Sakura Sushi, Belfast - I Got It Wrong...

Back in August last summer I posted a blog touting  The Battle of the Belfast Sushi Joints. Back then my favourites, Yo Sushi! Belfast came out on top, but I believe I was a little hasty writing Sakura in Botanic off as too authentically Japanese for me (not necessarily even a bad attribute!).

Sakura's mighty nigiri tray

In August when I went along to order take out from Sakura, I was struck by the distinct lack of pictures of what everything was on the menu. Even as a sushi enthusiast I'm very much still a 'point at the picture of the sushi I want' customer, even dining at Yo! So I just asked Sakura to make me up some sort of takeaway and unfortunately that day they chose a huge platter of only nigiri (raw fish on blocks of rice). No rolls of any sort, or even maki. 

Then, as a Yo Sushi! westernised sushi experience veteran, I was faced with a piece of nigiri that literally had octopus suckers on it.  I concluded Sakura was too rich for my tastes.

It's got suckers on it! 

So, Thursday past, Fashion Week launch, I'm up in Belfast anyway so I take advantage of being near somewhere that actually sells sushi (Bangor is a sushi desert) and with parking easier near Sakura, I decide to have another try.

Hooray! A giant sign outside with PICTURES of three different trays you can buy to takeaway. I immediately go inside and point to the sign with glee. I chose the medium tray on Thursday, but today I picked up one of each of the sizes to show you what you can get. 

Small £4.80 Medium £8.50 Large £12.50

These rolls are especially good, they've crispy bits in them (technical foodie term). 

So Sakura, forgive me, I was wrong and now I love you. The website gallery shows me many wonders I would love to try too. Maybe I should print out the pictures and take it with me to do a bit more pointing ordering. The rolls with the yellow on top, second down left, those look GOOD. 

Daring Double Denim Launches West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK

Yesterday the well-heeled of Belfast & beyond gathered for the launch of the schedule of Belfast Fashion Week, March 10th - 13th 2016. 

We will see the return of nightly catwalk shows featuring collections from both the high street as well as from independently owned boutiques plus local designers’ work and the popular Sushi Saturday and Style Sunday events to round off the long weekend of fashion.

 THURSDAY 10 March, ALL DAY ‘Cutting It’ Workshops & Seminars. An all-day event geared towards those seeking careers advice or inspiration/information on careers in the fashion, film & costume industry locally. For more information, contact BFW on 02890421509

THURSDAY 10 March, 8.00PM - DESIGNER BOUTIQUES AND LOCALDESIGNERS. Tickets priced at £20 or £30 for FROW available from 028 9024 6609 or via www.belfastfashionweek.com

FRIDAY 11 March, 8.00PM - HIGH STREET. Tickets priced at £20 or £30 for FROW available from 028 9024 6609 or via links on www.belfastfashionweek.com

SATURDAY 12 March, 2.00-4.00pm - SUSHI SATURDAY “The Director’s Cut” at ZEN. To book, call 02890421509price £30pp.

SATURDAY 12 March, 8.00pm –FASHION AWARDS.  Tickets priced at £20 or £30 for FROW available from 028 9024 6609 or via links on www.belfastfashionweek.com

SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER, 2.00-5.00pm - STYLE SUNDAY in support of Action Cancer at Deane’s at Queen’s. To book call 02890381555

Fashion Week director, Cathy Martin (in the above video in gold sequins) usually enforces a 'no jeans rule' on fashion week catwalks, but she's bending her own rules this year for the 'daring in denim' trend. It's easy to do: wear as much denim as possible in one go! I loved the outfits for this look. Denim pinafores, huge flared trousers, and a sequin badge adorned jacket from Diamond Dolls in Banbridge. 

Check out the sequins jeans on the model on the left, in mermaid colours of blue & green. 

Former Miss NI absolutely rocking local designer Nor Lisa striped dress

The second highlighted trnd was pretty, girly ruffles. Lots of wedding guest wear, but I love the cheeky edge of the Topshop silk bomber jacket on the model far left.

The final look on the models combined acid brights and sequins, both going to be huge this spring.  I love brights, especially wearing neon orange. See you at Fashion Week!

W7 Make Facial Contouring Child's Play With Their Chunky Crayon Set at Under £5

Contouring was one of the big makeup trends of 2015, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.  

Once the trick of drag queens and thespians taking to the stage, the Kardashian klan (rarely is that name whispered around The World of Kitsch) brought contouring to the world. Previously only used for heavy duty theatre makeup, many women now use the tricks of contouring as part of their daily routine.

The winning way to use contouring is to be subtle with it. Make it an every day quick routine, not a half hour layering process. 

It will take a little practice, so here's my top tip of a products to buy should you want to try your hand at contouring in 2016. 

W7 is a cheap and cheerful makeup brand that I've seen locally in Gordon's Chemist and Menary's. You can also  buy online, or on eBay like I did. 

They have quite a few excellent dupe palettes, but it's their new contour crayons I'm drawing your attention to today. 

For just under £4 I got the pack of three crayons, contour, bronzer, highlighter and it includes a handy sharpener.

The packaging shows you exactly where to draw the various shades onto your face, then all you have to do is blend it in. The crayon consistency means it's buildable colour- you can put on a little, or a lot. You can blend then add more should you desire a stronger look. 

I've used a powder contouring set before, so I really liked playing around with the crayon instead. I prefer a powder for highlighting, but find the crayon easier for nose highlighting. So the w7 contouring crayon set is now part of my routine. Check out their other  contouring products in their store and let me know on Twitter if you've tried the crayons yourself @rudedoodle.

Fratelli Belfast : Rustic Italian Food With a Contemporary Edge

Fratelli Belfast provides contemporary, city centre dining, with the quality we've come to expect from any venture under the Galgorm group banner. Located a hop, skip & jump from the Grand Opera House it's ideal for pre-theatre dinner, or a bite to eat after work before catching the train at Great Victoria Street Station.

The restaurant stretches over two levels of the beautiful building, with a full bar along one side of the lower level. The bright, open plan dining area allows a peek into the busy kitchen, where the Fratelli chefs work their magic. 

Michael and I were invited along last night to try the menu for ourselves. The main menu has a wide range of gourmet, adult tastes, but children are very much welcome at Fratelli, and the kids' menu simply isn't a 'nuggets and chips' affair. They can choose from a selection of pasta dishes, or they can become the chef themselves, and construct their pizza at the table, with ingredients of their choice. As you would imagine this was very popular with Michael, especially when he was presented with his own hat and apron to wear. 

Pizza construction comes along with at starter time, either garlic bread or dough balls on the kids' menu. Starter is £2.00-£2.50, pizza is £6.45, pasta £6.45, or main plus dessert is £8.45.

'Grown up starters' can either be smaller versions of some of the main courses, or you can get into the rustic Italian spirit and order a selection of cicchetti between yourselves. Michael from Fratelli chose for me, and I tried the fragrant prawns and the wholesome chicken, chorizo & tomato ragu. 

Earlier in the afternoon, before our visit I had studied the menu at length, and this was a must-try for me, I love duck and I love pistachio. Worth noting this is one of the gluten-free options on the new menu. The fresh, green salad was studded with little jewels of zesty orange, with generous amounts of duck meat cooked to perfection. This dish is available as a main course also, and it was as delicious as I imagined reading about it, so next time I will be going for that option.

Michael's main course was of course his own creation, which came back from the oven with bubbling, stretchy, cheesy mozzarella. If you have a fussy eater like I do, then the novelty of creating their own dinner seems to quash those tendancies.  You can't go wrong with pizza, but Michael did say this one was especially yummy.

While I was certain I needed the duck & pistachio starter in my life, making a decision on my main course was a bit trickier. The Fratelli menu includes pastas, pizzas, and salads, but what caught my eye were the pork dish, with gnocchi & black pepper, and the sea bass. In the end I asked my Michael to choose for me, and I think he made the right choice.

The sea bass was exquisite. Cooked perfectly with a crisp skin, with a beautiful lemon & caper butter which complimented the flavour of the fish without overpowering it. The classic baby potato and pea accompaniment was fresh and not too filling. Sides are available, but I found the main by itself was more than enough for me.

Finally Fratelli's dessert cabinet of wonders! Each miniature dessert is a classic favourite scaled down to be a fitting partner to after dinner coffee. Chocolate ganache, white chocolate cheesecake, tiramisu, rice pudding, all the favourites on a smaller scale. You can choose one for £2.50, two for £4.75, three for £7 or four for £9, so you can have a little taste of everything. Kids can also choose icecream for their final course.

Tiramisu and White choc cheesecake

So would I recommend Fratelli Belfast? Yes, and the proof is in the fact I've already arranged to take Michael's school friend along during February half term so they both can make pizzas. I might also have my eye set on another of those duck salads.

One last thing to mention- they have a great cocktail selection, and a 2 for 1 offer on them every Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sun between 5pm and 7pm. Monday is two for one dining (excluding Valentine's Day) and Tuesday has a ladies' night offer. Let me know if you try them out, and what you ordered! 

London For Kids: I Need Your Help!

So much to do, so little time! Smix & I have booked an overnight stay in London for Easter time. I've been three times since he was born, but he's never came along with me. 

Micromachines London Bus

Zero gravity car

Because I went a few times (blog award trips), he has always associated London with fantastical toys. This is because I would bring him a quirky toy each time, something he couldn't see in the shops here. 

So I knew he would be excited at the idea of going himself, but I wasn't quite ready for the reaction I got. we were driving away from school and he wound his window down and yelled 'I'm going to London' to anyone he knew. You'd think no-one had ever been on holiday before.

Then he came home and built some London landmarks in Minecraft PE. I've also been bombarded with questions such as, 'How long are days in London?' & 'Do they use paper money for £1 or coins like us?'. Godlovehim.

This is why I DO have to take him places. We never travelled as a family before the separation- we went to Paris Disney paid for by my parents for a huge trip for my Dad's 60th, 4 1/2 years ago, and any local overnights were sought by me in a blogging exchange fashion. I remember my parents took us to Portugal every year for a fortnight- it seems everyone's families could afford that back in the 80s. Travel broadens the mind they say, so one of my attempts of being a good parent is to make sure Smix gets to see more than just NI. My circumstances don't allow for more than two days mind you. The M.E. is going to hit me like a tonne of bricks after this, I know that. But Smix's knowledge is worth it, and I'm hardly complaining about having a holiday either! 

So I have some ideas of tourist attractions to definitely include, but locals or other parents- I would love any advice or tips offs on lesser known events or novelty restaurants. Let me know on Twitter @rudedoodle or just shoot me a mail kitschandink@me.com 

Oh! Also is The Shard suitable for kids or would they be bored?

Thanks! 

Duck Bus tour for all the sight seeing. No time to visit each individually. 

Ripley's Believe It or Not. My spiritual home

I would be a terrible parent if I skipped out this

Not 100% on going on this- how long does it take and is it any good? 

Anyone have a review about this? 

Wed night simply MUST include a novelty restaurant

Breakfast here on Thursday morning for sure! 

Burrow Bakery's Incredible Bowie Biscuits

 Burrow bakery, New York have created an edible tribute to David Bowie.

Their cakes, cookies and sweet treats elevate baking to an art form. 

Choose A New Year Beauty Routine From Eloquence- The Premium Skin Care That Really Made a Difference for Me

Good news if you want to try the skin care routine I blogged about in Autumn. Eloquence Beauty have lowered the price of their starter kit to £75. It's includes the four steps of the night routine, plus the mega nourishing treatment oil for use on hair, skin and nails.

Beforehand I used Boots No.7 skin care at night time, and after a week using Eloquence I knew I had found the range for me. My skin was so much softer- which was a shock as I always believed all skin products were much of a muchness. 

If you fancy trying just one of the products to start with, there is an offer code for 20% off individual items JANUARYEQ . Let me know how you get on! 

Ground Espresso Opens Its First Bangor Store- The Coffee Shop For Connoisseurs

You may have spotted the new  Ground Coffee Shop which almost sprung up overnight on the Bangor ring road beside Pure Gym. The first Bangor branch of the super successful Northern Irish chain is now open, ahead of their second store in the new Next at Bloomfields launching later in 2016.

Smix subscribes to the little boy rule of 'it's 3 degrees but no I definitely don't need my coat, mum'. 

So what sets Ground Espresso apart from all the other coffee shops our seaside town already has? For coffee connoisseurs it has to be their exclusive 'Brew Bar', using expert brewing methods for the ultimate taste experience from their beans. 

Hannah from Ground talked me through the three methods you can choose from, which take a little longer than usual coffee preparation, but which are most definitely worth the few minutes wait- I can confirm the difference in taste was huge. 

The Kalita Wave method gives the 'cleanest' coffee I've ever tasted. The resulting coffee is recommended to be tasted without milk or sugar, to experience the true, full taste of the beans. 

The Chemex is another expert barista method giving a strong, true taste from the beans used.

It brews enough coffee for two people, or two cups if you really love your java. Even after the little tester cups I could feel the caffeine, which must be a result of the more efficient brewing methods.

The final method was the Aeropress. I'd heard people talk about purchasing these for home use for Christmas, and Ground have them in stock to buy yourself. 

In fact they have a selection of expert brewing accessories available to purchase. 

So if you love your coffee you'll definitely want to try those methods at Ground and taste the difference. So what else is in store? Lots of local tea from Suki, Elderflower, Red Berries and Pink Grapefruit varieties.

For kids there are milkshakes. Smix had an Oreo one and you can also choose from strawberry, banana, chocolate and salted caramel brownie milkshakes. 

Ground also have a selection of healthy smoothies on offer. 

After our coffee tasting I was feeling a little too buzzed to drink more, I would have been up all night, so I tried their Mumbai Railway Chai- mostly because I've never known what it was, and was too scared to ask before. I always assumed it was some sort of milky tea, but it's not! It's neither tea or coffee but it's delicious. That's me hooked.

I also got to try one of their winter drinks, the orange hot chocolate, which is equally delicious. 

Food wise they have healthy lunches, and terribly wonderfully majestically unhealthy traybakes!

Smix rated this the best Nutella cake he has ever tasted. All the food choices are hand finished in store. 

Ground are famous for their salted caramel brownie, with portions that are definitely not skimpy. 

Snickers Cake, Mars Bar Krispies and Golden Honeycomb bars are also on the menu. 

The new Bangor store is a little different from the Waterstones or Next located Ground stores you may have been in. It's a stand alone branch with a bright and airy feel, lots of seating including work stations along the windows with plug sockets galore for your laptops. There is a very cute toddler area too. 

So now I know what a chai latte is, and that I love it, we will be round at Ground often! Frequent visits mean it's good sense to pick up one of their reusable cups- your drink will be 10p less if you bring it with you.  

 Finally for offers, competitions and news you can like Ground Espresso Bangor on Facebook.