Up For A Banh-ing Good Time? | Banh And Mee Leeds

Hey everyone! 

How are you doing? Good? Bad? Let me know down below! 

Welcome to a brand new post! I went and tried Banh Mi's for the first time the other week, so I thought that today, I would talk to you all about my experience of trying it for the first time!

Mylinh and Sengy run the street café together and serve traditional family recipes with a modern Yorkshire twist. They offer simple, fresh and authentic food, bringing vibrant culture of Vietnamese street food, from the streets of Hanoi to the streets of Leeds.

I wandered down to the wonderful Kirkgate Market. Kirkgate Market has some great and quirky stalls, which when mixed with great architectural features, makes it a great place to go and have a wander in. I slowly made my way through the building, weaving in and out of stalls until I found the one that I was looking for.

Banh and Mee have a selection of Vietnamese food, ranging from bowls of pho, to banh mis and everything in between. Me and my friend, decided to go for a BBQ Pork and Chicken and Lemongrass Banh Mi's. We nearly decided to go for a Mama Tran's Homemade Tofu Banh Mi, just for the name alone, but maybe next time, eh?

The BBQ Pork was to die for. The texture of the smooth, near silky, piece of Pork against the thick BBQ reduced sauce and the crunchy bread that the Banh Mi came in was to die for. The depth of the BBQ sauce was delicious. The sweetness was cut through with acidity and a slight bit of heat. This on it's own was enough to fill you up for Lunch but I definitely wouldn't walk and eat with it.

The Chicken and Lemongrass was also to die for. I love anything with Lemongrass in, from bath bombs and perfumes, to, food and cocktails. The Chicken was perfectly cooked. Seared and cooked, but still umptuous and succulent in the middle. The Lemongrass added a hint of deep Citrus that went well with Chicken. The sort of salad that was with it added tang, and the bread added a crunch against the softness of the filling. Just lovely.

Have you been to Banh & Mee? Do I need to try anything else from their menu? Do I need to try any of the other vendors at Kirkgate Market? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Poking The Palette & Trying Something New | Oke Poke Manchester

Hey everyone! 

How are you? Are you enjoying the weather at the moment? Let me know down below! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to Manchester a while ago, and, tried Poké, so I thought that I would talk about my experience with it today.

Poké (poh-kay) is a traditional Hawaiian street food that is a healthy alternative to western fast food. It’s normally a combination of diced raw fish, vegetables and various other mix-ins. Poké in Hawaiian translates as ‘chunk’. It has been compared to a deconstructed sushi bowl, with hints of Asian flavours which creates a unique, healthy and soulful alternative to an everyday salad.

I was in Manchester a while ago, with Alex & Jake. We had ventured into Manchester for a good catch up, and, to defeat and conquer the Doctor Who Escape Room at Escape Hunt. (More details shall be explained in a post very soon.) After conquering the game, we decided to head to Oké Poké.

This business has a cosy yet casual aesthetic with vibes of Hawaii. The aesthetic on it's own makes you feel like a part of something bigger with being able to see everything being made before your eyes. It's something that you can rarely do when eating out at an established restaurant.

I didn't get a photo sadly of my dish, so I am using the photo of Alex's throughout this post. 

You can either get a Poké bowl or a Pokérito. (It's exactly what you think it is, imagine an amazing Hawaiian influenced Burrito.) I decided to just go for a normal bowl. The great thing about this establishment, is that, you can either choose a already created bowl, or, you can create your own. I decided to have all the fun in the world and create my own!

When choosing your own, you have the decision of, choosing your rice, protein, three toppings, garnishes and a sauce. I decided to go for, Black Rice, Free Range Chicken, Pineapple, Spring Onion, and, Avocado, Coriander, Pickled Ginger, and, Teriyaki Sauce.

I loved the colour of the black rice against the wonderful pop of colours from the Pineapple, Spring Onions and Avocado. The Chicken was seared on the outside and succulent on the inside. I loved this, as sometimes, restaurants have a tendency on overcooking Chicken. I loved the contrast of the crunchy Spring Onions against the clay smoothness of the Avocado. (I rarely eat Avocados, so I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to be a stereotypical 'millennial'.) I love Coriander, I can eat it by the bundle, but the pepperiness of this against the sweetness of the Pineapple was to die for. The Teriyaki sauce added flavour to the Avocado. but also mellowed out the burn of the Onion. All in all a great dish, and definitely one to have with friends as you can all come back to the table and talk to each other about what you chose.

Have you been to Oké Poké before? Let me know down below? Where should I go and eat next? Let me know down below! 

Click here to check out Jake 
Click here to check out Alex 
Click here to check out Oké Poké. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope that you come back next time for another post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Getting Down & Dirty With The Bartenders | Jake's Bar & Still Room

Hey everyone!

How are you? Are you enjoying the longer evenings? Let me know down below!

I kindly got invited to try out the new and marvellous menu at the wonder Jake's Bar & Still Room, so I thought that I would talk to you all about that today.

Jake’s Bar has long been renowned for the quality and selection of their cocktails and mixed drinks.
Jakes also have a renowned Still room which  create our own unique range of spirits and liqueurs: The Distilled Spirit of Leeds. A constantly changing selection of potent potables distilled and blended by Jakes talented in house team. The range is regularly changed to reflect the changing flora and flavours of the seasons.

I brought my friend, Ben, along to the launch. (If you want to find out more about Ben and his work with VOLATILITY then click here.) We walked down the grand staircase, and, entered the beautifully decorated bar. We chatted to a few of the staff and PR team who had invited us, and then was asked about our favourite liquors. Once we had mentioned our favourite spirits to drink, the bartender in question suggested a drink or two that they had created themselves, for myself and Ben to try.

The basis for Jake's new menu, is, to showcase the wonderful bartenders that work at Jake's Bar and Still Room, and their wonderful drink creating skills. Each Bartender has a section of the menu with a selection of their own drinks. Each section also comes with a little snippet about the bartender, so you can get to know them that little bit more.

Now sadly, I'm not fully sure of the spirits that are involved within the drink, so I'm going to go off on what I think is in there. If I can somehow get hold of what's in each drink, then, I will update the post.

I first tried the Rum Punch. This tasted amazing. Dark spicy Rum mixed with bright and refreshing Citrus fruits. I think rhat this will be an amazing drink for when the weather gets warmer. I always love anything with Rum so this went down a treat. Ben enjoyed a delicious Strawberry Daiquiri. He loved the sweetness of the Strawberries against the sourness of the Lime.

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After this, I tried a version of a Bloody Mary that was a little bit sweeter. It also came with a Pickle. I love Pickles. Honestly, I could have Pickles with anything. I honestly loved this. I sometimes find that the problem with Bloody Mary's are that they end up being so sour that you can't taste anything by the second gulp. This one was very different, it ensured that the Tomato came out with still a hint of sourness with the Vodka in there. Ben enjoyed a Rhubarb and Custard. He loved this drink. He liked that it all melded together, and, that the creaminess of the drink cut against the sourness. He was also intrigued on how the bartender had gotten the sweets to stick onto the glass.

We chatted for a while about all things weather and politics. After this, Ben sadly had to get home, so we said our thanks and headed off. I am definitely going back to try the rest of the menu when I can, and, hopefully get to chat to the other bartenders!

Have you been to Jakes Bar and Still Room before? Let me know down below! 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post! I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!
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Thanks for reading! 
Jamƒie x 

I received drinks in return for writing this post. All views, ramblings and opinions are completely my own. 

Peeking Into Harajuku | Lush Harajuku Exclusives First Impression

Hey everyone!

How are you? Is everything going good? Let me know down below!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to Manchester last week and popped into the wonderful Lush Arndale. When I arrived, I noticed that they had a fair new products out to commemorate the 30th Birthday of the Bath Bomb, so I thought that I would tell you what Bath Bombs they had in today's post. (If you wanna read about my last Lush post, then, click here.)

Kitsune

Kitsune refers to a Fox in Japanese culture. They are also known to be intelligent beings with paranormal skills that mature with age. This bath bomb looks amazing and smells divine. The scent consists of Sicillian Lemon and Patchouli. The Lemon will help to refresh your mind and help you feel awake, whereas the Patchouli will help recharge you. The Lemon is definitely the more prominent smell, as it takes a couple of sniffs to realise that there is Patchouli in there.

Groovy Kind Of Love

It's groovy baby! This Bath Bomb contains, Rosewood, Bergamot and Ylang Ylang. I expected it to be very floral, just from this description, but that's not the case. This bomb has a sort of flowery essence to it with a sort of deep pepper note going on. Floral and Pepper sounds weird, I know, but stay with me. When you sniff it, you get the powdery floral-ness of the Ylang Ylang and the Rosewood. That's expected. However, on the second sniff, you get the deep Pepper note from the Bergamot.

Harajuku

All of the new bath bombs have come from the bath bomb only store in Harajuku, Japan, so it makes sense to talk about the self-titled Bath Bomb. Harajuku contains Brazilian Orange Oil, Benzoin Resinoid and Vanilla Absolute. The best way that I can explain this scent, is, Bubblegum. By Bubblegum, I don't mean Snow Fairy. I mean pure unfiltered Bubblegum. The stripes of colour, instantly make me think that this will be an amazing one for the water! I like this one but I think it's an one in a while bomb for me.

Turmeric Latte

Oh my god. This bath bomb. Go and smell it if you can. Turmeric Latte contains, Tonka Absolute, Benzoin Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Turmeric Powder, and, Coconut Milk Powder. The Bath Bomb smells spicy but sweet. It reminds me of the Viktor and Rolf fragrance 'Spicebomb.' I just love it. It's sweet enough to be used in the Summer but spicy enough to use in the Winter. I actually bought one of these to use in the bath at the hotel I was staying in, but  sadly I didn't have time to use it.

Chocomint

Mint Aero Bubbles in a Bath Bomb form? Who would've thought it?! This bomb contains Almond Oil, Cocoa Powder, and, Spearmint Oil, When I sniffed this, I mainly got the Spearmint with a hint of Cocoa. I think that the Almond is mainly more there to make the bomb a little bit sweet. I think that this would be a great one to use for sore muscles, or for a morning bath. (Morning baths are amazing, especially at the weekend!)

Magma

Who doesn't love a volcano? Magma is here to make all of our hearts rupture with joy! This bomb contains Ginger Powder, Mustard Powder, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Peppermint Oil and Popping Candy. If you've ever smelt Wiccy Magic Muscles, then it's on the same lines as that. I love this one as it's spicy and just great for when you need a hot bath. I love anything with Cinnamon in so I knew that I would love this instantly from the first sniff. The popping candy is mainly more there for sound aesthetics, as it helps the bath bomb to sound like a rupturing Volcano.

Moon Spell

Moon Spell is a very different sort of bomb. It comes in two parts, and when you push them together in the water, it makes the bath glow with delight. This product contains just Brazillian Orange Oil. It's deep but citrus and I love it.

Have you tried any of the bath bombs mentioned in this post? Have you checked out your local Lush to check what new and exclusive products are there? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x