Food Friday : Frankie + Benny’s, Washington

Food Friday : Frankie + Benny’s, Washington

Hello Lovelies,

Recently I had a business meeting with a client in Frankie + Benny’s of all places as it was local. Arriving at 6pm on a Friday evening without a booking, we were seated immediately and thankfully our request to be seated out of the way of the large childrens birthday party in full swing was fulfilled. It’s not a chain I would go out of my way to choose as I prefer independent restaurants but when needs must, it certainly serves a purpose! I thought I would include this as I know a lot of people may be looking for reviews before visiting!
As it was Friday, the set menu was available so we had 2 courses for £11.95 with the additional dessert for £2.50, making it a filling 3 course meal for £14.45.

Drink service was fast and we weren’t rushed as we browsed the menu and chatted for longer than we probably should have. Mocktails were ordered.

 

Gentle Breeze

The Gentle Breeze (£2.95) was very refreshing with apple, cranberry and lime juice but my companions Amalfi Sunrise (£2.95) was so teeth meltingly sickly sweet I don’t think I could have worked my way through it! It had passion fruit, orange and pomegranate syrup.


Amalfi Sunrise


For starters we both opted for the Louisiana Chicken skins. 2 potato shells loaded with a dose of hot sauce and topped with cubed chicken, peppers and cheese. Sour cream was served on the side as a welcome accompaniment for those who aren’t hot sauce gluttons… I wish they had brought the bottle of hot sauce with the starters as I could definitely have added more to mine. My dining partner was more than happy with the small amount already added!

 
I ordered the spicy sausage calzone pizza which arrived smothered in garlic butter and tomato sauce. The pizza dough was light and crisp. The filling was generous but not at all spicy. I know it’s a fine line between people’s perception of spicy but it was somewhat lacking. Nothing a dose of the hot sauce that was brought out with the condiments couldn’t fix. My main gripe with the pizza, each time I have had it, is that it has cut up sausages in it… bear with me on this one….. I expect sausages in my spicy sausage pizza but it felt more like I had the breakfast leftovers sliced up and re-purposed rather than something originally destined for a pizza.  Maybe I am just too fussy? It was very tasty though!

My dining partner had the cajun chicken melt which I must admit looked very small! A grilled chicken bread was topped with bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce. Served with fries, cajun mayo, coleslaw and a corn on the cob. The verdict was tasty.

As a side, we had a portion of the bacon and cheese fries (£4.25) which I think is an astronomical rip off for what it actually is! Like eye gouging expensive… but that Frankie + Benny’s philly cheese sauce is like crack. Once you have it, you do anything to get it! I love it so the price is just a cross I have to bear!

The meal (and meeting!) was rounded off with the peanut butter sundae which was so sweet it was perfect! Served in a tall glass, the sundae was full of warm brownie chunks, layers of peanut butter and ice cream all topped with whipped cream.

All in all we were in the restaurant for about 2.5hrs and at no point were we pressure to speed up, or leave. In fact as we’d made an offhand comment about having a meeting, we appreciated the fact that we were pretty much left to get on with it. The staff we interacted with were all very friendly, chatty and courteous and couldn’t have been more helpful, especially when we asked for VAT receipts!
We visited the Washington Galleries Frankie + Benny’s on Friday 13th June.



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Food Friday : Gooey Camembert and Cranberry Parcels

Food Friday : Gooey Camembert and Cranberry Parcels

This is a super quick and easy week night tea when you are in a rush or when you have impromptu guests and want to dazzle them with something that looks a little more fancy than it is.

The lighting is a bit dim on these, I was cooking at night and I wasn’t going to blog this but it was a spur of the moment decision!


Gooey Camembert and Cranberry Parcels
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 sheets of Filo Pastry
1 Camembert
2 spring onions
Garlic granules / powder
Olive Oil
Cranberry Sauce
To Serve
Salad of your choice
Equipment
Food processor
Frying Pan
Fish slice / spatula
Method

In the food processor, add the spring onions and garlic granules and blitz until very fine.
Remove the wrapping and rind from the Camembert and add straight to the processor. Blitz until the onions and garlic are well mixed and a creamy gooey mass is formed.

For each person, lay your filo sheet out flat and fold in half to make a rectangle. Spoon 1tsp of Cranberry sauce gently on to the end of the pastry sheet. Be careful when you do this as if you put it in the wrong spot you will probably tear your pastry trying to move it!
Spoon  ¼ of the cheese mixture on top of the cranberry

Begin rolling in to a parcel shape. On your first roll, use the weight of your hands to flatten out the cheese. Half way down, tuck the sides in and carry on rolling until you are done. Tucking the sides in stops any nasty surprises in the frying pan!

Put 1tbsp of olive oil in to your frying pan on a high heat and then gently lower your parcels in to the pan using a fish slice to avoiding tearing.

Once colour has initially formed on both sides, lower the heat and continue to cook until the flat sides are crispy and brown.


Serve while still hot with a salad of your choice. Here I went for a loose Moroccan inspired cous cous and rocket salad with chargrilled peppers, tomatoes, celery and spring onion tossed with sesame oil, lemon juice and ras el hanout.

I think I really need to plan in advance when I am going to cook for the camera and prepare the lighting and styling a little better…. But I guess it is more realistic to another every day cook.

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Arabesque Egyptian Restaurant – Sunderland

Arabesque Sunderland Egyptian Restaurant

We piled in to the car last Saturday to try out Arabesque Sunderland as I had been dying to try it since it opened. Located at 144, High Street West, the restaurant is very conveniently located to the Sunniside multi storey car park (90p p/h) as well as the bowling alley and cinema.

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Food Friday : mmm… & glug… Newcastle

Food Friday : mmm… & glug… Newcastle

Hello Lovelies,

If you have an itch to make something a little special and out of the ordinary but lacking inspiration, Mmm… in Newcastle’s Grainger Market is a fantastic place to start. You can also pop through next door to Glug… , the sister store, to find something special to wash your meal down with.
Photos used with permission – http://mmm-glug.co.uk/

mmm… is an Aladdin’s cave of exotic, hard to find foodie gems as well as freshly baked artisan bread,locally created and sourced products with shelves packed from floor to ceiling with treats of the highest order. With items reasonably priced but high in quality, you know you can’t go wrong.


glug… where do I even start? You eyes are bestowed with all of these neatly arranged bottles from around the world with their snazzy labels calling you. I particularly like the high volume of local brews which means it’s always a good place to start when buying alcohol as a gift as I A) know nothing about beers + lagers and B) I like shiny labels.
 

Owned by the Clarkin family, I can remember when mmm… used to be in a dinky little stall front on the other side of the market before moving to the luxe and large double store front they currently occupy. Manned by knowledgeable and supremely helpful staff, you will be in good hands.

As both mmm… and glug… are in the Grainger Market, Newcastle’s bustling historic indoor market, the opening hours are a standard 9am – 5/5:30pm but sadly the market does not open on Sundays. I think this is a huge mistake by the market and I for one, like thousands of others, miss out on going to the store because of this which is a shame. It only makes it an extra special treat when I do finally get to visit!
Some of my top picks from the store are
 Chorizo Bacon Jam from Eat 17


Fresh smoked Garlic from Isle of Wight’s Garlic Farm
Asharun spice mixes straight from Yorkshire



Next on my to-try list is the biscuit butter…. How can I NOT try biscuit butter!




If you are a local and haven’t been or are visiting Newcastle, please make mmm… and glug… a priority visit…. Even just to buy nibbles for the journey home!



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Food Friday : Tiger Bills Consett

Food Friday : Tiger Bills Consett
 


Last week I was invited along to try Tiger Bills in Consett by the beautiful ladies from Sparkle. As I had never been before, off I went with lovely Chloe from NewgirlinToon to enjoy an evening of chit chat, cocktails and scrumptious food.

Now I could show you the photos and a review of that evening but I thought what spoke louder than an organised visit was that I booked a table to return on the Saturday night with the family. Is that not testament to a good time? An immediate booking and an in-depth review!
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