Latest reviews by VictoriaR's friends

National Express East Coast Train Line - review by Hugo

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:23:18 +0000

National Express East Coast Train Line - review by Hugo

Rating: 3.0

Location: On the train (various), , London, United Kingdom

Website: http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/On-Board-O

Tags: relaxing, time-wasting, train, ambience

I thought it might be worth an entry about eating on the East Coast Railway Line, recently taken over by National Express.

I'm not sure how many people know that if you get a bargain-basement economy ticket (book well in advance on the web) then you can still go and eat in the pucca dining restaurant which is set up in the first class format. It is something of a bargain way to spend as much time in what feels like a traditional lap of luxury. The trick is to then eat as slowly as possible and savour your environs for as long as possible.

I must confess, you need to be a little lucky with the menu and hope for a good soup. Some of the food is grim - the pasta was like a student slop - but the odd thing is actually rather good, including the Salmon fish cakes and the vegetarian pies. Ok, so the food is not the main thing and it is obviously over-priced, it is more the ambience and traditional railway setting to while away the journey from one end of our country to the other.

The odd thing is that it is curiously relaxing - a rare occasion when you hope that the service is not too fast.

Afterwards you get complimentary tea and coffee (if you are lucky may get a biscuit too).

Collingwood Arms Hotel - review by Hugo

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:54:43 +0000

Collingwood Arms Hotel - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: Main Street, TD12 4UH, Cornhill On Tweed, United Kingdom

Phone: 01890 882 424

Website: http://www.collingwoodarms.com/

Tags: tasty, country style, gastro-pub, local produce

The Borders is somewhat bereft of easy places to eat out, especially where the food is tasty and offers good value.
The Collingwood Arms Hotel has recently been spruced up, so that it has a contemporary and fresh feel to it. I'd been recommended it as a place to eat by a few local folk who gave it the thumbs up. It was with some anticipation that I trundled off there to eat with some friends.
The menu is encouraging with a raft of local foods and is especially cheery for carnivores as there are a raft of meat eating opportunities.
It was with some disappointment that the starters landed in front of us. The seafood Mousse worryingly didn't taste very seafoody and the rather hard/ spongy pink thing didn't much resemble a mousse. Other appetizers looked equally miserable.
However, spirits were lifted and everything was redeemed with the main courses - which were great gastro-pub style food. The winning dishes tried were an enormous fish and chips (pictured), a wild mushroom risotto (with some huge Chanterelles) and an apparently succulent duck with red cabbage. Lots of happy eating noises and relief.
So, it may be a tip to miss out on the starter and go for a main course. Nobody ate a desert, to the jury is out on that front...

The Greyhound Inn - review by Hugo

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:30:48 +0000

The Greyhound Inn - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: , RG8 8ER, Reading, United Kingdom

Tags: relaxed, mature, standard pub food, beer garden, traditional pub

A handy pub with the lowest ceilings I have experienced. I practically had to crawl to the bar (yes, i was sober).

Despite a very basic menu the food was surprisingly well prepared and thoughtful. Chips were crispy, tartar sauce came in a little pot (no irritating little sachets), a veggie burger came in a fresh roll and the salad was complete with lambs lettuce/ tasty dressing. A cut above what my taste-buds and stomach had prepared me for.

A little on the quiet side but the staff were super-friendly and more than compensated.

If you are passing by then it is worth a go.

The Woodman - review by Hugo

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:04:11 +0000

The Woodman - review by Hugo

Rating: 5.0

Location: 45 Wild Hill, AL9 6EA, Hatfield, United Kingdom

Tags: relaxed, mature, beer garden, traditional pub, independent pub, friendly

The Woodman has a local reputation for simplicity, sociability and above all top quality Ales.

I had a pint of IPA that was pure nectar but apparently the real guest ales are worthy of long cross country walks to sample.

Let's hope this pub never gets gentrified as its old fashioned rugged charm and beer garden is a country classic.

Bottoms Up!

Babylon at the Roof Gardens - review by Hugo

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:14:20 +0000

Babylon at the Roof Gardens - review by Hugo

Rating: 3.9

Location: 99 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7937 7994

Website: http://www.roofgardens.com

Tags: tasty, gardens, views, swanky

Maybe I was lucky and chose my food well or maybe it was the cheery spirit of a friends birthday lunch or maybe it was a beautiful blue skied September day: Kensington Roof Gardens was simply ace.

I have not been here for a while and when it is a clear sunny day, it is a wonderful place to rise above the hubbub of London, have a drink on the balcony and cast your eye across the cityscape.

I had the Eel and Horseradish appetizer - wow and double wow. I would go back for that alone. I also had some soup envy on my right - looked rather winning.

A fun place for a treat.

Il Convivio - review by Hugo

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:35:30 +0000

Il Convivio - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.5

Location: 143 Ebury St, SW1W 9QN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7730 4099

Website: http://www.etruscagroup.co.uk

Tags: italian

I thought i was fairly familiar with the restaurants in the area but had never spotted nor been here.

I was impressed by some very tasty spagetti a la bottarga. I would go backto try other dishes and recommend it to others to try.

The restaurant has an airy back section to it with a glass ceiling, which is pleasant.

On a weekday lunch-time it was exceptionally quiet, so not quite sure when it's busy time is but will have to go back to find out.

The Harvest - review by Hugo

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:20:50 +0000

The Harvest - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: 44 Brattle St, MA 02138, Cambridge, United States of America

Phone: (617) 868-2255

Website: www.harvestcambridge.com

Tags: cosy, upscale, serious, tasty, outside

A good friend with good local knowledge in Cambridge ushered us into the The Harvest, which apparently is an old classic in the area.

It has an unassuming entrance but don't let that fool you. It has a modern but calming and stately design with a very pleasant outside area with heaters.

Good one to have up your sleave. Oh and I did I mention that the food was super tasty too? Excellent soup and scallops to follow (see photo).

Spicy World - review by Hugo

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:11:29 +0000

Spicy World - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: 76 Wilton Road, SW1V 1DE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7630 9951

A surprisingly good Balti curry-house. Very friendly and rather hopeless staff add to the character of this Indian restaurant.

I had a delicious King Prawn Balti, that came with trimmings. I'll be back.

The Phoenix - review by Hugo

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:37:46 +0000

The Phoenix - review by Hugo

Rating: 2.4

Location: 14 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7834 3547

Tags: relaxed, not gastro pub, gastro pub, beer garden, friendly

Oh dear, it is not often I do a stinker of a review but I feel forced to pull one out of the bag. The reason: The grimmest serving of Tuna I have ever had. I am naturally greedy (I fear), so it is rare if I don't eat up all my grub but, in my book, this was inedible. The tuna just tasted wrong, rancid if my imagination was not over-doing things, the risotto was suspiciously bland yet gloupy (sorry hard to explain) and the sauce was untouchable, a sickly yellow squidge that I wouldn't eat if you paid me.

To be fair other things about the Pheonix food experience were ok: the waitress was attentive and friendly (the main reason I feel slightly guilty for this review in fact) and others claimed some of their food was ok. Apparently the steak was pretty darn good but I got rather mixed reviews on the other dishes - salmon (same sauce as mine I noted) and a chicken dish.

In summary it seemed like it was trying to be a gastro-pub without the passion for the gastro. It sounds unkind but it seemed like they were going through the motions without the product at the end. Love to hear about any contrary and more uplifiting experiences. After all this is a potential local for me but one thing is for sure, I would never, ever, order the tuna here again.

The most popular feature of the Pheonix pub, I should note, is that it allows people to drink outside over an extensive area of the street (spilling out of a smaller beer garden type thing at the back).

Ulbster Arms Hotel - review by Hugo

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:06:51 +0000

Ulbster Arms Hotel - review by Hugo

Rating: 5.0

Location: Bridge Street, KW12 6XY, Halkirk, United Kingdom

Phone: 01847 831641

Website: http://www.ulbsterarmshotel.co.uk/

Tags: comfy, refurbished, scottish food, fisherman

The Ulbster Arms Hotel has built itself a reputation as the hotel for fisherman in Caithness and anyone else for that matter, pottering around Caithness.

The hotel itself is probably mostly used by fisherman on Thursoe (as stunning local Salmon river) but after a recent tasteful refurbishment, new management and a new chef, there is a diverse set of guests at this charming hotel/ restaurant.

I stayed here for 4 days and had some superb food including lobster, fresh haddock/ poached egg for breakfast, fresh lemon sole, venison casserole and much more besides.

The local area, especially up by the loch at the top of Thursoe is wild and utterly stunning.

The hotel caters across a range of options from some cheap cabins to some very pucca new double rooms with large baths actually in the rooms and views of the river, which is quite fun.

The Green Stag - review by Hugo

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:28:43 +0000

The Green Stag - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA, Helmsdale, United Kingdom

Phone: 01431 821 102

Website: http://www.bridgehotel.net/cgi-bin/rez60load.pl?0001/ab0001.html

Tags: excellent, game, scottish, wild

A delicious pit-stop meal, just passing through the Bridge Hotel in Helmsdale.

An excellent Red Deer Stew with mashed potatoes and beans. As simple as that and thoroughly delicious. If you are passing through this neck of the woods, either for a few days or on your way oop North to John O Groats then this is worth a pitstop.

They also seem to do a raft of other foods and have all sorts including fresh lobster.

They pride themselves on using local produce and there is some wonderful stuff around this neck of the woods.

Harrow Inn - review by Hugo

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:43:25 +0000

Harrow Inn - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: Steep, GU32 2DA, Petersfield, United Kingdom

Tags: relaxed, unspoilt, beer garden, traditional pub, local

The Harrow is a local country pub next door to where I went to school. It has always had a legendary status as a traditional and unspoilt local pub. What is rather remarkable is that nothing has changed, literally nothing: the loos, the menu, the owners, the garden, the parking....a time warp of unspoilt unkempt charm.

I just returned there the other day for a cricket match and was touched by its humble simplicity and stubborness to move with the times. Sadly a dual-carrageway has cut through the landscape within a stone's throw but despite this it remains a bastion of a British way of life and pretty much an-affected. Perhaps most remarkable is how the menu has been identical for decades: split-pea, lentil and ham soup, ham ploughmans, cheese ploughmans, cottage pie and, well, that is about it. Gastro-pub this is not. However, all the ales are served directly from the barrels and the tiny pub rooms are uncompromisingly....small and pokey: perfect.

The pubs notably stoic approach to maintaining its unspoilt charms do not go un-noticed as this year it won most unspoilt pub of the year award:
http://www.goodguides.co.uk/NationalWinners2008.htm

So, if you are in the Petersfield area and fancy a pint then pop-in to the Harrow. You should not be disappointed with your traditional pub experience to remember the good old days. You probably would not drive there to eat but after a pint or two the food seems excellent.

Le Caprice - review by Hugo

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:10:09 +0000

Le Caprice - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.4

Location: Arlington St, SW1A 1RD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7629 2239

Website: http://www.le-caprice.co.uk/

Tags: lively, london institution, professional, excellent, tasty

This establishment has a reputation for a reason: It is professionally run and has truly excellent food.

The restaurant is chocca in the evening and has a lively vibe. Whilst it may be a little noisy for those who don't like to raise their voice the quality of food and ambiance let that potential irritation pale into insignificance.

Le Caprice's food is so good that i think i could honestly eat it every day of my life. I had a light but exceptionally tasty meal: Cold beetroot soup with horseradish (mmm, perfect) and then arguably the best blue fin tuna I have had - luscious and thickly chopped tuna steak on a bed of cleverly spiced lentils that were astonishly complimentary.

Monitoring closely the other dishes around the table, the soft crab appetizer looked a winner, as did the juicy helpings of scallops.

All in all, highly recommended.

(Punters should note that doing anything as vulgar as photographing your dinner party is utterly banned, which I personally find a shade OTT and potentially pretentious but I am in a surprisingly forgiving mood after such tasty food.)

The Wheatsheaf - review by Hugo

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:56:07 +0000

The Wheatsheaf - review by Hugo

Rating: 4.0

Location: Main Street, TD11 3JJ, Swinton, United Kingdom

Phone: 01890 860 257

Website: www.wheatsheaf-swinton.co.uk

Tags: friendly, scottish, traditional, tasty

I got a word-of-mouth recommendation from several locals for this restaurant in Swinton. I believe that more than anything there just aren't that many tasty places to eat out in the Borders. Being an urbanite who is making strides to become more rural (at least part of the time) I am still slightly slow to drop my eating out tendencies...so was keen to try out The Wheatsheaf.

The entrance window of the restaurant leaves you in no doubt that they have their share of awards and the location is charmingly opposite the village green. The amosphere is quite formal but extremely friendly. We were sat down at the bar and our orders taken from there, which seemed pleasantly old fashioned. It was a Monday night and absolutely empty, so not really a fair test (worth bearing in mind on busier nights - don't blame me if v different!).

The menu was excellent, with a raft of staple local Scottish meats and fish. I ate a tasty timbale of cold 'hot smoked salmon', prawns and other bits-n-bobs. I then had a very tasty halibut. My fellow dining comrades ate local beef and lamb, which was by all reports quite good. Good presentation, in a modern style but not too intricate/ fancy so as to be irritating.

My inclination is to say great service, pleasant atmos, tasty food: probably a 3.5 star but erring on the side of 4 for goodwill (and the fact that there arn't many options around here).

Pilgrims Coffee Shop - review by Hugo

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:17:05 +0000

Pilgrims Coffee Shop - review by Hugo

Rating: 5.0

Location: Falkland House, TD15 2SJ, Holy Island, United Kingdom

Phone: 01289 389 109

Website: http://www.pilgrimscoffee.com/

Tags: friendly, charming, amazing brew, garden, coffee, family run

Passion makes a difference and 'Pilgrims Coffee Shop' is a case in point. This family run tea room on Lindisfarne is a highly recommended spot to rest your weary feat and quench your thirst after a wander out to the castle or around the battered Abbey. Holy Island is a treat of the Borders region and if you make it here then you should remember to come here too.

The setting was wonderful as the cafe has a charming walled garden with plenty of seating that is a sun-trap (if you are lucky enough to have sunshine like us, remember you are not visiting the Borders for the weather - as a man in a local shop reminded me).

The family run cafe should surprise you with the quality of their coffee (truly excellent) and their home-made cakes are a winner too. Unfeasibly friendly you can just tell that the family team care about what they are doing. If you want convincing then take a look a their fun website as I did.