Queens Road Restaurant | Ramada Hotel | Gifted Experience 

Date night, it’s been a while and my gosh don’t myself and the husband need it with the summer holidays in full swing, and have been looking forward to the time together.

We were very kindly invited down to the Queens Road Restaurant situated in the Ramada Hotel in Coventry to review their food. 

Firstly, I want to just say how amazing the staff were, we feel so blessed to have had the loveliest staff looking after us and making us for so relaxed and accommodated.

The setting is lovely, I didn’t expect it to be so comfy and pretty inside.  We started off with some drinks, I had a Passion Fruit Martini of course. The husband had a beer. 

Starters we were spoiled for choice we tried the Hot Golden Brie, Chicken, Beef Croquette and the Jasmine Cured Salmon. We split each dish so we could both get a good taste of them all. 

Starting with the Hot Golden Brie, this was absolutely delish, and was my favourit. If you’re a cheese lover you HAVE to try it paired with the tomato chutney it was bursting with flavour. 

The Beef Croquette was super yummy and gave Chinese vibes, I love the prawn cracker texter noodles, they were something I’ve never seen or experienced before which was fun and unique. 

The salmon was so good Luke’s favourite, and tasted so fresh, the perfect light starter. 

Lastly the Chicken, this was too spicey for me, but Luke loved it and said it was the perfect amount of spice and flavour, it was a messy one, we both joked how it wouldn’t be something you would choose on a first date! 

While we waiting for the mains, we were brought an Apple sorbet to help cleanse the pallet. This was so good super refreshing and was presented in a desert glass with pretty edible flowers. Just the perfect little treat before your main and it did really help cleanse the pallet.  

For mains Luke choose the Lamb Rump and I went for the Sirloin both came presented beautifully, a full vine of tomatoes laid on the steak which was a lovely touch. The chunkiest chips you ever did see both meats cooked to perfection. The steak was perfect and the lamb full of flavour. 

After mains we were brought a selection of mini desserts. We had a pistachio, chocolate, and lemon they were a lovely little touch while we waited for our treats to come. We were both absolutely stuffed but were persuaded to get a dessert. We choose the brownie and the Red Velvet cheese cake. 

Now I would go back to the Queens Road JUST for the cheese cake it was the best cheese cake we have ever tasted; it was absolutely divine and presented so beautifully, we have spoken about it craved it ever since. 

A huge thank you to the team at the Ramada and the Queens Road Staff for making date night so lovely. 

We had a lovely time and recommend checking it out if you’re looking for somewhere a bit different and special for date night, or time with friends and family. Parking was super easy and convenient which always makes the experience better. 

Have you been to Queens Road Restaurant before? I would love to know?

Saff xo

Huge thank you to Queens Road & The Ramada for having us for our GIFTED experaince

Benugo Bar & Kitchen | Warwick Arts Centre | Gifted Experience 

We were very kindly invited down to Benugo Bar & Kitchen situated in Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry to try out their NEW menu, and we were in for a treat. 

Myself, husband, dad, and two children ventured down on a Thursday evening to experience all Benugo Bar & Kitchen had to offer. 

Firstly, the décor is stunning and has been done out so well. We did not feel like we were in Coventry, it gives high end vibes. The staff were incredibly kind and accommodating to us, nothing was too much. We were relaxed and they were very kind to the children.

We started the evening off with some starters, we tried the Popcorn Cauliflower, Buffalo chicken wings & the Dirty Loaded Fries. 

Popcorn Cauliflower was so delish, its a dish we wouldn’t normally choose so was ace to try something new, we were all shocked and pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, the texture everything. This was Liam’s favourite and has been asking for it ever since. 

Buffalo Chicken Wings, the amount of meat on these. wings was amazing, whenever we have had wings in the past, we always feel like there’s nothing to them, these were juicy, full of flavour, and with plenty of meat. 

Dirty Loaded Fries, these were my favourite’s! They were so so good, the melted cheese, and crispy bits of bacon just yummy! I am a fries lover and would be happy just to have this as my main! 

For main courses, the boys decided they wanted pizzas and burgers. The staff brought out pizza bases paired with little chef hats for the boys to wear while they got to make their pizzas. This was the sweetest touch and was amazing having them interact and do something a little different, it defiantly kept them occupied and excited to eat the Pizzas they made. 

 The children’s menu is great, they get two courses and a drink for £8.00

Children can make their pizzas Monday – Friday in August and during the half-term holidays, such a lovely treat for them to do and feels like a novelty.

We spotted on the menu a super lovely thoughtful note that says “We have all been there, left the house in a rush and forgotten the most important things! That’s why we have a few necessities complimentary should you need them: Baby Milk, Nappies, wipes, baby food, and bibs. Just ask the waiter” I know our children are past this stage, but my gosh when they were little the stress of having everything with you is real, I’ve never seen anything like this in a restaurant before and the fact they offer and accommodate for parents like this is amazing. Something so little for the restaurant can be so massive for a stressed parent. 

Myself and Dad also opted for Pizza, Dad had the Ham & mushrooms, and I went for the Meaty Warwick. Both were so delish, properly made & cooked pizzas made in their stunning Pizza oven. 

Luke opted for a burger the Short Rib Marrowbone burger, which he said was spot on, full of flavour, and tasted delish it was a big portion! He was left stuffed. 

Desserts, we were ready to pop, but we had to try them… We had Ice cream, Churros, Benugo Sundae, and their Ultimate ice cream Sundae. 

All of them were amazing, super yummy but my fave was the Churros they were fresh, had delicious flavours, and came with a chocolate sauce. 

Lastly, we need to take a moment for the Cocktails & Mocktails, I ordered the Virgin Mojito which was so delish and refreshing. The bar staff insisted we try some of their other cocktails, of course you know me I love myself a Passion fruit Martini and it was hands down one of the most delish Passion fruit martinis I have ever had, it has Passoe Foam honestly so good! I also tried another which I sadly can’t remember the name of but it was lovely! 

I highly recommend you check out Benugo, the atmosphere and everything were just lovely, the boys are already asking when can we go back, and in their words “The best place we have been for food” Happy kids happy parents. 

Accessibility – Benugo is situated inside the Warwick Arts Centre, you can get access to it from the main entrance of the Art Centre or round by “The kissing penguins” sculpture. Parking is easy and around a 5 min walk and cost just £1.00 Everywhere was flat and wheel chaire accessible. 

Have you been to Benugos Before? I would love to know

Saff xo

Huge thank you to GHPR & Benugo for the invite and for being so generous and accommodating to us all.

Turtle Bay | Takeaway Alfresco | Food Review

We were very kindly gifted a voucher to order a take away from Turtle Bay Coventry through Deliveroo and of course we were over the moon. 

We both love Turtle Bay especially the husband it’s his absolute fave so you can imagine this was one collaboration he was definitely up for. 

With the weather being so lush we decided to take our Turtle Bay order outside to enjoy in the evening sun. We accompanied ours with a cool Beer. 

Placing the order was super easy on the Deliveroo app, bonus was the evening we placed our order, there was a 20% a £20 spend. We ordered the, Crispy Chilli Squid, Kingston Fried Chicken + Spiced Fries, Curry Goat & Rice, Side of Spiced fries. 

Check out the reel I created here

Mine and Luke’s go too, is normally the Shack Stack Burger with side pots of Jerk Mayo, Fiery Jerk Gravy & Mango BBQ Sauce. They have all been removed from the menu which is devastating…. but also great as it forced us to try something new. 

The Goat curry was delish, perfect blend of spices and the meat 10/10, it was a littler on the spicy side for me but perfect for Luke who likes a little kick to his flavour.

The Kingston Fried chicken was perfect for me, great flavour… and the one to go for if your on of those who arnt a huge fan of spice. It was really yummy and paired perfectly with the Chips, which provided the perfect amount of spice for me. 

All the portions were ace, we were stuffed. We couldn’t finish the Chilli Squid which for a side we were surprised about you expect a small taster, this wasnt the case.

I’m looking forward to enjoying some of our favourite meals from the comfort of home in the garden this summer.

Would love to know what you’re go to meal at Turtle Bay is? 

Saff xo

Thankyou Turtle Bay

The Old Hall Coventry | Afternoon Tea | Gifted Experience

We were very kindly invited down to The Old Hall Hotel in Coventry to experience their Afternoon Tea; I took along my sister-in-law for a girly afternoon together!

Firstly, they have the best selection of afternoon teas I have seen, they had different variations from Traditional to Gentleman’s, Vegan and even one called Chai Dopehar which has Samosas and Paneer Spring Rolls amongst other yummy treats. This was super intriguing to us but decided to go with the Traditional to be able to give it a fair review.

Upon arriving, the venue itself is decorated so amazingly, the attention to detail was spot on, with so many gorgeous colours, lights, and things to look at. It was modern with its unique twist.

We were seated in a beautiful window area on a large table with a comfy sofa, so much natural light came in through the window.

We were greeted by all the staff who were so lovely, and attentive, they made sure we weren’t without a drink.

Unlimited tea and coffee were included with all afternoon teas so, of course, we started with a cuppa. They have a wide selection of different flavour teas on offer which we loved to see, I opted for just your classic tea.

It wasn’t long until our Afternoon Tea Tower was brought over to us, I have to say this was the most well-presented afternoon tea I have seen, and I’ve had a fair few in my time!

Bottom Layer we had sandwiches which were properly chunky not like the skinny finger sandwiches you normally get imagine two of them put together, you could really enjoy the flavour and filling on a mix of white and brown bread.

We had Smoked Salmon, Crem fraiche and dill, Egg Mayonnaise and watercress, Cucumber, and Cream cheese with a mint herb butter dressed with loads of fresh lettuce. All were lush, my favourite was the Salmon.

The cakes we had a good variety, there was a Victoria sponge, carrot and walnut, Chocolate Profiterole, and a couple of others I’m not 100% sure on but all tasted amazing and decorated with edible flowers.

Lastly at the top of the tier… the freshly baked scones with Clotted cream and jam! The best bit If you ask me!

These were massive and tasted so good. Both the cakes and the scones had been covered in a blanket of icing sugar which made it look so pretty.

Decorated around the plate were the nicest chunkiest strawberry I’ve tasted in the longest time.

The portion size was so big we couldn’t finish it all, we were able to box it up and take it away. The husband and children demolished it when I got home.

The whole experience was so lovely, I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if celebrating an occasion, the prices are very reasonable as well. They had children’s prices for all the themes too which I’ve never seen before. I need to go back to try the Gentleman’s Tea, wraps are included and they’re my favourite.

We had a nose at their cocktails and mocktails list, these look incredible there’s a watermelon one which sounds right up my street.

We got to explore some more of the stunning hotel, have a nose on my Instagram to see the video and a peek into what the venue has to offer.

My new favourite place!

If you are local to the midlands, check them out!

Thank you, The Old Hall Coventry, for gifting us this experience.

What’s your favourite part of Afternoon Tea?   

Bombay Palace Earlsdon | Date Night | Gifted Experience

Hello, my loves, myself and the husband had a lovely evening to ourselves so we went and experienced Bombay Palace in Earlsdon Coventry. We were invited down months ago and finally were able to arrange a babysitter so we could enjoy a date night.
If you know us you would know we love a good curry, we served it to our guests as our wedding breakfast.


We arrived and the décor inside is done out so lovely. We sat in a cute little circle booth section, next to one another which was nice im so used to being opposite it made a lovely change. I loved their bubble wall feature it was very relaxing and created a great atmosphere.
Straight away they took our drinks order and brought out popedom’s with all the dips which were amazing as we were both so hungry.


Their menu has such a great selection of Curry’s and dishes, I don’t like spicy food at all and being ¼ Sri Lankan I should like spice, instead, I much prefer mild Curry’s and am always a little worried about what to try so when we arrived at Bombay Palace and they recommended the sharing platter it was a perfect opportunity to try other flavors.

It was the Chef Special Tawa –
Sheekh Kebab, Onion Bhaji, Chicken Tikka, Paneer Tikka, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Bengal Garlic Chilli Chicken Bombay aloo, Chana Masala, Chips, Nan, Pilau Rice for two £39.95 for four people £79.95
It looked very impressive when it came out it defiantly caught the attention of other people dining, we even had a couple come over and ask if they could have a look.


The flavours of the food were delicious. My favourites were the Tikka Masala and the Tikka Chicken.
We were so stuffed we took the leftovers home which the husband enjoyed the following day, it all reheated nicely.


We had a lovely evening; all the staff were friendly and helpful.

Check out our Reel from the night here
I would love to know what your go-to curry is? Have you been to Bombay Palace before?
Saff X0

Thank you, Bombay Palace, for inviting us down for this gifted experience
in exchange for a complimentary meal for two.

FOMO Coventry | Press Event Pre Launch Night | AD

FOMO where have you been all our lives?

Coventry has needed a place like FOMO for the longest time and I’m so chuffed it’s here!

I was kindly invited down with a +1 to the Press evening Prelaunch night to experience all FOMO has to offer.

The Japanese themed aesthetics when you walk through those doors… it does not feel like you are in Coventry, the flowers, all the textures, the neon signs the colours and art on the walls are just perfect with loads of photo opportunities.

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker

The seating is well-spaced out, you don’t feel like you’re sitting on the next table’s lap, and it’s all super comfy and spacious. They have these cute swinging chairs at some of their tables which is a fun idea!

The dance floor area is stunning! With a big tree in the center, it’s going to be the perfect place to end your night. The whole vibe of the place is spot on.

They have sooo many toilets, which I know doesn’t sound like a big deal but believe me, you don’t want to have to spend half your night queuing.

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker

FOMO is located on the Skydome strip which I feel is the perfect location and I will explain why. Not only is FOMO going to be amazing for nights out at the weekend, cocktails and dancing it is going to be perfect for midweek date nights and catch-ups with the girls for food and a few drinks. Means the location is perfect, easy to get to and safety-wise you don’t need to walk through town on your own.

Im excited to go on a Friday or Saturday when they have a DJ playing. Midweek they have great music in the background at just the right level to set a vibe but you are still able to chat and hear one another.

COCKTAILS * COCKTAILS * COCKTAILS !

My gosh, the selection is amazing, and I hear there’s even more to come!

I had to start with my absolute favourite and go-to cocktail the Passionfruit Martini!

It was top notch! One of the best I have had. We then tried a whole host of their signature drinks, and they were not only full of flavour but stunning to look at following the Japanese theme perfectly.

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker

We had edible flowers (which look so real I didn’t know we could eat them until we were told) dry ice with the smoke effect, chocolate, and fruit caviar all presented with stunning glass wear, we especially loved the teapot!

LETS TALK FOOD!

The menu is so unique and different I love it, such a good range and variation of dishes and sizes something for everyone to enjoy.  I rarely struggle to choose what to have because there are so many different dishes I want to try. I already have my order ready for the next time I visit!

In the end, we went for 2 mains and a small plate to share.

Eve had the “Mr Miyagi Burger – 6oz prime beef burger with spiced slaw chilli cheese & Korean bbq sauce” for £10.95

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker
Mr Miyagi Burger £10.95

Eve enjoyed the burger a lot, I had a little taste and it was a little spicy but not too overpowering which is amazing and I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy foods. Loads of flavour and the texture of the meat was spot on.

I had the “Aged Beef Fillet – with grilled asparagus, oyster mushrooms & watercress and schezwan pepper sauce” for £24.95

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker
Aged Beef Fillet £24.95

Incredible, the meat was cooked to perfection and presented perfectly.  The portion size was just right and it was full of flavour, I would highly recommend this dish. The Schezwan pepper went perfectly with the meal my new favourite.

For the small dish, there were so many good options to choose from it was a struggle, I really want to try the Sushi and also the Salt and Pepper Ribs.

Then spotted the Beo buns. Now I have heard of Beo bun (pronounced bow if anyone was interested like me ) before and have always been intrigued so when I saw them on the menu, I knew we had to try them, they had a selection of filling you could choose from. “Fluffy Steamed Bao Buns – BBQ pulled Pork with crispy shallots pickles, sweet BBQ sauce” For £5.95

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker
Bao Buns – BBQ Pulled Pork £5.95

We opted for BBQ as I love anything BBQ. These were so good, like nothing I’ve ever had before. A fluffy cloud-like texture that melts in the mouth. Full of flavour and made the perfect dish to share, definitely one I recommend you try. I want to try the Aromatic duck one next time.

Deserts….we were stuffed, they have some amazing looking desserts I can’t wait to try, Lotus Bischoff Cheesecake sounds unreal.

See their full menu here

FOMO Coventry @iamsaffronbaker

OPEN NOW

FOMO opens its door to the public this Friday the 8th of April 2022 and I can’t wait to hear the response from everyone. One thing I do suggest is to make sure to book your tables to avoid missing out!

Book a table at FOMO here

Find them on Instagram here

Keep an eye on my socials for more content around FOMO.

A huge thank you to the team for inviting me down.

Let me know when you go, what’s your favourite cocktail or meal on the menu I would love to know!

Saff XO

Street Food & Takeaway! – Foodlovernc | Gifted

Unique, that’s one word that comes to mind when I first looked at Foodlovernc menu! She’s a local girl creating some amazing dishes that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. I’ve not seen anything else like it before! Food all gifted!

Packed full of flavour, mouth watering combos and amazing portion sizes there’s not a single thing I can fault with the experience we had.

We were lucky to try a dish from the Takeaway menu and also two dishes from her NEW Street food menu.

Let’s talk Takeaway, her selection of foods on the menu all looks so yum!

We tried the Bourbon Bites Meal which comes with a delicious sauce, skin on fries and corn on the cob! The flavours were amazing, very moorish! This was my favourite I’m craving it now while I write this!

Portion size was so good, we couldn’t eat it all, brilliant value for money. Would recommend this any day of the week, I love how different it is to any other style of takeaway at just £10 a box.

Foodlovernc will but trading her street food menu at The Bullshead in Barston from mid July, Saturday & Sunday. Takeaway menu currently available all week from mid-July will be available Monday – Friday with the Street Food at The Bullshead Saturday – Sunday

From the Street Food Menu, we tried the Creamy Cajun Chicken on Skin on Fries and the Spicy Wings on Skin On Fries

Creamy Cajun Chicken was just amazing, this was Luke’s favourite. The balance between the Cajun and the creaminess was perfect not to spicy or overpowering. Definitely one to try again portion was more then enough!

Spicy Wings on Skin On Fries, comes with a yummy sauce! I’ve never really been a big fan of chicken wings, ive always found them to be a dry, a faf to eat with not much meat. These are a game changer; chicken was juicy and full of flavour and massive. The spicey level was just right I’m not very good with spicy food but you could taste the flavours, it was so good!

Lastly can i just say, the fries were blooming amazing! They remind me so much of the ones you get at Hickorys! I would order again just for them!

We had lots left over so my brother came with his girlfriend to grab a doggy bag! They both said it was delicious and loved it!

Be sure to check them out on Instagram here and take a trip up to visit there street food in the summer, I sure will be! They also do amazing looking milkshakes which I’m desperate to try along with their burgers, which look incredible!

Thank you Foorlovernc for working with us!

The Urban Brownie Co – Urban Dipper Box | Gifted

On Saturday afternoon we had an exciting knock at the door, the gorgeous Chelsea Owner of “The Urban Brownie Co” Brought us a pre-launch box of their brand new “Urban Dipper Box”

This box is perfect for a weekend treat and my gosh did we indulge!

Each Urban Dipper Boxes Contain…

3 Brownie Bombs

3 Blondie Sticks

3 Nutella Stuffed Cookies

3 Mars Bar Cookies

Urban Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Urban Caramel Dipping Sauce

I & the husband enjoyed ours while having a cosy movie night in, but they would be perfect to share with your friends and family or as a gift for a loved one!

Our Favourites have to be the Brownie Bombs & Blondie sticks!

The Blondie Sticks dipped in the special sauces were unreal!

Put the cookies in the microwave for 15 secs for them to go all gooey and melt in the middle. So good!

See videos of the treats here & here.

“The Urban Brownie Co” Customer service from the start has been amazing the first thing she asked were for our allergy’s, this is something we haven’t experienced with many small businesses and super important to check these days! On the Box also was a label stating allergy information which I thought was amazing!

Packaging super cute and well-presented more importantly the treats tasted fresh and so super delish!

“The Urban Brownie Co” have a special introductory offer at the moment for the launch of their new Urban Dipper Box get it for just £9.50 for a limited time only! Check out “The Urban Brownie Co” On Instagram here

Saff xo

US time! Las Iguanas | Gifted Experience

The world is opening back up and it’s feeling super surreal!

Myself & the husband haven’t had a date night out together in the longest time, I’m sure we can all relate!

We have recently celebrated our 4 years wedding anniversary and chose to celebrate it by visiting our local Las Iguanas in Coventry. We also took the boys as a treat the week before and to get them back out and around people! They did amazingly considering they haven’t had to sit in a public place for well over a year.

Back to date night!

We were blessed with no rain! It was windy but dry so that was great.

We were so hungry so jumped straight to the mains! Luke went for the Bahian Coconut Chicken with a side of sweet potato fries of course! The dip that comes with the fries is so good! I would order them just for that.

The Bahian Coconut was super creamy and delicious with a kick of spice. The presentation was lush.

I went for the Beef burger, it was perfect! Juicy and full of flavour, I couldn’t eat it all so Luke finished it off and he loved it too. Both meals we would defiantly recommend and order again.

Previously when we visited with the boys, we had the Chilli Con Carne and the Burritos, both also super yummy!

As it was our Anniversary Nathan surprised us with The Cheese Cake Dessert with a Candle! Super sweet and a lovely way to mark our occasion. We were stuffed from dinner but the cheesecake was gorgeous and well worth making room for. 

The staff and experience overall were excellent, everything went smoothly and considering it was busy we didn’t have to wait long at all for service.

A huge thank you to the team at Las Iguanas Coventry! You may have seen on my socials I will be working super closely with them as a company and will be doing exclusive content for them! All very exciting.

Saff xo

Bodega Birmingham | AD – GIFTED

* Old content, original post was uploaded to saffronbaker.com April 2019 to know why click here *

We were kindly invited to Bodega in Birmingham to try out their menu!

We drove from Coventry and parked in the Mailbox car park which was only a 5 min walk from the restaurant so it was super easy to get to.

I hadn’t heard of Bodega before, but on arrival, it was clear how popular this little place was! I was shocked at how busy it was for a Tuesday evening!

The décor is so lush, with lots of things to look at and really helps set the mood for the evening.

Looking at the menu there were so many yummy dishes to choose from so we went for an option where we could try 5 of their most popular dishes in a smaller form.

Bless our waiter she did warn us it was going to be a lot of food, but we knew we could take some home if we were defeated!

Spoiler alert, we couldn’t finish it!

For starters, we tried The Cola chicken wings, refried beans, nachos with chilli brisket, quesadillas and sweet potato fries.

My gosh, our table was full with so much yummy food. It all came out so well presented!

My favourite had to be the quesadillas they were so good! I had never tried Cola Chicken before but that was also amazing!

The Nachos were homemade and super tasty, Luke wasn’t a massive fan and would of much preferred them to be nacho crisps.

For mains, I went for the burger… I will just tell you now! This was honestly one of the best burgers I have ever had. It was so good!

Bodega’s Burger a la Parilla 11.95

Homemade 6oz beef burger, cheese and chipotle mayo in a toasted tortilla with sweet potato fries & smoky slaw on the side

It came in a wrap which I loved, it was so full of flavour super juicy and the cheese just oozed out. Making me hungry just writing this!

It was served with coleslaw and sweet potato fries we shared half the burger and took the rest home… I was defeated.

Luke went for the Peanut butter chicken, not something he would normally go for! Now I’m not a fan of peanut butter but I tried it and was just so creamy and lush!

Brazilian Xim Xim 11.95 (GF)

Chunks of chicken, prawns and diced vegetables in a creamy peanut butter sauce with rice, onions and peppers

We couldn’t finish it all so we took it home in boxes, the staff were so lovely and organised this for us. Once we were home my dad tucked in and absolutely loved it, he took the leftovers to work the next day. He now wants to go back so another trip is in order!

If you live locally to a Bodega then lucky you as you can now get it delivered to your door… I’m jealous I need another burger and cola chicken!

Have you been to Bodega before?

A huge thank you to all the staff for looking after us we had the best evening!

Saff xo