Le Rustique

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

I love cheese. Who doesn’t!? I must admit I’m not a hardcore cheese lover – I don’t often crave it (I have such a sweet tooth that pretty much all my cravings are sweet!) and I generally prefer milder cheeses to strong ones, which I think would make every cheese connoisseur turn their nose up at me! In my opinion there’s almost no savoury meal that isn’t made better by the addition of cheese though, and I’m sure you’ll all agree that the world be a pretty sad place without cheesy carbs! Cheese on toast.. mac & cheese.. cheese baked into bread.. cheesy garlic bread.. giant chunks of cheese in a salad.. and of course my favourite food – pizza!

Continue reading Le Rustique

The Good Egg

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

Second time lucky and I called ahead this time to check that they didn’t have any private parties! As with many brunch places you have to be prepared to queue, especially if you’re in a big group. We got there just after 12 and thankfully we were second in the queue but it grew quickly and before we knew it there were about 5 parties behind us being told it would be over 45 minutes’ wait. We were lucky that we arrived just before a group of 5 as I think there’s only space for one or two parties of larger than two in there. The problem is that it’s so far out of the way that it’d take you 45 minutes to get anywhere else half decent, but standing for 45 minutes in the freezing winter cold feels like a bloody long time. At least it wasn’t raining though. And they have a lovely (if tiny) space in front with a few garden tables and chairs which I imagine would be perfect in summer. In fact, if it hadn’t been in the shade it probably would’ve been quite nice!

Continue reading The Good Egg

Safari Accommodation

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

Although I’ve been lucky enough to go on many holidays and see many countries from a young age, I think this is the first holiday I’ve been on where I stayed in multiple hotels, and also the first holiday I’ve been on where I had absolutely no idea what to expect from each one! I’ll admit that I really love my home comforts – I have plenty of friends who are perfectly happy to camp, or wing it and stay in dingy hostels but while I can hack being hot and sweaty during the day, when it’s time to sleep I like a nice shower, fresh sheets and a cool room. Obviously I knew that being on safari isn’t exactly synonymous with luxury, but the hotels varied wildly in quality (and some were actually really lovely) so I thought I’d write a separate post in case anyone else is planning a similar trip!

Continue reading Safari Accommodation

South Africa/Zimbabwe

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

This holiday was something completely different to anything I’d ever done before and I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to go as I’m well aware that this is a trip that’s probably on many people’s bucket lists. I’ll admit that before leaving I knew virtually nothing about the tour – my parents had done all the research and I’d been so busy at work that I’d booked my flights, thrown some clothes in a bag and set off for the airport! I was lucky enough to spend my time at the airport stuffing my face in a lounge, as my Gold Amex card gives me membership to Lounge Club and complimentary lounge visits!

Continue reading South Africa/Zimbabwe

The Aviator Hotel

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

This place literally pops out of nowhere. When the sat nav said we were two minutes away we were pretty dubious; we were on a busy main road with a combination of run down council housing, abandoned buildings and tiny little corner shops (the type which look like they’re still selling the same rusty old cans of soup as a decade ago). Even when you get there it looks like a random office block from the outside, with nothing but a giant field behind it (duh.. airspace!). The car park looks like a business park and it’s the last place you expect to find a nice hotel. As soon as you step inside though, you’re surrounded by complete and utter luxury.

Continue reading The Aviator Hotel

Le Bab

Posted on by thelittlebigfoodie

Tucked away on the top level of kingly court, Le Bab is a lovely little Lebanese spot which started off as a humble street food van. They have a simple menu based around gourmet kebabs with a few starters and sides. They also have a brunch menu but that’s only available on Sunday (which I didn’t realise until I got there). I was initially a bit disappointed but in hindsight it was a blessing as it gave me no choice but to order from their normal menu which was incredible! Their kebabs were so packed full of flavour that ordering something like a standard breakfast hash from their brunch menu would actually seem like a waste.

Continue reading Le Bab