverpool, if only it was nationwide! They have just opened up a new place on Bold Street, and just like America you can pop in and buy it buy the slice if you're on the go, or sit in and enjoy a full pizza. And it gets better, they also deliver!!

You can order as little as one slice or as large as an 18" pizza. Their '8 Slice Special' offer allows you to pick each slice individually; this was perfect for my boyfriend and I as we each wanted to try different flavours. For my 4 slices I chose: 'The Spanish Pizza", "Meat Feast", "Wild Mushroom" and my personal favourite "BBQ Pulled Pork". Whilst 4 slices doesn't seem like enough with all the amazing flavours on offer, you will find it a challenge to finish them; I am still yet to defeat the pizza!

(18" 1/2 Meat Feast, 1/2 Pulled Pork)

(Meat Feast)

These pizza flavours are the best I have ever tasted! Everything down to the dough and tomato base is amazing, it makes you feel like a true American. Meat Feast is packed with gammon, salami, pepperoni and a unique spicy beef mix; and the bbq pulled pork is so juicy that it just falls apart in your mouth.

(8 Slice Special)

This is the taste of a proper pizza, and perfect for when you want great food but don't want to leave the house. I highly recommend against the well-known chains and you will certainly thank me when you get to try!

Notarianni Ice Cream

The wait is finally over, Notarianni Ice Cream is open again and I'm heading straight there this weekend!
Whilst they only offer one flavour, it is by far the best vanilla ice cream you can get your hands on! I'm so happy they are reopening again for the season and I just so happen to be home for the weekend! Their ice cream is made fresh daily and is served soft, which gives it an amazing texture unlike any other ice cream you will have tried. With a variety of toppings to choose from, each time you visit you can always get something different. They also offer an extensive selection of special milkshake flavours such as Ferrero Roche and Terry's Chocolate Orange; the decision on ice cream or milkshake can be tough. 

(Oreo Sundae)

You can either sit-in inside their parlour and enjoy an amazing sundae, serving up classics such as Knickerbocker Glories and Banana Splits. They also mix up their menu with special monthly sundaes, which always look amazing! My favourite has to be the Oreo Sundae, I will be consuming many of these when I am home for summer!

(Terry's Chocolate Orange Milkshake & Small Ice Cream Tub)

Their milkshakes proved to be such a hit last summer, and they constantly extend the flavour choices across the season, there are so many I want to try. It's fair to say these milkshakes are such a treat as they are so indulgent. Shakes I have tried are Nutella, Terry's Chocolate Orange and Cappuccino, all are so tasty and I can't wait to work my way through the rest of the options. 

However, you can't beat a tub which is my favourite thing to get whenever I go, from the take-out parlour. My friend makes me the best combinations for me whenever she is working, I love being creative with all the toppings they have. The best I've had has to be honeycomb, toffee sauce and Oreo pieces, it is to die for!

You will never find a vanilla ice cream as tasty as this one! It is the best treat for all ice cream lovers and they can expect my face there the majority of the season!

Mowgli

All I hear of Mowgli is great things, so when my friend and I met up for a catch up this was the first place I could think of. Located on Bold Street, Liverpool, it attracts lots of people and can get extremely busy on evenings, especially weekends. Unfortunately you cannot book a table and wait times can top an hour and a half, so it is best you are prepared for a long wait. Mowgli has also recently opened a new restaurant in Manchester after their great success in Liverpool.

The inside of this small restaurant is so pretty, with ropes and dim lighting; it completely fits in with the concept of Indian Street Food. The dishes are small which allows you to sample a variety of the vibrant, intense flavours they offer. I love that the dishes come out when they are ready, giving it a really relaxed atmosphere, just as intended. 

 I have now been three times, and am quickly working my way through the menu, ensuring I try different dishes every time. The favourites I always get are the 'Himalayan Cheese on Toast,' which is a great twist on a classic with amazing flavour; and the 'Bombay Chip Butty' which is not as simple as you may think, the potatoes are so tasty! These are my most recommended.

(Himalayan Cheese on Toast)

(House Chicken Curry & Bombay Chip Butty)

My favourite main dish is the House Chicken Curry, this is such a smooth and creamy dish as it is made with coconut and yoghurt; the flavours are heavenly! Other dishes I love are the Angry Bird, Mowgli Sticky Wings, Agra Ginger Chicken, Mother Butter Chicken and Maa's Lamb Chops. As you can see I never leave hungry after a visit!

(Maa's Lamb Chops, Agra Ginger Chicken, House Chicken Curry & Mowgli's Sticky Wings)

(Angry Bird & Treacle Ribs - no longer on menu)

For all lovers of Indian food out there, this is the place to go! It is definitely a treat for your tastebuds with all the amazing flavours. Mowgli gives you such a unique dining experience, you'll be rushing back just like me and everyone else I know!