Fratelli Belfast : Rustic Italian Food With a Contemporary Edge

Fratelli Belfast provides contemporary, city centre dining, with the quality we've come to expect from any venture under the Galgorm group banner. Located a hop, skip & jump from the Grand Opera House it's ideal for pre-theatre dinner, or a bite to eat after work before catching the train at Great Victoria Street Station.

The restaurant stretches over two levels of the beautiful building, with a full bar along one side of the lower level. The bright, open plan dining area allows a peek into the busy kitchen, where the Fratelli chefs work their magic. 

Michael and I were invited along last night to try the menu for ourselves. The main menu has a wide range of gourmet, adult tastes, but children are very much welcome at Fratelli, and the kids' menu simply isn't a 'nuggets and chips' affair. They can choose from a selection of pasta dishes, or they can become the chef themselves, and construct their pizza at the table, with ingredients of their choice. As you would imagine this was very popular with Michael, especially when he was presented with his own hat and apron to wear. 

Pizza construction comes along with at starter time, either garlic bread or dough balls on the kids' menu. Starter is £2.00-£2.50, pizza is £6.45, pasta £6.45, or main plus dessert is £8.45.

'Grown up starters' can either be smaller versions of some of the main courses, or you can get into the rustic Italian spirit and order a selection of cicchetti between yourselves. Michael from Fratelli chose for me, and I tried the fragrant prawns and the wholesome chicken, chorizo & tomato ragu. 

Earlier in the afternoon, before our visit I had studied the menu at length, and this was a must-try for me, I love duck and I love pistachio. Worth noting this is one of the gluten-free options on the new menu. The fresh, green salad was studded with little jewels of zesty orange, with generous amounts of duck meat cooked to perfection. This dish is available as a main course also, and it was as delicious as I imagined reading about it, so next time I will be going for that option.

Michael's main course was of course his own creation, which came back from the oven with bubbling, stretchy, cheesy mozzarella. If you have a fussy eater like I do, then the novelty of creating their own dinner seems to quash those tendancies.  You can't go wrong with pizza, but Michael did say this one was especially yummy.

While I was certain I needed the duck & pistachio starter in my life, making a decision on my main course was a bit trickier. The Fratelli menu includes pastas, pizzas, and salads, but what caught my eye were the pork dish, with gnocchi & black pepper, and the sea bass. In the end I asked my Michael to choose for me, and I think he made the right choice.

The sea bass was exquisite. Cooked perfectly with a crisp skin, with a beautiful lemon & caper butter which complimented the flavour of the fish without overpowering it. The classic baby potato and pea accompaniment was fresh and not too filling. Sides are available, but I found the main by itself was more than enough for me.

Finally Fratelli's dessert cabinet of wonders! Each miniature dessert is a classic favourite scaled down to be a fitting partner to after dinner coffee. Chocolate ganache, white chocolate cheesecake, tiramisu, rice pudding, all the favourites on a smaller scale. You can choose one for £2.50, two for £4.75, three for £7 or four for £9, so you can have a little taste of everything. Kids can also choose icecream for their final course.

Tiramisu and White choc cheesecake

So would I recommend Fratelli Belfast? Yes, and the proof is in the fact I've already arranged to take Michael's school friend along during February half term so they both can make pizzas. I might also have my eye set on another of those duck salads.

One last thing to mention- they have a great cocktail selection, and a 2 for 1 offer on them every Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sun between 5pm and 7pm. Monday is two for one dining (excluding Valentine's Day) and Tuesday has a ladies' night offer. Let me know if you try them out, and what you ordered! 

London For Kids: I Need Your Help!

So much to do, so little time! Smix & I have booked an overnight stay in London for Easter time. I've been three times since he was born, but he's never came along with me. 

Micromachines London Bus

Zero gravity car

Because I went a few times (blog award trips), he has always associated London with fantastical toys. This is because I would bring him a quirky toy each time, something he couldn't see in the shops here. 

So I knew he would be excited at the idea of going himself, but I wasn't quite ready for the reaction I got. we were driving away from school and he wound his window down and yelled 'I'm going to London' to anyone he knew. You'd think no-one had ever been on holiday before.

Then he came home and built some London landmarks in Minecraft PE. I've also been bombarded with questions such as, 'How long are days in London?' & 'Do they use paper money for £1 or coins like us?'. Godlovehim.

This is why I DO have to take him places. We never travelled as a family before the separation- we went to Paris Disney paid for by my parents for a huge trip for my Dad's 60th, 4 1/2 years ago, and any local overnights were sought by me in a blogging exchange fashion. I remember my parents took us to Portugal every year for a fortnight- it seems everyone's families could afford that back in the 80s. Travel broadens the mind they say, so one of my attempts of being a good parent is to make sure Smix gets to see more than just NI. My circumstances don't allow for more than two days mind you. The M.E. is going to hit me like a tonne of bricks after this, I know that. But Smix's knowledge is worth it, and I'm hardly complaining about having a holiday either! 

So I have some ideas of tourist attractions to definitely include, but locals or other parents- I would love any advice or tips offs on lesser known events or novelty restaurants. Let me know on Twitter @rudedoodle or just shoot me a mail kitschandink@me.com 

Oh! Also is The Shard suitable for kids or would they be bored?

Thanks! 

Duck Bus tour for all the sight seeing. No time to visit each individually. 

Ripley's Believe It or Not. My spiritual home

I would be a terrible parent if I skipped out this

Not 100% on going on this- how long does it take and is it any good? 

Anyone have a review about this? 

Wed night simply MUST include a novelty restaurant

Breakfast here on Thursday morning for sure! 

Burrow Bakery's Incredible Bowie Biscuits

 Burrow bakery, New York have created an edible tribute to David Bowie.

Their cakes, cookies and sweet treats elevate baking to an art form. 

Choose A New Year Beauty Routine From Eloquence- The Premium Skin Care That Really Made a Difference for Me

Good news if you want to try the skin care routine I blogged about in Autumn. Eloquence Beauty have lowered the price of their starter kit to £75. It's includes the four steps of the night routine, plus the mega nourishing treatment oil for use on hair, skin and nails.

Beforehand I used Boots No.7 skin care at night time, and after a week using Eloquence I knew I had found the range for me. My skin was so much softer- which was a shock as I always believed all skin products were much of a muchness. 

If you fancy trying just one of the products to start with, there is an offer code for 20% off individual items JANUARYEQ . Let me know how you get on! 

Ground Espresso Opens Its First Bangor Store- The Coffee Shop For Connoisseurs

You may have spotted the new  Ground Coffee Shop which almost sprung up overnight on the Bangor ring road beside Pure Gym. The first Bangor branch of the super successful Northern Irish chain is now open, ahead of their second store in the new Next at Bloomfields launching later in 2016.

Smix subscribes to the little boy rule of 'it's 3 degrees but no I definitely don't need my coat, mum'. 

So what sets Ground Espresso apart from all the other coffee shops our seaside town already has? For coffee connoisseurs it has to be their exclusive 'Brew Bar', using expert brewing methods for the ultimate taste experience from their beans. 

Hannah from Ground talked me through the three methods you can choose from, which take a little longer than usual coffee preparation, but which are most definitely worth the few minutes wait- I can confirm the difference in taste was huge. 

The Kalita Wave method gives the 'cleanest' coffee I've ever tasted. The resulting coffee is recommended to be tasted without milk or sugar, to experience the true, full taste of the beans. 

The Chemex is another expert barista method giving a strong, true taste from the beans used.

It brews enough coffee for two people, or two cups if you really love your java. Even after the little tester cups I could feel the caffeine, which must be a result of the more efficient brewing methods.

The final method was the Aeropress. I'd heard people talk about purchasing these for home use for Christmas, and Ground have them in stock to buy yourself. 

In fact they have a selection of expert brewing accessories available to purchase. 

So if you love your coffee you'll definitely want to try those methods at Ground and taste the difference. So what else is in store? Lots of local tea from Suki, Elderflower, Red Berries and Pink Grapefruit varieties.

For kids there are milkshakes. Smix had an Oreo one and you can also choose from strawberry, banana, chocolate and salted caramel brownie milkshakes. 

Ground also have a selection of healthy smoothies on offer. 

After our coffee tasting I was feeling a little too buzzed to drink more, I would have been up all night, so I tried their Mumbai Railway Chai- mostly because I've never known what it was, and was too scared to ask before. I always assumed it was some sort of milky tea, but it's not! It's neither tea or coffee but it's delicious. That's me hooked.

I also got to try one of their winter drinks, the orange hot chocolate, which is equally delicious. 

Food wise they have healthy lunches, and terribly wonderfully majestically unhealthy traybakes!

Smix rated this the best Nutella cake he has ever tasted. All the food choices are hand finished in store. 

Ground are famous for their salted caramel brownie, with portions that are definitely not skimpy. 

Snickers Cake, Mars Bar Krispies and Golden Honeycomb bars are also on the menu. 

The new Bangor store is a little different from the Waterstones or Next located Ground stores you may have been in. It's a stand alone branch with a bright and airy feel, lots of seating including work stations along the windows with plug sockets galore for your laptops. There is a very cute toddler area too. 

So now I know what a chai latte is, and that I love it, we will be round at Ground often! Frequent visits mean it's good sense to pick up one of their reusable cups- your drink will be 10p less if you bring it with you.  

 Finally for offers, competitions and news you can like Ground Espresso Bangor on Facebook.

Purrmaids. Cat Mermaids. And You Can Get a Double Duvet Covered in Them For £12 at Asda.

I put together a straight forward 'save and paste loads of product photos' post showcasing Asda online's pretty cool bedding selection before Christmas week there. 

It went down a treat, and lots of you became new Asda bedding fans like me. Their designs are contemporary, funky and unusual, and a great example of that is the new Purrmaids duvet cover which is £10 for a single bed and just £12 for your double.

£12 for the double cover which I bought

The matching cushion costs £5 and both can be delivered with NO postage charge to your nearest store, so you can pick it up when it suits- no missed parcels and trips to the Post Office.

Nautical navy & White is a smart, clean design classic you can't go wrong with.  

Matching throw £15

If you fancy a more grown up, sensible pattern, but love the colour scheme, why not opt for the swallow print bedding at the same price? 

Or this sailing inspired duvet for manly men! 

Another choice for us cat lovers. 

Or monkey fans. 

There are so many unique designs, I advise just going and browsing. 

Have fun! Let me know if you buy anything!  I'm @rudedoodle on Twitter.

Tillfalle IS Coming to IKEA Belfast!

I featured a look ahead to Spring 2016 before Christmas, but I wasn't sure how much of this tropical Tillfalle  collection we would get locally. It's been confirmed that we will be getting a selection of pieces, in store from February. My favourite is the black and white coffee table. 

Marks & Spencer's Enviously Delicious Clean Eating Ranges for a Fresh 2016

In the past if someone announced their eating clean intentions I'd think 'dead on. Rather you than me!'. Clean Eating involves removing preprocessed foods from your diet, or at least avoiding additives in what you do buy already made. That sounds like no fun at all. 

When I arranged this latest blog post with my lovely contact for M&S, she suggested I look at the new juices they've brought out, and clean eating involving a stirfry offer (it's a really great offer, more on that below). I wondered would I find anything to my taste, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The fruit and veg section is an obvious place to start. All sorts of delicious fruit with some on a 2 for £3, mix and match offer. 

As well as the classic favourite fruits, there are some I haven't even heard of! M&S are great like that, they'll have products you just can't get elsewhere. 

Adventurous cooks will love the herb station. You can buy potted herb plants too. 

These little salad bowls have been around for ages, but they've launched a few new versions for the year ahead. I noticed quite a lot of avocado products round the store, always a good thing. These pots are £3 for 2, can be mixed varieties or even included in the fruit and veg 2 for £3 too. 

Here's that fabulous stirfry deal I mentioned. You get a meat, veg mix, noodle or rice and finally a sauce for £7. It's all mix and match so the different combinations seem endless. The meal serves two but you could easily bulk it up to feed two kids as well with an extra pack of noodles. 

The meat options don't cut corners, as well as the chicken and beef you'd expect, there are exotic choices like duck breast, king prawn and salmon. I don't think Ive ever had salmon in a stir fry. 

£7

£7

Here comes a really innovative range- vegetables that replace pasta in meals. Each of these cost £1 and could definitely be used to bulk up the stir fry like I mentioned. I havent seen these for sale anywhere else and I'm very curious to try them. 

Those of you with brand new Nutribullets will love these smoothie packs. For £2.50, or two for £3, you get everything you need to whizz up the perfect healthy juice. You can even use the container as a cup.

The little veg and protein tubs, such as this beetroot, chicken and pecan nut one below are an interesting alternative to a snack of chocolate or crisps during the day. 

Green tea can help your metabolism, so with it only being £1 for this box, I decided to give it a go. 

M&S fresh soups, from the fridge department, are known for being rich and delicious. They've launched a few new recipes and you can try them by taking advantage of the current buy one, get one half price offer.

£2.50 with the second half price £1.25

Also newly launched are these tea based drinks. They are £1.50 each. They'd make a delicious afternoon snack with one of the crispy Pink Lady apples. 

Staying with healthy snacks, these baked pea snaps are £2 for bags of 5. 

I also loved the package design of their instant noodles. 

So you're set for your evening meal with the stirfry offer, but what can you pick up on the go, or for a working lunch? 

These new open sandwiches and healthy wraps are mix and match with a drink & snack all for £4.

Here are a couple of combinations I chose. All £4 offers. 

Roast beef and radish open sandwich. 

Smoked salmon and prawn. How cool are these carrot crisps? 

More avocado!  

Finally, your healthy eating breakfast- porridge, you can't beat it! 

Coincidentally Sprucefield M&S have Fitbits. I bought one last week and I'm loving it. It tracks your steps, exercise, quality of sleep etc. If you're thinking of getting one you should pop along and play about with what they have there.