Category: review

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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.

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Slow Yaki Soba Yasai

Needing a quick dinner, a visit to Wagamama was the solution. You don’t need to book and usually service is efficient and quick.

I had a look over the menu and decided what I would have and waited…

I then waited some more…

Then a little more time…

I was about to leave when a member of the waiting team arrived to take my order. They did apologise, but not sure what the issue was.

I went with the mushroom bao buns and the yaki soba yasai with mushroom. 

This was soba noodles cooked with mushrooms, egg, peppers, beansprouts and white and spring onion. topped with crispy fried onions, pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

The yaki soba yasai arrived first.

It was really good. I love the combination of flavours and textures.

 My mushroom bao buns arrived a little later. This was mixed mushrooms with crispy panko-coated aubergine and vegan mayo, topped with coriander.

These were nice but felt that they lacked enough mushroom. I have had these before and wrote back then:

I did feel the mushroom bao buns could have had a lot more mushroom in them, what mushroom was there was slightly overpowered by the crispy panko-coated aubergine.

Pretty much felt the same this time as well.

I did think both dishes needed more mushroom. If there is mushroom in the title of the dish then I think it needs mushroom in the dish.

Overall, I did enjoy the food, the service once it started was good, but I did feel the delay in taking my order did impact on my enjoyment of the dining experience.

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Time for Tapas from Reinata

Dickens Yard reflection

Across Ealing there are various places to go out and eat. As well as chains, there are a range of independent places to eat. One of the nice things is that as a result there are lots of choices when you’re hungry. I often choose the independent places and one such place was in the (relatively) new Dickens Yard complex. I first went to Reinata back in June 2023 where I had a nice meal. However it wasn’t really a place to go out and eat on your own, as the tapas portions are quite substantial. Having said that and feeling quite hungry I headed over to Reinata for dinner. I went with two tapas dishes and some bread. These were large “small” plates of food.

I had the Octopus, Galician style, potatoes, paprika. 

I had this dish before, but this was different to the dish I had back then.  The last time I had this dish at Reinata it looked like this. This was a very different dish to one I had this time.

This time the dish was sliced potatoes cooked in the oven and on top was slices of grilled octopus. The octopus was tender and full of flavour.

The other dish I has was the  Andalusian Fritters, sherry marinated white fish and squid. 

This was breaded fish and squid. It was nice and fresh. I think it needed something more than lime though.

Both were large dishes and would be ideal to share, on my own it felt a little greedy. I do feel that the quality and presentation of the food was not as good as it was on my previous visit.

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Hot Dog and Loaded Fries

I was on the look out for some lunch from the Finzel Reach street food market. The Fontmell BBQ Smokehouse were there, in their converted horse box.

Their usual items are pulled meat buns and loaded fries. They also have jackfruit on the menu as well. This time they had an XL wild boar hot dog special. I went all out and not only ordered the hot dog, but also got a side of loaded fries with it. I went with the pulled beef loaded fries.

I took my ticket, but it wasn’t long before my food arrived. The service was efficient and friendly. This was one big dog and though it was a half portion of loaded fries, it was a large half. I also thought the food was well presented.

The hot dog was excellent, it was meaty and had a smoke flavour. It was a good sausage, but not sure if the wild boar came through as much as I thought it would. It was really tasty and I enjoyed it. I have to say though, I did use a knife and fork to eat it!

I am really on the fence when it comes to loaded fries. I do like eating fries, and usually have mayonnaise. However these were another level, the fries were literally loaded with cheese, pulled barbecue beef, jalapeños, sauces, and crispy onions. As I am on the fence, I am not sure if I enjoyed them or not. They were certainly tasty and I might order them again in the future. Overall a substantial tasty lunch.

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Enjoyed that bento box again

One of my favourite dishes from the Bristol street food scene is the bento box from She Sells Sushi. Virtually all the time when getting lunch from the stall I get the bento box with a portion of beef donburi and a hirata bao bun. 

So, it was no surprise on a recent visit to the Temple Quay street food market I headed to the She Sells Sushi van and ordered my regular  bento box.

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. I would have though liked some more of the crispy onions. I really like this dish. One day I might try and cook it myself.

The chicken hirata bun contained two pieces of tempura battered chicken. It was dressed with sauce and pickles.

This was really nice; I like the contrast of the crispy chicken against the soft fluffy bao bun. The sauce is nice and spicy.

I really enjoyed by bento box and it was delicious.

The photograph doesn’t do it justice, this was after I had carried the bento box back to the office. It usually looks like this.

It

 

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Railway Mixed Grill

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.

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French Eating in Ealing

I kind of have a love hate relationship with the Côte chain of restaurants. I really like French style cooking and the Côte menu has an extensive choice of French inspired dishes. The service at the Ealing branch of Côte has always been excellent. Welcoming, warm and friendly. The food arrives in ample time, and I have never felt rushed. The waiting staff are attentive, but not intrusive. What’s not to like? However, though the food is good, it isn’t excellent, and so I always have to temper my expectations. I like the food, but I wouldn’t say I love the food. I am not entirely sure what they could do to make things better, but I am confident that they could. However as a chain, I suspect they are constrained by the system cooking processes they use to ensure consistency across the different restaurants across the country. So the dish you order in Ealing is identical to the same dish if it was ordered in Bristol. I always think if they had a local chef, they could improve and enhance the food. Having said that, finding myself in Ealing on a somewhat warm evening, the cool air-conditioned branch of Côte was quite appealing. The fixed price menu looking tempting as well.

I was given a lovely warm welcome and I was allowed to choose where to sit, which was nice, as I was able to choose a slightly bigger table even though I was eating alone. I may have eaten outside, but it was still rather warm outside, and to be honest the pavement is rather busy and there is a constant stream of traffic running by.

Looking over the menu, I was tempted by quite a few things, but in the end, for my starter I chose the Salade au Bacon, bacon lardons tossed in a creamy anchovy dressing with endive and gem lettuce salad, cherry tomatoes, panisse chickpea croutons and crispy capers, topped with a poached egg.

The combination of tastes and textures worked. The runny yolk of the poached egg added to the richness of the salad. I was intrigued by the panisse chickpea croutons, they were crunchy, different, I think normal croutons would have worked just as well.  This was a lovely rustic looking salad, and despite my earlier thoughts on dishes, I did think this looked great. It was also delicious. This is the kind of dish that I hope they serve at Côte and this time they delivered. I thought it was fantastic. 

For my main course I went with the Steak Frites, and upgraded to the sirloin steak, which was described as topped with garlic butter and served with herbs and frites.

After a fantastic starter, this was a little disappointing. I think they forgot the garlic butter, and not having the menu to hand, I didn’t think to check with the waiting staff. The plate was a simple affair, I don’t know it looked rather plain. I am not sure what they could do though to make it better. I had asked for the steak to be cooked medium-rare, and it was. It was tender, but lacked seasoning. I generally avoid adding extra salt to my food, but this time the steak needed it. The frites were good, nice and crispy. I don’t think the herbs added anything. I would have maybe added a small rocket salad, or even some green beans instead. I think that would have improved both the look of the dish, and the overall eating experience. 

Generally, I only order a starter and a main course, and avoid having a pudding. However, this time the fixed price menu had a cheese plate on offer, a selection of three French cheeses with a fig chutney & sourdough baguette. You could choose from the following cheeses, Comté, Pont l’Évêque, Roquefort, Délice de Bourgogne, Chèvre Buchette.

Now I am a sucker for a cheese course, so of course I said yes. I chose the Comté, Pont l’Évêque, and the Délice de Bourgogne. 

I liked the fact that the cheese plate came with bread, however this was toasted sourdough baguette, which though nice, wasn’t quite what I wanted with my cheese. I do remember visiting Côte many years ago and the bread was a “proper” French baguette, none of this fashionable sourdough business, it was proper French bread. I miss that.

The cheeses though were excellent. I have had Comté and Pont l’Évêque before, so enjoyed those. I haven’t had Délice de Bourgogne, before, but this was nice and tasty.

Overall I did enjoy my food at Côte, the service was excellent, and I had a lovely dining experience. It wasn’t perfect, but it was nice, and with the fixed price menu, I thought it was value for money.

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Time for some Tapas

Went out for Tapas at La Rueda Spanish Tapas Bar in Ealing. We were there in the early evening, so it wasn’t busy, and we could sit in the (open) window area looking out onto the street. With the hot weather, we weren’t that hungry, so we had only a few dishes.

We had the Patatas Bravas, triple fried potatoes, spicy brava and infamous Spanish aioli garlic mayonnaise sauce. Not sure if the triple frying helped, as the potatoes weren’t that crispy. However they were nice, I liked the spicy brava, and the mayonnaise was an interesting addition. 

Another of our dishes was the Pollo a la Plancha, described as grilled spicy boneless chicken thighs served with Spanish alioli garlic mayonnaise sauce. Now the photograph in the online menu shows whole chicken thighs, so I was a little surprised when we were served with chicken skewers. They were served on a flat bread, well more of a wrap than a flat bread. The chicken was moist, tender and full of flavour. 

Alongside the chicken we had the Pinchos Morunos, grilled spiced lamb skewers, chimichurri served with humus. These were tender chunks of lamb with peppers and onions. Like the chicken cooked well and full of flavour, as well as being served on a flat wrap. It came with a small portion of hummus, I probably would have liked more hummus, but then I probably needed to order hummus off the menu.

Out final dish was the Calamares, fried squid rings in batter. Lovely crispy batter and tender squid. Delicious.

Completely forgot to take photographs of the dishes, which is unlike me.

The service was excellent, I liked how they served ice with their tap water, I also had an alcohol free beer. If I wasn’t driving I would probably have had a red wine.