#DateNight: Pitcher & Piano

I'm back, and with a picture heavy post at that!

I feel ever so bad neglecting not so little Legs, but university life is crazy crazy crazy! I have a constant to do list, as long as my arm, and it just never feels the right time to make some space to blog! However, here i am (I probably should be working on my house style essay, but that can wait until my day off tomorrow)!

So, in amongst this crazy busy schedule, i have to make time (otherwise i go stir crazy!) for a little relaxation and excitement. This usually involves my lovely Mr, now that i'm taking full advantage of having him close by! Here on Legs, i'm going to begin a little series known as #datenight. Me and the Mr are going to take time out from our busy lives to have some us time and to go out, and eat at some of Southampton's restaurants. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have already seen some of the tweets about the first in the series.

I'm going to pre apologise now for the rubbish, grainy images. I was so busy enjoying myself that photographs seemed to go out the window!

Pitcher & Piano is set in the beautiful surroundings of Southampton's Ocean Village. Whether you go day or night you'll always get a beautiful view, but going after dark is just that little more spectacular. Sitting in the window of the dimly lit, sultry diner you really feel the romantic atmosphere. We we luckily sat in the sunken, corner window seat, which felt like we were miles away from everyone. Knowing it was our anniversary (they give you option to add a reason for your visit if you book online), it's touches like this that make them one of a kind.

I decided that i wanted a relaxed, but dressy ensemble for our date; nothing too fancy but something a little different to usual, and this is what i went for:

Dress: H&M | Cardigan: H&M | Belt: Vintage | Wedged Boots: Primark | Tights: Tesco | Necklace: Miss Selfridge

This little red number was an absolute bargain, at £9.99 you really can't go wrong! You can't see but it has little 3\4 length sleeves to keep you snug in the Autumn months. It's really well fitting, and has a cute panel detailing on the front, that really highlights your figure, which i love! I think red is a must have for this season, it's all over the high-street and for a bargain like this, i was happy to add this to my wardrobe! I wasn't sure what to wear over the top to keep my outfit more relaxed than dressy (because this dress can definitely by dressed up or down) so i ended up with this leopard number that i've had for ever! It's always my go-to when i want something a little different for my cover it. I also threw on my Tesco quilted jacket over the top, to keep me warm in the crisp Winter air. These wedged boots are my new favourite footwear! They're fury and wedged, what more could you want in a winter boot! This was the perfect occasion to give them their debut, as i'd really love to wear them to uni during the day but with something simple like jeans; i think if i add them to a dress or skirt, it might dress it up a little too much for a day look, but for this they were perfect! They keep my feet snug and just seemed to round up my outfit! And, with my usual trusty accessories i was good to go!

It was a little more expensive than our usual, every day dinner dates but we figured it was our anniversary and rather than going somewhere usual, why not splash out a little, (if you can't splash out on your anniversary, when can you?!) Glancing at the menu, it's not huge but what they do have on offer is well chosen and of good quality.

My date for the evening!

They also have a wide, and varied, selection of refreshments. I'm not a massive drinker, but fancy the occasional fruity beverage, usually a cider. They didn't have my usual tipples of Brothers or Kopparberg but they did have this unknown, to me, brand called Rekordelig. They had a few flavours, but due to my allergy to some wild berries i can't drink berry flavoured drinks, so settled on this Kopparberg-esque strawberry and lime flavoured one. It was delicious, and can't rate it highly enough! I've since seen it in Asda (next to the Kopparberg, funnily enough) so will be getting myself some for these closing Winter evenings. The details are what make Pitcher & Piano that little bit more special, and when my glass came full of ice, strawberries and mint (i took the mint out, i hate mint but it's the thought that counts!) it was the perfect addition to my drink.

As i said, the menu isn't vast but it has everything you could want. They have a large range of picking starters, doing a deal if you buy two or three to share, all tapas style dishes. We chose the chicken and chorizo skewers, with garlic mayonnaise, and the deep fried brie, with salsa. Both were totally delicious, and there isn't much more to say on them! The only thing that i noticed was that they weren't large for the price, but all the same they were lush. Besides, when you go to restaurants like this you should always expect portions to be a little smaller and prices a little higher.

I knew what i wanted to try, for my main course, from the outset! The chicken stuffed with chorizo and mascapone, and sweet potato mash (it also comes with kale but i gave that to Jonny as i'm not a massive greens eater!), sounded scrummy and i wasn't disappointed! However, i was again a little let down by the size, but AGAIN taste totally made up for that and i could have eaten a thousand! It was well cooked, literally melt in the mouth and the mash was just so tasty, i honestly couldn't praise it enough. Jonny went for a salad, that looked delish (if i ate salad, that is...) Was nice and green with lots of extras, and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

I was definitely ready for dessert, which they had plenty to choose from! It was a difficult choice, but i went for my old favourite sticky toffee pudding (which was huge! They definitely hold out the portion sizes to kill you with the pudding!) It was smothered in sauce and had a delicious lump of vanilla ice cream with it. It might not be some people's cup of tea, but what i loved was that the pudding wasn't piping hot, it was just luke warm. I hate having sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and having painful teeth while trying to eat hot and cold at the same time! Well, they cured this problem for me and i enjoyed it all the more. Jonny went for the chocolate brownie, which was also a consideration of mine but i'm not a massive chocolate fan. It looked thick and delicious, with it's ice cream perched on top, mmm.

Overall, Pitcher and Piano is just what it says on the tin, it's a little more pricey and with that comes slightly smaller portion sizes, but quality totally makes up for that. We loved our experience there, and when we have the money, and the occasion, we'd love to go back. The staff were ridiculously welcoming and helpful, and made you feel right at home. Our waitress was kind and made little comments that made you feel well attended to. I'd highly recommend you all go there, they're even a chain and have sites elsewhere; check their website to find your nearest branch.

I know i say this every time, but i'll try to be back soon as i have lots of posts backing up that need to be done! Thank you for keeping with me, and i'm loving reading blogs still; they're my bedtime reading!

K|xo