First Taste of Ramen at Bone Daddies – Soho, London

Why it took me so long to visit Bone Daddies, I don't know. I have a tendency to think about a place for months on end, read a thousand reviews online, drool over photographs, umm and ahh, until eventually, there is nothing left to do but GO. I finally got the chance to eat at Bone Daddies when I visited my friend Elly in London a few weeks ago. Like me, she is a fan of essiebutton, who is a fan of ramen, and we had heard that Bone Daddies was the place to go. Elly was waiting in line for me when I arrived, and we were seated within minutes – not bad for a Friday night in Soho. 

One thing I had worried about after reading Miho's review was the level of noise in this place, and unfortunately it was loud – the party squished in next to us even asked the waitress to turn it down and she said no! Paired with the fact that we were packed in like sardines, it wasn't the best atmosphere for catching up over dinner – it felt more like a bar than a restaurant – but Elly and I were willing to let that slide because the food was incredible.

We ordered fried chicken to share, and two bowls of T22. I had a passionfruit, orange and mint juice which was so delicious. I have known a lot of places to skimp on the more expensive ingredients but Bone Daddies certainly did not – I enjoyed a dozen plump passionfruit pips with each sip.

The food arrived quickly and we, as typical ramen virgins, dove straight in, ignoring the foreign condiments in front of us. Later, we watched two girls next to us mix up their noodles, meat and egg and grind sesame into their broths. True ramen know-how. Next time I'll give it a go.

I loved my T22. The chicken was juicy and tender, the noodles reminded me of supernoodles – thin and slurpable – and the egg was soft boiled to gorgeous perfection. I didn't finish the broth – I found it a little salty – but everything else was spot on. The side of fried chicken was my favourite. Good on its own, but dipped in the chicken bone broth was just the best. 

I'm so glad I finally got to check out Bone Daddies – East Asian food is my absolute favourite – and I am now scouring the net for more ramen hangouts. Have you got any recommendations?

Nachos & Mojitos at Bodega - Birmingham

Mexican food became very fashionable in the noughties. After a meal out in Canterbury for my sister's 18th Birthday, my family discovered fajitas and it soon became my favourite thing to eat. As a starter, my mum would make nachos - nachos as I knew them, anyway. They had to be lime Doritos, covered in grated cheddar and chopped chilli and roasted in the oven for ten minutes. If you haven't tried them, you really must. Sometimes, the simpler the better.

But only sometimes. When nachos go all out - and they are done right - they are incredible, and the ones at Bodega were just that.

The tortilla chips were homemade and you could tell - crisp, light and full of an earthy flavour that factory-made Doritos just don't have, I knew from the first bite these were the best nachos going. 

Rhi and I had spent the day wandering around Birmingham - this was the same day as our visit to The Old Crown Coffee Club - and we were tired and hungry. We nabbed the last table before the place was fully booked for the night, and quickly ordered something to eat and drink.

One day I'll live in a flat large enough to warrant hanging lights like this from the ceiling.

Happy hour at Bodega means selected cocktails are discounted to £4.50 each, so naturally we ordered a few. Mojitos are one of my favourite cocktails to drink and remind me of last summer when I was a bit obsessed with this lime and mint combination.Paired with the cheesy, fiery nachos, the drinks were delicious, and if I didn't have to catch a train home we would have stayed longer and ordered more.

If you're in the area - central Birmingham that is - you must visit Bodega. Rhi swears by their burritos and I can't recommend their mojitos and nachos enough. Find out more here.

The Old Crown Coffee Club – Birmingham

So, January blues are a thing. Who knew? I think I'm okay now, I mean, I can look back on the Christmas period with a feeling of fondness(!) instead of wishing it were still here like an ex boyfriend... There's always next year! Anyway, I can see summer now, lighter days, visiting Scotland, London, friends and family. I'm getting out of this silly little rut.

While I was sorting my life out I found some photos I had taken on a festive trip to Birmingham with my girl Rhi. We were ffrrrreeeezing, I remember, and all we wanted was a cup of coffee in a comfy little coffee shop. And we found one! Birmingham, like all cities, has hidden gems, you just have to look for them, and if you walk just ten minutes out of the city centre, you'll find a plethora of little shops and cafes waiting to be enjoyed.

We stopped at The Old Crown Coffee Club - an extension of The Old Crown pub, which had a nice homemade feel to it - you know, not too many bare brick walls or 'kooky' members of staff.

We got two coffees - black americano for me and cappuccino for Rhi, and couldn't decide between the adorable gingerbread man and chocolate brownie, so got both, even though we had just devoured a meal at Wagamamas.

The coffee was roasting hot, just how I like it, and the gingerbread man was almost too perfect to eat... almost.

The brownie was rich - fudgey and packed with chocolate chunks. The Old Crown Coffee Club gave us everything we needed to warm up again, and what made the visit most memorable was the chairs in which we sat. They were super springy and deceptively comfortable, making it hard to leave, but we had Christmas shopping to do (sorry, that's something you thought you wouldn't have to think about for another 11 months).

If you're shopping in Birmingham this weekend and fancy a coffee break away from the busy city centre, go for a wander, it's worth enjoying your coffee with quiet conversation. 

Find out more about The Old Crown here.