DF Mexico

DF Mexico near the Old Truman Brewery on London’s Brick Lane is named after “Distrito Federal”- the name that locals use for Mexico City. 

Inspired by a recent trip across the US/Mexico borders by Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby - founders of the popular Wahaca restaurant chain - the concept fuses American influences with authentic Mexican cuisine.

With a thoroughly modern brand identity and a fresh, monochrome space offset with industrial furniture and flashes of bold colour, DF Mexico is like the hip older cousin of your typical themed high street eatery. Perfect for those who like their Mexican dining experiences minus the sombreros and Spanish guitar music.  

And of course, the food is pretty excellent too - as any fan of Thomasina's would expect. 

After struggling to decide what to eat for an embarrassing length of time, my dining buddy opted for the Chilli Beef Torta - a Mexican-inspired sandwich served in a brioche bun with slaw, smashed avocado and house pickles (yes, it was as dreamy as it sounds) - while I chose the Pork Tibil Tacos with pink pickled onions (aka the PRETTIEST onions).

As somebody who eats out more than I'd care to admit, it's not often that a restaurant gets me genuinely excited - it was even enough to get me blogging again.

Check out the full DF Mexico menu here - and see if you can choose your favourite any faster than we could!

A Good Sunday

The Little One had to hang out with me and the girls today, but of course he loved the attention. We had a good catch up over brunch at Boston Tea Party (I forgot how good their bacon is!) followed by a browse around the Artisan Market, and then a play - and photo shoot - in the park. A perfectly chilled Sunday.

Café Solitude

Some things that are important to me in a café: decent coffee (goes without saying really); good seating; natural light; friendly staff; Wi-fi; proper butter. 'The Lounge' chain seem to be doing all of these rather well.

 

The Salamander

The Salamander, Bath. You couldn't find a more cosy place to hide away on a cold Winter's night. 

The Salamander is one of those tucked-away pubs that's easy to forget about, but it's becoming a favourite boozy destination of ours and is popular with Bath locals looking for something with a bit more soul than the usual city gastro pub. In the bar downstairs, you can choose from a tempting array of Bath ales or something from the decent wine list, and pitch up at a wooden table by the fire. But you'd be a fool not to go upstairs afterwards and sample the food in the intimate dining room. 

 

Feeling in need of something hearty, my boyfriend and I both opted for the braised ox cheeks with horseradish mash (despite it being a pet hate of mine to both order the same thing, mostly because I want to see what the other dishes on the menu look like!). Ox cheeks aren't the usual cut of meat you'd expect to see on a menu, but luckily they were slowly cooked to perfection so that the meat was tender enough to cut with a butter knife, and served in a rich savoury sauce alongside a big heap of creamy mash with just enough of a  horseradish kick. Pretty reasonably priced too at £12.95.

We carried on drinking leisurely whilst kidding ourselves that we weren't going to order dessert. The final compromise was to share the English apple tart with butterscotch sauce and creme fraiche, and although the flavours were the perfect balance of sharp apple and achingly sweet toffee, to be honest it was a greedy step too far and we couldn't finish it.

So we gave up and carried on drinking. Well it is nearly Christmas!

Go to The Salamander website here

The Cosy Club

Went here for the first time last night- the newly opened Cosy Club in Bath's Southgate district. Having heard good things about it, and already being a fan of their other bar in Bath 'The Velo Lounge', we were very excited to give it a try. Mostly I was keen to get my hands on their tapas menu and enjoy a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the balcony terrace, which overlooks the streets below so is an excellent people-watching spot!

There is a good selection of tapas (aswell as other mains on the menu such as burgers, salads and pasta dishes) and you can choose three dishes for £8 which is, I think, very good value.

FYI if you go on a "Tapas Tuesday" you also get a free glass of wine!

Some of our choices included chorizo cooked in garlic and red wine, slow cooked five-spice pork belly, minted peas with feta and spring onions, and crayfish tails in a chilli tomato sauce. YUM!

After our food we moved inside for some cocktails. I have to say the decor is one of the best things about this place-an eclectic mix of colours and textures, with oil paintings on the walls, mismatched cushions on the bar stools and Victorian lampshades hanging over the gorgeous bar.

Did I mention the delicious raspberry margherita? It was...well, delicious. I came for the food, but it may just be this new cocktail discovery that keeps me coming back...

Sam's Kitchen (not mine,unfortunately)

Today I went for lunch at a new cafe in Bath that I've been dying to visit. I walk past most days, and it's pretty much always busy. Now seeing as it's only been open a couple of months, you know they must be doing something right. It seems word is spreading and I couldn't wait to have a nose in Sam's Kitchen for myself..

The concept itself makes a refreshing change to all the Starbucks-inspired cafes that seem to be popping up everywhere. The interior is rustic and charming, based around a large farmhouse-style pine table for communal use, plus a few extra tables, an inviting leather sofa, an equally welcoming bookcase, and various deli items for sale such as homemade jams and chutneys. Oh, and there's a piano. Of course!

When you enter, you are greeted by a tiered counter groaning under the weight of all manner of goodies. We arrived at 11 to the sight of pastries, brownies, florentines, meringues and even homemade lemonade. What's a girl to choose? We started proceedings with a light rosewater and toasted pinenut meringue, a peppermint tea for my friend and an espresso for myself.

The most impressive thing, for me, is that everything is made in the small kitchen behind the counter. So, whilst innocently sipping my espresso, the smells of what they were cooking for lunch kept temptingly wafting over to our table. The counter was changed, and the daily specials were unveiled..

I decided to go for a slice of Leek, Mustard and Westcombe Cheddar Tart, still warm from the oven. I had a choice of sides, and opted for a butternut squash, rocket and pumpkin seed salad. The salad was delicious, with a generous portion of roasted squash, and the tart had a wonderfully strong savoury flavour with the just the right mustardy kick.

As recommended by the very sweet waitress, I also had an apple, ginger and mint juice, made fresh to order.

Now really, that's a lovely looking lunch. I will definitely be hanging out in Sam's Kitchen again, and I'm sure it's going to very popular....although I hope not too popular, or I'll be struggling to find a table!

Farewell Lunch

Before we knew it, it was time for Adam and Lucy to leave. We had a farewell lunch at One Beaufort in Bath. Very reasonably priced and beautiful decor inside, with a tastefully done gastro pub feel. My Mum and Auntie also came down for the day, and guess what? They've taken my darling Toby to stay with my Mum and Dad for the weekend, giving me a very welcome few days off! Hhmm it may be time for another case of When Good Mums Go Bad! Excellent fish and chips and a homemade tartare sauce that converted me one of my least favourite condiments...

..and a very excessive chocolate fondant with chocolate ice cream.

I think toby's going to miss his uncle!

Miso Love Sushi

So whilst the food blogosphere is full of varying pancake recipes to celebrate Pancake Day, what do I give you? Why sushi, of course. Call it Shrove Sushi. I don't know how this came to be, but I somehow completely FORGOT Pancake Day. Totally.
Anyway I can't be too broken-hearted, as I got to join my friend Stephanie for the best sushi in town. And I just hope this sad day doesn't leave a lasting impression on Toby or give him any repressed memories of Pancake Neglect.

So if you live near Bath, you have to try Yen Sushi on Bartlett Street. Don't bother with Yo Sushi, it's just nowhere near as good. This is where everybody goes. It's always busy, and my top recommendation is the Teriyaki Salmon. It's awesome.

I'm curious to know if anyone has tried making sushi at home? I kind of feel a themed dinner party coming on. Now I just need to practice my Geisha look...

Tapas Tuesdays!

So, if you live in Bath and fancy a bit of Tapas -and it happens to be a Tuesday - then head to The Velo Lounge on Moorland Road. They do a great deal of three tapas dishes and a glass of wine for £8.50, and it's starting to become a rather regular occurence for us!
I met a group of friends there last night, and was pleased to find that the food and the cosy, book-lined, candelit atmosphere was just as good as before. There's loads of tapas to choose from so you can't go wrong. My favourite? The slow roasted chinese five spice pork. I HAVE to try and do this at home, as the tapas sized portion was just not enough! If anyone knows a good recipe for it I'd love to hear from you!

The Crown at Bathford

My parents came to visit today, and took Toby and I for lunch at the newly re-furbished pub in Bathford. Having been recently taken over by a French couple, and branded as a "bistro pub", we were curious to see how things had changed..

Well, the decor had certainly improved for a start. The atmosphere was also relaxed and welcoming, with a large roaring fire in the centre of the pub. It wasn't too busy either, which is unusual in a pub on a dreary Sunday, so we were able to relax and take our time. The drinks also arrived very promptly which always helps! We had the house red, as recommended by the waiter, and it was delicious.

But, I hear you cry(!) what about the food?

At £12 per roast, I was a bit apprehensive that we might be disappointed. But when they arrived-beef for Mum, Lamb for myself, Dad and Toby-we were very impressed. The meat was cooked to perfection, with a bit of pink the middle, and there was a generous amount of it. It was accompanied by proper, big fat puffy yorkshires; as good a roast potato as I've ever had; and some cabbage, sprouts and leek that had been cooked in a garlic butter.

I must say it's nice to go for a roast and not come away thinking "could've done that better myself". Thanks to Mum and Dad for a lovely afternoon, and if you live in the Bath/Wiltshire area then give this one a try!

The Tollgate Inn

Today was the 5 year anniversary of when Tim and I started going out! For our anniversary lunch, we managed to leave Toby with Nanna and Grandad and sneak off to The Tollgate Inn at Holt. I have to credit Tim for finding this place. It's a great pub, really nice decor and atmosphere, and the food was restaurant standard but very reasonable at £16.95 for three courses.

I had a very special starter of game terrine with toasted brioche and homemade chutney. Tim had a tomato and red pepper soup drizzled with basil oil. We both had local roast beef for our mains, served with proper yorkshires!

For dessert, Tim had a ridiculously huge chunk of sticky toffee pudding with caramel ice cream. I had a lemon possett with strawberries, chantilly cream and a little homemade biscuit, with a dessert wine alongside.

Definitely recommend this place! http://www.tollgateholt.co.uk/