Honest Burgers, Reading - Something New at the Reading location {restaurant review}

Honest Burgers hasn't been in Reading for very long, but it's one of the few places in town that I re-visit over and over again. The menu is basic, but I use that term in a good way not in the slang way it is used by the youth of today. Because I have found that the best places to eat are the ones that do a few things really well.

Saying that though the menu has something for everyone, vegetarians and vegans included. Every month they have a special burger that celebrates locally sourced ingredients and keeps the menu interesting.

The other thing they do that helps keep things interesting is that each Honest Burgers has one burger that you can only get at that location. Each one of those burgers usually reflects the area of the location of the restaurant. And that is why I am writing today.

Reading's signature burger has changed.

It has changed to, are you ready for this...... a Jerk Chicken Burger - free-range jerk chicken thigh, smoked bacon, double American cheese, Calypso Fusion jerk sauce, mango slaw and lettuce

Yesterday I took my girls into town to see a movie and then to dinner at Honest Burgers where I tried this Jerk Chicken Burger. I gotta say it was one of the best chicken burgers I have tried in recent times. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the spices perfectly balanced, in my opinion it had just the right amount of heat.

The burger was created by one of the team members in Reading. She worked as a prep chef and made her way up and is now an essential part of their management team. She came to to join the Reading team through a program called Working Chance; the UK's only recruitment consultancy for women leaving the criminal justice and care system.

The Jerk burger uses her family's jerk rub and sauce and a portion of the sale of every burger sold goes to the charity Working Chance as a way to say thank you to them and to help them continue the amazing work they are doing.

If this burger isn't enough for you to visit Honest Burger, I should mention their rosemary salted chips, they are the best and their cocktails are some of my favorite! But not only that as I mentioned above there is something for everyone including veggies and vegans.

In January they launched their vegan burger, which uses a Beyond Meat patty and I tried it when I took part of Veganuary and I have to say I really enjoyed it - I wrote about it in my blog post Top 5 Vegan Recipes & Products and it's still available!

It also has a kids menu that reflects kids tastes. The burgers are sliders and were the perfect size for little people. My eldest daughter loves pickles, like her mom does, and when ordering her veggie burger asked for lots of pickles. Their pickles are made there and so we were brought a bowl with some to try and we were fighting over them! Just another way that they show their dedication to great ingredients.

There are several locations check out their website to find one near you and if you are local to Reading it's located - 1-5 King St, Reading RG1 2HB 

My original review post can be found here.

* I was invited to visit Honest Burgers, I was not compensated in a monetary way for my review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy page above for more information.

Honest Burgers - Reading, Berkshire {restaurant review}

In 2010 there were two guys in Brixton, London in a tent cutting their potatoes by hand, flipping burgers made with meat they delivered to themselves because the butchers wouldn't and bringing passion to their dream. It was the start of something amazing and as it's not that often I get to London I am super excited that they opened a restaurant in Reading, Berkshire.

Last week my friends and I went out for our monthly meal and were lucky enough to try out Honest Burger. First impressions are everything and as we stepped in the vibe was chilled and rustic, the definition of a cool place to hang out. The staff were welcoming, knowledgeable, and energetic. However, the real test was going to be the food.

The menu is not very long and this, to me, shows confidence and trust in what they are producing. I was excited and sad that I couldn't eat more then one burger in a night. See even though the menu isn't extensive I wanted to try everything on the menu, but as the saying goes when in Rome......

Naturally, I had to try the Reading Special - which is made, like all their burgers, of the best cuts: chuck and rib cap (the fatty bit that's skimmed off a rib eye steak) that is chopped not minced, chopping helps not only hold in the flavor, but makes it really tender. Then they topped the burger with Barkham blue cheese and a red pepper chutney both locally sourced.

The blue cheese comes from a small family business, Two Hoots Cheese in Barkham a little village that sits just between Berkshire and Hampshire. The red pepper chutney comes from the Nomad Bakery in Caversham, they get the chutney from the Caversham Jam Lady.

The burger also is topped with bacon, tomato, red onion, lettuce, and their own pickles in between the buns that are steamed, they wet the bun before placing on the grill and it just gives them a little something extra.

All of this served with the best chips ever. Let's just talk about these chips for a moment, they are fried and then covered with their rosemary salt and are addicting. Then if you are like me and like your dips you need to try the curry sauce, chipotle mayo, bacon ketchup, yes you read that right bacon ketchup, and saving the best for last bacon gravy. You just have to try it for yourself. Trust me, trust them they know what they are doing!

So, as I mentioned my friends joined me for dinner and they tried the chilli burger topped with chilli cheese, bacon and a jalapeño relish. I tried a bite it is good, but it is hot just a warning! Then my other friend tired the special the Disco Burger. The Disco is limited edition and this burger is topped with a pineapple bacon jam, cheddar, burger sauce and pink onions. I didn't get a chance to try this one on the night, but I was told it was very good! You only have until the 12th of February to try this one so get in there now!

They change their special every three weeks and as my lovely waiter suggested we, me and you, need to visit at least once every three weeks to try the new special, but ideally it should be twice every three weeks and he told me it was really a sin if I didn't. So, I thought I'd pass that message on to you. It's a sin if you don't visit at least once, because once is all it will take to make it your go to burger place.

Now that last sentence is an awesome line to end a review, but I have to just mention a few more things - my cocktail the Kentucky Tea - which is buffalo trace bourbon, honest iced tea (they make it themselves), and lemon. I highly recommend it, it was so good and I haven't had proper iced tea since I left the states. Then there were the onion rings, the batter was thick and fluffy and was seasoned with a little bit of aniseed that just gave them a special something. Also note that it's not only the burger toppings they source locally they also source local beers and lagers so check them out if you are in town! And last but not least they serve breakfast too!

Okay I think that's it. You can find them at the address below, if you aren't local visit their website (linked below) for more locations and more information about Honest Burgers!

Honest Burgers: 1-5 King St., Reading, RG1 2HB

*I was invited to visit and check out Honest Burgers as it's recently opened in Reading, I was not compensated in a monetary way for my review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy page above for more information. 

Pho Restaurant - Reading Berkshire {restaurant review}

It was in a recent post I wrote about how much Reading has grown and I can't help but support that growth if it includes restaurants like Pho!

Pho is named after the Vietnamese national dish, an amazingly tasty, nutritious, filling noodle soup! I can say in all confidence, after my visit to the newly opened Pho in Reading, that the soup is all those things!

I tried the Pho dac biet which is one of the House Specials. Now before I tell you what is in that soup if you are trying a new restaurant always check out the House Specials; they are called that for a reason so I implore you try something off that part of the menu!

Back to the soup, Dac Biet in Vietnamese means "special" or "super" or "combo with everything" and Pho as we already said means noodle so Pho Dac Biet is Super Noodles combined with everything! Everything being king prawns, chicken & flash fried steak with garlic in beef broth and it was delicious and so filling I couldn't finish it! I suggest sharing if you can agree with someone on just one bowl.

Alyssia, my friend and fellow blogger, was my date and she had never tired Vietnamese food before! So, we had fun trying all sorts of dishes. I sort of jumped right into the noodle soups, but we did trying some amazing starters first!

Alyssia like the sound of the Nem nuong which is homemade pork & lemongrass meatballs with lettuce and herbs to wrap & dip with peanut sauce. The lovely and amazing wait staff informed us that it was best eaten wrapped in the green leaf. I hadn't heard that at first, but not only were the meatballs good wrapped in a leafy green but the Nem hai san was also delicious wrapped in a lettuce leaf!

As you can see the Nem hai san is a large crispy spring roll and is filled with king prawn, crab & pork with nuoc cham dipping sauce, which is a sort of sweet and sour sauce which is delicious! I couldn't recommend this enough, it was my personal favorite dish of the night.

We also tried the muc chien gion (pictured above) which we were told was a very popular dish because it's very lightly coated tender fried baby squid. I ended up using the nuoc cham dipping sauce for my fried squid as the salt, pepper, & lime dip was good, but a little too much citrus for me, but definitely try it and make your own decision!

Then we dived into our noodles, literally with spoons and forks! We had a great time figuring out the best way to eat them, the noodles are slippery! With a little advice from our amazing waiter we managed to twist the noodles with the fork in the spoons just like when eating spaghetti!

I have already talked about - Alyssia picked out the Pho ga - simple chicken breast in chicken broth and I tried a spoon full and I have to say that it's the best chicken soup ever. If I had a cold I would total get someone to deliver this to me pronto!

Which delivery service will be available at some point in the near future, so I've stored that bit of knowledge away! Also with the bonus of having a delicious broth soup with noodles and vegetables and meat when you aren't well is that these soups are packed full of good things that are good for you!

Pho doesn't just serve noodles they also serve other authentic Vietnamese dishes we couldn't resist trying a Com tam dac biet - or super broken rice combined with everything! We had ours with crispy beef, but you could also get it with chargrilled pork or chargrilled chicken thigh. We were both very impressed and happy with what is essentially a rice bowl. It was a mix of fresh crunchy vegetables, perfectly seasoned meat, and soft rice with a great sauce; be sure to mix it all together!! Top tip from our waitress!

Of course we had to try some desserts and authentic cocktails, and other drinks! Again not know where to start we had some help from the waitress on what we should try! We eventually tried the passionfruit cheesecake, chocolate truffle, and banana fritters!

Alyssia was drawn to the cheesecake, Bánh phô mai chanh dây or Passionfruit cheesecake. I am starting to see a trend in her love for cheesecake as this isn't the first time she was drawn to a cheesecake on one of our dinners out! However, I have never heard her talk about how light and creamy and refreshing a cheesecake was until this one! I snuck a bite and I couldn't agree more! 

Generally I'm not drawn to chocolate desserts after a meal, but the green tea ice cream paired with this chocolate truffle slab, had me curious! It's officially called Bánh sô-cô-la truffle and it was as light and creamy as the cheesecake and a perfect ending to a perfect dinner. 

We couldn't get away without trying the Chuối chiên or banana fritter. It's served as is or with a coconut or honey & ginger ice cream. Ours was without and I could only literally eat half of one as I was at this point throughly stuffed. However, that half of fritter was enough to allow me to say if you like bananas then this is the dessert for you as it was perfectly crispy and tasty! 

So, throughout the evening we tried the cocktails! My favorite is the one pictured in the top left corner the Ca the martini, which is basically an espresso martini made with nep phu loc a clear rice spirit, Vietnamese coffee, and condensed milk.

My second favorite cocktail of the night was the Phjoito,  their signature cocktail and it is a mojito with mint, lime, soda, and a clear rice spirit, same as above, nep pho loc Phu Loc. I love a good mojito and this one went down well!

Alyssia, not a big drinker went with the Rose Apple Bellini which like any bellini is made with prosecco and their's is made with a splash of Tao Mea rose apple liquor. It was dry and good accompaniment to dinner.

There are other things to drink besides cocktails, but as I'm not a big wine or beer drinker we stuck to the cocktails. The cocktails reflected the food and were all citrus type based cocktails. Nothing too fruity, we couldn't leave without trying the Lemon & Basil Martini made with their
homemade lemonade & muddled Thai basil. It had a very aniseed type flavor and if you like that sort of thing give this cocktail a try!

Last, but not least the coffee lover that I am couldn't leave without trying a Vietnamese coffee as according to my sister they have the best! So, I went with the iced coffee with a little condensed milk which is what they call Ca phe sua da. You can get it without the condensed milk if you don't like it. 

That pretty much wraps up our night! This place is my kind of food and it's one I will be visiting time and time again. The food was amazing and staff were super friendly and knowledgeable! Not only was the food great, but it was fun taking pictures so bright and colourful, I think this post has the most pictures I have ever put in any post ever.

Pho Restaurant

1-1a King's Walk, King Street

Reading, RG1 2HG

*I was invited to visit and check it out Pho as it's recently opened in Reading, I was not compensated in a monetary way for my review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy page above for more information.

Revolución De Cuba - Reading, Berkshire

Revolución De Cuba has it all! When I say it has it all I mean it has everything you could ask for to have a great night out: Cocktails, food, and dancing! The atmosphere was sophisticated yet it was very chilled.

For you old Reading-ers it's located in the old HMV on Friar street and it's huge inside! It looks amazing with great front seating and a place to dance in the back. The upstairs, where we were taught how to make some great cocktails, is the room they rent out for events and it's gorgeous with an outside patio that can be covered if need be!

We started the night with Strawberry Daiquiri's before taking one of their Cocktail Masterclasses! We were taught how to make a classic Mojito and told a bit about the mojito. The very lovely lady who was showing us explain that all cocktails have two straws because in probation times cocktails were expensive and therefore were shared between a husband and wife. The bent straw is for the lady and the sticky up straw is for the man.

Then we were taught how to make the Zombie with their own secret Zombie mix topped with pineapple and orange juice.  I volunteered to make this one as it meant I got to use a torch to light it on fire! It was a lot of fun to make and it had an interesting flavor that makes it stand out from other cocktails!

The last cocktail we were shown how to make was the Pornstar Rumtini - made with rum instead of vodka. If you have never had one I suggest you do! It comes with a shot of Prosecco to use as a palate  cleanser although some people pour it in or just drink it as a shot. Weirdos.

It was a lot of fun learning how to make cocktails and hearing the stories behind them! If this sounds like a great night out to you check out their website, linked below, for the different Masterclass's you can book for you and your friends! Best bit is that you get to drink everything you make!

For me the night wasn't over we were offered a variety of their tapas before learning how to salsa! It was a bit daunting, but the instructor was good at telling us what to do! I felt I caught on okay towards the end!

If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest you do!

Revolución De Cuba - 138-141 Friar St, Reading RG1 1EX

*I was invited to visit and review - all opinions are my own - no other compensation was given.

ARTIGIANO - Summer Cocktail Menu {Reading, Berkshire}

The night before I moved into my new flat I tagged along with my friend and fellow blogger Alyssia to Artigiano in Reading town centre for a fun night of cocktails and pizza!

Artigiano has been providing great coffee in Reading for over a year now! There are four other locations in the UK - St Pauls, Reading, Exeter, and Working St, Cardiff - I can’t speak for the other locations, but I love the Reading location it’s comfy and trendy!

During the day they sell the best coffee and by night they serve some amazing cocktails and provide entertainment. Follow your local Artigiano Facebook page for events and such as the website doesn't provide that information!

They showed us how to make 5 different cocktails from their new summer menu before allowing us each to have a go at making our favourite! Mine favorite was the Arti’s Espresso Martini - Artigiano is known for it’s coffee so it’s no surprise but first they showed us how to make their most popular cocktail....

The Porn Star Martini served with a shot of Prosecco. The Prosecco is meant to be sipped while drinking the martini to help cleanse the palette so to speak.

Then we made a Margarita, Arti’s Espresso Martini, Cointreau Fizz Tea, and last but not least the Bramble! The thing with cocktails is that they do actually contain a fair amount of alcohol and by the time you’ve had one or two you feel a bit tipsy! For the full menu why not stop in or visit the website for more details!

We finished up the night by trying out their artisan pizza. They were very good, the vegetarian one was my favorite!!

Overall it was a good night out - they provided us with a goodie bag full of everything we needed to make our own Gin and Tonic! I have more photos/videos over on my instagram - go have a look! 

If you are thinking "Gee! Not only does drinking cocktails sound fun, but making them sounds even more fun!" then visit the Exeter branch as they are offering a Create - Your - Own Cocktail Experience where one of the resident mixologists helps you create 3 different cocktails. At £20 a person, 4 people or more, it's a pretty good deal! See the website for more details and stay tuned perhaps the Reading branch will be following suit? 

As I mentioned I went along with my friend! 

Why not check out her post over on her blog Alyssia Rose!!

notes: I was invited along as a guest with another blogger, therefore I was not asked to provide a review nor was I given any form of compensation except for the food and drink on the night. All opinions are my own - for more information please see my contact/policy page above!

Smash! VIP Night - Ping Pong, Pizza, and Drinks!

Ping-Pong is the name and the game at Smash, a new bar in Reading town centre. I was invited to check it out before it opened the doors to the public last Friday night!

There are plenty of bars in Reading, but none quite like this one. I felt right at home as it has a very American feel through the decor and the fact that they call themselves a bar.

I've done the nights out on the town just hanging out in a bar/pub and I can say that Smash offers something different, a game, one that I've learned I'm not very good at, but was so much fun trying!

There are four ping-pong tables set up in the back of the bar and if you want to have a try you can book a table in hourly slots and is a minimum of £5 for that hour. If you get hungry they have a nice selection of handmade pizzas! And if you get thirsty they have a variety of craft beers and ales as well as an exciting cocktail menu!

With ping pong, pizza and pints you can't go wrong!

Book a table today to avoid disappointment! Also watch out for their events! Every day from 12pm-4pm enjoy their Daily Smash offer, which allows you to play ping pong and enjoy a pizza and a drink for only £6.95!

Do you think you have what it takes to be a ping pong champion? Join in a Ping Pong Tournament this Saturday (4th of June 2016) starting at 3pm!

Ping Pong isn't the only game you can watch at Smash visit this Sunday (5th of June 2016) and catch the Sweden v Wales Euro 2016 warm up game. Book a table for you and your friends and enjoy the match with a pizza and pint!

Find out more about Smash and their events on their website: http://www.smashbars.co.uk

from What's On Berkshire 

Did I mention that I got to be Ollie Locke from Made in Chelsea? I did!

notes: I was invited to the VIP night as a guest - All opinions are my own - I was not compensated in any other way for this post. For more information please visit my contact/policy page tab above.

Wild Drinks and Cocktails by Emily Han {book review}

We all know soda/pop/cola doesn’t have a single good thing for you in it, but have you ever looked what was in squash/cordial? Not a lot of good stuff in there either. If it’s no added sugar it’s full of sweeteners and those aren’t any better for us.

There is another option - making your own at home! Wild Drinks and Cocktails covers tea, juice, lemonade, syrups, squash, cordial, infusions, bitters, liqueurs, wines, punches and other things.

Emily Han has been wild crafting around 10 years. She started when she moved to a big city and started looking around at was inspired by the the things that grew in and around the concrete jungle she now called home.

As she learned about all the natural grown things in and around her city she learned a lot of them helped sooth common medical ailments and not just tasted good. Naturally this book comes with a disclaimer:

“You are responsible for educating yourself about food safety and making sure you have correctly identified any wild food before picking or ingesting it.”

The author suggests taking out 3 or more books on the subject of wild crafting as well as consulting an experienced wild crafter in your local area. As different plants and such are different in other areas. There is a basic introduction to wild crafting, but as it’s important to know what you’re ingesting, so please make sure you educate yourself before proceeding with any recipes.

The introduction is very helpful and gives a useful guide to basic ingredients and kitchen tools. The second chapter covers teas, juices, and lemonades. It is the first chapter because as Emily says it’s a great way to get to know a herbs/plants flavor before turning into a soda or liqueur. Herbal Teas have been around for ages and are, as mentioned, a great way to get started.

Syrups, Squashes, and Cordials is the chapter I was most interested in reading. Syrups can transform a cocktail into something special and can be used to coat a cake before frosting. Being an American I have never really took to squash. Some of it tastes really artificial or nothing at all. I would like to attempt making my own squash and after reading this book I didn’t realise how easy it can be to make my own.

Chapter 4 is titled Oxymels, Shrubs, and Switchels and I hope I wasn’t the only thinking “What the heck are those?” Basically they are drinking vinegars. Something that apparently is very popular? Who knew? The chapter gives us a bit of history on how vinegars are made and beneficial to us. I found it very educational. They also make great cocktails!

Infused liqueurs are what I am talking about! As the author states the flavor possibilities are endless when you are infusing flavours into liqueurs. They make great mixers for cocktails. This chapter (5) not only covers infusions, but bitters and liqueurs as well. Chapter 6 continues with Wines and Punches. When infusing wines you don’t need to spend a lot, but don’t go too cheap. It won’t magically make the wine better; the infused flavor should compliment the wine.

The last chapter (7) is titled Fizzy Fermentations, basically sodas. It’s defiantly not something I ever though of making at home. With some practice I think making homemade sodas is a great idea. As I already mentioned most sodas are empty calories and do nothing good for you.

Funny story our friend gave us some Elderflower Fizz and it exploded. Which in the intro to the recipe Emily warns us that it might explode. I found it amusing, perhaps not so much to those reading this.

I have yet to try any recipes from this book, but I did find it very interesting and educational. If you are interested in wildcrafting and creating your own teas, squashes, wines, and fizz then I would recommend giving this book a read. Some of the syrups and infusions are made with things you can easily get in your grocery store or farmers market. No excuse to get started then!

Here are a few of the recipes that caught my eye and inspired me! 

Dandelion and Chicory Chai Tea
Cranberry Mors
Lemon Barley Water
Apple and Mint Syrup
Strawberry Squash
Elderflower Cordial
Rhubarb and Rose Syrup
Fire Cider
Cherry Balsamic Shrub
Raspberry Shrub
Pomegranate Molasses Switchel
Chamomile Whisky Bitters
Elderberry Elixir
Fig and Vanilla Rum
Peach and Pecan Bourbon
Cherry Bounce
Anise Hyssop and Peach Wine
Raspberry Wine
Ginger Ale
Blueberry Soda
Elderflower Fizz

I cannot tell a lie, reading this book is like reading a potions book. I totally felt like a wizard/witch studying for my potions exam!! The resources a the end of the book are for an American audience, however there are plenty of UK online resources to discover on google!

notes: Wild Drinks and Cocktails by Emily Han was sent to me by the publishers to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own. Please see my contact/policy page for further information.