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FOOD/ #HullFoodie …Francesca’s
My blog makes it look like I’m forever going out to eat this massive meals doesn’t it? True, I do eat out a lot, but not (usually) for anything quite so indulgent…think I’ve solved the weight gain mystery right there! Haha.
Anyway. Mr Alice and I have wanted to try Francesca’s for a while so we popped in for an early dinner one Saturday night and combined it with a cinema trip. It turned out to be a great little date night combo.
Knowing what had been on the restaurant site before (a run down hotel with a slightly questionable looking nightclub) I wasn’t expecting it to look quite as rustic and lovely inside, the grey walled exterior doesn’t give much away. It was really chilled and the staff were pretty attentive (as we were there at 6pm there were only a handful of people in).
Starter – Salad caprese and garlic mushrooms
I tried to go for the healthier option with a salad – everything tasted very fresh which is exactly what you want for Italian cuisine. Mr Alice’s mushrooms were as delicious as they looked too, obviously I had to test them to are sure it was ok for him to eat!Mains – Taglatele con carne
Again, had to check Mr Alice’s food was ok like a good wifey, and it most definitely was. For me this dish is a fusion of Italian meets Mexican, pasta meets fajita. Really different and yummy.
Chicken cacciatore
Even thought this is a classic I’d never tried it, and it’s definitely a new Italian fave! (Not over pizza or anything, I’m not nuts. Haha.). I thought the combo of mash instead of a ‘firm’ potato accompaniment was unusual but it was really yummy and made the dish feel more comforting for the chilly weather.Dessert – White chocolate semi fredo
We didn’t intend to have dessert, but they sounded really good so in the interests of conducting a fully balanced review of the menu I decided that I should. It. Was. So. GOOD! And the respberry/blueberry garnish totally meant I had one of my 5 a day at least. The only critique we had was that the dessert portions were too small for £5.Other than that we found it really good value – both of us had 3 courses and a drink and the final bill came to about £55. We definitely enjoyed ourselves and are planning to go back again soon. Even though we went as a date night I think it would be a great place to go with a group of friends or for a celeberation as there’s plenty of room for a little bit of noise not to massively facet anybody having a quiet evening.
Thanks for reading, sorry if I’ve made you hungry!
Stay Stylish,
J 😘xx
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FOOD/ #HullFoodie…The Board Room & The Hull Pie
So I’ve actually done 2 previous posts that have had #HullFoodie in the title, but this post is the first since we decided that it was going to become an official project. Yay!We wanted somewhere a bit quirky for our first proper outing, a bit different to where we’d host a typical blogger event. The Board Room is a one-of-a-kind venue in #Hull with a really simple concept: come in, sit down, play some games. And as you can see, we had plenty to choose from!
Board games are really great mindful activity that still allows you to be sociable, as so many mindfulactivities that are suggested are for people to do alone. Your mind is focussed on the game and just having fun with friends. Definitely something we all need sometimes! And at £3 for a 3 hour slot, there’s plenty of time to have a good giggle as we found out.
Although they served some really cool looking beers (in pretty cans, which is why I took a picture, but the fridge light meant they don’t look quite as eye catching. Sorry!) I stuck to a big ol’ mug of builders tea.
Now technically (and weirdly, I guess, for a post that has food in the title) The Board Room don’t serve food. However they do accept deliveries from The Hull Pie just across the road, so that’s what we ate. I featured Pie in a previous post (which you can take a peek at here) and it’s something I enjoy having as a treat every so often. The poutine and sweet potato fries are among my fave sides, I don’t have a fave pie as there are too many to choose from!
I maintain that it’s difficult to get a decent shot of a pie inside a little box covered on gravy, but I’m sure someone out there can prove me wrong!)This is the beer and brisket pie served with skin on fries, glazed carrots and meat gravy (there are veggie pies too). YUM. I followed it with a delicious half dark chocolate and cookie brownie (which are veggie and gluten free) and equally delicious. No pics as it disappeared rather quickly…oops…
This was a lovely evening to officially start the #HullFoodie movement, can’t wait to do the next one!
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
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FASHION, FOOD & FUN/ September favourites
Another month has whizzed past in a blur of work (brand new work, so extra exciting) and randomness! Here’s what’s been loved by Curious Alice in the last month…
Fashion
This pic covers two fashion faves – khaki and new short hair. My entire A/W wardrobe is shaping up to be khaki, rose pink, black and white so far, which I’m pretty happy with.
I was inspired to get my hair chopped after seeing Lilah Parsons’ new ‘do (adore her) of a bob with some long fringe-ey bits, and of course turned to Chelsea to change it up. I’m really liking the end result but am still trying to get into the groove of styling it myself. I’ll get there, but any tips are always welcome.
Food
This month I’ve not chosen a food, so much as a food movement. You’ve seen previous posts that have mentioned #HullFoodie (my first was a review of The Mad Italian) however since then myself and the lovely Courtney have launched this as an official brand to be embraced by all! We held our first official get together on 4 October so you’ll be seeing a post about that very soon. If you fancy having a nosey at what we’re doing feel free to give the Twitter and Instagram a follow.Fun
I had such a giggle at the #napoleonsbloggersnight at the beginning of the month – yummy food, lovely company and some not so serious betting! Unusually, I was one of the last ones standing along with Ashton and am definitely up for getting the girls together for a return visit very soon.
What else?
Ok, so this could have clearly been fashion and food, but I choose to classify it as mermaids and sparkles! As the nights get colder I will be cozying up in my new Boohoo blanket and trying to avoid cakes and sweet treats (this is a matcha and raspberry cupcake by Blondes.
More posts coming this month, pinky promise!
Stay stylish,
J😘xx
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LIFESTYLE/ The legit Bath & Body Works dupes
Autumn is officially here – time for layered up outfits, cosy nights in and autumnal smelling scents.
I saw on social media that a fellow blogger claimed she had found the PERFECT dupe for the delicious 3-wick candles that are lusted after by many, but can be tricky to get hold of without taking a trip to the States. So both skeptical and intrigued, I went in search of this enigma.
After taking a look (though I’d already seen the pictures) I was impressed. Cool embossed metal lid, check.
Rubber rimmed inner to sit your candle on (1 of my fave features of B&BW candles. safety first.), check.
Lovely names with appropriate imagery on the label, check. In fact, 3 of the names are identical.
Size is pretty similar, so far the only difference is the dupes are 2-wick.
After having a good smell, I was convinced….and I bought half of the shop’s stock. Ok, so they didn’t have too many to begin with, but this is a lot for me! I also added a jar of chocolate and a cheeky bag of marshmallows to my basket so I could get into full on cosy mode on the couch at home.
So I know you’re dying to know; WHERE are they from??
The answer: B&M; the latest in a series of cut-price high street stores to bring out an amazing product that nobody expected. And, of course, that also means the price is just as sweet as the smell of Black Cherry Merlot. They’re an absolute steal at £2.99 each, versus $25 per candle at B&BW. The total of cost of my purchases – 4 candles, hot chocolate and marshmallows- came to £15. Not gonna lie, I’m feeling a teeny bit smug about that.
Sadly B&M don’t have an online purchase facility, but there’s 500 stores across the UK so it’s not going to be that difficult to snap them up…unless they have low stock and someone like me comes along and wipes out a large chunk of it in one go. Get there quick!
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
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FOOD/ #HullFoodie … Napoleons
The second instalment of my #HullFoodie series comes with a rather cheeky twist – or stick, depending on how brave you’re feeling…that’s my attempt at a gambling pun, because I dined out in style with some of my best blogger gals at Napoleons Hull!
I mean this literally as well as figuratively, as the menu package I ate from is called Dine in style – drink on arrival, 3 course meal, £5 gaming chip and a gaming tutorial (or a refresher, if you want it). It’s not my first time at the casino, or taking advantage of this package, so I already knew that the food would be great* though it has been a while since my last visit.
*just as a little aside – last time I ate here, I enjoyed my dessert so much that I commissioned a version to be made for my wedding breakfast. If THAT’S not a recommendation then I don’t know what is!
Starter – smoked haddock, leek and cheese croquette on a tomato and chive salad. Bursting with flavour and leaving plenty of room for the next course.
Main – rump of lamb served with pan fried gnocchi, peas, garlic jus and a side of vegetables. I’m such a fan of gnocchi but was initially a bit sceptical about pairing it with lamb, but it actually worked pretty well. A really filling and warming choice that filled me up but didn’t leave me feeling overstuffed and wanting to crash out in a tired heap.
Dessert – cheese board with celery, fruit chutney and biscuits. My guilty pleasure of desserts, one I usually only allow myself at Christmas! (I’m also a HUGE fan of sweet things, especially after seeing everybody else’s choices). The chutney was delicious and worked really well with the cheeses; I didn’t eat the Brie as I’m not a fan but there were enough crackers for the cheeses I did eat which were all great choices.
if you’d like a peak at what everybody ordered, search #napoleonsbloggersnight on Twitter and Instagram. Be warned, you’ll be drooling…Now, on to the gambling! I played a few games when I was in Vegas last year but had forgotten virtually everything because I haven’t played them since, so having the refresher tutorial was really useful. We had this before dessert to give us a bit of time to relax between courses which was a nice change of pace to how meals normally flow.
The staff talked us through Black Jack, Three Card Poker and Roulette and were really patient in answering our questions and going through parts again. Ash, our instructor, made the process really fun and got our competitive spirit going, so much so that we almost skipped dessert to get our game ‘oooon…I know, right!
We had hopes of winning big, particularly as one of our friends had visited the day before us and won big. Even more so as we had our lucky charm Ashton with us, who has won no less that FIVE holidays this year! Sadly her luck didn’t rub off on us at the tables and we lost it all on the Roulette wheel. We made it back on Black Jack…and then lost again. But we had a total giggle being part of the action! We all agreed that we are DEFINITELY coming back again soon, and for £22.95 for the dine in style package (£27.95 Friday & Saturday) it’s fantastic value for a night out.
Now I’ve got the casino bug back, I’m hoping a trip back with Mr Alice may help me to persuade him that going to Vegas again next year is a fabulous idea…
Stay stylish,
J 😘xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
