The Search For The Perfect Espresso Con Panna: Part One

My discovery of the existence of the espresso con panna came about last week, the morning of the  Premier Inn Purple Sauce launch media event . Despite being well versed in the blogging freebies philosophy from an early age, for some reason Michael was coy about taking a bacon sandwich, or drink, so while I had a bacon bap & big cup of tea, he requested to go get a cookie afterwards instead. We had to wait around until 11am for Yo Sushi! to open to get our takeaway to take home anyway, so we went to the Caffe Nero on Anne Street where he got a giant slice of chocolate fudge cake. I was full of bacon and tea, but wanted to get something to drink to occupy me while Michael attacked his cake, so I spied the espresso con panna, and thankfully for the coffee ignorant like me, a description of what it actually was underneath. Two shots of espresso topped with whipped cream. It sounded good, and it tasted good, and it was teeny enough to fit in after by giant cup of tea just half an hour before. Plus it was only £1.90, which seems cheap for a coffee chain where big, sugary coffees are over £3.

And so my experiment unwittingly began. 

Caffe Nero

 My next place to try their version of the espresso con panna was local coffee chain Bob & Bert's. Again the drink was printed on the giant wall menu, but the two staff members said literally no-one had ever asked for it before! This led me to Google the drink when I got home, finding out it's actually a very old fashioned coffee option, which was around before other lighter drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes.

At Bob & Bert's there was a small or medium size, which I'm guessing just meant one or two shots. It was served in a cute little glass this time, and was just as good as Caffe Neros. 

Bob & Bert's Espresso con Panna

On Saturday, I was rushing around doing messages before my son got back, and stopped into my local Independant chain Coffee Cure, which has several branches in Bangor, including  the restaurant at the heritage centre. I live very close to the original flagship branch on the Rathmore Road, so I popped in to see how their espresso con panna held up. 

This time it wasn't on the menu, so I just asked for two shots of espresso with whipped cream on top. They made the cream up fresh, and it was really thick. I forgot to get a photo, but it was good. 

Coffee Cure, Rathmore Road, Bangor

The final contender in part one of my search for the best espresso con panna is every coffee snob's nemesis, Starbucks. I love Starbucks, and Michael loves Starbucks, although we rarely go as it's just so bloody expensive. Luckily the espresso con panna was not only on the wall menu, but only £1.90 and apparently only 37 calories. I'm not sure I can really judge Starbucks fairly, as I got the drink to take away, and with all the other cafés I sat in. Why this effects the outcome is that by the time I drove round home with the drink, the cream had completely dissolved into the espresso, so it was just like a tiny strong coffee with a splash of milk in it. It definitely wasn't good, but I might give Starbucks another go sitting in with it next time.

Tiny little takeaway cup

So far I think the best version has been the original, Caffe Nero. But I've plenty more places to try, so watch out for part two! 

Could You Stomach These Sushi Doughnuts?

The sushi continues. Bored yesterday I searched for all the posts on Buzzfeed about sushi, and these caught my eye. So if you hate sushi could you still eat these doughnuts? Or would you forever be tainted by imagining raw fish? I'd be willing to eat a tray, just to make sure of course... 

Some photos from the Buzzfeed article, the rest from good ol' Google. 

The chopsticks!  you can even eat them!

I am so hungry

Battle of the Belfast Sushi Takeaways!

I was talking about sushi over on Facebook and my friend Claire recommended I try Sakura on Botanic Avenue in Belfast next time, rather than Yo Sushi! Michael & I had actually been to Sakura twice a number of years ago, when they were the only place that had a sushi train in Northern Ireland. It was so long ago I couldn't even remember what it was like to compare to our staple Yo Sushi! takeaway boxes. So I picked up a big twelve piece box for £16.50, at Sakura, and a large salmon & tuna box for £7.50 from Yo Sushi!

Top left £16.50 box from Sakura, top right is a little sushi mix bowl from Yo! which costs £1.50, bottom is the £7.50 Yo! large salmon and tuna box.

Firstly ordering at Sakura was trickier than Yo! because there aren't really premade boxes or pick and choose from. Secondly the menu to order from doesn't have images of each piece, and even though we get sushi often I still don't really know all the names of the things I like, or don't like. I know what a hand roll is (I'm not keen on them), California rolls and maki, but everything else is always ordered with a point at the picture on the Yo Sushi! menu. 

So even though the Sakura takeaway menu is more extensive than the Yo Sushi! one, I was a little flustered at what to order and in the end just asked for the large selection.

Compared to Yo Sushi! pieces, Sakura sushi is almost twice the size. I can eat a whole box of Yo! takeaway in one sitting, but I only managed five from the Sakura tray. They give you tonnes of wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger too.  

Sakura pieces are BIG

Generous amounts of ginger & wasabi with the Sakura box  

Tastewise I think Sakura is closer to what you might get in a traditional sushi restaurant in Japan, whereas Yo Sushi! is more of a westernised version of the food type, which I think I prefer. You can't say that Sakura portions aren't generous, in fact I've no idea how I'm going to manage to eat it all this evening while the raw fish is still good!

After my Sakura experience I think I'll stick with Yo Sushi! at least for takeaway boxes for now. I think Sakura would be better for sitting in, so that's on my to do list. Now what am I going to do with all this fresh sushi?? I'm off to hunt for some lose trousers with an elasticated waist band.... 

Buy me one of these and I will love you forever

Bangor's Hidden Gem for Bountiful, Beautiful Breakfasts

I say Bangor, but more correctly the  Cairn Bay Lodge guesthouse is slightly on round the coast in picturesque Ballyholme. I don't know about fellow Bangor West dwellers, but I often forget there's a beautiful stretch of water with rows of colourful Victorian houses and a beach walk way, just a short drive away on the other side of town.

Recently I've been slowly drip fed these gorgeous photos of kitsch interiors, smashing sea views and the odd picture of a plate of mouth-watering grub, on my Facebook timeline. The account behind these tempting photos was Cairn Bay Lodge, a guesthouse overlooking Ballyholme strand. So Michael and I decided it was time to make a trip over town and visit The Starfish Cafe ourselves!

Parking is free and plentiful on the road outside the Lodge, and the cafe spreads through two rooms, with plenty of seating. We visited at 11am-ish and it was busy, but we had a choice of seats. 

The interiors were what tickled my fancy initially to prompt the visit. Absolutely splendid interior design, with taxidermy, fairy lights, prints by my very own logo designer Handdrawn Creative Neal McCullough and retro pieces which give the whole lodge a vintage feel without being tacky or gaudy in the slightest. It's kitsch done the North Down way.

The menu all looks delicious, with lots of seafood and high quality produce sourced locally. I went for French toast with mascarpone, crispy bacon and maple syrup. Michael just wanted some icecream, as he had had breakfast at home. This wasn't on the menu, but they kindly gave him a big bowl of vanilla icecream and only charged me £1. We also had coffee and fresh orange juice. The food was excellent. I was really impressed. If you are local and want a really good quality breakfast, or to impress a visiting guest, The Starfish Cafe at Cairn Bay Lodge is the hidden gem of a eaterie you're after.

For our four items I think we paid around £11.50 that's a little more than breakfast elsewhere, but the produce is very high quality. Next time I visit, probably this week coming, I want to try one of the crab dishes.

I had told the owners on their Facebook that we would be calling so we had a brief chat after eating. They are a lovely couple, who's names I didn't remember, I'm sorry! But I can imagine staying at the Lodge would be just as plesant as eating there. 

Porridge option- photo from Cairn Lodge website

Photo from Cairn Lofge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website  

J H Lynch & Dallas Simpson prints, photo from Cairn Lodge Website

Menu image from www.nosebagni.com - a local foodie blog worth checking out  

The Two New Loves of My Life: Bob & Bert

Bob & Bert's is a Northern Irish artisan coffee chain I first became aware of when we spent our week up in Portstewart last month. Because we know and love Ground Espresso, we were already set for coffee while we were up there, and didn't venture into a Bob & Bert's. Now we are back in Bangor, with our nearest Ground Espresso in Belfast, we decided to give Bob & Bert's new Bangor store a try. It's located above Tempest in Main Street, and you can access it via the escalator in Menary's.

We weren't expecting to fall in love with the place, but we did. The interior is very quirky, and the cakes are to die for. They do food too, baked potatoes, ciabattas etc. as well as big, American milkshakes and Ben & Jerry's sundaes. 

We went for coffee, pancakes and rainbow cake. There's also a huge Belfast sink with rows & rows of sparklingly clean glasses for you to have free, fresh tap water. We will definitely be back. Check where your local Bob & Bert's is on their website.

Espresso topped with fresh cream is my current favourite £1.90

Short stack, I couldn't even finish it all! £4.25

Hampstead Iced Teas, Low Calorie Refreshment

Five years ago asking someone in Northern Ireland for iced tea would be met with a blank look, but now we are all slugging coconut water, ice cold coffees, and the European mainland staple, fruit iced tea. Try as I might I just can't get into coconut water, even the local brands I sadly can't truthfully rave about as I don't have the refined taste, or health kick persistence to drink it. Iced tea is another story. Hampstead premixed teas aren't wishy washy, they are punchy and refreshing.  

They come in four flavours, three of which Michael and I tried and loved. I simply didn't ask to try the elderflower variety as I for some reason just don't like the flavour in any drink or food, but I'm sure if you do like it the Hampstead tea will probably be delicious, as the other three certainly are. They retail in Tesco for £1.39, or you can bulk buy on the http://www.hampsteadtea.com/ site. If we get another heat wave I'll be stocking up, as they really are far more refreshing than fizzy drinks.

http://www.hampsteadtea.com/ site. If we get another heat wave I'll be stocking up, as they really are far more refreshing than fizzy drinks.

Purple Sauce, Flamingo Croquet, Sneaky Sushi & Climbing Walls

We've had a mega busy day and it's only 2pm as I start writing this. Our first stop this morning was Belfast's Premier Inn. Today sees the launch of their exclusive purple breakfast sauce, so we popped along for a bacon butty & a cuppa.  

The sauce is available in all Premier Inns throughout the UK, and non-overnight-stay-guests are welcome to call in for breakfast to try it any day, and grab a Costa blend coffee too. It's really tasty, but I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of.  The base is blackberries, but it goes really well with savoury flavours. It isn't obnoxiously purple, like the green ketchup of the 1990s, but you can see the violet hue off it in real life.

Our next stop was Victoria Square, which is all dolled up with an Alice in Wonderland theme for the summer. There's a hedge maze and flamingo croquet to play. 

We then hit Yo Sushi at 11.02am, two minutes after opening, to try to get some takeaway sushi to bring home with us for later. Sadly nothing was ready, but they made some boxes up while we waited. Of course we got too tempted by the treats going round on the sushi train and ended up eating a few dishes while we waited too. 

Our afternoon plan for today was to drive down to Castlewellan. My brother & his wife are down at the Methodist Holiday Week and today is the open day. It's been raining all morning though, and the thought of trudging round in the drizzle wasn't too appealing, so we stopped off at Ikea in Holywood and decided against the long drive to Castlewellan. 

They have a free climbing wall today, which Michael scaled up whilst I held my breath. He's a lot braver than I! 

So that's been our busy morning. Michael is now building a Premier Inn in Minecraft, and I'm about to tuck into my takeaway Yo Sushi, with maybe a little splash of purple sauce! 

The Sanitas Electronic Facial Brush from Lidl: Is It Worth Buying?

A quick Google of electronic facial scrubbers shows you prices ranging from £12.99 up to £150, so what about Lidl's Sanitas version? At just £9.99 does it do the job, and is it worth buying an electronic facial brush at all? 

The Sanitas is in Lidl this week, so they sent me one to have a go with. It comes with batteries included and three different heads, one hard and two softer bristled circular fittings. The action of the brush can be rotation, or a to and fro motion, which I found better for cleaning with. The straight 'round and round' setting felt like your skin was being twisted, but if you want a good proper exfoliation treatment, that's the setting for you. 

You apply your facial cleanser or scrub to your skin, not the brush, and it does a really good job of lathering the product. I've used it every evening this week and my skin does look brighter. It's helped me to stick to a routine, as I'm now 35 and still prone to going to bed with my makeup on. One thing to note, you have to remove your eye make up first, as even the soft brushes aren't suitable for your delicate skin around the eyes, and you don't want to spread your eye makeup all over your face anyway. 

Electric facial scrubbers then, a thumbs up, and for £9.99 it's a very fair price compared to the £159 models which when it comes down to it, do the same thing this does. If you fancy grabbing the Sanitas they are in store this fortnight, but I've a feeling the price will make them very popular, so maybe phone your local store to check if they still have them available before making the trip. 

Here's to shiny, fresh faces everywhere! 

(Someone had to get in on the act, of course!)