Review: Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth

Review: Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

Opening its doors in Kenilworth just before Christmas, Nur Nur Paradise offers guests a range of Thai fusion dishes, blending traditional Thai and Western food.

Thai-born Lee Wongsalees and Chantana Nimcean have combined their decades of hospitality experience to realise their vision of bringing the new restaurant to Warwick Road after meeting whilst working at a high street chain in Buckinghamshire ten years ago.

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

Nur Nur, I’m told, roughly translates as ‘delicious’ in Thai. Lee and Chantana claim they are delivering ‘the type of fusion food you cannot get anywhere else in Kenilworth.’ All in all, Nur Nur Paradise promises a lot and, I’m relieved to say, more than delivers.

Replacing the former Thai Sarocha which closed in early 2023, the fresh and sophisticated new look instantly makes for a great impression.

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

The food too, far from disappoints. Not the typical Western idea of Thai food, they put a Thai twist on existing Western dishes, while also offering traditional South East Asian cuisine.

It’s good to see the menu caters for everyone and can act as a great intro to Thai food for the uninitiated as well as offer exciting new recipes for the Thai enthusiast. An extensive range of Starters include Sharing Platters as well as Crispy Fried Mushrooms; Tandoori Prawns; Seared Scallops with Salsa Salad; Chicken Thigh Satay; Soups; Thai Sweet Corn Fritters and even Grilled Rib Eye with Black Pepper Sauce.

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

When it comes to Mains, the choice can at first seem intimidating. There’s a lot to peruse and the decision will, inevitably, be a carefully considered one with so many wonderful sounding dishes to temp you.

After much deliberation, we opted for Sear Duck Breast Stir Fry With Ginger Sauce and a Slow Cook Lamb Shank dish served in a flavour-packed Massaman sauce that was a delight on the senses. The meat was so tender it literally melted off the bone. No regrets about our choices at all – and an indication of the high quality of ingredients and execution of the all dishes from inside the kitchen.

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

From duck, chicken and beef dishes through to cod, seabass and mackerel, one senses that the same passion and eye for detail has been lovingly applied to all the dishes on this menu. We only had to look around us to see a bustling and fully-booked restaurant of diners on a Tuesday night to endorse that.

Although I suspect it might also have something to with the restaurant’s fabulous Tuesday Night special offer of two courses for £22.95 – including a starter or dessert – from the All-Day Menu, plus £10 off any bottle of wine, prosecco or Champagne. No wonder its quickly gaining popularity among the locals.

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

Look out for the Sunday Offer Menu too – two courses for £21.99 or three courses for £25.99. They also cater for lunchtimes, even offering a Quick Lunches Menu for those who want quality food on the move.

A nice touch is their Kids Little Pinto Set Menu – a choice of two courses for just £7.99.

Be sure to leave room for one of their delicious palate-cleansing desserts – from Banana Fritters and Mango Sticky Rice through to our choices of Tom – Yum Panna Cotta (with tropical fruit compote, galanga, lemon grass and kaffir lime) and Dark Chocolate Nemesis with Mango Sorbet (with orange sorbet and berry puree.)

Nur Nur Paradise, Kenilworth, review

Nur Nur Paradise is a very welcome addition to Kenilworth and, I’m sure, is already drawing visitors from across the wider south Warwickshire area. A fabulous independent that is set to become a hot favourite.

Visit here to find out more or to book.

 

ALSO24 Festival early line-up announcement for Warwickshire

ALSO24 Festival early line-up announcement for Warwickshire

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

Leading lights in the worlds of music, comedy, wellness and food and nature, are among those this week announced as part of Warwickshire’s ALSO24 Festival – celebrating this year’s theme of Heavenly Bodies.

Indie folk band Stornoway and comedian Sara Pascoe, head the impressive line-up  for the UK’s most inspirational summer festival, once again taking place at Compton Verney.

Marking its eleventh year, ALSO24, on the weekend of July 12-14th, brings together performers and musicians, best-selling authors, celebrated scientists and experts in a variety of fields to create a much-anticipated ‘magical and immersive experience.’

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

Set in 50 acres of Capability Brown-landscaped and lakeside gardens, the event is billed as ‘a unique opportunity to reconnect with yourself and the world around you.’

Among those helping Stornoway set the stellar soundtrack for the summer are hotly-tipped Welsh singer-songwriter Edie Bens; experimental musician Jessica Winter; hip-hop funk and soul band Miya the Sun; Birmingham-based indie rock band Jet Black Orange; multi-instrumentalist James Walker and Latin and Brazilian-influenced soul and funk collective The Fontanas.

Dishing out the laughs alongside Sara Pascoe will be BAFTA-winning, best-selling writer and comedian Adam Kay; writer, broadcaster and satirist Nels Abbey; poet and novelist Salena Godden; TikTok sensation Marcel Lucont; and Rob Deering who puts some of the comedians on the spot in his live music-based comedy pop quiz – Beat This!

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

As always, ALSO24 gives festival-goers the opportunity to embark on weird and wonderful adventures, from sound baths and lantern making workshops to the Venus and Adonis ‘Love is Love’ procession. Or join leading vocal coach Juliet Russell (ITV’s The Voice) ahead of the Saturday Night Spectacular.

Be at one with nature or join in with a huge programme of wellness activities such as laughter therapy, fitness workshops, a Zen Ten Spa, fire yoga, moon yoga or floating SUP yoga, go wild swimming, paddleboarding, try painting meditation, sauna. Or journey through nature on a Bat Walk or delve into the mysteries of the cosmos at Astrology in the Orrery.

While families can choose from den building, a mini big safari, rocket workshop, raft building, messy play, circus school and character comedy workshop. And, for the first time, mum and dad can even take full advantage of their time there courtesy of a new Festival Nanny service!

Hear from No. 1 Sunday Times Bestselling psychotherapist Philippa Perry – in her only UK festival appearance this summer – and rock-star classicist and bestselling writer Natalie Haynes who re-introduces us to the stories of Greek Goddesses the way they were intended.

Glimpse the divine beauty of space with quantum theorist Professor David Tong; scream into the void with behavioural economist Dr Pragya Agarwal; or learn how hip-hop artists rewrote the rules of business with former banker–turned–hip-hop journalist Nels Abbey.

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

Discover the ways that astronomy has shaped civilisation with cosmologist Roberto Trotta, consider the next frontier (politics in space) with journalist Tim Marshall or explore the world of spirituality with bestselling author and journalist Catherine Nixey. Learn the science behind being social with award-winning journalist and author David Robson or make waves with a detailed look at longevity with Professor Sir Michael Marmot.

 Be inspired by nature writer and New York Times bestseller Charles Foster, social philosopher Roman Krznaric, lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie, champion swimmer Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell and best-selling children’s author Andy Stanton on his collaboration with AI.

When you’ve satisfied your appetite for knowledge there’s plenty to entice foodies too under the auspices of award-winning resident chef James Wheltor. He will be cooking up feasts and set lunches, featuring exclusive menus over the festival weekend.

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

ALSO Festival’s Founder and Artistic Director, Helen Bagnall said: “Coming together to go wild in the wild each summer is what we humans are built to do and an essential part of a year lived well.

“ALSO is the next generation of festivals; highly immersive and truly experiential, with ideas threading through everything that we do.

“We make it effortless for our guests to engage with big, life-enhancing ideas and live a wild summer weekend in an extraordinary festival. So we are leaning in hard to the beauty in ourselves, in others, in the joy of festivals, the beauty of the site with our 2024 theme of ‘Heavenly Bodies’.”

Tier 1 Weekend Tickets (priced £137.50 for adults, £60 for children) and Day Tickets (from £20-£65) are now available here

Under 5s go free and there are concessions for those under 30 as well as family tickets.

Parking at ALSO is free but there are also a limited number of car passes available which allow vehicle access to the campsite. Campervan passes and Glamping options are also available.

ALSO24 Festival, Compton Verney

About ALSO Festival

ALSO is the annual festival where ideas run wild. An immersive escape set in divine surroundings, ALSO-land features eccentric, playful, thought-provoking programming. It’s a place to get involved, reflect, be inspired and experience ideas through creating, experiencing and experimenting.

Perfect for friends and family alike, ALSO is the place for a transformative weekend filled with quality time, wining and dining in nature with the promise of experiencing something new.

ALSO appears like a magical mirage for one July weekend only in a site borrowed from nature, fauna, beasts, birds, mini-beasts and trees who call it home year-round before disappearing. Everything is built to be designed for the longtime – sustainability is our middle name.

Plus ALSO is an escape from retail, you don’t need to buy things but to experience things we offer only things to do and experiences to book, we love to work and support any businesses or founders or companies that have similar ethics.

Warm gesture helps freezing cold fundraisers on The Big Sleepout

Warm gesture helps freezing cold fundraisers on The Big Sleepout

We Love Pizza, Leamington, Helping Hands
Geanina Lacraru of WLP presents the pizzas to Rob Langley-Swain of Helping Hands.

Warm-hearted restaurateurs in Leamington Spa cooked up a storm when they turned up at a charity sleepout to feed cold and hungry fundraisers.

Geanina Lacraru, who runs We Love Pizza in Regents Place with her partner Jose Ribeiro, handed out pizzas to more than 50 kind-hearted volunteers who took part in the Helping Hands Community Project’s Big Sleepout, on Friday. (Feb 9th)

The giveaway was the latest in a series of gestures by the restaurant to support the charity over the years since it opened in 2020.

Geanina said: “The date coincided with National Pizza Day and what better opportunity to share a ‘Random Act of Pizza’ with the ones that need the most and most times are forgotten, even when they are all around us in our daily life.

“The event aims to raise awareness of homelessness and some of its causes, issues which face so many in our community in Leamington.

“In the winter months with longer, darker and colder nights, charities such as Helping Hands are more in demand than ever. This is just the right time to give these organisations the boost they need. Homeless people are not only missing a home, they also miss social interaction, people that understand them and some comfort.

“We hope our freshly baked, hot pizzas brought them some comforting moments. We wanted to share it with them as a way of saying, we are in this together.
We can’t find you a home, just yet, but we understand and support you!

The event, which is in its ninth year, was held at All Saints Parish Church and raises vital funds for Helping Hands, a charity which raises awareness of the causes and effects of homelessness within the local community.

We Love Pizza, Leamington, Helping Hands

Spokesperson for the charity, Kerry Steward, said: “The pizza was devoured and enjoyed by all 50 attendees of the event as well as volunteers and staff team, adding a bit of extra cheer to what was a very cold and wet night!”

She added: “We Love Pizza have been a wonderful support to us over the years, most recently gifting pizzas to us to celebrate with our volunteers who were awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Services back in November last year.

“They have also delivered pizzas on nights sponsored by local corporate groups and included extras to our evening soup kitchens where we provide up to 50 meals a night to some of the most vulnerable people within our community.”

Geanina and Jose reopened their doors to diners with a new look restaurant more than three years after the pandemic forced it to pivot into takeaway food.

They unveiled the two-storey dining space above the take-out business, in Regents Place, in response to customer demand.

The couple pride themselves on delivering ‘affordable quality’ to their customers by using only the best and most nutritious flour combinations and implementing exact temperature control and longer fermentation periods for the sourdough. Fresh ingredients are sourced directly from Italy – including tomatoes from the volcanic soils of Mount Versuvius – as well as locally.

Helping Hands Community Project

Helping Hands extend compassionate and practical support to those struggling with the causes and effects of homelessness and trauma, including domestic abuse, addiction, isolation, poverty and mental health challenges.

The charity offers a listening ear and qualified counselling from experienced advisors, but believes very much in providing a ‘hand-up’ not just a ‘hand out.’ Their mission is to empower everyone who comes to them to realise their full potential and create a brighter future.

Since the charity was established in 2015, it has created a safe space and practical support to thousands of vulnerable people, driven by volunteers and powered by the generosity of the local business community.

Blockbuster Banksy exhibition – a great alternative Valentine’s experience!

Blockbuster Banksy exhibition – a great alternative Valentine’s experience!

Photo by Ryan Howard

The Art of Banksy – the major London exhibition which has brought Banksy’s era defining works to over 1.5 million visitors in 15 cities across the globe – includes previously unseen artworks.

As the world’s largest collection of original and authenticated Banksy art showcasing more than 150 pieces including prints, canvases, unique works and fascinating ephemera, The Art of Banksy presents some extra special exhibits including a global exclusive – the first ever Flower Thrower.

The Art of Banksy, Regent Street, London

In 2003 Banksy unveiled Flower Thrower – also known as Love Is In The Air – for the first time, becoming one of the artist’s most recognizable works. However Banksy had already created an initial artwork in 1997, depicting a man throwing a bunch of flowers, as a Valentine’s Day gift for his then girlfriend.

This work has never been shown in public until now. The original Flower Thrower is on show together with information about the origins of the image and testimonies by the photographer who first captured the image that inspired Banksy not to mention the actual “flower thrower” himself!

The Art of Banksy, Regent Street, London

The second public debut is Mona Lisa. This signed but previously unknown work was originally bought directly from the artist by a Hollywood A-list actor in 2003. In 2022 it was returned to Banksy who developed the work further and created a brand-new artwork incorporating the original. Earlier this year it was sold to a collector who has agreed to lend it to The Art of Banksy collection for a limited time only.

The Art of Banksy, Regent Street, London

There are also seminal artworks that brought the infamously anonymous artist international notoriety such as Girl With Balloon in three different colour variations and Rude Copper, alongside truly one-off pieces including stencils created and used by the artist, hand drawn sketches and personal works that Banksy created for friends, associates and lovers. The exhibition also focusses on Banksy’s Dismaland, The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and recent artworks acknowledging the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Art of Banksy, Regent Street

New for London and for the first time, close associates of the artist share their personal stories giving unique insight into some of the world’s most famous images, engrossing background on how those headline-grabbing street art stunts were devised and how, with their irreverent wit and a biting political edge, this visionary took the art world by storm without ever revealing their identity.

The Art of Banksy is an unmissable show for anyone who wants to learn more about one of the world’s most important current artists and what their work reveals today; the power of art to affect social change, inspire the public and lay bare the undercurrents of social issues.

The exhibition moves on from its Regent Street venue after this week. But don’t fear, its new London location is due to be announced very soon. In the meantime, it would make a great alternative Valentine’s experience on Wednesday!

Watch this space: www.artofbanksy.co.uk

 

Friends put their weight behind charity challenge for school

Friends put their weight behind charity challenge for school

Rowing machine, Henley School

Two good sports from Hatton are ‘pulling’ together to raise money for a cause close to their hearts.

Friends Grace Lessard and Charlotte Foss have pledged to row the length of the River Avon within six weeks to fund new equipment for their school in Henley-in-Arden.

And the girls, aged 13 and 12, already have the finishing line in sight – without even getting their feet wet!

They have already clocked up nearly 50 miles of their combined 83-mile challenge and raised £1,200 of the £1,500 target. It follows regular twice-weekly sessions on the rowing machines at Everyone Active gym in Warwick.

Grace said: “At the end of last year we entered the south Warwickshire Rowing Competition for our school with no experience of rowing. We are very proud of where we placed but would like to improve for the next competition.

“We are therefore fundraising so our school can buy two rowing machines and other PE equipment. Doing this will not only benefit the school’s rowing teams but will enable all students at Henley to discover new sports and enable to PE department to widen its curriculum.”

Charlotte added: “We believe it is extremely important to keep fit, whether at home or at school as it helps improve the mental health and physical wellbeing of pupils. It gets students awake at the beginning and end of the day.

“We know it is important to look after your mental wellbeing because it improves learning skills and memory. It is also important that you broaden horizons for the future and by doing this we believe we can help the school.”

The fundraising stunt has also captured the attention of the Morrisons community fundraising team in Leamington who have donated a hamper of goodies for the girls to raffle off for further funds towards the cause.

Rowing machine, Henley in Arden School
Alex Pearson, community fundraiser at Morrisons, presents the hamper to Charlotte and Grace at Henley School

Joseph Roper, Associate Headteacher at Henley-in-Arden School, said: “I am so proud of Grace and Charlotte for their inspiring fundraising efforts for the school – to help us purchase facilities that will further benefit the students. They have shown resilience, kindness and community sprit throughout their time at Henley so far and this is a great continuation of this. Well done girls!”

Grace’s mum Emma added: “I am unbelievably proud of the girls. They are such an inspiration and are working incredibly hard so the whole school will benefit.”

Donations can be made by visiting here