Days out at Meridian Leicester
We started off at the Harvester with a crash course on how to pull the perfect pint… I’ll be honest, I was somewhat dubious when the ‘perfect pint’ was a Carling, but I guess that’s my own snobbery!! We didn’t get to hang around for long though, as a 50% off food voucher was doing the rounds and so they were absolutely heaving! Keep an eye on their website so that you are in the know about all of their special offers!
Next off we were up at Nandos, to enjoy some nibbles to start and of course bottomless soda. I really liked the hummus, which had a little texture to it, and comes with a teeny bottle of peri peri sauce which tastes just like liquid chorizo. It’s beaut! Not too hot spicy, but very flavourful, it makes a great match to the hummus and really got the tastebuds going. We also had a bowl of plump olives and some spiced mixed nuts which seemed to build and build in heat as you went along. Once our nibbly needs were satiated, it was off to Hollywood Bowl!
Bowling needs no introduction, but most people in the group had to confess that they hadn’t been for a long time. I’ll admit our scoreboard looked pretty funny with the blog names up there! And it’s soooo much better now you can wear your own shoes (just leave the stilettoes at home).
We played a game and to my surprise, I came first out of the bloggers! Which is amazing because I suck at bowling. Sorry guys, but it’s true. It must have been the glass of vino I enjoyed with the game that helped me find my level. And I really liked that none of the bloggers were particularly competitive because neither am I! I love a low pressure game where you all just enjoy having a go, it doesn’t really matter who wins. Bowling is a really lovely activity that suits all ages and I am now rounding up my mates so that we can go for a game one evening instead of a night in the pub!
After bowling, we were all ready for a bite to eat. I was surprised to discover there is now a Five Guys at Meridian, as I had no idea that had opened there in the last year. The American style burger joint is popular for it’s ‘choose your own toppings’ approach served with an uncomplicated, simple menu. With the range of free extras you can customise the burger to your liking without having to pay any extra so it’s great for a mixed group of people who have different preferences.Vegetarian options are available too.
I’ll be honest, my burger was nice, but it didn’t blow me away – the patties were a little lacking in flavour, but I did get bacon and plastic cheese so I wasn’t gonna argue! The best thing for me were definitely the fries – homefry style, dark and crisp and their serving sizes were enormous (if money:food ratio is your thing). They have a range of shakes you can enjoy with your meal too, so yee-haa to that all-American dining experience!
Thanks again to Meridian for inviting me along. The bowling was definitely my favourite part and I think it’s worth going out to Hollywood Bowl at Meridian for this as it’s not too big, wasn’t overly crowded on the night we visited and has plenty of options if you want drinks or something to eat afterwards.
