Red Hot World Buffet, Manchester Reviewed

Posted in Diet by phatcupcake

On a visit to Leeds Mr PC and I were introduced to the world of the Red Hot Buffet. It was pre-blogging days but we both really enjoyed it. Quick and easy food to satisfy most people. Unfortunately we hadn’t ventured to the one in Manchester, and then an invite dropped into my inbox… oh the excitement but also the nerves. How would an ‘all you can eat’ possibly satisfy my ever increasing demand for a decent meal? How could it possibly tempt me away from the higher end cuisine that I have become accustomed to?

Manchester Red Hot World Buffet is their flagship restaurant and the owners, Mr & Mrs Dhaliwal, have a big ambition. Their aim is to surprise and excite the most sceptical people of Manchester. Their concept is a ‘restaurant within a restaurant’; lifting the kitchens from behind the scenes to front of house. Specialist zones include a gourmet burger counter, North and South Indian kitchens, a sushi station, cold-stone creamery, oriental grill and a mediterranean kitchen. Excited yet? You should be!

I was invited with a group of bloggers to sample the delights of the kitchen and to meet the head chef Anurag Bisht. We were greeted with a cocktail that looked a lot like an alcoholic slushie. Now I know my cocktails, you know this, but I found this surprisingly good with a nice glug of liquors and triple sec to compliment a whole blended plum.

We started the night with hand rolled salmon sushi from the sushi station. The wasabi spiked soy sauce was a surprise and gave the dip a lovely kick. The sushi was satisfying too and the rice still had a bit of bite, nothing mushy about this sushi!

This potato tikki was what I was looking forward to the most, I’d never tried Indian street food before and this was beautifully spiced with little gems of pomegranate to pop in the mouth when the spice gets a bit too much. I thought this would be dry but it was lovely and moist.

The fish course was a seafood risotto and this was the surprise of the night! I was expecting a sloppy, gloopy mess but boy, did I get the opposite. A good mix of seafood was complimented with well cooked rice with a slight bite. Just the way risotto should be. Topped with shaved parmesan to bring out the creaminess of the sauce, I really enjoyed it.

For main we had a chicken teppanyaki from the oriental grill. The sauce was still prominent in this dish which, I personally like. This was a simple dish of chicken with pak choi, asparagus, leek and spring onion in a soy and oyster sauce. Just what you need if you are here watching your waist line.

The raspberry sorbet was really tangy and looked beautiful served atop a bed of ice. The pancakes were like mini scotch pancakes which, I had with bananas and toffee sauce. There are a number of options and I wish I’d had the triple chocolate ones. Not because mine weren’t good but because they looked amazing! The petit fours were lovely with soft macaroons and lovely chocolate truffles.

So the overall verdict? Very surprised, the food was really good and cooked well considering the cheap prices that start from £8.49. Perfect if you are in need of good food in a hurry, that is unless everyone else has the same idea!

You can claim a discount too if you book HERE… what have you got to lose?

16Jun2013

What’s in your Handbag?

Posted in Uncategorized by phatcupcake

Money Supermarket have challenged bloggers to write a post about the contents of their handbag for the chance to win a Mulberry Bayswater replacement. This isn’t something I would normally do on my blog but thought it was really interesting to see just how much the stuff we carry around in our handbags is worth. I’ve read some great posts from other bloggers so far, here is mine:

Kate Spade Handbag £95

This is my Kate Spade bowler bag that I got the last time I went to Woodbury Common outlet in New York. It was between Christmas and New Year so all the sales had started. I managed to bag (pun intended) this for the ridiculously cheap price of £95. I’d have bought the purse to match if I’d realised it would work out so cheap with the exchange rate.

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk £7.99

I always have either my Kindle or a book in my bag. I’ve been reading the True Blood series and wanted something different so went for I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk. I was drawn to it because, well, I Heart New York. It is my favourite city in the world, I’ve been 5 times already and don’t think I’ll ever get bored of visiting.

Notebook £5.99

I started carrying a notebook around when I got into blogging. It is the perfect size to pop in my bag and if I have an idea for a post or am out, I can just scribble some notes without worrying about forgetting everything. The writing in there is an absolute mess! I have to write things so fast sometimes that even I struggle to read my writing when I go back to write a post up.

Car Keys £150

I never realised how expensive it would be to replace the keys to my Kia Rio… I’m guessing it would need to be reprogrammed due to the central locking but still, better make sure I don’t lose them! I also have my Tesco clubcard on there as well as a keyring with a photo of my friend Nicola and I on a night out. It was AGES ago but I love the picture, we both look so happy.

DKNY Purse £40

I bought myself a DKNY purse in New York at the same time that I bought my handbag. When I got home my Mum had been bought the bag to match for Christmas! She snaffled the purse I had bought and she bought me this one as a replacement. I always have this style of purse, a small coin purse with lots of card space. That way it holds all my bank, business and loyalty cards.

Boots Lipbalm £1.50

As Winter hit the UK last year my lips became so cracked that I hotfooted it to Boots in my lunch hour for this. I’m not a big fan to be honest but it did the job when I needed it. I keep it in my handbag for similar occasions where I just need a boost of moisture.

MAC Lipglass in Lust £13.50

This was the first MAC lip product I bought and I still love it. I read a magazine interview with Coleen Rooney and this is her favourite colour, I love her style so went for it.

Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip tint in Nothing but Nude £5.99

I reviewed this product for London Beauty Queen’s Blog… the tint is really good and does last a long time. I keep this in my bag so I can top up the shine with the balm end of the pen.

Swarovski Ballpoint Pen £24

I saw someone at work using this pen and simply had to have it. The Swarovski crystals reflect the light making this look so sparkly whilst I use it. I always get comments on how pretty it is.

Orange San Francisco Mobile Phone £40

This is my work mobile and I hate it! It is so hard to use and I struggle to email with the tiny letters. I use it as little as possible which, isn’t too difficult to do as I wasn’t given a mains charger for it so I rely on a USB one instead.

Paracetamol 50p

I keep these in my bag as you never know when you will need them! If I am having an IBS attack these do take the edge off the pain of the cramps and also curb headaches. I try not to use them too often though.

Fork 50p

We have a fridge and microwave at work but no cutlery. If I left this on my desk it would disappear so I always keep it in my bag. I am forever stabbing myself when I am digging around though!

Great Ethiopian Run Medal – Priceless

I travelled to Ethiopia in 2011 having raised £2000 for Retrak Charity. A group of us went to work with street kids and renovate their safe house accommodation. Whilst there we did the Great Ethiopian 10km run with the kids. It was an experience I will never forget. I nearly didn’t get this medal, the event was poorly organised and members of the armed guard just threw these into the crowd at the end of the race. As you can imagine many people came away with more than one and others came away without. I was one of the people who came away without a medal but one of the wonderful children, who lives on the streets, gave this to me. I told him to keep it but he was adamant and looks so happy that he could help me. I mean, come on, him help ME?! Such selfless children who have absolutely nothing, it was so heart touching.

Gym Pass £5

I’ve not been to the gym in a very long time, this is something that will change this week so I have made sure my gym pass is in my bag so there are no excuses for not going!

Student ID £5

I also have my work ID in my bag but this one is more important as it gives me discounts in certain places…!

Mindfulness CD £5

I was given this CD as part of a resilience course I attended at work. It is a simple meditation CD that I haven’t even tried yet but I will be doing soon. I really enjoyed learning the techniques on the course and did feel enlightened afterwards.

Hair Band 50p

If I have my hair down and it rains, this is my saviour! I can just tie it back and forget all about what it looks like.

iPhone 5 £450

I’d be lost without my mobile phone, it has my life on it! I upgraded to the iPhone 5 the day it was released and have to say that I am a little disappointed. I moved from O2 to Orange and the service is really poor. The amount of times I get ‘call failed’ halfway through a conversation is ridiculous. The battery life is also really bad but hey, it looks pretty.

Swarovski Phone Case £30

I used to buy cheap crystal embellished phone cases off the internet for a couple of pounds but they only ever lasted a couple of months before the crystals started to fall off. This one was expensive at £30 but I have had it nearly 12 months and the only crystal to come off is on the top corner where I dropped it on the floor. The Apple logo on the back is crystal embellished too so really catches the light. I adore it.

So that’s me and I have racked up a total of £941 including the money in my purse. Wow!!! What’s in your handbag? Make sure you leave me a comment with your links so I can have a nosey… I love to see what people carry around with them on a daily basis.

10Jun2013

24 Bar and Grill, Manchester Reviewed

Posted in Cocktails/Drinks, Diet by phatcupcake

I love a Twitter competition and was really pleased to win a meal for 2 at 24 Bar and Grill. It can be found in the Arora Hotel on Princess Street, in fact, I was a huge fan when it was called Obsidian. I’ve had many a fabulous meal there.

The decor is unchanged with plush circular booths lining the wall and regular tables dotted around the centre of the restaurant. The bar is long and dimly lit with a lengthy menu that even surprised me! We had a few cocktails, it would be rude not to, and they were all lovely. Their porn star martini was particularly good and not as sweet as the one I tried in Dog Bowl, a definite bonus.

We wandered through to the resraurant and ordered our starters. I went for the duck rillette and Charlie decided to try the smoked salmon and leek tartlet. The plum compote served with the duck rillette was lovely and rich. This would have been perfect had the duck itself had a stronger flavour, it just drowned it completely. I’m not sure what was missing? Perhaps a different seasoning to bring out the flavour of the duck? Charlie’s tartlet had a beautiful filling that wasn’t too strong but the pastry was a little soggy which, was disappointing.

For the main course I went for the butter braised chicken with spiced cous cous tagine. Charlie went for the lighter option of pancetta and forest mushroom linguine served with a herb crostini. The chicken was lovely with a deliciously crispy skin. The houmous bed was delightful and made this a posh twist on a kebab. The cous cous was tasty enough but could have done with a bit of more chilli to add to the subtle kick. Charlie tells me her linguine was perfectly cooked with lovely mushrooms that weren’t too overpowering. I didn’t try this due to my mushroom phobia We did giggle though as when Charlie bit into the garlic crostini served with the dish, half of it ended up on the floor due to its crispyness!

Onto dessert and I was instantly attracted to the chocolate and salted caramel mousse whilst Charlie went for her firm favourite, the cheese board. I was expecting a light and airy mousse with a lovely salty bite to cut through the sweetness of the dessert. Unfortunately this wasn’t really a mouse, there was no air and it was extremely rich. Not usually a problem for me but I was expecting something different. I couldn’t really taste the salted caramel either.
Charlie’s cheeseboard looked pretty and the Blacksticks blue was the star of the show. The cheddar was a little rubbery and lacked flavour, the crackers were a little on the soft side and the pickled grapes? Wow they packed a punch… in a fairly unpleasant way I’m afraid. I’d never heard of them before but they were very strong. A lighter vinegar would perhaps have worked better?

So, in conclusion, a little disappointing overall with some nice beautiful cocktails. Hopefully this was an unexpected blip and next month’s ‘Taste of 24′ menu will be better, it’s great value at £23 per person for 3 courses with wine.

9Jun2013

Piz Buin After Sun Tan Intensifier Lotion Review

Posted in Beauty by phatcupcake

I adore the sun and am the first person to want to intensify that tan so it is deeper and lasts longer. Like me though, how many times have you bought a tan extender product to find your tan goes orangey and leaves fake tan type marks on your hands? I hate the smell of fake tan too so this is really off putting for me. Well I think I have the answer…

Piz Buin have released an aftersun with an added ingredient to deepen your tan with no fake tan. Tanimel claims to help maintain the melanin production in your skin and increase the production of melanin by up to 133%. Tanimel is derived from the restharrow plant proving that you won’t get any fake tan smell from this lotion!

This is a light lotion but isn’t as runny in consistency as some others I have used. This is a good thing for me as it still sinks into the skin pretty much straight away. The lotion also contains vitamin E giving your skin a much needed moisture boost having been subjected to the sun’s rays. It is also refreshing if you are slightly burnt, in fact, I put it in the fridge to cool my skin down that bit quicker. I find this really does deepen my tan, it seems to prevent my skin from burning as quickly (when combined with a good SPF product) and gives my light tan a boost. I try and use this for the duration of sunny weather or holidays but I’m not 100% convinced that it lengthens the life of my tan, it seems to fade at the same speed as normal.

This product usually retails at £11.49 but is currently on offer in Superdrug for £5.24. I’ve also bought this for £5 in B&M before now so it is worth shopping around to find it. Perfect to rehydrate your skin and deepen your tan in our current sunny English weather without breaking the bank!

5Jun2013

Brew Dog, Manchester Reviewed

Posted in Diet by phatcupcake

Now I am not a beer drinker in any way, shape or form. I will try most things once and have tried beer in a few different forms, but I’m still not keen. So you can imagine my reluctance when I received an invite from Brew Dog* in Manchester to sample their beer. Luckily for me they softened this blow with the promise of some food from their new menu.

Brew Dog is on Peter Street amongst far too many empty premises, I spend many a drunken night down this area of Town on a Friday and Saturday night throughout my youth. It was such a shame to see its decline but it is certainly on the up with the opening of Revolucion De Cuba and now Brew Dog. Brew Dog is primarily a craft beer bar offering drinkers a better level of beer and ale to that you usually find in your regular pub or bar. This used to be paired with some good meat and cheese platters in the Manchester bar, but that has all changed. Enter the biggest smoker they could find paired with some playful staff and the new menu was born.

Aptly named a ‘BBQ menu’ you will find the finest wares from the smoker accompanied with some fabulous rubs and seasonings all made on site, no pre mixed jars here! The menu is short but sweet, even I was slightly tempted by the vegetarian option of halloumi and mushroom burger, alas, I’m a huge mushroom phobe. Instead I went for the brisket with a side of smoked mac n cheese whilst my friend Toni opted for the pulled pork sandwich with burnt beans.

Meals are served on retro metal trays which we both loved and the sides were served in jars and metal mugs, as you can see. Love me a bit of retro! The pulled pork was smothered in a spicy bbq sauce with the meat being spiced too, it certainly packed a punch in a good way. The beans were an absolute delight, containing chunks of my delicious brisket to finish them off well. I’m not a bean lover apart from the baked by Heinz kind I have to say. I love the sweetness of Heinz beans and most others just don’t satisfy that for me. These, however, did. Lovely and sweet whilst moist and not ‘chalky’, I really enjoyed these on top of the hunk of loaf my meal came with.

My brisket had a fabulous dry rub that flavoured the meat beautifully. The meat just broke apart under the weight of my fork, no need for a knife with this meal! I felt the dish was a little dry and the bread could have used a slab of butter but once I tipped half a jar of those delightful beans on top, I was onto a winner.

I’d heard wonderful things about the smoked mac ‘n’ cheese so it was a no brainer that I’d be going for this as my side. Smoked with both red leicester and monterey jack cheddar this was absolutely amazing and the best mac ‘n’ cheese I have ever tasted. It’s not too ‘saucy’ either which, I liked. Finally the slaw served with all meals was a delight, lovely and light to allow for the strong flavours of the meat to shine through.

Not being a beer fan I asked for some recommendations and told the bar staff that I am a ‘fruity’ person (queue jokes here). They let me try two beers so I could choose something I might like and I went for the Duchessa whilst Toni went for a glass of the Punk IPA. I actually liked both… they both had fruity notes with a familiar ‘hoppy’ aftertaste. Just fine, I’m not a convert by any stretch but I certainly wasn’t offended by either of these beers. See? I drank beer!

Finally I had to share with you a picture of the toilet facility area… I have to admit I am a fan of a good toilet, in fact, I am a bit of a toilet snob. I hate broken toilet seats, no toilet roll, crappy hand dryers, need I go on? These are unique though, look at this amazing wallpaper! Superhero geeks rejoice…

So would I go back to Brew Dog? Absolutely! They are fairly quiet about their menu, you wouldn’t necessarily know they do food from the outside and that is fine. This place is all about the craft beer and they work hard at bringing the best of it to you beer drinkers. That said, now I will happily come with you…. but I’ll be sat in the corner playing a retro board game with my head buried in some smoked mac ‘n’ cheese.

*I was invited to dine at Brew Dog by the management but was under no obligation to write a good review. All thoughts are honest and my own.

1Jun2013

‘Try’ of the Week – Lean Life Coaching

Posted in 'Try' of the Week Archive, Diet, Exercise by phatcupcake

When I first set up this blog it was to chart my hopeful weight success. The whole point of my writing was to try and motivate myself back into the gorgeous size 10 dresses I have wasting time in my wardrobe. Nearly 12 months on (yes Phatcupcake is nearly 12 months old!) and, if anything, I am bigger than I was 12 months ago. Now I know this isn’t something you will be surprised by considering the amount of food and drink posts I write. I love eating out and am always swayed by the naughtiest pudding on the menu. I am pretty sure this would all balance out if I ate the right things when not eating out and did more exercise, unfortunately I just can’t seem to find the motivation to do either of those things. So it was with great excitement that I welcomed Lean Life Coaching into my life…

Lean Life Coaching* is a new way to lose weight. I’m pretty sure most of us struggling with our weight have tried the Slimming World/Weight Watchers/Atkins/5-2 diet plans. I’ve personally had great success with Weight Watchers and am back as a member. There is nothing wrong with that and I am a firm believer that you need to do what is right for you. The big difference with Lean Life Coaching is the much more personal service they provide. None of the embarassment you may feel when walking into a group weigh in, no ‘preaching’ that you can or can’t eat certain foods and certainly no ‘let’s clap the person who lost the most weight and scowl at the person who put on half a lb’. There are also a number of options and your coach will talk through these with you. Not all of us need full support, I know what I need to do to be healthier and more active. What I do need is some support to build my motivation and push me down the right path again. Whilst I am sure other diet plans offer this service, Lean Life Coaching offer it in the comfort of your own home on a 1-1 basis. For me, that takes away any embarassment at all.

I had my initial lifestyle and health consultation last night where my coach asked lots of questions, not just about what exercise I do or what food I eat, but about my lifestyle. What support or knockbacks do I have from friends and family in relation to my weightloss? Ultimately why do I want to do this? Why will losing my excess lbs have an impact on my life? This is all personal stuff to me and my answers will help my coach formulate a tailor made plan for me to follow.

As well as the food side of my diet I was also asked to record my weight, but not just that, also my measurements. We talked about this in some detail and I am a firm believer that inch loss is much more important that weight loss. I’d be happy if the scales said I weighed 15 stone if I was in my old size 10 clothes! So body measurements is something I am going to do too.

I’ve been asked to keep a food diary for the next few days that my coach will look at too. This is a standard thing I guess but something you won’t find with most nutritionalists is the approach of Lean Life Coaching. Struggling with something? Need to talk for more motivation? Give them a call, tweet, email or text. Just ask and they are there. Another aspect they are keen to promote is an exercise buddy service to go hand in hand with the meetings. Struggling to get out and exercise? You can go out for a power walk to discuss your progress and concerns… 2 benefits in 1! They are also keen to promote the holistic side to healthy living. This isn’t a plan to help you lose the most weight in 2 weeks, it is a plan for life. A holistic plan that not just teaches you about eating healthily but about LIVING healthily and happily.

I can’t wait to get started! I’ll keep you posted with my progress…

*Lean Life Coaching are providing this service for review purposes. Thoughts and progress will be completely honest.

**Images are taken from Google.

29May2013

Bowl Off!! Dog Bowl and All Star Lanes, Manchester Reviewed

Posted in Cocktails/Drinks, Diet by phatcupcake

Let me tell you I am rubbish at bowling, really rubbish. I am quite happy to sit on the sidelines at the local bowling alley and sup my mediocre drink (usually a glass of cheap wine or vodka and lemonade because that is all that is available) whilst my friends battle to the death.

Dog Bowl Manchester*

So you can imagine my slight concern when I was invited to try not just one but TWO new bowling lanes in Manchester. Thanks to Charlie via Manchester Confidential the first to offer their services was Dog Bowl. Part of the Black Dog chain this venue offers the full on American style bowling experience of the game of death, food and cocktails. Always swayed by a good cocktail (I’m not the #MCRCocktailGirl on Twitter for nothing) we decided to partake in some food and alcoholic comfort before hitting the lanes.

We visited at lunchtime on the first bank holiday in May. If you can remember that far back you will remember that the weather was fairly sunny meaning Dog Bowl was empty when we arrived. We ordered some cocktails to whet our appetites and I went for the Porn Star Martini. Can you believe I haven’t tried one of these babies before? It was fabulously fruity and a shot of prosecco on the side is genius. I definitely intend to compare this to other providers in Manchester soon. Charlie went for a roasted pineapple margarita which, didn’t really taste roasted so that was a shame. Tasty though!

For starters we went for the southern fried dill pickles and South Carolina fried chicken. The pickles were perfect, served in a crispy batter with a sour cream dip. The vinegary goodness was muted by the cool dip and we munched them down quickly. The chicken was a little disappointing for me. I was expecting a well seasoned, possibly slightly spicy, crunchy coating and this wasn’t the case. The slaw they were served with however was beautiful and had a lovely citrus aftertaste. Much nicer than something covered in mayonnaise and certainly complimented the dish better.

We had a slight wait for a mains which, was fine as we were busy nattering away with another cocktail! I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and Charlie went for the southern shrimp quesadilla whilst we shared a mountain of rock n roll fries. The latter really is the star of the show! Chips topped with cheese AND gravy AND hot sauce… wow they were fabulous. The perfect combination of flavours shouldn’t have worked but it did. The pulled pork was good, stringy and soft as it should be. Charlie’s quesadillas were tasty too, spicy fat prawns cooled down with avocado. The price of these was amazing and the basket was overflowing.

We were full but simply had to try dessert… Charlie went for the hot fudge sundae and I had to try the churros. You will see from previous posts that I love Spanish food and was excited to see how Dog Bowl measured up to traditional methods. I have to say I was disappointed, the sauce was a sticky hot fudge and a nice change from the normal chocolate that is served with churros. The churros themselves, however, were a little underdone. The outside was crisp enough but the batter on the inside was doughy and heavy. I was expecting something light and crispy. Charlie’s sundae was nice, the sauce was cold, but apart from that it was nice.

And then the bowling itself! And I can confirm that I am still as rubbish as ever. I started well and was in the lead until Charlie got in her stride with an interesting sideways throwing bowling style. There are only 5 lanes so the area is small and whilst we were eating there was a group bowling on one of the lanes. They weren’t particularly rowdy but we did have to raise our voices to hear each other during our meal. I’m not sure how the dining/drinking experience would be affected if Dog Bowl was busy.

All Star Lanes, Manchester*

The next bank holiday Charlie asked if me and the other half fancied a couple’s bowling challenge at All Star Lanes housed in Great Northern on Deansgate. Feeling a little more confident with the other half’s bowling abilities we decided to jump right onto the lanes. We visited at the same time as Dog Bowl yet All Star Lanes was bustling with families both bowling and enjoying the food on offer. The vibe was a lot different too and seemed more family friendly.

It turns out both the men were fabulous racking up scores in the triple figures. I was, unbelievably, worse than last time and missed a single pin for around 4 goes! Never mind, Charlie and her husband won, I’m not competitive so was happy to accept defeat.

Food wise we didn’t realise we had visited when the brunch menu was on offer and were a bit disappointed to miss the ribs that other bloggers have raved about. I ordered the steak sandwich with added Roquefort whilst Charlie went for the southern fried chicken with waffles and gravy. The sandwich was served on a lovely light ciabatta and the steak was beautifully rare. I was told it would be served pink mind and whilst it was perfect for me, it might not have been for others. I was also treated to a side of gravy to dip the gorgeous fries. Charlie’s southern fried chicken was seasoned well on top of a mountain of waffles. A little more gravy would have been welcomed as they soaked up the gravy goodness quickly. The lads didn’t really share their opinions on the burger or pulled pork hash but they gobbled them down pretty speedily so I’d say they were good.

Not wanting to miss out we all ordered dessert. I went for the rocky road sundae as did Charlie’s husband. Charlie went for the cherry pie with ice cream whilst my other half went for the recommended brownie with bourbon toffee. The sundaes were absolutely huge with mountains of delicious vanilla, double chocolate and even coffee ice cream dotted with chocolatey chunks of brownie, soft marshmallows and fudge sauce. They were really good but so big I hardly looked like I had touched mine. There was also a little jug of extra sauce on the side which was a thoughtful addition. Charlie’s cherry pie looked just the way I like a pie… an individual pie rather than a slice with a slightly runny centre and a softer pastry.

We dabbled with the cocktail menu too and these were all tasty, my favourite was the roller girl which is made with bubble gum syrup. Perfect for my insanely sweet tooth! Charlie had an amazingly boozy milkshake that was so thick it was served with a spoon as well as a generous glug of Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. I really need to head back at some point and try a sharer cocktail… they are served in bowling balls!

So a battle was fought between two new establishments offering a similar experience. If I had to choose? It really would depend what sort of evening I was after. All Star Lanes offer a better family bowling experience and their food is really good. If I was on a night out with friends I think I’d choose Dog Bowl before hitting a club, if I was planning a more sedate evening of bowling fun and some good food/drink, it’d be All Star Lanes. AND All Star has a private room with private bowling lanes. Perfect for crap bowlers like me to suffer in silence.

*We were guests at both venues but opinions are completely honest.
** All photographs taken and supplied by Charlie of www.ginfuelledstocking.co.uk

PhatCupcake

My life in food, fitness and beauty