[Food] Restaurant Thread 2022

[MattBackHome]

I went just before the pandemic and thought it was okay. I really struggle with tapas though. I go to Barcelona at least once a year and know some everyday places which knock out plates which are as good, if not better, than most I find in the UK. One exception is Barrafina in Soho….but then this is based on Cal Pep.

Yes thanks for that necessary clarification HT. I would like to qualify my review to publicly state to NSC that this tapas restaurant in Hove is not as good as actually being in Spain.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Yes thanks for that necessary clarification HT. I would like to qualify my review to publicly state to NSC that this tapas restaurant in Hove is not as good as actually being in Spain.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I always think of Harden's as being Tripadvisor with delusions of grandeur.

You could substitute Hardens for Herr Tubthumper

 

[Goldstone1976]

Bat and Ball, Westfield Stratford

The GLDHI and I met up here with some friends who’d driven up from Sussex for a pre-game snifter and a bite to eat.

Beer: they have Neck Oil on tap; job’s a good’un.
Food: barely passes that description. Never, never, NEVER eat here.

Given the way we played, the thing that I’ll remember is the journey home.

We decided to get an Uber home to avoid a 2-hour multi-tube/train ride. After some difficulty physically uniting car and passengers due to post game traffic conditions, we set off. Apart from experiencing some of the worst driving I’ve ever seen (driving straddling both lanes on a dual carriageway, lights on full beam constantly, and continual acceleration/deceleration even when maintaining a constant speed - so much so that I wondered whether the driver had a violent twitch in his right leg), the most notable occurrence was the conversation.

“Do you live round here?”, I offered as a starter for 10 shortly after being picked up
“Yes, Edmonton”
“Do you like it? I don’t know it at all”
“It’s ok. I’ve only been there for a few months. I sell drugs, and used to live in Hackney. The police asked me to move to Edmonton to help improve Hackney’s reputation”
“Umm. OK”

Pause

“I expect they’ll ask me to move somewhere else soon. Edmonton is getting posher”
“Umm. OK”

Pause

“Would you like a spray of this perfume?” He continues, picking up a bottle of some unidentifiable liquid. “You just spray it on your face”
“No thanks” said rather quickly
“Are you sure? It’s very good”
“Yes. We’re good thanks”

We get home.

Oh, and seriously, never eat at the Bat and Ball in Stratford.

 

[swd40]

Has anyone been to Heritage at Slaugham ? Owned / run by Matt Gillan formally of The Pass

Yes, he does his goat dish there too or he did when we went.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

You could substitute Hardens for Herr Tubthumper

For someone who includes the two words gourmet, and burger, in the same sentence, most definately does have delusions of grandeur!

 

[Machiavelli]

Dulce restaurant and cafe, Rickmansworth. Take 2.

The food? The bread: Sainsbury sliced. At least they seemed to have bought enough this time. Prawns drastically over cooked. Scallops likewise. Penne cooked nicely, but the sauce was meh. Milanese was ok, I guess. Spaghetti bolognese? You want to know? Seriously?

£50/head including a cocktail and the wine [I do hope that’s ok]

Not with me it's not. According to the review, sounds like terrible value. Can we mobilise a campaign against terrible value?

 

[Machiavelli]

PS we had cracking pizzas in a stall connected to the second 'brewery and taproom' we went to yesterday which was called Ora, which followed on from a longer stay in Pressure Drop. Both highly recommended for the PL game when, hopefully, the team will put up a better show.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Lowering the bar somewhat here:

Yeoman Worthing - A Hungry Horse restaurant.

So, to add some context, it was a family birthday and they had a load of Tesco vouchers to use so it was a cheap night out. Food here is cheap and mainly cheerful with a keen sense of deep frying. Very few people eating on a Thursday night. The menu does have some strange quirks - for example, they do a chicken and waffles but use southern fried chicken strips, small pieces of sweet waffle and then, rather than the more traditional maple syrup they have a chipotle/buffalo sauce covering it. There is a burger with a Vimto onion BBQ chutney and also a strange dessert for which I have to give the full description:

SWEET CHEESECAKE KEBAB
A chocolate tortilla filled with sweet potato fries, salted caramel, vanilla flavour ice cream, vanilla cheesecake and raspberry compote. Finished with a fresh strawberry.

As I said, it is cheap and cheerful and for those who like those sorts of places, it is probably good value for money. That said, I won't be returning in a hurry.

Next up, a quick shout out to Burger Brothers. This place has been shut for a while as the 'chef' badly smashed up his wrist in September and has only just been cleared to return to work. They have recently reopened and pleased to say it is just as good as ever.

Finally, raising the bar up again, Miller & Carter, Lancing. I had a voucher from work to use there so we went over for an early evening meal. Daughter and I both had steaks - I went for the 50 day aged Black Angus Sirloin - and they were both cooked perfectly and very tasty pieces of meat. Sides were also very good. Mrs DCH went for a chicken disk which she said was very nice. I know this chain can be a bit hit or miss but the Lancing one seems to be consistently good and also very busy. We were out in the room to the side of the restaurant which was a nice setting. However, there are tables in the main part and it seemed very noisy in there as there is the noise from the kitchen and also the bar area so if you are looking for something more peaceful, request the side room.

 

[Beach Hut]

La Tavola - Southwick Square

Think this something to do with Toscas in Shoreham as was previously Toscas Prosecco Bar however mysteriously the woman who appeared in charge had previously worked at the Galleria.

Any enough gossip...........

Starters Garlic Mushrooms each and mains Spaghetti Marinara and Pollo Al Funghetti and a house red the starters really were excellent, extremely tasty with a good sauce. Mains also very good however it did say prawns not one prawn however it was a big prawn.

Definitely worth another visit.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

La Tavola - Southwick Square

Think this something to do with Toscas in Shoreham as was previously Toscas Prosecco Bar however mysteriously the woman who appeared in charge had previously worked at the Galleria.

Any enough gossip...........

Starters Garlic Mushrooms each and mains Spaghetti Marinara and Pollo Al Funghetti and a house red the starters really were excellent, extremely tasty with a good sauce. Mains also very good however it did say prawns not one prawn however it was a big prawn.

Definitely worth another visit.

I have absolutely no idea why, but l have long been intrigued by Southwick Square, should l be, is there really anything there of interest?

Maybe l should just jump on a 46 bus and find out. Taking in lunch at La Tavola of course.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Dulce restaurant and cafe, Rickmansworth. Take 2.

Note: it would help if you read the first review err first.

“I fancy Italian”, says my mother.
“Oh ****”, says I (sotto voce)
“What did you say?”
“I said ‘that’s nice’”

This was brought on by the fact that my mother’s friend (“she’ll eat anything” “oh good” “sorry, what did you say?” “I said ‘have you put your hearing aids in?’”) and the GLDHI’s mother are both coming to stay next week, and my mother said “wouldn’t it be lovely if the five of us went out?” “No”, I said. “Sorry?”. “Yes”, I said.

“Do you think that they would prefer the Italian or the Argentinian? I think Joan (my mother’s friend) would prefer Italian”, said my mother. “Shall we try it before they come so that we can make a decision?”, she continued
“We tried it last year. Remember?”
“Oh yes. But that was ‘fish night’”
“You know they eat fish in Italy, right?”
“Yes, of course. But that’s not Italian”
“”What’s ‘Italian’ then?”
“Goldstone”, warned the GLDHI
“Well”, said my mother “you know”
“Pasta??”
“Spaghetti”. A pause…
“Bolognese?”
“Yes”
Pause
“Do you like Italian?”
“Goldstone” interjected the GLDHI with a bit more emphasis
“Yes, of course”
“Ribolata? Locanda Locatelli?” I said forlornly [I did tell you that it would help if you read the last review]
“No. I told you before that I wanted Italian”
“Yes. Yes, you did”
“Yes. Yes she DID”, said the GLDHI.

Outnumbered and cornered, I order an Uber.

“Did you book a table in the restaurant, rather than under the awning?” says my mother.
“Yes. For 2”
“Sorry?”
“You have nothing to apologise for”
“Goldstone…”

We arrive. Yes, we’re in the main restaurant. On the table as close to the sliding door in the awning as it’s possible to be.

We order.

King prawns x2; scallops. Penne piccante, veal Milanese, and (I know this will come as a surprise) spaghetti bolognese. And a bottle of Primitivo.

“This is an excellent bottle of Primitivo”, says the owner
“Good. I’d be disappointed if it was Sangiovese”
“Goldstone…”
“No, it’s not Sangiovese. It’s Nebbiolo”, says the owner, somewhat obsequiously
“HUH?”
“Goldstone…”

The food? The bread: Sainsbury sliced. At least they seemed to have bought enough this time. Prawns drastically over cooked. Scallops likewise. Penne cooked nicely, but the sauce was meh. Milanese was ok, I guess. Spaghetti bolognese? You want to know? Seriously?

The Primitivo? Pretty decent.

“So. Shall we bring them here?” says my mother. “Joan does like Italian”
“I thought you said ‘she eats anything’?”
“Goldstone…”
A pause.
“The GLDHI’s mother likes steak. I think she’d prefer the Argentinian”
“Oh”
“That’s settled then”
“Goldstone…”
“What? You’d prefer we came here?”
“GOLDSTONE…”
“Sigh”

£50/head including a cocktail and the wine [I do hope that’s ok]

We get home. I was on a promise.

“…?”
“Snore”
“FFS”

FFS.

Edit:

Scroll forward to this morning…

“Italian or Argentinian then?”
“Your mother would prefer Italian”
“But your mother would prefer steak. Wouldn’t she?”
“Yes. But Joan would apparently prefer Italian”
“Mum said, and I’ve witnessed, that Joan eats anything”
“Muh huh. But your mother wants to have Italian”
“And your mother would prefer steak. Tell you what: why don’t you take my mother to the Italian and I take your mother to the Argentinian? An added bonus: we can ask Joan which she’d prefer”
“You’re not serious are you?”
“Yes”
“Goldstone”
“No then”
“Goldstone”

A long pause

“Which am I booking?”
“You decide”
“I already did that, and…”
“Goldstone”

A further pause.

“…?”, I enquire hopefully
“I need to get up. I’m in the office today. Could you run me to the station please?”

A pause

“Yes dear”

FFS.

Rickmansworth has some very nice niche eateries, it's always been known as a town stuck in time, but IMO it's ok.

https://www.egorestaurants.co.uk/restaurant-amersham/


https://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/oldorchard/
Worth a punt

 

[Jesus Gul]

Choice Uptown Cuisine - Jamaican place on the walk back from the stadium to Northumberland Park station just past the rather menacing looking Olive Branch boozer.

West Indian gentleman screaming 'Jeeerrrk Chicken' to the passing trade. Worked a treat as it alerted myself and my party to a tasty post match non-burger option...sat in under the picture of Bob Marley and Mick Jagger that adorned one wall. Jerk Chicken meal deal and can of cold Red Stripe £14. Friendly Spurs fans at next table. Rating out of 10 - Bambaclart

 

[Beach Hut]

I have absolutely no idea why, but l have long been intrigued by Southwick Square, should l be, is there really anything there of interest?

Maybe l should just jump on a 46 bus and find out. Taking in lunch at La Tavola of course.

Think of it as a micro Crawley in architecture and don’t bother

 

[CheeseRolls]

I have absolutely no idea why, but l have long been intrigued by Southwick Square, should l be, is there really anything there of interest?

Maybe l should just jump on a 46 bus and find out. Taking in lunch at La Tavola of course.

Yun Feng Foods the Chinese Supermarket is the only reason I head over that way. A couple of reasonable small shops on the parade and a rather strange micropub which I haven't tried. It never looks particularly inviting. The Cricketers at the other end of the street is a decent enough chain pub in my experience.

 

[Bakero]

Choice Uptown Cuisine - Jamaican place on the walk back from the stadium to Northumberland Park station just past the rather menacing looking Olive Branch boozer.

West Indian gentleman screaming 'Jeeerrrk Chicken' to the passing trade. Worked a treat as it alerted myself and my party to a tasty post match non-burger option...sat in under the picture of Bob Marley and Mick Jagger that adorned one wall. Jerk Chicken meal deal and can of cold Red Stripe £14. Friendly Spurs fans at next table. Rating out of 10 - Bambaclart

You might want to revise that rating

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Think of it as a micro Crawley in architecture and don’t bother

Well done, instantly killed my yen for going there. Sounds like l dodged a bullet, possibly quite lieterally!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Bat and Ball, Westfield Stratford

The GLDHI and I met up here with some friends who’d driven up from Sussex for a pre-game snifter and a bite to eat.

Beer: they have Neck Oil on tap; job’s a good’un.
Food: barely passes that description. Never, never, NEVER eat here.

Given the way we played, the thing that I’ll remember is the journey home.

We decided to get an Uber home to avoid a 2-hour multi-tube/train ride. After some difficulty physically uniting car and passengers due to post game traffic conditions, we set off. Apart from experiencing some of the worst driving I’ve ever seen (driving straddling both lanes on a dual carriageway, lights on full beam constantly, and continual acceleration/deceleration even when maintaining a constant speed - so much so that I wondered whether the driver had a violent twitch in his right leg), the most notable occurrence was the conversation.

“Do you live round here?”, I offered as a starter for 10 shortly after being picked up
“Yes, Edmonton”
“Do you like it? I don’t know it at all”
“It’s ok. I’ve only been there for a few months. I sell drugs, and used to live in Hackney. The police asked me to move to Edmonton to help improve Hackney’s reputation”
“Umm. OK”

Pause

“I expect they’ll ask me to move somewhere else soon. Edmonton is getting posher”
“Umm. OK”

Pause

“Would you like a spray of this perfume?” He continues, picking up a bottle of some unidentifiable liquid. “You just spray it on your face”
“No thanks” said rather quickly
“Are you sure? It’s very good”
“Yes. We’re good thanks”

We get home.

Oh, and seriously, never eat at the Bat and Ball in Stratford.

Well, if we're doing Saturday and weird.....

Burger King / The Signal Box - Euston Station

Please bear in mind this is just me and my 15 year old son. We're staying in the glamourous* Euston Premier Inn. Dump the bags and The Boy is hungry, Trip Adviser says there's a decent Nepalese just round the corner but it won't open until 90 mins before kick off. And The Boy wants a burger.

I travelled a fair bit from Euston by train before lockdown, for work, and I know that there is a Prime Burger on the upper level. It is licenced. It will therefore serve the boy's craving for a burger and mine for pre-match booze. But, it is closed. Yes, at 5pm on a Saturday in one of London's busiest stations. "I can see a Burger King".

I know I'm copying your phrase here Goldstone but, really, FFS.

Two Whopper meals later I still haven't had a drink so I decide we are going to the Signal Box to watch a bit of the Rugby. The telly is on with the sound off and sub titles over the score. At least they have Hophead, perhaps the only time I've been glad of the Fuller's takeover.

On the table in front of us is a man. He has a bald head and glasses and is dressed perfectly normally apart from the sporting of a pair of women's brown cowboy boots. He has two half finished pints of Guinness. No one ever sits in the seat the other one is in front of.

Two people walk in, a young lad with either his sister or girlfriend. The man with the boots approaches them.

"Would you like a light sabre?" he asks the young lad. Astonishingly the answer appears to be "yes" as boot man delves into a bag and produces a light sabre. He switches it on. It's a red one. Then he gives the kid a Jedi cape. Kid is now swishing a light sabre around Euston's only pub, dressed as a Jedi.

Boot man looks at us.

"You can't go wrong with a light sabre"

Me - "erm....."

Him - "picked it up for £50 from a Star Wars shop in the West End".

Me - "and do you take it everywhere with you?"

Him - "No of course not, but today I thought I'd go up to Scotland and buy a tractor. By the time the train got to Preston I was bored so I turned round and headed back. I had my bag nicked though. Well, I say nicked but there was this other feller with the same bag and it might have been mine. He's over there (indicates other half drunk Guinness) but he was very drunk and I guess he's disappeared. Oh, hang on...."

And with that he gave the kid a suit of armour helmet and began to take pictures of kid and female companion, now with a red light sabre and a metal helmet, for their social media.

We left and got the tube to Seven Sisters. "What the hell just happened?" asked the boy.

I can equally pass on a recommendation never to eat in Burger King. But please do drink in The Signal Box if you're ever there, far more entertaining than the game!


*cheap and full of scousers

 

[WATFORD zero]

Think of it as a micro Crawley in architecture and don’t bother

Well done, instantly killed my yen for going there. Sounds like l dodged a bullet, possibly quite lieterally!

It's never been the same since they drained the goldfish pond about 50 years ago. Southwick, I don't know whether Crawley ever stretched to one

 

[Machiavelli]

Something's contagious on this thread