food, reviews and of course coffee
I did some pan fried lamb on flatbread with salads and homemade pickles. I used a cubed neck of lamb which I cooked in a pan and then added some red onion. I added to a flat bread, some hummus, chilli jam, cucumber, tomato, and some homemade pickled red onion.
Very nice and tasty.
One of the things I found at Sainsbury’s once was some thinly sliced lamb breast. It was described as Quick Cook Extra Thin British Lamb Steaks and was only £3.
I did think that this would be an interesting ingredient but wasn’t exactly sure at the time how I would cook it and how I would use it. The packaging says it only takes about two minutes to cook.
I decided in the end I would have a Teriyaki Lamb Ramen. Thinking the lamb would cook fast, I prepared everything else first.
I cooked the lamb, it did cook very quickly. I added the teriyaki sauce. I then added this to the ramen bowl I had prepared earlier. I also added a fried egg on top.
I was actually quite impressed with the flavour and tenderness of the lamb. A tasty homemade ramen.
I have been to the Landing Light quite a bit recently. It’s local so easy to get to, the menu is good, with special offers it’s good value for money. As a pub food place, it’s really nice.
On a previous visit to The Landing Light I had wanted to try the Roasted Lamb Rump & Mini Pie Duo but it wasn’t available that night.
This night it was still on the menu and available. The Roasted Lamb Rump & Mini Pie Duo is described as:
Roasted rump of lamb, recommended served pink, mini minted lamb pie, rosemary & garlic-roasted potatoes, honey-roasted carrots, kale, peas, green beans & mange-tout, and gravy.
When the plate of food arrived, I was both impressed and a little disappointed. I thought the plate looked great from a presentation perspective; I was disappointed though with the size of the portion of lamb.
I was expecting a portion of lamb rump, what I actually got was two quite small chunks of lamb. It was also a little overcooked and not served pink as recommended, which I think was probably down to the size of the portion.
I really liked the mini pie, which though small was for a mini pie, quite a good size, nice pastry and a tasty filling. I liked the variety of veg on the plate, from the crispy potatoes, the roasted carrots and green vegetables. I did appreciate the mini saucepan of gravy on the side as well.
Though disappointed with the size of the lamb portion (have I mentioned that), I did enjoy the plate of food.
Now I like trying out new places, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Kleftiko is relatively new on the food scene, they had taken over the Vietnamese place, Moi An, that used to be on Fetter Lane.
They have an authentic menu with a wide range of choices. I was given a lovely warm welcome and I took some time to peruse the menu. I went with one of their bowls with pulled lamb kleftiko. It came with chips, rice, and Greek salad.
From an appearance perspective the lamb didn’t look that appealing, however it was very tasty. The rest of the bowl was just as delicious.
Last year I posted that Mowgli had opened in Bristol. I said back then that, Mowgli sells Indian street food, and has a nice sounding menu. It looked interesting inside. One day I might give it a visit.
Well I never did…
However I did recently visit the Mowgli at Bridgend whilst my car was charging.
I popped in and took a seat at a table, I didn’t go with the swing seats… Thinking I would probably fall off!
My original thought was to go with the Office Worker’s Tiffin, 4 tiers of meat, veg & carb jeopardy chosen by chef as it is in India. However I wasn’t overtly hungry, so looked across the menu and liked the sound of Maa’s Lamb Chops & Fenugreek Kissed Fries. These were lamb chops marinated in aromatic spiced yoghurt, ginger & garlic with tomato coriander & mint chutney. Alongside were the Fenugreek Kissed Fries, which were potato with turmeric, fenugreek & the Mowgli masala. I also went with a side of roti bread.
I did think about how the dishes would be presented, but was intrigued when the food arrived. The lamb chops were on top of the potatoes in a small rectangular metal tin.
The lamb chops were very nice and cooked well. The spicing was subtle, so you could taste the lamb, and it was enhanced (not overpowered) by the spicing.
The potatoes were spicy and tasty. I did think initially that maybe I should have ordered another dish, but even saying that this dish was actually quite substantial.
Service was excellent, and I am already planning my next visit to Mowgli.
Staying over in London, I had planned to eat in the hotel I was staying at, however there was an issue with the included meal allowance. So I was then left with the decision to either eat at the hotel or choose an alternative. There wasn’t many choices close by, but I did like the idea of Greek, and nearby was an independent Greek place, the Ithaki Greek Kitchen.
I walked over, and looked over the menu, one of the waiting staff came out and asked if I wanted to come inside and look at the menu, as it was warmer inside than out. I said yes, by then I had pretty much made my choice that I would eat there. There was an Italian place next door, but I did fancy Greek.
Having decided to eat, I was given a choice of where to sit. The welcome was warm and friendly. I went with the hummus followed by lamb chops. The hummus arrived and was accompanied by a large portion of warm flat bread.
The hummus was nice and fresh and the bread was warm, soft and doughy. Delicious.
The lamb chops soon followed. There were three chops on top of crispy chips.
The lamb chops were very tender, but the char in some places was a little bitter. The chips were twice cooked, but were seasoned. Personally I would have liked some salad with it. I washed down the meal with a bottle of Mythos, Greek beer.
The service was great, if anything a little over attentive.
I have been to the Landing Light quite a bit recently. It’s local so easy to get to, the menu is good, with special offers it’s good value for money. As a pub food place, it’s really nice.
Reflecting on why I had been going more often, I remember when it opened its speciality was rotisserie chicken. The menu was awash with rotisserie chicken, not only could you have plain old rotisserie chicken, you could also have rotisserie chicken with sauce. Many of their dishes were made with rotisserie chicken as well. I am not a great fan of rotisserie chicken, as I often find the chicken has been overcooked and can be somewhat dry. I think that was why, when looking for places to eat, I would avoid the Landing Light. Another reason was that a few years ago there were quite a few choices of places to eat out in Weston, we had Prezzo, Pizza Express down at the seafront, Frankie and Benny’s was close by. However they have all closed down since the pandemic. With less choice, the Landing Light has become a more attractive option.
So, when deciding where to go for a celebratory meal, it was an easy choice, to choose the Landing Light. Booking was quick and simple online and upon arrival we were given a warm welcome. We were shown to our table and told who would be our server for the evening.
There was a wide choice of food to choose from and we were impressed with the attitude towards allergies, as one of our party requires a gluten free diet.
I was a little disappointed that there was no specials menu, and literally as I mentioned this in a matter of fact way at the table, our server arrived, whereupon promptly she apologised and went to get them. When she came back, I did apologise as I had been discussing the specials at the table and I was aware I came across somewhat rude as she approached the table. She was fine about it, and just to add her service was fantastic. She made us feel welcome, and nothing was too much trouble.
I looked over the specials menu, our server did say that the cod wasn’t available. So I decided I would have the lamb from the specials menu. I did think about having the pan roasted chicken again, as I had enjoyed that last time. It did amuse us when the server came back and I said I was going to have the lamb, she said it wasn’t available. She was joking and I could have the lamb.
Our food arrived, all freshly cooked. We particularly liked the fact that the gluten free dish arrived separately to avoid contamination.
I had a slow cooked lamb shank with mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
I knew the lamb was probably pre-cooked and then heated up when ordered. The lamb was tender and had a great flavour. The mash was smooth and creamy. Overall I enjoyed my meal and it was nice to have something I wouldn’t normally have.
The other food on the table was said to be delicious and everyone enjoyed their dishes.
Our server did an outstanding job as our server, she was smiling, welcoming, efficient and we were all impressed. She is an asset to the team. We did expect good service, but our server went over and above in serving us, from providing menus, checking what we wanted, serving drinks and settlement of the bill. She made us laugh, she made us smile, and we had an ever better dining experience than we expected.
Overall the service was excellent, the food was delicious and good value for money.
I was visiting York and on my way there I needed to charge my EV. I had looked at various options and saw there were some Tesla chargers at Weeton’s Food Hall near Harrogate on the way. Upon arrival I plugged in the charger and it started charging almost straight away. I had some time so popped into Weeton’s with the intention of getting a coffee, even a sandwich. However the menu looked really interesting, so decided I would have a proper lunch there.
I went with the Nidderdale Lamb Rump, which came with Jerusalem artichoke purée, sautéed Jersey royal potatoes, and a borlotti bean salsa. As it was been cooked to order it took a little time to arrive, which as I was charging (and Tesla charge idle fees) I was a little concerned about, but I knew really I had plenty of time.
The plate of food looked really nice.
The lamb was cooked perfectly, it was still pink, but there was also a lovely external char. I enjoyed the Jerusalem artichoke purée, maybe a little more would ave been nice. I liked the potatoes, though if they were smaller, I might have enjoyed them more, even so I did like them. The borlotti bean salsa was an interesting addition, and I liked the contrasting textures that added to the dish.
I finished and cleaned the plate. I was really impressed with the whole dish, yes there are minor changes I would have made, but in reality this was an excellent plate of delicious food, that I loved eating.
Would I go again, yes, but a five hundred mile round trip for lunch, is probably a little extreme. However the next time I need to visit North Yorkshire I will go out of my way to visit Weetons for lunch.
Over the years I have been visiting Ealing, I have been meaning to visit Tony’s Pita. I quite like a kebab now and then. On a recent visit I took the time to eat there. I did think about the kebab, but in the end I went with the lamb chops. These were cooked on the chargrill to order. They were served with chipped potatoes, flat bread, and salad.
These were, I think, shoulder chops, so were not the best quality lamb chops you can get. However it was a tasty plate of food and I enjoyed it. I think I would go back and try one of the other dishes on the menu.
To celebrate a birthday we headed over to Sandford for a meal at The Railway Inn. Sandford is on the A368 between Weston and Churchill. The Railway Inn is owned by the Thatchers cider company who are also based in the village. I remember passing this many times before it was taken over by Thatchers and refurbished. I have been there before for drinks, but this was the first time I had been there for a meal.
The main part of the pub is the bar area. A large mainly wooden extension was added to provide a restaurant area. We had booked, but the place wasn’t busy, and we were given a great table.
I had looked over the menu online, but it was a sample menu. They say on the menu:
Our dishes change with the seasons and the fresh local produce that goes into each and every one of them.
So I was prepared for a different menu, however I had liked the sound of some of the specials.
The menu we had at the table was different to the one online (as expected). I did think about having one of the specials, however in the end I decided I would have the Railway Mixed Grill. The menu didn’t describe what would be in the grill, so did wonder what I would get.
The food was cooked fresh to order and my plate arrived.
On my mixed grill I had a steak, lamb chop, chicken, gammon, and sausages. Alongside was a grilled field mushroom, a herby tomato. I had chosen a heritage tomato salad as my side.
Now I wasn’t to keen on the presentation, but then again it was a mixed grill. The steak was excellent, nicely cooked, good char on the outside and pink in the middle. The lamb chop was small, but nice. The gammon was rather salty, probably a little too salty for me. The chicken was slightly overcooked.
I liked the heritage tomato salad, which was fresh and tasty.
Alongside I had a flight of cider, three small glasses of different ciders.
The Railway Inn, as you might expect had an excellent range of draft ciders. I like the idea of a flight, enabling a range of ciders to be tasted.
Upon reflection and seeing the plate of food that a neighbouring table received, I think I should have gone with one of the specials. The pork special looked really good. I do plan to visit the Railway Inn again in the future.