A foodie trip to Cardiff

A few weeks ago we took a road trip down to Cardiff to celebrate Gem and Martyn's wedding. We stayed the night at Hannah and Steve's in south London before heading across the country. Wales is a good three hours away from us, so as with taking any type of road trip it's essential to make sure your car is up to the challenge. No one ever likes breaking down hours from home! Make sure you keep your car up to date and in good shape by getting it regularly checked. Use companies such as Ossett Tyre House offer car servicing in Dewsbury if you need a little help. 

Despite visiting for the weekend, we probably only had a full day in Cardiff so decided to do what we do best. Eat, eat and eat some more. Take a look at all the places we stuffed our faces in and take some notes for when you make a trip to the Welsh capital. You don't want to miss out!

Brød
I knew as soon as it was decided we week sharing a house with Hannah and Steve, a Scandi-inspired trip to somewhere would be involved. This time it was a breakfast trip to the Danish bakery Brød. This cosy coffee shop offers an incredible selection of pastries and cakes alongside delicious savoury options which include meatball paninis, loaves of bread and mini pizzas. The cafe has a great atmosphere and the staff are very friendly, more than willing to to talk you through the menu. It's a little way out of the city centre but it's well worth the trip.

Got Beef
This small but perfectly formed burger restaurant features an open kitchen where you can see the chefs work their magic. It's not the best burger in the world - so spoilt in London - but it's a good solid choice.  I opted for the Soprano. A tasty concoction consisting of a juicy beef patty, smoked streaky bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, spicy jalepeno mayo and chunks of chorizo sausage. As you can imagine, it went down a treat!

The Potted Pig
Gem's wedding wasn't until 5 so we wanted a good substantial meal to keep us going - and stop us from becoming lightweights when we started on the prosecco. The roasts at The Potted Pig had come highly recommended. I'm not a huge roast dinner fan - take my British passport away immediately - but this one was amazing. Located in a former bank vault underneath the city, they offer an amazing set menu on a Sunday which includes two courses for £15. The pork belly was heavenly and I'm still dreaming about the cauliflower cheese now.

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Two places to have brunch in Krakow

I often find it hard to find a decent brunch in other countries. We have such a solid brunch culture here in the UK that nothing ever really seems to live up too. I think we're a bit spoilt! But Karkow didn't disappoint. We were only there for a couple of breakfasts and each one we picked got our seal of approval. Good work Krakow!

Ranny Ptaszek
If you're after a quick and casual breakfast, then this is a place to go. Sitting at the bar I ordered one of my favourite breakfast dishes, the Middle-Eastern speciality of Shakshuka. Accompanied by a basket of warm pitta bread, pickles and siracha mayo, it was just the ticket to begin a day. The breakfast menu isn't the biggest but it's great value and service is very quick.

Alchemia Od Kuchni
Located in the trendy Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, this restaurant is just off the main square. Full of hip exposed brickwork, industrial-themed decor and a good solid breakfast menu, it's perfect to enjoy your first meal of the day. I decided to pump for the chorizo hash brown. A chunky round chorizo hash brown topped with wilted spinach and two poached eggs drizzled with tangy hollandaise sauce and chopped chives. It was great value, priced at about £5, and a good centre location for a day out in the Jewish Quarter.

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Updated: my new five favourite places to eat in London

Mien Tay
I've mentioned time and time again that Vietnamese is one of my favourite cuisines and Mien Tay is up there as my top place to eat it in London.  The food always tastes so fresh, it's great value for the capital and the menu is so varied. Definitely opt for the chicken clay pot curry and you won't be disappointed. The lighter vermicelli noodles are great if you don't want a heavy meal.

Dishoom
I've mentioned this before but thought I'd mentioned it again as they're opening a new branch in west London this autumn. Even more locations for you to enjoy the food! I tell everyone they absolutely need to try the bacon naan if it's the last thing they do. I never knew something so simple could be so tasty! If you go for dinner make sure you pump for the delicious black dal and moreish lamb chops.

Franco Manca
Pizza is my jam and Franco Manca is the king of pizza. Bold claim I know but true. I never opt for anything other than number 4. A tantalising combination of salty home-cured Gloucester Old Spot Ham, creamy mozzarella, buffalo ricotta, soft wild mushrooms and juicy tomatoes on a chewy, sourdough base.

Chic N Sours
Korean Fried Chicken would be my last meal on earth and Chic n Sours does a cracking version. Just the right amount of heat, addictive sauce and unbelievably tender chicken. The hot Szechuan crispy aubergine, K-Pop chicken burger and addictive house fry are also well worth ordering. In fact make sure you go multiple times so you can try everything on the menu.

Honey & Co
For a mere £16.50 Honey & Co offers a fantastic brunch option. The whole table has to order but you get so much food. The table can enjoy a selection of meze, breads, olives, pickles, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit and homemade jam. Then everyone gets to choose their own main meal to enjoy. I opted for the green Shakshuka with two Cornish eggs.

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Three places to visit in Warsaw outside the Old Town

Wilanov Palace
When we go away I always drag everyone to some sort of palace or castle. I love them. Everyone else? Not so much. But this one was a winner for everyone. Over my 28 years I've seen lots and lots of palaces but this 17th Century one might just be my favourite - it's one of the most beautiful buildings I've seen. It doesn't hurt that yellow is my favourite colour too! It's an easy 30 minutes bus journey from the Old Town and couldn't be simpler to get to. Just one straight journey and you can use your travel card (a must for getting around Warsaw). Amazingly this grand royal palace survived the Second World War. I find this incredible as so much of Poland was destroyed and rebuilt. A stunning yellow colour, the palace is now an art gallery so we never made it inside as galleries aren't really our jam. But we did pay a couple of pounds to go in the gardens and they were absolutely beautiful. There's a lake where you can hire rowing boats, a gorgeous rose garden, the Baroque garden which is the oldest part of the park and an English-Chinese garden.

Neon Museum
Located in the Praga district of Warsaw, the super cool neon museum is a collection of vintage neon signs from the communist area. It is quite a trek from the Old Town but Praga is said to be the hipster district of the city so it's a great place for a bar crawl. It's very different from the Old Town, a lot more grittier but it's a great place to get a 'real' feel for the city, away from the hoards of tourists. The museum reminded me a lot of God's Own Graveyard in Walthamstow. It's not a place you'd spend hours wandering around but it's really interesting, cool and something a little bit different.

Palace of Culture and Science
Built by the Soviets in 1955 as a 'gift', the tallest building in Poland has such a presence in the Financial District of the new town. Now it's home to a huge congress hall, theatres, a multi-screen cinema and museums. Catch the lift to the top to the observation tower and you've be rewarded with amazing views over the city. It's well worth a visit just for this but beware, it gets windy on the 30th floor!

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A day trip to Sopot, Poland

When I mentioned to people I was planning on squeezing a beach trip into our visit to Poland, everyone was surprised that it even had a coastline. And the fact that the country actually enjoyed hot weather. Yet another misconception about this beautiful country.

The seaside resort Sopot is part of the Tri-City - known as the place to party - in Eastern Pomerania, just six miles away from Gdansk. Or a 20 minute train journey. It gave off similar vibes to Brighton. It was full of cool, young people, quirky independent restaurants and shops alongside seaside-esque style housing. But one plus is the fact it has a sandy beach so make sure you bring a towel to relax.

It's the ideal town to have a lazy day. Check out the longest wooden pier in Europe - be aware there's a charge in the summer months -, the town's most iconic building known as the "Crooked House", the famous Sheraton seafront hotel and take a stroll alongside the beach, checking out the souvenir and ice cream shops. We never had dinner in the town but I've heard that you must seek out the fish restaurants as the quality is second to none.

One place you absolutely need to visit is Flamingo & Co for a couple of scoops of ice cream. It was the best ice cream I had in the entire two weeks in Poland - which is saying something as Lody is amazing! I opted for the salted caramel and strawberry which turned out to be the ideal combination. I'm willing to go back to Sopot just to have some more ice cream!

Have you ever thought of visiting Sopot?

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OOTD: Blue cotton sun dress

Outfit:
Blue cotton midi dress: H&M (similar)
Light wash denim jacket: Primark (similar)
Gold boyfriend watch: Marc Jacobs (similar)

While we were travelling around Poland last month we decided to schedule in a beach trip. Somehow we managed to choose a day that was the chillest out of the whole two weeks but that just meant it felt like going to the beach at home! Sopot is around a 20 minute train journey from Gdansk, making it the perfect day trip if you find yourself in the city. I've got a post coming up soon so I won't say much more about the town. But it's definitely worth a visit, if only for ice cream from Flamingo & Co. That stuff is absolutely heavenly and I still dream about it now. Believe it or not, Poland is the best for ice cream. No joke.

I've been trying to wear more stuff in my wardrobe because I can barely afford to buy my weekly bus ticket, let alone treat myself to new clothes. Have you got your violins out yet? Owning a house is tough on my finances. I have no idea how I forgot about this dress and sadly this is the only time I've worn it this year. If that isn't the sign of a true shopaholic then I don't know what is... Hopefully an Indian summer is on its way and I'll get a few more wears out of this before the year is up.

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OOTD: Red maxi dress

Outfit:
Orange pleated maxi dress: Very*
Nude heeled sandals: New Look (similar)
Nude clutch bag: Acessorize (similar)

Very got in touch with me to see if I would like to style a maxi dress and offered me to style and review. As soon as I spotted the vibrant colour, pretty pleats and gorgeous neckline, I knew this was the one for me. It's the perfect dress for a special occasion such as a wedding but also works just as well for a weekend outing with friends. Wear with heels to dress it up or espadrille wedges to keep it more casual.

This weekend has been pretty manic! I took the long journey to Putney - only for you Hannah! - for an afternoon feast of delicious tacos. That girl sure knows how to put on a spread! It was a great afternoon consisting of too much gossiping, making me  forever grateful I took the plunge to take to those girls on the internet. This afternoon I'm off to have a look at some wedding dresses with my sister-in-law. I can't quite believe she's old enough to be getting married! Can time slow down a bit please?

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How to create the perfect antipasti

As I mentioned in my Shakshuka post, Tracklements challenged me to put together two recipes. This one is my second one! It may be bit of a cheat to call it a recipe as it's so simple but who can go wrong with an Antipasti? The chilli jam tastes delicious alongside the gooey camembert and fresh crusty bread. It's always the condiments in my opinion that make a cracking spread. The chilli jam, olive oil and balsamic vinegar all play their part. Picky dinners are my favourite type of dinner, the best kind to enjoy sitting in front of the telly catching up on your current boxset. It reminds me of the festive season where you spend the whole month of December eaten buffet food.

Here I have a selection of cured meats (chorizo always goes so well with cheese I find!), juicy sundries tomatoes, pickled stuffed vine leaves, crusty bread and the star of the show - a gooey camembert. Stick it in the oven for around 20 minutes to ensure it's melted all the way through. Add some rosemary or some garlic if you fancy jazzing it up a bit more.

What's your favourite antipasti selection? As always please do show me a picture on Twitter if you end up making it!

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