Blimey!

I'd like to start by saying that this review is not entirely about Blimey, but about an event that I attended there. (and yes, some food was served as well)

I love that name, Blimey! Largely because it reminds me so much of all the dialogues in the Harry Potter books, that, uh, let's not go there, I won't stop. So, yes, Blimey! The gastropub is HUGE and can easily seat more than a hundred people. It's decently well-lit, so takes away the charm from a pub for me.

Blimey! played host to the Foursquare Day and the event was executed by Wooplr (a social discovery platform where people share and discover lifestyle purchases in fashion, decor and food). Hard-core Foursquare users turned up, to network and celebrate the event with gusto, and I can be honest, I turned up for the free food (I'm a food blogger, should this really come as a surprise?)

The event kicked off with a whiskey-tasting session (yeah, you missed that, HA!) which was hosted by Tommy McCready. He is the official brand ambassador for Jameson Whiskey and he loves giving these 'educative' sessions around the city about Jameson and whiskey in general. I tried the Jameson whiskey for the very first time in my life, and kinda liked it too. I tried the scotch next, which I thought was abysmal. And finally, the American whiskey, which turned out to be my favourite of the lot.Turns out, the Scotch was actually Johnny Walker's Red Label and the American Whiskey was Jack Daniel's.

Having quickly downed my whiskey(s), the steady stream of starters came about and a sense of euphoria finally swept through me (I just get really excited with food). The first starter was Lamb Meatballs served with mayonnaise. The lamb was actually really soft and subtly spiced and made for an excellent starter. To appease to the vegetarians, we were next served with Corn and Cheese Nuggets. The sweet corn and all of that creamy, stringy cheese made this an orgasmic starter. Like, really.

Lamb Meatballs

Corn and Cheese Nuggets

This was followed with Chicken and Cheese crostinis that were delicious. They weren't smothered in cheese like I would have liked them to be, but tasted good nevertheless. The chicken had a nice spiced hint to it and the bread was crunchy, yet bite-able. Many restaurants end up serving Bruschetta/Crostinis with bread so hard that would give you a toothache when you bite into them.

Chicken and Cheese Crostini

Then came the delectable Pork Ribs which I was grateful for (pork is my favourite meat). The sauce was absolutely delightful (but also had that store-bought BBQ sauce taste) but the texture of the meat was a total let-down. The meat should have been far more tender and have that wonderful fluffy, fat bits. Unfortunately, the meat was a lot tougher and seemed dry. The sauce more than made up for it though.

Pork Ribs

Finally, another veggie starter was brought about (I feel bad for vegetarians anyway, but just TWO veggie dishes seemed like open discrimination to me). These were simply fried potato wedges, lightly salted with a dash of herbs. Nothing to write home about. The final starter was a herby green chicken served with Thousand Island sauce, which like the potatoes, lacked a strong flavour, and wasn't highly memorable as such.

Potato Wedges

Herby Chicken

The service was swift, and courteous. Every server had a smiling face and patiently waited for me to take food photographs (you see, there were ALL bloggers in the house armed with cameras the size of their heads). And the ambience created for a nice place to catch up with large groups of friends. The view of the metro and MG Road makes it pleasant too.

This isn't entirely an honest review of Blimey, as this event was pre-planned and there were only a certain number of starters that I did try, so I'm not going to rate it. I did want to share the experience of trying out their food though, hence this blog post. Hope you enjoyed it! :) For more info on Wooplr, this event, and pictures from the event, you can click here. You can also follow my foodie recommendations on Wooplr here.

P.S. My blog is officially one month old. Yay! Thanks for all the love! :)