Pub Review: The Millhouse

If you have been following my blog for awhile you know  about my weakness for fish and chips. It started last summer when PB and I tried this quaint little pub on our way home from Oxford one night called The Packhorse. I was feeling all crazy (from a good ww weigh in) and decided to give the fish and chips a whirl. It was AMAZING... and so my obsession was born. Since we've moved from Reading to Basingstoke, getting to the Packhorse is now an hour round trip for us. We noticed a really precious pub near Odiham, which is much closer, over Christmas but we didn't have a chance to try it. However, on Friday, in true tradition, decided to go get us some fish and chips from The Millhouse.

Now. It must be noted that I am the pickiest of picky about my fish and chips. I like it both crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and piping hot.  The Packhorse is *literally* the only fish and chips that I've had and loved, so I knew we were facing an uphill battle.

We arrived and I was taken aback at how gorgeous it was! You can only see the front from the road. You don't get to see the gorgeous little pond until you park.

PB decided to teach me to play backgammon while we waited for our food. The scrabble was already taken by another table. I love the fact they had all sorts of games to play for free!

PB won the first round, but luckily I "won" the second round.

*wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

FINALLY IT ARRIVED!

It was ok. My fish wasn't very crispy so I ended up peeling all of my batter off the fish. The chips were not very good. They were very hot, which led me to believe they were fresh, but then they were almost tough when you bit them. I ended up leaving most of them. The peas, which are usually my favorite part, had a funny... whang... for lack of a better word, to them and I didn't much like it. 

Verdict: Packhorse is still reigning supreme!

However, you know what made up for my mediocre fish and chips?

Mmmmhmmm.

Sticky.

Toffee.

Pudding.

Quite possibly the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. It was super moist, warm and the caramel sauce was phenomenal. I almost fought PB for the last bite. Seriously. BEST. DESSERT. EVER.

I looked up a recipe and I'm going to give it a whirl soon. Will report back on the homemade version.

Anyway, all in all it was a lovely evening! The Millhouse is gorgeous inside and out. When I popped to the "loo" I could see the original mill wheel!

The wine we had was fantastic, the service phenomenal, pudding stupendous. However the fish and chips will be a pass for me next time... which is fine... More room for my sticky toffee pudding!

The Millhouse is located on Hook Road, North Warnborough.

Definitely give it a go if you're in the area!

*Big thanks to the hubs for indulging my sweet tooth*

The Engagement

*It's true...*

I've had a few emails asking about the details of the engagement so I'll tell the story and show the pictures. PB and I went to Paris for New Years.

*Here we are on the Eurostar from London to Paris*

We had SO much fun! I absolutely LOVEEEE Paris. We stayed at the Intercontinental and we were upgraded when we checked in to a room with two small balconies that overlooked the Eiffel tower. He made us dinner reservations at Cafe de la Paix in the hotel on New Year's Eve.

*Our room*

I was in the bathroom getting all dolled up for dinner and he was outside on the balcony off of the bedroom. He kept saying "Come look at the Eiffel tower!" I was getting SUPER annoyed because we were going to be late and my hair was NOT cooperating. I said I didn't have time and urged him to hurry up already. He kept insisting I come out and take a picture of the Eiffel tower at night. Finally I said "FINE! One picture and we have to go! We're late already!" I then stormed out to the balcony with my camera out and on. He dropped down to his knee and I took a picture and was like "What are you doing?"

*Me thinking he dropped something*

And then it dawned on me he had something VERY sparkly in his possession.

*Waiiiiiiit- SPARKLES!*

I said yes, obviously, and proceeded to cry and mess up my make up.

We then rushed down and had the longest, fanciest dinner ever! I have tons and tons of pictures from Paris. I've included some here, and I'll proceed to sprinkle them here and there in my posts.

*Whenever I feel pale, I'll stand next to PB... and then I feel tan. Heh.*

*It's so sparkly! Not the best picture of the ring, but it's like perfectly flawless and the most sparkly diamond I've ever seen.*

*Dessert to ring in the New Year!*