Review: Bodean's BBQ

A little while ago I popped in to Bodean's Soho Branch with the family for a late lunch. We were seated in the upstairs area for the first time, which has a totally different atmosphere to the downstairs "Rib Room" restaurant area. Personally, I prefer the atmosphere downstairs, where there are proper tables and booths versus bar stools and high counters. I find it really difficult to sit on high stools with my dodgy hips and knees but we didn't have 45 minutes to wait for a table so I made do! 

As an extra bonus, upon being presented with the kids menu we discovered that kids eat free from noon until five pm. I knew this deal ran during the week but I didn't realise it applied at the weekend also. The little man tucked in to a cheeseburger the size of his head, fries and honeycomb ice cream at the precise cost of zero pounds. Winning. 

All the food! Including munchkin's free burger back right.

My boyfriend and I decided to share the burnt ends and pulled pork combo with extra sides of chilli cheese fries (always, I'm obsessed), barbecue beans and he wanted to the try the cornbread muffins (which came served simply with butter). The portion size was hefty for one person and just a little small for two, though it's worth taking into consideration that I have a crap digestive system so eat like a mouse. 

Burnt Ends and Pulled Pork Combo

Bodean's pulled pork is some of the most succulent and flavoursome I've had. It's fast becoming a favourite of mine and Bodean's would likely be my first choice destination to head to scratch the itch if I was craving. They also do a delicious pulled pork quesadilla as a starter, which I've previously ordered as lighter lunch time option with no problems, I'd highly recommend it. Burnt ends are the boyfriend's favourite and we throughly enjoyed them, though a few of our chunks were a little fatty which made them fiddly to eat. The fries were pretty much just fries, same with beans, yummy but nothing outstanding. The chilli cheese fries similarly were kept simple and classic but oh so tasty! The chilli itself was pretty dry allowing them to keep their crispness on the outside while being fluffy on the inside, rather than turning obscenely soggy as usually happens. 

I decided to try dessert for the first time, having saved room on sharing a meal. I opted for one of the great value coffee and dessert combos offered at £5, for a half portion of brownie or apple cobbler or a whole portion of Key Lime Pie plus a coffee of your choice. My latte was a little too bitter for my tastes but the Key Lime Pie was sensational! The topping was so creamy, light and smooth interspersed with small slivers of lime peel. It was refreshing and not at all sickly, I'd definitely order again. 

They have a few branches dotted around London, if you're planning a visit ahead of time be sure you get online and register yourself for their Q card loyalty scheme, giving you access to perks such as free deserts (Thursday) or free shots (Friday and Saturday). 

Katy x

Please excuse the poor lighting in the photos, there was only a neon pink light near our table!

Review: Meat and Shake Ealing

Due to my health issues I find myself eating out fairly often, mainly as I'm physically unable to chop ingredients or stand to cook a proper meal. As such, I thought I'd add a recent culinary experience for you guys to read :)

A couple of weeks ago, the boyfriend and I decided to head up to the relatively new branch of Meat and Shake in Ealing Broadway. We're both suckers for a good burger and can't get enough of American barbecue style food right now! It's also a fairly safe bet for my ridiculous digestive system if I stick to mostly plainer meats and fries (alas, not so good for the waistline but definitely preferable to starving). I'd checked out their menu online and spotted the delicious sounding truffle fries, which I knew I HAD to try!

We arrived fairly late, around 10 pm and were seated quickly as it was pretty quiet. I had a gorgeous cherry flavoured drink to get me going, which came in a handled mason jar, something I love and have been meaning to purchase for our home for months. Anything served in a jar just seems to instantly taste a little more special. 

I ordered the plain Jane cheeseburger with no salad (I can't digest it, makes me violently ill, no fun). Alas, the waitress got confused as it's fairly rare to be unable to digest lettuce, so my burger came with salad and without cheese! I was too embarrassed to correct her so plonked the greenery to one side and tucked in. Burger was amazing! Definitely on a par with the best burgers I've ever sampled. It was super tender and juicy. 

Due to my suspected gastroparesis I'm only able to eat tiny portions at a time. Taking this into account we decided to share a side of the truffle fries and pit beans. Both were out of this world, quite honestly. The truffle balsamic glaze and Stilton Mayo complimented one another perfectly, giving a strong but in no way overpowering taste that I couldn't get enough of. I played it safe with the beans as they're high in fibre (aka danger food) but I couldn't resist a forkful. They were hands down the best I've eaten, rich bbq spices followed by a gorgeous, almost treacle like, flavour. I'd have devoured the lot had I been able to properly digest them! 

To make up for the sadness of missing out on the beans I decided to go ahead and treat myself to dessert. As a true chocoholic I often plump for the most chocolatey item on any dessert menu and the Mississippi mud pie did not disappoint. It was rich and creamy without being overly sickly, with a delightfully chewy base. As the kitchen was quiet I was also offered a choice of flavours for the accompanying ice cream scoop, though I stuck with vanilla. Despite having a rep for being boring, a properly vanilla ice cream is delicious and when I order dessert I prefer not to complicate things with too many flavours! 

All in all, I loved the experience and the interior decor had been really well done, staff were attentive without being overbearing and the food was delicious. I think we'll definitely end up visiting again in the not too distant future! I'd highly recommend you check them out if you can, they currently have branches in Tooting, Ealing and Watford. 

Katy x

Love it or Hate it? Marmite!

Every year I start buying early to spread the expense, get over excited and have all my gifts bought by the end of November. Every single year, without fail, I have a slight moment a few days before the big event where I both panic I haven't bought enough while simultaneously becoming envious of everyone else out doing their shopping. As such, I ALWAYS end up buying double the amount of gifts for everyone than I can realistically afford. Sigh. Maybe one year I'll learn, however, 2015 is not that year! :-)

Today I made the predictable, last minute dash to Westfield Shepherd's Bush to grab a few extra Christmas gifts, whereupon I stumbled across a fantastic pop up store! Personalised marmite jars, with any text of your choosing. My little one assured me his Daddy is a big marmite fan, so in we popped to get him his own snazzy jar!

As you walk in to the store, the wall is painted with clear and pretty instructions on how the process works! Grab a form and fill it in with your choice of wording, then decide whether your recipient has been naughty or nice (alternatively, you can stick with the classic design). Take it to the till, part with four hundred and ninety nine of your finest British pennies and voila, a lovely person dressed in a marmite inspired elf costume will prepare your very own jar!

This definitely makes a fantastically unique and fun gift for a really reasonable price and the store has lots of quirky photo opportunities!

The Marmite Pop Up can be found on the first floor of Westfield, near to Hotel Chocolat. It's only open until Christmas Eve so hurry along if you want to gift one of these in time for Christmas, it's perfect for the marmite lover in your life!

Who would you personalise a jar for?

Katy x