Category Archives: restaurant review

When I visit a restaurant, I will make some comments about the place.

Bradford and the Giant Nan Bread

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I had a night away in Bradford, yes the early get up, the rush to Stevenage and train to Leeds, then on to Bradford.  At least I can get a couple of hours sleep on the train.

28012010061In the evening I did manage to get out and have a curry.  The first suggested curry house was rejected, lack of beers.  So Mike chose Omahs, a balti house, again dry, but what the hell, it was 9.00pm and we were hungry.

Started off with a mixed grill for a starters.  When I had finished eating that, a feeling of surfeit was already on the horizon.  Imagine my surprise at the Nan bread which accompanied my balti curry.  I was informed it was a small Nan. I should not have been surprised, on the door was a challenge, if you could eat one of their large Nans, then you could go away with £50.

We left having eaten well, leaving behind a substantial portion of food, all for £25.  Next week I will be a little more careful on choosing the quantities.

Edinburgh and Bradford

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It’s been a busy week using up my carbon credits; up before six to catch the Easyjet to Edinburgh to start a project with my favourite client.  I was back in their office in Dundas Street where I had started consulting for them more than six years ago.  The office has been renovated and was very smart, with a great canteen.

Evening I tried the Mussel and Steak on Grassmarket, where I had a memorable steak, and some red wine to wash it down.

I had forgotten all the hills in Edinburgh, and my recent sedentary life caused a certain stiffness to the legs in the two days I was there.

On Wednesday I flew home on a late flight arriving home at ten in the evening, quick nap in bed, and up at 4.45 in the morning to travel back up North to Bradford for a days consultancy.  Home again at ten in the evening.

I definitely feel retirement coming on.  Hopefully less travelling next week, or at least not having to rise so early in the morning.

Indian takeaway from Chadnis

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The other day we had been out for a drink in Quainton with our friends.  Alas we have to travel now that the local pub is closed, and the next in walking distance, the Crooked Billet, serves a not very good pint of real ale.  Anyway I digress, we decided to have an Indian takeaway for supper.  Quick phone call to order our food from my mobile phone (yes, I have the local Indian takeaway phone number in my mobile, along with lots of other useful numbers).  Stopped off at the said local, Chadnis in Waddesdon, on the way home and picked up Rosemary’s Chicken Byriani and my Chicken Vindaloo.

Back home I started to eat my Vindaloo, normally I am disapointed by these curries.  They are meant to be hot, and generally I can’t taste any heat in them, and don’t break out in a sweat. Yes I like hot, hot food. Chadnis Vindaloo is a different kettle of curry.  It was hot, very very hot. I sweated,  and I had chilli burn, I was almost defeated, but not quite.

So if you want a good hot Vindaloo, you should not be at all disapointed by our local Waddesdon offering.

Newcastle and Gateshead

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A visit to the office in Gateshead for the start of year meetings.  Anouncements on the new bonus plans and targets.

Main event though was the evening meal in Newcastle.  Have to admit to feeling slightly hung-over the next day.

Back in the office

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I had another night in Bristol, Tuesday night, all on my Jack Tod.  So off I went to the Lock Fyne restaurant and partook of the £15 meal with a glass of wine.  Came to more in the end, when I added an extra wine and coffee at the end.  Even so £15 for a good quality three course meal is still pretty good.

The waitresses were attentive, and when I complted the comment form I left the comment The waitresses were gorgeous.  Of course I over-tipped them. Hope I will win the 12 bottles of champagne.

Back home on Wednesday night and now I am in the office.  Working from home you do lose the the human contact, and it can be quite cool.  Meanies that we are no heating allowed before 16.00.

Now it’s Bristol

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Monday I set off early for Bristol.  Worked all day trying to get Loadrunner work with our application.  Loadrunner is as testing tool which can be used to emulate thousands of users.  It is used to load an application to see if it will support the required number of users.

Well there was success, but it is not going to be very easy to set up the data.  Ah well, that’s not my problem.

In the evening went to the Hole in the Wall, local Bristol gastro pub and had a Duck Leg confit on beans.  A cassoulet of sorts.  Was quite good, quite enterprising.

The kitchen fitting – day 2

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Drying work surface

Drying work surface

The new dresser

The new dresser

Tuesday, another day working on the kitchen.  By the end of the day the place looked like total chaos.  The work surfaces where laid around the kitchen while their undersides dried.  The cardboard boxes were building up, will have to be going to the skip to get rid of those on Thursday.  The base units where the sideboard was, were also constructed, and the fridge moved to its new location.

Ate late, went to the pub at 20:45 for a meal, Rosemary had pie of the day, while I had a side of pork spare ribs in BBQ sauce.  Yummy.  At least the pub was warm, and we thawed out a bit.

The Crooked B????

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The kitchen is in the process of being refitted. Tonight was the third night without cooking or washing facilities, so was the third night eating out. We are trying the different eateries around our local area.

Tonight is the Crooked B????. Strange establishment. It has all the looks of a place that should do well. Old world, plenty of parking. Gardens and facilities for the kids. On a main road, so plenty of passing trade. The place though seems to go from one management company to another, and never seems to do well with anyone. Years ago, like 15-20 years ago it was thriving pub. Now it seems to go through lots of mediocre management companies and short time managers.

Unusually for a pub/restaurant there is a split personality about it. It has two restaurants and a bar. I mean two totally differently managed restaurants.

There is the bar area, serving some real ale, in this case Hook Norton, and the usual lagers. Associated with this is the ‘basic” restaurant serving steaks, liver, burgers, fried mushrooms etc. Staple non adventurous food.

The other restaurant is in the function room. This is Angelo’s, originally from Waddesdon, and lately from Springhill.

When we entered I ordered our drinks, and asked for a menu.  We were taken aback, because we could not see any Italian food on the menu, and this rather basic fare.  Not to worry we ordered. While we were waiting we said how nice the function room looked, at this stage we were informed that was Angelo’s.  How do we order for food there we asked?  You walk in and order there we were told.  There was no signs advertising Angelo’s or anything else to intimate that this other restaurant existed in the building.

Our food arrived.  My mushrooms were good.  Not a lot to go wrong with possibly pre-prepared deep fried mushrooms.  My liver and gravy was OK, not special.  Rosemary’s pate looked ordinary and her risotto was the worst she has ever had.  It didn’t seem to be the correct rice, it had not absorbed any flavour from the cooking and was dry!  We are not going to eat there again, unless the next management change brings on an improvement. As for Angelo’s, it had the usual chicken served in five sauces.  Our previous experience at Springhill for lunch had been a real dissapointment, so we would be feeling rather desparate before we tried the place again.

Thai food yet again

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Thursday was a warm day, no rain, not particularly sunny though. Started off with my usual cup of coffee at Cafe Nero, and happiness they had Pain Au Raisins today. The last two days have been devoid of this delicacy. So ignoring my pension savings plan, I bought my designer coffee and my Pain Au Raisin, took them to the office and ate my breakfast at my desk.

Supper was at a Thai restaurant on Rose Street called Ruanmai. I have eaten there in the long, dim and distant past. Had a couple of Thai beers, a hot soup and a penang duck curry with sticky rice. Adequate but not nearly as good at Dusit or Mai Thai.

Afterwards had a couple of beers at Whistle Binkies before heading home.

The Outsider came in today, the sun shone all day

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The day remained bright and sunny all day, though a few cumulus clouds crept across the sky at midday. It’s actually quite warm in the hotel.

Early supper at The Outsider. This restaurant is on the George IV Bridge and has a good view of Edinburgh Castle. It’s a recommended eating establishment in the Easyjet on-board reading material. I wonder how much it costs to get a placement in the magazine.

Started off with grilled swordfish topped with a salad of mango slices, broad beans and beetroot leaves. I had some olive oil flavoured mash potato on the side. Rosemary would be impressed, or I expect she considers it normal, the beans were all double podded. It was very nice though, the difference in temperature of the hot fish and the chilled mango slices took one by surprise.

Next I had a cheesecake. Pile of cheesecake filling on a pastry biscuit topped with a strawberry and surrounded with a raspberry coulis.