Norwich – Page 3 – MISS HOLLY P

misshollyparish health

PONO Superfood Bar

Today I visited the much anticipated PONO Superfood Bar on St Giles in Norwich! I had heard lots about it and been following the lead up on Instagram (@norwichpono)

PONO meaning “living in a state of happiness, harmony and balance” and that mantra is exactly what this place promotes and exudes and very well too I might add.

The vibe is minimal and clean looking decor with an inviting air of natural light and scattered pops of green plants PONO not only will fulfill your clean eating goals but is also extremely easy on the eyes and was a pleasure to photograph.

The menu isn’t huge but what is on there is of quality and has been designed with clear thought and direction. They are one of very few places in Norwich to serve smoothie bowls in a range of varieties, served in coconut bowls and I spied one which looked spot on! They also do salads which you choose the combo, avocado toast, smoothies and their signature dish a poke bowl. Along with a selection of hot and cold drinks and a selection of superfood sweet treats. Prices for food vary from £4-£8.50.

So now to the important bit! What did we eat and was it good? I visited with my mum and we tried a few different things, we went for a cappuccino, a green tea, a salmon poke bowl, smashed avo on toast and shared a coconut slice covered in dark chocolate which FYI was like a posh healthy bounty and was epic.

The food we ate was just amazing, packed with beautiful, colourful, fresh, delicious ingredients which were all of such quality. My poke bowl was insanely good, it was filled with heaps of raw marinated salmon, avocado, sweetcorn, mango salsa, brown rice, coriander, carrot, spinach, peppers and pickled ginger. It left me feeling really full but so nourished and satisfied with the cleanest taste in my mouth, this dish I can’t recommend enough, they also do the same dish with raw tuna which I’ll try next! Worth every penny.

Mum had the avo on toasted which again looked just perfect and for just £4 who doesn’t love avo on toast? Anyone? Served on toasted sour dough with a sprinkling or super seeds and fresh herbs it has has that little additional health kick to push you through the day!

So all in all as you can probably tell… I LOVE THIS PLACE! It’s going to be a danger working just down the road as I want to work my way through the menu! Next thing I’m trying will be the cacao and hazelnut dream smoothie bowl…mmmmm. I’m just so delighted to have somewhere that feeds so perfectly into my passion for clean and healthy eating and to have those little differences we haven’t quite had yet here in Norwich. They are open 6 days a week 8-4 Mon-Fri and 9-4 Saturday and they do takeout too! Plus they take card!

Please go visit these lovely guys and support our independent talent. You won’t be disappointed.

So who’s been? Or who’s dying to go?

Thanks for reading! H x

misshollyparish F

Jive Kitchen opening! Mexican Street food in Norwich

I went to the opening night of Jive Kitchen last week. It’s gone into the old spot that was Le Bistro on the corner of exchange street which is a top notch location with a nice view over the iconic Norwich marketplace. Mexican food and generally anything edible with a kick of spice is right up my street so when I heard about the couple that are behind Jive Kitchen, who picked up their love of the cuisine from their travels in Mexico and combined that with existing chef skills- I had to be one of the first to check out what they had done to the place.

On entering I saw something so eye-catching that I have never come across before and the had used pennies to decorate the stairs as you go up to the restaurant. thrifty and decorative way to empty your piggy bank but seriously in the candlelight it was very very effective.

When we got inside we were welcomed with either a glass of Prosecco or a margarita, the anticipated launch was clearly very popular and both floors of dining barely had a spare chair with lots of guests standing too. Clearly this was the place to be-the newest addition to the Lanes area of the fine city. Me and my OH took a spot at the bar to soak up the atmosphere, get a F-row view of the cocktails being made and in a hope to be first in the rotation of mini Mexican canapés as the came down the stairs. (L-R Pork crackling with guacamole, mini beef soft shell tacos, refried bean cakes)

We had a few drinks while we were there and tested out their lager choices (We had Modelo and Corona), tried a full size Margarita and cracked open their gold patron which they introduced a new twist of shooting with a lick of chipotle tabasco before. They were the biggest shots I’d ever done so by this time after just a few bite size nibbles I was pretty half cut!

The decor is the rustic distressed look with exposed brick walls, raw wood tables and cracked paint walls and woodwork with industrial style hanging bulb lighting which does suit the place and gives it a warm vibe.

I’m looking forward to revisiting now they’re officially open to try a full meal, you can take a ganders at the menu HERE!! Good luck to guys behind this, I hope they see great success, I love Norwich for having so many unique independents, it keeps it special. I’m sure I’ll be a frequent visitor as my new work place in a few weeks Jarrolds is dead opposite.

Has anyone tried the main menu themselves? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Love Holly xx

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 beauty

Almond Extension Perfection

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to splash out and treat myself to some full on gel extensions as the days of wishing my nails would grow naturally into the desired length and shape were becoming more frustrating as all they seem to do is break. I made myself an appointment to go and see Chris of sketch nail design at the brand new a prestige salon The Edge. Featured in the ‘one-to-watch’ Union building The Edge offers a new dimension to Norwich beauty with its minimalist modern and stylist furniture (oh so insta-worthy), panoramic city skyline views and laid back atmosphere.

I got myself ready to go teaming the hat and leather jacket combo to combat the rainy August day.

On arrival I noticed the reception looked incredibly premium and brand new with integrated screens and clean white surfaces and seating , it defintiely offered a great first impression. The Edge salon is on the 4th floor so I made my way up there. There’s lots of work going on in the building as the building is still in development but don’t let this put you off as soon it’ll be one of the places to be with the first Norwich rooftop bar and restaurant coming here soon.

When I walked in the salon I instantly fell in love, the furnishing was just up my street. I love big airy open places particularly with natural light and The Edge is definitely not short of that with its huge Windows and panoramic views!

Chris used to do my nails when he worked in Jarrolds and this is the first salon that had been a good location for me to get to so my long wait to be reunited with his talents was finally over! I picked myself a colour (N93) and we got started, he started by getting the tips and glueing them to my natural nails- for those extension sceptics gel extensions don’t require filing into your nail- the next step was to create the perfect almond shape which Chris did perfectly! Following this because this is a sculted gel extension he created the shape and thickness with a clear gel which is cured first….

I actually kind of liked it like this but hopefully you can see the strength and thickness from the photo. After this stage there was more filing to make the shape even more perfect before the colour was applied and cured. The colour application is the quickest part and gives the lovely shine too! He used The Gel Bottle shade N93 which I had spied on his Instagram! Colour cured can only mean one thing…. Voila!

I love them! The look so perfect! The whole process took a couple of hours but 2 weeks later and they’re still looking pretty spectacular AND these bad boys you can infill too!

Thank you so much Chris for your precision and being a perfectionist! Go check him out ladies on Instagram @sketchnaildesign and @theedgenorwich

Thanks for reading!

Has anyone been here or have any stars of their own nails to share?

Holly xx

misshollyparish blog

The Doughnut Diaries

So, I am having to write this post as a matter of urgency because these DELICIOUS doughnuts did not hang around long and I wanna get words to page whilst I’m still experiencing the immense sugar high. If you’re local to Norwich or have visited in the last few weeks you may have noticed a number of people walking around proudly carrying a Krispy Kreme dozen and wondered where they came from. Well on Friday the 2nd of September a Norwich Krispy Kreme fresh store will open its doors in Chapelfield for the first time.

On Thursday night I attended the Norwich Bloggers social at none other than the Warwick Street Social and we were very privileged to be joined by the lovely folks from Krispy Kreme!! On arrival I was presented with my very own assorted dozen!!! After a proper rubbish day I was made up only having tried an original glazed the previous week and already hooked I was gagging for the extra flavours! As you can imagine by the speed this post has been published the following 24 hours involved a lot of doughnut eating…..

Thursday Night Dinner- Nutty Chocolatta- The most delicious, amazing, topped and filled doughnut filled with NUTELLA!! All that chocolate hazelnutty goodness set me up good and proper for a few drinks at the WSS!

Midnight Snack- Glazed Raspberry- A classic raspberry jam filled doughnut with that signature iced glaze on top, shared with the mother and put a smile on her face.

Friday Coffee and Cake- Cappuccinos for 3 and an Original Glazed, Nutty Chocolate, Chocolate Iced and an Apple Pie- shared with my parents who grew up in the 50’s and state they’ve “never had doughnuts so light” and their childhood holidays both mostly consisted of seaside resorts famed for doughnuts!

Special Delivery for the one I love- Strawberries and Kreme, Chocolate Dream Cake, Chocolate Sprinkles and Triple Chocolate Cake- I hand delivered these to my boyfriends building site for him to share with his boss, strawberries and kreme is his favourite and was perfect as always, he gave 2 to his boss who proceeded to buy him lunch and let him leave off early. There really is no denying the joy that is the Krispy Kreme effect!! *Bribery is never a good route to go down but if you’re planning on it Krispy Kreme is clearly a damn good idea to use*

Friday Night In- Strawberry Gloss- Now this is 100% my new favourite. Definitely the one that always caught my eye at service stations with its princess pink glittery, glossy, glaze; thankfully its taste did not disappoint. O M G is all I can say, I’ll be going back for this one first. Teamed with a glass of fizz this was the ultra girly night indulgence.

Sharing is Caring- Chocolate Custard- I was gonna eat this with my lunch but as I had already definitely had my fill but I gave it to a friend at work when she coincidentally told me how this was her favourite KK. Definitely made her morning.

12 doughnuts. 6 happy people. 36 hours.

If you do decide to let your dozen hang around longer than I did do not refrigerate to ensure soft and fluffiness and they are good for 3 days.

Enjoy folks, do not underestimate the power of the Krispy Kreme. 1st in line for the Norwich store on the 2nd gets a gold card which is a years worth of free doughnuts and many more giveaways too so get yourselves down to Chapelfield to enjoy the launch. I on the other hand will be hopping on the treadmill to jog off my day of doughnut decadence.

Whats your favourite KK?

love Holly x x