Last Thursday, a small group of Leicester bloggers were invited down to The Cookie, located on Leicester's High Street, to sample their new summer menu. The Cookie is most known for being an awesome music venue, and also plays host to The Kitchen (their restaurant), and The Attic cocktail & gin bar, which is the perfect place to start a night out. We actually popped down to The Kitchen's launch party at the start of the year, so if you want to check out that post, you can read that here. This time we were treated to a whistle stop tour of their newly launched menu, with brunch, lunch and dinner options. If only it was acceptable to eat all 3 meals of the day in the same place...
After starting off the evening talking advantage of Happy Hour at Turtle Bay, five of us Leicester bloggers made our way to meet Gabby, owner of PR company and blog Cool As Leicester at The Cookie. We started off the meal with an obligatory glass of wine and soon we found our first plate of food in front of us, the Salt Beef Hash. This is actually from their brunch menu and is a glorious combination of tender beef, butter beans, sweet onions and crispy potatoes, topped with a fried egg. I wouldn't have normally chosen this but it was so tasty and it would be a great option for a filling breakfast. Now currently trying to find any excuse to come back to The Kitchen for brunch!
Next up came the toasted sandwiches, and we were treated to two of the new lunch options on the summer menu. The first was Chorizo & Pepper, a classic combination which can never go wrong, but it was the vegetarian option that really stole my heart. It was a mouth watering combination of goats cheese, mushrooms and spinach, with some kind of garlic butter that made it taste like a connoisseur's garlic bread. I can't wait to come back to have this again with my veggie friends!
Now by this time, I was feeling a little full, but out came two tasters of the burgers. There was a Sweet Potato & Halloumi option, which to be honest was my least favourite dish of the evening. I sometimes opt for a veggie burger as a lunch option as I don't always want a food baby situation but this was a little dense for my liking. I did however enjoy the pairing of the patty with the halloumi, and the brioche bun was perfect. I often find vegetarian patties can be a bit mushy (Handmade Burger, I'm looking at you) but this held together really well. This same brioche bun housed the Buffalo Chicken Burger, one of my personal highlights. The chicken was flavoursome, well seasoned with a spicy rub, and paired with a tasty dressing. I rarely choose chicken over classic beef but I would definitely order this again.
Of course I cannot talk about the evening without mentioning the amazing cocktails upstairs at The Attic. We were able to sample a selection, and everything was so unique. They arrived at the table brilliantly presented, with the Zombie complete with a flaming passion fruit. The Attic really aren't afraid to take risks with their flavours, and we got the opportunity to try some really individual combinations.
It's no secret that every blogger loves avocado, we're forever Instagramming our avo on toast, so the Avocado Margarita was particularly fitting. Word is, it arrives to the table complete with nachos, and is a blend of velvety avocado, El Jimador blanco tequila, triple sec, lime, grapefruit bitters, agave syrup, and finished with a scattering of chilli flakes and a Hawaiian black salt rim. It really does divide opinions, and whilst I'll be sticking to my tropical cocktails and mojitos, it was really cool to try!
They also had two twists on the classic Gin & Tonic, which is one of my go-to drinks. We tried one based around Hendricks Gin, with pink and black pepper, cucumber, to make a crisp, refreshing blend. My favourite was the Bloom Gin & Tonic which had fresh strawberries and mint to complement the lighter gin. This one was a lovely update and the strawberries gave it a sweeter aftertaste, a glorious British drink that would be perfect to drink while watching Wimbledon! My favourite cocktail had to be the Lemon Meringue though. It genuinely encapsulates the magic of my favourite dessert, I could drink it all day! (Although I probably shouldn't because hangovers...)
It was so lovely to be able to chat to Nick Towarianskyj, who created the menu. He based it on the food he loves to eat, which made it very personal. He was so down to earth and it seemed like he really valued our feedback. There is of course the US influence, but everything is so unique and really fits with the venue. It is a small curated menu of favourites. I would highly recommend checking out the summer menu for yourself if you are in the area, and it makes a great option for lunch in particular. There is a very chilled vibe, complete with unique decor and a relaxed hip hop and indie soundtrack. I would love to pop back to The Cookie for one of their gigs!
As always, thank you so much to Gabby from Cool As Group and The Cookie for inviting us down. We had a brilliant evening and it was great to be able to enjoy the venue in more of an intimate, low-key event compared to the launch. I think we are getting a really great sense of community amongst us Leicester bloggers so it makes events really enjoyable! Cheers to the next one!
Which dish do you most like the sound of?
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