[Food] Pomodorini

More food posts!

After a toastmaster meeting, a bunch of us decided to have Pomodorini. 

I've tried their food before but ordered take out, I never really went in the restaurant until now. 

They had no customers when we entered the restaurant, well being 10pm on a weekday in Bahrain, most people are home just chilling. 

The staff was very nice to us and made us welcome. 

On the wall they had this beautiful wallpaper of Venice and Rome. I couldn't stop staring at it.

Moving on to the orders. I was very happy that they had bruschetta. It has become one of my most favorite italian starters recently, so I had to order it. 

What's funny was that we all attacked the bruschetta before I could snap a photo of it. So I just took a shot of the side of the dish that was untouched by anyone. 

The bruschetta was shaped like a pizza, and not with the regular french bread for the base. It was more of a pizza bruschetta topped with the regular ingredients, tomato, basil, some spices, etc. It was good. The tomato was cold and fresh while the base was warm. I enjoyed it but I felt like something was missing that would've made it delicious. Plus it is large portioned good enough for 4-5 people. 

I ordered their Farfalle Al Romana, it is a bow tie pasta with chicken, brocoli and a light creamy sauce. When I took that first bite expecting to imagine fireworks like the scenes in ratatouille, I got a "mmm" just a "mmm". The dish was good. The pasta was well cooked, the sauce was creamy, with a dash of tanginess to it and the brocoli added a great crunch and flavor to it. It was a good dish, but I thought there was too much going on in the dish that I can't understand, it tasted like an overwhelming sensation of ingredients that were added into the sauce, but it wasn't unpleasant. I liked the dish but it wasn't as good as their other dishes. 

Over all the restaurant was great, great ambiance and friendly staff! I would totally come back and try their other stuff. 

Pomodorini

Adliya, Bahrain 

(Close to Fuddruckers, Costa Coffee, Kudu) 

Delivery no. (+973)1700 0121

[Books] Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1 - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Goodreads

Started on: May 23 2013

Finished on: May 27 2013

Synopsis

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. 

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Review

Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon and finds out he's a demi-god or a half blood when his teacher Mrs Dodds tries to kill him in a museum. Percy is accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt, so he makes his way to Camp Half Blood because that is the only place that could keep him and the other half bloods safe from the monsters out in the real world. Percy and his newly found friends are assigned a quest to find the lightning thief and bring back the bolt to Olympus before the Summer Solstice or else World War III will happen.

I was really excited to start this book. It's a book about the mythological Gods and Goddesses, and I love books about mythology.

I watched the movie years back before I read that book, so I was curious to know whether the movie and books would be a lot more similar. I was very disappointed at the movie when I was half way through the book. I mean the way the book was written was in plain simple english that anyone could understand, and I don't really see why they should change the internal plot of the movie. I was definitely shocked that Percy was supposed to be 12. Movies always suck...

I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy read/listen (I listened to the audiobook). I enjoyed the story line. It was funny, adventurous, but not that boring all adventure stuff, it had a twist of modern humor and excitement going on. It was very simple and fresh for me.

I am looking forward to reading the entire series soon!

I recommend this book to those who enjoyed reading The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and to those who want a little bit of simple adventure into their reading lives.

[Books] The Castor Chronicles Series by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Synopsis

"There were no surprises in Gatlin County. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. "Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations.
Mysterious, suspenseful, and romantic, "Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness," "Beautiful Chaos," and "Beautiful Redemption "introduce a secret world hidden in plain sight. A world where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen. Sometimes life-ending.
This stunning set makes the perfect gift for fans of this bestselling Southern gothic romance.

Review

The Castor Chronicles series revolves around the protagonist Ethan Wate and how his life transforms from wanting to get out of the town of Gatlin, to wanting nothing else but to stay in because of a girl he's been having dreams about before he actually met her; Lena Duchannes.

The Ravenwood plantation is known to be scary, dark, and a piece of the devil to the people of Gatlin, but when the niece of Old man Ravenwood moves in with him, and attends high school, everything starts to change. Lena becomes the odd one out and the only thing she wants is to be normal, before she gets claimed either into the light or dark.

The series basically revolves around Ethan and Lena, and how things at Gatlin changes because of the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th moons. It started with Lena's 16th moon, when she get claimed by either the light or dark.

I listened to the audiobooks while reading the books (just because I space out sometimes during the book, I'm sure you all have those moments! xD). I started after I watched the movie. I enjoyed the movie but then came to despise it once I finished the second book, because that was when everything basically clicked in my head.

The series started out pretty good. I enjoyed Beautiful Creatures, it was pretty cool, a bit engrossing, since I was working while listening to the book. All the main characters were properly introduced, plus the way of Kevin T. Collins portrays all of the accents of those characters was just fantastic! He made it twice as good!

When I started Beautiful Darkness, that is where is all starts. It made the first book feel like a prologue. There were multiple new characters that were introduced, and again, Kevin T. Collins did a fabulous job with the voices, and audibles sound affects made the books twice as exciting. The only thing I didn't like was Lena and her rebellious-stupidity. I don't understand how easily she can get brainwashed. I was extremely annoyed at her in this book. I was just happy that it was all in Lena's perspective.

Beautiful Chaos felt kind of like a drag for me to listen to after the 2nd book... I was tired of Ethan and Lena's story. I was tired of castors and incubus's, but I didn't stop, I wanted to finish it. Things got a lot more deeper after the second book, everything basically went to hell in Gatlin, and made everyone in town think it was the end of the world. My face was grimm the entire time I was listening/reading it. Of course, as it is every books tradition, the book ended with a blast, or basically a shocker, or makes your jaw drop.

I really really really enjoyed Beautiful Redemption. I have no idea why but it was so exciting that it got my heart racing by what felt like the middle of the book. Here you get to read the book in both Lena and Ethan's perspective, just like the first book but that was only briefly. Lena has a few chapters for herself, and you get to see more of Lena's actual perspective on things and how she really feels towards Ethan. The entire book, my emotions changes from happy, excited, sad, shocked, and many others. Multiple emotions swarmed through me in this book. I was quite sad and happy at the same time to see it end.

The Castor Chronicles ended with a happy ending but with accepted losses that made my heart melt.

It is a great series. It is up there with Vampire Academy, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. It is definitely one of my top 10 favorite book series of all time.

I recommend this series to Young Adults, who enjoy reading about paranormal fantasy romance with a splash of comedy. Those who enjoyed reading the Twilight , the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and other paranormal books, this is a series you should definitely try out.
It is a little bit cliché, with a pinch of originality, it is exciting, engrossing, and unputdownable in some moments.

And I give this entire series a....

5 flower rating! Because the last book was just a great way to end a series!

Happiness on top of Sadness! 

I LOVE IT! 

[Food] Vapiano

Food Post! Food Post! Fooooood Post!

It's been a while since I've done a food post, so here it is! Sorry to keep you all waiting!

This is my third time at Vapiano, and I just randomly decided to review it, since it's one of the new restaurants that opened at the mall. 

Here is the place! It's quite spacious, and open. 

As you walk in the restaurants vicinity, you will need to pass by a counter, and the attendant there will be giving you a card and the menu. The card will be used to sum up all the payments of your order. You will just need to swipe the card on their sensor and the order will be added into the card. When you're ready to pay, you give back the card to the attendant at the counter and pay there. 

The ordering process is similar to how you order fast food, or Yum Yum Tree. You order directly to the chef, and you basically watch the chef cook your meal. You can also choose your own pasta. :) 

The menu is just a long (height wise) card, which has the dishes typed on it back and front.  

They have a normal variety of dishes. The usual Antipasti, Insalate, Pizza, Pasta, and Dolci.

I ordered the Pomodoro E. Spinaci - which was BD 3.500

As you can see in the photos, the pasta width is quite thick with red sauce, baby tomatoes, and spinach topped with parmesan cheese and basil. 

It's quite a big portioned meal. Good enough for two people with small stomachs.

This dish was delicious, everything tasted fresh and not vitamin deprived, but I felt like something was lacking. I didn't get the usual spark I get from food that I really really love and enjoyed. I can say that the spinach and baby tomatoes really added to the dish, in both colors and taste. 

I don't know why but their food always seems to give me a weird unexplainable taste. I'm not sure if it's just the pastas or all of their dishes, but as I consume my meal, I would always taste the same tangy-ish flavor. It isn't unpleasant but I needed to grow on it. 

For a drink I had their fresh orange juice with a slice of orange on the side. It was very refreshing, like any other fresh orange juices out there.

For dessert, I had their Pana Cotta topped with strawberry syrup. 

I've always been fond of Pana Cottas and I do hope to make them myself someday. 

The cream was creamy, sweet, and tasty with a splash of vanilla flavoring. The strawberry syrup really contributes to the panna cotta. Having both the cream and syrup is just the perfect mix of cold sweet and sour sweetness. It was heaven in my mouth. I loved it!

In Conclusion, Vapiano is known for their fresh ingredients and card swiping. Their food is good, and their desserts are even better. I recommend this restaurant to those who want to try something new, and to those who are willing to spend, because it's quite pricy. But beware of when it's filled with customers, because ordering can be nerve wrecking; at least for me.

Vapiano (Italian Cuisine)

Located: Bahrain City Center, 2nd Floor.

Price Range: BD 5 - 10

http://vapianobh.com/

[Books] Teaser Tuesday: May 14 2013

Hey everyone!! 

Happy Tuesday! ^O^

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser from my current read

 "Too Hot to Touch by Louisa Edwards"

"  Jules looked up, confused, until he'd gripped her arms and hauled her up his body, spinning her until her back was against the wire racks of shelving.

"This time it's my turn," he told her.  "

Happy Reading everyone! 

(^.^)/

[Books] When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon

Synopsis

Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty... Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman.

She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love—in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return.

If she decides to be very wicked indeed... what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?

Review

When Beauty Tamed the Beast, a novela based on the classics by Gabriella Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast. Its tells a story of how a Beauty, like Miss Linnet Thrynne falls in love with a Beast; Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant. It tells a story of how their love grew from infuriating each other to the bones and the sexual tension that floats in the air between them. 

I really really really enjoyed this book, it made me laugh, made my eyes go wide, made me gasp, and made me tear up a little bit towards the end. 

Linnet is a great character, very strong and confident in whatever she does. That's probably because her beauty gave her most of the confidence she needed. She knew what she wanted and she would get what she wanted. She was determined to gain Pier's love and finally make him commit into marrying her. 

Piers is a sarcastic arrogant bastard. But a sexy one at that. I expected the beast to just be extremely rude with anger management problems, that he is but what else came with that temper and rude mouth was something I didn't expect. He was a cripple, but was a strong determined one I could say that. This had a great impact on the entire storyline.

Every romantic story starts out so well, and it gets even better in the middle, but there always seems to be something bad that will happen towards the near conclusion of the book that gives the reader a great bang and relief when they finish the book. 

There is always a point whenever I would pick up books like these, when I would fall asleep reading and when I wake up the next morning, it is the first thing I think about and can't fight the urge to pick it up and continue where I left off. 

In conclusion, this book got me sitting on my bed for more than an hour, just reading and doing nothing else, which I've missed for so long. This is a great book that I definitely think anyone with a great interest in romance with a small bit of humor in it. 

If you enjoy reading your favorite fairly tales but want something a little bit more, than I completely recommend this fairy tale series. 

Pick up your own copy now at Amazon or Bookdepository. The links are below the book cover! :)

[Books] WWW Wednesday: May 8 2013

It's my first WWW Wednesday! 

and I'm super excited to be apart of it! 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Answers: 

What are you currently reading? 

I'm currently reading two books - 

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

What did you recently finish reading? 

I recently finished reading the second edition to the Fifty Shades Trilogy 

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L James

Here is the link to my review! :)

What do you think you'll read next? 

It's either the last book of the Fifty Shades Trilogy 

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L James or Too Hot to Touch by Louisa Edwards

They both seem so tempting, but I do want to finish the Fifty Shades Trilogy... 

Well, that was fun! xD 

This meme is again hosted by Shouldbereading :)