Prezzo Review

We had the sheer delight of reviewing a three-course meal at the Italian restaurant Prezzo located in Oxford Street, Southampton.   From beginning to end it was a lovely experience, the staff were very attentive, the food was simply delicious and the atmosphere good (I liked the décor and the candle lit on our table). 

They became quite busy as our meal progressed but I did not feel we were hurried to finish our food, they were very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and seemed to spend time with all of their customers not just us.  Recommending dishes and letting everyone know more about them.  I was surprised and impressed by how extensive the menu was; whatever your taste buds fancied would be well accommodated here. 

We had planned to eat out with our boys, but had a last minute change so that my sister in law and brother in law could eat with us instead, it was nice having a meal with the grownups and not having to encourage youngest to eat his dinner…

Although having spoken to the staff I think they are quite accommodating to children and have activity packs on hand to help keep them occupied and am sure even youngest would have happily eaten something off their children’s menu (they have Pepperoni Pizza after all whoop!).  At only £5.95 for three courses and a drink it’s somewhat of a complete bargain!

We were informed of the trio of wines (£10.95) offer, which gives you the chance to become a little more knowledgeable about wine.  Hubbie was driving and I am a very occasional drinker so we did not take advantage of the offer, but I think it is good value especially as you also get bread and olives alongside your three glasses of wine.

For our starter hubbie noticed the new small plates section of the menu and took a shine to the Mushroom Crostini and decided to order that. 

The prices of the small plates fit in line with a starters normal price.  Or you can order a selection of the small plates as your main and have a flavour of lots of different tastes.  I do like the flexibility of the menu.

Myself and my brother in law had the Bruschetta, I really enjoyed this, it tasted very fresh, full of flavour and authentic.  It was quite a large portion but still I was more mournful with every mouthful as it meant I was one bite closer to finishing it!     

I liked how quickly the starters came and how well presented they were, they looked appealing before you even took your first bite.

For our mains we ordered the Italian Burger, the Chicken Ravioli, the Roasted Duck Leg and for myself I choose the Chicken and Asparagus Risotto (so I could sample another of the new additions to the menu).

No guessing who ordered the Italian Burger… but as hubbie explained he had so many burgers while we were away he felt somewhat of a connoisseur.  He thought  that the burger was great but what made it the best burger he had ever had was the crispy prosciutto ham, so much better than the usual bacon addition!

The brother in law actually stopped talking until he finished his meal (so it must have been good!).  He said it was succulent and delicious and we got a break from hearing about camper vans...

Sister in law excited to get stuck in:

I enjoyed my risotto but after a while it got a bit samey, not that this is a criticism as such as I always seem to have this problem, maybe I should have ordered a smaller portion of risotto and then I would have been okay (or maybe my body was just trying to tell me to save room for dessert!).  Dessert is my favourite course after all...

We left with full happy tummies having had such a pleasant evening.  Thank you Prezzo, I am sure we will be back soon.

Hot Wheels Ballistiks Rapid Fire Blaster Review

My two were thrilled to see these, I think partly because they had a set each so said “hooray we don’t have to share…” so much for thinking they were finally starting to like each other but a big thank you to the PR for making my life easier! 

We are fans of Hot Wheels already they seem especially skilled at making innovative toys involving cars.  This latest offering is no exception, if anything the cars have got more exciting too!  These roll into balls and then pop back into cars when you press the button or drop them.  They transform so easily but readily hold their position when you want them too, but the design really does make them stand out!  They look fantastic, but I am glad the look is matched with the functionality I mentioned.  I remember some transformers toys driving us completely mad not staying in the position we wanted!  These stay like a ball or stay like a car until YOU decide what you want and are then fun to roll or drive around.

The Hot Wheels Ballistiks Rapid Fire Blaster (RRP £19.99 and includes one vehicle) is a great concept, you queue the cars (up to 7) then can launch them one at a time at speed at any target of your choosing.  The toy takes batteries so a laser lights to help you with targeting.  But other than that the batteries do not add anything further, so if you want you can enjoy the toy without them you can.  But I feel more reassured if they have some idea where they are firing.  You may want to give them a few safety guidelines before first use e.g. don’t fire in anyone’s face, the ceiling, any pets, and especially any mummies!!!  I think that the 5+ age recommendation is in place so hopefully children have enough common sense by then not to do any of the previously mentioned things!

In the video eldest is really concentrating but when he actually hits a target he is over the moon (shame hubbie filmed the floor and not his face at that precise moment!).

As the boys had two vehicles each they started loading the Hot Wheels Ballistiks Rapid Fire Blaster with anything vaguely circular including their extensive bouncy balls collection… they loved seeing how fast they could get things to propel out of there!  But I highly recommend sticking to the Hot Wheels Ballistiks (RRP around £6.99) as they are designed just for that purpose and they really FLY out of there.  Its exhilarating crashing fun!

I can highly recommend these sets; “awesome” is all I keep hearing from eldest!  Visit www.teamhotwheels.co.uk for even more Ballistik driving adventures

Bubble Shooz Competition

These might just be one of the craziest idea’s I have seen but it some how sort of works.   They have an RRP of £19.99, so not too expensive if you want something quirky for a fancy dress party or just to strut your stuff on the dance floor (school disco maybe?!?).

Hubbie was quite happy doing a little dance in them anyway!  Eldest enjoyed the noise they make when you stamp with them, but he managed to fall out of them!  I think that being a size 12 (the smallest recommended shoe size) and us not having got to grips with adjusting the fastening on the shoes correctly played a big part in that.  But I am hoping we will get him back in them to do a proper review soon (assuming I can get hubbie to relinquish his new dancing shoes!!!).  They officially go up to adult size 8, so I would be fine wearing them, but hubbie was like one of the ugly sisters at the ball and quite insistent he would get his feet in them regardless!

Myself I know how therapeutic popping bubble wrap is, so the noise could be quite soothing!  So I will close my eyes so the sight of my dancing hubbie does not ruin any attempts at tranquility (I cannot watch him without being bent double in laughter!).  

For stockists call 01702200660 or visit www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk

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