Papa J 60 Peel Road Whealdstone HA3 7QU

Full menus and history of Papa J are given at the website

http://www.papajs.co.uk

I have been to this 6c eatery once before and was happy indeed to get the opportunity to visit again on Saturday.  This place describes itself as an  Indian Tapas Restaurant and Bar which is quite unusual in itself as Tapas are Spanish and the portions are generally quite small so you can hope to get 5 or 6 down.

 

At Papa J, however,  the food is generally south Indian and I suspect that even the heartiest eater would struggle with more than 3 of the dishes.  They look quite expensive at first until you take the size of the portions into account.  Depending on what you have, 3 dishes and a couple of beers could cost you up to £30 but for a restaurant this is not bad.  As a bonus, and a very welcome one at that, you get real ales including Adnams and IPA when I visited, as well as the usual wine list, lager, tea and coffee etc.

 

I had a dish called Chicken 65 regularly available on south Indian menus.  I don't know why it is called chicken 65, maybe someone can leave a comment and tell us!  I also had garlic mushrooms which were fried in very thin crispy batter and included plenty of chillies.  My Keema Nan was also fresh and generously stuffed with mince meat.

 

The people I visited with live near Papa J and visit quite regularly.  I would too if I lived near by because although Papa J is a restaurant it manages to keep a reasonably informal pub atmosphere.  Staff are helpful and I am pleased to say that there is no problem taking guide dogs here either.  Full menus and prices are available at the website given above.

 

I have no hesitation in giving Papa J an 8 out of 10.  The only thing that may let it down is that for those into South Indian cuisine, there is not every dish that you might expect to find in  a typical south Indian restaurant.  Don't let this stop you visiting however!

 

 

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Bavarian Beerhouse 190 city road london EC1V 2QH

I visited this place last Thursday with a few friends.  We were going there primarily for the food and a couple of beers.  we were hoping to have some good food a few drinks and a chat but it seemed the office party thing had already got going and there were a few groups of people generally making a lot of noise.  We were near a speaker which was cranked op a bit to make itself heard over the noise. a CD of Christmas "favourites" like Feed the World, Frosty the Snowman etc. Not for me!!!

 

We were approached reasonably quickly by a person who said she was our waiter for the evening.  We struggled to hear her but finally got drinks ordered and it took 10 minutes for them to arrive.  Not a good start at all and with the noise etc I was tempted to walk out at that stage.

 

Well that's the bad bit of this entry out of the way because from this point onwards everything was good.  Yes it was a bit difficult to be heard but staff were helpful.  They came to each of us and asked what we wanted and in the main they even remembered who had what.

 

The food and beer are a little pricy for sure but the quantities of food were massive.  One of our group had a pork shank big enough to feed 3 hearty eaters.  I had a spiced sausage platter as a main that came with 5 different sausages,  some nicely balanced but thick stodgy mashed potato shot through with cheese and sauerkraut which brings a welcome bit of bite to cabbage.  There are some decent desserts as well including Apple Strudel, and Bavarian pancakes with raisins.

 

Beer was also pretty decent.  Most of us opted for a dark wheat beer which was tasty and generally went well with the food.  It is available in half pints pints or litre mugs called Steins.              

 

The menu here is quite limited and there is only one starter and one main for vegetarians but the quality of what there is available is excellent.  The helpfulness of the staff and the quality of the food certainly outweigh the general noisiness of the environment.  I don't know how busy it gets when there is no party going on, but on the day we were there I would give quality of food and helpfulness of staff 8 out of 10 but the atmosphere of the place gets a 2 because of the noisy party and dreadful Christmas music, all before the end of November! 

 

There were 3 guide dogs with us by the way and this caused the staff no problem at all which is another thing in favour of the Bavarian Beerhouse.

 

You can read full food and drinks menus by visiting the website  http://www.bavarian-beerhouse.com

 

I certainly hope to go back here in the not too distant future!

 

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tea on first great western train

I am on the way to exeter as i write. I thought i would try the food in the restaurant car.
I started with a cold platter of duck and chicken with a few cold vegetables which have sort of a cross between sweet pickle and light curry marenade. The main was rack of lamb with leeks carrots and potatoes in a mild cheese sauce.

For desert i chose cheese and biscuits. This included edam, stilton mature cheddar and brea.
There was also celery and apple.
The meal also includes coffee and i also had a bottle of house white as well.
This came to just over 40 pounds which is 10 pounds more than i would want to pay but i must keep in mind that the food is being prepared and served on the train. The quality has been excellent and the staff have been helpful and friendly.
Lots of business people eat on the train regularly and like it. There is an old guy behind me who the staff call doctor so i assume he is one and that he is a regular traveller.
I would certainly recommend this if you have to go away for work but are afraid of missing dinner.
Alternatively start a holiday in the southwest with a loved one with a meal to pass the time on the way down
This is a little expensive but given the unusual setting and high quality and ample quantity of food along with decent service i would give this one 8 out of 10.

godfrey's bakery 6 south street romford essex

Godfrey's bakery is a small chain of shops based in hornchurch in essex with shops round about.
I visited with 2 friends while in romford and had to return the next day as i forgot my bag.
This is am unremarkable bakery in some ways but staff do cook fresh meats each day and you can eat them in a sandwich, with salad or with roast potatoes.
Sandwiches were well filled and contained a generous helping of meat.
The first time i visited there was the choice of gammon or pork. On the next day there was also salt beef.
I had an apple strudle 4 pudding which was very full of fruit.
I also had a sausage and a steak and kidney pie which were a little poor quality and lacking in meat but the sandwiches are top quality.
This shop also has plenty of seating at the back and it is guide dog friendly. It is nice to find a reasonable baker that also allows you to sit in to eat. It's a pleasant change from the usual chain shops found on all hi streets.
Over all i give it 7 out of 10 and would recommend godfreys if you are shopping in the area.

La Cafeteria 841 Forest Rd London, E17 4AT

This is a lunch time venue that I would classify as an expensive cafe.

 

It cost me £15 for an egg, tuna and rice salad followed by Pasta with olive tomato and chilli with cumberland sausage and then a coffee followed by a large orange juice.  In reality the starter was as large as the main however.

 

Staff here were really friendly and helpful.  There was no problem about reading the complete menu to me and they were also happy to ring a  cab to get me back to the station as I was in a part of Walthamstow that I have not been to before.  The food seems to consist of english typed breakfasts and lunches with a broadly Mediterranean style.

 

The food was not really unusual, of really high quality or of exceptionally low or high price but it was plentiful and I would be happy to eat there again.  at £15 for 2 large courses it is pricy for a lunchtime eat though.

 

The friendly staff and very acceptable food leads me to give this place a mark of 7 out of 10.

Pride of Asia, 207 Mile End Road, Stepney Green, London

        This used to be a decent curry restaurant which shut about 2 years or so ago.  It used to sell decent curries that were well cooked though not always as hot as I might like.

 

I awaited the reopening of the Pride of Asia this Tuesday with great interest.  Sadly, I was sorely disappointed.

 

The Pride of Asia now calls itself a "Grille Restaurant".  It sells Barbecued chicken, Sikh Kebabs, Lamb Chops, and something they call 'White Chicken'".

 

This seems to be one of the latest crazes in local Bangladeshi restaurants, and there are at least 3 others within 100 yards selling very similar food, but these other places also sell curry though it is generally extremely greasy!

 

At the Pride of Asia I asked for a half of barbecue chicken which came with a rather soggy Nan bread and limp lettuce with some equally sad tomatoes.  They wanted £6 for this and the scabby chicken had hardly any meat.

 

I also asked for Sikh Kebabs.  These are the sausage shaped Indian style kebabs made from mince and spices.  I got 6 short pieces of kebab which equated to about 3 that you would more usually get in a typical take away or restaurant.  Again, a portion of limp salad but this time with mint sauce.  they also wanted £6.00 for this.  So in general the food was no better than that served in the array of scummy greasy chicken places that dominate the Stepney Green part of Mile End Road.  It was about 50 % more expensive however.  The person who served me came up with the excuse that the Pride of Asia is a restaurant so it is more expensive.

 

They are just copying the poor quality of the local food in surroundings that look nicer.  I will not be back there unless there are considerable changes and would advise all who read this to avoid this place and other local emporiums such as the Real Taste of Halal, the Halal Barbecue and Grille and a range of perfect fried chicken shops that also sell curry.  You can also check out the Spice hut and the Spice Cottage if you really insist!  For me by the way the Spice Cottage is just about the best of these places as it does a few different dishes and curries have been consistently tolerable though a bit greasy still.

 

These are places where local Bangladeshis seem to eat regularly.   Usually I think that, for example, if people from Pakistan like a Pakistani restaurant it is likely to be quite good.  .  This does not seem to apply to Bangladeshis in Stepney Green and the surrounding area.   here I prefer eating in a more traditional drunks' curry house such as the Passage to India which is at least consistent.

 

Yes as you gather I think Pride of Asia is very poor!  can't give it more than 3 out of 10 I'm afraid and they should be thankful that it's morning and I'm not tired or in a bad pessimistic mood!!!

eatery eastmount street whitechapel

This is a sandwich shop which also sells caribbean food.
I went there with a friend and had ackee and saltfish and a lamb pattie. A pattie is a bit like a pastie but spicy.
You also get white rice or rice and peas with your main dish and fried plantain is also included.
This place does not advertise itself well and The Eatery is not a very descriptive name but the portions were large and the food was of very acceptable quality. The main meals cost 4 pounds 50 pence which is great value. I have not yet tried the sandwiches but i will do.

There are far too many places in this area selling chicken and chips with poor quality greasy curry and yes the local bangladeshi young people seen to love them.
The eatery is a welcome breath of fresh air and i hope it does well. I certainly give this place at least 7 out of 10 and if i continue to get good service this score can only increase.

Rocket Pizza 61 Mile End Road, Stepney Green London

This Pizza place has an average unremarkable menu and it is my nearest Pizza delivery place.  You can also eat in.

 

I had a thin crust large pizza from there yesterday and I have to say I was severely disappointed, with the pizza base in particular.  It was soggy and greasy and generally rather unappetising.  Either the Pizza or the Jalapeno chillies with cream cheese I had for starters gave me the craps too so I am generally severely unimpressed.  If you want a delivery then spend a pound or 2 more and go for something like Dominos instead.  There are 2 chicken places near me that also do Pizzas and while these are not perfect they are cheap and you gain nothing through going for rocket at all.  Leave it well alone!!!

 

caribbean flavours, Theatre Royal, Stratford East London

    Caribbean Flavours is a restaurant in the bar of the Theatre Royal,Gerry Raffles Square, London, E15 1BN

 

 

This is simply some of the best value Caribbean food available.  Dishes include Jerk Chicken, Oxtail, curried goat and various different fish such as Salmon or King Fish.  Dishes are served with Plantain salad and plane rice or rice and peas.  These main dishes including the rice cost no more than £7.00 and you get a massive plateful.  There is also a restaurant outside called the Caribbean Scene which also appears in this blog.  There may be les choice at Caribbean Flavour, but I must say that the value for money is better.

 

There is free entertainment in the evenings, so if like me you prefer to chat and eat rather than enjoy a gig while you eat then watch when you go.  Food is served until about 08:30 in the evenings and starts at mid day.    The bar is open until 11 PM in the week and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.  Drinks are a little expensive but quite reasonable for a theatre bar.  There is no pressure to see a show in the theatre if you just want to go and eat.

I thoroughly recommend this restaurant.  The value for money is great and staff are friendly and helpful.  People have also eaten there with guide dogs and they have been no problems that I am aware of.

 

The Jolly Porter, St. David's Hill, Exeter

This pub has recently had its kitchen taken over by people who cook Thai food.  Staff were helpful about reading the menu and dishes included a range of starters and Thai soups as well as Thai favourites such as green, red or Yellow curry and various stir fries.  You can also have burger and chips as well as other bar snacks.  Expect to pay about £10 for a starter and main from the Thai menu.

 

I have eaten here twice and have had 2 different curries as well as a soup and sweetcorn cakes for starters.

 

sure, this is not the best Thai food I have ever had,but it is competitively priced and compares extremely favourably to other pubs I have been to in the country which sell Thai food.  The Jolly Porter is opposite the Great Western Hotel which has also featured in this blog.  It is a very welcome alternative in the area which helps to broaden choice.

 

 

Donato's, The Royal Beacon Hotel Exmouth Devon EX EX8 2AF

This is an Italian restaurant in the cellar of the hotel. I attended this restaurant last week with 2 friends.  We each had 2 courses and a bottle of house wine between us and 2 of us had a liqueur coffee.  It cost us about £26 each and the portions were massive.  I kicked off with beef with Parmesan Cheese, a dish called Bresaola.  I followed this with Nocchi served with meat sauce.  Nocchi are small potato dumplings.  I asked them to put some chilli in the meat sauce and they certainly obliged with a good spicy dish.  The portions were massive and I had to leave a bit.  I deserved a caning on the spot for that!  My friends had soups.  One had a Pizza for main and the other had a seafood dish with spaghetti and both said the food was excellent.

 

Staff were really friendly and I would highly recommend Donato's if you are in the area and want to celebrate a special occasion or just treat yourself. 

 

 

sue's snacks queens road brighton

I often visit this place if i go to brighton for work. This is a no nonsense snack bar which sells basic sandwiches and breakfast food.
Today i had 2 bacon 2 sausage 1 egg mushrooms a slice of toast and coffee. This cost 5 pounds. The sausages were fat and very meaty 4 sausages from a cafe and the smoky bacon was well cooked. The fried egg came with the yoke hard which is how i like it. The toast was thick white bread. The coffee was average instant coffee though quite passable. For 5 pounds this is great value 4 somewhere so close to the railway station.
The woman who runs it along with her partner joe is really called sue it seems. Her voice sounds like she is about to peg out or burst in to tears and joe somethines breaks out into random song. They are both a little etcentrick perhaps but the food is great quality.

phoenix pub denmark hill

This is a pub next to denmark hill station. I think the entrance is actually on windsor walk.
This pub sells a lot of moroccon food such as lamb tagene With couscous and spicy moroccan chicken stew as well as a salad with humus green beans egg onion olives and mixed leaves. I had this light dish as i had eaten a big breakfast.
The pub also sold more traditional dishes such as steak and chips or sausage and mash.
Beer was nothing special with no real ale but this is a decent food place as near as you can get to denmark hill station.

chilli cool lee street kings cross london

I visited this restaurant on friday night with some friends. This used to be called the golden dragon but now it specialises in food from the cheszuan region of china which uses a lot of chillis in cooking.
In china little is wasted and i could not resist pig's intestine with chilli and ginger as a main. It was a little fatty but strongly flavoured and very spicy.
I had beef and ox tripe as a starter which was also spicy and nice.
We had 2 guide dogs with us and i am pleased to say we got in without any trouble.
I rated this restaurant quite highly. The food was unusual though many standard chinese dishes were also to be found. Portions were generous and of high quality though food did not come at the same time which meant people were kept waiting sometimes.
It cost about 25 pounds per head 4 2 courses and 3 drinks. We did have far too much rice and could have shared which would of course reduce the price.
I give the chilli cool 7 out of 10 and highly recommend it, particularly if you like spicy food and want something a bit unusual.

caribbean scene restaurant jerry raffles square stratford london

This is a new restaurant near the theatre. Most of the well known caribbean dishes such as curried goat and jerk chicken are present as well as burgers and other snacks. I visited this restaurant with a friend last saturday and had salt fish fritters followed by roti bread filled with curried goat.
The goat was not on the bone so it was easy to eat. This was followed by lemon sorbet which was strongly flavoured and sweet.

The starters were a little small but main dishes were generous. Service was friendly and efficient. I would give this place 7 out of 10.
It is a bar and restaurant and it can be a little noisy and it is not cosy 4 sure but food is good and service friendly. Expect to pay about 25 pounds 4 free courses and 2 drinks which is quite competetive.

tea on national express east anglia

I decided to have tea on the way home from norwich today. Starters included mushroom soup mellon and parma ham,. I had the mellon. Mains included fillet steak, vegetable tart, some kind of fish and rack of lamb.I went 4 the lamb which came with see wine gravy mushrooms and onions. You could order more vegetables if you wanted them.
I didn't want sweet. It came to about 23 pounds which included half a bottle of see wine.In short it was quite expensive but the done was good and the service was excellent.

toffs indian lounge wellington street luton

This is the first curry place i have been to in luton. I had alu tika and lamb jalfrasi with pelau rice. This came with a coffee 4 a lunchtime price of £6.99 which is a good price.Staff put the curry and rice on one plate without needing to be asked which was good. The sauce had peppers onion and chilli in. It was thick but i think it was a packet job and overall i give it 6 as staff were helpful. Would not go a long way to visit it but would not be too dissappointed if a friend wanted to take me there.

country line buffet kings lynn

This is the independently run cafe on kings lynn station. I had a full english breakfast for £4.20 which consisted of 2 smoky bacon, 2 sausages,2 eggs,a hash brown, beans tomato mushrooms 2 slices of bread and butter and a mug of tea or coffee. This is really good value no matter what the quality. I would say the quality of the food was certainly at the very high average level and the sausage was far from shabby. It was quite meaty and certainly as good as any mid range supermarket brand and better than anything you would get in a chip shop.
The only poor thing was the coffee which was poor quality instant.
Even the bread was thick sliced though it was a fairly basic white loaf.
Staff were very friendly and i would thoroughly recommend this as a good basic none pretentious station cafe.

maidenhead station sandwich shop

I went 4 a sandwich from this shop a week ago after an assessment. This is an independent station outlet outside but joined to the station. Unusually had a lanb sheek kebab. Very pleasant. The beget it came in was fresh and lots of good salad too.

original plough chelmsford

I visited this pub on the way back from chelmsford. It is right next to the station. Not much interesting about the pub itself really. A few real ales including hopback summer lightning that was expensive and only just drinkable.
This pub was however renamed 3 or 4 years ago apparently and made into a theme pub but after the initial rush it did not do well so it reverted to being the plough.
This is good to see at a time when proper pubs are east disappearing. It will have to keep its ale better though if it wants the attentions an camra.

lubanna african/caribbean restaurant 343 Cambridge Heath Road Bethnall Green London E2 9RA

I visited this restaurant yesterday evening with a friend.  I had Suya, dry spiced goat meat cooked with onions and tomatoes, to start with followed by an African soup with spinach served with beef.  I chose Cassava with this and also had a portion of fried dumplings.  There was plenty of food there.

 

The starter was excellent and spicy.  The dumplings were nice and in general the main was good though the beef was rather tough.  This does seem to be a characteristic of Nigerian restaurants in my experience.

 

The menu here is quite small but the dishes are well prepared and staff were certainly extremely helpful with explanations if required.  the menu is a cross between Nigerian and Caribbean.  It sells the Caribbean things like Jerk Chicken, curried goat etc and it does Nigerian food like Pepper Pot Soup, Jolof Rice etc.

 

This restaurant also sells a range of bottled beers including Nigerian Guinness, and a range of cocktails.

 

I enjoyed my meal here and would give the place an over all value of 7.  It does lose a mark for that slightly tough beef but I would recommend it as the food is generally fresh and of good quality.

 

You can download menus and get other information from the website at: Http://www.lubanna.com

 

 

 

Red dragon Halal Chinese Restaurant 86 mile end road

This is a chinese buffet run by people from bangladesh. All the meat is halal and lots of muslims eat there and love the novelty of it.
Prices for the buffet are 5.95 for lunch and 7.95 in the evening though food is the same at all times.
In brief the starters were rubbish and mains not bad 4 the price.

Since this time I have been back there once or twice. If you are on a budget this place could be quite good but it smells damp and as the food is left standing around if people do not eat it this is a serious turnoff. The cold wind of Environmental Health needs to blow through this restaurant before I would consider eating there again. This is my updated view as of January 2009!

great western hotel exeter

Hi all.

 

I regularly visit a friend in exeter and use the Great Western Hotel.  This is a hotel but it is in many ways like a pub.  There are a good few locals as well as staying guests.  The Hotel is known for its range of real ales.

 

The Great Western Hotel has a restaurant and a bar menu which are quite different.  In the bar there is a main menu and a specials board.  Dishes on both tend to be reasonably traditional though the specials board is a little more adventurous.  Dishes on the specials board have included Cajun Tuner Salad with bread and butter, New Zealand mussels with prawns in a salad, lemon chicken on Basmati Rice, Home Made Faggots with mash, etc.

 

Well over easter the Great Western chef decided to go all out mad.  I don't know if the cold was getting to him but one of the meals was 3 lamb chops placed on a belgium chocolate waffle topped with home made onion rings.

 

If you've ever had a belgium chocolate waffle with ice cream or maybe used a waffle stall somewhere you will know that they are very  rich and smothered with chocolate.  This sat very unusually with the lamb chops which were in fact minted as well.

 

An interesting experience and I'm glad I went for it though it really was as odd as I expected it to be.

 

Rama Thai, 208 Mile End Road London

This restaurant provides a relatively small selection of thai dishes that are well cooked, flavoursome and reasonably priced. I attended this restaurant on 9th February, 2 days before my birthday. there were 10 of us and while this restaurant prepares food pretty quickly for up to 3 or 4 people, it does take rather a long time for larger groups. Most people enjoyed their food but did think it took rather a long time. I had a spicy mushroom soup as a starter followed by Weeping Tiger as a main which is chopped steak smothered in a wickedly hot chilli sauce that did the trick just fine. Coconut pancakes and a whisky coffee finished things off just nicely. We paid approximately £25 each for 3 courses, a liqueur Coffee and 2 beers each which is a pretty good price for a thai restaurant. The place is also guide dog friendly.

I would recommend this place, but only for groups of up to 5 people.

If this condition is met then I give it 8 out of 10 as prices are cheap and food decent and well cooked.

Passage to Indea Stepney

I ate at the Passage to India at 49 Mile End Road Stepney Green this evening.  In short, I would describe this as a typical fairly run of the mill white man's curry house.  It is fully licensed, carpeted and after your meal you get the obligatory hot towel and after dinner mint.

 

As starter I had a portion of Sheek kebab.  These were sizzling hot an reasonably well spiced.  Often, particularly in some of the cheaper eateries around Stepney these can taste not exactly in their prime of youth.  I am pleased to say that these, like the rest of the food here, were fresh.  They came cooked with a few onions and peppers.

For main I had a Lamb Tika Madras with Special ?Fried Rice.  This curry was fresh enough but it had a little too much tomato for my liking and while it was quite hot there was not as much real body and interesting mixed spice flavours as I would like.  The lamb was nice and tender and reasonably fresh though again it maybe could have been a little more tasty.

 

Over all I suspect there is quite a lot of packet sauce used here but it was all fresh.  Sometimes it tastes as though powdered curry mix used is old and the stuff is passed it's sell-by date or it has been kept in damp conditions.  The rice was actually quite nice.  It was lightly spiced but really flavoursome with plenty of peas and onions in it with just enough egg.

Lastly I had a brandy coffee which was a bit disappointing. the coffee was very sweet but it did not taste much of coffee.  Cheap instant coffee I would say is the order of the day here.

 

Over all the service was just about acceptable but there was little willingness to go through the menu in detail and the person who served me either didn't understand or couldn't be bothered to read any specials part of the menu there may have been.  This is all too typical so I knock off a point for this.  the total cost was £18.50 which in my opinion is average.

 

Over all, this is a reasonably tolerable place you could take someone to eat.  It's basic and may not suit a real curry lover but you won't come out of there feeling angry and resentful either.

 

Over all score: 5/10

Leons 33 Villiers Street

I visited this eatery on Friday 11 January after doing an assessment nearby. 

 

I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed.  This place did after all win a runners up award in the radio 4 Food Programme awards held recently. 

 

I had Chicken Nuggets to start with.  This was just pieces of grilled chicken with a few bits of vegetable.  There was only 3 small bits of chicken and
there was no batter or spicy coating so to me they were not in fact chicken nuggets.  I expected good quality chicken in a batter that is as healthy as
batter gets anyway! 

 

For main course I had a vegetable curry and Basmati rice.  This was actually quite pleasant and was sort of a cross between a thai curry and a south indian
vegetable curry.  not particularly hot but then they do have to cater for a wide variety of tastes. 

 

I then had a drink consisting of fresh ginger, lemon and mint.  this worked surprisingly well.  As I still felt a little humgry I had a home made ginger
beer and a falafel wrap. 

 

Falafel is supposed to be served in balls.  That is how I have always had it and internet reading also suggests this is how it should be served.  This stuff
was like a thick paste and the wrap was not that filling.  I would rather the falafel wrap you get from Pret A Manger. 

 

So the starter and wrap were a bit disapointing.  the total for that lot came to about £14 and, considering it came in a take away box with
plastic knife and fork, even though I ate in, I thought this was a lot to pay.  Admittedly this is not one of the main Leons restaurants where the food is actually made but even
so for me this was not award winning food.

 

Martin Roberts Blog

Visit the blog of Martin Roberts. This has bits about technology but also a number of musings about whiskey beer and food so it is most definitely related to this blog!

Visit www.mproberts.co.uk

Salad +soup, Paternoster square

I visited this place on Friday on the way back from near the Old Bailey where I
was doing an assessment.  It is just around the corner from ST Pauls tube station.I found this cafe to be a real gem and somewhere I
will certainly revisit.

When I got in there I asked that question "what food do you sell" at the
counter.  at this stage I wasn't even sure of the name of the place i had
entered exactly.  The question "what food do you sell" often throws people and they just say something stupid like "everything". 
but the person who helped me just told me soup or salad so I asked her to
tell me about the soups.

They vary from day to day but on this day choices included Mexican
vegetarian and tomato and Basil as well as Bengal tomato or winter
vegetable.  I opted for a meat soup though which was a Toulouse sausage with
spicy vegetable.  I then asked about salads and the person who served me
went through the list.  I opted for a large salad bowl containing mixed
lentils and jalapeno peppers, a Thai mixed vegetable salad and a Spanish
Chorizo sausage with butter beans salad.  I then had pear juice and a
coffee.  I found this lot filling and the cost was just over £7.  Kate who
served me did a good job and I heartily recommend the place.

The soups are really thick and full of bits so they are like a stew almost.
The salads were good and fresh and there did not seem to be too many boring green salads full of tomato mixed lettuce leaves and a bit of cucumber.

 

It's nice to visit a place with good reasonably priced food and helpful staff.  There is also a youngs pub next door called the Paternoster. 

golden dragon mile end road stepney green london

This is my nearest chinese take away and I viseted most recently on Saturday
29 December. Staff there are helpful and prepared to go through the menu.
The food is probably the best in the area though that does not say too much.
They are not scared of cranking up the chili when asked. The menu is fairly
standard really but it does include a small selection of Thai dishes and it
does sell squid prepared in various sauces. My favourite option is squid in
sea salt and chili which is dry and hot and good as a starter.

Barbecue Express Wood Green

I visited this small take away and eat in place after an assessment just off Station Road not far away. This is your typical london bangladeshi owned type of place (not sure where the owners are from but it's the right part of the world). I went for Lamb curry with lentils and I asked for it hot. I got something nice and thick without too much oil that tasted quite fresh. I had a portion of lamb chops as well which were nice in the kind of indian take away lamb chop way without being anything exciting. The salad contained olives, onions, peppers, cabbage, lettuce and tomato. and a nice chilli sauce was provided for smothering.

This little lot came to £7.50 including a can of diet coke which I thought was decent value. Over all I give the place 7 out of 10.

Good points include good fresh well cooked food and not too long a wait.
Against, it was very difficult to get the staff to go through the menu. This is in part due to poor english but half these people wonder why blind people are out on their own and why we have not all been maried off. This may feature later but for now, I was once asked why I wasn't married off. I said to the guy "I'll take yours if that's OK then". It ended what was a stupid conversation anyway!!