Manchester Blog

REVIEW: Circus Funtasia

Circus Funtasia at Wythenshawe Park

★★★★★

Imagine a world without no internet.. Circus Funtasia have created just that indeed. They are back with their UK tour, showcasing a family friendly circus, featuring top talented performances and even dangerous world class stunts. A circus with a modern twist which is suitable for all family members, whether you are 3 years old or 103 years old.. and let’s face it who doesn’t love the circus? When Rosie at Circus Funtasia contacted me to invite* me to the show at Wythenshawe Park (thanks Rosie!), I just couldn’t say no and with the invite accepted I was ready to check out my first circus of the year and Circus Funtasia’s first UK destination of their 2020 tour.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Going to the circus is a treat for anybody and when entering the Big Top, I was just as excited as the little kids running around getting their faces painted ahead of the big event. Inside the circus tent, it was very clean and tidy and had the usual ringside and tier seating areas, along with a candy floss stand, face painting and another stand for popcorn, hot food and hot and cold drinks. It was also great to see how friendly the team are and they do all really work so hard. Not only to welcome guests and get the set ready but some were also part of the actual cast, taking on two performances each day.

THE GEEK
Not your typical clown, Circus Funtasia is modern, sleek and is definitely ‘down with the kids’, with their very own ‘Geek’ frontman. He kept the crowd entertained throughout the show and at some point took part in juggling with fire batons and other stunts himself. He was a great alternative to a traditional clown, very funny for all ages and was very much a part of the overall show.

GLOBE OF DEATH
As scary as ever, the death-defying globe of death took centre stage and not only two but three motorbikes took the plunge inside the metal caged globe, with members of the cast actually stood in the middle.. terrifying but you can’t actually stop watching. Travelling at up to 30-40mph, around and over each other and at one point in the dark, it is definitely an act not to be missed.

AERIAL AND ACROBAT ACTS
There were various acrobatic acts throughout the show, taking place at the highest point of the circus tent, including silks, aerial ropes and even walking upside down across monkey bar hoops. Each act really did showcase the talent of the Circus Funtasia cast and shows how hard they work.

WHEEL OF DEATH
Bringing Peaky Blinders to the Big Top and keeping with the modern circus theme was the Wheel of Death. Taking on the Wheel of Death at terrifying speeds, skipping, swinging in and out of the wheel single handed and at one point blind folded, had not only me but most of the audience watching in shock and at one point, the poor little boy sat near me was shouting for them to stop.

KNIVES, FIRE, MAGIC AND.. HARLEY QUINN
Danger seemed to be top of the list at Circus Funtasia and the level of danger was taken to the next level. Not only was there a fire eater, taking on dangerous fire eating stunts, but also their very own Harley Quinn (yes Harley Quinn was there!) juggling with hoops, fire batons and even with knives whilst riding around on a segway.. danger alert! The genie performed some amazing magic and there was even a foot juggler on a bike, not only juggling footballs but also fire!

OVERALL
A circus not just for kids but for adults too.. I throughly enjoyed Circus Funtasia and so did my family. There is something for everybody to see and enjoy and the cast all work very hard. The show is not only modern and contemporary but at some points it has you on the edge of your seat. I would definitely recommend, whatever your age, booking tickets to visit Circus Funtasia when they arrive at a venue near you. Be prepared for an epic and family fun, actioned pack afternoon.

You can catch the show at Wythenshawe Park until 01 March 2020 or follow where Circus Funtasia will be performing next here.

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*I was gifted press tickets to see Circus Funtasia but my opinions and views are all of my own.

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Barburrito

REVIEW : Barburrito Piccadilly Gardens Manchester

Barburrito is a Mexican style fast food restaurant where the main food item on the menu is the ‘worlds famous’ burrito. The first ever UK burrito restaurant was opened in 2005 by Barburrito and was actually opened in Manchester Piccadilly. After great success in Manchester Piccadilly, Barburrito opened further restaurants in and around Manchester and several more restaurants around the UK, including London, Bristol, Scotland, Leeds and many more. The restaurant has now become a national brand in the UK and although seen as a fast food style restaurant, they aspire to serve fresh, healthy, Mexican inspired food, namely the burrito.

Like any fast food restaurant, you have a choice of different dishes and at Barburrito you can choose either the Classic Burrito, Loaded Burrito, Superfood Burritto or the Naked Burrito. There is also the option of Quesadillas, Tacos, Nachos, Fries and even a Kids Menu.

Once you decide on the type of burrito that you want, you then choose your main filling, which can either be; grilled chicken, pulled pork, fried vegetables, chicken and chorizo, grilled steak, sweet potato chilli or spicy shredded beef. Your main filling is accompanied by white or brown rice or beans (mild or spicy which are similar to kidney beans) and then either pepper and onions or mushrooms. You then also choose the salsa (a mild, medium or hot sauce) and any additional extras like guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips and coleslaw.. trust me it does taste nicer than it sounds!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I’ve mentioned a few times on my blog that I am always looking out for new and different places to eat for lunch. With Barburrito on the door step of the office, I took a short stroll through Piccadilly Gardens and got in line to order my burrito. The que at Barburrito was lined up outside of the door but people were served very quickly and there was plenty of seating inside if you wanted to eat in, rather than take away.

As soon as I was served at the counter, I was asked if I had ever been to Barburrito before and if not, they would explain the concept and the options available to me. I thought that this was great customer service, especially if you are unfamiliar with the concept and it was great to hear them ask when they were so busy. I had already been to Barburrito before so I was already familiar with how to order, however it was new to my friend and they explained it clearly to her.

I ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled chicken, white rice (they didn’t have brown) and a medium salsa. Unfortunately there were no pepper and onions available and I settled on ordering mushrooms, lettuce and grated cheese as my additional toppings. My friend ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled steak (60p extra), white rice, mild salsa which consisted of a mix of tomatoes and onions and then for her additional toppings mushrooms, lettuce, grated cheese and guacamole (£1.00 extra).

Overall, the choice of main fillings was quite extensive for a burrito restaurant but some fillings do cost extra, so be careful to read the menu above the counter before ordering. The service of creating my burrito was very quick from start to finish, however, my burrito was not exactly what I ordered. I did ask for the medium salsa to be added to my food but instead I was given the mild salsa (tomatoes and onions). I’m unsure if the medium salsa was unavailable at the time of ordering as I couldn’t see when they were making my burrito, however, it’s important that food is made to order, especially when people have different allergies and diets that need to be catered for. I was also disappointed that they didn’t have all of the additional toppings when I placed my order as this meant that I had to basically have what they had left or none at all (I wanted the pepper and onions but had to have mushrooms), which didn’t seem fair as the toppings are included in the price of the burrito.

I was also disappointed at the length of time I had to wait to pay for my food. It took longer to pay then it did to actually order and create my burrito. The service throughout creating my burrito was very good and all staff were really friendly and attentive but it was let down by the wait paying at the end and the fact that the member of staff on the till didn’t seem to be interested and wanted you to pay and then move on as quickly as possible.

TASTE

Ignoring the fact that my burrito was not the exact fillings which I ordered, the burrito was actually very tasty. I could taste each and every individual flavour and I did enjoy it. There could have been a little bit more of each filling (for the price) but to be honest it did more than satisfy my hunger. It was wrapped up firmly, keeping the fillings in the tortilla tightly wrapped up and the foil kept my food warm which was ideal for taking it back to the office to my desk. My friend also commented on the fact that she really enjoyed her burrito and again hers was tightly wrapped and the foil kept the food warm on the short journey back to the office. Again, she commented that a little more filling could have been added to the tortilla wrap, especially the main ingredient (grilled steak in her case) but she would return back to Barburrito again.

COST AND VALUE

Both small Classic Burritos cost £5.95 each but as my friend ordered hers with grilled steak and guacamole, it cost a total of £7.55. When taking into account that a burrito is just a tortilla wrap, filled with one main ingredient, rice and beans and then salsa and additional toppings, I think that it is quite an expensive lunch option. However, I did find the burrito to be quite filling and I wasn’t hungry afterwards. Taking into account that the restaurant is in Manchester City Centre and is made in front of you with fresh ingredients, I would consider Barburrito to be a ‘mid-range lunch option’ which would be my go to lunch for a treat every once in a while. It was just very disappointing that my order wasn’t right and the toppings that I wanted were not available.

OVERALL

I really enjoyed the Barburrito concept and experience of choosing my own ingredients and toppings and having my food freshly made in front of me. Most members of staff were really friendly and added to the ‘build your burrito’ concept. However, it was let down by getting my order wrong, lack of toppings and by the final member of staff on the tills, who seemed to be trying to rush through getting payments (which I know is their job) but it felt like that were not interested in their customers and wanted to get payments and clear customers out of the building as quickly as possible.. this resulted in a que of people then waiting for a bag or their drinks at the side, whilst others paid.

It was however great to see that they were offering a small discount to customers who worked locally which I think is a really good scheme and creates a loyalty amongst local workers.

Overall, my food was tasty, still very warm when I arrived back to the office and I could taste the different flavours from the toppings and ingredients that I had chosen. I wasn’t left feeling hungry afterwards and it satisfied that lunch time hunger! The overall cost for a burrito is a little on the expensive side (for what it is) but I would definitely return back to Barburrito again.

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Freshly made in front of you
Tastes delicious
Discount for local workers

Cons

Order made partly wrong and lack of fillings
Slow when paying

FOODIE RATING

I give Barburrito in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester a Foodie Rating of 3/5. It would have been a 4/5 if they would have given the option with the rice and if they had not got part of my order wrong. Paying at the till also let it down as it took longer to pay than it did to order and create the actual burrito.

Want to know more about Barburrito? You can check out their website and social media here: barburrito.co.uk

Do you like Mexican food? What’s your favourite burrito fillings? Let me know in the comments below.

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Food

REVIEW : The Ivy Brasserie Spinningfields

It was my Gran’s birthday not so long ago and as a birthday suprise we took her to The Ivy in Spinningfields. I booked The Ivy Brassiere a few weeks in advance and luckily was able to attend just a few days after it reopened from their roof top fire. The Ivy features a ground floor Brassiere, a private dining room on the first floor, an Asian bar and restaurant on the second floor and finally a Roof Garden on the third floor. I have already been to The Ivy previously on their Roof Garden shortly before it opened to the public but will blog more on that another time. This time I went to The Ivy Brassiere and as one of the newest restaurants in Manchester and also Spinningfields, I have shared my experience below for those of you who haven’t been yet and are debating the idea of booking into The Ivy.

Image Credit : Manchester Evening News

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I work very close to The Ivy and walk past it on a daily basis. It’s one of the new and must go to places in Manchester at the moment and with everybody raving about their experience and.. the ladies toilets.. I had to go there and find out for myself.

The outside of The Ivy is an experience in itself.. the sides of the building are covered in plants and the front of the building also covered in decorative plants and foliage, is guarded by two doormen dressed in green long overcoats and flatcaps and who open the doors for guests entering and exiting the restaurant. There is also a fire pit outside the front of the restaurant with ‘The Ivy’ situated above it and a menu on display for people to have a look at before booking into the restaurant.

When entering The Ivy, I was greeted by four members of staff behind the check in desk who instantly knew my name (from my booking obviously but a nice touch!). A member of staff took our coats into the cloakroom, whilst a fifth member of staff came out and took us to our table. Another a member of staff then introduced himself as our waiter and took our drink orders and handed out the menus. He was very attentive throughout the whole of the meal and could not do enough for us.. the service from the waiter was great and couldn’t have been any better.

For our starters, we ordered two of the Prawn Cocktails (£9.75), a classic prawn cocktail with baby gem lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes and Marie Rose sauce, with lemon on the side and the Roasted Scallops (£11.95), with grilled chorizo and ras el hanout roasted butternut squash.

For the main course, we ordered Chicken Bourguignon (£16.50), a flat iron chicken with a crispy skin, creamed potato, chestnut mushrooms and bacon lardons. Fish and Chips (£14.50), traditional battered cod, served with mushy peas, thick cut chips and tartare sauce and the Sirloin Steak (£22.95) with peppercorn sauce (£2.75) and we ordered extra chips to share (£3.75). Desserts were skipped as we were so full but I treated myself to a Mint Hot Chocolate (£4.25).

Overall, there is quite an extensive menu for the Brassiere and they also have a set menu and a vegetarian and vegan menu. Not to mention the breakfast menu, weekend brunch and afternoon tea which is served at dedicated times. The waiter was very attentive and explained everything on the menu and the surroundings once inside The Ivy Brassiere were amazing and in keep with their decor.. everywhere you look it is filled with either plants, artwork, floral prints, textiles, chandeliers.. the works. It’s definitely an experience that I would recommend you try.. even if it’s only the once.

TASTE

Starting off with the starters, I really enjoyed the Prawn Cocktail. It was a traditional prawn cocktail with a Marie Rose sauce. The prawns and salad were fresh and the presentation added a nice touch to a simple yet traditional prawn cocktail. My Gran went for the Roasted Scallops and again they tasted delicious. You could taste the grilled chorizo and the butternut squash but they were not too overpowering - both complemented the dish well. Again the presentation was was very nice which was a theme throughout the meal.

The main courses were also delicious and although the presentation of the dishes was nice, it wasn’t as well presented as the starters. Overall everybody enjoyed their main courses. The Chicken Bourguignon, was really tasty and the layer of cream potato was fluffy, creamy and complimented the dish alongside the bacon and chestnut mushrooms. My Mum went for the Fish and Chips and she also enjoyed it. Two portions of cod was served alongside the thick cut chips and mush peas - plenty of food which was very fresh. My Gran went for the Sirloin Steak which again she also really enjoyed. Unfortunately the steak did not come with chips or a sauce or vegetables and so we purchased additional chips and the sauce separately but it would have been nice for the steak to come with a choice of sauce and a side dish. Overall I was impressed with the food served, it was really tasty, freshly prepared and I would definitely recommend giving either dish a try!

COST AND VALUE

The starters were a little small for the price, especially for a traditional prawn cocktail at £9.75 but I must admit that it was tasty and presented very nicely! It would also have been nice if the Sirlion Steak had come with a choice of sauce and a small side dish included in the price. Some items on the menu do seem a little expensive but you do need to consider the location and service. Based on the food that we ordered, coupled up with the service, the location of the restaurant and it actually being The Ivy, I was actually expecting it to cost a little more than it did.

The only thing that I would point out is that the waiter asks when you are seated if you would like some water for the table, it is worth taking note that if ordered they will bring bottled water and you will be charged (£3.50). When ordering drinks for the table, it did take a little longer than expected to arrive and the drinks service is not as quick and efficient as the food service.

OVERALL

I really enjoyed the whole experience at The Ivy Brassiere from the food to the service. The waiter was very attentive and friendly and seemed to actually care if you enjoyed the food. The only downfall was the delay in the drinks order arriving to the table but this was down to a different waitress. I would definitely recommend giving The Ivy Brassiere a try and it’s definitely a place to check out at least once. My Mum and Gran also really enjoyed the food and the experience and they definitely were amazed by the ladies toilets!

The ceiling of the toilets is covered in flowers (a theme of the restaurant and building itself) and the statue in the middle really is a talking point. When we went into the toilets.. you can imagine the que of people posing for a photograph next to the statue! Overall, it was a great evening and a great place to go for a meal for a special treat or for a special occasion. The waiter made my Grans birthday that little extra special by bringing over a little birthday celebratory dessert which gave the evening that extra special touch!

I would definitely recommend booking into The Ivy Brassiere and giving it a try. We will definitely be returning back to try The Ivy Asia in the near future.

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Staff very attentive
Amazing decor especially the ladies toilets
Great place for a special treat or a special occasion
Presentation and great food

Cons

Can take awhile with drink orders
Some items on the menu are a little expensive

FOODIE RATING

I give The Ivy Brassiere in Spinningfields, Manchester a solid Foodie Rating of 4.5/5. It would have been a 5/5 if it had not been for the delay when ordering drinks and if some of the main dishes came with a small side dish. Overall the staff were very attentive and I loved the extra special touch they brought to my Grans birthday did by bringing out a small birthday celebratory surprise. I would definitely recommend giving The Ivy a try and I know that we will be going back to try the Asia Restaurant soon.. watch this space.

Want to know more about The Ivy? You can check out their website here: TheIvyManchester . Have you been to The Ivy? Have you tried the Brassiere, Asia Restaurant or the Roof Garden? Let me know in the comments below.

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Bella Italia

REVIEW : Bella Italia Piccadilly Gardens

Bella Italia is a well known Italian restaurant and its creators have been in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. They traditionally serve Italian dishes and really bring them to life by sourcing their ingredients directly from Italian family producers and more of where their ingredients are sourced can be seen on their website. The dishes served are all based on the creations of Italian chef, Vittorio Lettieri, who grew up in Southern Italy. Bella Italia are ultimately a sit down restaurant but also offer a takeaway option which is great news when working in the city centre. In addition to expanding to the takeaway option, Bella Italia now also have a home range in local supermarkets such as Tesco, where you can purchase their readymade popular dishes and desserts.

I’ve been to Bella Italia in Piccadilly Gardens Manchester a few times and have not only eaten inside of the restaurant but have also had their takeaway option. When ordering takeaway from Bella Italia, I have never actually ordered online or via Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat, I’ve always popped into the restaurant and ordered directly, which is ideal if you are not sure what you want to eat. With more and more Bella Italia restaurants popping up around the UK, I thought now would be a great time to check out the takeaway option again and give my honest review.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

After talking about pasta and Italian food most of the morning with my work colleagues, I decided Bella Italia would be the perfect option for lunch. I took a short walk across Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester and popped into Bella Italia to place my lunchtime order. The restaurant is placed in the heart of Piccadilly Gardens, facing the water fountains, close by to the local banks, shops and other places to eat and most importantly about a 2 minute walk from the office.

As soon as I walked into the restaurant I was met by a member of staff who raised his hand in the air from across the room to suggest to wait ‘two minutes’.. I stood at the doorway and waited over five minutes with my friend before I was finally given the takeaway menu to browse through before placing my order. I decided to order the Traditional Lasagne (£10.99) which consisted of layers of pasta, fine minced beef ragù, béchamel sauce and a mozzarella cheese. After not being able to order 2-3 options from the menu as the takeaway menu was out of date and had not been updated, my friend settled on the Sicilian Pollo Rosso (£11.39), which consisted of pasta with roast chicken, onion, red peppers and pachino tomatoes, finished with a Sicilian red pesto sauce.

Overall, the takeaway menu is an extensive menu which has plenty of options that you can order as a take out. You can view all menus online but unfortunately they did say that the takeaway menu has not been updated and that some options listed were no longer available. Once I did place my order, I was offered to take a seat in the restaurant area and was informed it would take around 10 minutes for my food to be prepared and ready to takeaway. It was not long at all from placing my order to actually receiving my food and it did actually arrive in less than 10 minutes, which is great and very convenient for a quick lunchtime collection. It was just a shame that the menu was out of date and a shame about the service when I first entered the restaurant!

TASTE

The lasagne was tasty and I enjoyed the meaty taste of the mince beef and the hint of herbs hidden in the beef and lasagne. The béchamel sauce and mozzarella cheese complimented the dish and overall I would consider it to be a nice lasagne. Unfortunately I wouldn’t consider the lasagne on this occasion to be anything special or anything really to ‘talk about’ as it wasn’t very hot and in fact only just lukewarm. There wasn’t a lot of mozzarella cheese and the portion was quite small considering the price of a straight forward dish. My friend also commented on the fact that her food wasn’t very warm but did enjoy the taste of her Sicilian Pollo Rosso.

COST AND VALUE

My Traditional Lasagne cost £10.99 and the Sicilian Pollo Rosso cost £11.39. The portion of my lasagne was quite small when considering the price of the food and there was very little mince or mozzarella cheese. I was also very disappointed with how the food was presented and felt like it was thrown together. You can see from the images taken as to how the food was presented and that half of the bowl was pretty much empty or simply just a thin layer of pasta. My friends Pollo Rosso on the other hand was a bigger portion and was presented nicely.

Taking into account the portion size of my lasagne and how the food was presented, coupled up with the food only being lukewarm, I unfortunately would not consider this to be very good value for money. I would actually consider my lasagne option to be an expensive meal as there was simply just a thin layer of pasta (I would even suggest just one layer), a little bit of mince beef with a sprinkle of cheese and sauce.. it was disappointing!

OVERALL

I was really looking forward to tucking into my Traditional Lasagne and liked the fact that a takeaway option was now available at a predominantly sit down restaurant chain. The welcoming from the member of staff and service when I first entered the restaurant really set the tone for my meal and on reflection was actually a little rude. I would however give brownie points for how quick the food was prepared and ready for taking away from placing my order but was very disappointed with the food in general.

It’s great that Bella Italia serve their takeaway food in a disposable and recyclable dish with cutlery that can also be recycled but was let down with the actual portion size, the presentation of the food and the actual lack of mince beef, pasta layers and mozzarella cheese. I’m pretty sure a lasagne has more than one layer of pasta and has a little more mince beef.. please please please bring out the true Italian taste in your lasagne Bella Italia!

Overall, I would consider my Bella Italia takeaway to be average and wasn’t really impressed. Based on my takeaway Traditional Lasagne, I would not return back to The Piccadilly Gardens restaurant but may one day consider giving another Bella Italia restaurant a try. I definitely will not be rushing back anytime soon though.

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Quick once ordered
Packaging and cutlery recyclable
Tasty (although very little portion)

Cons

Takeaway menu not updated
Presentation
Expensive (for what I ordered)
Food not very hot
Service - staff uninterested

FOODIE RATING

I give Bella Italia Takeaway in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester a Foodie Rating of 2/5. It would have been a much higher score if they’d have had better service and if the staff would have taken an interest and had not been a little rude. My rating would also be higher if the food was hot and if the food was more presentable. It also didn’t help not having an up to date takeaway menu.

Want to know more about Bella Italia? You can check out their website here: bellaitalia.co.uk

Have you been to Bella Italia? Have you tried the takeaway option? Let me know in the comments below.

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Beauty

REVIEW : Olay Daily Facials

I was recently asked to become an Olay Ambassador and was given the opportunity to try out and review Olay’s new facial wipes.. Olay Daily Facials 5-in 1 Dry Cloths. After being picked to team up with Olay, I was super excited for the facial wipes to arrive and to try them out and put them to the test. As a user of facial wipes as part of my daily routine (as well as cleanser, toner and moisturiser) I hope that I can give a useful review on Olay’s new wipes before you take the plunge and buy them from your local store. If there are any questions that you would like to ask after reading my review, let me know in the comments below.

Most people, if not everybody, are aware of Olay as a brand. Since 1952, Olay have been creating and producing beauty products, expanding their brand world wide and winning hundreds of beauty awards. Olay’s aim today is to build on their understanding of developing ground breaking beauty products that actually work and make a difference to your skin and the aging of your skin.

As somebody that uses beauty products on a daily basis and as somebody that has incorporated different products into my daily routine, I am not usually a huge user of Olay as a brand. I have used Olay products in the past but have never actually used their products on a daily or regular basis. I was therefore excited to give Olay Daily Facials a chance and let you guys know my honest opinion.

WHAT ARE OLAY DAILY FACIAL WIPES?

Olay Daily Facial Wipes are similar to your ‘everyday’ facial wipe with a slight ‘twist’. To start with the Olay Daily Facials are packaged in a neat little box with the clear Olay branding. The box contains 30 dry wipes which are activated by adding water. They are textured with tiny soft pockets to remove impurities, dirt and grime. Olay refers to their facial wipes as a mini facial spa, designed to leave your face feeling soft, clean and hydrated.

They have designed their facial wipes to act as a cleanser, toner, exfoliator, hydrator and makeup remover all in one cloth (5-in 1 Dry Clothes), which are infused with grapeseed extract. They are designed to carry out the following in one use;

Remove makeup
Cleanse away dirt, oil and impurities
Exfoliate like a gentle scrub
Improve the look of your skin
Preserve moisture and leave your skin feeling soft and conditioned

They are soap free and have been dermatologically tested.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I really enjoyed using Olay’s 5-in-1 Daily Facial Wipes and I liked the fact that they are so easy and simple to use. It’s also great that you can carry them anywhere with you, whether that’s popping one into your bag to work, at the gym, when going away for a short weekend.. whatever the occasion, the wipe will not dry out like your usual wet facial wipes. The conveniency of them is great.

I like the idea of the wipes being a dry wipe which are activated when they come into contact with water. When the water activates the wipe, it then becomes very soft, smooth and has a soapy feel.. yet not too ‘soapy’.. just enough product to remove your make up and to give your face the cleanse that it needs. It also smells amazing and is not too overpowering.

Olay also offer their 5-in-1 Daily Facial Wipes for normal and sensitive skin.

COST AND VALUE

The cost of the facial wipes are usually £6.99 unless on special offer. At first I thought that this was quiet expensive for a pack of facial wipes but when you consider that there is 30 wipes in a pack and each wipe costs around 23p each.. it doesn’t seem so expensive. It’s basically works out about the same cost as other leading facial wipes. If you also only use one facial wipe per day then they are guaranteed to last an entire month and they also don’t dry out like wet facial wipes.

OVERALL

I’m impressed with Olay’s Daily Facials and they really do leave my skin feeling smooth, soft and makeup free. I did however have trouble removing all of my eyeliner and found that I had to keep rubbing over my eyes to eventually remove all of the eyeliner. This took a little compared to other branded facial wipes. However, they smell amazing and I would definitely use them again the the future. I love the conveniency of them and enjoyed the fact that it left my skin feeling like I’ve had a mini facial spa.

PROS:

Leaves skin feeling smooth, fresh and hydrated
Smells lovely
Dermatologically tested

CONS:

Price - slightly more expensive than alternative facial wipes
Struggled to remove stubborn mascara

BEAUTY RATING

I give Olay Daily Facials a Beauty Rating of 4/5. The wipes are so easy and convenient to use and do generally feel like they give your face a mini facial. If it wasn’t for the struggle of the removal of mascara it would have been a rating of 5/5.

Disclosure: I was given Olay Daily Facials 5-in 1 in exchange for my review and honest opinion. All views and opinions are my own.

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Food

REVIEW : Frankies Toasties Manchester

Toasties.. a plain cheese toastie, a cheese and ham toastie.. whichever your filling, toasties are seen as a comfort food, a retro choice of food to some people and were a huge rave at one time when toastie machines were flying off the shop shelves and our parents were in the kitchen clamping down two slices of bread with our favourite go to toastie fillings! Everybody loves a toastie.. and now there is a restaurant right on my door step in Manchester City Centre which sells toasties.. they literally offer almost any filling that you can think of.

Salford born Barry Chui is the owner of Frankie’s Toasties and came up with the idea of a toastie shop whilst sat at home one night, rading the cupboards for something to eat and with only a few items left in the cupboard and fridge.. created the start of his toastie idea. Since then, Barry’s dream was to bring back his childhood memory and open the first toastie shop and now his dreams and unique toastie concoctions are out there for all of us to try.

Frankie’s Toasties currently offer 32 different toastie fillings which are around £3 to £4 each. They also have a ‘selfieccino’ coffee machine where you can have your favourite photo printed onto your frothy coffee and are a busy little toastie shop based on Portland Street. They opened their doors for the first time on the 22nd October 2018 and I can already see these guys being a huge hit in Manchester City Centre. They have already had people queuing up outside of their doors every day for the last week and a half, eager to try one of their delicious and quirky toastie creations.

Credit: Instagram - Frankie’s Toasties
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I made my way to Frankie’s the first week that they opened and I luckily got in line before the que started forming outside of the doors onto Portland Street. When first entering the toastie shop I found it to be clean, inviting and very unique. On one wall sat proudly was Frankie’s logo which is already becoming well known and a small area with a few tables and chairs for eating in. The other wall consisted of translated Mancunian phrases, which was great to see, especially as I visited with my friend who is originally from the South, she found it fascinating!

Displayed above the counter area is the menu of toasties avaliable, there are plenty to choose from and even some fillings you would have never of thought of but actually sound quite tasty! I ordered the Cheesy Bacon (£3.50) which consisted of a toastie filled with cheddar and mozzarella cheese and streaky bacon. I also ordered the Jelly Nut (£3.00) which was filled with crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam. My friend ordered the Cheap ‘n’ Cheeseful (£3), a straight forward cheese toastie filled with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. She also ordered the Apple and Custard (£3.50) which consisted of an apple pie filling with custard and had a sugar and cinnamon dusting.

Once I had placed my order, I was given a receipt with a number on and invited to wait to the side until my order was ready. Once your chosen toastie is ready then your order number is shouted and you can move to the front to collect it.

It was great that you could see the toasties being made behind the counter and could see that it was freshly made.. you can also see the mountains of bread that is packed away ready to be used and I really liked the fact that they do not use a cheap bread, you can see they use a well known brand of bread which looked fresh and you are given the option of white or brown bread.

As you can imagine there was quite a few people stood waiting in the middle of the room (around 10-15 people) waiting for their toasties to be made to order and although the toasties were generally made as quick as humanly possible (you could see the staff in the background working none stop), the only downfall was that I had to wait 10 minutes between getting my cheesy bacon toastie and then my jelly nut toastie.. this was the same for my friend and a few others on the day which I visited.

Apart from the wait after placing my order, I couldn’t really fault Frankie’s Toasties. The staff were all very friendly and the place has a really great vibe about it.

TASTE

As a lover of toasties in general I really enjoyed both of my toastie creations. The filling of my Cheesy Bacon was delicious and you could taste the individual flavours of the cheddar, mozzarella and bacon. It took me back to my childhood when my mum would make me a toastie with the toastie machines that everybody used to have and that we probably all still do have stored in a cupboard somewhere. The Jelly Nut toastie was also delicious, again I could taste the peanut butter and the hot jam separately but then combined together with each bite of my toastie.. it was sweet, delicious and messy.. great choice for when you have a sweet tooth! My friend also enjoyed her Cheap ‘n’ Cheeseful toastie and could not stop speaking about the Apple Pie and Custard, which tasted exactly like the desert.. except on a toastie.

If you’re keen to take a sneaky look at the menu before heading down you can check their menu out via their website below, where you’ll see a huge range toasties to choose from and which include the Manc Melt (cheddar and mozzarella cheese, tuna, sweetcorn and mayo), the Salford Supernoodle Buttie (chicken flavoured noodle toastie) or even the Chocolate Bar Toastie (your favourite chocolate bar on a toastie). It seems that there is literally anything you can put on a toastie!

COST AND VALUE

Prices are around £3 to £4 each toastie. The prices vary depending on your chosen filling and there are a huge range of fillings available. I think the cost is slightly expensive when you consider that it is two pieces of bread with a filling of your choice. Although I haven’t found any other dedicated toastie shop in Manchester City Centre, there are local cafes where you can order a toastie for around the same price and which has a lot more filling packed into the toastie.

The toastie itself is a little small and compact but as Frankie’s make their toasties on a toastie machine, I imagine that there is only so much filling they can use.

I would however definitely return back to Frankie’s as my toastie was delicious and I really would like to try out their other creative fillings!

OVERALL

Frankie’s Toasties has a great buzz and feeling about the place. There are plenty of toastie fillings to choose from and my toastie choices were delicious. Although the que was forming outside of the door, it wasn’t too long until my order was taken, which was pretty impressive. The staff were all friendly, very welcoming and really work hard. The only downfall was that the toasties were a little on the small side and the waiting time between getting both of my toasties was a little too long. I understand they have only been trading for what was less than a week when I visited and I’m sure they’ll have this fixed in no time.

Overall, I would visit Frankie’s Toasties again and cannot wait to try out another one of their unique but delicious concoctions.. Chocolate Bar Toastie anybody?!

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Freshly made and tastes delicious
Unique and quirky concept
Happy and helpful staff
Wide range of fillings
Great decor ideas

Cons

Items ordered made at different times
Toasties on the small side

FOODIE RATING

I give Frankie’s Toasties FoodieRating of 4/5. It would have been a solid 5/5 Foodie Rating if it wasn’t for the toasties arriving separately and being a little on the small side but they’ve only been open a few days. I’m sure next time I visit it will be a 5/5. Definitely recommend giving Frankie’s a visit.

Want to know more about Frankie’s Toasties? They are a huge hit on Instagram or you can head over to their website here: FrankiesToasties

Are toasties a hit with you? What would be your favourite toastie filling? Let me know in the comments below.

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