Another Baking Blog - Macarons with Jols!

When you’re life is stressing you out, I have found that baking helps. Creating something that you have complete control over makes a nice change to living constantly in the whirlwind of landlords, banks, bosses and other pains in the ass. 

So it’s Friday, the last day before the heaving weekend shifts in the bar and I decided to rope in a friend, trained pastry chef don’t you  know, and have a go at Macarons. Having been introduced to Macarons at Lauduree in Harrods by my boyfriend (also trained Chef) my heart was sold. Give me Salted Caramel, Orange Blossom, Rose or Violet macarons and my day is made – hell, my week is made. 

However because I’d practically forced Jols to make macarons with me, I  pretty much let her choose flavours. Eventually we went with dark chocolate and raspberry and then dark chocolate and coconut. The left over dark chocolate from someone’s birthday seemed to be a recurrent theme in our recipes.

With my head spinning in the differences between italian and french meringue, plus likes of The Meringue GirlsCookbook and all the fabulous flavours and colourings, I had done my research and I was raring to go.  

Unfortunately, we fell at the first hurdle. We’d run out of sugar. 

A (semi) quick trip to Sainsburies and a Starbucks coffee later – we’re back in the kitchen. First up were the macarons that were meant to be black. Black and red we thought, how decadent and daring. Our black turned out to be more grey-ish, but it still looked pretty good with the red sprinkles on top. 

Those grey-ish macarons became our fresh raspberry and dark chocolate macarons. 

Next up, we let little Max (Jols’ son) sprinkle on some decimated Coconut and we created our next masterpiece – toasted coconut and dark chocolate. 

Only then did we get to big for our boots and attempt lemon macarons. Sadly, after a small oven malfunction, our pretty pale lemon mixture turned into grilled cheese when someone (naming no names) put the grill on, rather than the oven.

So, no lemon macarons but plenty of raspberry, coconut and dark chocolate ones.

And some homemade marshmallow to boot - keeping the little one happy.

Overall, I think we did good and we had nothing but good reviews. 

Hopefully you guys think they look as good as they tasted.  

Birthday in Brighton: Mexican Street Food at La Choza.

Good evening and welcome back. It was my birthday recently so my boyfriend surprised me with a day-trip to Brighton. Let me tell you how amazing this Mexican place we found was... Warning: FOOD PORN.
 
La Choza; the best Mexican street food I’ve ever tasted. 

After wandering around the beautiful Lanes in the birthday-Brighton sunshine, my boyfriend and I were both starved and steering away from chain store food, we favoured something a little more independent, a little more unique; a little more Brighton.
Open until 10pm everyday, we found La Choza and it’s cute outside tables on Gloucester Street; a little way from the Lanes but definitely worth the walk. James immediately ordered a beer on recommendation from our waitress who turned out to be the business owner and eventually, in high spirits, I went with a Passion Fruit Slushie. If you can’t have a Slushie drink on your 21^st birthday, then when can you?

After scanning the menu, I knew what I wanted. A homemade chorizo and melted cheese quesadilla. As soon as I read it, I knew it was what I had been craving all day. James went with a more filling burrito with spicy pork and salsa.
Although I have been to Brighton before, this was the first trip that I truly got to walk around and take everything in; James favourite record shop opposite Snooper’s Paradise on the North Lanes, the amazing street art and graffiti on the sides of all the buildings, my favourite being this Alice In Wonderland inspired piece – 

La Choza was the perfect addition to the day in Brighton, the staff were friendly and happy – the decor was completely to my taste and full of beautiful Dia De Los Meurtos skulls and the walls were papered with colouring in sheets finished by child customers.
By the time our food came we were ravenous – not because it took a while, but because we were so hungry to start with! Arriving in American-diner style plastic baskets it really was street food to go. My quesadilla was completely homemade and you could tell – the chorizo meat was ground and spiced in a way that you just can’t buy in the shops. James made his way through his burrito slowly but surely; it was such good food he wanted to finish it, but so filling!

My point is, if you’re looking for a gorgeous little independent food venue in Brighton, be it birthday-Brighton or not, please go see the guys at La Choza. They’re so friendly and laid back – they deserve our custom! It was so nice to find a place that weren't in a hurry to get us out and get a new table in, or rushing us through the meal. The atmosphere here is so easy it melts any troubles away.

Sorry about the photo quality, I’m no photographer. Please check out the La Choza links below and see if you can pop in and taste that Slushie!

La Choza on Facebook
La Choza on Twitter
La Choza on Instagram
La Choza on their own, beautifully designed, website. (Seriously, how pretty is it?!)

Til next time, stay safe. 
BarGirl. ♥

I don't have Anger Issues, I have Honesty Issues - plus I work in a bar.

Good afternoon and welcome. I'm being far more dedicated to this blog than I ever thought I would. Win Win. Although, this weekend I WILL NOT be blogging, as from Friday evening till Sunday night, I will be working thirty one hours. Over two and a third days. Bullshit and bollocks... ♥

  What was the point of this post again...?

  Oh yes, the difference between an angry barmaid and an honest, frustrated barmaid. Just so we're all aware, I'm very rarely rude to customers. I will occasionally snap at them but only if they truly deserve it. 

"Pint of Peroni and a smile, darlin'" - You wish, mate. Stop being such a sleaze and stop drinking before noon. "I'll have whatever nuts you have and a tenner from the till..." Dickhead. Order your drink, make polite small talk and walk away. It's all I really ask for. 

I very rarely articulate my hatred for asshole customers to them, but I do rant like something crazy in my head. They just get me so frustrated. One of my biggest pet peeves, is a customer coming all the way to the pub, opening the door, walking up to the bar and saying "Oh...you know I don't know what I want. I hadn't even thought about it." That's because you're a pain in my ass. I'm not saying detail your order when you're having breakfast in the morning, but at least have an idea of the general direction you're going in. You already know if you're going to have beer or wine, or wine or spirits, or soft drinks. Help me out a little, buddy. I know this one bugs other people too, not just me, so I don't feel quite as bad moaning about it. 

I'm a very honest person. I think. My boyfriend says I'm occasionally too honest - not in the sense that I'd tell someone they looked terrible in their jeans, but I'd say I prefer them in their other pair. I think honesty is a good quality to have as a person, especially in work environment where you have to work SO closely with your team of people. Being honest is easy; no games, no lies just straight up and simple. Same goes with relationships. Make things easier for yourself. Don't play games.
I like you. Let's hang out. I don't like you like that. Okay, cool. 

Anyways, just a short splurge for now but I have to go and pick up my wages because one of the bars that I currently work in (last day on sunday) only pays in cash, for some unknown reason. So every thursday, I have to go into town just to pick up my wages from the boss between 1-4pm. Except he's very rarely there. It's one day that he needs to stay in the office for a four hour period. Shouldn't be that tricky but apparently it is as he has to go for his lunch break (?!) and gallivant around town. 

#MoaningMyrtle - Sorry.

Til next time, stay safe. 
BarGirl. ♥

'Ello, Bar Girl here. Here's 10 Things.

Good evening and welcome, to the first post of the Adventures of Bar Girl blog. Here, you can read all kinds of shenanigans that I get up to in and around my favorite and not so favorite bars. Working in Winchester means you might see some of your favorite haunts popping in and out of my life, so feel free to tell me what you think; what you like and don't. I should probably let you know from the get go that I can be pretty opinionated. ♥

 Just to break you in...

 Here's my, current, 10 Bar Girl hates:

1. "What do you have on?" (...in reference to beers.)
What do I have on? You mean, aside from the fourteen pumps you can see in front of your face? Well... Would you like me to list every spirit and soft drink that we sell? That's going to take me a minute you self-centered ass. 

2. "Is this all you have?" (...Nope. I keep a secret stash under the bar.)
People ask me this all the time, as if I'm going to let them in on a super secret sleuth stash of beers under the bar that are only available for super special customers who ask. 
 
3. Please stop moving all my furniture to rearrange for abnormally large group. 
So there are twenty of you - that really doesn't impress me. Especially at five minutes to closing time. What would you like me to say? But of course, Sir. You drag all my chairs to one corner of the bar and huddle there with all your loud, drunken friends. (See point 6.)

4. "I can't make it in today, I'm sick." (Nothing to do with the fantastic sunshine today?) 
When my staff call in sick when they're not, it really bugs me. They don't seem to realize what they've done to the rest of us. You're just dropping out of a busy shift leaving the rest of us to pick up your slack. Don't bother coming back. Don't let me see you out drinking tonight either.

5. "HOW MUCH?!" (Don't bitch at me, I don't set the prices.) 
This one really has nothing to do with me. Please don't moan at me that your pint of Peroni only gives you 40p change from £5. You were the one to order one of the most expensive beers. 
 
6. "What time do you close?" (In five minutes) "Great. There's 12 of us."
Inconsiderate...GRUMBLE...I want to go home...pain in my ass... grumble grumble. 
 
7. "Okay, I'll take a burger. No bun. Hold the relish. But can I get extra mayo? And is your salad washed before it's served?" 
That's all well and good, but you clearly don't have dietry requirements. You're just being a tosser. I'm the one who has to face the almighty wrath of a Chef with the temper of a dragon. And of course the salad is washed!?
 
8. "I'll take a lager." (Fantastic. Am I meant to psychically know which one of six?)
Becks. Peroni. Carling. Fosters. Red Stripe. Pilsner. Grolsh. Staropramen. Same goes for ordering simply "Stella" when there's four different types of Stella on sale. Cidre. Stella 4. Stella Black. STELLA ARTOIS. 

9. You dragging your kids to a bar. (It's inappropriate and annoying.) 
Okay, I understand you guys want your family to spend quality time together but I'd much rather that wasn't in the middle of a football game when there's thirty louts at the bar and your precious little girl is screaming louder than them all. 
10. No hesitation, deviation or repetition. (Please) 
Don't repeat your orders or I'll make them twice, I can retain them the first time. Don't deviate from your original order, again... I will have retained the first order. Don't come to the bar if you don't know what you want, and once you have what you want GO AWAY. There are other people who need serving.
So, maybe that's enough for now. I'm sure more will come to me - they usually do. To anyone who thinks I'm being too harsh - you have clearly never worked in a bar. Any bar. Being in charge of Champagne at your great aunt Hildy's 60th birthday doesn't count. 

Til next time, stay safe. 
BarGirl. ♥