3 Seville restaurant recommendations

Seville was on my bucket list for a long time. It was a beautiful city but meal times could be quite challenging. If morning sightseeing overran and you needed a later lunch, hardly anything would be open as it fell into Spanish siesta hours where shops and restaurants close their doors and don't open up again until much later. Although restaurants technically opened again at 8pm, some wouldn't start serving food until 9pm onwards. I did struggle to eat this late as having done my 10,000 steps by 11am most days, my exhausted body had given up and wanted sleep more than it did food!

I wasted so much time walking around looking for food - some nights being at a loss of what to do when restaurants are full, it's nearing 10pm, and there are no empty seats anywhere. One night I was so exhausted, I grabbed some fries to go and that did the job! So for this reason I wanted to write this guide to mark my top three favourite places to eat in Seville, which offered something a little different, were less busy, had beautiful interiors, and above all else, had delicious food.

1. Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto - Centro

One day we wandered further afield and stopped at this lovely restaurant for lunch. Being out of the way and away from the main hustle and bustle of town, it was fairly empty, but I liked that as it felt private and intimate. The interiors were magical. I'm talking exposed brick walls and beautiful tiles

Cosy corners and greenery hanging overhead

And dim lighting and huge palms bringing jungle vibes

We ate arroz negro, a rice dish coloured with squid ink. Whilst Valencian and Catalan versions are usually made with cuttlefish, this one contained prawns, garlic and chilli and was topped with aioli and octopus which had been grilled to perfection. 

It was an incredible dining experience - just like sitting in a secret garden!

https://burrocanaglia.es

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. Nación Sushi

The pleasant surprise of the trip! We'd scoped out a nice looking café for lunch which did brunch, fresh juices, salads and other lighter options, but after a long morning at the Royal Alcázar, said café now had chairs up on tables and a lady mopping the floors said they were closed. We later found out that we'd annoyingly only just missed out!

At that time in the afternoon in Seville, food options are limited and most restaurants were closed. As luck may have it, Nacionsushi was something we'd passed before and it appeared to be open all hours, so we decided to check it out.

We ordered a pot of green tea and some bao buns to share. I did feel guilty for not having something local or traditionally Spanish, but Nacionsushi blew us away.

We had hoisin chicken bao buns which were as fluffy as a cloud - like bao should be - but a special mention has to go to one of their new specials: baos fritos de costilla de cerdo or crispy pork rib bao. The golden, crispy shells were filled with finger-licking good pork and topped with crispy onions and peanuts. The textures in this dish were spot on. I'd never had fried bao before but it's the future!

A special mention also needs to go to the interiors which were really quirky and memorable. I'm talking cherry blossom trees, bird cage lights, beautiful tiles, a living wall and hot pink accents, all merged with a travel theme. It was all very Instagrammable (if you're that way inclined)

Nación Sushi also has a wealth of sushi, noodle and rice dishes - the choice is real! - and they have restaurants in other countries too - not just Spain - and are well worth a visit.

https://nacionsushi.com

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Universal People Bar de Tapas

This came highly recommend by my sister and her boyfriend and one of my ex work colleagues so I ventured here on the first night and it didn't disappoint! We had two different types of croquetas or croquettes which were rather filling and we quickly learnt that one plate would have been enough! The mushroom croquettes were earthy and wonderful, but we weren't so enamoured with the oxtail ones. I'd heard that oxtail was a regional speciality so I wanted to try it, but knew then and there that it wasn't for me! 

There were however two other dishes that got my stamp of approval and I highly recommend if you're ever in Seville. The slow cooked beef cheek melted in your mouth and the sauted potatoes were beautiful - especially when dipped in the very moreish accompanying sauce. 

And last but not least, their grilled octopus. There was a bit of wait time for this one but it was worth every second. A good grilled octopus should cut like butter and melt in the mouth (anything rubbery or chewy is indicative of over-cooking) and this delivered. 

We had three different types of potato - these were surprise accompaniments added to our plates and not detailed on the menu - and after consuming all three portions, we were rather full and this prevented us from trying anything else. So bear this in mind when thinking about how many small plates to order!

https://www.universalpeoplebar.com

_____________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever been to Seville?

Tomahawk Steakhouse York // The largest steak I ever did see

Whilst I'm generally a healthy eater and aim for a few meat-free days a week, I'm more of a flexitarian and won't be going fully vegetarian or vegan any time soon. I love my meat too much (take that as you will) with a good medium rare steak being a firm favourite. Forever on the hunt for a good steak or steakhouse, one day I saw Tomahawk pop up on my feed with mouth watering images of succulent steak, and joy behold, there was one located in York, a place that was next on my travels.

Location

Tucked a little out of the way, but near to Mansion House and The Ivy, I ventured down a side passage which I found to be fairly quiet, not seeing much in the way of people. Because of this I figured Tomahawk York wouldn't be all that busy. WRONG.

First impressions

I arrived at a small bar area with a few raised tables and bar stools. All very industrial in look and feel with exposed brick walls. This holding area was deserted with no one at the bar which I figured may have been due to the tucked away nature of the restaurant. You could hear chatter and laughter elsewhere though, and that's when a host descended from a industrial metal staircase to welcome us and I first discovered that the restaurant was located on different levels. 

Once we ventured upstairs, we discovered that the restaurant was deceptively large - which you didn't get a sense of from the front - and in fact stretched way back. We passed lots of booth seating filled with friends, couples on date night, and big groups of lads with large wooden sharing boards presented with slices of perfectly pink steak. 

Our table

I had booked a table in advance and we were led right to the back of the joint, to a table located right infront of their bustling but beautiful main bar. I'd say that being sat here was probably the low light of my visit. You constantly had members of staff rushing past you, going to and fro from the bar, so it didn't feel very private, especially when you're on a date. Also we seemed to be on top of a wobbly floorboard so whenever anyone walked past, our table (and food) wobbled about which did get a little annoying. There were so many nice, quiet, intimate corners of the restaurant and I would have preferred to sit somewhere a little more private. For this reason, I'm not sure that I'd book in advance again. I would probably just turn up and chance it, with the hope of being allocated a booth.

The menu

The menu was extensive with plenty of vegetarian, fish and vegan options too if you're that way inclined and are simply accompanying your meat loving friends or partner. We all know the reason why I was there. It would have been rude not to try one of their celebrated steaks. The restaurant boasts the finest Himalayan salt dry-aged steaks and Wagyu and I was excited to try these. The choice was real. Along with your usual ribeye, sirloin and fillet steak options, there were also sharing boards, and larger cuts of meat like the porterhouse (16oz), chateaubriand (18oz), cote de boeuf (35oz) and tomahawk (36-38oz). 

Some of these larger cuts don't come cheap, but the sharing steaks come with 4 free sides and there was an extensive choice including the following:

• Fries / Beef dripping chips / Truffle parmesan fries
• Sweet potato wedges with feta and harrissa yoghurt
• Mushrooms with slow roasted tomatoes
• Mash / Truffle mash
• Peas with bacon
• Mac and cheese
• Broccoli
• Salad
• Spinach with stilton
• Garlic mushrooms
• Spicy siracha slaw
• Garlic prawns
• Brisket and cheddar hash browns
• Beer battered onion rings

So much choice! Which of these sides has your name on it? I'd love to know in the comments below!

The main event

We opted for the tomahawk as I'd always wanted to try one and it would have been rude not to order the restaurant namesake, right? This was a beast of a steak in the form of a bone in ribeye and was cooked to perfection. It had marbling which can be hit and miss and can sometimes mean chewy, and it was in places. Would I have it again? I would, but with such an extensive steak menu, I'd be keen to try another type of steak first.

The sides

Garlic prawns are usually a favourite of mine but these were very pale in colour and quite anaemic looking, so I was a little nervous about whether these were fully cooked or not (as it turns out, we had no problems with food poisoning thankfully!). I also love a good beer battered onion ring. These were ok, but I've had better. I wasn't blown away by the sides other than than fries, so next time around I'd be keen to try a few different ones (perhaps the brisket and cheddar hash browns).

Would I go back?

I would, but I would choose a different cut of meat with - hopefully - a higher meat to fat ratio to it. I will happily eat a whole steak - fat included - if the fat is rendered down enough. However if the fat is tough as old boots and unchewable, it means a lot of the dish can't be eaten and it's a crying shame. It makes an already costly dish feel that little bit worse from a value for money perspective when a huge sharing steak doesn't contain all that much in the way of edible meat. 

I would order the fries again but with a few different sides, and I'd been be keen to try the crispy squid to start which comes with chorizo jam and roasted garlic and lemon mayo and sounds all kinds of dreamy don't you think?

Are you a flexitarian or a meat fan like I am? 

How to take better food pictures with #TheFoodieBag

This post contains a gifted item

If you can start eating a plate of food without documenting it first, I applaud you. I have long given up the hope of ever eating a hot meal. So why do we do it? Food is first and foremost functional. We need it for nutritional purposes and to, well, survive. However sometimes a pretty plate of food is worth documenting. That one photo can serve as a reminder of a special event, a perfect date or a memorable holiday. We share snaps of our baking successes and on some occasions, our food is so aesthetically pleasing, it's bordering on art and worth being immortalised in a photograph.

Taking a truly special food picture is an art. I see professional food bloggers with all the right kit, regularly invited to the swankiest joints, sharing dark, out of focus food pictures where the colour levels are all wrong. Then comparatively I see influencers with smaller follower counts - or your average Joe - who use a mobile phone and get it spot on. My point being that taking a great photo is well within your reach and easily achievable with just a few small pointers.

Frame your shot

It's all about the background. Whilst we are not all blessed to have marble worktops, the key is having a work surface with colour variation or a bit of texture to add interest. A concrete look surface always works well with food photography and can add an industrial feel. Or for a more luxe look, opt for a marble effect surface paired with gold utensils. To get a high end look surface for a fraction of the price, try backdrops like these which are perfect for food photography. My simple vegan aubergine and chickpea stew looked a whole lot more exciting when I tried it against the different backgrounds.

Vegan aubergine and chickpea stew

For a fully authentic magazine style food shot, frame your dish with crumbs, a smattering of herbs or a lovingly torn French baguette. But don't overdo it. You want the shot to look homely, not messy (and not excessively staged!)

Get the lighting right

Natural light always works best, but at this time of year, good light can be hard to come by which is where you may need assistance in the form of a lighting kit. Circle lights can help in the winter months but beware, as artifical light is no match for natural light and can cause glare and over-saturated images. To help control the lighting your photo receives - whether natural or artifical - consider using a reflector and diffuser like this 5 in 1 one here to eliminate shadows and glare.

Edit with caution

Sometimes the perfect photograph requires some editing work, especially if you are not blessed with natural light. Increasing the contrast levels can add richness to your image, and low light can be remedied. Edit with caution though, as many professional food bloggers make the mistake of over-saturating their images, leading to the colour of natural food products appearing, well, unnatural. 

Experiment with angles

Flat lays are always effective in food photography, but playing with angles can add interest. See what a difference it makes below. The bird's eye view looks a little flat, whereas shooting from an angle makes the dish look multi-dimensional (what of course it is!). Re-shooting the flat lay with a slight angle rather than from above makes the toasted pinenuts in the recipe look more 3D.

Example of a flat lay

Experiment with angles

The ingredients in this flat lay look a little more 3D as it's not shot directly over head 

Give your food a face lift

Examine your plate and how colourful it is. Is it a fairly beige meal? Or is it all mostly one colour? In food magazines the most captivating recipes we want to try ourselves are colourful and attractive. Greenery always works wonders and can help bring food alive - so top your meal with fresh chopped parsley, chives or your herb of choice. Other options include cheese and chopped chilli - anything that adds colour and interest. Puncture the yolk of your poached egg in a brunch shot for an image that leaves your audience salivating. Wipe up any other spills and add cutlery to give it that ready to eat feel.

Listen to the experts

I am by no means an expert and if you check out my Instagram, I'm sure I have commited a multitude of sins when it comes to food photography. That being said, life is full of lessons and food photography is something that takes time and practice. If you want expert advice on how to improve your work, check out these polaroid style notelets, each depicting a picture of a delicious plate of food and on the reverse side, tips and tricks. Admittedly some of the advice is common sense, but I have learned a lot and I'm really pleased with how some of my recent food shots have turned out.

If you are a budding food blogger or just enjoy taking food photos and want to up your game, check out #TheFoodieBag (also known as the Instagram Bag) here which has everything you need to get started. The kit is just £39.95 including P&P & VAT and contains the following:

• a HUGE tote bag (perfect for lugging your kit around!) with zip fastening and internal mesh dividers and pockets
• A 15-inch 5 in 1 pop up lighting reflector and diffuser
• 4 backdrops (marble, grey concrete, green-grey hybrid and rust-look)
• 8 beautiful postcards with extra tips and tricks for getting the perfect shot

I've had a lot of fun experimenting with the different backdrops - although admittedly this has made me cringe over some of my past food photography!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

* This post features #TheFoodieBag from The Cotton Bag Company which was sent to me in exchange for a review. As ever all views (and love of food photography!) are my own. 

The spreadsheet that is helping me keep sane (and helping reduce food waste)

Now is as important a time as any to not buy more food than necessary and not to waste food. I have always prided myself on using every last scrap of food, but the added pressures of covid-19 and not knowing what ingredients I can get or when I can next get a home delivery slot, means that I am working extra hard to make food supplies stretch and work that little bit harder.

As lucky as I am to have a fridge and a freezer, I am not blessed with space, so cannot fit much in either of them. Whenever I get a food shop, I don't want to go crazy and deprive others of supplies, and the fact that I cannot store much is great in that aspect as it really helps me rein back and carefully consider what I do (and don't) need.

Working from home

The current strategy that has been working for me is keeping fresh ingredients in the fridge (or in some cases, the cupboard) and aiming to cook / eat everything by its use by date to reduce the need for freezing. Because frankly my freezer is tiny and I just don't have the space. And to keep tabs on use by dates, say hello to my geeky spreadsheet that is helping keep me sane

Food expiry dates spreadsheet - Curiouser and Curiouser

As you can see, I list out my ingredients, where they are currently stored, and their expiry dates. I've noticed that many stores have stopped putting expiry dates on vegetables (hence the * in my spreadsheet) which I think is great as many people swear by end dates and bin food when in reality, veg lasts a lot longer than you think it does! (the items marked in red are still perfectly fine)

I have conditional formatting and sorting on the end dates, meaning it's listed in date order. Items within their final week are colour coded (light orange) and the gradient darkens as they get nearer to their best before (red). Doing this allows me to assess which items need prioritising first, and helps me to plan meals. I really recommend planning meals in advance as that way when you do a shop, it will prevent random ingredients that don't belong together, and food waste.

Example food planner based on this spreadsheet method

DAY ONE

Ingredients expiring: pork steaks, various veg
Meal plan: cut the pork into strips - stir-fry with the veg and spices (fajitas)
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY TWO

Ingredients expiring: beef pieces, various veg
Meal plan: slow cook with carrots, onions, mushrooms, bacon and red wine (beef bourguignon)
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY THREE

Ingredients expiring: beef mince
Meal plan: combine with remaining veg and add tinned tomatoes and spices (chilli con carne)
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY FOUR

Ingredients expiring: chicken, various veg
Meal plan: slow cook with tomatoes and herbs (Italian chicken) - serve with crispy potatoes
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY FIVE

Ingredients expiring: cauliflower
Meal plan: cauliflower curry (here) using tinned tomatoes, nuts, chickpeas, coconut milk and spices
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY SIX

Ingredients expiring: cauliflower, sausages, potatoes
Meal plan: use the last of the potatoes for bangers and mash - serve with spiced grilled cauliflower
______________________________________________________________________________

DAY SEVEN

Ingredients expiring: last remaining veg
Meal plan: I alternate between veggie curries, homemade pizzas and vegetarian pasta bakes
______________________________________________________________________________

As soon as I use an ingredient that has been flagged up in the spreadsheet, I change "used - no" to "used - yes" and the filter in place means the ingredient in question is filtered out of sight. Another option I have under "used" is "frozen" - so if I don't have the necessary other cupboard basics to form a particular meal - or when I cook in bulk and have leftovers - I will pop it into the freezer and mark it as frozen (which the spreadsheet also filters out of view).

This may sound like a long winded method, but it's helped me be a lot more organised at this uncertain time, helps reduce food waste, and it means I can go through 2-3 weeks before needing another shop, which is great as it means that I am not depriving the elderly, healthcare workers and others in need of food or those highly sought after home delivery slots.

Have you changed the way you shop and think about food?

AD | Chilli and prawn linguine recipe with Schwartz

Our house (well its inhabitants) loves food but naturally, with some foods you can agree to disagree. My partner loves pepperoni pizza whereas I can't stand meat on pizza. He loves spicy foods whereas I have always struggled with spice. Fast forward some years and my partner is now equally as enthused with veggie pizza as I am. And me? I am getting braver and braver with spice.

Previously I was removing chilli from recipes and instead having chopped chilli / chilli flakes on the side so my poor partner didn't miss out on my behalf. Nowadays I find myself craving the addictive nature of spice and even pouring more and more of our household staple - chilli flakes - onto my plate to give food that is lacking that extra something.

With spices like crushed chillies, I like to keep the meal itself quite simple so the chilli has a chance to sing. Prawn and chilli linguine is always a dish that goes down well in our household. It doesn't need too many ingredients, it's easy to clean up from (largely a one pot meal), it's simple to rustle up and doesn't take long.

Schwartz chilli flakes * 

CHILLI AND PRAWN LINGUINE

INGREDIENTS

• 300g linguine
• x2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• Tomato puree (optional)
• Sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Schwartz chilli flakes * 
• 225g pre-cooked prawns (larger / king prawns will offer a meatier taste)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• Small handful of parsley, chopped
• Seasoning 

METHOD

1. Start the sauce first. The key to a fantastic sauce is giving it time to reduce and develop a wonderful rich flavour. Start by frying off the onion (I like mine golden and just 'caught' for extra depth of flavour)

2. Add the garlic, it won't need long (approx 2 mins or it will burn). Up to you if you crush or chop your garlic (in Italian dishes I love bigger pieces of garlic so chopped is my preference!)

3) Add the chopped tomatoes and the chilli flakes. Leave the sauce to reduce for 10-15 minutes

4) Do an initial tasting of the sauce. If not tomatoey enough, add a dollop of tomato puree. If too tart, you can counteract this by adding sugar (do a teaspoon at a time though!). Add more chilli flakes if you feel it needs it. Season to your liking (I find a generous sprinkling of salt really helps bring out the flavours!)

5) Start cooking your linguine (we used fresh pasta which only takes 4 minutes, but most dried versions take 10-12 minutes)

6) Prawns can over cook really easily (especially already cooked ones) so it's important to get the sauce as far along as possible beforehand as the prawns won't take long. Once you are happy with your sauce, add the prawns (they will only take a minute or two to warm, but will take longer if raw) and the chopped parsley.

7) Do a final taste test of the sauce which will now incorporate the flavour of the prawns. Again, add extra seasoning, chilli etc if you feel it needs it

8) Once you are happy with the sauce and the pasta has cooked, drain the pasta. You can either mix the pasta into your sauce to generously coat it (what I do), or dish it up separately and ladle the sauce on top. Don't forget to take salt, pepper and the chilli flakes to the table with you! 

Schwartz crushed chillies

Chilli and prawn linguine

We really like this meal as it largely uses ingredients we already have in the house (I usually only have to pick up prawns and parsley) and it's low in fat so good and healthy.

And to quote my partner:

"If I ordered arrabbiata in a restaurant and this turned up, I'd be very happy!"

"You know what? This would be just as nice without the prawns"

And for his latter comment, I'd have to agree. A plain tomato, garlic and chilli pasta sauce may sound basic and boring, but using the Schwartz chilli flakes, it would be anything but! The beauty of the sauce is that it's full of flavour so would be great with seafood, meat, vegetarian substitutes or as is. For a cheaper / vegetarian version, omit the prawns (something we plan on doing next time!). Whether you use seafood, meat or keep it vegetarian, the sauce does require some patience while it simmers down, but trust me, it's worth it!

 * Schwartz have sent me the crushed chillies for review, but all views are my own

Dreamy interiors and Paris feels at Cote Brasserie

Whenever I'm not in Paris and I want that taste of a French bistro with a rather large glass of red wine (because when in Rome France), Cote Brasserie is my go to.

As delicious as the food is, every visit I'm equally taken by the interiors (I'm talking deep plum seating and marble table tops against the dreamiest of black and white patterned floor tiles - and don't get me started on the bathroom with its beautiful mint / pistachio metro tiles!)

At Cote you can order from the à la carte menu or there is a series of lunch / early evening menus (12-7pm on Mondays-Fridays only) which often allow you to get two dishes for less than the cost of one of the pricier options from the à la carte menu. For the standard lunch / early evening menu, you can expect the below price points:

£11.50 for 2 courses

£13.95 for 3 courses

However if you upgrade to their "prestige" menu, this comes up a few pounds extra:

£15.95 for 2 courses

£18.95 for 3 courses

The main difference? Little things like the cuts of meat. For instance if you go "prestige" the steak will be a sirloin or rib-eye, whereas on the cheaper menu, it will be a much thinner steak. So if like me, you appreciate a good medium rare steak, upgrading is definitely worth it.

This time around we opted for the calamari and the melon and ham to start. I'm not the biggest fan of cured meats (although I will make an exception for chorizo) however the melon was beautiful and one of the best I've ever had.

The calamari I have already been raving on my Instagram. Squid and octopus is so easy to get wrong if you under / over cook it as it becomes all tough and chewy. This was the softest, melt-in-the-mouth calamari I've ever had. And such a generous portion size too (I was only expecting about 5-6 rings if I'm honest with you!).

On this visit we opted for a Cote du Rhone which was beautifully smooth and full bodied. 

For the main event I couldn't resist a steak as the red wine was begging for one. Admittedly the steak was a little more on the rare side than I'd usually have (true likeness to Paris cooking right there!) but it was juicy and buttery soft, so this didn't bother me. As much as I love Cote Brasserie's stews like their autumn / winter boeuf bourguignon (highly recommended), their steaks are out of this world good (the searing is always spot on!)

There were some pretty enticing chocolate options on the dessert menu, but after a starter AND a main, I was done for.  But there's always next time, eh?

Cote Brasserie is located all over the UK

You can find your nearest branch and / or menu here

We paid for our meal ourselves but I just wanted to share the love! #NotAnAd

A n-ICE introduction to Yuu kitchen's new residency at ICEBAR London

On what felt like one of the hottest days of the year so far, and after sweltering at our company's sports day in Regent's park, my invite to ICEBAR couldn't have come at a better time. The event in question was the launch of Yuu Kitchen's new residency in swanky Mayfair at ICEBAR London.

Stupidly my first thought was "isn't the food going to be a little on the cold side?"...however I can confirm that the food itself is NOT ice cold, nor is it served in the actual ICEBAR (you eat downstairs in a separate section of the venue). When you book on the website here, you have the option to book just a dinner reservation, or dinner combined with the ICEBAR experience (I personally recommend the latter because when in Rome!).

First on the agenda that evening: seek out the nearest bar.

There are three bars located on site. One on the ground floor as you enter. I loved the reclaimed wood around the bar and the sultry dim lighting with the occasional lantern here and there. Here we enjoyed an initial beer and glass of wine.

ICEBAR is located upstairs as well as another bar which I hadn't heard of before: FIREBAR (more on both of these later). We started out at the ground floor bar (conveniently where most of the food was!). On entry we were given colour-coded wristbands which indicated which time slot you had for the ICEBAR.

We didn't have too long a wait, but there was just enough time to work our way through a few items from Yuu Kitchen's latest menu. Here's what we ate:

BAO BUNS

All hail the fluffiest of bao buns with crispy tofu, kimchi and kimchi mayo. I usually find tofu a little plain and underwhelming, but this was actually one of my favourite dishes of the night. Having the tofu crispy gave it a far nicer texture and with kimchi and kimchi mayo, it packed a punch and was far from boring.

SPICY SALMON (?)

I'm still not 100% sure what I ate, but I feel like it was the salmon with crispy rice, avocado and spicy jalapeno dressing. This is something I have had before and admittedly it's never been one of my favourites. Saying that, I enjoyed it much more this time around. My complaint with it before was the texture of the rice cake that the fish sits on, but this is much nicer now (much crispier!). The base is now more of a hash brown / tater tot consistency and paired against the freshness of the fish, it's a marriage made in heaven.

BISTEK

Sirloin steak, again sitting atop crispy rice not too dissimilar in texture to a hash brown / tater tot, with a trio of onions. Bit of a blurred shot I'm afraid (you have to get in there quickly when everything is being snatched up before your eyes!). This was one item from the Filipino section of their menu, which is based on traditional dishes and ingredients from the Philippines. SO SO GOOD.

CHEESE BURGER SPRING ROLLS

One of the items I was most intrigued by on the night was a Yuu kitchen classic: East meets West fusion. Behold these cheeseburger spring rolls. They were being grabbed like hotcakes so I didn't get a great shot of them (sorry), but these contained wagyu mince with american cheese and were presented with all your burger classics like lettuce, mustard, ketchup and onions, but also a touch of the orient with the sesame seeds. Not something I ever thought I'd be eating in my lifetime(!) but I applaud the team for thinking outside the box. AMAZING.

ICEBAR TIME

In no time at all, our time slot was called and we were led up the stairs, illuminated by my all-time favourites, Tom Dixon pendants

Before we were granted entry, we had to don rather fetching hooded capes and gloves. At the time of my visit, ICEBAR was home to the exhibition "Valhalla Calling", containing ice sculptures inspired by Norse mythology (if you've watched the Thor films, you're half way there!). What is Valhalla you ask? Valhalla is basically a grand, palatial hall located in Asgard, which is ruled over by the Norse god Odin.

Admittedly ICEBAR wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be (the Magical Ice Kingdom at Winter Wonderland is much colder), but after the heat of the day, having some time to cool down was well received.

The cocktail of the night was THE GOD OF THUNDER, a blend of Absolut Blue vodka, apple purée, apple juice and lemon juice. These were amazingly served in ICE glasses which reportedly some people try to nab from the bar, however being ice, they never last long! I sadly didn't get to finish my drink as I was so in awe of the sculptures and my surroundings that someone took my drink away when I was only part-way through. Sad times.

We finished up our visit in FIREBAR (also upstairs) which was my favourite of the three bars. As the name would suggest, the bar did appear to be on fire (the back portion, not the bar top nearest to guests). Whether this was real or not, I couldn't say, but the flames were every bit as hypnotic.

The FIREBAR lounge area had a very nice feel about it. Again, dimmed lights, Birds of Paradise flowers in vases, and additional flowers presented in lookalike blocks of ice on the tables.

I still to this day have no idea what we were drinking, but whatever cocktails they were, they were incredibly moreish. So staying for a few was easily done ;)

If you are looking for a night out with a difference - or to escape from the heat this summer - you know where to go!

 I was a guest of Yuu Kitchen and ICEBAR for the launch night of Yuu Kitchen's new residency, but as ever, all words and opinions are my own