Urban Cookhouse Manchester – Review

Some words about a new place to eat in Manchester

Last week I partook the extremely adult and grow up activity of taking my family out for dinner. It was a few days after my mum’s birthday and my parents were visiting Manchester to see Take That in celebration of that (much to my dad’s delight), so I took them and my younger brother Sam to Urban Cookhouse which is one of the newest restaurants to pop up in the city.

Since seeing it pop up a number of weeks ago I have been wanted to pay Urban Cookhouse a visit, if not just because I’ve exhausted most of the rest of Manchester’s eateries. The restaurant is in one of the lovely old warehouse buildings on Princess Street, a convenient 5-10 minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre. Inside it is spacious, open and sleek, without straying too far from the ‘obvious’ modern renovated warehouse look.

I started with the Halloumi Stack (£6.25), and my dad and brother had small Seared Beef Steak (£6.75) and Tea Smoked Salmon (£6.95) salads respectively. You can’t really do halloumi that badly wrong, and reports on the salads were good too. The main courses are obviously more important: I had the Tandoori Paneer (£12.95), mum got the Treacle Bacon Chop (£14.25), and Sam and dad both had the Urban Legend burger (£10.95). Now I initially wanted the Spinach and Beetroot Salad (£9.95), hence ordering a cheese starter because as much as I love the stuff I probably wouldn’t have done a double-cheese meal if I hadn’t had to think quickly and choose something else from the menu. Other than the salad, the veggie options were limited to the Tandoori Paneer and a Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese Flan and on this occasion I was more drawn to the curry. It was lovely! Towards the end I found it a little too hot for my embarrassingly mild tastes, and it probably didn’t quite compare to the veggie and vegan curries I’ve had in Manchester’s indian restaurants, but I liked it a lot nevertheless.

The meals that my family enjoyed warranted rave reviews: the burgers (one with an extra topping of beans, one with mac n cheese) in particular seem to be a strong point of the Urban Cookhouse menu. I wish there was at least one veggie burger, but I did try (read: steal) a few of the chunky chips that came as a side and they were excellent.

The bottom line: Urban Cookhouse is great if you’re looking for a decent-but-not-overly-fancy meal out. The price point isn’t exactly cheap once starters (/desserts) and drinks are taken into account, but for an occasional visit it’s reasonably affordable (and there is a cheaper lunch menu too). I wouldn’t recommend Urban Cookhouse for vegans (zero vegan main courses) but for vegetarians there’s a little more choice. Meat eaters are definitely catered to best, and so if you’re partial to a beef burger I (or rather my meat-eating family) would absolutely recommend Urban Cookhouse!

June 1, 2015 TAGS: food, lifestyle, Manchester, urban cookhouse BY: hannahlouisef

Fashion

7 For All Mankind – Manchester Store Experience / Giveaway

Earlier this year I attended the opening of New Cathedral Street’s latest addition: 7 For All Mankind‘s Manchester store. I was super excited to be invited back to the store to choose an outfit for myself, and battled my way through the Christmas-markets-induced foot traffic to visit last weekend.

The store itself is very pleasant – clean looking with a subtle California vibe (which is where the brand originates), and very easy to shop with super friendly and helpful staff, and some nice cacti too (an essential element of any shopping experience if you ask me). The main attraction is the denim: I was immediately attracted to the ‘Relaxed Skinny’ as modelled by current face of the brand Miranda Kerr, but there were so many great pairs to choose from! After much deliberation I actually opted for the Josefina, a skinny boyfriend style not all that dissimilar from the Relaxed Skinny, in a medium blue wash with some subtle distressed detail. They’re relaxed and a little scruffy looking without gaping at the knee like a lot of other casual denim at the moment, and they’ve fast become my favourite pair of jeans – I will still stand by a black skinny jean forever, but I think these are a little more grown up (and flattering) than the ‘mom’ jeans that I’ve loved for the past few years. At £200 they’re definitely an investment, but 7FAM is undoubtedly a luxury brand and the high quality will, I think, last as long as 4 pairs of £50 jeans. Fit-wise I’d recommend sizing down, particularly if you’re between sizes! If you’re really looking to splash out beyond denim, 7 does some amazing leather pieces including beautiful biker jackets and leather trousers too.

For the top half of my outfit I chose the comfiest dark grey cashmere jumper, but I was spoilt for choice with beautiful white and off white blouses which looked amazing with the Josefina jeans. You’ll be seeing my full 7 For All Mankind outfit on the blog later this week!

Now for the best part – 7 has kindly given you the opportunity to win a pair of jeans of your choice! These can be men’s or women’s, so good news for everyone. You must be following me on Bloglovin and you must leave a comment on this post telling me which is your favourite pair of 7FAM jeans – you can browse the selection on the website here. Fill out the form below to enter – good luck!

This giveaway is open to EU residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*this post is in collaboration with 7 For All Mankind*

November 25, 2014 TAGS: 7 For All Mankind, 7FAM, competition, denim, giveaway, jeans, Manchester BY: hannahlouisef

Life

Outfit Store Opening – Manchester Crown Point

Last week I was invited to the opening of a brand new OUTFIT store at Crown Point industrial park in Denton, Manchester. Living in the city centre I rarely venture out for shopping purposes, so with Crown Point just a short drive away I was excited to check it out. If you’re not familiar with the OUTFIT concept, the stores house a variety of Arcadia brands under one roof. It’s sort of like a department store but a little less over-facing, very handy! I think OUTFIT is the ideal shop for anyone who is a bit lacklustre when it comes to the act of going shopping, or anyone who is rushed on time. If you’re local there’s also an OUTFIT at Manchester Fort, or you can check where your nearest OUTFIT is using their store locator.

The new Crown Point store is exactly what you’d expect from Arcadia (in a good way!) – big, clean, bright, and very easy to shop. I was drawn to the brands I usually wear like Topshop and Miss Selfridge, but also enjoyed browsing Dorothy Perkins and Wallis. The Denton store also has an Evans for plus size shopping, and menswear upstairs! Whilst there is obviously a smaller selection available from each brand than there might be in their individual stores, I was particularly impressed with the range of products. In the Topshop section for example, there was a full stock of that Alexa Chung leopard print skirt!

Check out some snaps from the new store below, including some bits I picked up for myself. Do you have an OUTFIT nearby?

Topshop Throw On Cardigan

Miss Selfridge Gold Sequin Dress

Dorothy Perkins TAKE ME OUT Clutch

Topshop Chelsea Boots

Miss Selfridge Floral Jacquard Shell Top

Miss Selfridge Floral Jacquard Short

Miss Selfridge Embellished Clutch

Here are a few things I left with, which you might already have seen if you follow me on Instagram:

Topshop Yellow High Neck Circle Jacquard Top

Topshop Buckle Flannel Kilt Skort (I didn’t get this, but I definitely want it!)

Topshop Premium D-Ring Skirt

Shop this post:

October 26, 2014 TAGS: Arcadia, dorothy perkins, events, lifestyle, Manchester, Manchester Crown Point, miss selfridge, outfit, store opening, Topshop, Wallis BY: hannahlouisef

Life

Disaronno Terrace Events

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you might have noticed that I spent my last two Wednesday evenings at The Oast House for the Manchester leg of the Disaronno Terrace events. If you’re not familiar, Disaronno has been hosting events like this all over the world in celebration of one of Italy’s most famous liqueurs, including live bands, artists and plenty of Disaronno. The cocktail of the moment was the Disaronno Sour:

45ml Disaronno

30ml fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

stir & garnish with lemon slices

I had great fun and luckily the weather held out. The next Manchester event is this Wednesday (August 13th) and then it finishes the following week (August 20th) before heading to Edinburgh for the following 4 weeks. I won’t be attending as I’m off on holiday on the 16th (woo), but do let me know if you’re going to or have been to any Disaronno Terrace events, and how you found them!

Facebook / Bloglovin / Instagram / Twitter / Lookbook / Tumblr

August 11, 2014 TAGS: blogger event, disaronno, disaronnoterrace, event, events, lifestyle, Manchester, the oast house BY: hannahlouisef

Life

Flat Tour | a sneak peek into where I live!

Ever wondered what my flat is like? I think that flat or room tour type posts are among my favourite things to see from bloggers, probably because I’m too nosey for my own good. After receiving a fabulous white resin stag head* from Out There Interiors (pictured above and below), I figured it was about time I did one of my own. Out There Interiors stock a large range of quirky furniture and home accessories on their website, perfect for brightening up your bedroom, student halls or your own flat or house.

The stag head (now affectionately known as Steve) was super easy to attach to the wall, only one (sturdy) screw or nail in the wall is needed, and the stag comes with a fastening with a loop for hanging already attached. I think he looks very majestic combined with our high ceilings!

I rent this flat in the centre of Manchester with my boyfriend Paolo, so we don’t have much say in the furnishing as most of it was provided. However luckily for us our landlords have great taste – I love the hardwood floors and this striped arm chair. We also have a big leather sofa, which double as a very handy sofa-bed when required.

Inkeeping with the furnishing which came with the flat, we try to keep the bits and pieces we have lying around fairly minimalist, but I can’t resist a cute picture frame (or little wooden cat ornament). I also have a (rather pathetic looking) orchid, which used to be very much alive and well but unfortunately is going through a phase of having no flowers at the moment, as you can see. The only photos we have printed are baby photos of Paolo which his mum brought over, so they have ended up in frames and on the wall. This was intended to be a temporary measure but I think they’re hilarious so they’ll probably stay! Paolo’s record collection and some of our books are out on the TV cabinet, whereas the much more unsightly collection of giant law textbooks and folders I have are hidden away inside.

Perhaps the pièce de résistance of our humble abode is the shoe storage / display. I have a very inappropriate number of shoes and Paolo is partial to a few himself, so we needed a serious storage solution. We opted for a selection of Ikea Billy bookcases, which have proven to be ideal. Not only are they quite cheap, they are the perfect depth for most of our shoes (UK 8 and below), and you can add as many extra shelves as you like and adjust where they sit so that they fit the height of your shoes (or books…) perfectly. Putting them together is, in true Ikea fashion, very uncomplicated and I think will be easy to make work in another flat if and when we move again. Sadly the bookcases are now full, and we’re operating on a one in one out system :'(

Adorable wallpaper in our hallway!

We only have one bedroom and it is fairly small for two people, so storing all my clothes has been a challenge. I have my beloved 6ft sturdy clothes rail, as well as a a multitude of coat hooks on the back of the door, a chest of drawers and two more drawers in the tiny wardrobe provided by our landlords. Paolo gets the hanging space in that wardrobe and a box under the bed (haha!). I’ve also had to come up with storage solutions like this coat hanger / sunglasses and jewellery holder.

That concludes the mini-tour of my flat, what do you think? Have you posted about where you live? I’d love to check out some similar posts, so do leave a link in a comment!

November 28, 2013 TAGS: flat, home, homewear, house, interior, Manchester, Out There Interiors, shoe storage, stag head BY: hannahlouisef

Fashion

Vogue Fashion’s Night Out – Manchester

Last night Vogue brought its famous Fashion’s Night Out to my city – how exciting! From Selfridges to Spinningfields to the Arndale, a variety of shops, brands and boutiques held special events into the evening, celebrating everything fashion.

I didn’t quite know what to expect from FNO as I had never ventured down to the one in London, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was super busy almost everywhere as was to be expected, but there were plenty of fab things to see and do which were worth braving the crowds for.

I started off at BooHoo‘s fashion bus, which they had stationed just off Market Street. BooHoo had their sparkling upcoming Boutique collection on show (which will be available for general purchase at the end of this month), as well as make-overs, cute pink BooHoo cars and a cool Instagram activity.

Coat – eBay | Top – Topshop | Trousers – ASOS | Shoes – Topshop

Next I popped over to Selfridges, which was absolutely heaving, but of course they had enough going on to warrant sticking around. There was a plethora of well known faces mingling with the crowds too, I spotted Henry Holland, Sophia Webster and Erdem Moralioğlu to name a few! Jameela Jamil was DJing on the top floor, so of course I had to sneak a photo!

I also bumped into some blogger babes, including the fab Lucy who I’m sure you all recognize!

Harvey Nichols was hot on Selfridges’ heels as usual, with masses of fun things to see and do. Pic n Mix, Pin The Pony on Karl, exciting talks from a variety of influential people in the world of fashion (I caught a bit of Sophia Webster’s interview, she’s so adorable!), and some more famous faces including Proudlock and Jamie from Made In Chelsea. Despite feeling sort of bad for them both being mobbed by fans whenever they surfaced from backstage, I couldn’t resist a selfie with Proudlock! :’)

I also ate a cute tiny hotdog…

The rest of my night was spent wandering around the city exploring what else was on offer, whilst handing out some fliers for my friend’s amazing new vintage store, Dirty Disco, which has just launched online. You might have seen Dirty Disco around on eBay for a while, but the transition to a webstore is definitely an exciting one. Check out www.dirtydiscovintage.com now, and keep peeking back for new additions!

Check out a few other photos from my night below, I hope all of you who came along enjoyed FNO too!

October 11, 2013 TAGS: BooHoo, fashion, Fashion's Night Out, FNO, Harvey Nichols, Lookbook, Manchester, personal style, pink coat, Selfridges, VFNO, Vogue, Vogue Fashion's Night Out BY: hannahlouisef

Uncategorized

Week in photos

My Monday-Sunday in photos, new year edition!

Pink and silver sparkly NYE nails | New Year’s Eve at Albert Square in Manchester for a world record attempt at ‘most people simultaneously doing the Gangnam Style dance’ | Fireworks at Albert Square | #ootd new Topshop pearly dress worn as a top with a Primark skirt and Topshop boots | pug puppies calender for 2013 | matte mint nails with silver glitter tips | #ootd Motel dress, vintage beaded jacket, Primark boots and Romwe bag | cute books from the Urban Outfitters sale | #ootd Topshop pearl print top, vintage beaded jacket, Cheap Monday jeans and Primark boots | pearly outfit | out for curry with my family | out for lunch with my mum (steak and blue cheese sauce again, mm) | big hair day | new clothes rail(!!!) | red nails | carousel in Manchester | #ootd Topshop jumper, vintage jeans, Haute & Rebellious coat | new snow princess Primark coat.

Follow me on Instagram @xhlf and like my brand new Facebook page here 🙂

January 6, 2013 TAGS: fashion, instagram, Manchester, New Years Eve, ootd, week in photos BY: hannahlouisef

Uncategorized

Oh Hell!

This week I modelled some clothes for Manchester based brand Oh Hell clothing – check them out on Tumblr and Facebook, and click here to visit their store!