Bliss or Miss | The Alto Lounge

I always enjoy taking the trip back to my hometown (Reading, UK) to visit my friends and family and a couple of days ago I had the opportunity to visit one of my favourite little treasures, the under-stated ‘Alto Lounge’ in Caversham with my Mum.

The Alto Lounge provides a quirky, unique feel with its cosy, rustic and relaxed atmosphere. The menu absolute sings to me with everything from cinnamon french toast, to burgers, hotdogs, curry and tapas.

There’s something for everyone and the most important facet of all, they are so flexible and accommodating. My Mum unfortunately has coeliac disease (and so can’t eat gluten), and the staff ensured my Mum that they would bake her fries in the oven instead of frying them to ensure zero cross-contamination. Brilliant. A really refreshing change from the dumbstruck look she normally gets.

Sitting in the candle-lit ambience, my Mother was able to relax in the knowledge that she would be enjoying food that is safe for her and I searched the menu, spoilt for choice.

Typically I couldn’t decide what to have, this time it was between Macaroni Cheese and a Hot dog. But then I came across, ‘The Real Mac’ - ‘A pork frank topped with truffle mac and cheese, sautéed portobella mushroom, onions and Swiss cheese’. Perhaps peculiar for some, but it completely suited me, so was an easy choice.

Customer service was impeccable and the food was delicious, I simply had to try a dessert and opted for the warming, sticky toffee pudding. The menu described, ‘Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream’, I asked if I could have custard instead and of course this was not a problem for them. I was not disappointed, it was indulgent bliss.

The Alto Lounge is an absolute hidden treasure in Reading, the family-friendly, flexible customer service and quirky, ornate decor may fool you into thinking you’ve stumbled across a one-of-kind, independent hang-out. But there are in fact over 40 lounges over the UK - I’d love to visit a few others to see how similar they are and I implore you to find your nearest: thelounges.co.uk The website is actually really cool too.

Without a doubt, bona fide, bliss

Be sure to check out #blissormiss on Tumblr

British Smores

This is by far, one of the best spontaneous creations I have ever come up with.

While sitting around the fire, outside with my family, I suddenly had such a graving for marshmallows. Being British, ‘smores’ are something we only really see on American TV, but I think this is a pretty cool and very British alternative. 

So very simple, just roast your marshmallows and capture them between two chocolate digestive biscuits and enjoy the gooey, melty crunch.

Bliss or Miss? | Mal Maison - Newcastle

Today’s #BlissOrMiss is a special collaboration with the amazing Jade from FoodNDrinkLondon. We journeyed together all the way to Newcastle!

I know Jade is a huge fan of the Mal Maison hotels, but I had never even set foot in one, so was really interested in trying one out and where better than in a brand new city!…Whey aye!

To catch EatNDrinkLondon's side of the story click >here<

So Jade and I sat down to dinner, in the spacious, french-boutique inspired brasserie. After perusing the menu, I settled on the classic ‘Moules Frites’ and wasn’t disappointed, it was salty, tender deliciousness. The only criticism I have is that I came across a couple of ‘beards’ on my mussels - a big faux-pas in my book - but I still enjoyed it very much.

Does anyone else do this when eating Moules Frites?…I always eat the mussels first and then decant all the fries directly into the rich, white-wine broth. In my opinion, this is entirely the best way to eat this dish.

With mussels providing a relatively light choice in terms of protein, I certainly could justify a dessert. I don’t know whether it’s Jade’s love of all things sweet and delicious that is slowly converting my sweet tooth, but I eventually settled on the baked cheesecake - one of my all-time favourite sweet treats. 

I happen to think of myself as somewhat, a cheese-cake connoisseur and this cheesecake, although not the most pretty, was absolutely perfect. Flaky, creamy decadence, laced with a tart berry coulis. I was very satisfied with my choice… but maybe not quite as happy as Jade, who was beaming with her sticky-toffee pudding - I tried a little of her’s and it was complete, sugary, warming, comforting delight. Appropriate for a food-gasm.

Satiated with the delicious food and friendly, northern service, we carried on into the night with drinks… My drink of choice: Lanson White Label Champagne.

The next morning, Jade and I were eager to try breakfast and indeed were not disappointed. Mal Maison boasts a tempting selection of cooked choices and a generous assortment of continental delights. The only downside is the price at £15 for a cooked breakfast and continental choices….do make sure you’re hungry!

 Myself and Jade both opted for the full works, so we were able to select a cooked option and have our fill of the continental counter. Jade chose the full-english - which definitely looked protein heavy - sausages, bacon, black pudding and eggs.

I opted for eggs benedict - being the typical, indecisive person I am, I couldn’t decide whether to have it with salmon or bacon - but the waitress kindly suggested ‘have both’. 

It was a perfect rendition of eggs benedict - luckily for them considering the price.

I’m a big a fan of these ‘punny’ additions throughout the hotel

I love to experience new dining environments, but this will remain one of my favourites - there’s nothing better than making new memories with a best friend. Please be sure to check out Jade’s, ‘Eating London’

 

Pinterested?

I am totally in love with Pinterest at the moment - it is such a perfect and simple way to make collections and collages of things you want to remember - if you've never tried it before, please take the time to download the 'Pin it' button and give it a try. Now whenever I see something on the web I'd like to remember or collect, I just click 'pin it' and select which board I want to display it on. Simple and brilliant.

Also here's a great tip! If you're someone who likes to make a Brithday or Christmas wish list - this is absolutely perfect! I've made a board called 'I want' and I just pin different things on there I either want to buy for myself or for those who follow me and can't think what to get me for a present - they can just take a look at my Pinterest board and know they're onto a winner!

My other boards include: 'The Look' - 'Home' - 'Wedding' - 'Marketing & Typography' - 'FoodLove' - 'People' and my very favourite, 'Le monde où mon esprit appartient'. It's a board I can't really describe, just a collection of things that sing to my very soul.



Visit Laura Reeves's profile on Pinterest.

Bliss or Miss? | Bread Street Kitchen - Gordon Ramsay

I've decided to test out my Tumblr blog content by seeing how interaction changes depending on what platform I use, so when I write a post on Tumblr it'll also appear on Blog Lovin', Yelp and here. What do you think about this? Is this a good idea to get your content noticed or is repeating content a big no-no in your books?

Without further ado, my first Tumblr BlissorMiss post!

This week, I had the impromptu pleasure of dining at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants.

We're already onto a winner before I've even stepped inside because I am likely to support anything that angry and brilliant Scottish man does.

I sat down for lunch at his very own, 'Bread Street Kitchen', situated in the heart of the City of London. (Might I add, right next to Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Barbecoa)

What actually struck me the most was just the sheer size of the first floor, it is really quite vacuous, but with a rustic/art-deco-esque feel.

To make sense of it, I guess you could think of it as, where Italian cuisine meets corporate London and the result is quite a unique restaurant of modern, clean-cut decor, strewn with well-placed homely-touches

I began my visit with a Cosmopolitan - whilst some may see this as too much on a Monday lunchtime, I can at least position myself as a cosmo-connoisseur as an excuse.

I have to say, it was one of the best cosmos I have ever had - I just wish there was more of it! Made with Tanqueray Gin and Pierre Ferrand dry Curaçao with Blossoms raspberry syrup and fresh lemon juice; it was fruity, floral and perfectly balanced.

I decided to start with a comforting bowl of Rigatoni. I can never resist this type of over sized pasta tubes, especially when it comes with aubergine (my favourite vegetable), and cheese (mozzarella and Pecorino Romano) Double cheese? Sold!

The generous-size-for-a-starter was by no means beautiful, but it was beautifully simple, perfectly al dente and comforting. 

Remaining with the comfort food, I then tried the spiced braised lamb shank with mash potato, baby onions and orange gremolata. The meat was as tender-soft as I'd hoped (with maybe a little too much skin and fat for me) and the mash potato were buttery clouds. I enjoyed it very much, however I would say the rest of the dish actually wasn't packed with flavour, including the jus-y sauce surrounding the dish.

The staff were pleasant, especially the chefs behind the counter. I would however say the waiting staff were relatively vacant; forgetting to take our drink order at the start or mis-remembering details - perhaps this is usual, perhaps they were just having a day-dreamy afternoon - either way I can just imagine Mr. Ramsay taking a characteristic melt-down at certain points of the service.

I was thrilled to dine as this pleasant, bright and vibrant establishment and I would be happy to return for the comforting home food and excellent cocktails. Overall I rate this experience as certified....

Missing in Action

Hello everyone, I hope you've all been well.

So I know it's been ages since I've written anything...but I want to draw your attention to a new blog I've been writing!

So as you may be aware, I'm studying social media at my business school with Dr. Rhiannon McDonnell and one part of our coursework is to create content on a platform we're unfamiliar with....I choose Tumblr and I'm still largely trying to figure out how to use it most effectively.

Originally I thought of Tumblr as as just a deep, dark place for insomniacs and major fan-girls, but I was very wrong, there are some beautiful blogs out there!

So those of you in Tumblr world, I'd love it if you came to join me while I try my best to create and maintain a blog over there. I will be back here after the course is up, although I hope to keep up the posting on Tumblr too!

Bliss or Miss is not meant to be majorly serious, just something fun and aesthetically pleasing, with a simple concept - I shall pass my opinion on experiences and product that brought me bliss, or that I think you should give a miss. #blissormiss

So please check it out and tell me what you think, I'd love to hear tips and ideas!

Find my blog at: Bliss or Miss

BLISS OR MISS?

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