Category: review

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A different Bento Box

When I buy a bento box from She Sells Sushi in Bristol I usually go for the beef donburi and a chicken hirata bun. On a recent visit to the Finale Reach Street food market I went with the bento box, but this time I went with the beef donburi and for a change the chicken katsu.

The chicken katsu was tasty. There was crispy chicken with katsu sauce on top of rice with pickles and crispy onions.

The chicken freshly cooked had a crisp coating. The katsu sauce was nice, not too spicy, but with a hint of fruitiness.

The beef donburi was slow cooked teriyaki beef rib on a bed of rice, topped with crispy onions and pickles.

This was delicious as usual, with tender beef and great flavour.

Overall I think there was too much rice for a light lunch,  but the rest of the box was delicious.

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Burger and Tacos in Leeds

Avoiding a hotel meal in Leeds, myself and a colleague headed out for something to eat. We didn’t go to far and went to the Editor’s Draught, a pub that sells food on Wellington Street.

I was hungry, having missed lunch, so I went with their big burger, The Triple Threat.

It’s the biggest and baddest of the stacks, and it’s piled up with triple beef patties, triple bacon, triple burger cheese slices and triple onion rings drizzled with cheese sauce, in a toasted bun with ketchup, burger sauce, iceberg lettuce, chopped onion and gherkin, with skin-on fries and BBQ sauce.

It was only a couple of pounds more than a standard burger and came with onion rings.

For a starter, well probably a side dish I had the chicken tacos which came with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

I enjoyed both dishes, they weren’t out of this world, but I wasn’t expecting an out of this world experience. The burger was a nice burger, good flavours and if anything impractical to eat with your hands, as it was so tall.

The chicken tacos were a nice snack.

Overall a quick tasty meal, just what I needed.

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Eating Greek Again

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. I enjoyed my meal so much, on the next night I went again.  There was smiles as I arrived, and I sat at my “usual” table. Certainly a sense of déjà vu, which we all smiled at. This time I was going to have something different. 

This time I went with the halloumi followed by the pork gyros. The halloumi tasted really fresh, and was dressed with some olive oil. I really liked the dish.

I don’t think I have had gyros before so it was an interesting experience. They came with pita bread, tzatziki, and chips.

The pork was done really well, it was tasty and tender. I liked the addition of the red pepper.

The service was great, and I certainly would go again.

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Wahaca for One

I had really enjoyed my last meal at Wahaca at Paddington, so had thought about going again at some point.

Arrived in London and went to Wahaca for lunch. They do a deal for one, which looked nice. Better than a sandwich. Initially I thought do I want to go there, as it was quite early, just approaching midday. But then I thought, what was the alternative? A sandwich from Pret? So headed on up the stairs. I was the first person in the restaurant. However, by the time my food arrived twenty minutes later, the place was packed.

What you got was:

      • Guacamole & Tortilla Chips
      • Smoky Sonoran Hummus
      • Sweet Potato & Feta Taquito
      • Two tacos of your choice, I went for the Buttermilk Chicken Taco and the Beef Gringa Taco.

I loved the way the food was presented on a wooden board.

The guacamole tasted nice and fresh, and it was nice to have the mixed tortilla chips as well. I really liked the smoky Sonoran hummus, not too smoky, but I liked the addition of the sunflower seeds. The Sonoran hummus is a Mexican hummus, made with roasted vegetables, chickpeas, guajillo and herbs, drizzled with chilli oil.

At the heart of the board was a sweet potato & feta taquito. There was a variety of textures and flavours in this taquito. It came with caramelised onion, salsas and chipotle mayo, and was served in a crisp blue corn tortilla. The crunch of the rolled taco and the smooth sweet potato made this a tasty treat.

I had gone for the buttermilk chicken taco and the beef gringa taco. You got one of each. The gringa taco was slow-cooked British grass-fed beef with grilled cheese and salsa fresca, in a soft corn tortilla. The beef was tender and full of flavour.

The buttermilk chicken taco was chicken crispy fried in WildFarmed flour with pink pickled onions and spiced mayo, in a soft flour tortilla.

It was a great meal, really tasty. Service was excellent as well.

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Eating Greek

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.

hummus

The hummus was nice and fresh and the bread was warm, soft and doughy. Delicious.

pita bread

The lamb chops soon followed. There were three chops on top of crispy chips.

lamb chops

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. 

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So what about the specials?

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.

plate of food

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.

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Back to Wahaca

I was travelling back from London and rather than catch a busy peak train, I decided I would have some dinner and catch a later train. The other option was to catch a busy train, probably stand or be cramped, and then cook when I got home. So dinner it was, and I had already made up my mind to visit Wahaca.  I had heard about the branch at Wahaca at Paddington when it opened, but I hadn’t had the chance, or the opportunity to make a visit until this week.

It’s just outside the station and upon entering the restaurant you climb a set of stairs to get to the tables. Even though it was early the place was buzzing and quite busy. I was initially offered a seat at the bar, but as I wanted food and not a drink, I asked for a table.

I sat down and looked over the menu. I had a voucher for a free portion of tacos, so that was the first area of the menu I went through. I was tempted by the buttermilk chicken tacos, but went with the Ancho Mushroom Tacos, with jalapeño mayo, beetroot crisps and dressed slaw, in two soft corn tortillas

I had really enjoyed the Mexico City Nachos when I had them a few years ago. So that was next on my list of choices. I went for the veggie version, as I didn’t think the addition of the chorizo really added that much to the dish, and the veggie dish was cheaper as well.

My final choice was the Zesty Bean & Feta Tostadas, with chickpeas, borlotti beans and organic peas with fresh tomato salsa. I had hoped they would have the crab tostadas they use to have on the menu, but they didn’t.

The nachos arrived first and I was a little surprised by the size of the dish. Either the dish was smaller when I had it a few years ago, having made my own version of this plate, I was expecting something smaller, or more than likely I had just plain forgotten how large the dish was. 

There was plenty of crunchy tortilla chips, a large helping of guacamole, black beans, crema, pink pickled onions, cheese sauce, fresh tomato salsa and jalapeño. I left the jalapeño, but the rest of the dish was delicious.

I really enjoyed the Zesty Bean & Feta Tostadas, full of flavour and contrasting textures of crunchy tostadas and soft beans.

The Ancho Mushroom Tacos were really tasty, I liked the mushrooms and the intensity of flavours across the two tacos.

I really enjoyed all three dishes and the experience reminded me how much I enjoy the food at Wahaca. Service was excellent, warm, friendly and efficient. It’s a real pity that the branch in Bristol closed, as it would be nice to have somewhere local to visit.

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The Good Luck Club

I was up in Leeds for a work thing and we had a work meal planned at The Good Luck Club. As with a large work thing, we had to choose our meal from the menu in advance. Never a fan of that as what I choose weeks before, may not be what I actually want to eat on the night.

I chose the steak chimichurri, an 8oz picanha steak covered with cajun spice and grill ed over charcoal. Its thinly sliced and served with homemade chimichurri, salted fries and leaf salad.

It was well presented with the leaf salad on one side, the homemade chimichurri in it’s own pot, along with the sliced steak, the fries were in their own little metal pot.

The steak was tender, but I did feel the cajun spices were a little overdone for my taste. Overall it was a nice meal and I did enjoy it.

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Time for a Fat Hippo Swiss Tony

I was staying in the Headingley area of Leeds, and as a location close to the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, there are quite a few places to eat. As you might expect though, they are catering for the relatively large local student population in the area. The last time I was staying in this area, back in January 2020, I went out to eat at Reds and had some barbecue. I probably would have gone there again, but since that visit it has closed down.

When I was out, I happened to walk past Fat Hippo when some customers received their food, and I did think it looked quite good. So I made the decision to try it out, and they had a happy hour deal which looked like good value for money.

Having arrived I looked over the menu. I did think about having their early evening deal, but I wasn’t sure if there was anything I wanted from the starters or even the desserts.

I would have had chicken wings, but they were not part of the deal. They only had three (very similar) dessert choices, so in the end I decided I would just have the burger.

I went for the Swiss-Tony, double beef patties smothered in gooey Swiss cheese, smoked bacon, juicy mushrooms, crispy Cajun onion strings and creamy truffle mayo. You get a free side, so I had fries.

The burger looked very food, and the photograph doesn’t really do it justice. It was a tasty burger.

Service was friendly and efficient. 

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Nidderdale Lamb Rump

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.