What Restaurant did you eat at last night?
- Thread starter physichull
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I went back for a second visit recently within 18 months of my first trip. Whilst it was still outstanding, and I went with a different group of people, the whole experience didn't quite have anywhere near the same impact th second time around.
Whilst I suppose that's too be expected somewhat, I was quite surprised by the difference between the two trips.
Soldato
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Yep, that's one of theirs.
Raby Hunt is an odd one., I thought the food was exceptional but the place had a very sterile atmosphere. The rooms were a waste of money though, I'd npt stay there again.
Soldato
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This quote being posted is quite timely - I was back at L'Enclume on Saturday night. To me it was every bit as good, if not better than when I went in July.
Weird because we had a great time at the Raby Hunt, really relaxed and had a good bit of 'banter' with the staff while still being Michelin service.
Nice to hear Hjem is good though.
Edit: TBF I've been to L'Enclume, Raby Hunt, Sat Bains and House of Tides.
The first 3 I'd go again and would recommend to anybody. House of Tides was poor. I prefer Peace and Loaf, though i haven't been since they moved to the tasting menu set up.
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Soldato
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I think Raby Hunt had open been open again a week or two after the first lockdown in 2020 so maybe they were still finding their feet.
I can't keep track of all the places we've been. I've had a few people tell me that House of Tides is worth giving a miss so it's not somewhere we're planning to go. Sat Bains is a firm favourite, I really like it there.
For a complete change of pace in the Newcastle area...
I still love Elder and Wolf in Whitley Bay for a properly nice kebab or pizza and a few drinks.
Also for a cracking night of beers and wings and fries around an open fire under the Byker Bridge arches, you can't beat this place.
Home | Wingin' It | Hot Wings & Cold Craft Beer | England
At Wingin' It we're going old school! no bookings or ordering apps. Grab a seat and order at the bar with a real human when you are ready. Serving the tastiest deep fried chicken wings & loaded fries, watch out for our weekly wild wings and early dining discounts. Craft Beer, Cocktails, Coffee.
www.winginitchicken.co.uk
Soldato
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Saturday night we ate at Da Terra. Excellent food and it's great to find an alcohol free drink pairing that isn't an after thought.
Expensive, but we both really enjoyed it. The caviar on the pre-dessert of rum baba and pistachio ice cream was a bit of a mind ****, but it worked.
Expensive, but we both really enjoyed it. The caviar on the pre-dessert of rum baba and pistachio ice cream was a bit of a mind ****, but it worked.
Great to hear about a non-alcoholic drink pairing. Unfortunately not mentioned on their website. What sorts of things did they offer?
I suppose caviar on desserts works in the same way balsamic vinegar does, having something very savoury contrasts but works well with the sweetness of a pudding. I'm into it!
Soldato
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The booze free pairing had a few different things including tea, kombucha (which was really sharp - delicious!), cherry juice and a few other things which I've forgotten. When we left they gave us a copy of the menu which listed the drinks but it went into my missus' handbag so it's probably lost forever. I'll see if it can be found.
I'm not generally a fan of caviar, it's OK I suppose but I'm not that fussed by it. I'd never pay for it as a supplementary course for example. Here though, it really did work. I've had caviar at a few places and most of the time I'm a bit 'meh' about it but Da Terra and Restaurant Sat Bains use it for all the right reasons.
Went to Hjem last night. Loved it.
Absolutely amazing food, there was one trout dish I wasn't overly bothered about, but otherwise it was right up my street.
Even desserts that I'm not normally bothered about were savoury enough to make me want more. The highlight being a dime bar like caramel with horseradish ice cream.
My sis in law had the half wine half soft drink pairing. That was really good, I'd quite happily give a complete soft drink pairing a go if I wasn't drinking for whatever reason on the strength of the 3 she was served.
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Soldato
Just finished at The Wilderness in Birmingham. Loved it, some really excellent dishes including probably the best carrot I’ve ever had (sounds strange, but you need to try it) and their take on a Big Mac which involved Waygu beef tartare. The rock music and ambience were excellent and I felt like we’ve had a night out as well as a fine dining meal. Will absolutely be visiting again.
This was definitely helped by a visit to the rock and roll brewery for a cheeky pint beforehand. Another place I’ve been desperate to visit and the beer didn’t disappoint.
This was definitely helped by a visit to the rock and roll brewery for a cheeky pint beforehand. Another place I’ve been desperate to visit and the beer didn’t disappoint.
Soldato
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Saturday night we ate at Alchemilla in Nottingham, our second visit.
It's a great restaurant, the food is packed with flavour. A few days before we got an email saying that they're only currently offering a 5 course menu, they used to offer a 7 or 10 course for dinner and I was a bit grumpy about it but I shouldn't have been. We left suitably full to bursting point and very happy.
We're back there in June for a colab between Alex Bond of Alchemilla and Gareth Ward of Ynyshir. That promises to be a superb evening. I think Ynyshir is my absolute favourite restaurant.
It's a great restaurant, the food is packed with flavour. A few days before we got an email saying that they're only currently offering a 5 course menu, they used to offer a 7 or 10 course for dinner and I was a bit grumpy about it but I shouldn't have been. We left suitably full to bursting point and very happy.
We're back there in June for a colab between Alex Bond of Alchemilla and Gareth Ward of Ynyshir. That promises to be a superb evening. I think Ynyshir is my absolute favourite restaurant.
Soldato
Had a few days away in Edinburgh last week and went to the following places :-
Howies (Waterloo Place) - Traditional Scottish food. Went for lunch and had the pea and leek risotto with asparagus over the top. Tasty and filling and followed it up with some Mackies Tablet ice cream as i wasn't wanting anything too heavy since i had a suitcase with me! Accompanied with a lager and a cocktail followed by a cup of tea.
Indigo Yard - Oddly located in a back street off a road off the end of Princes Street. Had Steak Frites with a peppercorn sauce which arrived within a few minutes of ordering but was tasty, very perppery. Accompanied that with a lager and cocktail again. Decent enough food but nothing too fancy.
The Standing Oder in George Street. It's a Wetherspoons so enough said! Just wanted something that would fill a gap before the Edinburgh Gin tour (good tour to be on).
The Dome in George Street.
No pictures of food just the building you're in. Superb meal of Haggis Croquette with red onion and chilli jam, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast with a wild mushroom potato cake and green peppercorn jus followed by Caramel ice cream. Accompanied by lager and a couple of cocktails and a cup of tea.
The Witchery by the Castle. Just went for lunch as dinner may have worked out very expensive!
As above, no pictures of the food just the building! Dined in the Secret Garden rather than the original Dining Room.
Two course lunch for £29.50 but this increased somewhat with bread and water being extra along with a dessert, lager, cocktails and tea. Had the Ham Hock Terrine with prune chutney and Mustard mayo followed by the Witchery Fish pie. Added to that the VALRHONA BITTER CHOCOLATE TORTE, Orange blossom & white chocolate ice cream, cocoa nib tuille.
Really good meals at the two above and will definitely dine again at the Dome and Witchery anytime I'm in Edinburgh. Also ate at Cafe Andaluz in George Street. It was fine but nothing too out of the ordinary for Tapas.
Howies (Waterloo Place) - Traditional Scottish food. Went for lunch and had the pea and leek risotto with asparagus over the top. Tasty and filling and followed it up with some Mackies Tablet ice cream as i wasn't wanting anything too heavy since i had a suitcase with me! Accompanied with a lager and a cocktail followed by a cup of tea.
Indigo Yard - Oddly located in a back street off a road off the end of Princes Street. Had Steak Frites with a peppercorn sauce which arrived within a few minutes of ordering but was tasty, very perppery. Accompanied that with a lager and cocktail again. Decent enough food but nothing too fancy.
The Standing Oder in George Street. It's a Wetherspoons so enough said! Just wanted something that would fill a gap before the Edinburgh Gin tour (good tour to be on).
The Dome in George Street.
No pictures of food just the building you're in. Superb meal of Haggis Croquette with red onion and chilli jam, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast with a wild mushroom potato cake and green peppercorn jus followed by Caramel ice cream. Accompanied by lager and a couple of cocktails and a cup of tea.
The Witchery by the Castle. Just went for lunch as dinner may have worked out very expensive!
As above, no pictures of the food just the building! Dined in the Secret Garden rather than the original Dining Room.
Two course lunch for £29.50 but this increased somewhat with bread and water being extra along with a dessert, lager, cocktails and tea. Had the Ham Hock Terrine with prune chutney and Mustard mayo followed by the Witchery Fish pie. Added to that the VALRHONA BITTER CHOCOLATE TORTE, Orange blossom & white chocolate ice cream, cocoa nib tuille.
Really good meals at the two above and will definitely dine again at the Dome and Witchery anytime I'm in Edinburgh. Also ate at Cafe Andaluz in George Street. It was fine but nothing too out of the ordinary for Tapas.
Dos Espaciones in Valencia last night.
60 EUR for the full tasting menu, and 36 EUR for the wine pairing. 3 appetisers, 4 starters, fish, meat, 2 desserts. 8 wines in total.
Been a while since we've done a tasting menu, and it was very good. Nice mix of seafood including oysters and some incredible mussels on a red curry dahl.
Only downside is the wines were quite generous and we were both smashed at the end!
Food everywhere in Valencia is amazing, haven't had a bad meal and very good value, definitely a foodie destination.
60 EUR for the full tasting menu, and 36 EUR for the wine pairing. 3 appetisers, 4 starters, fish, meat, 2 desserts. 8 wines in total.
Been a while since we've done a tasting menu, and it was very good. Nice mix of seafood including oysters and some incredible mussels on a red curry dahl.
Only downside is the wines were quite generous and we were both smashed at the end!
Food everywhere in Valencia is amazing, haven't had a bad meal and very good value, definitely a foodie destination.
One thing that is beginning to **** me right off lately is the influx of bloody deliveroo and just eat delivery folk constantly wading through the front doors. The kids wanted Pizza express and the other day. I moaned to the poor waitress and she did nothing, so i refused to pay the bill and the manager came over. I explained i came to eat at a restaurant and not be battered by the door opening every 5 mins and being bashed around the head with the blue bag of doom. Free pizza apart from drinks, still not good enough and wont be going again. Couple of at the side of us complained as well, so that cant have made much that night.
Yeah, some places don't have a good system for it. There's a lunch place near me where the drivers just barge to the front of the queue and badger the counter staff until they deal with their order. It's not a great experience for the customer.
Soldato
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yep .. so don't eat out much now .. couple of places 2-3 times a yr (spoons sometimes for lunch ) .. your better off learning to cook yourself .. cheap pizza oven 20 mins to make fresh dough let the kids do the toppings .. bbq or Chinese takes no time ..
