Cocktails – Page 2 – MISS HOLLY P

misshollyparish blog

Bills Norwich Bloggers Christmas

The lovely team at Bill’s Norwich invited a small group of the Norwich Bloggers the newly refurbished branch and sample their Christmas menu a couple of weeks ago. The second I walked in through the orange curtains I could see this was no longer the same Bill’s that stood before. With low lighting, marble bar tops, intimate booths, chandeliers, gorgeous botanical greenery and detailed accents of character the restaurant is truly unrecognizable for the better.

I met the rest of the girls downstairs and we introduced ourselves. I met some lovely people who I’d not met before with can be a bit nerve wracking sometimes on whether you’ll fit in or not but it was such a lovely group who all made me feel so welcome. Charlie the manager took us upstairs and showed us to an area away from the other diners and to our lovely own private dining room!! It was such a nice space and can be booked for private parties and group bookings, it truly felt so special and exclusive.

We had pre-ordered our food and I although a I’m not a vegetarian I went for the vegetarian option as I always think its good to see what can be created for those opting for the meat free options.

To start I had a beetroot and feta salad, followed by a pumpkin, fig and chestnut roast and finished with a Christmas eton mess. They also brought out bread olives and hummus for the table too. I was driving so I washed it all down with a lovely wintery mocktail.

The food was really tasty and there was quite a variation of choice on the menu too for a range of tastes but I think the thing which made the evening so great was the tangible buzzy atmosphere in Bill’s which is vital to any good night.

If you’re in the area I urge you to visit because the place really does look stunning and it still has its loved menu stretching across all meals of the day.

Thanks so much to Charlie and the team at Bills Norwich for your kind and generous hospitality. xxx

misshollyparish Cocktails

London Luxury on a budget- Eating and drinking

When going to London there are many different places to go and see and sometimes it can be a real struggle to not end up in a chain or a tourist trap if you aren’t familiar with whats going on around you. The struggle is also real when wanting to live the lifestyle of your fave celebs and stars of instagram with what looks like endless days of wining, dining and living it up.

I’ve popped together a little guide of some tried and tested places that I’ve been that shouldn’t break the bank.

So for me the staple to any day out revolves around eating and with the choice around London making a decision on one place to go can be tricky. It’s amazing how many people that I’ve spoken to even my friends who live there who don’t know about the Book A Table- Star Deals. This is quite literally where I begin to plan my trip for either lunch or dinner. There is something on the for most tastes and price ranges and if you’re a real foodie or have a taste for the finer things Michelin star restaurants are frequently included and lots of beautiful places that are definitely a must see at least once like Aqua Shard and other restaurants in the Shard. If the choice is still too much I have never been disappointed by relying on good old Trip Advisor to find the quality in the quantity.

I have eaten in the Northall restaurant at the Corinthia hotel twice on their 3 course menu including champagne for £35 and more recently ate at Roux at The Landau for the same 3 courses with champagne for £38. Sadly Michel Roux JR was not there but it did excite me as a foodie and film lover geek that it was where Burnt was filmed (loser, I know) Both are absolutely stunning restaurants in even more stunning hotels, the staff and service is just incredible and you feel like nothing short of royalty. The Artesian bar in the Langham where Roux is was once classed the #1 cocktail bar in the world and is fab if you want something a little different.

One deal thats always on there that has amazing reviews is steak, lobster and a cocktail plus a £50 betting chip at the Heliot steakhouse above the Hippodrome casino for £20!! So you could actually leave full of surf ‘n’ turf better off!!

Then there is that most wonderfully relaxing meal that chilled out weekends are made for B R U N C H. For me- someone who definitely enjoys the happy times in life with a drink to go with it- brunch is just breakfast without a glass of fizz! Bottomless brunch hasn’t hit the doors of Norwich yet sadly so is something that I very much look forward to when having a weekend morning in the big smoke. If this sounds right up your street and you wanna research further there is an amazing website which will narrow down all your drinking needs and specifically has a page for boozy brunches- Design My Night so have a browse.

I have tried a couple and they are both opposite ends of the spectrum…

Villandry– Great Portland Street and St.James you get here free flowing prosecco, OJ, 2 rounds of tea and coffee, a brunch meal, a freshly baked pastry and a cake from their in house patisserie and 2 hours to do it in which is definitely long enough to really get your moneys worth on the bubbly. £35. Villandry is a really pretty Parisian style cafe bar and is definitely a lovely one if you’re out with the girls or other prosecco enthusiasts! Served Saturday and Sunday 12-4pm

The Big Easy– This is totally the opposite end of the spectrum and if you hit the name link it will take you to the menu because this one is an absolute gut-buster if you want it to be. If you choose the BBQ option not only are your drinks free flowing (Prosecco, house wine or lager) but the bbq is bottomless too!! Alternatively you can also have a whole lobster and fries and its all for £29.50. This one I went to with my boyfriend and definitely had more of an atmosphere that a lad would enjoy. I happily enjoyed my lobster and fries with a few glasses of Prosecco and Jamie had a feast of unlimited meat and beer so we were both happy and no accusations of getting dragged around ‘girly’ places. Saturday and Sunday 9-5 and kids even eat free too!! I believe this is only available at the Covent Garden and Canary Wharf branches and not Kings road.

Then one of my absolute favorite hidden gems.The Wright Brothers Oyster House every day 7 days a week all branches of The Wright Brothers do an oyster happy hour where oysters are £1 each between 3 and 6pm. That it literally a fraction of the price you would pay ANYWHERE else and they are so delicious. I normally go to the Kingly Court branch just off Carnaby and it always has a great buzz if you sit out the back in the court. Our bill came to literally £25 for a dozen oysters, beer and Prosecco which is under half what you would pay up the road at the Selfridges oyster bar!!

These are a few of my favorite places to go when I’m in London if I’m looking to feel special and experience something lovely and not break the bank! I can’t wait to try more book-a-table deals in the future!

Do any of you lovely lot have any tips of places to go? Or any of these places your favorites too?

Love H x

misshollyparish Cocktails

Turtle Bay Norwich Launch!!

A couple of weeks ago I attended the press party pre launch of Turtle Bay Norwich’s hot new Caribbean restaurant. It’s gone into the huge fabric warehouse building and it’s amazing! On the approach I noticed all the fairy lights bordering the Windows dangling in graduation which looks lovely. I am a SUCKER for fairy lights. All the wall are covered in colourful graffiti, there’s an awesome VM camper sliced in half into seating, neon quotes all around to read and much more!

The place looks epic, completely transformed and unrecognizable.
Their ethos is broken down into 3 areas- The Rum, The Reggae and The Jerk and it sums it all up perfectly.

The Rum This isn’t just about their signature spirit it’s about all the drinks they do. On arrival we were served a Passion Rum Punch which was a fruity punch made with one of their favourite rums Wray and Nephews, a renowned rum at 63%! These welcome drinks were so strong I knew that I wouldn’t be walking out sober! If 63% is too much for you there’ll be something alcoholic or non alcohol that tickles your tastebuds on the cocktail menu which is 2-4-1 everyday until 7pm and again from 10pm. Around the top of the Barbados inspired bar there’s rows of extensive spirits and a range of speciality rums too. Myself I decided to play it safe with big plans the following morning and stuck with Red Stripe one of my favourite lagers which is their house beer originating from Jamaica.

The Reggae
The first thing that reggae brings to mind is the music and that’s exactly what you’ll hear there, super chilled, happy holiday vibe reggae but again reggae as a whole summarises the vibe and the general attitude of the restaurant.

They try not to turn tables as they like the relaxed vibe for an evening so no rushing and getting you in and out, the lights get dimmer as the sun goes down adding to the atmosphere and you are surrounded by greens, yellows, blues, blacks and Caribbean inspired imagery to really give it the right feel to represent what they’re all about. Finally the staff themselves really encompass the reggae attitude and are all really friendly and relaxed and look like they’re happy to be there and having fun.

Then finally my main reason to visit The Jerk which is all the food they do. We got to sample a few different things on the menu starting with the Beach Food Platter, a sharing platter with chicken wings, sweet corn fritters, pepper rotis and garlic and herb flat bread. This was a great starter and a lovely way to try a few things. The sweet corn fritters and chicken wings are particularly awesome! We then got half a jerk chicken, this was amazing! I’m absolutely addicted to spicy food (as in I have extra hot in Nandos) so this was a real treat, the marinade had an awesome kick, sometimes I find things out a little tame in the spice department but this didn’t disappoint. Marinated for 24 hours and grilled and served with orange chutney and coconut shavings. Mm Mm mmmmm. It was delicious!! We then got given a classic West Indian dish of curried goat, Turtle Bay have an entire section on their menu for One Pots and the curried goat is located there. Served with rice and dumplings it really is a filling meal. A nice kick to the spice and for those curious about the taste and texture of goat think lamb. It was lovely. A must for any curry fan. The menu has quite a lot of meat and fish, there is dishes for the vegetarians out there but just not as much choice. We finished of the dining with a dessert platter which had a selection of bite size pieces of most of their deserts and they were all really really tasty!

Throughout the night we had a selection of cocktails delivered to sample by the lovely bar manager Emma. My favourite was the One Love, a Turtle Bay version of a Pornstar Martini (with rum of course)

I left there feeling very happy (and very drunk) and had such a great night, there is a real buzz about the place which is the key to any great venue.

Thanks to the whole team for the kind and generous hospitality and including Jamie (the boyf) and I in the press launch!

Has anyone checked it out yet? What were your thoughts?

Love Holly xxx

misshollyparish Cocktails

All Bar One Launch Party

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to attend the launch night for the brand new and improved All Bar One in Norwich. All Bar One has been closed for some time due to a fire and has had a £1m refurbishment so I was super excited to see the changes!!

It started at 5 so I got myself dressed up and headed on down straight from work, on arrival they had door staff to let you in and a hostess checking names on the guest list which made me feel pretty special. My party were greeted inside by a lovely lady handing out the arrival bubbles and she explained the concept of the evening. Each of us received a drinks token to either go to the left to the wine bar and try some of the new wine available on the menu or go to the right to the cocktail bar to taste one of their cocktails! A Cosmopolitan or a Disoronno Sour. (A lady driving gave me her tokens so I had both. Yum yum yum.)

We found ourselves somewhere to soak up the atmosphere and get stuck in to our drinks and watch the venue fill. Throughout the night the incredibly knowledgable staff came round handing out complimentary tasters off the main menu from mini burgers, to calamari, falafel and filo feta parcels for the vegetarians out there. We even got out own antipasti slate too! It just was wonderful to see the place alive again! So I thought I would just break it down to cover everything!

The Decor

I love what they have done with the place, It has such a warm and modern feel with amazing attention to detail. Thick hardy leather chairs and stools which will endure the major footfall in warm tan tones and deep teal. There are loads of different lighting features including the -so on trend right now- exposed element Edison bulbs and soft lit lamps throughout. The lights have perfectly clever placement near cut glass mirrors to add light to the space. The colour palette chosen of muted Jewel tones- think teals and blues, tan and brown with hints of nude and orange with a lot of strong wood. On the walls they have chosen colourful artwork and some picture clusters which all work really well. It still looks like an All Bar One which is vital to keep that brand continuity but is a welcome return to the Norwich bar scene.

The Staff

The new team all seemed great and I wanna commend them all on their amazing manners and service. I haven’t been served by such polished and polite waiting staff in Norwich for ages. They all made you feel genuinely special and welcome. On top of that they new all the dishes they were serving inside out from memory so have clearly been trained really well!

The Food and Drink

Everything that I tried I loved! The menu appears to be updated and diverse with something for everyone. Inspiration from lots of different global cuisines, lots of choices for veggies and if you’re healthy eating and from full meals, sharers, tapas and light bites. You would struggle for even the fussiest person to not find something they would like! And last but certainly not least the drinks. The cocktail menu is quite extensive so a blend to tickle all tastebuds! The house white I tried was lovely and the cocktails were made good and strong the way they should be. They also had an Aperol bar which isn’t my cup of tea but looked really popular! You can take a look at the menus right here!

I had such an awesome night! Thanks so much to the manager Clive and the team and I’ll definitely be back very soon!

Has anyone else been since the reopening? What’s been your favourite thing?

Thanks for reading!!

love Holly xx