Pinocchio's Rapido Lunch

I was recently invited by Jayne Raffles to try out the new Rapido lunch at Pinocchios.

When you arrive you are greeted by the lovely eye catching display (as only partially shown above) showing what the Rapido has to offer. Florian took us through each item on offer I felt like a child at Christmas I couldn't wait to try them.  

There is homemade lemonade, made with fresh Sicilian lemons, and the pink Lemonade has a handful of raspberries thrown in. I had the pink lemonade and Rob had the cloudy lemonade, we both agreed that it was delightfully sharp and tangy and not overly sweet like most lemonades you would usually try, and it left me wanting to get the recipe.

First on our menu, we tried the Bombas. These are interesting little fellows, think dim sum buns but with pizza dough and an Italian filling. There are two options: Sicilian lamb ragu and the asparagus, cherry tomato and mozzarella.

Asparagus, cherry tomato and mozzarella (left) Sicilian lamb ragu (right)

My first thought when they came, apart from wow, was how much like a doughnut they smell. They work so well, a full flavoured filling, surrounded by light doughy pizza dough with a crispy coating.

My favourite of the two was the Asparagus, cherry tomato and mozzarella. I think mainly because it was so nice and sunny and it seemed a more summery choice, and because the asparagus made it for me. It isn't a combination I would think to put together, yes I may have been living under a rock recently, but colour me inspired.  However do not forget about the lamb ragu bomba, this one had large chunks of lamb, tomato and peppers inside and was deliciously juicy and sweet. They did for a second make me feel as though I was on holiday, but the sun shining through the window probably helped alot with this too. 

Next up is another slice of sunshine. The tarts, the options are Homedried Tomato and Fontal tart with a heritage tomato, spring onion and rocket salad, and a Goats cheese and Chicken tart, with a rocket, chard and pine nut salad and a sprinkling of sea salt crystals which helped to add an extra dimension to the salad.

The first thing that caught our attention was the fact that the salad wasn't a set salad for each, it was created to complement the tart, not just a unthought of bolt on to the meal to make it seem a little healthier. 

Both of the tarts was deliciously creamy, and made with a light crisp shortcrust pastry. The chicken tart was by far the creamier one though, but don't think this means they skimped on the chicken, no there seemed to be almost a whole chicken leg in the tart slice, in nice chunky pieces too. 

For dessert we veered away from the Rapido menu, and delved into the A La Carte menu. Rob had the winter berry and amaretto zucotto with a winter berry compote, and I had a trio of sorbets and ice-cream consisting of Passionfruit and Strawberry, Honeycomb, and Blackcurrant and Cassis and with the sun shining through I couldn't have been happier. 

These made the perfect end to our amazing lunch, as they where so refreshing, and the fruits were so tangy. The zucotto was like eating a cheesecake ice cream, I was slightly jealous that I didn't pick it, so I did steal a fair bit from Rob.

So what can I say to finish off, apart from you need to try this. On a sunny day it will take you on holiday without the killing to the bank balance, and as they offer a take out service it sure beats a boots meal deal everyday!

What are you waiting for, go grab a little bit of the Italian sunshine at take it with you and enjoy it anywhere.

On a grey miserable day in Norwich.

Sadly it seems I have caught one of the many bugs making their rounds and have spent most of today curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea. It isn't living the dream sadly, but may be down to the last couple of weeks. Let me explain as of the 21st March I seem to have had no chance to sit down and have a breather.

As on the 21st Rob and I moved into our new house, so it has been non-stop moving, unpacking and buying new furniture. I am proud of every little piece I have found on gumtree, the site has become my new obsession I seem to be spending every free moment to find the next little thing for my house.

This is my favorite table in the house, its a nice cream table with a layer of rose print Cath Kidston wallpaper. Sadly the image does not do the table justice, and this lovely little coffee table is playing centre stage in my living room and is one of the first things people comment on when walking into my house.

 This re-upholstered piano stool has been bought in anticipation for the future purchase to be paired with a dressing table for the spare room. So far this little fellow is fighting the corner for beauty and fashion in a room full of sports bags and games consoles. 

These little guys are a cheeky Paperchase purchase. I have four of these, and they work well as table lanterns and they can also be hung in the garden for those long warm evenings, I planned to put these up in our trees on Sunday at my BBQ however the weather turned even greyer than today so instead I lit them in the living room with a few scented tea lights. I was so happy to see these gems on sale in Paperchase as I have been looking for something like these for a while and there they where and a bought all but the one in the window display. These are now making me get through tealights as though they are going out of style as the moment it turns to dusk outside I light up the living room.


That is a little show of a few of the items in my house, I will hopefully get into the habit of writing a little more regularly from now on that the house is almost all sorted now, well apart from a few items such as a bed frame, but our house now looks like a home not a hovel.

Until next time.

Brianna

After my enjoyable evening at the L.K. Bennett fashion show at the Library, I decided to invest in the beautiful Brianna bag. It is designed with three striking colours, Yellow, Purple and Grape of fine kid leather, and comes with a handy detachable strap.

At the fashion show I spent all evening with one eye on it. Though can you really blame me?  I spent my time during the intermission of the showcase deciding how I could fit it into my current wardrobe, and by the end of the evening I was sold. I would make it fit no matter what.

The only downside of the bag is it struggles to fit, phone, purse and make-up. It is purely due to the folded in grape sides which helps make the bag pop, so I honestly wouldn't change them.

One of my favorite parts about it is the large contrast exposed stitching it has, I personally think that if it didn't have it the bag would look as though it was just not right and was missing a key element.

It is just a little annoying having to play tetris each time you take something out of your bag, but since i'm not using it as an everyday bag I really can't hold it against it. I just need to remember to not carry and cash with me and I shall be fine.

Since buying the Brianna, I have worn it out with every outfit since I bought it on Thursday. Much to the mocking of my parents, but I don't care and am enjoying adding this burst of colour to every moment I am out of the house.

L.K. Bennett at Norwich Fashion Week

Last week was my favourite week of the year (ignoring christmas and my birthday) it was Norwich Fashion Week, and sadly this year it fell the week before I moved into my new house. So I was being a good girl and not spending any money on tickets, and following every moment like a tiny blonde stalker through twitter and feeling massively jealous of everyone there.

The Library Restaurant

However, my boyfriend being lovely as he is, treated me to an L. K. Bennett ticket for their fashion show at the Library Restaurant (mostly knowing I would be unbearable if I missed it). And boy I was impressed. The lovely ladies at Jarrolds impressed me with this seasons controversial collection. Not a single traditional colour to be seen.

Once sat down in the bar upstairs with fashion week themed cocktails, we were welcomed to the new season in style.  

First up were two outfits chosen for Ascot Ladies Day.

Lime, who would have thought it

Left: Lander skirt, Perth jacket, and Willa bag. Right: Sayno dress, Florisa shoes, and Leonie clutch.

Lime was mentioned to me about two months ago about it being in the new collection, and my reaction was you can't be serious Lime?! But now seeing it in the flesh, I am now a fan of the colour and can't wait to try it out. But on top of that Pink and Lime, L.K. you are a genius putting colours together I would never even dream of trying them myself, but for reasons I can't explain they work so well.

Hair by Hairsmiths

Once the girls had walked around and let us see the outfits, the cocktail glasses where topped up and the final outfits came around. 

Theses were picked for the Mother of the Bride. Even beingyears off picking my Mother of the Bride outfit I still enjoyed them greatly, especially the Floret Shoes, and matching bag.

Left: Houston dress, Palmita shoes, and Avona bag. Right: Amol dress co-ordinating jacket, Floret shoes, and Flo bag.

If I am honest I was starting to wish I was the mother of a bride, or I may just crash a wedding for an excuse to wear the Amol set. It was so well tailored and looked so much fun to wear. Especially paired with the amazing splash of pink.

This collection blew me away, I wanted every single item. I enjoyed the breath of fresh air that was brought to this collection. It doesn't just say hello to the Summer, but welcomes it in with a nice glass of bubbly at a lovely garden party whilst watching a sunset.