Piccolino Birmingham and an interview with Club Individual

Last month I was asked to team up with Piccolino restaurant in Birmingham who are part of Club Individual to help spread the word and celebrate the launch of their new shiny outdoor all weather terrace.

A few days before the launch Matt and I headed to the restaurant to sample the food on offer and check out the new Spring menu.

Situated in Brindleyplace, the large glass fronted Italian restaurant overlooks cherry blossom trees and a gravel courtyard with water features. Inside there is a bright airy feel with and open view straight into the kitchen.

The menu is varied from anti-pasti, to freshly made pizzas in the open brick oven to grilled and roasted meat and fish. The staff serving you are mainly Italian and very happy to recommend dishes to you.

Matt and I started with a bottle of Catoratto a Sicilian white whilst we browsed the menu and here is what we ordered....

I chose the carpaccio to start, finest slivers of cured beef which literally melted in your mouth with a green salad and shavings of parmesan.

Matt chose the asparagus topped with perfectly poached egg and basil pesto. 

Matt then followed with a fish dish from the Specials menu - Orata al l acqua pazza, Seabream in crazy water! The crazy water was a tasty fish stock cooked with chilli and herbs, very light and fresh.

I opted for the roasted monkfish with a buttery rich sauce with lemon and salsa verde and a house salad on the side. It was cooked on the bone and very filling as the monkfish is so meaty but the sides were a light accompaniment. 

An almond tart was Matt's choice for pudding, light yet slightly sticky and a scoop of vanilla gelato and toasted almonds on the side.

I opted for a tall glass of homemade gelato in two flavours, hazelnut and salted caramel topped with biscotti.

A truly delicious Italian meal and a friendly superb service.

Onto the launch party of the new terrace. The DJ was outside playing some great tunes, there was a buzz about the bar and the waiters never let your glass stand empty in your hand for more than a minute. Pink prosecco cocktails, Italian Peroni beer and freshly squeezed virgin orange cocktails were soaked up with traditional Italian canapes.

The outdoor terrace runs along the whole length of the restaurant with a glass wall enclosing comfortable sofa seating. The heaters blast out enough heat for you to sit quite happily into the late chilly English evenings with added fluffy blankets if you really need them.

As part of the launch I had the added honour of an interview for Club Individual's newsletter with two more bloggers. You can spy me below and click this link http://www.individualrestaurants.com/blog/hot-property/hot-property-the-best-of-birminghams-bloggers-3/ to read my interview!

There is a great little video too of the launch night - see if you can spot me!

My interview here

Have any of you been to Piccolino Birmingham or one of the few dotted around the country? 

The added bonus of the new terrace is an extra draw for Italian summer eating and drinking in Birmingham.

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Crossing into Spring

Finally a long overdue outfit post. I was out last week to take some photos but it was the day we had 60 mile an hour winds which you can imagine did not turn out very well. 

Last week we had the perfect evening, Matt and I were heading out to dinner and instead of finding a location around the Jewellery Quarter we took these shots in our apartment's communal courtyard. the sun was out, the light was good and I really like the bricked backdrop.

I'm finally making the transition into Spring with lighter colours, and baring a little skin (feet!) I have had these trousers for ages and only wore them once over the winter as they got lost in the depths of my wardrobe, paired with my trusty cream blouse and blazer and beige skull scarf. My heels are new and very tottery ( I don't think that's a word but you know what I mean!) and a I love the extreme pointiness.

I must write soon about skincare, i've been trying two different brands with varying degrees of success and am really happy with one, my skin seems to have shed it's dullness and looks glowing which is something I've struggled with over the winter. I'm really happy with how it looks in these photos so will share soon.

Blazer - H and M

A step into Marrakesh with UGG

I was invited to the UGG Bullring store a few weeks ago for an introduction to the new collection that had just launched.

Marrakesh is the inspiration this season and the colours strike you from the minute you enter the store. Jewel tones, some bright, some more subdued in many styles perfect for the forthcoming summer. The fabrics used are also inspired by the souks and desert of the north African city. Luxurious silk, raffia and canvas are perfect additions to the beautiful quality leather on the shoes.

I took some photos of the shoes that caught my eye in store....

Ornate printed silk paired with raffia wedges would be perfect with some cropped capri trousers.

This style the Lucianna also comes in bright raw silk in juicy jewelled colours.

The Aria with a metallic snakeskin add a little glamour to a neutral wedge.

The classic Salah gladiator that everyone should own with a slouchy sand hobo bag.

Perforated thongs to pad around poolside.

Atasha striped canvas wedges add a flash of colour from the sides.

The chunky beaded Naima heeled sandals with the natural coloured leathers you could imaging coming straight from the souks/

Maliah woven ankle boots could be worn now that spring has arrived, great with skinny jeans.

The array of classic UGG boots we all know.

Updated in sunny colours from the Marrakesh collection.

A sheepskin bucket bag in the softest black leather.

The ethnic touches make a classic a bit more fun.

Cutwork Lo Pro suede boots in desert tones.

The Lexington II. Butter soft and slouchy, you would  do well to find a nicer biker jacket

Bright canvas pumps with a little skeepskin around the heel for comfort. It's in the little details.

A very classic and wearable mens collection.

I really liked the Em-Pire perf hi-tops in Seal grey.

The Hamra woven peep-toe ankle boots were a favourite of mine from the womens collection.

Perfect sized bucket bags for the essentials sand and emerald colours.

The quality of all of the shoes is second to none, they are so well made. Everyone knows how comfortable a pair of classic UGG boots are but this is extended to their shoe range too. Even the strappy sandals have a special cushioned sole which moulds to your own foot and the pumps are lined with a little sheepskin around the heel to stop any of that rubbing that we all get from new shoes.

Which were your favourite pair?

All I need now is the Hamra ankle boots on and a one way ticket to the ancient city of Marrakesh.

Palma Day 3 - Spain

On our final day we woke up to the best weather of our short trip, flawless blue skies and 23oC, perfect for a day at the beach.

We hopped on a local bus and twenty minutes later arrived in the small coastal town of Illetes. The beach is the town's main draw but a few seaside shops and restaurants line the road higher up off the coves.

This cove had beautiful soft light sand, turquoise shallows and was surrounded by small cliffs. There is a lovely mediterranean restaurant perched at the back of the beach where we drank cold sodas and lunched on crab and lobster sandwiches and crisp chicken caesar salads. If you do visit the cove and want to stay for lunch, book your table in advance, it was very busy despite being so early in the season.

Plenty of people were toasting themselves on sun loungers but we headed to the left of the beach and onto a man made area set into the cliffs. I'm guessing there is usually another restaurant here in summer but is was empty and perfect for a little posing with an amazing backdrop! The outfit photos are a bit of a fail, the wind was very strong and inflated my trousers somewhat, giving me an unflattering mc hammer look! Still the location was too stunning not to include them.

We then took off up a little path and discovered some cactus gardens and stone features. 

After arriving back at the hotel we had just enough time to soak up some last sunshine on one of our two balconies and took in the views of the harbour one last time.

That evening we set off for dinner and spotted the handsome chap below on guard looking very at home on his boat. I couldn't not take a picture of him!

The evening of course ended with Sangria and the most delicious wild mushroom rissotto with fois gras. Sad to leave we flew back the next day with lovely memories of a beautiful city.