Notre Dame de Paris Musical (London Coliseum 2019) : Review

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Performance Date: Saturday 16th January 2019

Website: Notredamedeparislespectacle.com

The smash-hit French musical returns to London for 7 performances only, after touring in 23 countries around the world over the last 20 years.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame of Paris tells the story of the bell-ringer cathedral Quasimodo and his tragic love for the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda.

This stage spectacular features an international ensemble of singers, dancers, acrobats and a live orchestra, as well as unforgettable music composed by Richard Cocciante, with lyrics by Luc Plamondon.

Notre Dame de Paris was first and last in London from 2000 to 2001, and in that time period I saw it 6 times and fell in love with it. To be honest it should have kept running here, as it is a great musical.

The lights, the music and the costumes everything was perfect and a treat for the eyes and ears.

I loved this show so much, I purchased the French DVD and also Italian DVD and watched them many times…..so much so I can nearly sing all the French songs.

I waited and waited hoping it would come to the UK….more so Glasgow or even Edinburgh so I could see it again but it didn’t….then I saw it advertised for the London Coliseum for one week only and instantly I got tickets. I got the second row from the front, dead centre…yeah I paid a little more but I didn’t care I HAD to see this again!

It was showtime!

I was like a big kid in a candy shop, I couldn’t wait for it to start I was so excited. I saw it was a new cast, apart from one Daniel Lavoie who has been it from the start. He was also in the French DVD version so this was a great honour to see him live in person!!

The performances were all sung in French, with a digital board showing English subtitles but I didn’t need them….I had seen this show so many times from the French DVD I knew it very well so I could just sit listen and enjoy. At the times my favourite songs were sung, I was so happy I had to hold back happy tears.

The show was amazing from start to finish, and I could have easily seen it again! It also used a live orchestra, where the previous times it was a backing track. Using this live orchestra, made it much warmer enjoyable and emotional.

Angelo Del Vecchio as Quasimodo is outstanding, as I was comparing him to Garou but Angelo was just as good. Daniel Lavoie is amazing and delivers strong vocals throughout, and I would even say sings better now.

If you get a chance to see this in any country, please do go and see it you will love it! This is a different kind of musical the way its performed, so don’t go expecting a West End or Broadway-style musical…go with an open mind and enjoy!

This performance stars Angelo Del Vecchio, Hiba Tawaji, Daniel Lavoie, Richard Charest, Alyzée Lalande, Martin Giroux and Jay.

★★★★★

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Fpizza (Milngavie, Glasgow) : Review

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14 Stewart Street,
Milngavie
G626BW
Scotland

V: 18th January 2019.    T:  0141 956 1325.    W: www.fpizza.co.uk

Current opening Time : 

Monday – Thursday 12.00PM – 12:00AM
Friday/Saturday 12:00PM – 01:00AM
Sunday 12:00PM –12:00AM


Another year, another new place for me…I love coming across new places to eat.

Fpizza were lovely and sent me an invite to come along and try them out, and I accepted and added to my calendar.

Fpizza is newly opened and in the town centre of Milngavie, and is about a 7 min walk from Milngavie train station so it’s very easy to find.

Looking Around

On entering I was welcomed and shown to my seat.

Looking around Fpizza it had a very nice and relaxing decor, and it was a busy night and the atmosphere was good.

Where I was seated I had a great view of the whole place, and looking around everyone was enjoying themselves and the food….now it was time to eat!

The Food…

I decided I wanted to have one pizza and one side and that’s all….well unless I had room left for some ice cream.

The pizza I went for was Number 7 normally £9.5 but free tonight thanks to Fpizza.

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Tomato, mozzarella, rocket, prosciutto, parmesan shavings and evoo 

Sorry for the more red tones through the photos, where I was sitting there was a red light behind me.

I also added Tuscan Sausage to this order….normally extra toppings are £2.

As soon as the plate touched the table, I was ready to dig in!!

The first thing I noticed was how good the flavours were than how good the base was….it was thin and really good. Everything about this pizza worked!!!

I was very full by the time I finished this, but I wasn’t that over full way I normally am when it comes to eating pizza… I was a comfortable full if you get me.

Presentation : 5
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Value for Money : 5

Side

Polenta Chips (Rosemary & Parmesan) £6 (N/a tonight)

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I decided to have a side mostly due to curiosity, and normally I go for fries as my side so I decided to try this.

Firstly this was a good sized portion, 2 or even 3 sticks would have been perfect and still good value for money.

If you are thinking of normal fries then you will be very surprised by Polenta fries, as they are very different and taste very different. These were very nice, had a nice crunch and flavour.

For me, I think I will stick with normal fries, but this is a personal preference but please do try them they are really nice.

Presentation : 5
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Value for Money : 5

Overall

Firstly I would like to say a big thanks to Fpizza for my invite, I had a really nice time and it’s always great to find new places 🙂 ones that I will definitely be going back to.

For me, I really enjoyed the pizza, and left feeling a good full rather than the difficult to digest full I sometimes get when eating pizzas. I think this is mostly due to the the base, as it was very nice and thin.

Fpizza is now in my top 4 pizza places, and on my Top Spots page.

As I said at the start Fpizza is easy to get to from Glasgow, a train then a very short walk and I promise its worth it.

See you soon 🙂

Review Scores – 

  • Atmosphere : 5
  • Staff : 5
  • Menu Choice : 5
  • Service : 5
  • Food : 5
  • Value for Money: 5
  • Overall : 5

Additional Details

  • Child Friendly : Yes (well behaved kids)
  • Payment : Cash & Card
  • Halal : Yes

 

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Smash Burger (Glasgow) : Review

Smash Burger Glasgow : Inside

165 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow G2 3EW

V: 26th August 2018      T:  0141 332 4554  W: www.smashburger.co.uk

Child-Friendly: Yes (well-behaved kids)      Accepts: Cash & Card


Smash Burger is kinda new to Glasgow, it has been open for a while now and finally I got round to checking it out and seeing what it was like.

On entering looking around it was very busy tonight, it reminded me of a mix between McDonald’slds and Ed’s Diner.

So we were shown to a table where we looked over the menu.

The prices were actually not that bad, and it had a lot of choices. Once decided on what we were having, you go up to the till and place your order. You are given a table buzzer, and once the food is ready a waiter brings it to your table.

The Food…

Starter

Stilton Stack £8.95 & French Fries £2.95
Chutney with rocket, haystack onions, applewood smoked bacon & stilton cheese on a Smash bun.

Smash Burger Glasgow : Chicken Burger

At the point of typing this, I have had a few burgers recently so I opted for a Chicken Burger tonight.

On arrival, the presentation was O.K, and it smelled nice.

The burger was very nice, the flavours for me were perfect. The Stilton cheese for me with everything else was just amazing. The chicken was very nice and tender, with that little crispness due to being deep fried.

The chips well they were nice and needed a little salt.

Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Presentation : 4
Value for Money : 4

 

Overall

My first visit was a positive one, even though the food did take a little longer than expected to arrive but the waiter who was joking with us turned a negative into a positive.

The food yeah was very nice and good, and I will go back as I would like to try a few of the burgers and the shakes.

See you soon guys

Review Scores – 

  • Atmosphere : 4
  • Staff : 5
  • Menu Choice : 5
  • Service : 5
  • Food : 4.5
  • Value for Money: 4
  • Overall : 4.5

 

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