Win a trip to Buenos Aires with Cau {Cau - Reading, Berkshire {review}}

Cau restaurants are giving away a trip to their homeland Buenos Aires and all you need to do to enter is to visit one of their many locations order any Hero dish on the menu, upload a picture with their special Insta-frame and hash-tag #BuenosHeros!

Cau opened up in Reading a few years back and I have to honestly say it's one of the best places in town to get a good steak! Therefore when they invited me in to try out some of their dishes from their menu marked with a "hero" stamp there was no way I could say no!

Best place to always start a meal is with a starter! My friend and I tried the Shrimp Chicharron, which is crispy fried shrimp in an aji amarillo sauce which is a sort of spicy cheese sauce. It was delicious and if you are a seafood lover like my friend and I definitely give it a go!!

The other starter we tried were the Empanadas (I still don't think I pronounce them right) one filled with Spanish chorizo & cream cheese and the other with Spinach, ricotta & date there were two other choices Spicy beef and Spicy creamed corn & Taleggio cheese. I have to say for the ones we tried they were good and I can with all confidence say to try the chorizo one it was so good!

Then of course came the main attraction - Beef! My friend went with Tapa De Cuadril one of their signature dishes cut from the top of the rump and served thinly slice and ash grilled, this apparently is how it melts in your mouth.

Unable to decide I asked the waitress for help and eventually with a little guidance I went with The ULTIMATE Steak Sandwich. And boy am I glad I did! This sandwich has everything you could ever want! Three types of beef - flash grilled tapa de caudril, salt beef, and BBQ brisket served in a toasted ciabatta with crispy onions, dill pickles (my favorite part next to the beef) with a spicy mayo and melty Monterey Jack cheese!

Not being able to leave with out a dessert I tried the Dulce Volcano. It is basically an old-fashioned chocolate volcano except it's not chocolate it's more of a caramel flavor and it's served with an amaretto cream which paired perfectly with it. (see my video on instagram)

The only thing not stamped with a "hero" sign was the Choco Blondie. If you don't know what a blondie is I am not sure why you are reading my blog, however if you don't it's basically a brownie made with white chocolate. They are generally super rich, but this one had just the right amount of sweetness and balanced with a peanut butter frosting how could you go wrong!

Everything we tried was stamped with "hero" and it was all so good I wish I was eating it right now! However there was so much more on the menu to try out!

Follow these steps to enter:

1. Take a selfie with their Insta-Frame (above)

2. Upload to Instagram using #BUENOSHEROES

3. Tag who you'd like to take along

4. Enter as many times as you want by ordering a hero dish when dining!! 

They will also be giving away weekly prizes - Find out more on how to win and the T&C's on their website for more information! 

The Oracle, Bridge Street,

Reading,

RG1 2AQ

If you have never been to Cau before now is the time to visit and try the amazing dishes - as an added bonus you can enter their Buenos Heroes competition!

*I was invited to Cau in Reading to try the Hero menu and to help promote the competition. I was not compensated in any other way - all opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page above for more information. 

Adventures in the Kitchen - with Panasonic!

If you had invited me over for a meal and told me that you were going to cook all of it in a microwave I would have assumed you were cooking me beans on toast.

And if you only owned a basic microwave I am sure that is exactly what I would have gotten, but there are so many different kinds of microwaves these days! Maybe they always existed and I have just been enlightened by the existence of the variety of microwaves out there? It now is clear of why they are sometimes called microwave ovens.

Either way I went for lunch at the Panasonic Ideas Kitchen and I was served a meal prepped by us and cooked in microwaves.

We had roast beef, focaccia, chopped salad, lemon drizzle cake, dulce de leche brownies and freshly juiced juice all cooked in microwaves except the juice and salad of course.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the beef turned out. To be completely honest I was extremely skeptical of the beef. I needn't have been because it was perfectly cooked and tasted great! The bread dough was proved in a bread machine and then rolled out and proved a second time in a microwave oven at a low heat before being baked in the same microwave oven.

Salad was chopped using a food processor and had a gorgeous basic dressing of olive oil, mustard, and seasoning. The juice was very experimentally made and had a bit too much ginger. We whipped up the lemon drizzle cake and chocolate brownies and both were cooked in the microwave ovens as we had lunch.

Especially in England where space is crucial I wouldn't mind having a multi functioning microwave ovens. It would be nice for no thinking cooking after a busy day and it would especially be useful when making a big meal like Christmas dinner.

Learn more about the products here!
Microwave Oven: NN-DS596B
Food Processor: MK-F800SXE
Slow Juicer: MJ-L500
Hair Dryer: EH-NA65
Hair Straightener: EH-HS95

I listed two none foodie gadgets because before we went into the kitchen I had my hair washed and blow dried in the salon across the hall .... I know right? This place is amazing. Think I might just move in! My hair always looks great when someone else straightens it. I have sort of given up on straightening my hair, but now I remember how great it looks!

And a last last note before I go, we were given goodie bags and mine contained my very own slow juicer!! So, stay tuned for more on that as I get my juice on!

*I was invited out for the day, all opinions are my own!

What’s For Dinner? {Old El Paso}

Old El Paso’s Smokey Chipotle Chilli and Honey Casserole &/or Extra Mild, Super Tasty One Pan Rice Meal that's what! 

I do love my Mexican style food!

Old El Paso is a brand that I recognize from home and was happy to see once I made the move over the pond.

Plus my husband has always loved their Enchilada kits and so when given the opportunity to try out a few of their new range I said yes!

The Smokey Chipotle Chilli & Honey Casserole Recipe Mix was amazing! It had the right amount of kick without being too hot. 

This one is ideal with beef (casserole steak) and is great served with rice. It tells you on the packaging what you need to add, but you can always switch out what you like or don’t like or from what you have or don’t have.

For instance it suggests that you use a red pepper, well I already owned a green pepper, so that got used instead.

I think spice mixes are great because you can add whatever you want really. I’m not saying it will always turn out great, but at least you have an opportunity to experiment!

There is also a Creamy Poblano Pepper Casserole Recipe Mix I have yet to try, but look forward too!

The other new range they have recently come out with is the One Pan Rice Meals. I used my leftover roast chicken in the Extra Mild, Super Tasty One Pan Rice Meal.

That is my other favorite part of these type of all in one box meals, is that it’s a great way to use up leftovers. I usually make quesadilla’s with my leftover roast chicken, but this time I thought I’d try it in this One Pan Rice Meal instead!

It made everything sort of mesh together, so it didn't look as nice as the picture on the box, but it still tasted yummy! There was plenty for my family of 4 and for lunch the next day.

It has a nice citrus undertone to the mild spice flavor, definitely can see myself making this one again. 

The other flavor they have out now is Chilli & Garlic One Pan Rice Meal and I can’t wait to try that one out too! If it’s anything like this one I’m sure I won’t be disappointed!

Want to know more about their new products? Check out the Old El Paso website!

notes: Mexican style or Tex Mex as it’s sometimes referred as. Please be aware that if you are swapping ingredients it is wise to stay as close as possible to the amounts listed on the packaging. I was sent the Smokey Chipotle Chilli & Honey Casserole Reicpe Mix & the One Pan Rice Meal to try and review. For more information please see my contact/policy page above. 

Every Meal Should be an Experience {at Handmade Burger Co.}

There is a burger craze going on in England at-the-moment! It seems to be wherever I look there is a new burger place popping up. So, what makes one place stand out from the rest?

The food and the atmosphere.

I recently visited Handmade Burger Co. at the Oracle in Reading and they had both! 

First the food:

All the burgers are homemade. I know I don’t really have to tell you that as it is the name of the place. However they really mean they are homemade. The meat is fresh that day no freezing and then slopping them on the grill whenever it is needed.

There is like a million different choices! I finally decided on the Mexican (beef) burger. It had salsa, guacamole, jalapenos, and my favorite part homemade tortilla chips! All on a brioche bun! The brioche bun added sweetness to the spicy of the burger.

My date and friend, Kirsty, decided on Jimmy’s Farm Beef Cheese & Bacon burger. Which was made from a rare-breed, free-range beef. It definitely had a different taste and was moist and delicious! The caramelized red onion relish was super tasty!

Then we decided share a side of chips and coleslaw. Both were great accompaniments to our burgers. The chips were crisp and fluffy and I loved the Cajun Mayo dip. Our other side the coleslaw was the perfect amount of creaminess to crunchiness.

Then drinks there are a variety of beers, ciders, and wines, sodas, and shakes and malts. I had to have a handmade peanut butter shake. Yummy. Kirsty choose a Peroni as she says you can’t have a burger without a beer!

For dessert there is a selective of sundaes. I choose the brownie and waffle and Kirsty choose the banoffee both were delicious!

Now for the atmosphere:

The décor is simple, yet stylish and relaxing. The staff were lovely! They were talkative and informative. All questions we had were answered and when I asked for no onions, I was I could have my burger however I wanted! 

Once you decide on what you want you pay at the counter (like at Nando’s) and then when your order is ready it is brought to your table. I forgot to order a brioche bun with my burger. Oops! When we asked a member of staff if it was too late to correct it we were told it was not a problem and I received my brioche bun! 

Be careful when asked if you want dessert, because even if you say no they may convince you otherwise! We didn't think we could fit another bit in and we managed a good quarter of a sundae each!

Overall we had great food and a great afternoon! I think every meal should be an experience and at Handmade Burger it is!

notes: I was invited to visit Handmade Burger Co. – official website (for locations, menu, & much more), Twitter, Facebook by the Handmade Burger team.

It's worth following them on their social media sites, sometimes they run some really good promos!! The Oracle in Reading, Berkshire and Jimmy's Farm. 

The handmade tortilla chips on my burger were so good that I would have asked for a bowl all on their own if I thought I could get away with it! Note that the side dishes are actually quite big and your burger will be filling so sharing sides would be a great way to go!