Qype: Benedito's in Cardiff

Cardiff - Shopping - Food & Drink - Delicatessen


I absolutely love this treasure trove of gob-watering goodies. As a resident of Splott, finding this little deli-style shop was like a light being switched on in the sky! Floor to ceiling shelves laden with all kinds of food stuffs and drinks, a cheese and meat counter, freezers full of exotic seafood and meats and an interesting and varied collection of imported wines and beers, Beneditos is the type of shop you would expect to find in one of the arcades in the city centre, not a street in Splott. But thank goodness it is there.
The last time I visited, I had been wandering the area in a fruitless search for Parmesan. I popped in and asked the main man, 'any Parmesan?'. He looked at me and said, very slowly, 'Parmejjjjjjaaaaaann'. I nodded, 'yes, parmejjjjaaaaann - have you got any?'. He shrugged. 'How much you wan?'. We hit it off immediately.
He was great, actually. I told him I needed enough for my pea and pancetta risotto and a bottle of white wine also, but I only had £8 left to spend and he sorted me out with exactly what I needed.
I am going to make a conscious effort to shop there more often. I want to give Beneditos as much custom as I can to ensure it stays open (now obviously I don't eat and drink THAT much, so I'm writing this in a sly ploy to get others to pledge the same thing and support this wonderful local gem - hint hint!).
Full marks.

Check out my review of Benedito's - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: Total Petrol Station in Cardiff

Cardiff


Now I don’t usually review garages, but this is a deserved exception. The Total garage at the bottom of Cathedral Road is run by a man for whom it is impossible to let an opportunity pass. He will try and sell his customers a whole range of stuff, even if they only want to buy a stamp or pay for their petrol. I’ve been asked if I want to also purchase a lottery ticket, ‘Euromillions this weekend madam – win big!’ a set of plastic BBQ tongs, ‘weather good this weekend, madam – sit outside, eat some food!’ a token for the carwash, ‘discount today madam, Gold wash for the price of Bronze,’ even though I was on foot. Meal deals, DVDs, marked down chocolates – the list goes on and on. One poor girl I know can’t go in there anymore. She has trouble with the word ‘no’ and often came away having spent £7 or £8 when she only popped in for a can of pop! If you’re going in, steel your nerves and don’t, for heaven’s sake, show any fear.

Check out my review of Total Petrol Station - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: Benedito's in Cardiff

Cardiff - Shopping - Food & Drink - Delicatessen

I absolutely love this treasure trove of gob-watering goodies. As a resident of Splott, finding this little deli-style shop was like a light being switched on in the sky! Floor to ceiling shelves laden with all kinds of food stuffs and drinks, a cheese and meat counter, freezers full of exotic seafood and meats and an interesting and varied collection of imported wines and beers, Beneditos is the type of shop you would expect to find in one of the arcades in the city centre, not a street in Splott. But thank goodness it is there.
The last time I visited, I had been wandering the area in a fruitless search for Parmesan. I popped in and asked the main man, 'any Parmesan?’. He looked at me and said, very slowly, 'Parmejjjjjjaaaaaann’. I nodded, 'yes, parmejjjjaaaaann - have you got any?’. He shrugged. 'How much you wan?’. We hit it off immediately.
He was great, actually. I told him I needed enough for my pea and pancetta risotto and a bottle of white wine also, but I only had £8 left to spend and he sorted me out with exactly what I needed.
I am going to make a conscious effort to shop there more often. I want to give Beneditos as much custom as I can to ensure it stays open (now obviously I don’t eat and drink THAT much, so I’m writing this in a sly ploy to get others to pledge the same thing and support this wonderful local gem - hint hint!).
Full marks.

Check out my review of Benedito's - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Prague - Arts & Entertainment - Museums

A walk through this museum is a truly sensory experience and I can't praise the place highly enough. When you enter, you are advised to 'follow the music' as you follow the path of Kafka's life. Each phase has a different feel and a different presentation and portrayal in the museum.
The 'tour' starts with -
Oh. I've just realised that I can't go into any detail about the content of the museum without spoiling it for any new visitors. I would have hated to have known what was coming as I walked around the exhibits and installations of the Kafka Museum as each was so different from the next that it was a journey of discovery and joy that a visit should be experienced fresh. No two rooms are the same and you really don't know what to expect around each corner. It's very inventive.
Just to say that there's a wonderful mix of imagery, photos, installations, use of mirrors and props, projections etc., as well as lots of old photos, books, clips and diary extracts. I would advise any visitor to read the extracts from a letter that Kafka wrote to his father. They give such an insight into Kafka's character and inner turmoil.
I found some of the content of the exhbition inspiring and educating and some were darkly funny while other elements were poigniant and sad. Especially reading about some of his friends and former lovers who died in the Nazi 'death camps'.
If you are planning a trip to Prague and want more than Pilsner and Pork Knuckles, please please please please please visit the Kafka Museum. You won't regret it.
Plus, there are two men going pee-pee on the Czech Republic right outside!
(OK, it's a sculpture. Ask the lovely young guys in the shop about it. It's by David Cerny - the same guy who was recently comissioned to create a map of Europe to demonstrate that we have all put our petty squables to bed and can laugh at each other. He depicted Germany as a swastica made up of roads, France has the word 'Strike' written on it and the UK isn't on the map at all as we are completely inconsequential in Eruope. I love it, but it has caused quite a stir across Europe!
Check out my review of Kafka museum - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: La Tasca Restaurant in Cardiff

Cardiff - Restaurants - Tapas - Restaurants - Spanish

What a mixed bag La Tasca is. Went there last night with seven friends after booking a table over the phone earlier in the day and when we arrived (bang on time), they could find my name but not where our table was supposed to be. After a minute or so huddled by the door while the staff tried to solve the table mystery, we spied a small waiting area and decided to grab a seat. No one offered to get us drinks while we waited, or gave us any menus to look through, so we sat and chatted for a while until one of our party decided to be proactive and get a round in. Obviously, the minute the first pint was poured, a gentleman waiter came and asked us to folow him to our newly discovered table. So half of us had to go to the table and half stayed to help with the drinks!
I like the layout of the restaurant - it's not to cramped and on our table upstairs we had plenty of room around us and privacy to chat. The lighting is warm and inviting and I love the big round medieval-esque chandeliers hanging from the ceiling (you could have a really good swing on them if they were in reach!).
Because we were a group of eight, we had to choose one of the three set menus. This was a bit confusing because we had a 50% off voucher which stated that we couldn't order off the set menu (something I had double-checked over the phone). however, the waitress assured me that the voucher would be accepted but we had to choose a set menu. Fair enough - this worked well because we all unanimously decided to opt for the middle one and got our order in good and fast. We were all starving - there was no messing about.
Bread and oil came quickly and we all tucked in. The rest of the tapas was served shortly after and all at the same time. The plates were big and there wasn't realy enough room on the table, so we always had one of the dishes 'on rotation'. The tapas was alright - all a bit salty and run of the mill really. The mushroom ball thingy is well wierd and was described by one person as a tin of Campbell's condensed soup in a rissole ball and there was another squishy rissole dish which none of us could quite fathom. The calamari was delicious though and the meatballs were great - very tasty. My favourite dish was the aubergine bake, which I bloomin well didn't discober until I was pleasantly stuffed. I could have just eaten the whole bowl of bake and been very happy.
For the eight of us, with the 50% discount and a 10% service charge, the bill came to £65, which worked out around £8 each. Not bad, not bad.
I wouldn't go back though - if it was Tapas I was after, I'd take myself to Pica Pica, where you can order a whole chicken. If I was just after a quick bite to eat, I'd mosey on next door to Nandos. Mmmmmmmmmm - chicken!
Check out my review of La Tasca Restaurant - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: Calzados la Bomba in Ronda

Ronda - Fashion - Shoes

Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out (I'm not sure why I wrote that - I never watch Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker gets on my nerves!) - this is nothing less than an Aladin's cave for shoe lovers. You can get every kind of footwear in this gleaming Spanish store and the prices range from unbelievably cheap to expensive and designer.
There were four of us girls on hols and we must have spent a good hour in this shop - trying on and teetering around on ridiculously high heels. The staff didn't mind one bit - they were helpful from start to finish and didn't show at all if they were annoyed with the crazy British girls taking over their shop.
I bought an utterly fabulous pair of high heel sandals in white, blue and navy and they remind me of the Empire State Building, so I call them my Empire State Building shoes. I get comments on them every time I wear them and, better still, they were €14 in the sale (and back in summer 2008, the exchange rate against the Euro still existed, so they were cheaper still!).
Oh, I want go back there!
Check out my review of Calzados la Bomba - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: Calzados la Bomba in Ronda

Ronda - Fashion - Shoes

Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out (I'm not sure why I wrote that - I never watch Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker gets on my nerves!) - this is nothing less than an Aladin's cave for shoe lovers. You can get every kind of footwear in this gleaming Spanish store and the prices range from unbelievably cheap to expensive and designer.
There were four of us girls on hols and we must have spent a good hour in this shop - trying on and teetering around on ridiculously high heels. The staff didn't mind one bit - they were helpful from start to finish and didn't show at all if they were annoyed with the crazy British girls taking over their shop.
I bought an utterly fabulous pair of high heel sandals in white, blue and navy and they remind me of the Empire State Building, so I call them my Empire State Building shoes. I get comments on them every time I wear them and, better still, they were €14 in the sale (and back in summer 2008, the exchange rate against the Euro still existed, so they were cheaper still!).
Oh, I want go back there!
Check out my review of Calzados la Bomba - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: The Angel Hotel in Cardiff

Cardiff - Travel & Hotels - Hotels

I haven't stayed here YET - but me and my colleagues in work are holding a conference here in May 2009 and we researched pretty much every hotel in Cardiff City Centre and The Angel won it hands down. The staff are amazing - especially Karen, the Manager - and the hotel itself has character in oodles. The splendour of the massive staircase in the lobby takes your breath away as you walk in (the giant chandelier helps) and the smells wafting from the restaurant make you want to go there and eat something IMMEDIATELY! The bar is well stocked and you can take your drinks into the lounge area in the lobby, where you can sit in hig-back velvet chairs and pretend that you're a member of the gentry!
The conference/ball room is huge with a high ceiling and a balcony that transports you back in time to an age when people dressed for dinner and waltzed around the room as the sun set.
Situated right in the heart of the city with shops and bars and restaurants abundent on either side of the hotel and Cardiff Castle and surrounding park are right opposite, The Angel is a gem that should be treasured. Say goodbye to faceless chain hotels and welcome the Angel withopen arms!
Check out my review of The Angel Hotel - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype

Qype: Rin Grand Hotel in Bucharest

Bucharest

It's big, it's massive, you need one of those little golf carts to get around this hotel. The conference facilities are in a different wing, for crying out loud, with an elevator all of their very own, which sounds fine, but when you're there for a week, staying at the hotel and you have to go down to the foyer and then across to a separate lift to access your room, it's a right pain!
The hotel really is massive. The rooms are great, with all the mod cons, but the facilities are a bit hmmmm. They weren't finished when I stayed here and I can't comment on the spa etc., unfortunately. The car on the ground floor is OK, but service takes a while and the cocktails are dubious in colour to say the least!
Also, this hotel is WAY out of town and perched on the side of a very busy main road, so popping out at lunch time for a breath of fresh air and a walk is nigh on impossible. i would recomment staying somewhere smaller in the centre of the city. They are bound to do a lot of business business though, which should keep this leviathon afloat.
Check out my review of Rin Grand Hotel - I am Tommowinnie - on Qype