Bistro 8, Blackwood

My blogging time has been limited lately, and with my job December and January are complete write off's. However, here I am, back in 2017 with blogging goals that I'll undoubtedly fail at but for now, here's some food!

I've been meaning to write about this place after each meal, and I've never gotten around to it. I dined here a couple of times in 2016 so this post will be a bit of a mish mash of all my visits!

Bistro 8 used to be a pub, and has now been converted into a bar & restaurant. They focus on good hearty, locally sourced food, with a slightly Spanish twist. They offer a tapas menu, a decent wine list (with wine glasses bigger than my head) and the garlic bread is worth a visit on it's own.

I've not yet had the full Spanish experience here, but they usually offer one of their tapas dishes as a starter, and the calamari has been a top choice each time. Dusted with a thin batter, they're never greasy. I am also a sucker for a thwack of garlic (sorry Mr P) and the aioli dip always hits the spot.

The spicy chorizo 'scotch' egg was lovely and crunchy on the outside, but a little too rich for me on the inside.

The Spanish chicken thighs were cooked well, with a lovely crunchy skin in a chorizo sauce. Roast potatoes were crispy but soft enough inside to mop up the sauce. However, the sauce lacked a bit of the spice and heat I was expecting.

They know how to cook a proper roast though. These roasties were enormous, crunchy and squidgy. Perfect.

There is a set menu available Mon - Fri (5 - 7pm) which at £12.50 for two courses is excellent value. We always come away feeling outrageously full for a midweek supper. They usually have a few curries on the set menu, and the Malaysian and Thai style curries really pack in the flavour.

The only thing that really irks me about the set menu is the number of main courses requiring a supplement. If you're going to have a set menu, then make it just that! Rant over.

What Bistro 8 does do well is good hearty, home cooked meals just like this lasagne. It was brought to the table still bubbling away and was layered full of vegetables and pasta in a creamy bechamel sauce. 

We've also visited on special occasions, such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, and they do really step it up a notch here. The sizeable roasties above were from a Mother's Day meal, as were these little goats cheese golden nuggets.

Our most recent visit was on Valentine's Day, and I normally try to keep my camera locked away over our meals for at least one day of the year, but this dessert was too good not to share. Prosecco and lemon candy cheesecake, with lemon sorbet. 

The cheesecake was super soft with a spongy base (which I enjoyed even though I'm more a fan of a buttery biscuit base) but the best bit by far was the lemon sorbet. So sharp yet sweet at the same time, it did exactly what it was supposed to do after all the rich food that went before.

Bistro 8 manages to make you feel like you're in a top class restaurant, but in your pyjamas. In a good way. The cosy bar downstairs, and the laid back décor with it's slight nods to the Spanish flavour, echoes the food style. It's a place you'd be equally comfortable dressed up, or popping in midweek straight from work for an indulgent midweek dinner. Which I thoroughly urge you to do.

I am determined to go back one day and enjoy it true Spanish style, on a lazy sunny day in the beer garden, with a jug of sangria and plate after plate of tapas. I also need to take a picture of the garlic bread, which I was annoyed not to find a picture of in my photo library. If you go, make sure you order it even if it's not strictly on the menu. It's more of a loaf, but it's one of my weaknesses and I just can't stop eating it even when my zipper has burst. 

Maybe avoid it on a first date though.

London Calling

It's been a while coming, but I'm finally getting around to posting about our weekend away in the Big City. Having originally booked for that ill fated Foo Fighters concert, with non-refundable train and hotel tickets, we were off for a long weekend regardless!

Tickets, check. Book, check. Chocolate, double check!

Once we landed in London, we made our way to the hotel. We were staying at Park Grand Lancaster Gate, which was a mere five minute walk from Paddington Station, and it was fantastic. Located in a quiet suburb, but within walking distance of all major tube and train lines, it could not have been positioned better.

The hotel looked after us so well all weekend, until the moment we left, and nothing was too much trouble. If you're after a reasonably priced (but glamorous) hotel in London, that is quiet but still accessible, I'd thoroughly recommend this one. Plus, look how pretty it is!

In true Welsh fashion, we dumped our bags and headed off in search of the nearest pub.

However, after nearly falling off our barstools at the fact there was no change out of a £10 note, the sun came out and we headed over the road into the Italian Gardens.

(Regardless of the price, as it's the same everywhere in London, I'd thoroughly recommend this pub on an evening, as it's a proper British boozer and has some amazing live music)

We made friends with a few of the locals too...

Behind the scenes!

Our meandering took us further along to Hyde Park, where we wandered around the lake watching all the revellers on the pedalos and snooping on more wildlife.

With an obligatory 99 along the way, of course!

From there we dawdled around to the other side of the lake, stumbling upon the Diana Memorial Fountain, which is such a fun work of art. It's not so much a fountain as a mini river, with lush grass surroundings.

In what I feel is true Princess Diana, playing in and around the fountain is not only allowed but encouraged. So socks off!

Friday night was the night we were supposed to be seeing the Foos, so instead, the wonderful Mr P managed to get us last minute tickets to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo. I've never seen a show in London before, and Wizard of Oz is one of my absolute favourite films, so I was extremely excited!

I won't spoil the show in case there's anyone left out there who hasn't seen it, but I loved every single minute of it! Even the husband, who detests musicals, was enthralled, which is high praise indeed! Definitely go check it out if you get the chance!

Day one, was a definite success! I'm a little bit in love with London!

Beautiful Barafundle Bay

I could start off with an apology about the weighting of pictures to words in this post, but quite frankly, I'm not sorry.

I mean, I could look at these views all day.

By day three, I had the itch to jump in the sea and feel the sand between my toes. We jumped in the car, and within a half hour down some winding country roads, we were running around like big kids on a near deserted beach.

Barafundle Bay at Stackpole has been continuously voted as one of the best beaches in both Wales and Europe, and it's not hard to see why.

We parked the car at Stackpole Quay, and walked the half mile or so, up steps and over gently undulating cliffs to get to the bay, teasing us in the distance. It's the not easiest beach to get to, (certainly not pushchair friendly) but it's more than worth the walk.

There are no facilities at the beach, so we just enjoyed the morning splashing about in the sand, chilling on the rocks and just generally soaking up the sunshine.

A little tropical paradise, right here in sunny Wales!

Day 2: Exploring Bluestone

We woke the next morning with the sun rising over the lake and the sound of the ducks making their ungraceful crash landings. Taking our bleary eyes upstairs, we relaxed with a cup of tea before making a traditional big ol' holiday breakfast. His 'n' hers obviously, no surprises for guessing which is which!

A few more lazy cuppas ensued, watching the lake glisten as we read and doodled the morning away. Finally we decided to make the most of what was turning into a beautiful day, and pulled our wellies on for some exploring.

Stumbling upon some historical sites and then...

 Getting lost in them! You can spot a wild Sara if you look close enough.

Following the nature trail deeper down into the valley, we spotted the smoke rising in the distance. On closer inspection, it turned out to be what would quickly become our favourite spot at Bluestone.

Camp Smokey is an outdoor restaurant and bar, nestling in the woods. With a menu of smokey barbecued meats and an open air fire pit at the back for roasting marshmallows, it's an easy place to while away the time.

Although, while relaxing listening to the birds and the river, don't be too alarmed if you hear a few shrieks and screams. The zip wire flies right over your heads, and the sky trail climbs up in the air all around you. Makes for good entertainment, if you're not brave enough yourself!

However, it's all worth it to huddle around the fire with a marshmallow topped hot chocolate!

We headed back to the lodge for a little snooze before making our way over to the Well Spa for a bit of pampering. As a surprise for Mr P's birthday, I booked us in for an afternoon treat at the Spa, including treatments, nibbles and bubbles. Of all kinds!

We had such a fantastic afternoon! The staff treated us wonderfully and I had an amazing massage which completely popped all the knots in my hunched up tense shoulders! As well as the outdoor jacuzzi (worth doing the drop and run with the dressing gown for), there are numerous thermal rooms, including steam rooms, saunas and ice rooms!

The Well Spa is open for day visits too, so I'd thoroughly recommend this for a girly day out even if you're not staying on site.

All dazed, chilled and smelling lovely, we dressed up and headed over to the Knights Tafarn for dinner.

There's only one way this day could have possibly gotten any better. Enter my best friends: wine, cheese and carbs.

Mr P went for the curry special, lamb rogan josh complete with a poppadom on the side the size of my head.

Listening to the night's entertainment, we huddled up next to the log fire and toasted a perfect day in our Pembrokeshire paradise.