Weekend in Huddersfield

Last weekend I went with my friend Abbie to Huddersfield where we met up with Sophie who is at Huddersfield University. It was so lovely to see them both again and despite the horrible weather we had a great time!

We started off with lunch at Lloyd's Bar. We were undercharged so I only had to pay £4 for a big toastie, chips and a drink; a good start to the weekend! We then walked around the shops, the only things I bought were some fairy lights from Primark and some pick and mix sweets on the market.

I was raining really heavily so we headed to Espresso Corner. I had heard from Sophie that they do the best hot chocolate. She was not lying, they are so good! I definitely recommend this place. Since we didn't fancy walking around in the rain we stayed in the cafe for quite a while browsing their good selection of magazines.

We then went to The Picturehouse, an American Bar and Grill. I loved the design of the interiors. There were old cinema seats, black and white movie photos and a glass of popcorn while we were waiting for our food. I had the Chicken Run burger which was so good. Then for dessert we all shared Cookie Monster which is described as 'a cookie dough base topped with Oreos, homemade brownie mix, served with ice cream.' Basically absolute heaven!! 

After tea Abbie got the train home and me and Sophie picked up a couple of bottles of wine for an evening in. The next day Sophie and I had a lazy morning and then went to the cinema to go see Cinderella (review coming soon!)

I then got the train back home to York. It was so good to see my best friends again and to have some time off from doing work.

Hot chocolate in Espresso Corner

Browsing the fashion mags

 In The Picturehouse

 Chicken run burger

Cookie Monster (the photo doesn't do it justice)

Selfie time!!

What did you get up to at the weekend?

Food and Cocktails in York

I had a week off from Uni last week so I went back home to York. While there I met up with my two best friends Abbie and Sophie and we went out for a meal and cocktails to celebrate Sophie's 20th birthday. 

We started of at Bills, a restaurant along Coney Street in the center of York. It was my first time to go but I had been wanting to go for a while. I love the decor inside; chandeliers, candles, open ceiling, chalkboards and it's split into different areas which makes it feel more intimate. The staff were all so polite (and good looking!) The food was delicious. I had marinated chicken skewers served with cous cous and pitta bread, the other two both had a halloumi and hummus burger which they both said was great. For pudding we all had warm mini cinnamon doughnuts with fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce which, oh my god, I can so recommend!

The atmosphere was so nice in Bills that we stayed there for two hours. After that we moved on to The Biltmore, another place which I have been really wanting to go to for a while. The Biltmore is a restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs. They have a great choice of cocktails, they are expensive though. Since going I have read that they offer a student discount which I wish we had known previously. I had the Singapore Sling which was amazingly good.

After The Biltmore we went around the corner to BoraBora, a very different type of bar but just as good! I had a great night, it was lovely to see my friends again and all three places I would definitely go back to.

Marinated chicken skewers

Halloumi and hummus burger

Warm mini cinnamon doughnuts

Cocktails at The Biltmore

Have you been wanting to try any new restaurants or bars?

The House of The Trembling Madness

I am back home in York! On Saturday I got the train down from Newcastle, where I go to uni, because I have an 'independent study week'.  This basically means you are set loads of work to do on your own instead of going to lectures, but it also meant that I could come home!

Last night it was the first night of Illuminating York which is an annual light festival in York. Anyway, as well as wondering around looking at lit up buildings, my mum and I went into a pub called The House of Trembling Madness. I mean for starters doesn't it just have the best name ever!

The House of Trembling Madness has got to be one of the most atmospheric pubs in York. Situated along Stonegate in a medieval hall above a shop which specialises in beers from all over the world,  they serve micro-brews, beers and ales as well as some delicious food in generous portions. The decor is amazing with high ceilings, exposed beams, antique furniture and lots of candles.

When we arrived it was packed with people but luckily a couple were just leaving so we got their seats. We had to share a table and wait quite a while for the food to come, but when it did, boy was it worth it! We shared a dish called chorizo in scrumpy which I highly recommend!

Food and Drink: 5 stars | Service: 4 stars | Value: 5 stars | Atmosphere: 5 stars

Website: www.tremblingmadness.co.uk

Location: 48 Stonegate, York

Sorry for the really bad quality of the photos, in my defense it was dark and I took them on my phone. Not a good combination. For better photos visit their website.

This photo doesn't do the food any justice. It looked really good and when it came everyone else looked on with envy!

Have you ever been to a really atmospheric pub like this?

Linking up with Treat YoSelf Thursday

Cosmo Buffet

Last week, the day before I went to London, I met up with my two best friends and we went out for lunch. Recently a branch of the pan-asian buffet restaurant, Cosmo, opened in York and we all wanted to see what it was like.

If you look on Tripadvisor the reviews are mixed. It's like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it. Well we all loved it! There was loads of choice and it was great to try lots of different food, overall a really fun experience. 

However I will say that I can see why it doesn't appeal to some people. It's more suited to a meal out with family or friends rather than a romantic date. Also the quality of some of the food isn't great. I steered clear of the pizza and pasta because I they are both very filling but apparently they're not the best. I stuck with the Japanese, Chinese and Indian all of which I really enjoyed. Oh and also the cakes and sweets!

It's really reasonable, £8.49 for an adult at lunch and £10.99 in the evening, all you can eat. If you like trying different types of food from around the world and have a big appetite then I would recommend here!

             We all loved this mixed beans dish!

The 'display only' sign was for some jars of sweets! However there were other sweets you could eat!

What do you think about buffets?

Travel Tuesday: Borough Market

Last week my mum and I went down to London for four days so you can expect a stream of London related posts over the next couple of weeks! Some of my favourite bloggers live in London and I often read their posts and think, ooh I want to go there! (Surely I can't be the only one who thinks that when reading blogs?!)

 

One of the places that popped up a few times was Borough Market which I read about it in Miho's post here and Amanda's post here. On our final night in London we were staying in Southwark so Borough Market was right around the corner, I decided it would be the perfect place to get breakfast the next day!  

 

Wow. Just so much mouth wateringly delicious looking food! There were loads of cooked meals such as paella but I focused more on the breads and cakes! I bought a delicious almond croissant and shared a piece of tiramisu cheesecake with my mum. Yes you read that right. Tiramisu cheesecake.

Me buying my breakfast. Just look at all those pastries...

 



See if you can spot the tiramisu cheesecake!

 

Linking up with Travel Tuesday and the Let's be Friends Blog Hop

 

Where is your favourite food market?

Cafe Concerto

On Thursday I met up with one of my best friends for lunch in York. Because I have been living in Japan, it has been about one year since we last saw each other. One year is a long time but we have stayed in touch with many Facebook messages and long Skype chats, however it was great to finally meet up again.

Our usual place to eat is Wagamamas, but I had recently been with another friend so we tried somewhere new. Café Concerto had been recommended to me and I was intrigued to see the interiors.

It didn't disappoint, with quirky interiors, friendly service and tasty food. I had a chicken, chorizo and tomato baguette which was on the specials menu. Costing nearly £8 it was quite expensive for a sandwich, but they were very generous with the fillings and it tasted great. As well as sandwiches, they also offer soups, salads and main meals as well as delicious looking cakes and desserts.

The location is great, being very close to the Minster but also off the main drag and therefore not too busy. It is also a must for music lovers, due to the interesting interiors which include music score wallpaper and a violin on the wall. If you are in York and you fancy a light lunch in relaxed surroundings then I recommend coming here.

Website: http://www.cafeconcerto.biz
Address: 21 High Petergate York YO1 7EN