161. The Mud Crab, Sheffield

Hello lovelies.

On Monday, I headed down to Sheffield with my family to visit my sister, Fi, who is studying at university down there. I mentioned in my previous post that I baked some delicious carrot cake cupcakes as part of my sisters present, so you can find that recipe here. 

Whilst we were in Sheffield we, of course, had to get some food. Nowadays I can't go anywhere without having to stop for a bite to eat, and Fi had picked up out a restaurant for us to try. Mud Crab, situated on Ecclesall Road, is a modern, casual, American style restaurant.

The interior is great, with booths, large tables and comfy, retro seats, and plenty of quirky decoration such as a rusty, old bike propped up outside the entrance, which caught my brothers eye.

The menu is substantial without being overwhelming and there are a range of meat and fish dishes, pizzas and burgers, as well as starters, sharing platters, sides, desserts and even breakfasts (the pancakes sounded delicious!)

I opted for the Pulled Pork Potato Skin Sliders (£4.50) as my starter and I wasn't disappointed. About ten minutes after ordering, I received a generous portion, piled high with tender pulled pork and barbecue sauce. The flavours were absolutely spot on and the size was perfect for a starter. My two sisters went for the Seasonal Soup from the Two Course Lunch (a special offer, giving you two courses for just £11.95!) and said it was really tasty. My brother chose the Paprika Fried Calamari (£6) which came served with hot sauce and looked incredible, whilst Dad went for the classic Special Fried Chicken (£6) with barbecue dip. 

Whilst my two sisters chose from the Two Course Lunch menu, I settled on the Devil Chicken Breast Bun which was a mammoth burger of chicken breast, pickled watermelon salad, chipotle mayo, hot sauce and a giant portion of fries. The fries, first of all, were gorgeous and tasted just like one of my guilty pleasures: McDonald's fries. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and the sauces and salad complimented each other perfectly. My sisters went for a gorgeous (but small portion of) Chorizo, Spring Onion & Saffron Risotto and one of Mud Crab's signature UFO Pizza's, respectively. My dad chose the 2nd Best Cheeseburger whilst my brother opted for the most expensive item on the menu, the Grilled with Love BBQ Tray which looked epic. 

Being the little piggies that we are, we all chose a third course too. My brother and dad chose coffees whilst us girls were tempted by the small, but ample, dessert menu. Although my youngest sister initially picked Fresh Churros, they had none left (you should have seen her face) so she was recommended their most popular dessert, 'Snickers' Mess (£6 - brownie, ice cream, meringue, chocolate sauce and Snickers). I liked the sound of Baked Alaska (£5.50) so chose to try that for the first time, whilst my other sister picked the Bourbon Sticky Toffee Pudding (£5.50) which they served with ice cream instead of clotted cream, at her request.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three courses of my meal, and the service from our waiter was spot on too. He was friendly without being overbearing, food and drinks were served quickly and politely and the atmosphere of the whole restaurant was great. We stayed for a good two hours, enjoying our food and the opportunity to all catch up together (it's amazing how rarely families catch up once the kids are that little bit older). 

As Mud Crab offer 20% student discount (on food), our whole bill came to around £95 which, at just under £20 per person, is - in my opinion - a great deal for there courses and a drink each. 

If you're ever in Sheffield, check Mud Crab out - you won't regret it. 

135. Beauty // Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive

I'm always drawn to two things when I pop into Superdrug or Boots: nail polish and lip sticks. As I very rarely change my base make-up, I like to play around with lip and nail colours instead, so my collection of nail polishes and lip sticks are forever growing.

I've recently rediscovered a lip colour that I purchased months ago, and it's reignited my love for it! The product in question is Revlon's Colorburst Matte Balm in the shade 'Elusive'. 

The Colorburst Matte Balm's are gorgeous; they look just like one of Clinique's Chubby Sticks. The actual balm itself is almost velvety and has a lovely refreshing quality when applied. Elusive even smells deliciously of peppermint which is a little added bonus.

(L: Three swatches, R: One swatch)

The colour itself is like a deep rosy pink, it's perfect for those of us with pale skin and fair hair, and I think it compliments my colouring perfectly which is why it's become my 'go to' lip colour.

I think Elusive has a fantastic staying quality too and it lasts hours on me, even when I've eaten. It has - as you'd expect from the name - a lovely, matte look but doesn't feel dry on your lips at all, and can be built up for a brighter tint. 

For just £7.99 (or 2 for £10 currently at Boots) you really can't go wrong!

114. Reading // Reconstructing Amelia

Set in Brooklyn, New York, Reconstructing Amelia is Kimberly McCreight’s debut novel  and it tells the story of Kate, a hot-shot lawyer and single mother, in her quest to find out the cause of her daughters death after Amelia is found dead, having jumped (or so we are lead to believe) from the roof of her exclusive school, Grace Hall.

After receiving an anonymous text: “Amelia didn’t jump.” head-strong Kate, a character who I really warmed to as I progressed through the novel, takes it upon herself to find out what really happened to her daughter.  

The novel is written in a number of formats, different tenses and from the point of view of the two central characters – Kate and Amelia. I really enjoyed this different perspective as it added an extra depth to the story, and provides the reader with intimate details and thoughts from the characters lives, without seeming forced or unnatural.

Kate explores Amelia’s life through her texts, emails and social media and finds out some shocking information about her daughters life that she hadn't been aware of, reiterating the posing questions on the novels front cover: do you really know whats going on inside your daughters head?

As well as the obvious drama and suspense throughout the novel, it covers a number of important topics from bullying, love, homophobia and betrayal – I really wish, despite how graphic and dark it gets, that I’d read this novel when I was at high-school as it would have taught me a few (extra) lessons. Pardon the pun.

I read a couple of reviews on my GoodReads app, after finishing the novel, that said that they didn’t warm to Amelia’s character as knowing that she was dead from the off-start made them not really want to learn more about her or get attached, but I didn’t feel like this at all – as a large proportion of the book is written in past tense you’re transported back to a time when Amelia is alive and, therefore, it doesn’t feel as though you’re reading about “a dead person,” you’re simply discovering more about the events and emotions that lead up to Amelia’s final minutes.

The ending to Amelia and Kate’s story is unexpected, emotive and honest. I found myself unable to put the book down because every page was so enchanting and (I’ve got to admit that on several occasions my curiosity almost got the better of me as I was seriously tempted to pay Google a visit and find out the ending) I’m so glad that I read this book and I’d urge anybody who loves a bit of a drama, suspense and plenty of emotion, to read it too. 

Do you think you would read this novel?
What's your favourite genre?

103. Lifestyle // My Month in Movies - March

It's the start of April - SPRING, AT LAST! - so it's about time I posted My Month in Movie's for March. I didn't watch that many films last month but the ones that I did manage to watch, were some really top notch movies. Here's a lowdown of what I thought of a few of them...

Gravity

Gravity received rave reviews from both critics and the general public so, although I have no (literally, none whatsoever) interest in space or science, I thought I'd best give it a watch. S and I rented it from our local video shop and settled in for the night.

I was absolutely blown away by this movie. Seriously, I couldn't look away from the screen. Not only are the graphics outstanding, the acting is brilliant and - although in some parts there's very little dialogue (as a large part of the film contains only one character, the fantastic Sandra Bullock, whose character is just so believable) - it never feels as though it's lacking anything.

There's a lot of drama, a lot of suspense and so many moments where you're wondering 'oh my god, what's going to happen?!' I don't want to spoil the film by giving away much of the story-line but, if you haven't already seen it, you really must. (9/10)

Catching Fire

I loved the first Hunger Games movie and fell, ever so slightly massively, in love with Jennifer Lawrence in her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen, so I was super excited to catch the second installment. Unfortunately, we missed it in the cinema, so when it came out on DVD we rented it at the first chance we had.

Although I haven't read the books and get kind of confused about the politics behind the districts and the actual Hunger Games themselves, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was just the right amount of action and gore, but with so much sentiment and some really important messages on friendship, family and ethics. (7.5/10)

The Book Thief

My favourite film of March had to be The Book Thief. I'd just finished reading the book (you can read my review here) when I saw that the film was going to be released in my local cinema. As mentioned in my Sunday Summary this week, my friend Becca and I went to see it on Wednesday. She hadn't read it, but still loved it just as much - if not more! - than me.

For those of you who don't know the story, a young girl, Liesel (played by the incredibly talented Sophie Nélisse) is sent to live with foster parents in Germany during WW2. The film tells the story of her progression through her teenage years and all the tears, adventures and heartbreak that she experiences along the way.

I know that lots of people don't like to watch a film if they've already read the book but, for me, it's all part of the experience. You read it and visualise it using your own imagination, and then you sit down and watch someone else bring it to life. The film doesn't stray too far from the original story, but there are - of course - some "Hollywood moments" added in, and , unfortunately but understandably, some of the brilliant - but not crucial to the overall story - parts of the are book missed out. (9.5/10)

Apart from the above films, I also watched some other great movies; Filth which is a dark British comedy-drama (7.5/10), the ever-so-sh*t Bad Grandpa (3/10), the eery and gripping (and also starring the oh-so-beautiful Jake Gyllenhall and total DILF Hugh Jackman) Prisoners (8/10) and - at last - the cult-classic, smack-shooting Trainspotting (8/10).

* IMAGES: SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2, SOURCE 3 *