Review: Dune Surfer and Just Burgers & Beers.

A while ago (ahem, November!!) I was invited to my first Blogger Event from the lovely girls at LUX. As life has been pretty chaotic I've only just got round to finishing this post (bad blogger!)

The event was taking place in Just Burger & Beers up in the Royal Mile and was to promote a new low-cal refreshing beer - Dune Surfer. Now I LOVE burgers and I LOVE beer, so yeah, there wasn't really any part of me saying no - apart from the small nervous part about meeting a bunch of strangers. Now I'm no stranger to the blogging world, having had this one since 2009 (although the lack of older posts doesn't make this clear, I had a bit of a radge moment and deleted all my old posts and wish I never had), but this was my first meet up, other than nods of acknowledgement from others when I've been out and around town. So I was a little nervous about that, but really shouldn't have been, everyone I spoke to was lovely.

So back to the beer and burger.

We were firstly spoken to by the owner of Just Beer & Burgers who explained we would given a small sample of their 'sides', home-made 'slaw, pulled pork, chicken wing, chili and nachos, - god it was all so tasty but so filling, I wasn't actually sure I'd be able to manage my burger afterwards. 

We then had a chat from the owner of Dune Surfer, a gentleman with years of brewery experience. The beer is marketed as refreshing, hydrating, low-cal and low- alcohol (around 2%). The beers I tend to drink are ones like Heineken, Innis & Gunn lager, a few choice Williams Bros and Black Isle. So this was probably a fair bit away from my 'norm'. However, I did find it refreshing, fruity and very light, as to not suffer from the beer bubbles. I could quite imagine sitting in a beer garden in the Summer having a few of these.

Next we tried a beer cocktail, they added gin, watermelon and something limey, it was delish, something I would certainly attempt to recreate at home. 

During this part our burgers arrived!

I'd gone for their 'Anna Nicole Smith' burger, a lovely burger but a bit of a mess, (too harsh?...maybe). But it was one of the best burgers I've had. Served on a seeded bun with the Wee Mans fiery beef chilli, melted Monty Jack cheese & jalapenos. 

There were also fries and onion rings the size of your hand, I was stuffed by the end, and we got chocolate brownie to take home. Chocolate isn't high on my list of 'like's but the brownie was superb.

Guts, Ghosts & Gore Oh My! Edinburgh Dungeons Review

When I was asked recently if I fancied popping along to Edinburgh Dungeons I absolutely jumped at the chance. I LOVE all things scary (we're currently watching 'Would You Rather' on NetFlix) so couldn't wait to sample the guts, ghosts and gore of Auld Reekie.

Being a local I have been to the Dungeons before but it was a very, very long time ago so I was looking forward to seeing how much it had changed. I wasn't disappointed.  From the first few steps inside I was feeling a little nervous. The ambience, the creepy music, the decor, all fantastic.  

The tour was filled with Scottish history, from Burke & Hare to William Wallace, the Cannibalistic Bean family and much, much more. 

I don't want to give too much away, there were certainly more than a couple of jumps & screams from our group, myself & Jamie included and you have to go in with an open mind because they do pick on members of the audience. Jamie ended up in front of the judge and one of Sawney Beans creepy-as sons wanted me to be his girlfriend. It was a great laugh. The staff were fantastic and it's definitely something I'd recommend. 

Our whole tour lasted about 1.5hrs and with tickets costing from just £9.50 for kids and £10.95 for adults (online pre-booking), there's also special offers for Family and Group tickets - it's definitely worth it. 

After the tour you do have an opportunity to buy some pictures that are taken of you during the tour. We got a picture from the final part of tour, the Drop Dead, it wasn't the most flattering of me but I think it captured exactly how I felt. 

Maybe if enough of you lovely people click through to the Dungeons link I'll share it with you all. Until then it's staying safely on the fridge. 

*disclaimer: I was given two free tickets for the purpose of reviewing the Edinburgh Dungeons. All views are my own and all reviews are 100% honest.

Degustabox - July Review

If you would like to try Degustabox for yourself and get a cheeky £3 off your first box just click here.

So I enjoyed my first Degustabox so much that I decided to stick with it for another month. In this months box I received: 

• 3 bottles of ZEO drinks (peach & grapefruit, citrus crush & lime zest) 
• 3 packets of Portlebay Kracklecorn (popcorn) (crispy bacon & maple syrup, sweet & salt, chilli & lime)
• 6 packets of Maggi sauces 
• Dr. Oetker Eton Mess and Violet Crystals 
• 2 Hornsby's Apple & Blueberry cider 
• Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate & lemon chocolate

Unfortunately a lot of this box won't get used straight away (Maggi's and Dr Oetker) and the popcorn will need to be sampled and reviewed by Jamie.

What I can review: firstly the chocolate. Dark chocolate isn't my thing BUT this was lovely, just a square or two totally satisfied any sweet craving I had. This I would possibly buy again. 

Secondly, Hornsby's apple & blueberry cider. At first I thought this was very 'odd' tasting but I have to admit half way through a cold bottle on a Friday night I was quite enjoying it. Would I buy it? Potentially. It makes a bit of a refreshing difference from my normal Rekorderlig mixed berry or strawberry & lime. 

Rudi enjoying the box again - pretty sure he's looking forward to it more than me!

My First Degustabox

Almost a month after receiving my first Degustabox I've gotten round to writing about it. 

(I actually get my second one next week!) 

A while back the lovely Laura over at TheLikelyLady did her own post on Degustabox and I was immediately interested. For £12.99 a month you receive a box of 9-12 food & drink items delivered to your door, what's not to love!? 

I'm always up for trying new things and this way it could be something I wouldn't have thought about trying before. 

My June box contained the following: 

Elizabeth Shaw Milk Chocolate Amaretto Flutes   
Urban Fruit - Pineapple

Be Fast Breakfast shakes - banana (2)   
Bear Alphabites cereal   
Strawberry Lambrini

Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Grinder
Veetee Egg Fried rice
Estrella Damm

and as an extra, Earl Grey Tea:Latte

 

 I found June's box was a nice mixture. You may notice that the Milk Chocolate Amaretto Flutes aren't pictured, these may have been consumed by my colleagues & I....

In a quick rating: 

Milk Chocolate Amaretto Flutes - 5/5

I'm not a massive chocolate fan if I'm honest. I have to be really in the mood but these....very tasty, very moreish and the calorie intake was pretty low, shame you want to eat a whole box at one.

Urban Fruit - Pineapple 

These are still in the cupboard unopened unfortunately. I'm not a huge lover of dry fruit and will probably keep these until one of my friends with kids visits as I'm sure they'd make a great healthy snack. 

Be Fast Breakfast shakes - banana (2) - 4/5

I had one of these shakes when I was in a rush and too busy one morning and failed to  have breakfast. It was very nice, great banana taste, a bit like a Yazoo milkshake, not too sweet and it didn't taste like it had 'stuff' in it. I'd definitely have these again.

Bear Alphabites cereal 

Neither J or myself are huge cereal fans, the occasional bowl of coco-pops once in a while is about as far as it goes. So, these are also in the cupboard awaiting the day that I crave some cereal again. 

Strawberry Lambrini

Currently chillin' in our beer fridge waiting for a summers evening to be be popped open. I enjoy strawberry flavored drinks and I'm sure I've had some other fruity Lambrini in the past that wasn't hideous so I am looking forward to trying this.

Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Grinder - 5/5

Getting this for amongst my box I was pleasantly surprised, vanilla is not cheap and to buy this alone would probably be about half the price of the box. So I'm squirreled this away for my next baking day. 

Veetee Egg Fried rice - 3/5

Rice, oh rice! As much as I think of myself as a decent cook, cooking rice is my MAJOR downfall. Want a home-made lasagna including pasta, sure. Steak, peppercorn sauce & home-made fries, def. Want fluffy tasty rice with that shredded chilli chicken I whipped up, no danger.

So you get the idea, micro-rice is my calling. And this was decent. I wouldn't favour it over good ol' Uncle Bens, it was a little on the dry side for my liking. But all in all, a good rice. 

Estrella Damm - 5/5

Now we're talking. 

A light, crisp, cold beer, perfect for these Summer evenings. This I would 100% purchase, no ifs or buts. 

Earl Grey Tea:Latte - 0/5

Lastly....I don't mind an earl grey tea, but this wasn't nice. The mixture didn't well, mix, as you can see from the lumps on the bottom picture. And it didn't taste very nice either, a few sips and it went down the sink.

Maybe it was my tea making skills, maybe different flavours would be nicer?! Either way this wasn't for me.

And finally - even the box went to good use. Rudi loved it and spends a lot of time in it with his toy mouse....he is an odd kitten. 

 

If you would like to try Degustabox for yourself and get a cheeky £3 off your first box just click here.

Review: Wings Edinburgh!

Do you like chicken? Do you like good banter? Have you been to Wings? I'm actually reluctant to blog about Wings because it's so damn good, and always so damn busy already!! However, it deserves a little review.

*5/7 Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh

My first trip to Wings was last year when it was a little secret in the bottom of a Mexican restaurant in Victoria Street, my friends husbands mate from school set it up after a trip to Canada (I think it was Canada...) anyway, I'm not the hugest fan of chicken on the bone, or rather I wasn't. Until Wings. 

Wings come in sooooo many different sauces & dry rubs, with so many brilliant names, and you can't have Wings without some chips or strips for dipping, and £2.50 bottles of Corona. (Don't ask for juice - you'll be laughed at!) Wings also do a 'Suicide Challenge' now I LOVE hot food, I LOVE Franks hot sauce which they use BUT - I'm not brave enough. The warning that comes with the challenge is enough to make me not want to attempt - and with only 100/399 completing it, it sort of speaks for itself. 

I have to say, I tend to go for the same sauces when I order - I'm not a huge fan of the dry rubs - usually 3/4 per person (if you want to share) are sufficient, and it's about 6 Wings per bowl. My picks would be: 

• Tiger Sauce/Taps Aff/SaberTooth! - All three are spicy, just depends how brave you're feeling that day 
• No Big Dill - Caesar sauce with dill, great for cooling off after a hotter sauce 
• Chalapeno - cheese sauce with jalapenos - two of my favorite things

Jamie on the other hand prefers the BBQ ones, and a couple of the hot. Jamayacain me crazy is pretty good tho.

Now Wings isn't classy, it's paper plates & napkins, it's messy, it's throwing your bones in a bucket, it's brilliant!! It's also full of brilliantly-crazy staff and weird & wonderful decoré!