Taking a bite out of Sunderland Restaurant Week | Saturday 17th to Sunday 25th March

When I received an email inviting me to another Safari Supper in Sunderland, I jumped at the chance. The last two I've attended have been fantastic and shown me some great restaurants that reside in Sunderland. From tapas Indian to large slabs of cake, this city has so much more to offer than I'd first anticipated. To show off the foodie scene, Sunderland BID is hosting Restaurant Week from Saturday 17th March to Sunday 25th, which will provide fantastic discounts allowing visitors to try out as many as places as possible without breaking the bank.

The 'Safari Supper' allowed us to have each course in a different restaurant. First, we started with drinks and canapes in El Nido, which is a small Mexican restaurant hidden away on Frederick Street. It's an extremely cosy little space with an authentic atmosphere serving food with heat. Even the drinks have an edge to them as we found out with one of the cocktails containing jalapenos! 

We were provided with a number of small plates showing the variety of options they have on the menu. There were dishes with spicy beef, fruity chicken and exotic jackfruit which gave us all an opportunity to find a favourite. For Restaurant Week you can get a starter and a burrito, or two tacos for £10, and add a dessert/side/cocktail for £15.

From El Nido, we trekked across to 2 Church Lane for our starter. I didn't expect much when we walked into the venue. It was across the road from the Sunderland Empire Theatre and was a typical pub atmosphere. When the food started to come out, I could see that the team behind this place were up-to-date with what people want and had definitely delivered. Our large table started to be filled with plates of halloumi fries, meat-filled burgers, chips doused in chilli and cheese as well as a whole host of vegan options.

It was clear that a lot of thought has gone into the food that is being served at 2 Church Lane with the specially baked bread buns, the seriously delicious chips and many options for the growing vegan movement. With an offer of a burger and fries for £5, the addition of another course for £10 and three courses for £15, it is definitely a place to consider during Restaurant Week.

After our stop at 2 Church Lane, we walked over the road to the Engine Room. When a group of bloggers walk into a restaurant as photo-worthy as this, a repurposed fire station, you know there will be a million photos before you've even sat down. This place is just stunning, they've done a fantastic job of keeping all the authentic elements of the fire station, whilst making it into a modern restaurant.

Here we were to have our main meal and were overwhelmed with lots of dishes of food. After already filling ourselves in the last venue, we knew we'd made a grave mistake. Fish and chips, vegan curry and burgers were just some of the meals we had the opportunity to try. 

The Engine Room is collaborating with Sundaes, which have a shop on Yarm high street, to create some cocktail-inspired ice cream flavours for the Summer. We had the opportunity to try the pornstar martini flavour as well as a scoop of their standard ice cream flavours. For a hearty meal with a couple of drinks, this venue is a great stop and during Restaurant Week, you can get three courses for £15.

When we had just about as much savoury as we could handle, it was time to cross over the road to The Peacock, which is owned by the same group that runs The Engine Room, for our dessert. We were served up three dishes to try which included carrot cake cheesecake, a brownie with jaffa cake ice cream and cherry Bakewell sponge with custard. Although I wasn't a fan of the cheesecake, you had to roll me home after devouring the brownie with the amazing ice cream and the comforting sponge with custard. As with The Engine Room, The Peacock will be doing three courses for £15 which includes these fabulous desserts.

After our adventure around these restaurants, I have to say I'm really impressed with the restaurant options in Sunderland. There are some really reasonably-priced venues serving quality food which can cater to a variety of visitors. If you are considering making the trip to Sunderland, make sure to go during Restaurant Week and make the most of the brilliant discounted offers available which are all are listed on Sunderland BID's website.

Sunderland Restaurant Week | Saturday 9th - Sunday 17th September 2017

Sunderland isn't a place I visit often, to be honest, the last time I was there was to try out the football ground's Sunday lunch and the time before that was most likely to attend the first Safari supper. Like Middlesbrough, I think that Sunderland is going through a little bit of a revamp. The foodie scene is definitely upping its game and now it's hosting its third Restaurant Week. Nearly 50 restaurants are signed up to bring hungry guests some fantastic deals on food from Saturday 9th September to Sunday 17th. I was invited along with other local bloggers to try out some of the restaurants taking part in a 'safari supper'.

We started our trek in a restaurant I'd visited on the first Safari Supper, the Funky Indian/Prosecco Bar, and enjoyed canapés and drinks. Since I'd last been there they'd had a little switch up and now the Prosecco Bar is situated downstairs and the restaurant is on the ground floor. We heard all about the various Proseccos they serve at the bar and were treated to some delicious onion bhajis and masala fries.

After accidentally eating too much of the gorgeous canapés in the Prosecco bar, it was time to move on to Asiana Fusion which was situated on the riverside. They served up the starter part of our meal which was a selection of Asian favourites including Satay chicken, duck parcels and vegetable spring rolls. During restaurant week they will be offering three courses for £15.

After tucking in at Asiana Fusion, it was time to hop in a Station Taxi (sponsor of Restaurant Week, offering a £5 off voucher!) across to Port of Call's new teepee tent bar. Having already visited Port of Call at the previous event, I knew what to expect from the main venue but walking into the teepee was something else. It was such a gorgeous place to be and whilst we were there, we were treated to our main meal which was an abundance of meat. We had loads of different items offered to us including hot dogs, brisket, chicken burgers and mac n cheese. This is definitely one for the meat-eaters and during restaurant week you can get two courses for £15.

When we'd finished getting our fill at Port of Call, we jumped in a taxi again which took us to our final destination, Serendipity Tea and Trinkets. Inside it was very cosy and cute with lots of knick-knacks adorning the walls. At the back was a selection of cakes that we could try, and as I usually do, I picked the most chocolately one - Death by Chocolate. Accompanied by a cup of tea it was delicious. It was a great place to finish the night and after hearing the deal that they are doing during restaurant week, I think I might be back soon! They're offering a pot of speciality tea, a piece of cake and a bag of tea to take away for only £5.

As someone who is passionate about the North East, I loved being back in Sunderland to see what it has to offer so that I can spread the word about another part of our region. If you live in Sunderland or fancy the travel, I'd definitely suggest checking out the website to see what deals are on for Restaurant Week!

Let me know if you try any new places out that you think I'd like!

Kicking it up North for Sunday Lunch, Sunderland FC Riverview Brasserie

When it comes to football, I'd have to say I'm a Middlesbrough supporter. It's my hometown and everyone here feels so strongly about it that you'd be a fool not to go along with it. However, when I got an invite through from the Riverview Brasserie at Sunderland Football Club, I threw my allegiance out of the window for the day. Well, I'll do anything for food...

This was an especially special meal as it was Sunday Lunch. The Riverview Brasserie only a few weeks ago started serving up a delicious Sunday Lunch menu again and we were invited to try it. To really test out this iconic meal I invited my Mum and my one-year-old nephew.

We booked our slot for 12.30pm and on arrival found that we were the first to eat. It was very quiet but it gave us a chance to get to grips with the layout, menu and for my nephew to start on his bread bun. As he happily chomped away, we started to scour the three-course menu which changes weekly.

There was a good selection for each course but as I'm a picky eater there were some choices which were obvious for me. For starter, I chose the leek and potato soup which can be quite a bland soup but this one was very tasty with lots of flavour. My Mum chose the prawn cocktail which looked very fancy.

For my main course, there was no way I was going to pick anything but a beef dinner. I mean isn't that the best roast to choose! Mum, however, decided she was going to try something totally different and get the Emmental cheese souffle with beetroot compote, herb salad and house dressing. She wasn't quite sure her pick had paid off as it wasn't what she expected, nevertheless she ate it up and enjoyed it.

My beef dinner was lovely. There was plenty of beef and the vegetables and roasties were served separately so you could ask for as much as you wanted, without being greedy of course! For my nephew, they even filled up a little bowl for him with mash, carrot and turnip, gravy and some other bits of vegetable which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Although we were pretty stuffed by this point, we couldn't give a full review of the Brasserie without trying dessert. As always I had to go with the chocolatey-est item which was chocolate and orange truffle torte with forest fruit compote. This was extremely decadent and delicious. I did try, but I just wasn't able to finish the whole slab, although my nephew did give me a hand. Mum chose the black forest slice with thickened cream and coulis.

Overall we were really pleased with our visit to the Riverside Brasserie. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. If I'm ever up in Sunderland on a Sunday, this will be definitely one I'll return to.

Exploring Sunderland's foodie scene - Sunderland Restaurant Week 2016

Trying new restaurants and new types of food is my favourite hobby. If I could eat, eat and eat and not get fat, I definitely would. I love cooking at home, but you can only do so much until you fancy someone else cooking up something fabulous for you.

I was recently invited to a 'Safari Supper' which involved a food-laden tour around some of Sunderland's brilliant eateries. In preparation for Sunderland Restaurant Week, Sunderland BID invited local bloggers down for an evening of delicious food.

For the 'Safari Supper,' we had the chance to eat at five different restaurants/bars sampling what they had to offer during Restaurant Week. I've never been to Sunderland so having the chance to visit and see what amazing food places they had was brilliant. We started off in Cafe Purple which was a stunning bar filled with luxurious seating and extravagant lighting. In here I met up with all the other local bloggers, finding pals Tasha and Sarah amongst the bunch, and we enjoyed lots of different cocktails with an enormous cheese board! The variety of cocktails that were brought out was staggering, they pulled out all the stops for us. I, of course, loved the Cosmopolitan but I was definitely also a fan of their gin-based cocktail too.

From Cafe Purple, we headed next door to Port of Call. This bar was right up my street as it was decorated all nautical with lots of ship memorabilia adorning the walls. Here we were plied with more cocktails and other nibbles including mini cheeseburgers which were the cutest and tasted really good. We didn't spend long here before we were carted off to the Funky Indian for our first course.

Situated underneath a Prosecco Bar, the Funky Indian serves up Indian street food in tapas-style. Our guide at the restaurant spoke about how at the Funky Indian they wanted to do things a little different and take inspiration right from India with a twist of cultures that have over the years found their way into the food. We were given some delicious food consisting of masala fries, spiced chicken poppers, Bombay pav, deep-fried cauliflower and seekh kebab. It was all utterly gorgeous and I'm dying to go back!

When we'd pulled ourselves away from our Indian food, we walked along to Angelos Ristorante where we were served some great pasta, pizza and meat dishes fresh from England's top Italian chef, Nello who works as their head chef. There was a mushroom pasta dish that we tried which was absolutely beautiful, I'd definitely have it if I visited again.

After all our savoury food, it was time for the sweet! We walked again to Sweet Tooth Delivery, which we actually also have in Middlesbrough. There was cake galore in their display case in all different colours and flavours. We all chose a piece of cake to try, I decided on Chocolate Mud Pie. As it was getting late, I opted for mine to go and had it at home. It was lovely, just what I needed with a cup of tea after the drive back from Sunderland.

Having the chance to try so many fabulous places in Sunderland has definitely wet my appetite for going back in the future. If I can spare the time, I'll be popping up in Restaurant Week when I can get more for my money!

Trying our luck with Grosvenor Casinos, Sunderland

A little while ago I was kindly invited along to Grosvenor Casinos in Sunderland to try their new menu. I invited my Mum along and we trundled along up North to find the venue.

We had a little trouble with the one-way system in Sunderland but eventually, we found parking and went in search of the casino. When we arrived we had to join the casino as members. The girl on the front desk was lovely and talked us through the process. We had our photos taken and our membership cards were supplied to us, along with a ticket for a free drink.

As neither of us had been to a casino before we decided to take up the offer of a tour by the casino manager. He showed us around the space talking us through the different machines and game tables. There was so much going on with numerous multi-game slot machines, electronic roulette tables, different card tables and to top it off there were regional and national competitions running based on people's winnings.

When we'd had a thorough tour we were guided to the restaurant and took our table. I'm not sure if any of you will have been to a casino before, but the Grosvenor Casino wasn't what I imagined. I'm not saying this in a bad way, I only have TV and film casinos to base my imagination on and this wasn't really on that scale. It was a small area and relatively quiet for a Friday night but all the games seemed to be top quality. In the restaurant, there was only ourselves dining until a couple entered the restaurant later.

As it was a Friday night we decided to get the drinks in and both had a cocktail. They were lovely drinks and kept us busy until our starters came. Mum ordered Tempura Chipotle Prawns, whilst I ordered Cheesy Garlic Mushrooms. We both quickly finished our starters, which were very nice, so we could get down to the main course.

I ordered an 8oz Sirloin steak and Mum ordered an 8oz Fillet which both came with skin-on fries, coleslaw, onion rings, tomato and mushroom. Both steaks were brilliant quality and cooked just right. The only little gripe we did have about the steaks was that the chargrilled parts were a little too chargrilled.

Then it was on to desserts after we had a good 15-minute break of course, and there was only one thing on the menu that would satisfy our appetites. Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart. This dessert was so sickly but so good. The chocolate and the caramel worked so well together and you could definitely taste the sprinkling of salt which helped to combat the sugar!

Overall we had a lovely evening at Grosvenor Casino in Sunderland. The meal was fabulous and although we didn't stay to gamble, we did have a little go on the electronic roulette, but unfortunately, we didn't win. Oh well. Now I realise that there is a Grosvenor Casino closer to home in Stockton, we'll definitely be back, especially as we have a free drink to claim!

*Food provided complimentary by Grosvenor Casino. Review and opinion all my own and completely honest.

Let There Be Crumbs - Blogger Cake Club Review - Roker Sunderland

Us North East bloggers LOVE cake! Any reason to eat some and we are there. Luckily, Chloe (New Girl in Toon) has started to organise a bloggers cake club in which she sets up a time and venue for us all to meet and gorge ourselves on all sorts of baked goods! I didn't get to go to the first one as it was too far North, so when she announced the next meet would be in Sunderland, I was up for the 50-minute drive.

The venue she picked was called Let There Be Crumbs and it was part of the Best Western Roker Hotel on the seafront. Although it wasn't a very nice day we sat at the window to get some sea views. The girls that attended were Chloe (obvs), Caroline (Notes from Caroline), Kayleigh (I Dream of Coco), Lisa (Is it Me Me), Shivani (Cloud in a Teacup) and Julie (Julie and the Knits).

The venue was great. Large space with lots of seating and great quirky touches such as large tea sacks as blinds and cushion covers as well as wooden boards on the counter covered in tea prints. We all got sat down and started to wonder what cake we should pick. There was a lot of choice. We even got up to go to the counter so that we could decide which one to pick. A few people got just tea and cake, whilst three of us got cream tea AND a piece of cake. When it came it included two large scones, a cheese one and a fruit one which were very yummy. I picked Mississipi Mud pie for my cake which was so tasty but very rich.

The food was lovely but we didn't get enough tea! Us Northern Bloggers need copious amounts of tea but we were sharing teapots between three and scraping by on sips. Also, the service was a bit poor. Although I understand there were a few of us, it doesn't take that long to get pieces of cake and then for some to be forgotten. A bit all over the place but we enjoyed ourselves laughing at how English we were for wanting more tea but not speaking up because we were so polite. This was a nice place and although the cakes were lovely I wouldn't rush back to visit because the service was quite poor. Hopefully, they will sort it out and then I'd love to go back! Has anyone been?