Birthdays of my own, my family, Mr B and anyone else I can think of. Birthdays rule!
Awesome, simply awesome! Bodean’s was restaurant two on our birthday mystery tour and I believe that Mr B enjoyed it even more than The Luxe! 
Bodean’s is in Soho – a ‘BBQ smokehouse’. They have ice hockey and basketball on big tv screens, alcoholic root beer and awesome (yes, that word again) buffalo wings, BBQ ribs and burnt ends. Just perfect – but I need to go back with some more room in my belly!
Try the buffalo wings (though perhaps not a dozen) and the root beer.
Blurry Bodeans
So, it was Mr B’s birthday on Wednesday and I took him to see the Lion King (which was amazing) but not before we’d eaten tons of delicious food First of all I took him to John Torode’s restaurant in Spitalfields, The Luxe.
He’s been banging on about it for ages and I was more than looking forward to going, having planned this about 3 months ago and I’ve been looking at the menu ever since. Even then I still found it impossible to choose what to eat or drink!
In the end I went for one of their ‘hard shakes’ which I would more than recommend – absolutely ingenious! I had the gin bramble with vanilla ice cream, cassis and gin and Mr B had some bourbon and chocolate ice cream concoction – they don’t appear to be on the online menu but they exist – truly! I had the steak, rocket and parmesan sandwich and Mr B had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. All very, very delicious and I want to go back. The setting is lovely too, backing right onto Spitalfields market and, although we were there on a Wednesday lunchtime, there was quite a buzz in the air and it was really busy by the time we left. I would be straight down there for brunch if I lived anywhere near London! I think The Luxe brunch and hard shake would be an excellent hangover cure!
I think next time we’ll be going to the 1st floor dining room, the menu looks pretty good.
BBQ pulled pork sandwich and Steak and rocket sandwich
Our delicious 'hardshakes'
So my other birthday present, other than a wonderful home cooked meal and beautiful necklace, was a meal at Myalacarte – my favourite restaurant in our area – Mr B spoilt me and I loved it!
They are so friendly in there and, even though it was Christmas and they had quite a few big parties for such a small restaurant, the service was good and it was only a little longer to wait for your food (I think they have about 10 people sat downstairs which with only about 40 covers is quite a lot!).
If you’re ever in Caversham – go! The main highlights of the meal were the amazing crackling we had to nibble on to start, the red mullet I had – would have that again, the delicious posh baked beans, my red onion rings – yum!, the beetroot marshmallow – so unusual, the honeycomb on my dessert, the thyme ice cream that just worked beautifully…but best of all was the honey souffle I had! I had to wait 20 minutes for it as they cooked it fresh, fair enough, but I don’t even like souffles…why did I order it? I’m blaming the prosecco and red wine But I am SO glad I did – it was absolutely amazing – like foamy honey air…which I realise doesn’t sound amazing but this was – just look at the picture!
I’m already planning my next trip Thank you lovely man!
It’s been a ridiculously busy month but there can be no excuse for not blogging for over a month, except perhaps my rubbishness (yes, that is a word).
In my defence, the past month has seen 2 family birthdays, my birthday (most importantly), being advised of redundancy, going to 3 job interviews and then taking redundancy (I start my new job in January – woop!!!) and at least two colds and coughs during that time…oh, and a sick bunny who had to have tooth surgery. Wow, I’m tired even just reading that! Mr B has stayed resolutely well and has been most useful in dealing with my various melt downs, stresses and general sulky moments, at least one thing has stayed constant and, as always, wonderful 
(Don’t get a big head though!).
So I am now 28, am leaving my job (as Marketing Manager for a food science company) this Friday, have several sewing projects to complete, still have to give our bunny antibiotics (which make her LOVE us) but it’s Christmas, so who cares? Though I am really excited about starting my new job in digital marketing (i.e. social media, web and all that jazz) in the new year, working for a legal firm that I have been reliably informed are ‘ambulance chasers’ – awesome – as it will be different, new and (hopefully) enjoyable…and I don’t have to work somewhere I hate anymore! It should take me at least a month to hate the new place, that gives Mr B a month off listening to me whine
But more seriously, I’m going to spend the time I have off between jobs to focus on my real passion, sewing and generally making a mess which often results in something pretty. So I’m going to make a quilt and some bags and maybe a few cute bits and pieces…to sell!!! Hopefully someone out there is crazy enough to want to pay money for my effort, fingers crossed I guess
So, aided and abetted by the new laptop I will be purchasing over Xmas, I will be blogging more often (laziness will not prosper) and hopefully starting to make a living out of what I LOVE doing, rather than what I HAVE to do. Oh, how wonderfully idealistic!
So whilst I am pontificating over all these posts etc. I leave you with what the wonderful Mr B did for my birthday (and that’s not including taking me to Myalacarte )
My cute penguin card, beautiful necklace and pink cava
Homemade lasagne with HOMEMADE pasta
There was also buffalo wings with blue cheese dip for starter and lemon and lime meringue pie for pudding but I was too drunk to remember to take photos! It was amazing and I felt very spoilt! He’d even taken a half day off to do all the cooking – and the kitchen didn’t look like a bomb had hit it! AND he’s invited some friends to the pub as a surprise for after dinner – thank you very, very much!
So it was Mr B’s birthday on Tuesday and to celebrate (a little) I took him to London to do the ‘tourist thing’. you see, coming from a small village near Oxford he is more than a little ignorant of the different places in London and, whilst we go to London a fair amount, hasn’t done many ‘touristy’ things.
Having lived pretty close to London whilst growing up and spending a fair amount of weekends there I kind of took it for granted that he’d been to Leicester Square….nope, he hadn’t?! I’m not that keen on the area but thought I’d take him there via the bits I do like. So we traced a path up from Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square (wincing as I passed the Trocadero and hoping he didn’t ask to go in) and then across Soho (which I love) to Regent’s Street. We ambled up the street looking in the windows like excited children and I took him in Hamleys – as everyone has to when on Regent’s Street! Then past Liberty’s – such a beautiful building but all the gorgeous displays were covered as it’s sales time 
Then we got the tube from Oxford Circus across to Covent Garden to have lunch in Wahaca – the Mexican restaurant run by one time Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers.
I’ve been wanting to go to Wahaca for ages and thought Mr B would really enjoy the food as he also recently confessed to never having been to a Mexican restaurant…though I remember being in one with him – I think he was too drunk! Thankfully Wahaca really didn’t disappoint and the place and food were everything I wanted them to be!
I thought that I would finally post a review of the restaurant that Mr B took me to for my birthday, oh so long ago!
So the restaurant I was treated to for my birthday was LSQ2 in Reading, recent winners of the Reading Restaurant of the Year 2010. I’ve been wanting to go since they set up shop on the Riverside sometime last year so had quite high expectations. My recent visit to Myalacarte has also slightly ruined me as I now hold everything up to their standards!
Obviously Monday night is not a good night to go to this restaurant if you’re looking for atmosphere as it was quiet – very quiet – but we were shown to a table immediately and divested of our coats. However we then were served by an apparently mute waiter who just handed us the menus and shuffled off. Now perhaps they have made the choice to have unobtrusive service and not have the waiting staff be too familiar or friendly. I can handle that but when I’m waited on with no interaction between me and the person doing it I end up feeling stuck up and I over compensate by saying thank you after every breath – I don’t want them to think I’m stuck up!
I got over this however and we ordered our food, once also getting over the confusion as the menu was half the size of the one of the website – the dreaded Christmas menu had taken over and only half their normal dishes were on offer. None of the one’s I’d fancied were on there anymore but I thought that the spring roll shots with the pork belly to follow sounded like a good substitute. Mr B had the Thai crab cakes and the venison Wellington.
So I sat sipping my Moscow Mule (hmmmm ginger beer!) whilst waiting for the starter which came very promptly. However I was dismayed to find that mine was three spring rolls sticking out of shot glasses…how was I going to eat this? Obviously the first bite of each was fine but as the glasses were so deep after that I couldn’t get to the sauce and the plate the waiter had given me was the size of a tea saucer. There’s me with this massive cutlery and teeny tiny plate – more than a little funny! Mr B’s crab cakes were lovely, though they were quite small and not the most generous of portions! All in all I enjoyed the spring rolls but there was nothing special about the filling and only one of the three dips was actually that nice.
At this point a table of millions of people…well about 10 were seated behind us for a Christmas party whereupon the atmosphere improved but became a little too loud and raucous unfortunately. You can’t have everything I suppose!
Onto the main course which also came out very promptly. However, upon touching my plate, I found that it was quite cold and all sticky underneath and round the edges with fingerprints Not too impressed but I decided to press on and took a bite of my pork belly – 40 chews later (it gets more every time I tell the story) I managed to swallow – man was it overcooked! I was left thinking that I could cook better pork belly – in fact I did at my pretend supper club! So I look over to Mr B hoping that he’s at least enjoying his to find that his venison has got up and run away…well slight exaggeration but, whilst he’s fond of rare meat, this was cold in the middle and actually blue!!!
So I decided that we had to complain, not something I’ve ever actually done to the extent that I ask for an entirely new dish but at over £15 per dish I really thought we should get something that’s at least cooked properly! So they took them back and said they would cook them again from scratch.
Meanwhile I sat and steamed for 10 minutes whilst poor Mr B tried to lighten the atmosphere – unsuccessfully I might add. I couldn’t understand why we weren’t even offered a free drink. Anyway I got over myself and stopped stropping and the main courses were brought back out.
Eureka! The plates were hot and clean, the pork belly was tender and melt in the mouth, Mr B’s venison was nicely pink whilst not still hopping around. Thank you, they got it right! Plus the manager offered us both a drink on the house and was HUGELY apologetic. At which point I felt really mean and felt I had to apologise to him. So I told him that it was wonderful the second time round and that it was just because it was my Birthday treat and I’d been so looking forward to it. To which he apologised another billion times! Wow, I felt mean!
I loved the pork and the skin was delicious, so caramelised and crisp but I couldn’t understand why there was soy sauce in the gravy and it was served with a prawn toast…?!? I just don’t get fusion food though, I always feel like it’s done for the sake of being ‘edgy’ rather than for the flavour. Excusing the excess of effort with lack of success it was really good and Mr B looked like a happy boy.
At this point there was NO room for pudding, I was wondering how I was going to waddle back to the car so no chance, we just asked for the bill. At which point they brought over the bill AND this…
What they lack in combinations of flavours they make up for in their gorgeous puddings! The four little bites were delicious and it was such a sweet thing for them to have done – completely making up for the problems. They were (I think) left to right – a dark chocolate ganache (really quality chocolate), a rocky road with hazelnuts, a chocolate coconuty thing and then a white chocolate parfait with raspberries. Delicious! The Happy Birthday was mango or passion fruit coulis and delicious too – thank you Mr Manager!
All in all I would go again, it’s nowhere near replacing Myalacarte as my favourite local restaurant though!
So as promised pictures of my wonderful cake that Mr B’s Mum made – beautiful!
Aw no! I’ve got loads more pictures but my camera just died – typical! Anyway, you get the idea. My favourite colour and covered in sugar flowers she hand made
The meal last night was wonderful, ended up going to LSQ2 in Reading which was great once we got the main course sorted out – more on that later! And Mr B bought me a fantastic purple swatch which I LOVE!
All over for another year but now I have Chicago to look forward to – woooooooooo!
So I have finally reached the grand old age of 27 and I can say for absolute certainty that I still feel 21…or maybe 16 – depends what day it is! It is only 3 years now to 30 when I thought you were a real adult…not sure I’m ever going to feel like a real adult though…oh well!
I was a very lucky girl when I went home over the weekend and I got some money from my brother and Ms T plus a lovely Amy Butler cushion pattern – if only I could stretch to her fabric…maybe! Then my M&D got me THE best earrings ever, I’ve worn them every day since Mr B’s Mum made me the most beautiful cake which I have taken LOADS of pictures of but haven’t got the right cable so won’t be able to post them till tomorrow – it’s stunning!
And as if that wasn’t enough the lovely Mr B is taking me out for dinner tonight to some undisclosed location. I’ve been informed that it’s not a pub as ‘that’s not posh enough for your birthday’ so we shall see. As we’re going to Chicago in 2 days time there’s no need for too much celebration – going to eat and shop myself silly whilst I’m over there instead. CANNOT WAIT!!! I am tooooo excited
So nearly all packed, just got to write an exhaustive list of instructions (yes I am that controlling) about the bunnies for mine and Mr B’s parents and then all I need to decide is what takeaway we’re having on Wednesday so there’s no washing up!
Of course I also have to work but then in my mind I’m already on holiday…
