What Restaurant did you eat at last night?

Had an excellent meal at Pichet in Dublin week before last when I was over there on business. I can recommend this if you are over there and want a relatively good value meal of quality.

Can't say the same for Hawksmoor Seven Dials last week which was very poor. Steak was average and we were limited to choice due to late seating (not our fault) and had a very poor waitress who was rude and cocky. She got told, the manager got told and I was disappointed but I would go again as some of the other tables seemed to have some good meat. I wanted a steak as did the people I was with hence the choice.
 
Went for a bite to eat at the White Rose Hotel in Leeming Bar last night.

Was a good meal, had tempura King Prawns for starters which came with a delicious salsa, and a rump steak and trimmings for mains.

Between for of us the bill came to £85 including drinks, 3 were on lemonades and I was on Lager so not so bad.

They do a Steak night every Thursday night, 2 steak meals + Bottle of Wine for £25 so may give that a go another time :)
 
Brasserie Blanc in Covent Garden. Nice enough. Service was average in speed. Nice enough staff and attentive. 6 of us with three bottles of wine and three courses worked out at £54/head.

Medium rare sirloin was medium rare, tasted fine. Fries were crispy.

I'm going out again with this lot next month. Leaning towards Bodeans as we all like meat. Lots of meat.
 
For our wedding anniversary, we had dinner at The Dining Room at Whatley Manor.

Amuse Bouche
- Cloud Nine, Bow in the Cloud Vineyard, Malmesbury, England

***

Foie gras ballotine served with poached quince, Sauternes jelly and reduced balsamic
- Aoc Alsace Pinot Blanc, 2007 Rollie Gassman, Alsace, France

Or

Butternut squash panna cotta served with goat’s cheese ice cream, textures of mushrooms and hazelnuts
- DOCG Roero Arneis,2011 Deltetto San Michele, Piedmont, Italy

***

Hand dived scallop pan fried, served with warm smoked salmon, pickled cockles and walnut cream
- Cape Mentelle, Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon 2011 Margaret River, Australia

***

Loin of Venison roasted, dressed with its own sausage, 100% grated bitter chocolate and and reduced Shiraz wine
- Cien y Pico, Doble Pasta, Garnacha Tintorera, 2009 Elena Brooks, Manchuela, Castilla-La-Mancha, Spain

Or

Poussin slow poached and pan fried, dressed with a Foie Gras cassonade, Morteau sausage and truffle
- DOC Dão, Tempranillo/ Touriga Nacional/ Alfrocheiro/ Jaen, 2010 Casa de Mouraz, Antonio Lopez Ribeiro, Portugal

***
Selection of French and English cheese
- AOC Arbois, Savagnin, 2006 Domaine Jacque Puffenay, Jura, France
Or
- AOC Red Rivesaltes, Macabeu/ Grenache/ Carignan/ Cinsault, 2000 Château Corneilla, Roussillon, France

***

Pre-Dessert

***

Apple and maple syrup cheesecake served with caramelized pecan nuts and poached apple
- AOC Gaillac Doux, Len de l’El, 2009 Domaine Rotier, Renaissance, France

Or

Prune and orange soufflé served with prune and Armagnac ice cream
- AOC Sauternes, Semillon, 2006 Château Laville, Jean Christophe Barbes, France
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The meal was fantastic with some great flavour combinations and wine pairings, specifically the starters and fish course. Service was exceptional, and the sommelier was probably the best we've had at a restaurant. The English sparkling wine we had with the amuse bouche was superb. Not like a traditional champagne, it was only slightly sparkling and rather than being made with Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grapes, it is made with a blend of Bacchus, Seyval Blanc and Schönburger.

We were there for 4 hours which meant we weren't rushed at all, we were relaxed and felt as if we were a guest there rather than just another set of covers. Possibly the best dining experience we've had. Based solely on the food though, it perhaps wasn't quite as good as The Square or The Ledbury, but not far off.

For the 7 course taster menu including accompanying wine flight, 2 glasses of Champagne, coffee and petit fours, and service, the total was £360. We were happy with that.
 
Not last night but tonight.

Just had a rib eye steak at the Blackstone Bistro in Maadi, Cairo. One of the nicest steaks I've eaten at a restaurant in a long time. Nice tasty beef, chargrilled and cooked perfectly medium-rare as requested. Served with a baked tattie with sour cream and some lovely roast veg. Reasonably priced too.

The good thing is, it's less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel we stay at when passing through Cairo. Will definitely be going back :)

Was very quiet tonight but one of the colleagues I was with said it's usually busy. It deserves to be busy serving steaks like that. One thing that put me off was sitting next to the aforementioned colleague who was sawing his way through a well done T-Bone :( Philistine.
 
Clock Jack Oven, Soho

After spending hours trying to find somewhere easy to go to, we decide on chicken. Lots of chicken.

There's not a whole lot to say to be honest with you. Excellent rotisserie roasted chicken. Well seasoned, very decent sides and solid service. The menu is somewhat limited; chicken salad, chicken salad 2, chicken roll, chicken roll 2 and chicken. As a side they do offer buttermilk fried chicken, which is some of the nicest fried chicken I've ever tasted. Properly southern, well spiced and a range of dipping sauces to choose from.

The only downside is it's rubbish drinks menu. I suppose I've been spoiled recently with most restaurants round here opting for tasty local/American pale ales, lagers and dark beers. This place simply has London Pride, Staropramen and Estrella. With a menu exclusively consisting of rotisserie chicken, I was really hoping for something interesting or a decent French option.

7/10 - I'd very much recommend if you're in the area and looking for something easy, quick, cheap and tasty ;)
 
Bodeans - Tower Hill

You get what you go for; meat and beer. It doesn't really compare to Pit Cue Co for quality or flavour, but you can't really go wrong after work for a relaxing few beers and a plate full of meat. Chicken wings, chicken thighs, ribs & pulled pork, washed down with a few bottles of pale ale :). Service was ok, cost was acceptable. Been before and will be back again, but perhaps I need to go back to Pit Cue again first.
 
I went to Goodman Canary Wharf last night.

http://www.goodmanrestaurants.com/

Haven't been before although went with someone that had, we got very prompt and good service - although we were having an early dinner so it wasn't very busy.

Went with beers brewed in London as we were going out for cocktails after. I would normally prefer wine with a meal but after work and travelling down a refreshing beer hit the spot.

Their menu has starters (we didn't indulge), a choice of mains including some steaks, and side dishes.

However for the steaks they also have a board which lists the current beef they have and the different cuts, weights and price. What is nice is that they take the time to explain the board and what each cut is, even going so far as to bring out a same of raw steaks to give you an idea of what they provide.

They have USDA corn-fed, Scottish grass-fed, English grass-fed and I think an Irish grass-fed.
Cuts were porterhouse, t-bone, chataubriand, ribeye, sirlion, fillet. Many with options for bone in/out and all different weights.

In the end we went with a ribeye and picked the 900g to split between two. We asked for advice on how they recommend it cooked and we were happy with a medium-rare/medium but they said they did a medium-rare plus! Which seemed to be somewhere between the two, so we went with that.
We also ordered a macaroni & cheese with truffles and a spinach, garlic, lemon side dishes.

The steak was amazing, tasted lovely and meaty and cooked to perfection as you'd expect. They manage to get most of the fat to render out while still leaving it pink in the centre, but also all the fat on the outside of the steak is crisp so it is like the edge of a delicious roast. It was sooo good.

The sides were nice too, they must make a killing on the spinach with it being about £4 for a small bowl of steamed greens, the mac&cheese was very tasty and creamy.

All in all it was £100 for two with just steak, sides and two beers each. A pricey meal no doubt but top quality none the less.

Now I need to save up for my next trip there so I can try a different cut of steak, some cocktails and maybe a starter or desert!

Would recommend very much.
 
Patty & Bun on Saturday. Superb burger, along with fries, slaw and amazing chicken wings. The best burger I've had for a very long time. It gets packed everyday of the week and there is usually a queue to get in about 10 minutes after it opens. It's cosy inside, nice but basic interior, service is good, and the food is great!
I'd recommend it to anyone in London looking for a good burger, but get there early! James Street (off Oxford Street), London.

The Stephan Langton Pub in Friday Street nr Dorking, Surrey. Decided on a drive in the sunny weather yesterday, and headed to the Leigh Hill area. This is a pub I've cycled past many times whilst out riding Barry Knows Best (:D). It was quite busy as expected and they only had 4 staff on, but we had a nice lunch. Big burger, chips and slaw. Very nice but not quite up to Patty & Bun. The rest of the menu looked good and the pub itself is lovely, in the middle of nowhere with no traffic noise, just the birds chirping away.

Bit of a burger weekend for me :).
 
Ate at the Sultan Balti in Wokingham. It's only a small place but its probably one of the best Indian restaurant in the area (excluding Haweli in Twyford). I had a lamb Biriyani and the wife has chicken chilli masala with naan. Very nice for a spontaneous meal.
 
I went to The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar yesterday. The actual real one, on Loch Fyne, rather than the chain of restaurants trading on its name.

Been wanting to go for a while, for Fruits of the Sea (Loch?), and it didn't disappoint. First time my girlfriend had something like it but she thoroughly enjoyed it but did say that she would never have eaten it before meeting me!

Smoked Salmon for starter, shared the main and I had a Whisky Tart with Clotted Cream for pudding whilst she had Cranachan. It was all pretty tasty but the main was obviously the star. £60 or so, and that included a carafe of white wine and a double espresso.

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We ate at wabi London over the weekend which was attached to our hotel.

Having never eaten Japanese before we went with the set menu and gave everything a go.

I now know I'm not a fan of sushi :p

Ate everything but the raw shrimp. Just could not stomach the texture of it.
 
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