Latest reviews by dzr

Ragam

dzr — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:34:40 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 57 Cleveland Street, W1T 4JN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7636 9098

Tags: lively, good value, crowded, indian

A hidden gemRagam has been an old favourite with my foodie friends for a long time now, and used to be a closely guarded secret. These days the secret is out and Ragam seems to be in every guide to eating out in London, and is consequently packed to the rafters. Despite that it's still very much worth a visit. It's pretty tiny, and it won't exactly win any awards for its decor (although calling it shabby would be a little unfair) but the food really is excellent. Some time not too long ago they chose to focus the menu specifically on South Indian specialities such as dosas -- a crispy tortilla-like pancake made from lentil flour and stuffed with all manner of deliciousness. What came off the menu was the Rogan Josh. Now you may very well question the sanity of ordering a dish that can be had in any Indian restaurant across the country in a restaurant with a specialist menu like this, but the truth is that Ragam's Rogan Josh is like no other I have ever tasted and is frankly to die for. It was with some relief then that when I asked if they still did it, despite it not being on the menu, our waiter smiled warmly and said "Of course!"

Alimentum

dzr — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:54:03 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 152-154 Hills Road, CB2 8PB, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Phone: 01223 413000

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

Tags: french, expensive

Exquisite dining comes to central CambridgeCambridge has very few really good restaurants, and for too long Midsummer House has had almost no competition. Alimentum changes all that. It may not be in the best location, and from the outside certainly looks like a more likely venue for a Nandos, but once inside the sleek modern decor and chic, simple ambience overcome the unpropitious exterior. The food was quite simply exquisite. The starters of smoked eel served with a salad of bacon and quince, and hand dived scallops with turnips and caramelized walnuts, followed by braised pork belly with parsnips, shallots, and spiced pork sauce, and slow cooked Denham Estate venison with celeriac, carrots, and gratin dauphinoise, finished off with honey crÃ¨me brulÃ©e with chocolate dipped honeycomb were perfection itself. The wine list is excellent.

Eating in Cambridge is generally such a woeful experience that I honestly worry whether there is a market for somewhere like Alimentum to survive. If, like me, you've been aching for somewhere like this to eat in in Cambridge then I strongly urge you to go as soon as possible in case it ends up not being there at all anymore.

Peking Restaurant

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:21:20 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 21 Burleigh Street, CB1 1DG, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Phone: 01223 354755

Tags: chinese, family & home feel, good value

Don't judge a book by its coverThis tatty looking place serves some of the most astonishingly good Chinese food I've ever eaten. Friends of mine who've spent time in China attest to its authenticity. It is about to move new, and hopefully more appropriate, premises soon, and hopefully then it will get the recognition it deserves.

The Human Be-In

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:12:08 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 2 West Crosscauseway, EH8 9JP, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Tags: cool, bad service, cocktails, cafe, bar, restaurant

Good cafe bar, terrible serviceAs it's pretty much my local I'd probably go here even if it wasn't actually a pretty nice cafe bar, but luckily for me it is. The food is nothing spectacular but inexpensive and reliable (although having said that the sausage and mash really is very good). The coffees are okay, and the cocktails are average. But it makes up for most this by having a nice ambience and a good location. The one thing that does bug me is that often (it depends who's working) the service is just hopeless. I'm a regular customer there and yet I've lost count of the number of times I've popped in for a quick coffee in the afternoon when it's pretty quiet and sat there for over ten minutes waiting for someone to even notice I was there, let alone think that it might be a good thing to ask me if I wanted to purchase anything. That kind of thing annoys me, and normally would make me not ever go back, so the fact that I do means that Human Be-In must have something going for it.

Villager

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:02:46 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 49-50 George Iv Bridge, EH1 1EJ, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 226 2781

Website: http://www.villager-e.com

Tags: cool, lounge bar, cocktails, food

For those about to lounge, we salute youJust a classic bar. Very Edinburgh. I've never eaten here, but the food looks pretty good. Excellent music, very eclectic. Good crowd. Good cocktails. It's hard to describe really; modern lounge meets classic style. It's just damn cool.

Waterfront Wine Bar

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:53:09 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 1C Dock Place, EH6 6LU, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 554 7427

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

Tags: romantic, british, seafood, good value, french

A classic Leith experienceThe Waterfront Wine Bar and Grill, sister establishment of Skippers Seafood Bistro, has both a conservatory for more traditional dining overlooking the Waters of Leith and a snug bar area with secluded tables for more intimate dining. Specialising in seafood with a kind of Franco-Scottish theme and a commitment to local produce and traditional Scottish dishes, you're free to have anything from a quick pint at the bar to a three course meal. You must try a bloody Mary oyster shot.

Skippers Bistro

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:39:45 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 1A Dock Place, EH6 6LU, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 554 1018

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

Tags: romantic, british, seafood, good value, expensive, french

Great Seafood BistroSkippers Seafood Bistro, sister establishment to The Waterfront Wine Bar and Grill, was one of the first seafood Bistros to open in Leith during the early stages of its gentrification in the 80s, and, along with The Waterfront and The Shore, is one of my favourite restaurants in Leith. The menu changes twice daily and is entirely informed by the day's catch. The Cullen Skink, the Shetland mussels, the Loch Etive oysters, and the Arbroath smokie reflect the commitment to local produce and traditional Scottish fair, and the rest of the menu is Franco-Scottish seafood and game. The restaurant has a lovely ambience, and shares with The Waterfront some outside seating by the Waters of Leith for when the weather is more clement.

The Shore

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:46:36 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 3 Shore, EH6 6QW, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 553 5080

Website: http://www.theshore.biz

Tags: lively, gastro pub, seafood, good value, crowded, french

Beautiful pub serving great seafoodThe Shore is a lovely prize-winning 18th century wood-paneled pub, overlooking the docks, with a wonderful cozy atmosphere, a roaring coal fire in winter, and tables on the pavement outside in the summer. You can eat at the bar, or choose to eat in the dining room from the longer a la carte menu. The food is Franco-Scottish, with an emphasis on seafood and game. Probably one of my favourite places to go on a Sunday.

Hanedan Restaurant

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:31:41 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 41-42 West Preston St, EH8 9PY, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Tags: lively, family & home feel, cheap eat, good value, crowded, turkish

Simply wonderfulChef Gursel Bahar has created a wonderful, friendly, inviting little restaurant, and the food is simply exquisite. The chargrilled lamb cutlets are to die for (Gursel sources his meat very carefully), and the moussaka is one of the best I've ever had. The service is so friendly, and Gursel cooks at the front of the restaurant, greeting everyone as they enter. The food is ridiculously cheap, but don't let that fool you (along with the dreaded word "kebab") that this is anything like a kebab shop. Everything I've eaten here has been the kind of thing I would have willingly paid twice as much for. I highly recommend it.

Original Khushi's

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:57:18 +0000

Rating: 2.9

Location: 9 Victoria Street, EH1 2HE, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 220 0057

Website: http://www.khushis.com

Tags: lively, cheap eat, good value, crowded, indian

Edinburgh's oldest Indian restaurant gets revampedI first discovered Khushi's back in its days in Drummond Street. Back in those days Khushi's was a little diner, with formica tables, and none of the dreadful decor and faux "days of the Raj" nonsense that many Indian restaurants still indulge in. Instead it was the home of the finest Punjabi home cooking I've ever tasted. There were very very few dishes on the menu: a couple of lamb dishes, a couple of chicken dishes, and maybe four or five vegetable dishes. The advantage to such a small menu in an Indian restaurant is that all the dishes have been cooking and marinating for hours, and you could really taste it. The food was simple, but just exquisite. I'm not sure if this is really correct, but I believe the chef was the Mohammed brothers mother: Indian home cooking indeed!

In 1999 they moved to more modern premises at Potterow, and slightly revamped the menu. All the original dishes were still there (marked with an "Original Khushi's" icon) but supplemented with some new dishes that their larger more modern kitchen made possible.

In 2006 they moved again to their current location on Victoria Street. I'm afraid to say that they are "Original Khushis" in name only. The food really is still very good, and if I'm going to eat Indian food in Edinburgh I would probably choose Khushi's. But it's just not the same anymore. The menu is enormous in comparison to days of yore (although still nowhere near as ridiculously big as many other Indian restaurants). My main concern with that is that I just cannot believe that the dishes have been marinating and cooking slowly for hours and hours. Also the whole ethos of the menu is now much more modern Indian cooking, and frankly all that does is make them harder to differentiate themselves from the many other good Indian restaurants in Edinburgh. Basically, I miss the old Punjabi home cooking. Ironically the Lamb Bhuna is one of the only original dishes still on the menu, and last time I was at Khushi's and tried to order it my waiter strongly suggested I have something else!

I wish the Mohammed brothers the best in their endeavours. The restaurant is still very good. But I'm afraid to say that I miss their Mum's cooking. If you read this guys is there any chance I could come round for tea one day?

Cumberland Bar

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:25:39 +0000

Rating: 4.3

Location: 1-3 Cumberland Street, EH3 6RT, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 558 3134

Website: http://cumberlandbar.co.uk/

Probably the best traditional pub in EdinburghNo music, no fruit machines, television only for special sporting events, bare wood floors, traditional real ales, a roaring coal fire in winter. What's not to like?

The Basement

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:22:25 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 10A-12A Broughton St, EH1 3RH, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 557 0097

Website: http://www.thebasement.org.uk

Tags: bar, tequila, mexican, bistro

Great bar, good foodOne of my favourite Edinburgh bars, down in a a basement at the top of Broughton Street. It attracts a twenty-something to thirty-something crowd and is blissfully free of the West End and George Street crowd of financial services types, footballers and page three stunnas, and manages to stay largely free of students.

The food is mostly mexican, but with pub grub favourites such as posh fish and chips and an excellent steak pie, and the bar sports an incredibly impressive range of premium tequilas.

Buffalo Grill

dzr — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:41:19 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 12-14 Chapel Street, EH8 9AY, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 667 7427

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

Tags: american, family & home feel, cheap eat, good value, steaks, crowded, burgers, lively

An Edinburgh institution disappointsI've lived in Edinburgh for 18 years, and for all of those 18 years Buffalo Grill has been a favourite place for lunch and dinner. Serving very good chargrilled burgers and steaks they source good quality meat and do what they do well, which is basically recreate an American diner experience.

Despite being a very satisfied customer for many years, I'm sad to report a very noticeable downturn in quality of late. The meat is still excellent, but the side orders are just getting worse and worse. It started a couple of years ago, when I noticed that the fries/chips were no longer as good as they used to be. On my last visit, just a couple of weeks ago, the fries were unmistakably from frozen catering pack fries. I thought I had been smart in asking for a baked potato instead, and was frankly horrified to be presented with a microwaved potato. There really is nothing quite as revolting as a microwaved baked potato. Even worse was our suspicion that the corn on the cob starter had been microwaved as well. What could be simpler than popping a corn cob in a pan of boiling water for five minutes? The normally excellent shrimp tempura was also disappointing: more chip shop batter than a light and crisp tempura.

Buffalo Grill used to be the kind of place I'd take friends who were visiting for a weekend on their last night, and more often than not they would vote it the best meal of the weekend in preference to the considerably fancier restaurants we'd been to. Sadly that is no longer the case. If it was just a one off disappointment I'd be willing to put it down to an inexperienced sous chef, or some such. But the downturn has been a recognisable trend for some time now. Besides which, what excuse could there possibly be for a microwaved baked potato or corn on the cob?

With the current wave of gourmet burger places and just about every decent bar and pub offering homemade burgers and steak frites, if Buffalo Grill doesn't smarten up its act it's going to find itself out of business. I really hope they manage to get back to their former glory days.