Breakfast at Die Scherbe Graz

The other week when I was still visiting my hometown of Graz in Austria me and my mum went to the market at Lendplatz to get some fresh vegetables. Before we hit the market stalls we decided to go to a lovely Bar/Cafe/Restaurant nearby called Die Scherbe (which is German and means the shard) for some breakfast.

It was a lovely warm morning and we decided to sit outside in the back garden where we were greeted by some nice and colourful chairs and tables. After a little look through the breakfast (german: Frühstück) menu we decided to get the Swedish and the Indian breakfast and share them between us.

Bluebird Tea Co Brighton

Whilst wandering around the streets of Brighton I spotted this sign indicating that there was tea to be had which always results in excitement for me. The boyfriend was dragged in (he is not a fan of tea, yeah, I know, shocking, but more for me) and I started exploring the shop.

Bluebird Tea Co. call themselves Tea Mixologists which not only is a word I have trouble pronouncing (I managed though) but also reminds me of alchemy and something a little magical. It is actually pretty magical in there, shelves and shelves of tea and brewing devices and of course the smell. Those of you who love tea as much as I know will know what I mean.

The lovely ladies behind the tea bar offered for me to smell some of their favourite creations and I made the most of that offer for sure. Finest creations of Earl Grey and Co were to be had and we even got a taster of a Mojitea as well as the Strawberry Lemonade tea which were both served cold appropriate for the warm weather and were deliciously refreshing.

I ended up purchasing the Strawberry Lemonade tea while the boyfriend bought some Roibos and Early Grey for his parents (can't believe he actually spent more on tea than I did, for once). I haven't tried mine yet but I tried it in the shop and absolutely loved it. I would definitely recommend you check them out if you're in Brighton, the people there were so lovely and the tea was absolutely delicious. I am definitely going back.

Fishy Fishy Seafood Brasserie Brighton

Before our trip to Brighton I spent quite some time researching good places for food and that's when I came across this Seafood Brasserie called Fishy Fishy. I really wanted to have some seafood while we were close to the sea so this place looked perfect, easy to find, and I loved the name.

It's not directly by the sea but like most things in Brighton not too far from it and I didn't mind since the location was really nice next to some other restaurants and there was some street music going on too. We got a lovely table outside and it felt like a lovely summer evening, not too warm and not too cold either. We got some Fish Tacos to share which were really nice, not too spicy for the boyfriend either. They came with lovely fresh vegetables and guacamole.

For mains the boyfriend got the Fish Burger (standard) which he said was delicious (and I think I got a bite too and enjoyed it). I got the Seafood Paella which was absolutely amazing, it came with all the lovely seafood I'd been craving and some nice spicy chorizo too. All the seafood was fresh and they'd used just the right spices for the paella.

I'd definitely go back there when I'm in Brighton again and try something else off their seafood menu. A cute Brasserie that is definitely worth a visit.

Wednesday Wishlist: Desk & Study Area

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Can you tell there's a theme here? Yeah I can't either. These things are all a bit random but they're all things I definitely want/need for my study area. The desk obviously is essential, and since I am not the typical desk kind of person (does that even exist?) I like this dining table as it's big and I need space when I want to be productive. It's also not currently in stock at my IKEA so can someone have a word with them please?

The shelf goes nicely with the table (I think) and some other things I have chosen for the flat, it's also cheap, what's not to like? I'm gonna use it to separate my desk and my bed and also (and most importantly) to store my most precious science books.

Tray and basket are both some sort of storage solutions for all sorts of things on my desk. I love the look of those really tidy desks with loads of nice things on them but truth is mine never looks like that, so I'm gonna try to at least contain my mess of paper in style. 

Those two prints I found on easy are on top of my list that's for sure (well, just behind the desk and the shelf, duh) they're such a nice style and really represent science in a lovely way. I definitely want some more science/art around my study area as motivation. 

The notebook is obviously essential (not, because I already have loads, somewhere) and it has owls on it, what's not to like? And the tape basically represents all sorts of tape with all sorts of pattern on it, I'm joining the trend and will use it in every way possible. (so leave me your favourite uses for washi style tape below)

xx

 

Sunday Roast at Beef & Pudding Manchester

Back in June just after I had finished my exams but dad and my brother came to visit me in Manchester. This was very special to me for many reasons, one because my dad doesn't usually do travelling and especially flying so it meant a lot that he would do it just to come and see me, it also meant a lot to be able to show my brother where I live since it was especially hard to move to a different country after we'd gotten closer again.

Of course such a special occasion has to be celebrated, and since we all love food it was a very welcome task for me to show the lads what the british cuisine has to offer. I love doing this for everyone who comes to visit as it is really easy to impress people since they all seem to think that british food isn't the finest there is.

Places like Beef & Pudding make this especially easy, it is an 'Urban Pub & Kitchen' in the centre of Manchester which had me lusting after their creatings right from when I first found their facebook page and they starting posting pictures of their creatings shortly after they opened. Taking my dad and my brother there was a very welcome excuse to try out their meals as you can imagine. 

Sadly they had run out of their beef dinner (which is my favourite of all sunday dinners) so me, my dad and the boyfriend opted for pork instead. My brother changed his mind mid-order and got the famous 'The Pudding' instead which he thoroughly enjoyed (I stole a bite and can only agree).

The pork sunday roast was also rather delicious and came with the best mashed potato I have had so far, I don't know what they put in that stuff but I would go back there just for that (and that says something since I make a rather nice mashed potato myself).

Altogether I was very pleased with the experience, the staff was extremely friendly (and our waiter didn't look bad either) and the food was delicious. I will definitely visit there again sometime to have one of their puddings to myself.

You should definitely check this place out if you're in Manchester and want to show someone how good british food can be, or simply refresh your own memory.

xx




Places to find Beef & Pudding
Menu (just do yourself a favour and look at it)
Facebook 
Twitter

Brighton & Bexhill

After being stuck in Manchester with only the occasional visit to North Wales or Liverpool for about ten months I realised that after exams I needed to treat myself to a little trip down south. I'd been meaning to discover this country a bit more for ages which all of the international students I am friends with on facebook do all the time it seems. I just never had the time, I was so focused on my studies which really isn't a bad thing I guess.

Once I was done with first year I packed my bags and my boyfriend and took the train down to London and then to Brighton for a few days by the seaside. We had a wonderful time, eating, watching football in our hotel room and just sitting by the sea for hours (which is something I could do forever).

One of the highlights of the trip was finally getting to meet Sami from That Redhead Said who is just as lovely as I knew she was going to be. We had a great time in many of Brightons vintage shops and the best conversation with a botany/zoology expert who taught us everything we never thought we needed to know about insects and moss. Apparently this is something you only ever experience in Brighton, and this alone is definitely worth visiting this place.

On the third day we got the train from Brighton to a bit further east to a little seaside town called Bexhill (I say little, I guess it was just smaller than Brighton). The main reason we went there (or so I thought) was because it was a Friday and we couldn't really afford a hotel in Brighton because they all went up to about 3 times the price. The actual reason the boyfriend suggested going to Bexhill was actually a completely different one which the KEANE fans amongst you might have realised before I did (I was in the middle of exams when we planned this though, in my defence). Meaning the actual reason was that the band KEANE grew up not far from Bexhill and filmed their famous video for Sovereign Light Cafe by the sea in Bexhill.

 

This lead to extensive walks along the beach, trying to recreate the music video and album cover (which the boyfriend did really well). We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast where we had a takeaway kebab for dinner due to everything else being closed after our walk along the beach.

The next day we enjoyed our breakfast and then wandered around town enjoying the quietness and reading by the sea. We had fish and chips at the Sovereign Light Cafe where we sat at the table KEANE apparently always sit at and the food was actually really really nice.

I was really sad when we had to get the train back to London and then Manchester, it was a lovely trip but just not long enough. I hope sometime in the future I can come back but maybe for a week at least. I really miss the sea already and hope I can come back soon.

xx

Wednesday Wishlist: Kitchen & Dining

I have already posted an extensive kitchen wishlist before moving last year and I don't want to bore you with the same things again, since yes, most of them are still on my wishlist at the moment.
I thought I would add dinnerware and dining items in general (such as glasses etc.) to this years wishlist. The reason I don't have most of these things is that I was lucky to have a housemate who moved in bringing along a set of plates, pots, pans and all sorts of other useful things who she kindly let everyone use. Truth be told there wouldn't have been space for everyone to have their own stuff anyway so I was very grateful.

But since I am going to be living by myself now I obviously need certain essentials such as plates and bowls, pans and all those things you need when you don't want to have take away every day. This means that some items on this wishlist are going to be a little boring for those of you who aren't moving out this summer, but I tried to find some that are fun despite being practical.

1. Salad Dressing Mixer - Butlers
I saw this at the Butlers store in my hometown the other day and thought it would be really useful to make and store salad dressings. It even come swith some recipe suggestions on the bottle and you can close it and store it in the fridge.

2. Vinegar Bottle - Butlers 
I'd like to get a set of matching oil and vinegar bottles. This isn't exactly necessary but I think they would look cute so if I have some spare money I'll order them too.

3. Glass Bottle - Butlers 
I think you've realised by now that I'm in love with Butlers, it's such a cool shop and most things are really affordable (unfortunately they are cheaper here in Austria but I can't take things back with me) and so unique. This bottle for example is just awesome, made to look like a plastic bottle. I would use it to store homemade juice and syrup probably.

4. Green Glass - IKEA
I definitely want a glass that looks similar to this one, I like the patterns on it, the colour and it seems pretty solid which I also like a lot about glasses. Definitely on my IKEA shopping list.  

5. Flamingo Glass - IKEA
This is a more fun version, I like flamingos a lot and I already have one glass like this so I was rather excited to see they are still in stock, these will probably be used for lemonades and some fruity cocktails. 

6. Mint Service - IKEA
This is exactly what I'd like my plates to look like, simple and pastel-y. Unfortunately this particular set doesn't seem to be in stock at my IKEA at the moment, but fingers crossed it comes back or they'll have something similar.  

7. Patterned Bowl - H&M & Patterned Plate - H&M
I'm in love with patterns at the moment and this set of plate and bowl from H&M are really up my street, if I happen to place an order they might just slip into my basket.

8. Retro Plate - Butlers & Retro Bowl - Butlers
Love for patterns again huh? I think I actually prefer this set and both bowl and plate come and five different colour combinations, love love love.


xx

Moose Coffee Liverpool

On a Sunday a while ago now I jumped on a train to Liverpool to not only attend a bloggers meet up but also to meet the amazing Hannah from Heart Of Cake who I've been friends with for a while now although we mainly communicate via Twitter (although I think we should meet in person much more often).

She's great and she makes me most amazing things, I just wish I could eat at her house all the time, we'd have so much fun. Anyway, she asked me if I wanted to go to the FABB event in liverpool with her so I thought that would be a great way to see her and to meet some other bloggers from around the North West.

As the event wasn't due to start until 1.30 Hannah suggested to go somewhere for brunch beforehand, because two food bloggers can't meet without having some food together. I left it up to her to decide where to go as I know she knows some amazing places in Liverpool. She suggested Moose Coffee and admittedly I wanted to go just because of the name, but when I looked at the menu online there was no way we were going anywhere else: American/Canadian breakfast heaven.

Me and my boyfriend met up with Hannah and her boyfriend in the centre and walked to Moose Coffee together, I love that about Liverpool, you can literally walk anywhere. When we got there there were people waiting outside (luckily it wasn't too cold) and we got a bit scared as to whether we'd be able to get a space or not. We asked the waitress and she said there was a 25 minute wait, after a little discussion we decided it had to be worth the wait as there were so many people already waiting so we just had a little chat outside (the sun had come out too).

  

We were called in after what wasn't even 20 minutes and we were happy to get into the warmth, you see, 'warm' and 'spring' and 'sun' mean something else in the UK than they do in the rest of europe, but I'm used to it by now. We sat upstairs and looked around to see what the people around us were eating (I'm not the only one who does that right?) and it all looked amazing so we get even more excited for our food. Hannah and I both ordered a Double Dutch which is pancakes with streaky (or may I say actual) bacon and smokey sausage in the batter, topped with fried eggs and butter and maple syrup on the side. This could only be amazing.

What can I say, we weren't disappointed. The batter was delcious, the bacon and the sausage were perfect. The sweetness and the smokeyness worked so well together. The only slight issue was the size. We could've easily shared one of these and would've still been full. But with the help of the boyfriends I managed to finish my plate and it lasted me throughout the whole of the day aswell.

The place was really lovely, it smelled nice from the second you walked in and everyone was really friendly. The food might seem a bit expensive at first but considering the amount and the quality you get I think it's really good value.

And now the best part: There is actually one of these in Manchester aswell! I can't wait to go there and try out more of their amazing things. The sandwiches look really good too so I might have to give one of them a go next time. (Before managing to publish this post I went and had a ruben sandwich, it was amazing, just so you know.)