Just give me 15 minutes...

Dave has a half hour in the morning before he has to leave.  Technically, this is his time to do what he wishes with - maybe he will have some breakfast, read the newspaper, maybe he'll cruise the internet before he starts work.

I asked him what he does wih this hallowed half hour.

"Ah, I just start work early"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!

That is half an hour of pure GOLD DUST, my friend!

When I told him this, he kind of just rolled his eyes and looked at me funny.

I looked back at him perplexed.

I am about to spend TEN HOURS holding a baby and doing everything one-handed, including going to the toilet and cutting cheese.

I'm generous.  I told him, I didn't even want the half hour.

Just give me 15 minutes...

In 15 minutes I will:

• Find something to wear which is not yesterdays clothes/leggings I've slept in for 3 days
• Shower
• DRY my hair instead of letting it dry in that horrible frizzy/wavy shape it otherwise dries into. Or at least the fringe.
• Pee. Alone
• Eat the only meal I'm getting until 9pm (if I can be bothered to make a meal by then)
• THINK. 
• Clean up a little in preparation for the onslaught of crazy baby mess.
• Check my emails - maybe I won't miss anything important this week if I can just get 5 minutes to CHECK MY DAMN EMAILS!!
• Take out the massive pile of rubbish which is taking over my kitchen
• Let the dog pee - it takes me ages to get to the actual point of being able to take the baby out, to get him dressed, pulled the pram out of the car/located the baby sling and found those tiny little baby socks!
• Find a pair of my own damned socks!
• Maybe even have a cup of tea... (I can dream, right?)

Never underestimate the power of a good 15 minutes of baby-free freedom!

Zizzi Loving! A Great Family Meal In The Heart Of St. Andrews

Zizzi's!  Love the colour scheme!

I have been a very lucky lady lately.  Not only have I been invited to review the very yummy fare at Pizza Express,and have spent a whole day sampling goodies at The Edinburgh Foodies Festival, but I was also invited along to Zizzi's in St.Andrews to try out their amazing family-friendly menu.

I am also extremely lucky to be very good friends with the lovely Jac at Tinned Tomatoes and we were extremely fortunate to be invited along all together, our other halves and children included, to try out some of the spectacular food in this Italian delight.

Zizzi's is a deceptively large restaurant in the heart of St Andrew's and offers a spacious, atmospheric space, suitable for the whole family.  The atmosphere is fabulous - very busy and quite noisy, so I didn't feel like I had to keep the kids and their loud voices in check too much, which for me, made a more relaxing experience.

The huge mallow shaped pizza oven is situated at the rear of the space, with an open kitchen, where you can watch the extremely busy and quick chefs at work.  It was all very impressive.

The furnishings were of a very high quality; nice sturdy wooden tables, large enough to carry the weight of the food and to deal with squirming, ants-in-your-pants children (Thomas never sits still!), so I didn't have to worry about them tipping the table and soaking us all with juice. Always a bonus!

Some pretty artwork on the walls made for some lovely scenery

Zizzi's has a very nice new children's menu - The Bambini Menu - and for £6.75 your little bambini will be a very well-fed bambini indeed!

The menu is a set as 3 courses, with a chocacino to finish (a mini glass of chocolate milkshake - very cute!) and it's vegetarian friendly to boot, which is great for our kids.

There's no need to worry that the fare is going to be too fancy for wee palates either - the food is all very fresh and healthy, while catering to the somewhat plainer tastes of children. AND they provide some pretty fancy Crayola crayons while you wait!

To start, they are served with carrot, cucumber and dough sticks, which Tom absolutely loved.  It's not too filling for him and also, he loved feeling grown-up with his own wee dish, rather than picking from my own starter, as he usually does if we go out.

Ethan wasn't so keen on the carrot or the cucumber.  Trying to get that boy to eat any fruit or veg is a nightmare at the best of times, but he was happy with the dough sticks, and I ate the veg for him.  I thought he might at least have a go, as Cooper and Thomas were having theirs with gusto, but no!  He's pretty set in his ways.

For the kids, the main was a bit of a no-brainer; they were given the choice between Mini Pasta or Mini Pizza , but with all the pretty damn fine pizza smells wafting around and after sitting watching all of these gorgeous pizzas making their way from the kitchen, they opted for the Mini Marguerita.

There is a fab wee option with the mini pizza where you can order toppings in little dishes so that you can 'make your own', which is a lovely touch for the wee ones - making them feel like they are little pizza chefs, which is really cute.  I thought that was a really nice touch.

Unfortunately, my two boys have a fussy taste like their mother, (who? me?) so they simply wanted the plain Marguerita, which meant we didn't get to see this in action.  The boys really loved their pizza though, and I have to say, considering the size of them, and the fact that they had already had a starter, I was fairly surprised to see that they both ate the whole thing!

If your kids like their veg, there's an option here to add some Broccoli or Beans, but it does cost 50p extra.

After we'd visited the toilets and us adults had finished our enormous meals, we got ready for dessert.

Ethan was really chuffed with his cones!

Tom opted for the Ice Cream (2 scoops of flavoured ice cream, from a wide choice of flavours), while Ethan went for the fabulous looking Zizzi Bambini Cones, which was served as two scoops of ice cream, two mini cones and popping candy.

Ethan negated to make his own cones as suggested (ever his own man), but instead decided to do it his way, taking a bit off the end of each cone and slurping the ice cream while scooping popping candy into his mouth and laughing.

He really enjoyed this dessert!  I think Tom was a bit jealous - it did look really cool.  Plus Ethan was having a great time, shaking his head after eating the popping candy.  I asked him what he was doing and he said 'It's like maracas in my mouth, Mummy!', which did make us all laugh.  He is too cute sometimes.

The kids all had a great time, but us adults did too!

While everyone got stuck into some rather tasty Peroni Italian lager, Prosecco by the glass, cocktails and juice which were all readily on offer, I happily ordered myself a virgin cocktail, which came decorated with a fresh strawberry and was a lovely wee treat for the designated driver!

The food was amazing too.  Hot on the heels of the kids' starters, came our very own.

Dave and I ordered the Arancini breaded risotto balls, which were absolutely delicious, consisting of risotto, mozzarella and peas, fried in golden breadcrumbs.  They came with a wee tomato peperonata dip, and to be honest, I could have eaten these all night.  I reckon I'll try to recreate these at home!

Next up, Dave ordered Zizzi Spiedini Pollo, which was presented on a stand, making it extra impressive. This came with Tuscan potatoes and a white wine and lemon sauce.  It looked awesome - even if I don't eat meat.  Dave certainly enjoyed it!

 

Meanwhile, what did the fussy vegetarian order?

Well, I even surprised myself when I ended up with this particular main course.

Now presenting, a delicious mish-mash of awesomeness:

To the left of the pizza is mozzarella, new potato, riserva cheese, red onion and thyme.  To the right, a contrasting flavour amalgamation of half-roasted peppers, roquito chilli, mushrooms and rocket.

On the left, salty, cheesy, savoury goodness.  On the right, sweet, hot and slightly peppery.

Fantastico!

And the best bit?  I couldn't finish it all, so they boxed it up for me and I went through the same amazing taste sensation the next day. Perfecto!

Of course, you aren't simply limited to Pizza at Zizzi's.  They also serve up a mean selection of Risottos, some amazing Calzones, some beautiful Linguines and traditional Lasagne.

There is a massive choice - and they do take-away too!

Of course, despite being very full, we had to try dessert and this did not disappoint.  I enjoyed a rather moreish Chocolate Melt pudding, which had a gooey warm middle, and some lovely vanilla ice-cream.

Dave however tried out the new and very delicious sweet pizza.  What a fab idea!  

Melting marshmallows, fresh strawberries,drizzled with warm chocolate and hazelnut sauce!  MMM!

The kids were also served with their chocacinos while we finished up, which was such a nice end to the meal and made them feel very grown up, as well as loading them with even more energy, which they then used up outside, racing up and down the street outside!

After having a wee run around St.Andrews, playing tig and chasing the kids around the street (it's okay, they were pretty much deserted!), laughing and giggling, we all piled into the car for home, just as the sun began to set.  We'd all had a really lovely time, and are sure to return soon!

The best nights end like this!

It's worth it for full, knackered children!

*Disclaimer - I was asked to attend Zizzis to try out their new menu and review the Bambini menu.  I did not pay for my meal, nor was I expected to give a positive review.  All opinions are completely my own.

Spicy Coconut Daal In A Hurry: Some Like It Hot

I love a good daal. It's a meal that ticks all the boxes - quick, easy, healthy, satisfying, cheap to make.

Oh and delicious!

Why not have a go at the extra yummy one I made tonight?

Spicy Coconut Daal In A Hurry

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 4 tbsps red lentils
• 50ml Cocount milk
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1tsp Cumin
• 1tsp chilli
• 1 onion
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1tbsp oil
• Spring onion to garnish

optional extras: rice, poppadoms, mango chutney

Method

1.

Peel and chop onion and garlic and whizz with tomatoes until they are close to a paste-like consistency. 

2.

Heat oil in frying pan and add the spices (turmeric, chilli and cumin).  Fry briefly before adding paste.

3.

Let mixture fry for a minute before adding 4 tbsps lentils.  Stir them in, then pour in the coconut milk.  Turn the heat down slightly and allow mixture to cook until lentils soften.

Add the chickpeas and cook through.  If required, add some more coconut milk to stop mixture sticking to the pan.

4. 

Serve immediately with rice and poppadoms.

A cheap and cheerful meal with just enough spice.  Add some more if you like - I like mine with a kick, so I tend to add a fair bit, but what I love about this is the fact that the coconut milk evens it out for those who aren't so keen.

Yum!  What's your favourite curry?  Do you like it hot?

Malmaison Dundee and a Happy Birthday Meal

Last night was a bit of a grown-up night.  I had a seriously great time with some seriously great people.  In a seriously classy and grown-up location. Not a ball pool, screaming child or yoghurt stain in sight (well, except on Dave's trousers - the kids asked for yoghurt before we left the house!)

This is the Tay Hotel as it has been ever since I can remember - a huge, landmark building in the middle of our City, derelict and full of mystery.

I love old buildings and am a huge fan of Urban Exploration sites like 28DaysLater.

I was always disappointed to see that nobody had attempted to enter this building for a bit of urban exploration.  It's like anything forbidden - you are just dying to see inside!

Before

Since it's decline in the 1980's, this huge hotel has been boarded up and ravaged by time, hidden from the world.  Sitting in a prominent position in one of Dundee in one of it's busiest thoroughfares it was more than a bit of an eyesore.  Thus, it was great news when Malmaison put in a bid for the property way back in 2011, in line with plans for a whole of Dundee Waterfront redevelopment by the council, who are going for a thoroughly different view from across the bridge.

Just look at it now!

After

Malmaison has transformed the formerly derelict Tay Hotel into a grand, modern interpretation of classy chic in the heart of the city.

Dave and I were delighted to be invited to dine there for a very good friend's 30th birthday celebration. A great chance to dress up and finally get a nosey at what's inside!

 Mather's Temperence Hotel was built in 1899, during the Victorian era of alcohol prohibition and was a big pull for dock workers and travellers arriving from the neighbouring railway station.

Featuring some original Victorian iron-work inside on the staircase, as well as some stunning masonry and period features and a stunning domed roof, the new, swish and very fancy Malmaison is a true boutique hotel, offering some gorgeous surroundings in which to relax and enjoy.

The original wrought iron staircase and domed roof

When Dave and I arrived, everyone else was already seated (thanks kids for dragging out the long goodbyes) and we opened the glass doors, pausing at the foot of the stairs.

This being our first visit to the hotel, we were initially stumped as to where to go - but soon deduced that the only way was up (baby).

At the top of the stairs, the maitre'd was waiting to show us into the Brasserie, which was furnished with the most expensive-looking, flocked, mini-chesterfield chairs I have ever seen!  A living-flame fire was ensconced in the centre of the room, with faux-wooden panel wallpaper on the walls. A bespoke leather corner sofa was installed at the bay window, which looked out over the site of the new waterfront development; that's gonna be a helluva view when they're finished!

We finally go seated beside our lovely friends, and were immediately served a glass of filtered tap water and handed a menu.

It was so lovely to be out with our friends.  Old friends are the best friends, and although we don't see each other very often due to distance and circumstance, we all just gelled.  It was such a nice, relaxed and comfortable evening in lovely surroundings, where we all caught up and relaxed into it, with the nice addition of birthday cake!

Our meals were lovely - I ordered the Pan Pasta (which came served in an actual pan!)

Pan Pasta

A plain pasta, with a kick of red chilli and basil,topped with mozarella balls, it was very filling.  I couldn't finish it all.  Dave had Porcini Mushroom Risotto, which he said was very nice too, although perhaps a touch salty.  He ate it all though!

Porcini Risotto

Desserts were amazing - I opted for Chocolate Souffle with vanilla ice-cream which was perfect; well-risen and nice and gooey and hot in the middle. Dave went for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was moist and served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream too.

Choc Souffle!

Heather and Hassan's Hot Chocolate!

The service was very good throughout, with ninja-like waiters, who filled your water-glass, sometimes without you even noticing, even bringing out tinfoil so we could wrap up bits of the cool Totoro cake Heather had baked for Isa.  

Isn't he amazing!?

It was such a lovely evening overall.  And I finally feel like a grown-up after all this time! Kind of.

Maybe my 30th year will finally be the year I stop being daft?

Happy Birthday Isa :)

It was just one evening though - don't get too excited.  Dave still can't pose like a grown-up for a photo!

Dave and the drunken lurch (he hadn't been drinking)

Chop-Chop, Haymarket, Edinburgh - Dumplings to Die For!

When someone asks you to review a restaurant which has been awarded the AA Rosette 4 years in a row, voted Britain's favourite Chinese restaurant 2 years in a row in the TsingTao Legacy of Taste competition and also the Pagoda this year in March for being in the top 32 Chinese restaurants in the U.K, you don't turn it down.

I was dying to see what the fuss was all about.

Jac and Stuart get settled with some TsingTao!

I was lucky enough to be invited along with the gorgeous Jac from Tinned Tomatoes and the lovely Stuart from Cakeyboi to see why Gordon Ramsay himself had cause to visit in his quest to find Britain's best local restaurant.

I volunteered to drive for the evening, so we all hopped into my ever-reliable Aggie (That's my car.  Yes I named her.  Makes it easier to drive motorways at night if I think we are a team!) and drove from Dundee to the Haymarket restaurant, our stomachs rumbling at the thought of Unlimited Banquets.
Which is a thing on the menu at Chop-Chop by the way. (Are you excited yet?)

Situated across the road from Edinburgh's Haymarket Train Station on Morrison street, we found parking directly outside and moseyed on in, to be given a very warm greeting by the manager, who was extremely friendly, taking the time to make sure we were properly furnished with drinks before explaining the menu for us.

As a fussy vegetarian (I don't like mushrooms, I'm not fond of tomatoes and I really don't like aubergine - I am every restaurant manager's nightmare.  I'm the one who asks for the dishes to be modified.) I was very pleasantly surprised that not only was there a huge and varied vegetarian menu, but we were also not limited to trying just one dish! And there was not a mushroom in sight.  Check out the Vegetarian Menu  for yourself - it offers an amazing choice, and is all very tasty.  I had a hard time trying to pick!  Luckily, the manager helped us out by recommending the Unlimited Banquet, with vegetarian substitutes. 

As the menu helpfully explains:

If this is your first visit here, we would like to explain our Chinese style of serving. In China, diners order collectively and share all dishes, which are brought to the table in random order as soon as they are ready. In this way, mixing the textures and flavours of the dishes adds to the enjoyment of the meal.

The plates began to arrive quite quickly.  At first we were presented with some very fresh salads.

From the off, I knew it was going to be hard to choose a favourite!

First up, the Cucumber Salad, consisting of shredded cucumber Chinese leaves and glass noodles which was fresh and delicious, served in a tangy vinegar and lemony dressing with a  hint of mustard.

Crispy, savoury and extremely moreish!

Hot on it's heels came the moreish Crispy Shredded Potato.  I cannot at this point iterate how important it is to have a wee practice with your chopsticks before attempting to eat.  I'm not talking a lot of practice or classes or anything, but even just a wee bit before you dive into fine shredded potato.  Because it gets a bit messy and embarrassing if you don't know what you are doing, and yes, we did have a few comedy moments.

But once we got going, there was no stopping us!

I am very sure that if you preferred a fork and knife by the way, you could ask for some.  Eating with traditional chopsticks definitely added to the overall experience. And I became a bit of a pro by the end!

Mixing our own sauce at the table for the next instalment of our meal - the famous dumplings! - added to the theatre of the occasion; a marvellous touch.  Soon we were mixing vinegar, soy sauce, chilli and garlic in the little dishes provided to dunk those delicious dumplings into.

Jian Wang

Jian Wang brought the recipe for her now famous dumplings over to Edinburgh from her home region of Changchun in North Eastern China. Jiao Zi, as they are called in Changchun, became so popular here that Jian built a factory, distributing them to Chinese supermarkets throughout the UK and even on P&O cruise ships.

Chop Chop restaurant was born in 2006 and with the dumplings, as well as other fresh, healthy and authentic ingredients at the fore, became a roaring success.

Soon our table was groaning with a vast array of dishes.  The dumplings of course were outstanding.  Clearly made and cooked just before they came to our table, they were full of flavour, and dipped in the sauce they burst into even more life.  They were simply amazing.

I also ate some of the Aubergine, which until now I would never have had - but here I had loads!  Very savoury and fried, it was actually delicious.  I even had seconds.  And thirds!

Other dishes brought to our table were, Stir Fried Potatoes, Tender Green Beans and Chilli, Stir-Fried Beansprouts, Tofu and coriander, some nice and sticky Boiled Rice and tasty, fresh, Prawn Crackers.

And the best thing about the Unlimited Banquet?  It was UNLIMITED!

You can re-order any of the dishes at any time, so no need to worry about etiquette when you find a dish you really love - you are free to consume as much of it as you can manage.

But remember to save room for dessert!

Jac perfecting her chopstick technique - concentration is key!

When handed the dessert menu, we were pretty stuffed.  But the bar had been set so high in the main course - could the dessert match the standard?

I often find in Chinese restaurants, the dessert falls behind, but in Chop Chop, this was certainly not the case!

Top of my list comes the Baked Mongolia, a dish which took slightly longer to be prepared for us, but was completely worth the wait.  Served as a pastry, the Baked Mongolia is hot, but with melted cold ice-cream which pours out of the middle when cracked open.  The result is a delicious mix of hot and cold sweet - a Chinese version of Baked Alaska.

Baked Mongolia

Stuart was desperate to taste the Sugar String Apple - caramelised apple pieces in a sugar coating.  On arrival, it looked amazing.  Steaming hot, we were told to dip each piece in a ready-made bowl of iced water to crisp up the coating before eating. It did not disappoint!

Sweet, but not sickly, the apples were moist and very, very, very tasty.

Mixed fruit dumplings coated in fine powdered sugar. MMmm!

More dumplings were available for dessert - both Mixed Fruit (which were very fruity and full of flavour) and Peanut ones too.

Jac was extremely keen on the Peanut Dumplings - fried dumplings with peanut butter, raisin, sugar and sesame seed filling. 

As we were served with a taste of all the flavours of ice-cream - Mango and Lemon Sorbets as well as real Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry ice-creams, we took the opportunity to pair all of our desserts with them.  The ice-cream itself was amazing, and would not have been a disappointment to anyone who ordered.  Real ice-cream with real flavours - no skimping on quality.

When we eventually managed to fit in our last dumplings it was almost a sad affair.  We gazed fondly at the leftovers, unable to pack another morsel in.  It was a flawless and faultless service with some of the best food I have ever eaten, and I do not say this lightly.

As someone with quite a fine palette I am quite sensitive to greasy, heavy food and very fussy when it comes to taste and even texture, but I cannot fault my experience at Chop Chop.

Clean lines and beautifully presented

The food was healthy, well-presented and nothing was too much of an effort.  As someone who has spent a lot of time working in the service industry, I know good service when I see it, and it was certainly prevalent in this restaurant - the staff were attentive and helpful to all of their customers and everything ran smoothly and effortlessly.

We made our farewells and headed for home, very full and very happy.  Even a long drive home in the foggy, misty dark didn't dampen our mood - we all spoke enthusiastically about the food and none of us had a bad word to say.  In fact, we were all waxing lyrical about how we were going to return and bring our partners next time.

I must admit, I did feel bad going without Dave.  And he was very jealous when I returned home and told him of my amazing experience.  I did console him with the fact that I joined the loyalty scheme though.

No charge for joining and offering 10% off every meal, Sunday to Thursday, 5% off every meal Friday and Saturday and up to £5 off per guest with the Celebration Vouchers they send you on both you and your partners birthdays AND your anniversary, there's a strong chance we'll be back.  I am seriously looking forward to convincing anyone who'll come with me to return.

*Disclaimer - I was asked to review Chop Chop.  In return I was given a free meal at the restaurant. All of my views are my own and I remain honest about my experiences.