Mama Kelly, Amsterdam

Before we begin, channel your inner Pink Lady. You're a Mean Girl, and it is Wednesday. 

When I researched where to go in Amsterdam, all the same places kept popping up, so much so that I felt like we were old friends by the time we left. Then I stumbled upon Mama Kelly, in a fluke that shall be from this moment forth, known as the biggest fluke of all time. Flukesville. Imagine my face when I came across the pictures below on Mama Kelly's Instagram. There shone a shiny pink demon. We were going.

Pictures nicked from Mama Kelly's Insta

Powder pink booths, art deco style gold metalwork, golden pineapples and lobsters dotted around the gaff, and sumptuous cushions at every table. Walking through the door was definitely no disappointment. The whole restaurant shines pink. It felt very much like a homecoming.

Getting there was a bit odd. It absolutely lashed it down. Our plan of getting the tram to the other end of the city was utterly kiboshed, so we spent about 45 minutes stuck in traffic with a grumpy taxi driver. We pulled up at the Olympic Stadium, which was like a 1920s ghost town. It has a bit of an odd feeling about the place, mainly because it feels quite remote. Then there he was, a pink chap ready to welcome us in from the deluge. This pink palace welcomed us with open arms.

Three floors of pure glamour await, which when juxtaposed with this odd building, makes you feel like you've just entered another universe.

There's this weird thing about Amsterdam. They don't do cocktails. If they do, you have a choice of three; dark and stormy, Aperol spritz or a Moscow mule. They were all rubbish. I can't even remember what we ordered at Mama Kelly, I just know they were pink and perfect in every way. First decent cocktail in weeks due to doom antibiotics. Worth the wait.

Burrata with avocado cream and country bread: Ellie doesn't like cheese, except goat's cheese and halloumi. Hates cheese. Ordered burrata. Crisis averted! Even she agreed this was incredible. Soft cheese on a bed of whipped avocado cream, served with crunchy bread. Textures!

Halloumi served with roasted vegetables, peppers and green herbs: An absolute delight. Thick chunks of halloumi with sweet vegetables. Not too heavy, whilst still being very satisfying indeed.

Flat iron steak from the charcoal grill with beurre Café de Paris: Wow. It looks like a decent steak, but was so much more. Served on a bed of sweet squash with onion seeds, its pink centre and sweet flavour were tantalising. Ate every single morsel.

Lobster risotto - fresh lobster prepared in bisque: Stand down, the claw is not in a shell. Turns out after an initial lack of clarity on the matter, Ellie very much enjoyed the lobster in this dish.

Broccoli with fresh chilli and roasted almonds: A rather lovely combination, which means I will want almonds with my little trees from this day forth.

Homemade fries: Look how crispy they are. Wonderfully golden and perfect with steak.

Blondie with caramel sauce and sea salt: We were in no shape to be waving around dessert menus, yet here we were. Very rich as expected, the vanilla ice cream helped.

Sticky toffee date cake: Looks very similar to sticky toffee pudding, but tasted and felt much more like parkin. Still great! I think it needed some ice cream to lighten it a little though.

What a wonderfully strange experience in this pink wonderland! Go here for an evening of glamour, and food that will knock your pink socks off. And yes, I did wear an Amsterdam dress. Extra...

Wood, Manchester

The deal was sealed. Aidan Byrne was poorly, and Simon Wood stepped in to take his place at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival 'Sunday Club' event. I have much love for Aiden, but was thrilled to find out Simon would be joining the ever entertaining Andrew Nutter for some Sunday evening tomfoolery. And there it began. Turns out we became his biggest fans in the blink of an eye, and ended up devouring a Tomahawk at Wood two days later. 

Wood opened on Manchester's First Street site a sniff over a year ago, but I'm convinced that folk are not fully aware of its brilliance just yet, probably owing to the location. However, fellow new kids on the block Bunny Jackson's and School for Scandal are changing everything. I'm hoping that it's going to become a bit of an alternative playground for those who love a bit of decent music and good food.

Simon won Masterchef in 2015, opened Wood in August 2017, and bagged themselves an AA Rosette within a year. Then came plans for a second site in Chester's Indigo Hotel, and now Woodkraft is about to open in Cheltenham. Not bad really. There's no doubt that he's an extremely accomplished chef, but he's also a bloody nice fella too. And he likes metal. We like him.

He's not alone in this venture though. He managed to snaffle Mike Jennings as Head Chef, and has an excellent front of house team who make the experience even more pleasurable. I first met Mike when he was at Grenache, producing food that gave Salford a right kick up the backside. He's great.

The styling of Wood is just beautiful, with nothing out of place and every item carefully considered. The kitchen is partially open, which allows nosy people like me to watch the chefs prepping those huge tomahawks. Makes you really hungry though. I suppose that's what starters are for!

I was on the antibiotics of doom at this point, so was sans alcohol, but our waitress (who clearly saw my anguish) quickly produced a mocktails list, and all was well. Phil opted for a nice glass of red, whilst we perused the menu, listening to The Pretty Reckless and Pvris. If you know, you know.

The scent of steak being very much real, we were thrilled at the arrival of some freshly baked bread and salted butter. Always start a decent meal with some interesting carbs.

Pigeon, fig, endive and belazu lardon: One of the best starters I have had in a long time. Crispy edges on that rich pigeon breast with the sweet fig neared levels of actual perfection.

82°C belly pork, cider, Granny Smith, sage and onion: This was mentioned during Sunday Club, and had to be ordered. Phil's a massive fan of pork and crackling, so this was right up his street. Pared with tart Granny Smith apples, this is the culinary equivalent of a hug and a kiss.

Tomahawk to share with green peppercorn sauce: The scale of it man. This bone in rib of beef makes me feel like a cave dwelling carnivore who will never be short of iron again. Granted, it is for two people, but it's still a fair 'un.

Cooked to near witchcraft perfection, with a fragrant peppercorn sauce. Behold. I'm not saying anything else, because I've lost your attention to the pictures.

Baby jackets and broccoli with black onion seeds: Simplicity at its best. Soft potatoes with crispy, salty jackets, and crisp broccoli with sweet onion seeds.

Citrus tutti frutti: Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange heaven. I always opt for berries rather than citrus, but this was fresh, light and an absolute delight. At this point in the meal, I could not fault a single thing.

Chocolate, espresso and salted caramel: Surprisingly light as a feather, and not overpowered by the coffee.

 Tea: We needed the caffeine after all that food. Even the tea pot was cute.

I will not have a bad word said about Simon, his team or his restaurants. I'll fight you. Admittedly, I just love eating out and trying new places. I will look for the positives over negatives every time, and always enter somewhere new expecting to love it. However, every so often I really fall in love. This is when outstanding food and service work in harmony, and I genuinely like the people running the show. Wood is firmly in this category.

Go to Wood for delicious food, warm service and great music!

Empire, Horwich

So I was aware of Empire before it was even a twinkle on Chorley New Road, yet for some reason, it's taken me this long to actually go. A couple of months ago, I bumped into an old school friend who I hadn't seen since we were about 18. She's moved back to the area, so we decided to get out for the evening, and sample what Empire had to offer.

Downstairs is a beautifully styled restaurant, whilst upstairs boasts a rather swish cocktail bar. The plan was to have a little something to eat, followed by a couple of cocktails in the bar. Sensible eh? It did not go down like that. Not at all. 

We took full advantage of the 'Two steaks for £26' offer that was on that night, which included a fat sirloin served with cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushroom and hand cut chips. I also ordered a peppercorn sauce, which is standard behaviour. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting amazing things, as steak can be a bit of a risk when trying somewhere new. This was absolutely delicious. Perhaps a tad more to the medium than rare side, but still, a lovely cut of meat with tasty sides.

This is where things went a little bit west for us. I was still heavily jet-lagged after New York, and if I was able to push through the mid afternoon lull, I was good until about 2am. It was a school night.

So, we popped upstairs for a couple. Things started in my usual fashion of challenging the barman to a surprise, so the cocktails below are mainly 'off piste' and of his own creation on the night. We became firm friends with Lucas, who I am sure performed some sort of alcohol based witchcraft. I also have to admit that looking at the volume here, I know there were more, and I had two of at least one of these. I didn't take pictures of duplicates, or the additional beers. Don't judge, it was a reunion.

I'm just sorry that I can't recall what was in most of these, other than the first one, which I know was a Poison Apple. What I can tell you is that we had a cracking little time, with each cocktail more delicious than the previous one. We also got vouchers for a free bottle of Prosecco for our return visit. I only got in bed at 1.15am on a Thursday night... oh well.


Go here with your mates to have a bloody good time. We went on a quiet weekday, but Lucas and pals kept us entertained, and certainly ensured that the drinks kept on flowing. I'll definitely be back to use my Prosecco voucher, and see what other alcoholic brews he can come up with.