Blakes Restaurant Reception.

Last weekend I attended a champagne reception at the newly refurbished Blakes Restaurant.

The refurbished @Blakes_Bar #restaurant. Who will it suit? #Birmingham #Brumhour #amreading. Photo courtesy of @GezinGastro pic.twitter.com/CNe8kS8uip

— carmen capuano (@carmencapuano) October 3, 2017

Blakes is set within the Westmead Hotel, conveniently situated on the southern fringes of Birmingham, just a short drive from the M42 and M40. I have been to the Westmead many times in the past but, I confess, not for many years.

Always known for its good reputation, I hoped that its current owner who had acquired the hotel several years ago, had continued to maintain its former standards. And I wasn't disappointed.

The restaurant has been tastefully redecorated in neutral tones, with here and there a turquoise accent thrown in for good effect. Nowhere was it over the top.

Because of this, the décor and menu would as easily suit a business dinner or lunch as it would a couple seeking a romantic dinner a deux. And with a menu which abounded with reasonably priced dishes, including a great choice of freshly baked pizzas, I could see families wishing to dine there too.

Having sampled some of these on the night, I would thoroughly recommend them.

A little music.

Last night I had something of a revelation. I had spent the afternoon at the wonderfully lush Park Regis Hotel in Birmingham, networking and chatting to a variety of people about my recently released book,  Ascension, so I was tired but also a little revved up by the evening.

I was looking forward to a night out in a local pub which has live music. But my two most local pubs were doing the type of music I don't enjoy, so I was forced to look a little further afield.

A few miles from my home, a pub was hosting an Irish musician called Brendan O'Brian. Now even though I was raised in Scotland, I don't have  a particular penchant for Celtic music but it seemed the best option. Needless to say that when I arrived I was expecting a lot of hookity-tewekity music as my grandmother would have called it, and a fair sprinkling of the ilk of Donal where's yer troosers?

But that's not what was on offer. When I arrived, Mr O'Brian was already a little into his show and his audience was clearly lapping it up. Playing a soft rhythmical Irish lilt, I watched him pluck delicately at strings whilst crooning with a good strong voice.

But when he finished the song he changed instruments, tempo and  musical genre and this was a theme he continued all evening, switching effortlessly from guitar to piccolo, electric guitar to drum. Indeed the breadth and range of his musical accomplishments was breath-taking as was the variety of music he produced on them, from Irish Folk songs, through Country, Popular and even Rock, singing songs as varied as traditional Celtic songs of the sort sung in Irish pubs I imagine, to Brown Eyed Girl and I'm A Believer.

And to top it off, he had a wicked sense of humour which he worked on the audience during the lulls when he changed instruments.

So if you're ever in the vicinity of one of the places which has booked this amazing musician, make sure you go - It'll be a night out and a half!

For more information about Brendan contact him on Brendan.sharon@hotmail.co.uk and tell him the Scottish author, Carmen, sent you, and you're sure to get a warm welcome.

Until then, happy reading! x

Busy, busy!

It's a lovely day today and the sun is shining after Storm Doris; I've been up since 6am working and I had planned to tell you all about my exploits.

You see, life has suddenly become even busier than before [and to be honest I hadn't thought that was even possible] and I have barely had time to draw breath since the launch of my newest book, Ascension.

However, I have just taken a call which has demanded my presence at an event this afternoon...

So apologies for the lack of detail - but I promise I will make it up to you.

Until then, 

Happy Reading x.

Ramada tomorrow!

Looking forward to my talk at the Ramada Solihull tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

Macdonald Burlington Hotel

A few days ago, I was invited to an evening event at the Macdonald Burlington hotel, which I accepted with alacrity.

This was actually my second visit to this exquisite hotel and yet I was as entranced by the venue as I had been on my previous visit.

The Burlington is truly a sight to behold; polished marbled walls and floors lead the eye towards towering marble pillars which support high ceilings decorated with sparkling chandeliers, whilst gleaming dark wooden balustrades lead upwards to the equally sumptuous floors above.

At the vestibule entrance, the legend 'Macdonald Burlington Hotel' is picked out in shining brass letters and the hotel's emblem is proudly displayed. It is this same pride in their establishment which is reflected in the attitude of the staff,  who seem to take pains to provide everything their guests could possible require, in both a courteous and timely fashion.

I was welcomed with canapés of feta cheese squares in dark chocolate baskets. It may sound a strange combination but the blended flavours worked really well, the sweetness of the chocolate offset just a little by the sharp tanginess of the cheese. The chocolate martini I was served alongside it, did an excellent job of warming my throat and getting me into the mood and by this time I was beginning to see a theme. Chocolate! The entire menu was infused with elements of chocolate!

For your delectation I shall list the menu here and my thoughts on it.

Starter : Pan seared wood pigeon with celeriac puree finished with white chocolate, balsamic and port reduction and roasted shallots.

Now I had a real dilemma with this course. As you may know, I rescue injured pigeons. And now there was one on my plate! I wrestled with the moral dilemma for a while and it was only resolved when I  thought about the hens I used to have as pets. I loved these birds and cared deeply for them but I still went to the supermarket every week and bought a fresh chicken to roast. 

You may think me a hypocrite, but for me, the swaying point was also that the pigeons were not battery reared or force fed but instead had lived a very natural life. Conversely, it would have been hypocritical of me, I believe, to have turned my nose up at the meat and then gone on to eat pheasant or some other bird. Had I been presented with veal or pate foie gras I would have refused as I consider these to be cruelly produced, but neither of these were on the menu.

The dish was beautifully presented, everything laid out so precisely it was almost a work of art. The meat was juicy and tender and the  sauce was truly divine. I enjoyed every morsel. So far, so good. 

And so onto the main course: Roast loin of venison with pickled red cabbage, roasted baby beetroot, sprouting tender stem broccoli with roasting liquor jus finished with 70% cocoa.

Now this course was sublime! I could have eaten two or three helpings. Each bite was different, the combination of ingredients contrasting and complimenting each other beautifully; each forkful tender and delicious, a crazy,  heady fusion of flavours which  pirouetted and danced an arabesque around my tongue!

Lastly the dessert : A taste of chocolate to include chocolate brownie, chocolate crème Brulee and vanilla ice cream.

The ice cream was tantalisingly smooth, whilst the brownie was sweet, warm and deliciously moist. I did not care for the Brulee but then it was made of white chocolate, which I don't enjoy. Technically I can state however, that the Brulee was well made, rich and creamy.

Although by now I was pretty full, coffee and little chocolates followed.

But the Burlington experience was not yet done. Having sated my appetite, it now teased my brain, treating me to a chocolate tasting session where a learned chocolatier informed me where the different cocoa beans come from and how they are used [more on this in another post]. Finally, I was shown how to make my own little chocolate truffles and given these in a bag to take home. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

So what impressed me the most? The beautiful surroundings of the hotel itself? The warm effusive welcome from the staff? Or the exquisite food? In truth it was all of the above. It seems that its all just part of the Burlington experience. 

Sitting right in the centre of the city, literally across the street from the train station, the Burlington is exceptionally well placed. This beautiful old hotel is steeped in history and I was informed that Winston Churchill once stayed there. Indeed it was easy to imagine his heavy footfalls as he ascended the magnificent staircase, perhaps thinking about his time in the War Cabinet Rooms or pondering decisions that had had to be made in times of duress.

Since those days, the fine traditional architecture has been updated with modern soft furnishings and fashionable décor but the building has lost none of its charm and this is reflected in how people react to it.

I looked wondrously at the people around me. In truth many of the guests seemed oblivious to the splendour of their surroundings, but what I did notice was that none of them seemed unaffected by the influence of the place - voices were softly raised in laughter and conversation was muted, as if a little of that old-time elegance had rubbed off after all. It was not hard to imagine ladies in flapper dresses and gents in tuxedos in these rooms, 'making eyes' at one another and perhaps because of this, an essence of olde worlde romanticism almost imbues the atmosphere with a sense guilty pleasure.

I never got to see the bedrooms but I gather these are equally sumptuous with all the modern conveniences we seem to require nowadays. Perhaps its just as well I never saw these rooms - as a writer my days are spent shaping characters and chapters into exciting circumstances - who could say where my fevered imagination might have led...

Even now, days later, a warm smile plays on my lips when I think back to that exceptionally enjoyable evening.

So should you decide to check in to the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, be sure to tell them Carmen sent you. 

Until then - Happy Reading!

Today I am writing. And as usual when I am writing, I am eating chocolate. But this time it's not just any old chocolate, it's a very special chocolate that came from the wonderful MacDonald Burlington Hotel, which I attended for an event last night [more to follow later].

So here is a little peak at what I have just written :-

It seemed to take a long time before they got to the edge of the trees and with every step his heart thudded harder in his chest, obscenely loud in the quiet night.

They entered the dense undergrowth which grew below the soaring trees, full of trepidation and without a real plan, bunching close together, wary of ambush.

The forest seemed unnaturally quiet. No owls hooted or birds cooed. The only sounds were the brittle cracks of unseen twigs which littered the forest floor.

The almost preternatural silence was deafening. A solid wall of muteness seemed to surround them, so that the only noises were the ones they made themselves.

Taylor wished with all his heart that he had somehow made Matilda stay behind, that he had managed to convince her that the risk of their people losing her was too great… But to Matilda’s ears they would merely have been words and words could be no substitute for action.

 

These characters are heading for trouble and Matilda is destined to be in the thick of it. Why won't that woman ever listen? Now who is it she reminds me of...

 

Happy Reading!

 

Carmen.

This Sunday you will find me at the Bromsgrove Holiday Inn where I shall be talking to readers and selling signed copies of my books.

If you have already purchased one of my books from somewhere else you can still come along and have it personalised. And we can have a good old natter!

I will inform you of other events and author talks nearer the dates.

To change the topic slightly - no, I still can't tell you my big news. I have been receiving messages from all sorts of places, enquiring what the secret is but I'm afraid you will have to wait just a little longer...

What I will tell you though is that a wonderful idea came to me for a sequel to Split Decision. However since I am still finishing The Plan and have yet to edit The Boy Who rescues Pigeons, I can't see me getting to it until next year.

That said, next year since I was planning on writing The Owners Volume VII, editing The Trouble with Mellillia [children's tale], finishing Ascension and writing another book for which I have yet to find a name, its going to be a squeeze to fit it in. Then again, I always did love  a challenge... ;)

Happy Reading!