When we first walked in Kai the waiter who took care of the massive table at the meet up recognised me, which was a lovely touch and made me feel most welcome.  Were seated by the window on a small table for two, perfectly cosey and we could watch the world go by as we ate.  Where we were sitting we could see the whole of the restaurant and all the little ornaments and pictures on the wall, I love the way everything is fitting to the theme of the restaurant and the quotes dotted around the walls.

The cocktail menu was the first to catch my eye, shock horror.  The range of cocktails is fantastic with something for everyone and ranging from five to eight pounds each, I chose the Cranberry Cooler, made up of amaretto, vodka, cranberry and orange juice, I am convinced this was invented with me in mind, all my favourites in my drink, more than perfect.  Adam also decided on a cocktail which is very unlike him, he normally has a pint or a Jack Daniels and coke wherever we go but the Lynchburg Lemonade swayed him.  The main ingredient Jack Daniels is mixed with orange liqueur, sweet and sour and topped with lemonade, I don't even like Jack Daniels but I had to have a wee taste and this was lovely not too overpowering and pleasantly refreshing.

view the whole cocktail menu here

We spent a good while deciding what to order as I didn't want to have the same as I had before but I had Adam with me and he wanted exactly what I had on my first visit so the plan was if I didn't like what I ordered he would swap, this was the plan in my head he had no idea.  Luckily I loved what I ordered and there was no need to swap.

I ordered the Goats Cheese and Caramelized Red Onion Pizzetta, after only trying goats cheese for the first time in January I am now obsessed.  This was so scrummy, the goats cheese just slightly melted into the bread and the caramelized onion complimented the cheese perfectly, which has quite a strong flavour so the onions sweetened it up.  I ordered the large one so Adam could have a taste and I could save some for my main course. I really loved this and was a perfect start to the meal. Adam decided on my all time favourite Nachos with Chicken, the nachos at Red Pepper are fabulous with the rustic tortilla chips smothered in sour cream, salsa, guacamole, three bean chilli, jalapenos, olives, cheese and chunks of cajun chicken.  Definately the best nachos I have had even beating Chiquitos, which had been my favourite for years.  These are almost like a meal in themselves so definately not for the faint hearted.

view the food menu here for all descriptions and prices

My main course was my favourite part of the meal, again I went a bit goats cheese crazy.  I decided on the Chevre Genovese (dont ask me to pronounce that one).  Penne pasta tossed in pesto with chunks of  goats cheese, dollops of cream, with sundried tomatoes, pine nuts & kalamata olives thrown in for good measure.  This has to be another mix of all my favourite foods into one dish, I love every single thing especially the pine nuts and sundried tomatos.  Together in this recipe the flavours just explode in your mouth all working well together, my taste buds were having a ball.  I would definitely order this again but ask them to cut down on the goats cheese, there was just a smidgen to much and I would have enjoyed this with lots more pine nuts, but then again I would eat pine nuts until they were coming out of my ears.

Adam was undecided between the burgers and what he actually ordered but in the end he went for the Coconut Chicken Curry with Hot Thai spices, vegetables & rice.  When I first tried this I expected the coconut to be somewhat overpowering but it really isn't, the coconut has been perfectly measured to make sure it is not the only prominent flavour of the dish. On the menu this has two chillis beside it indicating it will be spicy, the spicy kick in this just makes it so delicious and I think this is why the coconut is not overpowering or sickly.  This is described as one of the Red Pepper Favourites and I can definately see why.

 blogger has a mind of its own and will not let me upload this picture in the right direction

As im sure you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to Red Pepper and sadly I was too full up to have a desert so I will be making sure the next time I visit I will miss out the starter so I can save room for one of the many scrumptious deserts, they look to die for.  

When I eat out or go for a drink somewhere I always check out the rest rooms maybe weird but I have been known to base my opinion on the state of the ladies room in places.  The rest rooms in Red Pepper are so lovely with luxurious hand washes and lotions to use and quirky quotes on the walls, these are just extra touches that make me like the restaurant more.

I love where red pepper is situated within the Mailbox as its such a chilled out area of the city The menu is so affordable with delicious food and generous portions.  This is fast becoming one of my favourite places to eat out and I cannot wait for my next visit.

I am so hungry after writing this, so im going to make some toast, so adventurous I know!

Lots of Love

Gemma

xxx