Review: Chatterbox Clara Goes To Featherblade

I booked a table online because I had read about it being hard to get a table at times so I wanted to make sure that there was no possibility of being turned away! I had heard nothing but brilliant things about the steak in Featherblade so I had to go and experience it for myself. As I walked in the door the first thing that struck me was the casual ambiance. I had expected it to look completely different! 

We were seated at a small table near the door and presented with a sheet of paper which was the menu. The waitress came back after a short time and we ordered our meal. We each had the featherblade steak with bearnaise sauce and shared three sides which were chips, mac and cheese and broccoli. 

The food came to the table after about 15 minutes. We both asked for the steaks to be cooked medium-well and we both felt that the steak was a bit overcooked. I will definitely ask for it to be cooked medium the next time that I go back. The steak was tasty but I saw another diner eating the hanger steak (the other option available on the menu) and it looked full of flavour! I wasn't the biggest fan of the bearnaise sauce with the steak but it was nice with the chips. I'm a huge mac and cheese lover and it was one of the better that I have had, although, not the best. 

                             

After the main course, the waitress came back and asked if we would like to order dessert and we decided that we would share one between the two of us. We waited for about 25 minutes and then thought that the waitress must have forgotten about it. Nobody came down near our table for another 10 minutes or so. The waitress seemed to have gone off of her shift so when I got the attention of a staff member we just asked for the bill. 

I will go back to Featherblade to try the hanger steak, I enjoyed the featherblade steak. The value is fantastic, I haven't had any other steak like it for €13. I just felt that the service could have been better and made the experience slightly less enjoyable. 

Review: Chatterbox Clara Goes To Arthur Maynes

I went to my first Zomato meet up recently in Arthur Maynes in Donnybrook and what a delightful experience it was! We were welcomed with the choice of a tasting of cocktails or craft beers. I chose to have the flight of mini cocktails which were robust and stylish. The barman David talked us through each cocktail with great knowledge and his passion for his profession shone through.  

                                                                                  

                                       

                                 
We were then moved into a small, private dining area for our meal and presented with an amuse-bouche. I thought that the flavours were a little overpowering and found them to be my least favourite part of the dining experience. I then chose to have the pan fried prawns which were served with a parsley and garlic puree sauce and herbs salad. I thought that they were succulent and I loved the combination of flavours in this course. 

For my main course, I had the Midaza Stout Toulouse style sausages - a speciality at Arthur Maynes which the chef recommended. They were served on top of a bed of creamy mash potato and button mushrooms. This was my favourite course and I can't wait to devour the sausages again! 

For dessert, I had the deconstructed chocolate and oreo cheesecake. It was a creamy delight and any chocolate lovers dream! The bread and butter pudding was a huge hit at the table with one of the other diners saying it was the best that they had ever had! Throughout the meal, we were served by a lovely guy called Peter who was outstandingly good at his job! Overall, it was a wonderful night and it was great to meet other members of the Zomato community! I'm looking forward to returning to Arthur Maynes. 

Review: Chatterbox Clara Goes To Geisha

I was the lucky winner of a Zomato competition which included a Valentine's two-course dinner for two with prosecco in Geisha, Malahide. The table was booked for Saturday the 13th of February and I brought my lovely Mammy along with me. We were welcomed at the door and brought upstairs into a section of tables just off of the main dining area to a reserved table by the window which had a gorgeous view of the marina.

The Valentine's menu was a set menu so for starter we had a combination platter between both of us which included wontons, spring rolls, king prawn tempura's and salmon rolls. Neither of us like salmon rolls so we asked for them to be left out and the waitress asked if we would like to substitute for something else so we got more king prawn tempura's instead. It was presented with two dips, one was a sweet chilli sauce and the other was hoi sin. I thought that the prawn tempura's were cooked to perfection and everything else was delectable.

 

For the main course, I had the Mat Ziu Beef which is fillet beef grilled and sliced with mixed vegetables, honey and pepper sauce. My Mam had the Thai Basil Fillet Beef which is fillet steak grilled and sliced with mixed vegetables, garlic, onion, chilli and basil. You could choose to have fragrant basmati rice, wok-fried rice or chunky chips so I had the wok-fried rice and my Mam had the basmati rice. I loved the Mat Ziu Beef, it was full of flavour and I loved the sweetness that the honey gave the beef. I also tried the Thai Basil Fillet Beef which I thought was zesty. I was definitely happy with the choice that I made for the main course.

We decided to have dessert and the waitress recommended that we tried the sharing platter which included a mini macaroon, banoffi, black cherry tart and a baileys mini. I loved the baileys mini and the banoffi which were creamy and sweet but wasn't too keen on the others. We both wished that we had ordered a dessert each and not had the sharing platter because we only liked some of it and the portions were so small but there's always next time! The meal was delicious and I look forward to going back to Geisha. Thanks Zomato!

Review: Chatterbox Clara Goes To Fallon And Byrne

Last Friday, my friend and I met up for a lunch date and decided to go to Fallon and Byrne on Exchequer street, Dublin 2. I had never been before so was looking forward to trying it out as I had gone past the food market many times and never had the time to go in. When you walk into the food market you go up the stairs to get to the restaurant. We were welcomed and seated at a table where we were greeted by a lovely waiter who looked after us for our visit. Before I get into the review about the food, I just have to highlight what a pleasant experience we had, the waiter did everything to ensure that we were satisfied at all times.

As it was a lunch, I was deciding between having a soup and a salad or just a salad. In the end, I chose to have a small caesar salad which had crisp pancetta, shaved parmesan, garlic croutons and chive and I decided to add chicken. My friend chose the pan-seared Dingle hake, braised salsify, burnt scallions, king oyster mushrooms and verjus. While you're waiting for your food, you're offered a choice of complimentary bread. The two types of bread available were tomato and fennel or sourdough. I'm not a fan of sourdough bread so I chose to have the tomato and fennel which I cannot wait to purchase in their food market. My friend had a slice of both and he favoured the tomato and fennel.

When the caesar salad came to the table, I was pleasantly surprised at the portion size. I've tried many caesar salads around Dublin and this has been one of the best! The blend of flavours was a delight to the palate. I especially enjoyed the pancetta, it was extremely appetising. I'm not a fish lover but my friend assured me that the hake was cooked to perfection

As the meal came to an end we both felt as though it had been a sublime dining experience. I look forward to going back to Fallon and Byrne to dive into the menu and explore the various options that are available. I also look forward to spending time in the food market and purchasing their superb tomato and fennel bread. 

Recipe: Spicy Honey And Garlic Sauce

Spicy Honey And Garlic Sauce


Yesterday, I posted the photo below on all of my social media accounts (see left-hand side of the blog page) of a sauce that I'd made. Over the last few months, I've been cooking from scratch a lot so I thought that I'd share this recipe with you because it tasted so good! This recipe is perfect for chicken or prawns!

Ingredients 

Serves 3 

5 chicken breasts 

1/2 a cup of liquid honey

2 cloves of garlic (pressed) 

Chilli flakes (add your own preference for spice) 

1 1/2 half tbsp of virgin olive oil

2 tbsp of maggi seasoning (soy sauce can be used as a substitute) 

2 tsp of sugar (optional) 

Coconut oil but any oil can be used instead to fry with, I just prefer coconut oil. 

Method 

1) Fill half a cup with the liquid honey and add the virgin olive oil and maggi seasoning into the cup. Stir together. 

2) Slice the garlic cloves into pieces and press them so as they're nearly like a paste.  

3) Slice the chicken and add the coconut oil to a hot pan (I used a wok). When the coconut oil has completely melted add the chicken and garlic. 

4) As the chicken begins to look cooked add the honey sauce mixture into the pan. 

5) Sprinkle the sugar over the chicken and stir (optional) 

6) Add your desired amount of chilli flakes, this gives it a kick. I used loads because I love spice!

There you have it a delicious, spicy honey and garlic sauce! Let me know what you think of it. To see more from me check out my Instagram, Facebook page and Twitter. Links to all of these are at the left-hand side of the blog page Enjoy, Clara x 

Is Love Hard To Find Or Are You Just Afraid?

'Love is so hard to find these days'

I hear that sentence from so many people. When I look around myself in public, I see that the majority of people have their eyes glued to screens whether it be their phone or laptop. All that you have to do is hop on a bus and take a look around. You'll see that most people are looking at their phones. How do we expect to find love if we're fixated by a screen? How can we say that it's so hard to find if all we have to do is look up and see what's right in front of us; humans. 

It seems as though it's getting harder and harder for people to communicate face to face because of dating apps like Tinder. What did people do before these apps? They approached each other. I couldn't imagine being in a shop and a man approaching me asking me if I'd like to go for dinner. Yesterday, I was the only person walking on a street and one of two guys from across the road proceeded to whistle at me, "hold on prince charming, I'll be over in a second". 

I often wonder to myself if these dating websites have destroyed our communication skills. If a man approached one of us on the street, our first thought would most likely be 'what does this weirdo want' or 'am I about to be attacked'. Yes, we do have to be careful but you always have to be careful. Just because you're communicating through a phone or laptop doesn't make it any safer.

I have learnt from speaking to women and men that they crave the old fashioned stuff. If somebody found someone attractive twenty years ago, they would have to go up to them and introduce themselves. They actually had to make that first move face to face. I know it seems like it's just much easier to do over the phone, you can break the ice easily with a cheesy chat up line but if you see someone out and about and think 'wow, I'd really love to speak to them', then why not do it? 

Yes, rejection is awful but what do you have to lose? Go for it! This goes for both men and women. You can't always expect men to be the ones to initiate everything, it works both ways these days! All it takes is a polite 'hello' and take it from there. Saying hello isn't a marriage proposal, it's nothing to be afraid of, yet, it's something that sends the fear of God into most people, myself included! 

I don't use dating apps (tried them, hated them) and I feel because I don't, that I'm doomed to end up as the next Ms. Havisham. I think that the reason people speak to someone they like in a derogatory way or catcall to break the ice is because they're too embarrassed to do otherwise. You aren't going to stop and talk to someone in the middle of the street that whistles at you or says 'nice ass', are you? You're more likely going to stop and talk to someone that approaches you, says hello and shakes your hand. 

It's time to take a break from dating apps and look around us. There's only so much swiping to the left and right that you can do! Look up, smile at someone if you like them. Say hello and you never know what could happen. You might just find that love that you say is so hard to find these days.

Miracle MiracOILicious Hair Treatment

I recently got my hair dyed and wanted to get it as blonde as I could in one go. My hair is dry anyway from using heating appliances and colouring over the years so I knew that I was going to have to get something to keep my hair hydrated after dying it so much lighter. I love Mark Hill products so I looked through the range and found this 2 minute intensive treatment called MiracOILicious. It's an exotic blend of 14 of the finest essential oils and plant extracts which includes Moroccan Argan Oil, Ylang-Ylang and Bergamot. 

After shampooing my hair I squeeze out the excess water and massage the treatment from my roots to ends. Be careful not to use too much. I scooped out way too much the first time I used it. I left it in for around 5 minutes on my first application because of how dry my hair was and then rinsed it out throughly but 2 minutes is all that it takes. I can't get over how soft and hydrated my hair is getting after using MiracOILicious. It feels so much stronger and healthier and the smell is amazing. I bought mine in Boots for €10.99.