If there is one thing I believe it is that we all need a little luxury in our lives......... whether it's a pamper session at a Spa, a shopping spree or spending some quality time with those we love, we all need a little time out to reconnect and recharge.

For us bloggers we are always on the go, and as anyone who follows me on Instagram or Snapchat will know, there is nothing I love more than catching up with friends for some café chill time or sitting down with a coffee (and WiFi) to catch up on some work on the go!

I'm always on the lookout for new places to prop up myself and my MacBook Pro and so I was super excited when the lovely people at Hotel Chocolat contacted me to tell me about their plans to open one of their café's here in Belfast. I have been a fan of their chocolate for years now as I love the intense hit of cocoa flavour you get from all their products, it's the perfect hit for a chocoholic like myself!



The lovely team from Hotel Chocolat kindly threw a bit of a chocolate party for the media, and I can honestly say we all had a ball! I love socialising, and it was such a pleasure to get to know the guys from Hotel Chocolat better, as well as catching up with all my media friends! The chocolate was flowing with lots of chat and laughter, and I really enjoyed learning more about the brand and how they go about creating their products.


We were treated to an array of delicious treats: chocolates, ice cream and lots of variations on the traditional "Hot Chocolat". We might as well have been at a "Lock In" with Willy Wonka, I honestly have never eaten or drank so much chocolate in my life! From beer and champagne truffle chocolates to brownies and cocoa nib ice cream, I can confirm it was every bit as enjoyable as it sounds!!!! We were in chocolate heaven!!!!

The café is both a store and a café and boasts an impressive array of coffee, tea and hot chocolat combinations, with cow's milk, almond or coconut milk available (perfect if you are lactose intolerant like me) and their hot chocolate combos are made from actual chocolate flakes which tastes like molten chocolate! Just don't ask me to decide between their salted caramel, dark mint and white vanilla hot chocolat, as they were all delicious.




For me there is nothing better than a little coffee shop chill time and it was so lovely just to sit on comfy chairs watching the world go by while indulging in lots of sweet treats. It may have been a media party, but I really did feel totally at home at the new Hotel Chocolat Café, and the staff in the cafe are so friendly and passionate about the brand that I'm really looking forward to returning again! The question is which hot chocolat will I try next?! Hehe!


The Belfast Hotel Chocolat Café is located at 18 Donegal Square North, Belfast.

PIZZA PARTY!!!  Scott Higginson, Managing Director of Four Star Pizza in Carrick, along with team members Teofil-Stefan Sorban (left), Emma Gaw and store manager Mark Givens (right) serve up a celebratory pizza to mark the popular restaurant’s first birthday!

CASTLE DO NICELY!!! (l-r) Teofil-Stefan Sorban, Emma Gaw and Mark Givens (manager) of Four Star Pizza in Carrick celebrate the restaurant’s first birthday with their very own Carrickfergus Castle pizza creation.

A really different and fun place to visit I've loved it every time I've been, I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I have!

We then tried a sample selection of three other main dishes: the kumquat chicken, deep fried sliced monkfish tail with sweet and sour pomegranate tang yang sauce and wok-fried diced duck with ‘Kung Po’ style! The kumquat chicken was a sweet and tasty chicken dish, while the monk fish tail was the best sweet and sour dish I've had in a very long time! It's sweet and sour pomegranate tang yang sauce was a fresh take on the traditional sweet and sour flavours we all know and love so well in Asian cuisine! Last but by no means least was the wok-fried duck Kung Po style. A delicious mix of tender duck and crispy vegetables, the Kung Po sauce is sweet and tangy without being overpowering, perfect for those of us who like a tangy kick without the heat of a very spicy sauce!