Dining at the Lotus Lounge, Yarm

How exciting is winning a competition? Getting pulled out of the hat to win something for nothing is a pretty epic feeling and I did just that last month on Facebook. Lotus Lounge randomly selected me to go for a two-course dinner with a plus one with a bottle of wine thrown in for good measure.

Before going for our meal, neither myself or Matt knew much about Lotus Lounge as a restaurant. It's a pretty well known establishment as a bar, but as for food, I wasn't convinced. When we walked into have our meal to where I thought we might be sat downstairs in the bar, we were then shown upstairs to a part I never knew existed. Upstairs was clearly where the majority of the Lotus Lounge's food is served, if not all, as it was bright, full of tables, boasting its own bar.

It was quiet when we arrived around 6.30pm on a Saturday, but as we ate more people filtered through. When offered the wine menu, we both had a nosy but not knowing anything about wine or really liking it, we were at the mercy of the waitress but in conversation, I did mention I like Prosecco and asked if it was an option. At first, she said that it wasn't part of what we'd won, but then when she went away to get our wine she came back with a bottle which was a lovely surprise.

We both decided to have a main and a dessert and funnily enough, we picked the same for both. For our main meal, we decided on the 8oz sirloin steak which was accompanied by chips, salad and a red wine and thyme butter. I also had a Bearnaise sauce whilst Matt had Poivre. I thought the steak was delicious. It was super tasty and I loved everything that went with it.

For our dessert, we chose the chocolate pudding with peanut butter ice cream. The pudding itself was very cake-like but came away very smoothly and with the ice cream it was divine. The only let down was the plate, or rather the slate which was a bit awkward to eat from.

At the end of the meal, I briefly spoke to the lady I'd been chatting to on Facebook to arrange my visit and she was lovely, as were all the staff. I'm really pleased I had the chance to visit the Lotus Lounge as it wouldn't have been first on my list to try for food but now I'd happily go back.

Have you tried the Lotus Lounge for food?

Can you keep a secret? - Yarm's newest hotspot - Lost Property Restaurant

I'm going to tell you about the upcoming place for drinks and nibbles in Yarm, but it is a secret, okay? Well the fact that it exists isn't a secret, but how you access it, now that's where you keep your lips sealed, right? 

I was recently tagged in a picture of a delicious spread of meats and cheeses accompanied by a host of cocktails by my good friend as a subtle nod that she wanted to visit. The Easter weekend crept upon us and we decided it was the best time to visit.

Lost Property is a new spot for a civilised night out with your friends. Nothing like anything on Yarm high street already, Lost Property is something else. You may have noticed that you can't find it from the main road and that the Facebook page gives nothing away. Where is this magical place of mystery? Do you enter through a wall like Harry Potter, or is it simply a place of fiction? I can tell you right now that it's real because I've been.

The secret to getting into Lost Property is in it's Facebook description referencing a taxi company that you may never have heard of. If you have a nosy at the shop fronts in Yarm, you'll soon come across it. A very unassuming taxi rank, ready to get you from A to B. Well walk in here, order your taxi and you'll be let into this secret spot.

Inside this place is visually gorgeous. They've used lots of wood, leather and dim lights to make this place feel like a speakeasy, and the vibe is brilliant.

The cocktail list in here is small but varied offering a variety of sweet, fruity and smoky drinks. There are however special drinks that can be explained to you if you fancy something off-menu. For our second drink, we did just that and I got the amazing candy floss cocktail you can see in the pictures. For our first drink we both selected off the main menu, I chose a Jailbird which was very floral covered in flowers, and Rachel chose a French Floosie which was very fruity and a little bit tart.

If you come into Lost Property you will have to order some food in order to get drinks, I think it's just the license that they have. This shouldn't be a problem for you as they have some delicious bits to pick from. We chose the Meat and Cheese Taster platter and picked three of each from their selection. It all came very well presented with a basket of bread, pots of chutneys, olives, grapes and other veggies. We really enjoyed our platter of treats, feeling very full as we worked out way through it.

We thought we were done after this and placed our order for an off-the-menu cocktail. We then saw a small plate of desserts making our way over that we weren't going to turn down. We were told that these were new and they'd like our feedback on the various treats. Of course, we obliged trying to half each iddybiddy sweet so we could both have a taste. All were very nice but our joint-favourite was the chocolate pistachio tart, it was filled with melted chocolate. We agreed we could eat five of these each...

When we left, coming out of the taxi rank, we both felt like we had a secret. A tasty, alcoholic secret that we were dying to let slip.

If you're looking for a quiet spot for delicious food and drinks in Yarm, this is for you.

Top 5 restaurants for a nice meal in Teesside

Eating out in Teesside has gotten progressively better over the past couple of years. More new eateries have been popping up serving up some delicious grub. Whenever people ask me if I'd like to go out for a meal, my answer is always YES. As I've said before, I do love to cook, but being out and getting your food cooked for you is always a treat.

Although I haven't visited all the restaurants I want to in the area yet, I have compiled my list of my top 5 restaurants to visit for a fancy meal. If you're in need of a place to eat which will provide great food for a special occasion or date night, these are the ones to visit!

Cena, Yarm
Cena (I think pronounced Chena) is a serious hit in our household. A modern Italian restaurant situated on Yarm high street with a menu full of delicious carbs. They have an authentic fire pizza oven in which they do some brilliant pizzas with a whole host of toppings. On our most recent visit, I had a starter of butternut squash arancini balls, which seriously amazing, then I had mushroom rigatoni bake (below) for mains. It was oh so creamy and delicious. I'm obsessed with mushroom pasta dishes so this ticked all the boxes. This is somewhere I'd visit every week if I could.

Crathorne Arms, Yarm
Crathorne Arms is a country pub hidden away in the little town of Crathorne. Boasting some delicious choices, this place is super cosy and perfect for a romantic meal or a family outing. Always an option on the menu for all the family, this is quality food in a picturesque setting.

Meze Lounge, Middlesbrough
Meze Lounge is a Turkish restaurant situated just out of the centre of town on Linthorpe road. It's a small space that serves some amazing authentic food. I always fall a little bit more in love with this place every time I visit. I must admit, I only ever go for chicken or falafels but they do them so well and the extras you get are so good!



The Curing House, Middlesbrough
One of my most recent finds, the Curing House is a charcuterie bar and restaurant serving up some quality cuts of meat and unique cheeses as well as a selection of other fantastic meals. The interior of this restaurant is gorgeous with a stunning retro-feel that is definitely a place to get dressed up for. Don't think that this is only for meat-eaters. I had an amazing butternut squash risotto (see below) with blocks of little blue cheese and breaded tofu.

Peking Garden, Stockton
Okay, so this one maybe a little bit more low-key, but definitely a good place for a celebratory dinner. Peking Garden is on Stockton high street and boasts all you can eat Chinese food. With a buffet concept, but a menu ordering system, at the Peking Garden, you can order as much food as you want and they will bring it all fresh to your table. Be sensible with this, as they may charge you for wastage, but have fun with it. Going in a big group is definitely advised so you can try a bit of everyone's choice!

These are my top five but you may have some other favourites. Let me know as I'd love to visit all the best restaurants on Teesside!

Have you been to any of these already? If you haven't already visited, which is first on your list??

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Eating out at Cena, Yarm

I'm always up for eating out. One place I don't get to visit for food much is Yarm. There are some great eateries on the high street including Muse, Mockingbird Deli and Grill 99. I really wanted to visit Cena again having been once for a Christmas lunch with work. We went on a Saturday afternoon for some lunch and it didn't disappoint.

The interior at Cena has rustic Italian vibes and is classy but chilled out. We got a table straight away and started looking over our options. As it was the day before Halloween there was a special cocktail on offer, a toffee apple Martini. As I wasn't driving I decided to get one and it was lovely. Super sweet, it tasted just like a toffee apple! I picked a four cheese pizza for my main and Matt picked the roast rump of lamb.

They both came within a reasonable time and looked amazing. My pizza was huge! Cooked in their pizza oven, the crust was thin and crispy. It was smothered in cheese and tasted so fresh. Matt really enjoyed his lamb saying it was the best lamb dish he'd ever had. Now that's a big statement to make!

We didn't have any dessert as we were both stuffed from our mains. Maybe I was more full than Matt having eaten all that pizza, although to be fair I did leave three pieces. Overall we really enjoyed our visit and would be more than happy to visit again.

Have you visited Cena before? What other places in Yarm do you like to eat?

Boutique Fashion in Yarm

Recently I had the chance to visit fashion outlet, Kiwi Boutique, for a night of cakes, drinks, blogger chats and most importantly clothes. With a shop already in Guisborough, Kiwi Boutique opened up another in Yarm which is proving to be just as popular! Fellow blogger and employee of Kiwi Boutique, Lucy, organised the event to promote the Yarm store. 

The girls in the shop spoke to us about the Autumn/Winter fashion and gave us a tour around the store. The shop was quaint and cosy but filled with some great fashion. I had the chance to try on a few pieces but unfortunately, I didn't come away with anything. I'll definitely be checking them out in the future to see what new pieces they get in store.

If you are in the area make sure to give Kiwi Boutique a visit! I was kindly given a voucher code to pass along to my lovely readers to provide you with 10% off purchases (on non-sale items).

Happy Shopping!

Muse, Yarm

I've recently made a conscious effort to try more restaurants in Yarm, Stockton. There are so many gorgeous-sounding trendy places to eat that I haven't had the chance to visit so I've been trying to put that right. First of all, I went to the Purple Pig and now I've visited a place just over the road called Muse.

Before arriving at Muse I hadn't heard much about it except that looking at the menus I knew the food was pretty expensive but also that it sounded appetising. I went along with my friend Danni and I was really pleased we'd chosen Muse when we walked in to find a lovely clean, open and brilliantly styled restaurant.

We both chose what we wanted to eat pretty sharpish - I went for garlic and rosemary marinated chicken whilst Danni went for smoked duck risotto. It was served with rocket on top. Whoever thinks that just rocket is a salad is out of their mind! Grinds my gears. Once I'd taken it off I tried my chicken and it was a bit strange - not really what I was expecting but not really bad. I finished off my chips and bearnaise sauce before starting to decide which dessert to have.

We both went for the same thing - I believe it was a milk chocolate and hazelnut frozen parfait with praline cream and raspberry sauce. It was very yummy! Although it was frozen some parts had started to melt and it was so creamy and chocolatey I could have eaten ten.

If you are out in Yarm, want some pretty snazzy food and are prepared to pay the prices I'd definitely recommend Muse. They also have outside seating for the summertime.