A busy weekend!

Last weekend was a bit hectic, so obviously I had to blog about it. I love using my blog to document various events and photos, even if they might seem mundane to other people. Isn't that what a lifestyle blog should be all about?

It all started with an awards ceremony at the Vale Resort on Friday night. A campaign led by my organisation had been shortlisted for a Welsh Housing Award... we won! It was a lovely evening (with amazing chocolates) and it gave me a chance to wear my beautiful new dress. I love the lacy detail... this might be my new favourite dress.

This dress is from Tesco, believe it or not!

Neil and I went to McArthur Glen in Bridgend on Saturday afternoon to do some Christmas shopping. I was absolutely determined to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend, and I always get some great bargains in McArthur Glen. It didn't disappoint, and I even managed to spend some money on myself... two pairs of jeans for £37 in Gap. Gap jeans are the only jeans which fit me properly as they actually cater for short people, so I was very happy with this bargain. They were originally supposed to be £39.99 each! I really wanted to post a few photographs of the presents I bought for other people, but I'm not risking it in case they happen to stumble upon my blog. That would be highly unfortunate.

Beautiful Christmas tree in McArthur Glen

We obviously had to pop in to Sidoli's for a break...

After finishing our shopping, we drove to pick Liz up from the bus station then went back to my flat to watch the rugby. I'm not going to comment on the result! We then went to Tenkaichi and ate a LOT of food, then went back to the flat to watch Black Books and play Scrabble. I won... I never win anything two nights in a row. Another lovely evening was had by all. 

On Sunday morning, I drove to Cribbs Causeway with Liz to meet Amy, another university friend. Our Christmas shopping trip to Cribbs has become an annual tradition and it's always a good chance to catch up on all the news and to blitz the last few bits of Christmas shopping. I loved the Christmas decorations in the shopping centre... 22 days to go!

Very similar to the decorations in Cardiff's St David's 2 shopping centre

Palm trees and Christmas trees... why not?

Pretty decorations in John Lewis

No visit to Cribbs is complete without a visit to Pizza Hut

After a very successful two days of shopping, I've actually finished my Christmas shopping! However, after such a busy weekend of catching up, eating and shopping, I feel as if I need another two days off just to recover. I'm definitely not complaining though, I love productive and sociable weekends. 

What did you get up to last weekend?

Restaurant wishlist - the Cardiff edition

I love food... I don't think this will surprise anyone. A lot of my blog posts are either about my baking adventures, food I've eaten on holiday, or restaurant reviews. I don't usually eat out during the week as I'm always trying to be healthy as well as thrifty, but my fiancé and I tend to go out for dinner on Saturday evenings. We go to a lot of chain restaurants such as Pizza Express and Nando's, but we also love some independent restaurants like Balti Cuisine and Tenkaichi.

We've got a long list of restaurants we want to visit in Cardiff in the next few months which I've posted below. We're obviously happy to add to this list if anyone has any good recommendations.

1. Viva Brazil
2. The Purple Poppadum
3. Juboraj (I've eaten here before but Neil hasn't... best chutney tray ever)
4. Toby Carvery (can't believe I've never been!)
5. Gourmet Burger Kitchen
6. Giovanni's
7. Mission Burrito
8. Cafe Citta
9. Mint and Mustard
10. Thai House


I'll post a restaurant review for each venue when we start ticking these restaurants off our list. Get ready for lots of gushing and photos of food!

Restaurant review: Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the newest restaurant in the St David's 2 food court, so obviously we had to try it. We've walked past and looked at the menu on a few occasions but have always chosen somewhere else at the last minute. However, we decided to pay a visit last weekend as we were looking for somewhere healthy to eat and Mount Fuji is probably the healthiest option in the food court.

Mount Fuji always looks very quiet which isn't necessarily a good sign, but at least it means you get seated and seen to straight away. The menu is fairly limited compared to other Japanese restaurants I've been to (like Tenkaichi on City Road), but there were still a few options I could have gone for. We chose Chicken Teriyaki for our starter, and I went for the Yakiniku (beef) stir fry for my main course. Those aren't the exact names for the dishes... I didn't write them down and there's no menu available online to find out the authentic names!

Chicken Teriyaki

The chicken teriyaki was extremely tasty and I couldn't fault it at all. The chicken was very tender and the breadcumb coating was amazing. The sauce itself was lovely too, and it was a massive portion. I'm very glad we ordered one portion between the two of us! I must admit that I didn't eat many of the lettuce leaves... why waste valuable stomach space with lettuce when you can eat real food?

This is actually Neil's pork stir fry... the waitress got them mixed up 

and I took the photograph before we realised!

My main course was delicious too, although it didn't score quite as highly as the starter did. Although it was very tasty, everything was cooked to perfection and the portion size was just right, the beef wasn't quite as good as the beef I've had in Tenkaichi. It was slightly too chewy for my liking, but that might have been their intention. I've just been spoilt by my frequent visits to Tenkaichi and their amazing Yakiniku! 

This meal was very reasonable at approximately £22 for two main meals and a massive starter, and I would definitely visit again. The staff were very friendly and there was a nice general vibe in the restaurant. Has anyone else been to Mount Fuji yet? What did you think?

Tenkaichi - best Japanese restaurant in Cardiff?

Everyone loves a food post, right? On Saturday evening, my boyfriend and I went to Tenkaichi on City Road for dinner. We used to go quite regularly but hadn't been for about 6 months, so this was a hotly anticipated visit. I went to Tenkaichi for the first time a year and a half ago, after a lot of persuasion. I was under the naive impression that most Japanese food consisted of raw fish. I can now confirm that it doesn't, and you'll have plenty of choice if you refuse to eat raw fish. My favourite dishes at Tenkaichi include the Yaki Niku (stir fried beef in garlic sauce), Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box (slices of chicken and a selection of other sides), and the Unagi Kabayaki (grilled eel). I never thought  I'd try eel... it's honestly really tasty, and the texture isn't at all slimy.

We usually order 2 main meals and 3 sides between us... we like food. Here are some photos of the food from Saturday evening:

Yaki Niku and Spicy Tuna Maki

Kushi Katsu (Marinated chicken skewers deep fried in breadcrumbs)

Gyu Yaki Soba (Stir fried noodles with chicken, cabbage, beansprouts, carrots, green peppers, onions and Chinese leaf)

If you live in Cardiff and want to try a new restaurant, hopefully these photos will encourage you to try Tenkaichi. There's so much choice on the menu, the atmosphere is lovely and the service is very speedy and efficient. City Road is also very convenient and easy to get to, and there is always plenty of parking on the side streets. Let me know what you think!

http://www.tenkaichi.co.uk