Food Glorious Food! - Food - Places To Eat In Paphos.

Hi!!!

I think today's post will be the last one on Cyprus (for now), because hopefully I'll be able to write some more autumnal posts over the next few weeks, but I really did want to share this. I've gathered together a few food recomendations from my holiday in Paphos, to give you a heads up as to some great places and give a shout out to some awesome restaurants.

 

We went to Paphos Market on one of the days and went to a restaurant that is literally right beside it. I can't remember its name for the life of me and nor can I find it online but they did give us these home-grown figs for free at the end of our meal, and they were gorgeous so I wanted to mention them.

 

For lunch, I'd recommend:

King's Café at Paphos Harbour. You may well get a seat right by the water which is always nice, and you can see the castle from there. Try the Village Feta Salad.

 

Also, if you stay at the Avanti Village like we did, then I'd recommend:

The Avanti Village Taverna on the Avanti Village Complex - try the Halloumi and Lountza Pitta (it's the best halloumi I had all week!)

 

For evening meals, I'd recommend going to:

Bacchus Restaurant at Paphos Harbour. It has a lovely atmosphere and  great food. Try the Fresh Sea Bass, and the Banana Split.

Viva Cyprus. We were given a box to take the things we couldn't finish in, which was really helpful. Try the Mezze, which is huge, in particular the Moussaka and Stuffed Vine Leaves.

Theo's Restaurant at Paphos Harbour. The view of the sea is great, the staff are friendly and the fish is amazing - try the Fresh Swordfish, and the Banofee Pie.

Don Luigi's Trattoria Pizzeria (shown above). The staff are really friendly and have great banter and they serve delightful Italian food. Try the Pizza Pollo, the Pizza Con-Tutto, the Raspberry Cheesecake and the Tiramisu.

Fiesta Bar and Grill. They serve nice food and if you're staying at the Avanti Village then its super easy to go to. Try the Stifado.

 

 

My golden rules for eating in Paphos are to eat as much Greek/Cypriot Cheese as possible, eat as much fresh fish as possible, try a range of traditional Greek/Cypriot dishes, if there are fresh figs available then get them (as with watermelon and oranges), and finally get your hands on some delicious ice cream.

 

The ice cream above was bought at a shop on Paphos Harbour which I can't remember the name of but the flavours are pistachio and rose. ROSE ICE CREAM! So yeah, just keep your eye out for those flavours along the harbour and get some ice cream.

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading and finding out a little bit more about my holiday.

What kind of restaurants do you like to eat in on holiday? Have you been to Cyprus? Are you as amazed by rose ice cream as I am? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Drop me a line in the comments.

Speak to you all soon.

 

I hope your day is filled with loveliness!

 

 GingerSnaps xxx

Food Glorious Food! - Restaurant Review - Viva, Leeds.

Hi!!!

Woah there, another restaurant review? What on earth is happening?

This one is another one from my trip to Leeds, which was the first weekend in December. This was actually on the same day as when we went to The Botanist (post HERE). We went in the evening, and it was great to go out and eat some good food. As far as a lot of people are concerned, Viva is the best. Its on Bridge End, and that's as central as you can really get.

 

Looks and Appearance.

 

 

I didn't actually get that many pictures inside the restaurant. We were too busy chatting and eating, and the restaurant was fairly busy with people who had made reservations so I didn't want to be taking pictures with unsuspecting people's faces in them - especially not when they were eating. The interior was unique and inviting with a personal feel. There was also a very, as stupid as it sounds, Italian feel to it. It was a very homely place in general, and the minute you walk through the door it feels like walking into a friend's house or a family member's house, it has such an atmosphere.

There are loads of paintings and pictures everywhere, and every table has roses in a glass vase.

The little touches are what make this restaurant special.

 

The Food.

We began with a flatbread type thing - I'm really sorry that I don't know specifically what it was, but it was just brought out to us, we didn't order it. Despite my illiteracy there, whatever it was, it was really tasty and very light. It had a very Mediterranean flavouring, and I'm glad we had it.

 

I ordered Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Carbonara is one of my favourite dishes of all time. This was a really good Carbonara. It had lovely flavours and textures, and it wasn't too rich or sickly as some Carbonara's can be. It was comfort food made at an excellent quality. I highly recommend you try this if you go.

 

 

 

We ordered dessert to share between us all, however I will admit I was the one who ate the most of them.

We selected the Homemade Tiramisu, and it was beautiful. It was well presented and the textures and flavours were great.

As if we hadn't eaten enough, we also ordered a Homemade Crème Brulee. It was a perfect texture - not sloppy, just right. The flavouring was great and it was rich yet light.

 

When we paid the bill, they gave us all Dark Chocolate Truffles, which was a nice touch.

The Final Summary.

Visiting Viva was great, and I would happily go back there for dinner. There was a welcoming atmosphere, and the service was great with dishes altered to suit us, and all dishes made fresh. The staff made us feel like family and were very helpful.

The Final Words.

Viva have a website (HERE).

I hope that this post was enjoyable for you. Have you been to Viva? Would you like to go? If you have any restaurant recommendations for me, let me know. Also, if you have any ideas for upcoming posts, then tell me.

I hope that you have a nice day!

GingerSnaps xxx

Food Glorious Food! - Restaurant Review - The Botanist, Leeds.

Hi!!!

I haven't done a resturant review in absolute donkeys. I do, however, love food, and eating out so I think a review is in order.

The first weekend in December, my Mom, my Nan, and me went to Leeds. We stayed with my Auntie, and had a brilliant time. On the Saturday, we went out shopping and the like and obviously had to stop for lunch. My Auntie recommended The Botanist, which is physically underneath the Trinity Centre.

 

 

Looks and Appearance.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure you can understand what I mean about it being underneath the Trinity Centre from the last photo in this section. It's down a little set of steps. There is outdoor seating, and there are some rather efficient heaters out there, so you should be OK. We however went inside.

The interior of The Botanist is something else, it really is, or at least I think so. It is very inviting and welcoming. It has a rustic, indie kind of charm, which really appeals to me, and there are some really innovative uses of space and unique decorative features, like a chandelier made from different glasses, cups, ect. That chandelier happens to be the one thing I didn't get a picture of. There were also lots of random little features, which made everything feel as though it was collected over time by someone, and they had no idea where to put it, so put it wherever they thought it looked good.

 

The Food.

 

 

 

We'd been out and about all day and had meal plans for the evening so decided that it would be best to just have some "nibble-y" type foods. We noticed the Deli Boards, and decided to give them a go. The idea is that you choose four things from any parts of the list to make up your board.

 

 

My Mom and I chose to share a board. We selected some Parma Ham, which was really tasty and had little to no fat on it. We had some Lancashire Cheese, which had strong flavouring and a great texture. The Roast Chicken was chicken, really, although it was very nice and complemented the rest of the platter dishes. The Home-dried Tomatoes were rich and luxurious but not oily or greasy as some dried tomatoes can be.

 

We also ordered some Properly Seasoned Chips - that is what they are actually called, its not just me commenting early. They were actually very nicely seasoned, so I didn't have to do anything.

 

The Final Summary.

 

I really enjoyed visiting The Botanist, and would happily return. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. The staff were helpful and friendly, and I enjoyed the food. I'd advise you to check it out, if you are ever in Leeds.

 

The Final Words.

 

The Botanist have a website (HERE).

 

 

So, that's all for today then folks. I hope you enjoyed the review, I know I haven't done one like this in a really long time, but I do have a bunch lined up, so fear not dear Foodies. Have you been to The Botanist? Are you interested in going? Let me know your thoughts.

 

Have a really good day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 



 

 

 



Food Glorious Food! - Restaurant Review - Havana, Leamington Spa.

Hi!!!

Before I begin this post, I'd like to just have a chat with you. When I logged on today, I noticed how many people had viewed this blog in just this week... 97!!! It's a pretty big number! Thank you so, so, so, much for reading my blog!

Anyway - back to business.

A few weeks ago now (before I started blogging), I went to a restaurant called "Havana". It's in Leamington Spa in the West Midlands. Those of you who have read my "Getting to Know You... 25 Facts About Me" post will know it's one of my favourite restaurants. It offers a range of the most beautiful Cuban food. There's some photography in this post - woah there!!! - and so I'll talk more as we go...

 

 

 

 

 

I love the décor of Havana. As you can see from the above photos, it's very relaxed. The exposed bricks add a really rustic charm and the muted browns and greens contribute to the Cuban theme.

It genuinely does feel like you *have* stepped into a little bistro in Cuba with the sun spilling in from the windows and not like your on the high street of Leamington Spa about 5 minutes walk from the Shopping Centre.

 

We went on a boiling hot day but inside it was cool and a welcome retreat.

 

 

 

 

I started the meal with a Homemade Elderflower Presse. I love Elderflower but some Elderflower  drinks can be quite dry and taste very flat. However this was absolutely amazing! It tasted beautiful and the flavour was just strong enough to be noticeable without being overbearing. Very refreshing.

 

I was out and about with my parents that day and that is why there are three dishes - I'm not that greedy...

 

My Mom had the Chorizo and Crayfish Salad with Croutons and Tobaccos Dressing (the dish on the left). She loved it. Now, my family and friends are of a "Let me share or I'll pinch it anyway" culture when it comes to food and so I got to try some as did my Dad. It was fantastic! The flavours really complemented each other and it was nice and light but, as my Mom told me, still rather filling. Big thumbs up for that salad.

 

My lovely Dad had the Meat Board (the dish on the right). Again, I did give this a bit of a try too. I thought it was great. Sometimes, you don't want a big lunch and so the boards are a wise choice. There's a wide variety of boards but the Meat Board is well worth checking out. It features Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Salami, Mixed Olives, Bread and Pickles. This is basically my dream on a wooden board. Very moreish.

 

 

 

I had a Crepes with Lemon and Sugar. I wasn't massively hungry (I'm never particularly hungry when it's hot outside), but they were just right to fill me up. Crepes can be a bit stodgy sometimes which I hate but these were very light. They were possibly the best Crepes I've ever had and they were perfect. Yum.

 

After spending the afternoon walking round Leamington, we went *back* to Havana for more.

 

I had a Lemon and Seed Muffin and more Elderflower Presse. It was AMAZING. It was beautifully baked and was delicious. The best part though was the surprise core of a lemon-y substance (possibly Lemon Curd?) which was not only a surprise but very enjoyable too.

 

 

 

 

 

My Mom had some form of Coffee (it might have been a Cappuccino). With it she had a slice of Coffee and Walnut Cake (again I seagulled some  tried some). It was a great bit of cake. It was wonderfully flavoured and was not dry at all. Beautiful.

 

My Dad had the Chorizo and Crayfish Salad that you saw earlier. I'll show you again because the previous picture wasn't great.  He also had some fabulous apple juice very refreshing.

 

 

 

So, all in all, I adore Havana. They are an amazing restaurant with the most friendly staff ever. They have seating outside and inside - both very comfortable.  It now holds a place in my Top Five Places To Eat because of its absolutely stunning food and it's relaxed atmosphere.

Seriously guys, go and check it out. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

 

Havana have a WEBSITE. Just click on the link and have a butchers.

 

Feel free to leave a comment down below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Are you interested in going to Havana? Have you been?

 

That's all for now then, have a lovely day.

 

 

GingerSnaps xxx