WOW - a hectic month; I don't think the blog has ever been as busy as it was in October, from birthday parties to trips away I was a very lucky - and very busy blogger!
Seasons at Balmoral
The Balmoral Hotel - West Belfast's only Hotel, this month launched Seasons; a new Restaurant, and I was lucky enough to be invited along to the media launch. As I walked into the new dining area I was met by a host of NI stars including the rather handsome Tommy Bowe and Robbed Olympian Michael Conlon who were here to publicise the new venue. Seasons has opened its doors to the public and I would advise you all to visit - great grub, a top, top chef and fab decor make this a must for any food lover.
Gallopers Turns 1 - A Beery Happy Birthday
Local business man and craft beer brewer Declan Holmes invited me along to a Beer Birthday Party. Declan has made his passion his vocation and turned his love of craft beers into a thriving business which is now 1 year old. Gallopers is a local beer, steeped in history, its origins lie with the unfortunate Galloper Thompson - a local man who was decapitated at a local mill and now haunts the streets of Belfast - Ghost or no Ghost he would def approve of both the Golden Ale and RPA in the Galloper's range. The birthday party was in The Fly Belfast - beerpong and an indoor putting green made this a party to remember - the beers on offer didn't disappoint and Declan should be proud of his achievements! A good lad who is doing good things - def a dude to keep an eye on!
Tony & Jens - They also turned one
The Lisburn Road's healthiest place to eat celebrated their first birthday in October - this place is just going from strength to strength - it shows what passion and hard work can achieve! A great ethos with great food and super duper coffee, if you haven't been here you need to add it to your to-do list. A firm fav of mine I would recommend getting your mouth round 'Tony's Balls' and a Flat White - PS Tony's Balls are healthy protein balls full of flavour and goodness - get your minds out of the gutters people! I was only able to call in for a quick 30 minas all of the events you've read so far happened on the one night! HOLY SMOKES
That handsome devil in the top right is my wee cousin Liam
The First Ever Irish Curry Awards
So I was contacted by Inga of 'Love Belfast' and asked to attend the first ever Irish Curry Awards - held at the Ramada Hotel Shaws Bridge. It was a chance to celebrate and recognise some of the best Irish Curry Houses, their staff and chefs. A great night and a rounding success, the Curry Awards have been set up by Ali Askir (Safa Indian) to raise not only awareness of Indian Food within Ireland but to raise some much needed funds for the Children's Heartbeat Trust. A mix of local celebs, some great food and top entertainment made this a super night.
Next Stop - Manchester
My first ever mid term break - I didn't know what to do with myself! Lost for ideas I organised a wee trip away. A quick 35 min plane journey to Manchester with Laurie and the Donnellys followed by 90 minutes and 37 shots of terror meant that the only way to pick myself up was a quick trip to the Trafford Centre for some much needed retail therapy. The Nespresso shop was like a mini haven for me - I'm a bit addicted to coffee so this place had me bouncin' like a kid on Christmas Eve - I limited myself to 50 pods which came to about £18 - bargain; looking forward to trying the new Sudan Bean!!!
Liverpool
While in Manchester we took a wee trip down to Liverpool to check out LiverpoolOne - Having got over the disaster of drawing 0-0 with Burnley I headed to one of my favourite shops - Zara - and bought myself a nice wee jacket from the Zara Men's Basic Range for £29.99. I also checked out their Primark and it was amazing, our one is brutal in comparison - I picked up a hat in here, a bit like one I'd seen in Selfridges for £29 but this one was a lot cheaper at only £4. I haven't beat the hat off me - money well spent.
So, as I stated a hectic month but a really enjoyable one - November has started in similar style so tune in next month for another wee update!