Category: restaurant

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Had my usual…

When I get to Wagamama, part of me says, try something new, another part of me says, I like the yasai yaki soba, which is mushrooms,  soba noodles cooked with egg, peppers, beansprouts, onion, pickled ginger, crispy fried onions and sesame seeds.  I decided I would have this and some mushroom bao, another dish I regularly order. 

I don’t always order this, when I was visiting a branch of Wagamama at Cabot Circus recently, I had Honey Fried Chicken and Chicken Pho. Whilst in Nottingham though I went with the yasai yaki soba I had different bao.

This time we were back in London and visiting the Wagamama branch at Covent Garden. We have been there before and had an issue with the delay in getting the gluten free dish we had ordered to the table before everyone else finished their food. Part of that was that the server took our main order, but a manager has to take the gluten free order for the table. 

We were quite early in the evening, there was no queue, and we were shown to our table, one aspect of Wagamama which is useful in central London, and to be honest elsewhere as well, is that not only do you not need to book, but you can’t book anyhow. So, just turn up and see if a table is available. When we came to order, we asked for the manager straight away, so we could order everything together.

I really don’t mind that Wagamama bring out the dishes when they’re ready, but we did have to wait nearly an hour for our food. Luckily this time all our food arrived within a reasonable timeframe.

I enjoyed my yasai yaki soba, though I always think it could do with more mushrooms. If I order the chicken yak soba, I get a fair amount of chicken, with the mushroom version, they appear to be quite stingy with the mushrooms.

This was rather tasty, I like the contrasting textures and flavours in this dish.

I also enjoyed the mushroom bao buns. The crispy aubergine is a nice touch which gives the dish a contrast of soft fluffy bao bun, the crunch of the crispy aubergine, and the delicate texture of the mushrooms.

We all enjoyed our food and we settled the bill using the app. As we left there was now a queue which was out of the building and down the street. 

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Three course meal at the Petit Pois

Having first visited Brighton with my family in the 1980s on our way to France, I have fond memories of sailing from its port to Dieppe, Fecamp, or Le Harve. I returned for a JISC program meeting in July 2004, where I stayed at the lavish Grand Hotel. Although I found it a bit too posh for my liking, I enjoyed dinner at a French restaurant in The Lanes—likely a now-closed Café Rouge. Another visit took place in June 2005 during a holiday in Bognor Regis. Last year, I had planned to stop in Brighton for a meal on a driving holiday to the continent, but I ran out of time and ended up in Horsham instead. Attending a conference there this week has been a pleasure, and it’s been great to see the city once again. I especially enjoyed the conference dinner on the Brighton Palace Pier and all the great food I ate while I was there.

Having enjoyed both the cassoulet and the bouillabaisse, it was something of a no brainer that on my final evening, I would go back to Petit Pois for dinner.

The bistro had a casual, French-inspired atmosphere with wooden tables and chairs. The walls were decorated with an eclectic mix of art and objects, and the place was bustling with people. I was lucky to get a table.

I decided I would try out the set menu, I did plan only to have a starter and a main course, but in the end, I had three courses. There are a limited number of choices at each stage of the fixed menu, but I think that’s a good thing.

For my starter I went with the crispy calamari. This is a dish I regularly have when eating out.

calamari

The calamari came with a mixed salad, lemon, and aioli. The calamari was best described as okay, maybe I had unrealistic expectations having had some great food at Petit Pois. It was crispy and actually quite flavoursome; however. I felt maybe it was a little overcooked. 

For my main I had initially decided I would have the steak frites, but that is something I can cook, and I have had that at other places. Looking over the menu I went with the skate wing, crushed new potatoes, courgette ribbons, capers, and butter sauce.

skate

After the slightly disappointing calamari, the skate was an incredible dish. The skate was grilled to perfection. It was sat upon a bed of crushed potatoes. I liked the courgette ribbons, and the sauce brought everything together. The skate was cooked well and was easy to remove from the bone. I really enjoyed the skate; the whole dish was delicious.

I had intended to only have two courses but then I am a sucker for cheese and biscuits. The assistte de fromage came with chutney, grapes, celery and crackers. There was a choice of cheeses, I left it up to the chef but asked for no goat’s cheese.

cheese board

This was a pretty serving slate, there were three different kinds of crackers, a small bowl of chutney, a few grapes, a slice of something, think it was made of figs. There were three small pieces of cheese, some camembert, a blue cheese and a hard cheese. The cheese was quite ripe, and had sweated in some instances, but was flavourful. It was also quite difficult to find amongst the other stuff on the slate.

Overall, I was pleased with the meal, all the dishes were nice, however the skate was outstanding. That skate more than made up for the shortcomings of the calamari and the cheese.

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Shiitake Mushroom Donburi

I was charging my car at Cribbs Causeway and needing a quick dinner, a visit to Wagamama was the solution. You don’t need to book and usually service is efficient and quick.

There wasn’t much of a queue, and it wasn’t long before we were sat at a table pursuing the menu. The obvious choice was the mushroom yaki soba yasai, something I have eaten a lot when eating at Wagamama. However, this time I decided I would have something different, and there were some new donburi dishes on the menu.

I went with the pulled shiitake mushroom donburi. This was pulled shiitake mushrooms in a sweet + spicy teriyaki sauce on a bed of sticky new white rice, shredded carrots, mangetout, sweet potato, cucumber, edamame beans and kimchee. I added a fried egg to the dish as well.

Shiitake Mushroom Donburi

The bowl looked good, however despite the nice appearance, the dish was something of a disappointment. All the “extras” were nice, but the star of the show, the pulled shiitake mushrooms in a sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce was dry and lacked flavour. The mushrooms definitely needed more sauce.

I had also ordered some bao buns, but they never arrived. As the place was busy and I had virtually finished my bowl I didn’t get a chance to ask about them. When I looked at the app on my phone, they weren’t on the bill when I came to pay, so didn’t question it.

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Might be a little greedy to order a second bowl

I first visited Brighton in the 1980s when as a family we would sail over to France. Sometimes we would sail from Ramsgate to Calais (or Boulogne), but if we were on our way to Normandy, we would sail from Brighton, arriving in Dieppe, Fecamp, or Le Harve. I also made a trip there for a JISC programmes meeting in July 2004. Then I had stayed at The Grand Hotel. I remember thinking it was a little too posh for me. I headed out for dinner finding a nice French place in The Lanes, it was probably Cafe Rouge. I think it closed down years later. I also visited Brighton in June 2005 when I was on holiday in Bognor Regis. Then we stayed mainly on the seafront, visiting the Pier and the Doctor Who Exhibition there. We returned to the holiday camp for dinner on that visit.

I had planned to stop there last year on my way to Newhaven on a driving holiday to the continent, but ran out of time and stopped at Horsham instead for something to eat. This time I was attending a conference all week and it was nice to see Brighton once more. We also had a fun conference dinner on the Brighton Palace Pier. While I was in Brighton I went out to eat a few times.

Having really enjoyed the cassoulet on a previous evening at Petit Pois, and I liked the look of other stuff on the menu, I headed out back to Petit Pois for dinner.

Despite it being a Monday evening, it was busy, but I was able to get a table. Inside is a French style bistro, lots of wooden tables and chairs. There is an air of informality about the place, also an eclectic decoration on the walls.

They had a really interesting looking menu and it was quite challenging to work out what to have. The previous evening I was stuck between the Bouillabaisse and the cassoulet. That time I had gone with the cassoulet, this time I went with the Bouillabaisse. This was described on the menu as bouillabaisse of local fish & shellfish, squid, prawn, potato, samphire, rouille, grilled bread.

I have to say I was impressed when the dish arrived, it looked fantastic. The bowl was brimming with shellfish and fish. There was grilled fish portions, prawn, scallop, squid, clams and mussels. You couldn’t have really asked for any more fish in that bowl. All the fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious, full of flavour. I loved the addition of the samphire and this really added to the flavours and texture of the dish. I could have done with more bread, though most meals I could do with more bread. Having finished the bowl of tasty seafood, I was left wanting more. I made the decision it might be a little greedy to order a second bowl.

I remember having a Breton Fish Stew at Côte a couple of years back, which isn’t too surprising as that was a chain. This fish dish was on a whole different level, even though it was similarly priced.

As with my previous visit, the service was warm, friendly and efficient. Overall a lovely experience.

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Time for a Cassoulet in Brighton

I first visited Brighton in the 1980s when as a family we would sail over to France. Sometimes we would sail from Ramsgate to Calais (or Boulogne), but if we were on our way to Normandy, we would sail from Brighton, arriving in Dieppe, Fecamp, or Le Harve. I also made a trip there for a JISC programmes meeting in July 2004. Then I had stayed at The Grand Hotel. I remember thinking it was a little too posh for me. I headed out for dinner finding a nice French place in The Lanes, it was probably Cafe Rouge. I think it closed down years later. I also visited Brighton in June 2005 when I was on holiday in Bognor Regis. Then we stayed mainly on the seafront, visiting the Pier and the Doctor Who Exhibition there. We returned to the holiday camp for dinner on that visit.

Brighton beach and pier

I had planned to stop there last year on my way to Newhaven on a driving holiday to the continent, but ran out of time and stopped at Horsham instead for something to eat. This time I was attending a conference all week and it was nice to see Brighton once more. We also had a fun conference dinner on the Brighton Palace Pier. While I was in Brighton I went out to eat a few times.

On my first night and upon arrival in Brighton and checking into my hotel, did have a look around on Google Maps to see what places were around. Had thought about going to Mowgli, having enjoyed my meal in their branch in Bridgend, however they have stopped doing their Tiffin boxes for one. So, where else in Brighton I could go. There was lots of choice, however I wanted to avoid chains, as I can eat there in Bristol or London if I so choose, so I picked on a couple of places on the map and headed out.

I first arrived and looked at the Petit Pois Restaurant on Ship Street, I did like the menu, but then walked around to Embers as I did like the sound of their barbecue. I was thinking I could visit Petis Pois another day during my time in Brighton. However upon arrival, I found Embers were only doing their Sunday lunch menu. Now I like a good Sunday lunch, but having had an excellent Sunday lunch in London recently at the Drayton Court Hotel, I was in the mood for something else.

So, with that in mind, I headed back to Petit Pois, the French eatery I had walked up to before. Now I can sometimes find it challenging about where I am going to eat and can spend so much time looking that I actually lose my appetite or run out of time to eat. I had to make a choice, I was out of luck with Embers, so I said to myself that I would eat at Petit Pois.

It was quite busy, but they managed to find me a table. Inside was a French style bistro, lots of wooden tables and chairs. There was an air of informality about the place. There is an eclectic decoration on the walls. It was busy and I think I was lucky to get a table. They had a really interesting looking menu and it was quite challenging to work out what to have. I was stuck between the Bouillabaisse and the cassoulet.

In the end I went with the cassoulet, I did think if I was able to I would visit the restaurant again another day (as I was in Brighton for the week) and have the Bouillabaisse then.

The cassoulet arrived and it looked really nice, duck leg, pork belly, sausage on a bed of cooked beans.

cassoulet

This was incredible, really tasty. The duck was tender, the pork was melt in the mouth, the sausage had a meaty texture. You could taste the three kinds of meat and the beans were delicious. Alongside I had some bread, which was delicious for mopping up the sauce and juices. 

The menu does change and looking today as I write this, there is no cassoulet on the menu, but I suspect it will be back. Actually just looking at and reading the menu, is making me hungry.

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Pasta from La Panza

Close to my office in Bristol is La Panza, now an Italian restaurant, which use to be Chatterton’s Cafe.

They have a £10 lunch deal which consists of pasta, focaccia, and a drink. I liked the idea and on my first visit I had a nice plate of pasta and a glass of wine. 

So when I was working in Bristol and wanting lunch, and not sure of where to go, I decided to make another visit to La Panza. I did their lunch deal for £10. I had a nice rigatoni pasta dish with a pork based sauce, a slice of focaccia and a glass of white wine.

I did think the pasta was a little undercooked, but the sauce was tasty. It was a delicious dish and I enjoyed it.

I feel quite continental drinking wine at lunchtime, but I thought it was really good value for £10 and it was nice to sit down in a restaurant (well this time I sat outside) and be waited at table and have your food served to you.

I would certainly go again.

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Pan-fried Hake

Last year in October I was over in Dublin for a meeting. I was staying at The Mayson Dublin.

The hotel has two restaurants, Ryleigh’s Rooftop Steakhouse. The Elephant & Castle is on the ground floor. Ryleigh’s had a focus on high end steak (as you might guess) and a price to match. The Elephant & Castle was (slightly) cheaper. After looking at the menu online, decided I would head to the Elephant and Castle. They were busy, so I waited at the bar for a table. I had a pint of Guinness.

I was a little disappointed to find that the calamari and chicken I was going to choose were not on the menu, though they had been on the online version of the menu.

I went with the pan-fried hake, red atlantic prawns, mussels, tenderstem broccoli, chorizo & baby potato.

I was pleased with the plate of food, it looked great and it was delicious. The fish was cooked well and was tasty. I liked the potato and chorizo as well. The sauce brought it all together. Overall one lovely plate of food.

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Honey Fried Chicken and Chicken Pho

After an appointment in Bristol we headed to Wagamama in Cabot Circus. Now I thought to myself I don’t think I have eaten at this branch before. However going through my photos using the Map feature in Apple Photos I discovered we had gone there in May 2022 and I hadn’t been impressed with the service back then.

As for the service, I was less than impressed. I know at Wagamama the food arrives when it is ready, so dishes won’t be served together. Normally I am alright with this, but this time the first two dishes arrived quite quickly, the other two took much longer to be served. By the time the final dish arrived, we had nearly finished our food. We ordered some more drinks, and they spent a lot of time on the bar, before they were brought to the table. There appeared to be a fair few staff. I think part of the issue was they were being inundated with online takeaway orders which was swamping the kitchen.

I have to say this time the service was so much better. My usual visits to Wagamama are when I am travelling or if eating locally, I find myself at the branch at Cribbs Causeway more so than Cabot Circus.   A lot of the places I would normally have eaten at when visiting Cabot have either closed down or have become something else. 

I went with a main course and a side dish. I decided I would definitely go with dishes I had not had before. I do like the food from Wagamama, but a lot of the time I order the same thing, I really like their yasai yaki soba and eat that a lot when I visit Wagamama. This time I wanted different things, also there were some new items on the menu.

For my side dish I went with the hot honey fried chicken with yuzu. This was chicken coated in hot honey + yuzu sauce, topped with mixed pickles and served with a zesty vegan mayo on the side.

hot honey fried chicken with yuzu

For my main dish I with the new pho – chicken thigh, a vietnamese-inspired noodle soup with a clear yuzu broth, red pepper, bean sprouts, spring onion, coriander, mint, lime; served over konjac noodles, a lighter alternative to rice noodles made from the root vegetable, konjac.

pho - chicken thigh

I usually avoid pho or ramen, only because they can be a bit messy to eat, being more of a soup. However I liked the sound of the dish, so against my usual behaviour, I ordered it.

The pho was really good, I really enjoyed the clear yuzu broth which had a real depth of flavour. I liked the konjac noodles too. I did think the chicken could have been better, but it was still nice. The mint was an interesting addition that I wasn’t expecting which added not just a different flavour, but also an interesting texture as well.

I have wanted to try the hot honey chicken for a while now. It was nice, but it was in the main crispy fried chicken with sauce and mayo on the side. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed it, but I am not sure I would order it again any time soon. I washed the meal down with an alcohol free beer.

My daughter had the duck donburi with some yuzu sauce. She didn’t enjoy it as much as she thought she would, probably would have been better with either no sauce, or some teriyaki sauce.

duck donburi

Overall the experience was so much better than it was in 2022, even though the place was busy (and they had online orders as well) the service was both speedy and efficient.

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Pie and Rump

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.

Roasted Lamb Rump & Mini Pie Duo

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. 

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Wagamama at Nottingham

It was one of those times when I thought to myself, what do I want to eat, I will go with something I know and like, it’s getting late and all that. I was staying in Nottingham for a conference and having arrived the day before, I headed out to get something to eat. I chose Wagamama as I do like the food and the restaurant was relatively close to my hotel as well. I had looked on Google Maps before heading to Nottingham to see what was around, but the few places I looked at were not open on a Monday night.

Wagamama was heaving and I had to wait for a table, normally I prefer not to wait, but I did think all I probably would do would be walk around a bit and then end up back at Wagamama. I was a little surprised on how busy it was, this was the end of June on a Monday. All the students would have “gone home” and I would be surprised there would be that many visitors around compared to July or August.

After waiting for a short while I was shown to my table. I had missed out on lunch so was quite hungry, so I ordered the chilli squid, pork + panko apple bao buns, and yasai yaki soba. Despite the busyness or the place, it wasn’t too long before my food arrived.

The chilli squid, is Wagamama’s iconic crispy fried squid tossed in shichimi spice, and served with a chilli + coriander dipping sauce. 

squid

This was lovely generous portion of crispy squid. They’ve stopped doing the crispy chilli mushrooms which I may have ordered as an alternative. I did think about having the hot honey fried chicken, but went with the squid; I do like the squid and it was nice and tasty.

The next dish to arrive was the pork + panko apple bao buns, which was two buns, that contained slow-cooked pork belly with crispy panko-coated apple, sriracha and vegan mayo, topped with coriander.

I would usually have the mixed mushroom bao buns, I also thought about trying out the korean barbecue beef, but I liked the sound of the pork and apple buns. The pork was tender and soft, which contrasted well with the crispy apple.

My main dish was a regular choice of mine, the yasai yaki soba. This is mushrooms,  soba noodles cooked with egg, peppers, beansprouts, onion, pickled ginger, crispy fried onions and sesame seeds.

I think it needed more mushrooms. The amount of mushroom in this dish is rather inconsistent when I have this dish, which surprises me. Despite the lack of mushrooms, it was a very tasty dish and I enjoyed it.

Overall the food I had was very tasty and rather filling. I don’t think I really should have two side dishes with my main course, but it is hard then to choose just one. Maybe next time I will just have side dishes instead.