Review: Modern Art Oxford Cafe, Oxford, UK

I so badly wanted to like this cafe.

Salad bar? Check. Wide range of veggie options? Check. Good prices? Check. 

However, there were a number of things which really disappointed me with the cafe at Modern Art Oxford. 

Walking into the cafe early on a Sunday morning, we were the first customers. We walked up to the counter and asked about what is included in the 'meal deal' (salad plate, dessert and hot drink) - the staff didn't really seem too sure. So they called over another staff member who I can only assume was higher up on the ladder. However, he didn't seem to know either. Not off to a great start.

Next we asked what was in the various baked goods. They were serving frittatas and slices of pizza - all looked great but none were labelled and the staff were obviously clueless as to what they were. 

After being told that the pizza was vegetarian, I was pretty annoyed (understatement) to bite into it and find it contained salami under the tomato.

They replaced it quickly, nevertheless, the damage had been done. The actual salad components were tasty enough and if you are looking for a cold plate, it's a good enough cafe to stop by.

However, there are better places to go for lunch in Oxford. And more interesting selections of salad available.

If visiting, I would stick to the salad bar section and avoid the cakes. We ordered the coffee cake and it was certainly not freshly baked. It was sickly sweet, over creamy and did not taste remotely of coffee. Any redeeming qualities of the salad selection were quickly overpowered by the taste that this cake left in my mouth.

Overall, I was disappointed with the cafe here and, with so many great eateries in Oxford, I doubt I will be returning.

✭

Review: The Raven of Bath, Bath, UK

This seems to be *the* place to eat pie in Bath. And drink ale. Good ale.

I would actually go as far as to say this is one of the best pies I’ve eaten.

Three Kings Pie:  Turkey Smoked Bacon, Parsnip and Cranberry.

The Raven of Bath specialises in pies - and there are always at least three vegetarian pie options on the menu (hurray!!). Better news? All the gravies are vegetarian. Yep, all. There was a choice of three: 

Raven Ale and red onion

Red Wine and thyme

Sage and onion

If that choice of gravy doesn’t make you mouth water then I don’t know what will. 

Deer Santa Pie: British venison, British bacon, puy lentils, winter vegetables, juniper, thyme and port.

The pies are served with either mash or chips. I haven’t tried the mash but the chips were very good and chunky enough to soak up the gravy. 

And before I forget, the pies are served with a single cherry tomato. Superfluous or quirky? I can’t decide. 

I ordered the Heidi Pie with the Red Wine and Thyme gravy. It was both sweet and savory and not too salty. As far as pies go it was very good quality. Supplied from pie minister (all hail), the pastry was done to perfection and it was actually full! Not a half full piece of pastry with a crumbly lid on as seems to be the case with a lot of substandard pies. 

Heidi Pie (topped with sesame seeds): Goat's cheese, sweet potato, spinach, red onion and roasted garlic.

The Raven of Bath is continually packed in the evenings, a mark of a good pub. You might have to wait a bit for a table and then aggressively leap on one as soon as you see a group leaving… but it’s definitely worth it. 

✭✭✭✭½

Review: Friday Brunch at CuiScene, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, UAE

If you've lived in the United Arab Emirates for any period of time, you will know that brunching is serious business.

However, for me, the Friday brunch at the Fairmont stands far above the rest.

Welcome to foodie heaven. Literally. This is as good as it gets.

The choice of foods available is just incredible. But what separates Fairmont from the others is the fact that it is not a case of quantity over quality but an incredibly high standard of both. 

Walk down the stairs of the hotel towards CuiScene and you are greeted with a complimentary mojito and able to sample the incredible canapés on offer (pictured above). Caviar, salmon mousse, crab cones... they not only look stunning but are packed full of flavour. 

If you are going to Friday brunch, skip breakfast. Actually, skip dinner the day before as well. It really is a case of how much can you eat in one sitting because you will want to try everything.

Having had my fair share of brunching experiences, I think the best way to approach an experience like CuiScene is to go in with a tactic:

1. Don't take too much of one thing. Lots of small plates. Sample a bit of everything.
2. It's open for four hours, stay for four hours. Eat slowly.
3. Don't drink anything fizzy.
4. Skip comfort/carby foods. Whilst they serve pizza and baked goods, you can eat get a takeaway any time you want. You won't find scallops cooked especially for you on any takeaway menu so save room for them instead.
5. Don't fill up on mains. Trust me. The salads, starters and fish dishes are the real stars of the show at Fairmont.

Oh! and wear something comfy. A lot of ladies go in bodycon dresses and heels. For what reason I will never know. You might look great in a bodycon leaving the house but after four hours of foodie heaven you will probably regret dressing to impress.

CuiScene opens at midday and people start leaving around 4pm. They won't chase you out but don't expect the food supplies to be replenished.

For both the quality and the quantity of food, it is really exceptionally good value. It starts at 269 AED (50 GBP) for the non-alcoholic package. With 'hops and vines' it jumps up to 319AED (57GBP) and with unlimited champagne, 489AED (88GBP).

I cannot recommend Fairmont highly enough. It is on my list of places to visit whenever I visit Abu Dhabi. 

★★★★★

Review: Lily Vanilli Bakery, London, UK

I first heard of Lily Vanilli when my Mum bought me 'A Zombie Ate My Cupcake" many, many years ago.

I have since been intrigued by this baker and keen to sample her food. Upon researching her bakery, I was slightly disappointed to discover that she was not serving bleeding heart cupcakes year-round but perhaps I was being slightly unreasonable... (what can I say... I am a total horror fiend...)

Despite this discovery, the constant feed of pictures of sweet treats on Lily Vanilli's instagram page convinced me that the bakery was worth visiting and so, upon making a trip into London, it was the first place that I put on my list to visit.

The cafe opens only on Sundays and is located off Colombia Road in Shoreditch. For a tourist, it is out of the way and really not ideal. This was the major clinch for me. Unless you happen to live in Shoreditch or Bethnal Green, It's certainly not a convenient place to pop for coffee and cake.

Nevertheless, I went... I sampled... and I left - very satisfied.

Although, I do m think after traveling for so long to get there my expectations were a little too high.

However, the friand was yummy. It was really, really, good. Sticky, savory and sweet, gluten free and vegan. It was definitely good. Good enough that it made me start googling similar recipes as soon as I got home. The coffee was good as well.

Pear, parsnip, ginger and chilli cake

It was a little pricey... three and a half pounds for a cake is just about reasonable... bump it up to four pound twenty just to sit on the bakery bench for fifteen minutes and it was enough to raise my eyebrows. I ordered a friand and a coffee and it came to almost seven pounds.

By all means, if you live within a reasonable travel distance, I would go and try it out. If I am in the area again, I will most certainly return. However, if, like me, the yearning for sweet friands, brownies and cupcakes involved taking a tube ride and a tedious bus journey, maybe just purchase Lily's Sweet Tooth book instead.

✭✭✭✭1/2

Review: Cereal Killer Cafe, London, UK

I have long loved cereal.

The cereal aisle of the supermarket is my ~zone~. I can easily pass a good half an hour just walking up and down... looking at all the pretty packaging... daydreaming about sugary goodness*....

if cereal is your thing... then this cafe is a MUST. Actually, even if you have a normal relationship with cereal (i.e you don't spend half an hour trying to decide whether to buy Golden Grahams or Captain Crunch) this cafe is worth going to just for the sheer novelty.

It had been on my list of places to visit in London and I'm so so glad I did. I will most definitely be returning. Asap*.

I went to the branch in Shoreditch. Admittedly, the cafe does not draw attention to itself. I actually walked straight passed it and then had to backtrack to find it (thank goodness for trusty Google Maps...)

I think for the best cereal-eating experience, it's best to go before the crowds start building - perhaps before 11am. It may be nonchalant but it certainly drew a consistent line of customers.

The choice of cereals is insane. It's too difficult to choose. I could have quite happily just sat there all day and sampled them all.

I visited early November and was beyond delighted to see that they had some of the Halloween cereals (USA imported!) still in stock. I thought I had missed the opportunity to sample Count Chocoula as I was unable to attend their week of spookiness, where they decked out the cafe in cobwebs and spiders, but low and behold I just managed to get my hands on some!

So here is my frankenstein bowl of cereal:

Is there any cereal in there? Absolutely! Just Count Chocula buried under very generous (they were certainly not stingy!!) helping of candy corn, reeses pieces and a happy hippo!

It was heaven in a bowl. Ugh. Absolute sugar overload and worth every penny. I was over the moon.

So... the cafe which has generated such controversy and hype... I'm certainly a fan. I would recommend this cafe without hesitation.

Go for the experience. Go to say you've gone.

Go for the sugary, sugary cereal goodness. 

★★★★★


*Ironically enough, despite being totally and utterly in love with cereal, on a day-to-day basis, I am actually a porridge eater.

*I didn't get round to sampling the hot chocolate as I was too full but I am eager to return and try it - from pictures, it looked beyond awesome.

Review: The Turf Tavern, Oxford, UK

Hello! For my first review, I thought I would go with my absolute favourite place in Oxford - The Turf Tavern!

This was the first place that I ever ate in Oxford. Visiting the city in the summer of 2014, I was on a walking tour and the guide, a recently graduated student of the Ruskin, recommended it to our group.

The location of the tavern is half of the excitement of going there. Just beyond the Bridge of Sighs is a little alley in the wall.

You would absolutely walk past it without prior knowledge.

 

'An education in intoxication'

Despite being tucked away down the narrowest of passages, the Turf Tavern is actually very large inside and it is always full! There is both indoor and outdoor seating, although the atmosphere inside is arguably a lot more cosy and pleasant. 

They stock a nice selection of ales - the Plum Porter (winner of the CAMRA gold award on multiple occasions) is particularly yummy!

However, for me, the highlight of visiting the Turf Tavern is the food! This is pub grub at its finest. As a non-meat-eater I stick to the vegetarian options, of which there are always a few and they are always absolutely delicious. They serve specials such as 'beetroot curry' (yum!) and on the staple menu... the best vegetarian burger I have ever had.

Beetroot curry (top), Vegetarian burger (bottom)

This pumpkin, smoked cheddar, chill and thyme burger is just heavenly. I can't recommend it enough. It's served with coleslaw, chips and a rather jam-like tomato sauce. I am struggle to order anything else on the menu. It's that good. 

When eating with my omnivore friends and family, they also rave about their meals. Pictured above is  "the best steak and ale pie" my friend (who has had 67 years of pie eating experience) has ever had. 

For desserts, they have a mouth watering selection ranging from staples to a doughnut, banana and salted caramel sundae. 

The triple chocolate brownie (bottom) served with mint ice cream was mediocre. The brownie was verging on becoming stale and didn't have that nice gooey warmth that you hope for when ordering! Last year, they served beetroot brownies with mint ice cream which were much more interesting. 

However, the sticky toffee pudding is hard to beat. A very generous portion size (you might want to consider sharing!) but it is so, so delicious and moist and made all the better with a scoop of clotted cream. I highly recommend it. 

They also serve a wide range of lunch options of which I am yet to sample. 

The Turf Tavern is now switching to its Autumn menu which I am thoroughly excited about. I think this pub will be the thing I miss most when it comes to leaving Oxford. 

★★★★★