Lunch Date: Coffee Barker

Coffee Barker is a New York coffee house/Parisian bistro inspired cafe found in Cardiff's Castle Arcade and is truly one of the city's little gems! The place itself is warm and inviting (as are the wonderfully helpful staff) and it's fabulous range of hot drinks, lunchtime nibbles, cakes and snacks are definitely a reason to get cosy in their comfy armchairs. The building is glass-fronted (perfect for those of you who love to people watch) and there is optional outdoor seating which is lovely as the arcade is covered so you're not open to the elements. 

Barker's offers homemade soup of the day (which changes in flavour regularly), panini's and jacket potatoes as their hot lunchtime menu, as well as a range of freshly made sandwiches which can be found in the chiller to the side of the counter. I've had their homemade tomato and basil soup before and loved it as it was packed full of flavour and was served, rather interestingly, in a metal saucepan with a loaf of crusty bread at its side - a perfect winter warmer! 

This time around, I decided to opt for a jacket potato filled with tuna mayo. It was served in a metal dish, not unlike the ones we used to take camping with us, which gave the dish a rather rustic feel. The tuna was seasoned nicely with salt and pepper adding a little bit of heat. The only slightly negative comment I could make is that I would have much preferred a side salad to a pot of coleslaw, but other than that no complaints whatsoever.

Overall I love Barker's and will definitely be revisiting for a light lunch or a coffee and a homemade cake. It's the perfect meeting place for a catch up with friends and is so cosy you won't want to leave! I one hundred percent recommend a visit here if you're ever looking for a nice little place to have a rest during a busy day in Wales' capitol city.

Have you been to Barker's before?

What were your experience?

Cheap and Cheerful Lunchtime: Revolution

On Mondays, myself and my course mates have the day off University, and seeing as the sun was shining and everyone was in a fabulous mood, me and Aaron decided to head off for a nice lunch together. On deciding where to go we came up with two criteria that we wanted the place to adhere to: cheap and tasty. And boy did Revolution deliver! 

On Mondays they have a Mega Monday 50% Off menu. When I first saw the sign I thought 'yeah, that's all well and good, but I bet there's hardly any choice on the menu' - I was so wrong! The 50% off menu included a huge variety of delicious dishes from fish and chips to stone baked pizza. It basically includes their entire menu, which caused much anxiety for us as we attempted to choose between the variety of delicious-sounding dishes on the menu. In order to buy ourselves some more time to choose our main we ordered a bowl of nachos to share.

The nachos were topped with cheese, jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole and salsa (they aren't included in the 50% off deal, but we couldn't resist!). The nachos were nice, but not as nice as I have had in other restaurants. In all honesty they were quite dry as there was a distinct lack of dip and the cheese:chip ratio wasn't what I'd usually like. If anything I'd have just liked more salsa as I love a soggy tortilla chip! Having said that, we didn't complain and polished off the lot between us within probably about 50 seconds.

After much deliberation, I finally settled on the chicken, chorizo and pesto pappardelle and it was lush! The thick ribbon pasta was tossed in rosemary, chorizo and sun blushed tomatoes, covered in a creamy pesto sauce, and topped with sugar snap peas. From the first bite the flavours were intense and delicious. I loved the creamy pesto and the sugar snap peas gave an added texture which worked incredibly well with the soft pasta. I also liked the fact that the staff served the added parmesan cheese in a container with a spoon and didn't put it on my food themselves, this meaning I could add as much or as little cheese as I'd like (perfecto!). The only complaint that I have is that it was slightly over seasoned - the extra salt in the dish made me quite thirsty but it was totally worth it for the scrumptious flavour!

Aaron decided to try out the blackened chicken burger and quickly announced that it was beautiful. The burger consisted of two pan-fried chicken breasts, coated in a blend of herbs and spices, with salad, mayonnaise, and served with a portion of chips and coleslaw on the side. The chicken itself was succulent and flavoursome, and spiced very well. There was a seeming abundance of chicken and it took him a while to chomp through it all (which is unusual for him as he's pretty much the king of burgers). I have to mention though, that he absolutely fell in love with the chips! He usually dislikes pre-salted chips, but he adored these as they were seasoned to perfection! The chips were perfectly crispy and came with the skin of the potato still on, which added texture. 

In total we ordered 2 mains, a portion of nachos to share and 2 soft drinks and it came to £21.84 - a wonderfully delicious student friendly lunch! I would definitely recommend you visit Revs for food (not just for an intoxicated night of fun and frolics) as it's fabulous quality and such a great price. You can check out the menu here if you'd like to have a little look before trying for yourself.

Have you been to Revolution for lunch before?

What did you think of the food?

Weekend Treat: Bill's Restaurant

To kick start the rugby weekend, me and my bestie Cari, decided to head off for lunch at Bill's Restaurant on Mill Lane in Cardiff City Centre. The food was absolutely delicious and such good value for money! 

Bill's is a chain restaurant which kick-started when Bill's fruit and veg stall was damaged by flooding in 2000. He reopened his stall as a sit-in restaurant that served fresh food from local produce and it swiftly became incredibly popular. And so the chain was born… 

I have to say, however, if Cari wouldn't have told me it was a chain restaurant I never would have guessed. It doesn't have the mass-produced feel of a TGI Fridays or Pizza Express. The atmosphere is cosy, welcoming and almost home-like, and its decor reflects this with its mish-mash of comfy arm chairs, wacky wall decorations and witty blackboards. 

The food is simplistic yet bursting with mouth-watering flavours - the perfect combination in my eyes. I was also surprised (and elated) to discover that Bill's offer large ranging breakfast, afternoon tea, children's and lunch and dinner menus - I would happily spend an entire day there sampling all the different menu options! 

After much deliberation and debate, I finally settled on having the 'Bill's Hamburger' with added cheese (priced at £9.95 with the monterey jack cheese being an additional £1.20). The burger was served in a sesame seed bun with red onion, tomato, lettuce, horseradish mayonnaise and skinny fries and it was blummin' marvellous! The burger itself was succulent and the horseradish mayonnaise added a lovely additional flavour which I've never sampled before. The chips were cooked to perfection (not too crispy, just how I love them!) and were in a perfect portion size. I would definitely recommend! 

Cari ended up having the slow cooked BBQ pork ribs (which I drooled over when they came out of the kitchen!) that were served with classic creamy coleslaw and sweet potato fries. Priced at £13.95, it may seem a bit steep at first, but when you see the portion size it is totally good value for money. I didn't sample the pork myself but from the rate that it was devoured I'd have said it was pretty delicious! The sweet potato fries were gorgeously sweet and so well seasoned that I was tempted to order a portion for myself (greedy I know, but they were just so good!)

Overall we had a lovely meal together and the helpful and approachable staff made us feel completely comfortable and relaxed within the restaurant. A really nice place for a bit of lunch and a catch up with friends and family. Oh, and I have to mention that our meal was made so much better with a sighting of George North who was eating at the Bill's too! Starting off the rugby weekend with a full belly and spotting a hunk of an international rugby player, what more could a girl want?

Have you tried out a Bill's Restaurant before?

What were your experiences?