Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts


Whilst in Wigan for an appointment, I decided to look online for places to get some breakfast or brunch whilst I was in the area. I don't know the area well, but it seems there's some good choices. The one that stood out for me, and was closest and open, was Caffè Rosso on Wigan Lane.


From the outside, Rosso is unassuming, but the first thing I notice is that at this point of the morning it can't have been open long, but there were already people dining in the outside seating, and two tables occupied inside. The inside of Rosso is modern with retro and vintage touches, but as well as being clean and pleasantly decorated and furnished, it feels welcoming. The details around the room such as newspapers and magazines for customers to read are nice, but its small details like free wifi, and books on things like trips around the British Isles that make you realise that not only are you welcome, but if you want to stay a while and relax, you're welcome to.



When I mentioned to one of the owners that I liked the feel of the place and the décor, he thanked me and said that it was a carbon copy of their living room at home, but without the television. I think I can believe that, because it's very welcoming and comfortable.

Upon reading the breakfast menu (a specific "good morning!" menu, which I like the idea of), and the main "welcome" menu on the table, the two words I would use to describe Rosso are "provenance" and "passion". The details given in the guide exude pride at listing where their foods and ingredients are sourced, their views on ethics and quality, and emphasising the home-made elements, and the awards they have earned. I like this. If you have something of quality and you know it, then by all means, shout it from the rooftops!



 As it was morning, I opted for some granary toast with marmalade and a pot of tea. I liked that I was able to ask for decaf tea, skimmed milk, and sweetener, without it being an issue that it can often be at small establishments like this.

Sounds healthy doesn't it? Only thing is, I had my eye on a particularly nice looking slab of Belgian chocolate tiffin in a cake cabinet on the main counter next to an equally delicious looking key lime pie. Well it'd be rude not to, wouldn't it? I ordered with one of the owners at the counter. He was friendly, welcoming, and professional.


The tea was perfect as to be expected, but the tiffin was really excellent! Rich and chocolatey, it was the perfect little treat, and knowing it was home-made was another nice touch. I'd be tempted to come back just for this little beast, but in seeing that they also do Afternoon Teas, I'm sure I could be persuaded to return a few times... just for research purposes of course!

As it stands, I wasn't expecting to find anything amazing early on a Monday morning in Wigan, but I found a real gem. I must explore Wigan more!

You've got something good on your hands, Rosso, and you deserve your awards and praise! I only came for a brew and some breakfast, but I left feeling great! I will definitely be back


Caffè Rosso
17 Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 1XR
(01942) 581 609
www.cafferosso.co.uk

Caffè Rosso

by on 19:50
Whilst in Wigan for an appointment, I decided to look online for places to get some breakfast or brunch whilst I was in the area. I do...
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We were in Blackburn town centre for a street festival of food. We had an enjoyable bit of lunch, then spotted flags outside of a shop declaring it was Mad Hatters Cupcakes and Tea Room, which had me floating over like a moth to a flame for a little dessert!

It has a nice big window allowing the tearoom to be well lit, and seen clearly from the outside, making it all the more inviting.


The first thing you see as you walk in is the fantastic blackboard wall full of hand drawn chalk images of quirky scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and various picture frames containing images of cupcakes, signs saying "eat me" and the such. A really nice touch. It's nice that despite being Mad Hatter/Alice in Wonderland themed, they haven't gone absolutely crazy with colour and made it gaudy and horrid, but have gone for some vintage touches, and soft varying pastel colours and bunting, to take the Mad Hatter and soften him a little into a vintage English tearoom.





As expected, the space is light, bright and relaxed as various mirrors bounce light around the room. Large and impressive cakes sit on cake stands and bell jars dotted around the space, and on the counter sits a display stand of delicious cupcake varieties. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and happy to reel off the various tea flavours when I asked what was available.

The menu has both hot and cold drinks, and offers breakfasts, salads, sandwiches and light lunches, as well as a full afternoon tea.

In this instance, we can't stop looking at a large salted caramel cake which seems to be giving us the eye from a stand on one side of the room, and decide to have a slice each, and share a pot of tea.



The cake was delicious, and we were offered cream with them too should we want it. It was marvellously sweet and tasty without veering off into "sickly" territory, and naturally it went perfectly with a big pot of tea, which was served with traditional vintage china.

Staff were friendly and social, and informed us that they have only been open for around 5 weeks, so everything was still settling, but from what I can see, they're doing very well, and should hopefully continue to do so!


Although this was only a fleeting and unplanned visit, we enjoyed it, and agreed that we will definitely pop back in whenever we are next in Blackburn, especially as I had my eye on a strawberries and cream cake that was flirting with me from a cake stand on the opposite side of the room, in all its lovely pink splendidness... I shall be trying that one next time!

Well done, Mad Hatters! I wish you luck in your new business! :)

Mad Hatters Cupcakes & Tea Room
15 Town Hall Street
Blackburn
BB2 1AG
07380 942 382
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I'd heard of Bakers, but I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. I saw it named as Bakers Tea Room (which appeals to me!), but the internet also lists it as a coffee shop, an ice cream parlour, a gift shop, and other signs list it as a bar and kitchen.

So I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the great thing is that it's actually a mix of all of these things! No wonder they don't have a single label!


This eclectic approach also extends to the décor, which is not akin to anything I've really seen before. It's not a traditional English tea room, nor a coffee shop in terms of design, but more like a themed design, but I don't know what the design is. I'd call it perhaps rustic? Either way, I really like it, it's solid and uses lots of wood, chrome ducting and faux exposed brickwork, and fun decorative elements as well as some bits which are just a bit odd (buckets mounted on the wall anyone?), but I like it. It's unique.







It's split into two areas, a lower area which is more aimed at the coffee shop element, and a rear upper area which has comfy bench seating and larger tables for diners. We initially sat in the lower area as it was quite busy, but after the upper area emptied a little, we retreated up there for a little quiet from a few mums with their little ones (who sounded like they needed a nap!).

The menu is simple but has some good choices, and regularly changes, so there's not an online menu. This is good though, it means you get something new fairly frequently.

We ordered a pot of tea. The Kilner jars stocked behind the bar show a great variety of teas for us tea lovers out there! Good tea too!


From the main menu we ordered a toasted chicken and stuffing sandwich, and the Bakers Burger, both of which sounded great, and I liked the sound of the burger... I wasn't expecting burgers at what was potentially a tea room!

The staff are friendly and helpful, making recommendations, and going out of their way to make customers comfortable and welcome.

The food came in good time, and was presented well. To be honest it looked great!



The burger was juicy and satisfying, and dripping onto the wooden board a bit, not due to fat, but sheer juiciness! The chips that came with it were crisp and delicious. The chicken toasted sandwich was full of flavour and really nice quality. It also came with what looked like a bucket full of fresh salad (!) but we found it to have a cleverly concealed ramekin within the bucket allowing for a normal sized portion. The salad by the way was fresh and very tasty.

As we only popped in to investigate, we thought we might get a scone and a pot of tea or a slice of cake, but ended up getting a big lunch each, meaning we filled ourselves up to the degree of having no room for dessert... rookie mistake! The cakes and ice creams looked great, and now that I know the sort of food and quality to expect from Bakers, I'll definitely be back to give them a try... and some more of the rest of the menu... but... but... try not to overfill myself first... gah, maybe I'll make several visits instead!


There is free parking at the venue, but it's to the left of the shop and not in the small road to the right of it where I accidentally parked, requiring a 17 point turn to get out again. Whoops!

Go along, give them a try, they're good, and showing that local independent places can cut it with the big boys!

 Bakers
247 Blackburn Road
Egerton
Bolton
BL7 9SN
(01204) 306 266

Bakers

by on 14:00
I'd heard of Bakers , but I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. I saw it named as Bakers Tea Room (which appeals to me!), but...
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L'Olivetto sits on an unassuming street in Mossley Hill, Liverpool. In passing you might think it was a coffee shop or the sort, but it turns out to be a real culinary jewel, and one of those rare ones... an independent Italian restaurant that does Italian food properly, and well.


As you walk in, it strikes you that the space is larger than it looks from outside, with slate floors and tables in similar tones with simple wooden furniture, but the restaurant is dominated on one side by the giant ornate wooden bar, which takes the centre stage. The rest of the restaurant is decorated in shades of olive (a natural choice, with "L'Olivetto" translating to "The Olive Grove"), but is rather minimalist, meaning that it can feel a little stark. I think if the tables had simple white tablecloths, or if there were some curtains or plants, it would make the venue feel a bit more cosy, and would absorb the echo a little bit. Not to say that it's not pleasantly decorated, with some fab quirky decorating features!




The bar also had some great little additions that you might not think about. There is a glass containing reading glasses, for those who inevitably forget to bring theirs and have to squint at the menu, as well as two variations of a loyalty card, one for the daytime crowd, promising free coffee and cake, and the other for the evening crowd, offering a free bottle of house wine. A nice touch!

The menu is split into several options, including a lighter meals section, set meals, and general a la carte. The tables also have promotions on them, mentioning how each night there is some variation of a special offer, such as 20% off on tuesdays, and a half price bottle of prosecco with your meal on "Fizzy Fridays". The prices generally are very good too, considering everything is made fresh to order.


We chose to start with Funghi Impanali, breaded mushrooms which gave a good crunch before giving in to some incredibly tasty and juicy mushrooms that had been sauteed in garlic butter. When somewhere can take something as simple as breaded garlic mushrooms and make it truly tasty and impressive, that's a good sign!


For our mains, I chose the Pollo Saltimbocca from the light lunch menu, which comprised of chicken fillets wrapped in parma ham sautéed with olive oil, garlic and sage. I accompanied this with a couple of side dishes of Patate Saltate, which is potatoes sauteed with onions, garlic and parsley but which visually was a bowl of absolutely mouth watering looking little roast potatoes! They were crunch and delicious and very moreish! I could eat a whole bowl of them for a snack! I also had the spinach tossed with onion, garlic and parmesan, My main and sides were delicious, and I was really impressed with both the taste and the price.



My partner opted for the classic Spaghetti Carbonara; spagetti with diced pancetta in a rich cream sauce with parmesan, he was also given the option to add additional chicken to the dish, which he did gladly. For his side, he chose to try the zucchini fries, which came with a garlic aioli for dipping, and which were unsual but pretty tasty! We'd seen them appearing a lot in trendy restaurants, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to give them a try (try them, seriously!). My partner was completely taken aback by the quality and flavours of his pasta, and was singing its praises and making happy noises throughout. We've been to Rome and Pisa and eaten *actual* Italian food, and he didn't sound as impressed then as he did by this meal! Well done, L'Olivetto!



We were given dessert menus, but had already been sneakily noseying at the cake chiller cabinet in the corner of the restaurant, and had made up our minds already! I chose to go for the cherry crumble, served cold, with cream, and my partner chose to go for the triple chocolate gateaux. We were both smitten with our choices, which were delicious and great quality. We were told they were from an actual nearby Italian bakery, keeping the Italian flavours going throughout. Some of the desserts were prepared freshly in house too... we'll try them next time!


The service was friendly and professional, the food was absolutely superb and of a great quality and value, and the venue was bright, modern, and spotlessly clean. It was also nice at the end of my meal to see that they had a selection of teas available, so I had an Earl Grey to round it all off. Perfect.




If you're near Liverpool, go along and give them a try, they're really worth it. We decided that we'd be happy enough to drive over there from Bolton if we fancied a nice meal and experience, because that's one thing they really delivered. Bravissimo, L'Olivetto!

L'Olivetto
193-195 Rose Lane
Mossley Hill
Liverpool
L18 5EA
(0151) 724 5169
www.lolivetto.co.uk

L'Olivetto

by on 17:23
L'Olivetto sits on an unassuming street in Mossley Hill, Liverpool. In passing you might think it was a coffee shop or the sort, but...
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Appropriately named Annies sits in the narrow Old Bank Street, just off St Ann's Square in Manchester City Centre, a little spot of sparkling lights and gold highlights in a dark rainy street. It is a restaurant and a tea room, but I had never really heard much about it until recently, and so felt I should go along and investigate, booking a few days beforehand to reserve a table for Afternoon Tea on a Saturday afternoon. What could be better?


As we arrive, we walk into what I now know is the upstairs area, which is more of a casual cafe/tea room with classic and kitch tones to its decoration. A staff member welcomes me and after I explained we had a booking, she lead me downstairs to the main restaurant.


The main restaurant feels like a different kettle of fish. As it's a basement area, there are no windows, HOWEVER... this somehow works because of the clever placement of lamps, candles, fairy lights, and full wall mirrors, giving the place a curious and interesting night-time lounge feel, and due to the darkness behind the lamps, makes it feel like somewhere to explore. It also has some of the same kitch quirks from upstairs, including lights made from bowler hats and top hats, and classic plates on the walls. Owner Jenny has been quoted as saying she wants a "home from home" feel, which was ironically on the nose for us, as we were sat by a standing lamp which is the exact same one we have at home in our living room, and the same cutlery we have!

As our coats are taken and hung up, we are introduced to the host/manager who remembers me from booking with him over the phone, but much to his surprise he hasn't booked us onto the system, which he said was for no reason other than jokingly admitting "I'm crap", before leading us round to our table, which further to his confusion is bedecked in "Birthday Girl" banners and balloons. He removes them and leaves us with the Afternoon Tea menu and a drinks menu, but oddly not a tea menu, which is the main part of an Afternoon Tea!




 After we get settled into the deep and comfortable armchairs, we're joined by a waitress to take our order, and who tells us the sandwiches that come with the Afternoon Tea, happy to replace some with others per our taste if need by, but she can't remember off the top of her head, and so dashes off to bring us the Tea list. The menu was nice, but not very clear about what the teas actually were, or who they were by; ie: "Palm Paradise (Flavoured Black Tea)", but it didn't explain what the flavouring is, this applies to the rest of the tea menu. I'm sure the other teas are delicious but I'd rather have a bit more detail about them before I have to decide, and time to look over them before my order is taken. As it stands, we order the Earl Grey. You can't go wrong with Earl Grey at Afternoon Tea!


The music playing varied between soft bluesy jazz numbers, Adele, and Robbie Williams. I imagine you can't go full "tea room" style in a venue like this, as it has a definite restaurant feel to it. The only thing about the layout I found strange is that the ladies were on the far left of the restaurant, and the gents on the far right, nowhere near each other. Also sadly, our table was right on the main "traffic route" to the ladies, but that can't really be helped. 

Our Afternoon Tea is promptly brought out to us, and is beautifully presented, (but purists might sneer that the tiers are in the wrong order, with sandwiches on the centre tier! tsk tsk tsk!) ;). 

The tea is delicious, but at this point we realise that the darkness of the venue makes it a little hard to see everything clearly, resulting in a couple of... shall we say "mis-pours"? But to be frank, the pleasant atmosphere and ambience was worth it. We started with the sandwiches, which were tasty, but lacked a little something, perhaps a chutney or something. The scones were absolutely perfect, very light and fresh, they split perfectly, and were lovely and soft. Maybe lacking a bit of fruit, but they were delicious so I don't care. The top tier was the cakes, which on this instance were a strawberry tart, a vanilla slice, and a small Victoria sponge. The sponge was lovely and light, and perfect for an Afternoon Tea, but as tasty as the other two were, they were a bit too big to be finger cakes, and we had to ask for a couple of forks (which resulted in two staff arriving at our table both presenting two forks at the same time!), the host delivering a great gag about us being "forking demanding" (ha!), but more than happy to oblige. The strawberry tart fell apart in my hands when I tried to take it from the cake stand to move it to my plate, so it was more of a "splodge" on my plate, but a very tasty splodge! 




Overall the Afternoon Tea was very nice, and the tea was delicious, but in my opinion it was a bit expensive at £39.90 for two, considering what was offered, but I suppose that's to be expected from a City Centre venue, especially given the fashionable recurrence of Afternoon Tea.

As we pay, there's a hilarious moment when the waitress takes the card machine and walks around a bit trying to get signal. To be expected from a sub-ground area, but it must drive them mad having to do that all the time!

As we leave, the host/manager tells us that next time we should remember that we're meant to take the experience over a few hours, lounging and chatting, rather than just an hour. We were only visiting for a lunch break, but when we next visit, especially if we bring my parents or our friends, that's definitely some advice we will be considering! I can definitely see it being somewhere to take friends, family, or even have a party, works Christmas do etc. 




Nice work, Annies! I'll come back soon, maybe just for a slice of cake and a brew in your upstairs tea room rather than the full Afternoon Tea, but let's not rule it out... that was a nice Afternoon Tea! But get that Tea List sorted, I'd love to try some of your other blends if I knew a little more about them, and who they're by!

Annies
5 Old Bank Street
Manchester City Centre
M2 7PE
(0161) 839 4423
http://anniesmanchester.co.uk/

Annies

by on 18:15
Appropriately named Annies sits in the narrow Old Bank Street, just off St Ann's Square in Manchester City Centre, a little spot o...
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