Category: restaurant

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Back to Chateau-X

restaurant

Back in November 2023 I was attending a conference in Glasgow at the Scottish Event Campus. I looked on Google maps in the surrounding area, Finnieston, to see what restaurants were local to the hotel. Chateau-X which was not too far from my hotel did an early week special where they do steak and frites for just £10. I had a fantastic plate of food and wrote it up on the blog.

This was an excellent meal, and great value for money. I certainly would go again. In the end I did, a couple of days later and had lunch there.

I always planned if I was in the area again that I would go back to Chateau-X. In the end I didn’t get to the conference again in November 2024 so didn’t get the chance to have steak and frites once more.

In October 2025 I was back in Glasgow for a different conference and realised that Chateau-X wasn’t too far from the hotel where I was staying. I headed off to the restaurant to get a late lunch. As it was a Wednesday I could get their now infamous steak frites deal. Later in the week there is a more substantial menu available, with more choices of steaks and prices to match.

As it was mid afternoon, there was plenty of space, I know though from experience that this is a popular venue, so if you are going in the evening, it makes sense to book a table.

I looked over the menu, though the deal has gone up in price, it is now £15, you do get a side with the deal. Back in 2023 I ordered an additional side to my £10 deal. 

I went with the Flat Iron Frites. For my side I went with the Tobacco Onions, for my sauce I went with the Bone Marrow Jus.

It wasn’t long before my skillet arrived with my sliced flat iron steak, frites, the bone marrow jus, and the tobacco onions on the side.

steak and chips

This was just as good as I remember from my previous visit. The only difference was back then I had gone for garlic butter, this time I had gone with the bone marrow jus. 

The steak was tasty, tender and full of flavour. The fries were crispy. I also released the tobacco onions, crispy strings of onion, delicious.

fried onions in a pot on a table with a bottle and vase in the background

However, the stare of the show for me, was the amazing bone marrow jus, which was just incredible, deep intense flavour, perfect with the steak and for dipping the fries in.

This was an excellent meal and like last time great value for money. I hope to get back there real soon.

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Dinner at ARCA

Amsterdam canal in the evening

I was back in Amsterdam for some meetings. We went out for dinner and we headed off to ARCA. Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa who has two Michelin stars in Lisbon, opened ARCA Amsterdam in 2021 on Martelaarsgracht, close to Amsterdam Central Station.

Inside was elegant decor and some odd looking sculptures. As we congregated we had a drink in the bar. Once we were all there we were shown to our table. The place was full and busy.

There was a really interesting menu, and to be honest I probably could have ordered anything (or everything) off the menu. 

For my starter I had the carpaccio de lírio. This was yellowtail carpaccio, Portuguese ‘caponata’ and pickled pearl onion.

carpaccio de lírio.

Now I did think this was going to be yellowfin tuna, but yellowtail is a different kind of fish. This was a fusion dish of Japanese style yellowtail slices with a Portuguese twist with the caponata. I had heard of caponata, but couldn’t remember exactly what it was. This version was aubergine, pepper, tomato, and onion. This was a delicious plate of food. The thin slices of fish were tasty and the caponata added sharpness and flavour.

For my main course I had the presa Ibérica. This was Iberian pork presa, “Bolhão Pato” purée, and seasonal clams.

presa Ibérica

I chose the pork as I have a fondness for Iberian pork. 

The Presa Ibérica (Iberico dam) is one of the most prized cuts in restaurants. It is also known as the “caviar” of the pig. It is in the front of the animal, between the spine and the shoulder. It is a muscle that the animal exercises a lot yet the infiltrated fat makes it very juicy.

Alongside the pork was some lovely smooth potato purée. The dish was dressed with green beans, puffed rice, clams, and a tasty sauce.

The pork was cooked perfectly, there was a lovely char on the outside of the portion of pork, the pork was tender and full of flavour. I really enjoyed every mouthful and cleared my plate.

Two of our party went with the polvo à lagareiro, this was roasted octopus, mashed sweet potato, and piquillo peppers.

polvo à lagareiro,

This looked amazing and was assured it was delicious.

Overall this was a fantastic meal and I really enjoyed it. The service was excellent, friendly and efficient.

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Ravioli al Tartufo

Delft

You would think that if I was in the Netherlands that really I should be eating Dutch food. The challenge I sometimes have when I am travelling abroad for work, is finding places to eat, but also finding places to eat that are within budget. Not that I sometimes mind paying more for excellent food, sometimes I do mind.

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. This time I was attending a conference in Delft and attending meetings in Utrecht as well. 

Upon my arrival in Delft, I did have a chance to explore the city and looking around there were some nice looking places for dinner, but they all seemed out of budget. In the end I went to an Italian restaurant, Pavarotti, which is situated in what was the old railway station. It certainly doesn’t look like a station from the inside any more.

They had an extensive menu, but I decided I would have the ravioli al tartufo. This was filled pasta with wild mushrooms, cream sauce, truffle tapenade, mushrooms and arugula (rocket).

The pasta was well cooked and still had a bite. The sauce was nice and you could taste the truffle. The sauce did contain mushrooms, think I would I like to have had some wild mushrooms in there. Not sure how much the arugula added to the dish, but it was nice to have some greenery in the dish. I enjoyed the pasta.

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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.