Hartley's Coffee & Sandwich Bar - Nottingham

So we had a bit of a "fat day" on Thursday! After going to Sobar for lunch (see post here), we decided it was coffee and cake time a couple of hours later! We were in the Hockley area and the fun and colourful exterior of Hartley's Coffee & Sandwich Bar seemed very inviting! You may have seen the cow that they have outside the café. Don't worry, it's not a real cow, although she does have her own Twitter account!

Mario opted for a regular latte, with a glass of tap water. The latte cost £2.00 and the mug was quite a substansial size. Mario wished that there was a larger shot of coffee in it though as it was a little weak for him. I'm sure if you ask for an extra shot of coffee, the friendly staff will be happy to oblige.

To accompany his coffee, Mario was tempted by a large raisin and oat cookie. For only £1.00, this cookie was huge! It had a delicious cinnamon taste to it. Not too crunchy or too chewy, this homemade cookie had a perfect texture to it.

As I have said in previous posts, I am an ice cream lover. This also means that I love milkshakes and I couldn't pass up the chance to have one! They're a little pricey at £3.50, but they're worth it and I decided to treat myself! I chose to have the mint-chocolate milkshake, and I was not disappointed! It was quite a large drink and even had pieces of chocolate in it, which was a delicious touch.

As for cake, I chose to have white chocolate and cranberry tiffin cake, priced at £2.00 (see photo above). It was so delicious! I wish it had chunks of digestive in for a little added crunch, but the overall taste was so tasty, especially with the odd sour cranberry in it.

Overall, the "afternoon snack" was absolutely delicious. All of Hartley's suppliers are local and the cakes are all handmade. It is an independant, family business and I'd definitely recommend them.

The Orange Tree, Nottingham

I went out for dinner on Saturday to The Orange Tree on Shakespeare Street, which we'd had drinks at before. Unfortunately they stop serving food at 7pm on a Saturday, so there was a bit of a panic and some people were unable to eat there.

Luckily, my friend was able to order for me! I decided to go for southern fried chicken, which came with chips and was meant to come with smoky beans too but they'd run out of them. My meal came with coleslaw instead, which was also tasty.

So when the meal came out, I originally thought that there didn't look like much food. I was very much mistaken! The chicken was absolutely delicious. Not too spicy and gorgeously crunchy, the chicken itself wasn't dry at all and very enjoyable to eat. I love the chips at TOT! They're hand-cut and wonderfully chunky. Definitely recommend going there for the chips alone! The coleslaw that came with my meal was also delicious and tasted as though it was homemade. It had quite a strong taste of onion and it was all I could taste once I'd finished my meal!

The southern fried chicken was only £8.50, and that was one of the more-expensive meals! I don't think The Orange Tree is too expensive at all. It also serves a wide range of drinks and food. There will be something for everyone there! Delicious pub food :)

For more information about The Orange Tree, please visit http://www.orangetree.co.uk/nottingham/ or call 0115 9473239.

Annie's Burger Shack, Nottingham

**Please note that this review is from September!! Written but not posted... Oops!**

When my friends came to Nottingham to visit me on the weekend after my birthday, I knew the perfect place to take them before we went on a night out! Annie's Burger Shack is located in the Navigation Inn on Wilford Street. It's out of the centre of town but, after a bit of googling, it's not too difficult to find.

We went on a Saturday and it was very busy! It also got quite loud, but we were able to move tables. There are also tables outside, by the canal, which would be lovely in the summer. I would also recommend booking a table if you're planning to go to ABS at the weekend.

There are so many burgers to choose from on the menu. The first time I went here, my friend and I perused the menu at home so we had an idea what we wanted before we turned up at the restaurant.

I chose to have the Boston Nibbler, although I didn't brave two burgers and just had the one (£10.90).

This is how the Boston Nibbler is described on the menu:

"Double the burgers, swiss and cheddar cheese, two slices of bacon, two onion rings, topped with American style burger sauce, grilled pineapple and garnish on top, along with lettuce, tomato and mayo on a toasted sesame bun. Comes with curly fries, skinny fries or homemade wedges. Choose meaty, veggie or vegan."

Quite intimidating! I was so glad that I asked to have just one burger as I definitely would have exploded. The burgers themselves are homemade and have a lovely red colour due to tomatoes that they use in the patties. The bun was nicely toasted and went well with the burger. This was definitely a K'n'F job as I don't think it's possible to pick it up! It's a very tasty burger, and the curly fries were also delicious. The sweetness of the pineapple complimented the rest of the burger nicely and the "American-style" burger sauce was very tasty!

Lee Rosy's Tea, Nottingham

A couple of weeks ago, I went out for lunch with some friends and we ended up at Lee Rosy's for some tea and cake! I have already done a post about this quaint little tea room, which you can see here, and that post will have more information on the tea room.

We sat downstairs on this visit, as there is additional seating there. The stairs lead down to a room with about 5 tables, one of which has comfy chairs and a sofa around. I think this room needs better lighting as it is extremely dark (due to it being below-ground and there is, obviously, no daylight) and it could do with decorating. It looks a little shabby, but I suppose the whole tearoom has a shabby-chic feel to it.

Well in my last post, I wrote to say that I was disappointed that tea didn't come in a teapot. On my second visit, I saw a sign that said that it is possible to get a teapot if you'd like one, but a cup of tea is £1.40. I also found the tea menu on this visit! I hadn't realised that it existed so I got a peach tea this time.

This tea was a gorgeous deep red colour. I felt as though it was steeped to a sufficient time for me this time as the tea had a delicious peach flavour. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fruit teas!

As we were waiting to order, we surveyed the selection of cakes that the tea room had on offer that day. As well as a wonderful-looking selection of cheesecakes and other cakes, there was one in particular that sounded interesting to me. I've had vegetable cakes before, such as carrot cake, parsnip cake, chocolate and beetroot cake, but I'd never tried courgette cake! The cake was advertised as chocolate and courgette cake with lime and I was excited to try it.

I was quite disappointed by this cake. I didn't expect to taste the courgette strongly in the cake, but it may as well have just been listed as a chocolate cake. I couldn't taste the courgette at all and I'm still wondering where the lime came into the occasion as I couldn't taste that either. The cake was a very tasty chocolate cake though, not dry at all and not too rich.