The Alchemist, Oxford: visuals over substance

- What was the best part of dinner out?
- The smoke...

I don't often go out for dinner, but this week I'm celebrating my big fat birthday, and I've been looking for ideas online. I fancied trying something new and different, and having read Mary's from Over40AndMumtoOne blog review of The Alchemist, I thought it could be one of the possible options.
We were planning to go out with our 7-year-old son, when our elder son was staying overnight in the respite home. I showed Eddie the post with the photos and video and he was very enthusiastic about trying a cocktail for kids.

The Alchemist is situated on the roof floor of the newly rebuilt West Gate centre. The people behind the concept of The Alchemist proclaim they "dispense a bewitching blend of molecular mixology, innovative dining and a dash of our trademark theatrical presentation".
Bold and brave promises. But do they deliver?

We booked a table online for 6.15pm, as this was the only available option for an earlier dinner. We didn't want to eat out late, as it was a school night, and we still had to travel from Oxford.
By the time we arrived - the bus we planned to take never came, and the one which came later was very slow - we had max 5 minutes before our booked time, so we had no time to explore anything in West Gate centre.

We still had to wait a little bit before our table was ready. We looked at the snow storm against the dark sky, and were glad to be inside.

First impressions of The Alchemist? Too dark and too loud. I don't like having dinner, when you can hardly hear your friends over a din of music.
It was packed full, and looks like a busy place. If you are thinking of visiting it, I'd recommend booking in advance.

The design of menus was stylish, clever and quirky. The drinks menu is styled as the Mendeleev's periodic table.
There were some classic cocktails like Mojito, Daiquiri or Screwball, and there were cocktails with unconventional names like Barrel Aged Corpse Reviver, Bubblebath or Shrub a Dub Dub.

I have chosen their much-hyped Lightbulb Moment, which is a combination of Tanqueray gin, Pimms, ginger beer, raspberry, lemon and mint.

My husband opted for Lady Marmalade - a mix of Chase marmalade vodka, Belsazar Vermouth, bergamot, lemon, orange and grapefruit.

The presentation of cocktails was very impressive: they were served in chemical lab-style glassware (or in a lighbulb-shaped glass in my case), with dry ice.

Once you pour the drinks over ice, it looks pretty spectacular, with the smoke wafting over the table.

Regarding the taste, I'm on the fence. My cocktail tasted mostly of ginger beer, which at £9 felt like a rather pricey ginger beer, albeit a fortified one. It was OK, but nothing special.
The same could be said about all our cocktails: it was a case of visuals over substance.

Our friends had a drink called Mad Hatters Tea, it was a very strange concoction of vodka, Cointreau, elderflower, fresh fruit and veg (there was a sliced passion fruit, strawberry, cucumber) in a big glassware, set over fire. It looked cool, but there was not much of it, once all the smoke was gone.
As a piece of showmanship it was top marks.

Eddie was pleased with his cocktail for children, called Bubblygum (£4.85). He felt like a young Harry Potter doing his magic lesson, pouring drink over ice.
You cannot deny the theatrical aspect, it is well done. It's an entertainment for both grown-ups and children alike.

I think this might be the place to go for cocktails, when you want to impress someone you're dating.

The food was average. Again, nice presentation, but rather mediocre cooking skills.
For a starter I had vegetable gyozas with sweet chilli sauce. Other starters included Thai salmon fish cakes and Feta & pesto filo rolls.

Children can choose either a Bento box with fish fingers, mini burgers or chicken, fries, peas or beans and crudites or wraps.
Our starters were served, but poor Eddie was sitting without any food. I offered him gyozas, he had a bite but didn't like it. Why did they think it was a good idea to serve grown-ups first and then for a child to wait for his meal until the adults had mains?

I have chosen a Tandoori Seabass fillet with vegetables. Now, seabass is a tasty fish on its own, it does not need much of added flavours. The spices were a total overkill. All I could taste was spice, not fish.

Beetroot risotto looked not very appetising.

Eddie ate most of his Bento box. He loved the presentation, but said my burgers were better.

We could not fault the wine we had with our dinner - Rioja Blanco was beautiful.

The list of desserts is short: Pornstar posset with prosecco foam, Cinnamon waffles with vanilla ice cream, Baked lemon cheesecake, Chocolate fudge cake, Chocolate brownie and Sticky toffee pudding, all with vanilla ice cream.

I didn't fancy anything stodgy and asked for a bit of ice cream, which Eddie was happy to help me with.

Children's menu dessert choice was between a brownie and a lolly (those which you can buy a dozen for a pound in a Poundland shop).

I imagine in summer it is a great place to sit outside on the veranda and watch the town lights from above.
It was a fun experience, we loved meeting our friends and sampling novelty cocktails, but I don't think I would want to dine there again.
If you are curious about the total sum, we paid just over £158 (that's for 4 adults and a child).

When we were leaving, I asked Eddie, what was the best part of eating out at The Alchemist. He replied: the smoke. Out of the mouths of the babes...

Birthday lunch at Frankie & Benny's

To celebrate Federico's birthday today, we decided to go out for lunch to Frankie & Benny's in Marriotts Walk. We visit it a couple of times a year.
The menu is a typical American-Italian food, quite heavy on meat, with a big choice of burgers, pasta and pizzas. Most of the things come with fries.
There are some vegetarian dishes on the menu, which I have tried in the past, but they were a bit boring. I don't think salads are their forte.

Going out with Sash is always tricky. If it's too noisy, he might get stressed and want to leave at once, but we decided we'd still go out together, as we wanted to celebrate Fede's birthday as a family.
Thankfully, Sash was in a good mood.

At some point, there was a young child running around and screeching at the top of her voice, and I braced myself, thinking Sash would get anxious, but the child was soon removed somewhere else to annoy the other people.

When the time came to order, first they didn't have prosecco, then champagne was only available as a bottle (at £35+), which we didn't want.
Steak was all gone, except the biggest size.
In the end we ordered a pina colada cocktail, a glass of rose for me, pepsi and blackcurrant drinks for kids.

Bruschetta looked pretty, but I'd prefer it more toasted.

For me pasta is not a celebratory meal at all, but our birthday boy opted for a plate of carbonara.

A Triple Cheese Burger is as full of calories as it sounds. It has mozzarella sticks inside and lots of mustard, and comes with fries. I should go on a diet tomorrow, shouldn't I?! And no dinner tonight.

Eddie wanted burger slides from children's menu, with fries and peas.

Desserts' list was full of temptations. My guys fancied milkshakes with all sorts of toppings, like cookies, waffles and donuts, but I was wondering if the stodgy bits get soggy in milk.
Have you ever tried those Freakshakes and would you recommend them?

In the end we picked a Can't Decider dessert, which is a perfect option for those who cannot make up their minds. You get four small slices of different cakes - a lemon tart, a pecan pie, a chocolate fudge cake and an Oreo cheesecake, and a mini bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Children's meal deal includes a dessert. Eddie liked the sound of fruit skewers with a chocolate dip.

He said he wished there were more strawberries rather than apples.

We enjoyed our meal together, which is even more precious because Sasha was with us and appeared to be happy and smiley. Simple things like that - eating out together - are often fraught with stress for families with special needs children, so we appreciate these times even more when everything goes without any trouble.

Eddie loves going to Frankie & Benny's, and we had a good laugh together, taking selfies and telling jokes.
The bill was £60+ for four of us.
Our birthday boy got three balloons to take home.
On the way home I was singing aloud "Ding dong merrily on high... Hosanna in excelsis" which left Eddie in stitches, though he kept looking back if anyone could hear us. And I only had one glass of rose, honestly.

La vita é bella with Prezzo La Famiglia

"No other cuisine appeals to us as immediately and sensuously as la cucina italiana - Italy's gloriously simple, deceptively sophisticated, heartwarmingly earthy, and immensely varied culinary repertoire" (Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian)

Who doesn't love Italian food?!
I will never be able to compete with my husband's Mamma or Nonna's cooking, so I'm feeling quite liberated at how I approach Italian cuisine, and will happily adapt any authentic recipe to suit my mood or a list of available ingredients.
Our kids have clearly inherited love of eating out along with their Italian genes. And though, with Sasha's autism, he usually eats the same familiar meals, Eddie's more adventurous.

Last Friday I took Eddie to Oxford to have a tour of the castle and prison, and have a meal at Prezzo, which is within the old castle area. Sasha had a day out with Barnardo's, so it was just three of us, with my husband meeting us in the restaurant.
And though the Prezzo restaurant chain has more than 280 restaurants across the UK, housed in old libraries and harbourside eateries, it was the first time we visited it in Oxford.

Prezzo in Oxford is conveniently located in the old castle compound, just a short walk from all the bustle of the shopping centres and colleges. In fact, my husband's college - Nuffield - is just across the road, and you can see its distinct modernist spire very well from the motte next to the castle.
Yep, after climbing over a hundred steps of the castle tower, my sprightly child insisted we get on the motte as well. I suppose that was a necessary exercise before a big meal.

I rarely go to Oxford for a meal out, and it was a real treat to have lunch at Prezzo, thanks to BritMums #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge. 100 bloggers across the UK were given a chance to sample a new sharing pasta bowl at Prezzo.
We booked our table in advance. When we arrived, there were not that many tables occupied, but soon enough it got very busy. The staff were friendly and welcoming. While we waited for my husband to arrive, Eddie was offered a colouring sheet with wordsearch and puzzles.

What is included in a family sharing meal? You have a choice of pasta - Penne Arrabiata, Spaghetti Bolognese, Spaghetti Carbonara or Penne alla Rusticana. Each bowl is big enough to feed four people (I should add, four hungry people, as with garlic bread and side dishes, it's a lot of food). There is also a garlic bread, with or without cheese, a choice of two side dishes (either salad or fries - plain fries or truffle oil infused ones) plus a selection of ice cream, sorbet or gelato as well as four soft drinks.

We were happy to try any pasta, but Eddie has chosen Spaghetti Bolognese. Since there are only four pasta meals to choose, it didn't take long to pick our favourite.
That's a bonus, when eating out as a family with young children. Having too many choices sometimes turns into a painful experience of what to order.

The beauty of the sharing bowl is that you can have as much (or as little) pasta, as you like, since there are no standard portions.
Our waiter offered us parmesan and chilli oil to go with pasta.
Garlic bread was freshly baked and very tasty.

It was fun to serve pasta from a big bowl placed in the middle of the table (we ate from smaller size individual bowls). Pasta was cooked to perfection, and beef-based ragu was flavourful. And though I cook a decent Ragu myself, it was wonderful to have someone else to cook a meal for me for a change.

I think I'm turning into my Mum (and Grandma). One of the ways of showing love for me is to "stuff" my family and friends with food. Even after we ate a good amount of pasta, I kept asking Eddie and my husband if they would like to have some more.

We had a very good time at Prezzo, laughing and enjoying food. My husband was rather embarrassed when I asked him to take a photo of Eddie and me eating spaghetti.
Ah, the pleasures of having a blogger in the family! Eddie, though, was in stitches and happy to oblige.

Eddie loved his home fries, and I was enjoying my truffle oil infused fries so much that I will definitely be back at Prezzo for more.

We finished our lovely meal with ice cream. Eddie wanted a strawberry ice cream

I fancied a chocolate salted caramel gelato...

... while my husband went for a palate-cleansing blood orange sorbet. I had a teaspoon of his sorbet, and it was a beautiful intense orange flavour.

Many thanks to BritMums and Prezzo for a lovely lunch!
If you fancy trying La Famiglia dish, you can find your nearest Prezzo restaurant by entering your postcode or town at Prezzo Restaurants Find and Book.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge, sponsored by Prezzo.
https://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/LaFamiglia

Adventures at Thaikhun, Oxford

We often get invitations to visit and review cafes and restaurants, but the majority of these events happen in London. I always politely decline the invitations as travelling to London and back home would involve a whole day. There are too many factors to take into consideration - like travel costs, organising a childminder for our older son who wouldn't be interested in eating out etc etc.
A few days ago I received an email, asking if we'd like to visit Thaikhun in Oxford and sample their newly launched menu for children.
Wednesday the 19th was the day when Thai street food restaurant Thaikhun has hosted its official kids menu launch party.

Eddie is a social animal who loves meeting new people, and he was very excited to go to Oxford with me. We caught a bus to Oxford, hoping to be in time for the start of the event. The bus was crawling sooo slowly, and it was unbearably hot inside. By the time we arrived at Thaikhun we were flustered, red and sweating, not the most elegant sight.

Friendly staff accompanied us to our reserved table. Eddie was most excited to find lots of balloons floating above the chairs. Kids and balloons. Such simple things keep them entertained for ages. Eddie played with the balloons and was thrilled to find out we could take them home.
This was our first visit to Thaikhun, and I was curious to see the interior. It is a treasure trove of objects and artefacts which gives an authentic feel to the dining experience.

The ceiling is decorated with all kinds of exotic lanterns and bells.

Eddie was happy to chat to two young lads sitting at the table next to ours. They all seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere. Eddie even told me enthusiastically "This is the best restaurant ever".

The team at Thaikhun has been working with a team of children who did the taste testing of the new menu.

As you can see from the menu, you could choose one option from each column: jasmine rice or plain noodles, grilled chicken or pork or mixed vegetables and no nuts satay sauce or sweet BBQ sauce or slightly spicy green curry.
Each kids' meal comes with carrot and cucumber sticks to start. We also had a big bowl of crackers and a small dipping bowl of sweet chilli sauce, which was mildly spicy.

And the most adventurous bit - free creepy crawlies are served with every meal! Not for faint-hearted the sight of these dried Buffalo worms. I thought they looked revolting unappetising. These crunchy critters are freeze-dried and are packed with protein.

Oh my, worms for lunch?!

I could have never imagined that my very fussy eater will be brave enough to sample the creepy crawlies. But having seen the other lads eating them, he decided he was sport enough to give it a go. My brave son has tried the first worm very cautiously, then grinned and said he liked it. Soon enough, he was happily munching on a few more.

Eddie loves rice, so he decided to try rice with vegetables and sweet BBQ sauce. He enjoyed the sauce, ate all the carrots but wasn't keen on broccoli.

My suggestion for the vegetable option for kids is to expand the choice of vegetables. Serving just carrots and broccoli seems like an incomplete meal. How about adding some green beans, courgettes, sweet peppers and other veg? It would be more colourful and appetising. It did look like a side dish rather than a main course.

The sweet BBQ sauce was flavourful and got top marks from Eddie. He also liked the jasmine rice.

I was also offered to choose a starter and a main for myself.
For the starter I fancied a dish of dumplings or Ka Nom Jeeb. The menu says "an age old Chinese import, dumplings have become a real street food favourite with us in Thailand". I opted for steamed vegetables dumplings, but you can also choose pork and prawn-filled dumplings. It was a lovely light starter.

I have also ordered a Geang Kiew Wan or Thai green curry, cooked with chicken, courgettes. green beans and fresh Thai basil. It was served with a fragrant sticky jasmine rice. The curry was delicious though a tad on the hot side (there were generous slices of fresh red chilli in the sauce). This classic dish was aromatic and full of flavours.

When we were leaving, Eddie got a Thaikhun goodie bag with a portion of creepy crawlies. He is very tempted to take them to his birthday party on Sunday and treat his guests.
What do you think, should we put some worms in the party bags?!

Disclosure: Eddie and I were invited to have a free meal at Thaikhun to sample a new menu for children. All opinions are ours.