Its been a while, I think its time we got back together!

It feels such a long time since I was part of the blogging world, but well, I miss it. Ive been inspired to rekindle my passion by a lovely lady starting her own blog, its brilliant id urge you to check it out (www.haneats.com) for if ever you're in Birmingham (or surrounding areas).   I might not have been writing about my adventures but I've certainly still been enjoying them. Still residing in Beeston I am gradually working my way around the restaurants in this quirky little town. Ive infrequently visited Nottingham city centre but I have to say when I have done so there's been some great finds. I've ventured to Yorkshire most recently too so have a few cracking recommendations for there if you're ever up that neck of the woods. I have been to Cafe Roya in Beeston recently, and it certainly didn't fail to disappoint once again. But i'll start with somewhere in Nottingham, seems appropriate for the first venture back.


RED's True BBQ: Let there be meat
I visited REDS for a girlie dinner. I am a big meat eater and never shy away from a large portion (this is what I'd heard on the grape vine) so I was excited for my first RED's experience. My Mr has always been a fan of RED's and he tends to be good with meat so again I was looking forward to it. IT was however, a big disappointment. Don't get me wrong, the company was exceptional, and I had a great time. The food however, not a patch on my friends in terms of satisfaction. 

I went for the half BBQ chicken, a safe choice I know, but one I've grown to love at places like Turtle Bay, like Bill's and even Nandos (sometimes!). I chose the normal fries as my side order, perhaps a bad choice in hindsight, never go for normal when there's sweet potato available.


The food came, it looked delicious, sadly didn't live up to its appearance. My chicken was incredibly dry, I couldn't actually finish it as it had the same effect as a number of ryvita! The chips were good, but nothing to write home about.


One of my pals opted for the ribs with a side of macaroni cheese, I heard no complaints from her and the macaroni cheese sure did look tasty!


Another friend, the pulled pork sandwich, she enjoyed it but said again, nothing special.


The atmosphere in REDs is very cool, feels very trendy. You sit on long tables with other meat eaters, there are anglepoise lamps (difficult to manoeuvre with big groups, but cool nevertheless)


The wine was good, we enjoyed a bottle of Jarrah Wood Pinot Grigio (Australia) - nice and refreshing.


I would probably visit again, but definitely not if wanting to impress guests with food options. I'd be wary of disappointment.

I hope you have better experiences but this one wasn't for me!

The Wollaton - a brunch date with our favourite Nothern pair

We needed somewhere to pop to for spot to eat with our old housemates pre Cheese and Wine party, nothing too heavy but we were all pretty hungry (no surprise there!). 

I've been to the Wollaton a number of times for lunch and once for dinner, it's always excellent food, sometimes can be a little disappointing when there's no tables in the restaurant as you have to eat in the more 'pubby' area and order food up at the bar etc. The menu, however, is still the same wherever you sit though and as I said really very nice pub food. 

We popped down in the car and realised on Saturdays they serve a Brunch menu 12-4 which surely was going to be exactly what we were after. 

On perusing the menu the food, whilst sounding delicious, was slightly more than we were bargaining for, but we ordered what we fancied and chilled out in the pub area catching up on each others news and reminiscing about the old times

I had smoked salmon with scrambled eggs (the pub were really helpful with regards to being gluten free, there just wasn't many options I could have) without the toast!

H had a BBQ burger, this was a surprising addition to a brunch menu but my goodness me it was one of the most tasty things I've tried in a long time.

 

N had a sausage sandwich, and P a fish finger sandwich, served on really fluffy looking white bread, with a little side of parsnip soup.  

I'd love to try the brunch menu again when I had a slightly bigger appetite and having made a booking so we could lounge in the luxury of the restaurant area but overall I can't really fault the Wollaton for an excellent girly lunch. 

We bought the girls a 'Nottingham Cookbook' each. You can buy them in the Wollaton, in Delilahs, Homemade and many others. It makes such a cool Christmas present and has recipes from all the best places to eat in town including many places featured on Two Teas. I couldn't recommend it more 

My favourite sort of Saturday morning...Crepes and tea

I've wanted to write about Aubrey's for so long now, but I was lacking good photos, I would not be able to do the incredible crepes at Aubrey's justice without photographic evidence so it has taken me a while 

Last weekend I arranged with a good friend, C, to have a breakfast date (this subsequently ended up being a shopping trip and afternoon coffee but we weren't to know!). Not knowing whether we wanted savoury or sweet, formal dining or a cafe esq morning we agreed to go for a crepe at a place we've both visited before .

Aubrey's Traditional Creperie is a small quaint little cafe, up a small arcade opposite Las Iguanas on Long Row. I wouldn't have found this place had I not been told about it four years ago when someone took the time to give me detailed instructions on how to find it! The scavanger hunt I think adds to the joy when you find the wooden table and chairs with gorgeous tartan blankets draped over outside the window.

Aubrey's provides gluten free and dairy free crepes, this is one of the major factors that brings me back again and again. You honestly cannot tell there's a gluten free option, my friends often have a bite of mine (usually because I make great decisions!) and they say there's barely any difference in the taste or texture of the crepe. 

Available is a vast choice of savoury galettes and sweet crepes, I try to limit the number of times I visit and this often means that every time I go they've got a new addition to the menu. This being said the lovely lady behind the counter did recognise me and remember my gluten free order this time so maybe my budget related plan hasn't been so successful. 

I had flaked almonds with vanilla ice cream, poached pears and chocolate sauce (£4.95) It was TERRIFIC, I find it's always quite a big portion but given that Aubrey's doesn't open until 10am it's usually just right and I definitely wouldn't have it any other way. C had caramelised apples, creme fraiche, cinnamon and honey which looked fabulous. We also shared a pot of tea, loose leaf english breakfast of course. 

The lovely thing about Aubrey's is you can just sit and chat with no pressure to leave, they're incredibly welcoming, table service and fantastic food. 

I have to mention the savoury galettes, we didn't indulge this time but I can say they're absolutely marvellous. This time they're all gluten free as they use a different sort of batter and have many vegetarian options. 

The only negative I can possibly find is that having sat there for an hour/an hour and a half you do have a lingering smell of oil on your clothes and in your hair. This is obviously unavoidable as it's such a small little cafe with limited ventilation, I've seen it mentioned on tripadvisor and friends have commented but for me, it's worth smelling a little bit like a frying pan for the joy that is a trip to Aubreys!

Definitely a must try! 

The Coffee House, but for Tea!

I'd heard great things about 'The Coffee House' it had remained off my radar as it's so sneakily hidden!

'It's on the same alley as Cucamaras' I had been told, this was not helpful as I think the only time i've visited Cucamaras I was decidedly worse for wear. 

We found the little alley after being accosted by a scary looking pitbull terrier and subsequently apologised to by a lovely but very pierced and tatooed gent! It felt like being in the lanes in Brighton, or the backstreets of Brussels, a far cry from Nottingham's usual roads and side streets. 

The place looked as cute as the pictures on it's website, with blackboards outside I knew this was somewhere I was going to like. 

We sat down, with only 3 tables downstairs there was a whimsical little sign saying we might have to make new friends as our table seated 4 (annoyed I didn't take a little photo!)

We were served quickly by a very friendly man. He offered only two types of normal cake and two types of gluten free but these both sounded like excellent choices. I wondered whether this was because it was a Thursday and they were running out, all the more reason to return I say!

I had a fabulous gluten free chocolate cake. I know I always like my cake, but this was exceptional! It had little chocolate chips in and I definitely could barely tell it was gluten free

P had a caramel cake which she said was delicious, and it sure was a generous serving too. 

We shared a pot of tea, just english breakfast. The tea selection was vast and all was loose leaf. So many different types of coffees from all around the world as well. It was a shame not to be able to try them all! Maybe next time

Definitely give this one a try, just be warned it's very cosy and hopefully is quite busy on the weekend. It deserves to be. 

Toastily Confused

So Han and I took a trip to Toast, just up the road at Canning Circus. Following the disappointment of the management change at Smythson's we were looking for a new hangout

I had been told that Toast was one of a kind, that you wen't in, there were loaves upon loaves of different breads, different condiments and your very own toaster to operate. 

Whilst extremely quaint and very much 'up our street', there didn't appear to be any of these exciting novelties. The toasters were on some tables but sadly not ours, and there didn't seem to be any DIY bread that day.

I'm not sure whether we just picked a bad day or maybe they've stopped serving in this way. Many friends have been and have LOVED the quirky nature of toasting your own bread! (it's the little things) 

This all being said our food was delicious, there's a fabulous selection of independent, gourmet drinks on offer alongside a huge number of sandwich options. There were tons of little cakes on the counter and a friendly face serving. 

Han and I sat down with A cloudy lemonade and a sparkling strawberry and rhubarb and gossiped the world away. 

I was chuffed to have a gluten free sandwich on what was incredibly nice bread, I ordered 'Pastrami, Mozarella and rocket' whilst Hannah had a ciabatta with smoked salmon and cream cheese. We thoroughly enjoyed our sandwiches, felt it was lacking a bit on the garnish. We missed the Smythson's cheeky couple of crisps and a side salad. But overall were extremely happy with our choices. 

I couldn't resist a pudding, Hannah indulged in a vanilla latte whilst I went for the famous 'Almondie' a gluten free almond biscuit shaped like a croissant. It was great!

We'll definitely visit Toast again, if not just to see if this DIY toast phenomenon exists. 

A lovely place to spend a morning though!