The boys were excited as soon as they stepped under the archway and saw all of the lit up frontages. It was actually much quieter than I expected for lunchtime, and even inside the cinema with it's huge foyer, there was a nice chilled, smily Sunday feel. We had no problem taking some photos with the film character displays.
The Odeon cinema at The Printworks has cheaper tickets at weekends before 1pm, plus they have 3 morning film showings each weekend for only £2.50. That's got to be worth getting up for...
The movie my boys had chosen was Zootropolis (Or Zootopia if you live anywhere else but the UK). Obviously this isn't a brand new movie, so our theatre was pretty much empty! We sat in the posh seats and the view was awesome. The friendly nature carried on because someone had a toddler who was chattering away right at the back corner, but it didn't really disturb the film and none of us in there cared less. We've all been there...
I knew Zootropolis rated very highly with grown ups as well as children, and it was a good movie! So much everyday politics crammed into a children's film (discriminating against different types of animals, even creating false panic to try and silence some of them, prejudice about size, social class, background). It was brilliant. Witty, full of jokes for everyone, and beautifully animated. We all thought it was great, and definitely better than your average animated movie.
Then we were off to Peachy Keens for lunch. My young boys skipped along the cobbled street until they found it. They've only been to a buffet restaurant once before, so they were excited and didn't really know what they were going to find. Peachy Keens is 3 floors up. My turbo powered 6 year old set off up the stairs, and the sensible ones took the lift.
At the top is the least impressive door ever, in fact we weren't even sure it was right, but once inside you realise you are definitely in the right place. The first thing you see is the huge display of desserts! Tempting as it is, on this occasion at least my boys knew they had to eat some dinner first. Maybe one day though...
We were given a choice of table, and drinks orders taken. Plates are stored alongside the food, and extra cutlery was so easy to spot that I forgot I had some on the table already.
The very first thing that struck me was how clean and tidy it is. All of the main meals were neatly covered, and if any diner splashed or dropped anything the staff were instantly along with a smile and a cloth to wipe it away. The lids on the food were not ridiculously heavy either, my 6 and 7 year old children could lift them and serve themselves confidently.
As well as pre-prepared dishes, chefs are on hand to prepare food to order, including pasta, pizza, noodles and teppenyaki and a grill. I didn't take advantage of this because I wanted to try a small portion of lots of things, but if you have a favourite dish then what could be better than your own chef there to cook it especially for you?
All of the fresh food was incredibly fresh, nothing looked tired or old. The hot dishes were mainly in shallow pans that didn't actually hold large amounts, and I saw several replaced while we were there.
My 7 year old was in his element. He loves trying new foods and at one point had 5 different chicken dishes on his plate - he ate them all. My 6 year old is a little more conservative in his tastes... As for me, I would have loved a try of everything vegetarian that they had if I could! All the veggie food is clearly marked, and staff are on hand ready to answer any questions you may have.
The atmosphere in Peachy Keens is really relaxed and friendly, and there were a handful of families in there with small children. The staff watched the children like hawks, but mainly in case they injured themselves! They were almost in time to stop my 6 year old stabbing himself in the hand with a wooden skewer from the chocolate fountain, they spotted him before I did and I was standing right beside him!
Peachy Keens claim they have 15 different desserts including a chocolate fountain (and at more busy times a chocolate 'kebab') and I think my boys tried them all.
The Apple Crumble was gorgeous! If you visit Peachy Keens then you really have to try it...
Fruit, jellies, mousses, cheesecakes, sponge cake, chocolate brownie, the list goes on and on. My boy's favourite though was the self-serve whippy ice cream machine - my 7 year old had 2! They were far too busy enjoying their ice creams to smile for the camera...
Peachy Keens World Buffet costs £8.99 for lunch Monday to Friday (£9.99 Saturday) and £13.99 for dinner Monday to Thursday (Friday and Saturday £14.99). Sundays are £11.99 all day. Children under 3 eat for free, children aged 3-10 eat half price. Students and Senior Citizens currently get 20% off their meal.
Did the boys enjoy their time at The Printworks? Yes they did! My 7 year old said while we were walking to the car park "I think buffets are brilliant. My tummy is full up and that's never happened". The movie was a hit, and so was the food...
We were treated to our lovely afternoon out by The Printworks, in return for my two young boys giving their review.
That meal looks awesome. What great fun and must try to go see Angry birds. Glad they had a great time xx
ReplyDeleteWe need to see Angry Birds - I've heard good things and my boys are very keen! :) xx
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