Camping, Ceredigion and La Calabria

Over the Easter holidays we went camping in Ceredigion. The main reason for picking the area was because someone in work had recommended a restaurant to me, La Calabria. The reason for camping is because we're totally broke at the moment but we needed a bloody holiday. The forecast was awful. In for another storm. Laura could have been a nightmare. She's definitely a fair weather camper.

The evening we got there was clear and mild and we pitched the tent quickly, had a chat with the campsite owner, a woman from Leeds who'd lived in Italy for the past twenty something years. Then we headed to Llangrannog. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was setting as we explored the smuggler's cave and had an ice cream.

The next day and the storm did come but no where near as bad as we thought it would. We meandered around Ceredigion towns, visited Caws Cenarth and ate lots of cheese and found a play centre for the kids. We stayed there quite a long time, I don't know how I didn't go mad.

Maybe it was because in the back of my mind I had the promise of an Italian meal at La Calabria looming that evening. It's a funny place. Right in the middle of nowhere on a farm. You actually have to go down a farm track to find it. When you do, it looks like a bad extension or Granny flat or something, built on the side of a farmhouse. Inside is a lot nicer with a fantastic bar to welcome you.

The story behind the place is really interesting. During the Second World War an Italian soldier was captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp in Wales. After the war he headed straight back to Italy but quickly developed a home sickness for Wales. He moved back here and bought a farm and settled down. Now three generations of the same family have lived on that farm where the restaurant is situated. All speak Italian and Welsh.

The food had a very home cooked feel to it. Mama was in the kitchen. It's pitched as fine dining, but I didn't get that vibe. I guess maybe for the country in the middle of nowhere, that is fine dining. But to me it was just good old fashioned home cooking. I had chicken Marsala. Chicken marinated in Marsala wine and then cooked in a Marsala sauce with roast potatoes and green beans. I've never had anything quite like it. The closest thing I've ever had is chicken satay from a Malaysian. Really interesting and very tasty.

The next day was a little better again and we randomly ended up in Castell Henllys which is somewhere I've been going to for years every time I'm in the that part of the world. I didn't even know we were near it. It was Easter Sunday so there were people in costume, face painting and a birds of prey exhibition. It was great.

So we all had a good time and that was rather unexpected to be honest. We were dreading it ever so slightly but also aware that we really needed to get away. The Easter Bunny managed to find us, so the kids didn't miss out either.

Since then I've been in  a bit of a funk. Finished Farcry Primal and bored of Destiny, I don't really have a game I'm playing properly at the moment which is my usual go to activity if I'm feeling down.

We're trying to get Irvy off the boob at night so I am getting up with him at the moment, which I'm really struggling with the next day. He gets me up about three time during the night and I've gotta go lie with him until he falls asleep. Hopefully after a week or two it'll work out.

That's about it for now so...

Take care x

Greggs, Camping and Daredevil

Last week Porro, this week Greggs. I'm no food snob... Well ok, I am a food snob but Greggs is one I let slide. So lunch today was a completely tasteless sausage roll (Tesco's one are much better, more salt) and a nuclear hot chicken pasty with actual radioactive isotopes in it. It was so hot it could melt through a starship door faster than a lightsaber. And it had at least four bits of actual chicken in it. The "white coffee" was so bitter and tasted like cardboard. I actually had to throw that away. But in spite of all this, I'll be back for the same thing (maybe not the coffee) again and again. For pudding I had two chocolate digestives from the work kitchen. Couldn't bring myself to buy three food items from Greggs. What would people think?!

Off camping to west Wales tomorrow. It's gonna rain all long weekend. Fun. But I'm determined to have fun as this'll likely be our only holiday this year. We'll take board games to keep me and Laura entertained and alcohol for the kids... That's the right way around, right? Have found a secret Italian restaurant on a farm that has been run by three generations of Italians. We've booked a meal there. I'll report back. Trying desperately to find indoor things to do in the area. It'll be fine.

Enjoying the second series of Daredevil on Netflix. Half way through it. Elektra's casting is perfect as is the Punisher. Really enjoying it. Maybe not quite as stylish as season one and there was no need for the gimmicky and obviously not one shot, one shot fight scene... again.

Also enjoying playing the new DLC for Star Wars Battlefront. Surprised at how much I've been playing this game. Don't think I would be if I wasn't playing with my dad and two brother's though. They are what make it fun. Just constant piss taking.

So that's it. That's you all caught up with my exciting life. See you after chocolate Jesus weekend.

Take care x

Porro Review

It was out ninth anniversary last week. We booked an early meal at Porro in Llandaf, Cardiff. It's an "Italian-ish" restaurant that specialises in Italian food and Italian inspired Welsh food. Porro is the Italian word for leek, the national Welsh vegetable. We've been there before for my birthday last year where we massively over indulged and drank cocktails, wine, prosecco and ate copious amount of food including the best duck breast I've ever had. No exaggeration. This time there was more prosecco on the table for us when we arrived. This is not something that they do for everyone, but we happen to live next door to the owners. Win. Also, this is the best prosecco I've ever had. No exaggeration.

To start with we had a mix of three dishes that we shared. A salt cod pate with sour dough which wasn't anywhere anywhere near as salty or fishy as I thought it might be. It was actually very light, easy eating. We also had two cheese dishes. A burrata, which is a soft mozzarella like cheese from Southern Italy. This one was covered in herbs and fresh oil with shavings of fennel. Really light and fresh and the herbs brought everything together. The other cheese dish was gnudi. Something I hadn't come across before. It's essentially like a gnocchi but made with cheese instead of potato. This one was in contrast to the burrata, very rich and creamy. Absolutely lovely and a great find. Will be looking this one up in the future.

For my main course I had lamb. It came with broccoli, toasted almonds and chilli, served on a bed of creamy mash potato and a delicious gravy (posh people might call this a jus). The mix of the perfectly seasoned broccoli with toasted almonds and chilli was amazing. Something I've not tried before. The lamb itself was the best lamb I've ever had. No exaggeration. Perfectly pink in the middle. Seared on the outside with great seasoning. Great combinations of flavours and textures. I could've eaten that lamb forever. I don't understand how you cook meat like that. The duck and the lamb on both occasions, cooked perfectly. And the quality of the meat makes a huge difference too.

For pudding, I ordered off the menu. Something I'd seen them post on Twitter during the week. Burnt banana served with hazelnut brittle and salted caramel ice cream and sauce. Oh wow. A taste sensation! I'm not big on sweet things, so when something is a little less sweet or even salty, it's great for me. This is a classic taste combination, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

We also had a bottle of chianti reserva and a limoncello. I've gotta admit that the chianti wasn't what I'm used to. We usually only buy cheap wine haha. This one had a lot going on. I did enjoy it, but last time we went for the montepulciano. Sweeter and easier to drink and if you're like me and only usually drink cheap plonk, I'd recommend this over chianti. Perhaps if we had something a bit richer off the menu, the chianti would have been a better choice. We didn't go for cocktails this time because we had work the next day, but last time we did indulge and they awesome. Great recommendations from the staff too. I guess they've had enough time to sample them all.

The restaurant itself is located in Llandaf village, a stones throw away form the Cathedral. It's a beautiful location and quite romantic, although could just as easily be bromantic. The interior helps with the atmosphere too. Sophisticated, but relaxed. The staff are incredibly friendly but not overbearing. They are very knowledgeable about the menu and can give good recommendations. The soundtrack apparently has been the same since they opened last year and put together by a guy called Tom. The satff therefore are a little bit bored of the music but Tom has a great taste. We entered to The Smiths and were treated to the likes of Beirut and Billy Brag. Perfect tunes.

Here comes the bit about the price. It's expensive. No bones about it. It's not a place I can go to often although I'd love to eat there every day if I could. Four courses and quite a lot of drinks set us back about £100. It was our anniversary and we indulged. But my God is it worth it! Seriously if you haven't been, you should go. Now. It's perfect for a special occasion. They will not let you down.

Food is my hobby. I'd eat out every day if I could. I do eat out a lot, probably too much (I'm going to a local bakery for breakfast now and off to the Plymouth Arms in St. Fagans for tea!). I've been to many restaurants in  Cardiff and elsewhere and can say, hand on heart that Porro is the best restaurant I've ever been to that serves the best food I've ever eaten. No exaggeration.

I had all the intentions of taking pictures of my food to show you, but the moment took me and it was in my belly before I even realised. Oops.

Check out sample menus and book a table at their website.

Nom Noms: Trofie With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Check out my first foody video on YouTube and please comment and subscribe! Take care x

I'm back!

That straight off the bike look.

Hi there. I'm back. It's been almost two years since I last used this blog. I've been feeling the itch for a while now. It's funny, I absolutely hated writing in school and college. I'd always leave essays until the last minute and rush through without a care. Now I really enjoy writing and wish I could go back and do it all again. Education in wasted on the young... So true.

I'm not going to regale you with tales of the past two years. You can figure it all out yourselves through reading my blog, following me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. If you are going to look me up on Facebook, don't try and add me as a friend unless you actually know me as I only add real life friends and acquaintances. But I have now placed a "follow" button on my page for everyone else, so please "follow" me :/

So let me get stuck in. I've recently discovered YouTube. Yeah, I knew all about it for years and have been posting videos of my kids for the family and what not. But I've now started following a load of vloggers and content creators such as Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, Jenna Marbles, Julian Solomita and Epic Meal Time to name but a few. And it's made me think... I could do that. I don't know... I'm not going to pretend I'm gonna be as funny as them or as well thought out and well made as Epic Meal Time, but I thought I'd give it a go. I was gonna dive right in with a brand and some themes, but then I thought it might be best to start more organically. Laura is well up for it too and is already thinking of starting her own channel. So I've started videoing random things to see what happens. The first one that I think will be going up on my channel will be food related. I love cooking and do it a lot. I'm no Michelin star chef, just good old home cooked food. Sometimes I'm an out of the packet kind of guy and sometimes I'm a lot more adventurous. Last night I cooked trofie pasta with a roasted red pepper and tomato sauce with fresh basil and mozzarella. I filmed it. I'm gonna edit it together and post it and see what happens. Other ideas include weekly update vlogs, chats about video games, board games, film and tv, with and without Laura. So... keep an eye out and please tell me what you think. 

Take care x