Cheap Thrills

My name is Emma and I’m a citydeal-aholic, its true, I. Just. Love. Them. Seriously.  I mean who doesn’t need a series or facial injections? Or a cheap memory foam pillow? Or perhaps a beginners kickboxing course? At a ridiculously reduced price! I will be the first to admit some of my city deal purchases have been complete failures, like the Christmas before last when I bought both the brothers a half hour off road buggy experience or some crap like that.  They never used it, I would have been better off getting my money and flushing it down the toilet.  But there have also been amazing deals on the site which have enhanced life, like the time I got a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course for 150 when it should have been 550! I am now a qualified TEFL teacher (apparently) thanks City Deal! There have also been weekends away and many many meals.  I am a citydeal marketer’s dream and Friday proved this.  I felt like it was time for a change with my hair, I’ve had long hair for over 3 years now and impulsively decided it was time for the chop, lo and behold into my inbox that day, haircut, treatment and blow-dry for 29 quid!  Great I can get my hair done for the dinner I was going to that night, Teppanyaki for two for 22 euro oh and it’s in Greystones so we’ll stay over, bingo! 59 for 2 overnight in the Ramada hotel, yes I am obsessed but seriously the value people the value!!

Oooh, fire

Sea bass and Scallops 

The hair turned out great, I was chuffed when the hairdresser remarked how brave I was to go for the chop, felt a bit reckless like yeah this is how I live my life boldly making serious decisions on a whim (yeah right).  Then we packed up and headed to Wicklow for the night, me, the boyfriend and my hair.  Despite being a massive foodie, I had never actually made it a Teppanyaki restaurant before.  Teppanyaki is that cool Japanese style of cooking where you sit around a special table in front of a chef and a hot plate and the chef cooks your food to order.  There is also the aspect of entertainment as it is like a type of theatre featuring the chef in the main role.  Our restaurant was Scent Garden in Greystones,  I chose the seafood special and Ken chose the chef special which was basically the same but subbed the scallops for beef.  We had a 9 o’clock sitting and shared our table with another couple (definitely another city deal!) and a group of 4.  The starter consisted of a pretty basic green salad which was jazzed up slightly with an Asian dressing which tasted like a combination of fish and soy sauce and something sweet. But it was just a green salad with iceberg and a bit of tomato not that remarkable.  Then the mains and the show began, the chef reappeared in a glitzy chef outfit compete with a hollow hat in which he would throw things like eggs and a bowls.  He started cooking the raw prawns and mixing them with soy sauce and butter (which seems to be the flavour base for most of the dishes- I’m not complaining – soy and butter? Yum)  the people who had ordered the prawns got them and there was also chicken.  Then the chef did some really delicious beef which I was well jealous that I didn't order – until my scallops were served up, they were tender juicy and slightly sweet the perfect scallop lightly drenched in the soy and butter combination.  The chef then did some fancy egg work spinning eggs and making a giant omelette which he then added to rice and we were all served bowls.  Finally the fillets of sea bass were flash fried and served they were also extremely good.  The process of the cooking before your eyes was good in two ways – it never leaves you stuck for conversation you’re too busy watching the performance while you eat and also you can see exactly how your food is cooked and what goes into it.  All in all a great night was had which was made even better when the bill arrived – we only had to pay for the wine and beer which left plenty of money for a few drinks in Greystones after…just pity I didn’t have a city deal for that too.


Oh ps Im not doing a Valentines Day post I'm allergic to that stuff, so this is my anti-Valentines post!