Brunch at Sienna Kitchen and Bar | Gifted

Brunch at Sienna Kitchen and Bar | Gifted

Saturday, 23 April 2022

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This beautiful bank holiday weekend we headed to Sheffield's Meadowhall to the lovely Flannels because nestled at the back of the beauty floor is the remarkable Sienna Kitchen and Bar. 

Adorned with plants, pink ombre chandeliers and iconic coffee table books, Sienna Kitchen and Bar is a haven from the bustling shopping destination of Meadowhall. 

We were warmly welcomed into Sienna, asked how our days were going and shown to a cosy corner of the restaurant. Warm tiered lighting brought depth and a level of cosiness alongside immaculate furnishings and complimentary prints that could have left me propped up in the corner with a book all day. 

We started with cocktails whilst we perused the menu, enjoying an espresso martini and a Japanese whisky and plum highball. Sienna's menu takes inspiration from the world over from Sri Lankan curries to Taiwanese chicken and sashimi. But we were there with brunch in mind... 

Between us, we ordered the french toast and eggs royale...

The french toast came, soft soaking in macerated strawberries with a cooling vanilla ice cream. The stem ginger, candied lemon and biscoff crumb bringing crunch and texture to the sweet treat. 

Then decadent smoked salmon on English muffins with perfectly poached eggs on top with dill hollandaise sauce and keta caviar for the eggs royale. 

and as if that wasn't enough we were then treated to a chocolate bomb...

As white chocolate sauce melted a chocolate sphere filled with brownies and surrounded by chocolate jelly and passionfruit. The perfect fresh fruit to cut through the chocolate. 

The service at Sienna was impeccable, our glasses were never empty and every member of staff was attentive, friendly and informative. A lovely extra touch was the Sienna postcards, advertising their light plate and cocktail offering whilst also alluding to their global theme. 

We cannot wait to go back and try their mains, or even enjoy a little cocktail for a shopping interlude.

Follow Sienna Kitchen and Bar here or book now - you won't be disappointed! 

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Sticky Chai Tea Workshop at Birdhouse Tea Bar & Kitchen | Gifted

Sticky Chai Tea Workshop at Birdhouse Tea Bar & Kitchen | Gifted

Tuesday, 5 November 2019

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There are cupboards in my flat dedicated to tea, if you fancy it - I probably have it or have just finished it! So when Birdhouse Tea Bar & Kitchen invited us down to try their Sticky Chai Tea workshop I couldn't wait to have a go at making my own blend and learning more about the brew I love so much.  

We were welcomed into their ever beautiful tea bar on Sidney Street in Sheffield to bowls of chai tea and spices perfectly laid out and filling the air and our senses. 

After we were all seated the lovely Rebecca began the session by telling us all about the origins and history of tea and how the differences were reflected in the taste as we tried the pairing teas. I'm not going to dive any deeper with what she told us as i'd love you to find out for yourself but it was so interesting I came out with so many notes and a new found appreciation for my tea collection.

After dipping our toes in tea history Rebecca then went on to describe the origins of spiced chai tea and the differences between the dry and sticky blends before taking us through what we would be doing to create our own. 

Using the Birdhouse Chai blend of Assam tea, cinnamon and ginger as a base to build upon we added as much ginger, peppercorn, nutmeg, turmeric, star anise etc to our hearts content whilst trying our brews to make sure we'd got them right.

It was so interesting to see how every person in the workshop came out with different teas just from the colours of brews to the smells changing around the room. 

After we nailed our own blends we transferred these to sealable bags and remade our blend in our jars ready to make our chai tea sticky! 

The beauty of sticky chai is that it helps all the different sized tea and spices blend together better. Typically when tea settles it separates by size, the 'sticky' part helps them come together as they infuse and prevents the tea levelling out this way.  

I used agave syrup to make my brew sticky but honey was the go to of the group! A sticky chai makes for a richer flavour and an absolute treat! Just add a spoonful to simmering milk for the perfect winter pick me up! And the syrup! Oh my gosh, drizzle that bad boy on a cake!

You can keep your sticky chai in the fridge and just top it up with your dry mix as you use it up, so we came away from Birdhouse Tea Company with chai for months!

My nickname is Bam so I had to name mine 'Bam's Brew' but there were some hilarious names within the group. We had such a laugh whilst learning about tea and creating something unique - I am desperate to do it again maybe for a Hen Party or Baby Shower with a cosy keepsake. 

If you'd like to try your own Sticky Chai Tea Workshop go get in touch with Birdhouse Tea Bar & Kitchen on 0114 327 3695 or drop them an email on hello@birdhouseteacompany.com or just pop in and see them on Sidney Street for food and drink, they're lovely!

*gifted press event from Birdhouse Tea Bar but all words, opinions and chai tea are my own

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Kettle Black Cocktail Class | Gifted

Kettle Black Cocktail Class | Gifted

Monday, 24 June 2019

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Living so close to such a swanky cocktail bar can be a little dangerous, but when Kettle Black invited me and some of my lovelies down for a cocktail class I couldn’t resist. But not just because of how addictive their espresso martinis are! 

We were greeted upon arrival at Kettle Black to our own section of the bar and freshly poured prosecco ready and waiting whilst we were introduced to our host for the night, Danny! Unlike most cocktail classes available these days with the Kettle Black class you are left to peruse the menu at your leisure and decide which two individual cocktails you'd like to make.

A typical  cocktail class would be a selection of cocktails decided before you arrive and ones that you would all make too. By having your own sectioned off part of the bar it means that at Kettle Black you can create any of the wonders from their cocktail menu whilst also meeting the tastes of everyone in the group. 

Spoiler, not everyone likes espresso martinis. 

There was no pressure or rush to crack on with the class, Danny took us step by step through each cocktail, the history of the spirits we were using and also the stories behind the cocktails on the menu. Our first round consisted of a Ginger Spice Espresso Martini, Corpse Reviver 2, Pain Killer, Bikini Atoll and a Lozzaberry! A wide range of cocktails requiring different skills and also vastly different taste palette so you can imagine we had fun. 

I went for the Corpse Reviver 2 for a gin, Cointreau and lillet shaken into an absinthe wash glass and it was an absolute treat. 

Because we individually made our way behind the bar to hone in our skills it also meant there was no pressure to neck our lovely drinks and had plenty of time to catch up, try each others creations and capture plenty of boomerangs in-between. 

In our next round of makes we can safely say our favourite was the Largerita, modelled here by the fabulous Nikki who was extremely happy with her creation. And you've guessed it, a margarita with a corona chucked in for good measure. Not that we didn't enjoy the rest of our cocktails too... 

We finished the evening off with a round of shots which all went down a little to easy before treating ourselves to a few more rounds. Made by the professionals this time mind, although we did test Danny a little bit by asking he create the cocktail we'd each like the most judging by our previous choices that evening, and he certainly rose to the challenge. 

The cocktail class works out at £25 each for a prosecco arrival, two unique cocktails and a shot to finish. Perfect for a hen do, a birthday or ya know just a reason to get dressed up and go for drinks! Fancy having a go? Drop them an email here. 

Our head mixologist Danny was more than a teacher for the evening, providing education and entertainment so I cannot recommend these classes enough. Especially with how chilled out it was, especially for us home birds who are happy to be home by 12 with a pizza!

Thank you for having us Kettle Black. 

*gifted press event from Kettle Black but all words, opinions and hangover are my own

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Slug in Bloom | Gifted

Slug in Bloom | Gifted

Saturday, 25 May 2019

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The latest addition to Sheffield City Centre, Slug & Lettuce have launched an exclusive floral cocktail menu inspired by Interflora infusing botanicals with fresh blooms and even fresher flavours. To celebrate the Slug in Bloom menu we were invited down for a cocktail masterclass alongside flower crown making. 

We started the event by making the Floral Strawberries & Cream cocktail, a sweet mix of Absolute Strawberry, vanilla syrup and lemonade.  A treat of a cocktail that went down very well whilst the lovelies from Interflora taught us how to make flower crowns. 

I’m going to let Interflora keep their flower crown secrets, but it was so relaxing I could have stayed all evening wrapping our flowers and sipping on cocktails. 

We then went on to have a little cocktail masterclass and competition as the group split into two teams to make the Flor de Catano cocktail. A mix of Bacardi, sugar syrup, grenadine and lime juice garnished with the edible flower Viola. Our team won but it was all just a bit of fun, and the winning jagerbombs added to it! 

Floral flavours are right up my street so of course I wanted the entire Slug in Bloom menu. The Hugo Floral Fizz with gin, elderflower liquor and prosecco or Grapefruit and Rose Smash wouldn't go a miss right now. 

The limited edition cocktails are available until Monday 29th May so enjoy your bank holiday weekend by finding your nearest Slug and Lettuce here.

*gifted press event from Slug & Lettuce & Interflora but all words and opinions are my own

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Hanami. Karakuchi Pairing Menu with Wagamama & Asahi Beer | Gifted

Hanami. Karakuchi Pairing Menu with Wagamama & Asahi Beer | Gifted

Sunday, 24 March 2019

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On the first day of Spring I had the pleasure of heading to Wagamama in Leopold Square Sheffield with the talented Shannon for their #hanami event. Hanami, or flower viewing is the Japanese tradition of celebrating the season of the cherry blossoms, known as sakura. 

During this time friends and families come together to eat, drink and celebrate together under the beautiful cherry blossoms to welcome spring in and enjoy the beauty of sakura.  To bring this into their restaurants Wagamama have introduced beautiful cherry blossoms onto their placemats and have even installed cherry blossoms into some of their venues. 

Wagamama have also teamed up with lastminute.com and Asahi Super Dry to give one winner the chance to be able to go to Tokyo next year to celebrate Hanami! All you have do to enter is share your Hanami experience on instagram next time you eat in Wagamama using #hanami and tagging @wagamama_uk and @asahisuperdry. How incredible is that! 

To celebrate Hanami we were invited to Wagamama to try their karakuchi pairing menu alongside Asahi Super Dry beer. 

In Japan complex concepts can be expressed in a single word and karakuchi is one of these. 

After we all settled in with an Asahi Super Dry we were then given a brief history Asahi,  the brewing process, it's taste and how we can find the meaning of karakuchi in a sip of Asahi, a super dry taste.

Inspired by the dry or karakuchi taste of sake, Asahi Super Dry pairs perfectly with the dry spice of the dishes on the Wagamama menu. So I couldn't wait to try it alongside some of my favourites, edamame with chilli garlic salt and bang bang cauliflower!

Asahi Super Dry brought an entirely new concept of beer to Japan and is credited as the first beer to perfectly pair with delicate flavour palate of Japanese food. So as part of this pairing menu with Wagamama, Asahi cuts through the spicier dishes with a crisp, dry and clean taste or complements the more subtle flavours.

Where a heavier beer would have imparted on the taste Asahi worked like a palate cleanser, meaning I didn't have to relent to the firecracker sauce on the bang bang cauliflower! It's dry, crisp flavour and quick clean taste working a treat.

After we enjoyed the sides we had an incredible break in the menu by learning how to create this amazing origami with the talented Coco! 

Usually anything with super glue means I am going to be covered but I actually managed not make a mess and really enjoyed the process. Coco was a superb teacher and we all picked it up pretty quickly. Creating our own little pocket of spring to bring home and continue to celebrate hanami! 

We then moved onto the mains which were split on the Karakuchi menu to allow Asahi Super Dry to either cut through or complement the dish. On the 'to cut through' section the vegetarian option was kare burosu ramen so I went straight for that! 

The kare burosu ramen had this beautiful silken tofu coated in shichimi, a Japanese spice blend made up of red chilli, sansho, roasted orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ginger, nori and poppy seed! And I am glad I had the Asahi Super Dry to cut through that kick.

Along with the tofu, mixed mushrooms, pea shoots and carrot sat on a bed of chunky udon noodles in a curried vegetable broth and now my belly is rumbling writing about it.

The Karakuchi pairing menu is such a fab idea from Wagamama and Asahi and a fantastic way to try different dishes or see their flavours develop in different ways. I loved our evening and it was so insightful to see the ideas behind a menu and how Asahi Super Dry changed that. So now I'll be thinking of bang bang cauliflower until I have it again! 

Let me know if you try the Karakuchi pairing menu, i'd love to know what you think. But for now, cheers or kanpai to Hanami! 

*meal and drinks were gifted from Wagamama but all words and opinions are my own

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