Popped over to Prague for the Weekend

I was lucky enough recently to pop off to Prague for a birthday weekend. I expected the city to be very Gothic and a bit like something out of a cross between Harry Potter and Van Helsing. I wasn't wrong about the Van Helsing bit anyway.

Prague is like a little magical kingdom hidden away in the middle of Europe. Often known as 'Vampire World' its cobbled streets and huge cathedral it really is a little haven, offering old and wonderful treats. I knew that the Czechs are big on their beer but nothing could have prepared me for how much I drank and how much I actually liked it! I practically lived off of Kozel a dark beer which is a bit like Guinness but with bubbles and Staropramen (a light beer). Being the indecisive human that I am I found that my favorite beer was a mix of both dark and light beer known as Granat which gave me the best of both worlds.

Kozel

We didn't get on a single piece of public transport the whole time we were in Prague, which meant there was a lot of walking - 12 miles a day to be exact- and to compensate a lot of eating. Because of the cold carbs are a daily staple in the city and trying to avoid them is near enough impossible. But after the first taste of a dumpling I realised that I had nothing to fear the dumplings were not only delicious but also not as stodgy as I had anticipated.

There are so many places to eat in Prague we were completed spoiled for choice, most lunches though were spent having potatoes and cabbage with various sausages from the markets. Paired with a pint of course. One afternoon however we decided to have an treat and went to Cafe Savoy, with its beautifully decorated high ceilings, grand chandeliers and huge cakes it is the perfect spot. It is renowned for its breakfast, but sadly we couldn't book for that and so had to go for lunch instead - still amazing. If you are lucky enough to go to the Case Savoy remember to book! You can do that here even though we didn't book we managed to get a table with a twenty minute wait. We sat at the back by a window with a view of the whole cafe,  I chose to have the sausage and lentil sup which was absolutely to die for! Dan had the baked ham brioche bread with Gruyere cheese and poached egg, which was so filling and so tasty he was very impressed. The coffee is amazing not to strong and so smooth!! Something that I picked up on my time in Prague is that they don't make their coffees strong unless you ask them too, which I was very happy about as I'm quite new to the coffee scene.

Staropramen

Prior to the Cafe we went to the Staropramen brewery despite it being slightly odd and not what either of us expected but with a free beer there's little to complain about.

Our best meal however has to be at U Kroka, a little of out the city it's the perfect little place for a quiet dinner. Once again I'd recommend booking especially if it is the weekend as it can get super busy. U Kroka bookings. We shared a range of sausage to start from various regions, some smokey and some spicy.

I had beef goulash and dumplings which was possibly the nicest thing i have ever eaten in my little life! (apologies for the poor picture). The restaurant itself was once a school canteen and before that was a pub that was closed down by the Soviet Union, it also tells the history of Prague with Princess's and Price's who fought for the city.

One thing that we were lucky taught before we went to Prague was never to order individual starters as the mains are so rich and often heavy you'll be left far too full and uncomfortable to enjoy the rest of your evening.

If you do have the time to go to Prague I would totally recommend it, it is a beautiful city and perfect for a weekend away- four-five days are just the right amount to see and do everything that is available.

A Sunday Lunch in the Country

Sunday Roasts are the fundamental part of every weekend. Whether they're consumed at home or in a Country Pub off the M25 they make the world a better place.

This Sunday we all popped off to The Stile Bridge just outside of Maidstone. The pub has been listed as one of the best CAMRA pubs in 2014, so expectations were high. To make things even better, the pub itself is independent, which is quite refreshing as just about every street is now littered with Wetherspoons.

Initial thoughts upon arrival were great. It was a truly traditional country pub in every sense; beer mats on the walls, different size pint glasses hanging from the ceiling and, the most exciting feature (other than the alcohol), an open roaring fire. The smell from the fire was fantastic, filling the room with that beautiful, wintery, smoky smell. Traditional pub quirks carried on throughout the restaurant, with big oak beams and bunting hanging over our heads. We had stumbled upon a great pub.

The Stile Bridge had an amazing selection of beers and gins; I opted for a pint of Whitstable Bay blonde lager, which was one of the CAMRA lagers on offer. It was great, really light with a fruity twist, and a nice change to the usual lager that I go for.

Crab Salad 

On to the food then.. after all, it's what we were there for. The Stile has an extensive but enticing menu, including a great range of specials, ranging from a duck and plum salad to artichoke soup. All 13 of us opted for the specials; I went for the crab salad, which was refreshing and light with its mayonnaise base and red onions. It was a perfect way to start the meal.

Duck and Plum Salad 

Despite the slow service our mains arrived. I had the roast beef with yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables. To be perfectly honest the roast wasn't the best I have ever had, the veg was a little tight as we only had two small bowls to go around 13 people. The beef was perfectly cooked but the yorkshire pudding was very heavy and not the usual fluffy goodness you would expect. Extra gravy was supplied though, which is always good as I can never get enough.

Chocolate Brownie 

Despite being full, there was room for dessert. Sticky toffee pudding, which is one of my all time favourites, was on the menu. I rejoiced, thinking this would redeem the average roast! But there was bad news. The dreaded nut. Oh how I hate it when places put nuts in their stickty toffee pudding. There was nothing else I fancied, so I sat there sulking for a bit. That got even worse, as everyone else had dessert and I ended up with food envy looking at the cheese boards, treacle tarts and brownies. They all looked amazing!

All in all the Stile Bridge was a lovely pub, and the staff were helpful and smiley. But the service was slow and the roast just didn't give me the warm fuzzy feeling that I usual get. After all, a roast is a special dish which just makes you feel amazing on a cold, wintery Sunday.

I would go back again however, just to try some more of the beers. The burgers also looked delicious and have been recommended.

Annie's Burger Shack.

Living in London it's hard to find a good new place to eat that isn't branded as 'trendy' or an all American diner with a twist. Yawn. London is saturated with burgers everywhere you go. There's Meat Liquor (I am still desperate to try) and Shake Shack (hasn't had fab reviews), as well as dozens of others. It's the new 'in' thing but I'm actually already bored of it.

However, this isn't the case in Nottingham. Nottingham doesn't have anywhere new and burgerfabulous. But anyone who lives in Nottingham knows the wonders of Annie's Burger Shack. From its humble beginnings at the Navigation pub (just like Meat Liquor started at a pub) last year, it has now got its very own home in the Lace Market.

Everything about Annie's is amazing; the atmosphere, the beers and the burgers are so good it's hard to explain! Everything is fresh, and what's better is it hasn't got the traditional American Diner feel to it, no red leather booths or black and white floors  it’s very... wooden. It has been referred to as the  New England in the Old England.

The bar has a huge selection of beers, most of which I am ashamed to say I didn't know what they were. We had a little wait for our table as we came a bit early, so I had a pint of Bitburger – a German lager. I actually really like having different beers instead of the standard.

We booked our table as, since it has reopened, it has literally been mission impossible to get a table by walking in, and if it’s for more than two people, make sure you book well in advance. (A sneaky tip: if you go in and look lovingly at the staff during the day they, tend to squeeze you in somewhere.

There have been a lot of complaints about the waiting time at Annie's - it is about half an hour until you get your food. BUT, even though Annie's Burger Shack is a typical 'burger joint,' it is by no means a fast food restaurant. Everything is made fresh to order - even the burgers - and so even though there is a bit of a wait it is definitely worth it.

The burgers... well there are 30 different types and you can literally have anything on them from a roast dinner to a pizza with a number of sides. But I do recommend the curly fries! On my previous visit, I had the Fajita burger which was amazing.

Surf and Turf 

This time I opted for the 'Surf and Turf' which didn't disappoint. The burger was cooked to perfection and it came with several king pawns, onion rings and thousand island sauce. You might thinkit would be easy for the pawns to be over taken by the beef burger, but in fact, it was all perfectly placed.

Jamie Blackmore was the other burger at the table, which comes topped with eight hour slow cooked BBQ'd pulled pork, melted red Leicester cheese and salsa.  This was welcomed with equal happiness. 

Jamie Blackmore 

I must say, I was starving by the time the burger came and do think I ate it within record time, which meant that I was bursting by the time I'd finished!

My favourite thing about Annie's is that it doesn't bore me like all the others. Yes the burgers we both had were very 'American' but others they have on the menu aren’t like the roast dinner burger so there is something for everyone.

What I'm really looking forward to is seeing what they do for their v day menu... What stops can they pull out for this?!

I really need to go back, and to be honest, I’m secretly planning on working my way through the entire menu! (Minus a few like the 'Elvis Presley' which is slathered in Peanut Butter – death in a burger)

My advice - definitely book yourself a table!

http://www.anniesburgershack.com/