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Book Review: Inside Out by Demi Moore

Book Review: Inside Out by Demi Moore

My first memory of Demi Moore is her performance in Ghost, with Patrick Swayze (now late) and Whoopi Goldberg. Demi Moore was one of the most popular and the highest-paid leading ladies in Hollywood in the 90’s, playing pioneering roles in A Few Good men (aka You can’t handle the truth!) with Tom Cruiseand in G.I Jane. I heard about this memoir on the Wendy William Show and reluctantly set out to…

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10 Things To Love about Summer

10 Things To Love about Summer

It is 10°C and a clear indication that like all good things, summer has come to an end. Following this, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how I spent the season of sunshine.

It was my first summer and I’d say it feels a lot like that period between harmattan and rainy season in Nigeria where the sun is blazing and there’s little rain. Here in the United Kingdom, all 3 seasons feel the same;…

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GOOD MOOD FOOD REVIEW - Grilla, Liverpool

GOOD MOOD FOOD REVIEW – Grilla, Liverpool

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RESTAURANTS AT LAGOS FOOD REVIEW AND PRICES

RESTAURANTS AT LAGOS FOOD REVIEW AND PRICES

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GOOD MOOD FOOD REVIEW – Grilla, Liverpool — G’s Twenties Welcome to the second in my blog series of ‘The Good Mood Food Review’. Here you can find out all about those restaurants and bars with feel good food and atmosphere!

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TV Review: ‘Carnival Row’ — Variety The race to replace “Game of Thrones” has its latest entrant, with Amazon’s new “Carnival Row,” a series that combines fantasy, melodrama, ultraviolence, and strained political allegory.

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Nkoyo | Abuja

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Silk & Satin: Food Tasting at Faji Steakhouse | Abuja

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Purple Bistro Lagos: Review

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ARC Review || All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil

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Boozy Breakfast | Abuja

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Get ready to be ravenous after this one! It’s been a while since I’ve done a food review and so I hope this hits you by lunchtime. I can’t wait to tell you about our lunch at 805 Restaurants in Reading, Berkshire!

805 Menu Booklet

805 is a Nigerian Restaurant with branches in Wuse 2, Abuja, London, Reading and Accra. It’s a wonder I never had lunch at the Aminu Kanu branch, but @akinolatoluwanimi and NJ got their way and took me out to lunch in the Reading branch for my birthday.

Our Order Here, instead of boring you, I’ll let these images speak for themselves. (P:S henceforth, I’ll be using watermarks on my images more frequently because they are getting stolen more often).

Suya

Suya: Essentially, Suya that has a British passport

Grilled Fish with Fried Plantain and Chilli Sauce

Garri/Eba and Efo Riro

Pounded Yam and Banga Soup

What We Like Easy to Find: I didn’t even know we were already there. This restaurant was only one bus away from campus and one bus back to the train station. Super convenient.

Ambience: The clean earth-toned interior was very modern and the wood theme gave a natural rustic feel to the sitting area. To top it off, Nigerian music (I have forgotten which or by whom) was playing softly in the background, evoking nostalgia and a real sense of being back at home.

Rich Menu: There was everything I could think of, so much it took us a while to place our order. Just see for yourself. I wanted a taste of everything.

805 Menu

Great Service: The waiter was friendly, prompt and super patient with taking our order. She was also very helpful, packing up our left-overs among other things. To be fair, that may have been because we were the only customers in at the  time. Regardless, the service left us quite satisfied.

Fried slices of ripe plantain and chilli sauce

Delicious Taste: Believe me when I say, the food tasted as good as it looked. As you can see, I’m talking finger-licking good. I was hesitant ordering Banga soup off the menu knowing it requires some fresh Nigerian ingredients. But I was not disappointed. I don’t know how the restaurant gets the red palm fruit but the soup and spices were authentic. I even sent compliments to the Chef.

Nigerian Food: Banga Soup and fish

Fried slices of ripe plantain and chilli sauce

Nigerian food: A bowl of Efo Riro soup.

Brilliant Presentation: In my opinion, the first taste of food begins with your eyes. I was blown away by the presentation of every dish. The stacks of Eba/Garri or pounded yam, with fish swimming in soup, the grilled fish and plantain spread on the flat black stoneware. For an impromptu lunch, I’ve never been more grateful to have come along with my camera.

Charging socket: This may not matter if you have great battery life but it is fair to state that any establishment that cares for your well-being will provide you with outlets to charge your device. It’s not USB-charging though, just a regular socket but I love that it was available and working.

Clean Toilet: In my opinion, the toilet is where the final judgement of a place should be made. It just tells you a lot about the hygiene standards of an establishment and how they really feel about their customers. Y’all, 805 has got that baby-diaper changing board and scented candles in here. They care. However, It was just one stall so it had me wondering, what would happen on a busy night?

Scented Candle in 805 Restaurant

Related: Food Review: Wakkis Restaurant, Wuse 2

Home Delivery: Yeah, you can enjoy authentic Nigerian cuisine in the comfort of your home, even though you are miles away. I believe this service is only available in areas where there are branches in proximity.

What Could Be Better No Free wifi: This really did put me off, especially because it is a standard here. Just walking by the restaurant alone, the wifi should be available, not that we didn’t have internet access on our phones or anything. To be fair, this probably forced us to spend a bit more time actually talking to each other. My recommendation: Get Wi-Fi even if it is slow.

Poor product knowledge: I feel like, if you are selling a product, your salesperson should know exactly what it is and be able to make useful recommendations to customers. I loved our waiter but it was quite obvious that she had no idea what she was selling, and admitted she doesn’t eat Nigerian food. My recommendation: Hire staff who enjoy Nigerian food or get your staff to try your products.

Skewers: The taste was good, not exactly the taste of pepper/Yaji I was expecting but close enough. It really doesn’t matter that the suya came in thin shreds, however, this made it a tad bit difficult to pick the meat with the fancy toothpicks provided. I’d have preferred it if the meat was served on the skewer, proper Nigerian street style.

Finally, I didn’t smell the food cooking or nothing so it got me wondering where my food came from. Like Metro Cafe, I just like to be able to get a sense of where and how my food is being made but that’s just my personal preference.

Bill for three, Receipt

How Much it Cost Flat out, this meal for three costs £64 and going by today’s exchange rates, that’s approximately N28,802.33. It’s not cheap. However, compared to restaurants I’ve reviewed in Abuja and Lagos and keeping in mind that the ingredients used here are probably imported or “paid visa fees”, I think these prices are fair.

Our Verdict Go there. It’s perfect for a group or family lunch even though I did not notice a kid’s menu. It’s also great for a date night. I’ll certainly be visiting the London branch with my family on the next occasion. If you are Nigerian craving a taste of home in the United Kingdom, 805 Restaurant is where you want to go.

Have you dined at an 805 Restaurant? Did you enjoy the food? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! As always, thank you for reading! *** Liked this post? Do share it on your social media wall, timeline or feed. Want blog updates and promotions in your inbox? Sign Up Now

Food Review: 805 Restaurants, Reading Get ready to be ravenous after this one! It's been a while since I've done a food review and so I hope this hits you by lunchtime.

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7 MOST AMAZING THINGS TO TRY AT ONIRU PRIVATE BEACH

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Movie Review: Hotel Mumbai

Movie Review: Hotel Mumbai

It’s Movie Night! If you have been following this blog for a while, you already know I love India and utterly enjoyed my time in Delhi, and so, after watching the trailer, I had to see this movie. Here’s the synopsis:

“Terror strikes in the heart of Mumbai, India, as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba storm the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in a series of coordinated attacks throughout the city. Amid the…

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That is me blowing my diet again. It was the Trowbridge Weavers Market and it was absolutely worth it! Yesterday marked the first of a series of monthly artisan markets aptly named after the town’s history and weaving heritage. The event was set to celebrate local independent traders in Wiltshire and bring the Trowbridge community together.

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Traditional Lemonade Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market

Fresh Lemonade at Trowbridge Weavers Market

As expected, Market Street was closed to vehicular traffic and seller stalls displaying unique handcrafted items were set up everywhere. Even the Town Hall had stalls!

To my utter pleasure, the event was open to all and entry was free. There was a live band serenading shoppers as they sat around enjoying street food, tasting drinks, or acquainting themselves with sellers and their exclusive products.

Food and Drink On arrival, the unmistakable and tantalizing smell of food wafting through the streets was irresistible and we quickly decided to let our noses lead us through the market. There was a variety of food to choose from; Indian food, rice beans fried plantains, there was some minced meat, fries and a lot of stuff I didn’t get to try because the queues were daunting. There was Mac and Cheese, Crepes, Ice-cream, and pepper sauces.

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Evie’s Mac and Cheese at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Evie’s Mac and Cheese at Trowbridge Weavers Market

P:S: Miranda’s Coffee Shop has the most delicious Chocolate Fudge I’ve ever had and I can’t wait to stop by!

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Miranda’s Coffee Shop at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Miranda’s Coffee Shop at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Miranda’s Coffee Shop at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Johnny’s Dairy-Free Ice-cream was perfect on such a warm summer day; icy, smooth, flavourful and sweet, not to mention we were taken by the black ice-cream cones. Absolutely love them!

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Jonny’s Dairy Free Ice-cream at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Jonny’s Dairy Free Ice-cream at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Jonny’s Dairy Free Ice-cream at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Jonny’s Dairy Free Ice-cream at Trowbridge Weavers Market

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Taboo Handmade Single Origin Colombian Chocolate Bars at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Kingfisher Bakery Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market

The apple juice was super flavourful, there was lemonade and I believe I spotted some brew, but I’m not sure if it was beer or wine.

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Oh! And there were eggs on sale too. Pictures are worth a thousand words so I’ll just let my pictures speak for themselves.

Jewellery

AL 13 Hand-crafted Jewellery in photo-printed aluminium

Imaginative Creative at Trowbridge Weavers Market: Finely Crafted and beautiful hand made jewellery

Scented Candles I got a brief education from Flora & Wick on the difference between regular (paraffin wax) candles and 100% soy wax candles.

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Hazel and Blue Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Natural soy wax candles

Hazel and Blue Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Natural soy wax candles

Hazel and Blue Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Natural soy wax candles

Hazel and Blue Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Natural soy wax candles

Soy wax is made from the oil of soybeans while paraffin is a by-product of petroleum. In a time where protecting the environment is a global concern, it is important to note that Soy wax is 100% biodegradable and doesn’t give off the black soot paraffin wax does. Finally, Soy wax releases fragrance easier and lasts longer than paraffin wax candles.

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Flora & Wick Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Luxury hand-poured soy wax candles

Flora & Wick Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Luxury hand-poured soy wax candles

Flora & Wick Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Luxury hand-poured soy wax candles

Flora & Wick Candles Stand in Trowbridge Weavers Market: Luxury hand-poured soy wax candles

Vintage Items Vintage Bazaar sells vintage textile, clothing, homewares and cloche hats. You can follow Clare’s blog here!

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The Vintage Bazaar at Trowbridge Weavers Market

The Vintage Bazaar at Trowbridge Weavers Market

Beauty

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Overall, I think the turn-out was great and it brought the Trowbridge community out, showcased local talent and supported local businesses in an entertaining environment.

Unfortunately, I was unable to the Active Festival in Trowbridge Park which took place simultaneously. The Trowbridge Weavers Market will return on the second Saturday of each month (10am to 3pm) till winter;

August 10

September 14

October 12

So, save the dates for the rest of the year!

The organisers did a brilliant job and I get the feeling subsequent markets will be an even better opportunity to try home-made mouth-watering food and handcrafted items.

If you would like a stall at the next event, applications from independent traders of all kinds are welcome: Click here!

You can keep up to date with Trowbridge Weavers Market on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram!

Were you at the Trowbridge Weavers Market? Let me know your thoughts in the comments As always, thank you for reading! *** Liked this post? Do share it on your social media wall, timeline or feed. Want blog updates and promotions in your inbox? Sign Up Now

Wandering in Wiltshire: Trowbridge Weavers Market That is me blowing my diet again. It was the Trowbridge Weavers Market and it was absolutely worth it!

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Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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Guys, Alicia Berenson is a famous artist, happily married and living her best life with her husband in their London home. Then one night, a neighbour calls the police after hearing gunshots ring out from Alicia’s house. Alicia is discovered with bloody hands and a gun. Her husband is tied up and has been shot five times in the face. Alicia appears to be traumatised, becoming mute…

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Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

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The World War II Holocaust remains a dark time in modern political history, with as many as six million Jews murdered within 4 years, the largest systematic genocide recorded. Even though 6 million stories remain untold, many survivors have given accounts on their experiences in concentration camps. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the story of how young Lale Sokolov was taken to the…