Top Chef, 14 Berry Street , Liverpool L1 4JF

I was staying with friends in Liverpool over the weekend and on Sunday we visited the Top Chef for lunch.

This cafe sells a bit of everything including jacket potatoes, roast dinners, a full range of breakfasts and a number of different kebabs  as well as burgers, sandwiches and salads.

I had a special mixed kebab which was served with rice and a pita bread.  the large pitta bread was slightly toasted and it was warm and slightly cooked without being over brittle.

the meat included chicken, lamb and Kofta.  the lam and chicken were quite high quality with the  kofta being a little soft and not quite up to the mark.

The lamb was quite thinly sliced but it was propper meat and not too tough. the chicken was acceptable while not being the highest quality.  The chicken was still quite ok however.

Another of my friends had a liver kebab which was thinly cut pieces of liver in a spicy sauce containing tomatos.    I was tempted by this dish and I believe Another friend had the mexican burger which he said was not the highest quality nmeat but the sauce really made it.

No main meal at this cafe cost more than £6 and most cost around £4.00 so over all the value for money of this  cafe is excelent and the quality is at least at the very high end of average.  Staff were also quite helpful.

Over all I would give this restaurant 6 out of 10 on what I have actually tried there.  This mark could increase if 

Graham Page
Home Phone: 0207 265 9493
Mobile: 07753 607980
Fax:  0870 706 2773
Email: gpage@useit.plus.com
MSN: gabriel_mcbird@hotmail.com
Skype: gabriel_mcbird

Akbars, Minerva House 16 Greek Street Leeds LS1 5RU

I visited this curry house recently on a trip to Leeds. It was not the
cheapest I have ever been to but the food was excellent.

I started off with 2 starters! Each came with a salad of mixed leaves,
olives, cucumber, peppers, onion, sweet corn and a few chick peas. I had
Liver Tikka and Chicken Shami Kebab.

The liver tikka was chicken livers marinaded in spices including ginger
garlic and coriander and cooked under the grill. It was mouth-wateringly
tender, quite spicy and really flavoursome.
The chicken shami kebabs were burger shaped and fried so they were crispy on
the outside. Again, bursting with flavour and really spicy.

For main I had Lamb Handi with garlic nan. Lamb Handi is slow cooked lamb
in a spicy rich sauce. Bones are included for extra flavour so you need to
be careful but this is what a curry should be. I could identify bits of
spices and there was a proper sauce rather than a pool of grease which is
what too many of the local curry houses in London serve up.

The garlic nan bread was also extremely fresh. It was hung vertically on a
rack placed in the middle of the table hung by its top as though it were
hanging up in a shop! It had plenty of garlic in it and it didn't go soggy
even when it got cold.

I paid about £21 for 2 courses and a beer which is not the cheapest but the
food was of high quality and you pay for what you get! I would have liked
the choice of a large bottle of Cobra perhaps but that's a minor criticism.

More information and menus as well as location of other Akbar restaurants
can be found at
http://www.akbars.co.uk

staff were very helpful and spoke a decent level of English.
I would give this restaurant 9 out of 10 and highly recommend it.

midnight cookies

This is an online store selling cookies, ice cream, other desserts and some dishes with fresh fruit.  They also  sell hot and cold drinks. 

 

They deliver until 1 in the morning and the website is http://www.midnightcookies.com.

 

Thanks to Caty Colman for alerting us to this in her facebook status.

 

A few people are trying these and I will let you know if the store is as good as it’s made out to be.

 

The Oxford 256 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2AA

                The Oxford   this pub is near Kentish Town   underground station.  Exit the station, turn left and it is the first pub you come to about 100 yards away.

 

This pub has a website which is:

http://www.theoxfordnw5.co.uk/
 There is a link for food but not drink.  When I visited this pub about a week ago there was the choice of 2 beers from the St Austell  brewery called Proper Job and Tribute.  Proper Job is a really nice hoppy beer and I am pleased to say it was kept very well.

 

The food is a bit along the lines of a typical gastro pub where for example you get hand cut chips  (not including part of the hand, hopefully ) Pan fried Pork and various meats in Jus, what happened to Gravy?  I actually had the steak sandwich with hand cut chips which was quite large.  The steak was particularly tender and indeed the chips were home made.  That meal came to  £8.00 which is not too bad.  Other main meals at lunch time include rib eye steak and chips which costs about £16.  Most dishes are round about £10.  There’s more to choose from at night but the prices go up!

 

As gastro pubs go the Oxford is definitely one of the better ones.  Staff were very helpful and they read the menu out to me willingly.

 

Over all I give this pub 7 out of ten.  Portions were generous and helpful but I have a pet hate of pubs such as the Oxford that describes itself as the Oxford Pub and Dining room.  It’s really a restaurant that sells real ale of which I’m in favour but don’t pretend it’s a pub!

Graham Page

Home Phone: 0207 265 9493

Mobile: 07753 607980

Fax:  0870 706 2773

Email: gpage@useit.plus.com

MSN: gabriel_mcbird@hotmail.com

Skype: gabriel_mcbird

 

Byrons 222 Kensington High Street, London W8 7RG

Byrons is a chain of burger restaurants located in Central London and the west end.

 

I was looking for somewhere to eat in the Kensington area and checked this place out as I assumed the  prices would be reasonable as this is just a burger place after all.  It is a posh McDonalds.

 

For what it is, the prices are staggering in my view.  This is listed in the Time Out magazine cheap eat section but I don’t think it belongs here.  There are a few places in that guide that are cheap compared to a posh restaurant but not at all cheap  for what they are and Byrons is an example of this.  More information including the locations of the 7 restaurants in the chain and  the menu can be found at:

http://www.byronhamburgers.com

 

When I visited I had the 6 ounce classic burger which costs £6.25 on its own.  This is quite a lot to pay for a basic burger.  The quality of the burger was good.  The meat  was not too dry.  The salad was lettuce, onion and  tomato  with a little mayo.  The pickle was just a gherkin  on the side of the plate.  This was perfectly acceptable though the price was a pound or 2 over the odds but quality was well above average.  Its the side orders and some of the drinks that really crank up the price.  I had a Cream Soda which cost £2.75 and was just a standard can that you could get for 60 pence or so in a sweet shop.  I got caught out by that and decided not to go for any other side orders.  Chips were £3.00 and fries were £2.75 which is robbery in my opinion.  Someone heard me asking about the courgette  fries and offered me one to try.  Thanks for that!  These were just courgettes fried in breadcrumbs.  They had no flavour at all. Definitely glad I did not buy them.  In the end I went to Starbucks which may feature in a future post despite it being a chain.

 

Over all I can’t complain about the quality of the food but its far too expensive.  It Byrons is also licensed to sell alcohol  and this may help push up the price.Staff were generally helpful and they were prepared to read all the menu to me.

 

Price is really what drags my mark down here and despite the much better than average burger I can only give Byrons 6 out of 10.

TheOval Lounge, 24 Clapham Road, The Oval, Kennington, London SW9 0JG

on Sunday I said good bye to my laptop and met my friend that I passed it on to along with her friend with whom she was staying.  The Oval Lounge is quite a trendy bar restaurant that serves a wide range of bottled beers and some on draft though I was on coffee after a gentle beer or so the night before!  I am glad to say that the coffee was of decent quality.

 

This pub sells a decent  range of food that I would describe as modern British which means British with a silly twist such as crispy leeks which means they can bang up the price!

 

The food in this bar is not cheap.  Roast lamb with the trimmings cost just over £11.  The lamb was of high quality and was advertised as being Welsh lamb.  There were various vegetables including carrots broccoli and shallots as well as courgettes that tasted as though    they had been cooked in vinegar.  Generally though the veg was well cooked.

 

The roast potatoes were rather a disappointment.  They tasted as though they had been roasted and then put in the microwave.  This gets rid of all their crispiness and this is the whole point of roasting potatoes in the first place.

 

Generally,  the portion size was excellent.  The lamb was generous and thick.  There were plenty of vegetables  and though the courgettes were not to my personal liking I would say that the only part of the meal that let it down was the potatoes.  At this price I expect everything to be of decent quality.

 

One of The 2 people with me had Tuna Steak and mash with Crispy Leeks.  She said the tuna was good and the mash was excellent.  Tuna is easy to overcook so this is good news.  She said the crispy leeks were paper thin and crispy but pointless.  I think they were more there for decoration which is a shame as they were the only veg with the meal.

 

Coffee was over £2 a cup and a pint of admittedly real apple juice cost over £3.50

 

The staff were very helpful and more than happy to read the menu.  This counts for a lot if you go out with friends or for a business meal when you want things to just go smoothly without a hitch.

 

I would give this place a 7. It was let down by price and the roast potatoes and rather pointless way in which leeks were served.  I would visit this place again I think.  It is only about 3 minutes walk from Oval Station.  For anyone interested its out and head right, over a couple of side roads.  Someone suggested I should put some brief directions in my blog and that’s a good idea I think.

 

rocket diner, 556 Mile End Road, MileEnd, London E3 4PL

Rocket diner describes itself as an american restaurant. It sells Steaks,
TexMex food such as Enchiladas, Fajitas and Chili concarne, a few pasta
dishes, burgers and of course chicken!

I will try something from all categories more as a labour of love than
because of any deep yearning to go back to the restaurant. I have been
there twice and I would say the staff have been helpful. the music has
varied from modern R & B and rap to 80s and 90s rock. The music can be
quite loud so if you don't like the music playing at the time its no fun.

The food takes about 15 minutes to arrive in my experience, slightly less
sometimes but its obviously cooked fresh in the main which is good. It's
another halal place so no ribbs available as a starter unfortunately.

The first time I visited I decided to try a burger. I don't havfe burgers
very often but I've lived in the area for over 12 years now and I recognise
the burgers that a lot of these places buy in or at least the meat they use.
There's quite a high beef content I think but it's seasoned to hide the fact
that its not that tasty. The seasonings are quite subtle, just a touch of
mixed spice perhaps and probably salt but the result is quite uninspiring.
Stupidly I went for a topping that included cheese and I'm not a great lover
of processed chese I just didn't remember how processed the cheese would
probably be when ordering. The fries were totally unremarkable. they are
also sold in a lot of the local places and they are just cotton wool! The
salad included a bit of cabbage, lettuce tomatoes, onion, peppers and
cucumber. I also had to ask them not to cover it in mayo. It's fattening
and as far as I am concerned its bland and just unnecessary

That visit was friday and the next visit was Yesterday, the sunday. This
time I made my visit the main feed of the day and opted for Barbecue Chicken
Strips for starters, and an Enchilada with spicy rice as a main. i had a
diet coke to drink which came in a glass bottle. at £1.50 a pop its not
cheap compared to the food prices

The chicken was a real disappointment. It was cooked far too much, to the
point where the chicken was tuff and somehow dry even though it was
smothered in barbecue sauce which was actually nice with not too much
vinegar in it. The chicken was plentiful but nearly inedible. If this was
fresh meat they had cooked it far too long. I suspect it had been cooked
and warmed up more than once and I joked on facebook that it may have been
seagul. Some chav could end up gunning you down in anger if you serve that
rubbish too often!

The Enchilada and spicy rice was better and edible at least though again it
wins no prizes. the Enchilada is a filling with chilli sauce rolled up in
something like a flexible pancake. traditionally I believe they are made
from Corn. It was a foot long and as wide as a thin baggett. there was
loads of filling and I didn't really need the rice. The filling was mince
meat and a bit of salad and sauce and while it was plentiful and quite spicy
I couldn't have told you what the meat was. I suspect beef but that is more
by texture than taste. It could have been just tough old chicken!

The spicy rice was a little tangy and was full of bits of onion, and other
vegetable possibly carrot. It was spicy but not particularly subtle. I
ended up leaving a bit. I was quite full and certainly bored by the end.

Apart from the chicken I can't say the food I had was awful. It was just
uninspiring. I'm going to put the chicken strips down to a mistake but I
didn't really want to wait around while more were cooked.

Staff were very helpful on both visits . They were fine about leading me
to a table and seemed happy to read out the basics of the menu . They all
seemed to have reasonable enough english which is by no means always the
case!

So in short, food was a bit uninspiring but the staff were helpful so at the
moment I would give Rocket Diner 5 out of 10.

I don't know if I'll be able to do the pasta dishes. If its just Spag Bol
or Lasagne I just don't think I've got the heart or the resolve to plod my
way through something that will have probably come out of a cheap packet. I
will see what the steak is like next visit.

#End

The Clinton Arms, Maer Lane,Littleham Village, Exmouth, Devon EX8 2RL

This is a medium sized pub not far from the Sandy Village holiday complex
where many holiday makers visiting Exmouth stay.

While the Clinton does advertise locally to attract these people, it also
has a strong local trade and identity which is a combination rarely achieved
in seaside pubs. This is made possible in part by a number of separate
rooms. There is a restaurant where families can dine as well as a family
room and play area for children out the back and a more traditional bar area
where you get few if any young children.

This pub sold real ale in the form of Otter Ale and Courage Directors. I'm
not a great fan of Directors but the Otter was pleasant enough though
perhaps served 2 cold.
Myself and 2 friends ate at the Clinton last week. I had Garlic Mushrooms
in White Wine Sauce for starter which was very plentiful and it came with a
nice newly warmed crusty roll with plenty of butter. I would have liked the
sauce to be a bit more garlicky perhaps but that's just personal taste. My
friends did not have starters and judging by the size of the portions I
can't blame them. I had Swordfish in Cajun Butter as a main which came with
a choice of salad or veg and a choice of potatoes. My 2 friends had Gammon
and chips (known as hammy) and Liver and Bacon.

Again the portions were generous. my fish was well cooked with enough of
the Cajun butter to help enhance the flavour of the fish without ruining it.
The salad was quite varied. It contained Coleslaw, Raw cabbage, lettuce,
tomato, cucumber and peppers. I would have liked a little onion too. The
hammy came with peas and the liver with carrots, peas and cauliflower as
well as mash.

The only real complaint I have about my meal was the roast potatoes which
were a bit soggy and had a slightly burned taste as though they had been
cooked on an old grill with lots of stuff charred to it. they were nearly
inedible. The chips that came with the gammon were frozen rather than fresh
but of decent quality. The mash was good though perhaps a little
flavourless. My friend liked the liver but thought it was a bit dry as
their was not enough gravy.

The food at the Clinton is not bad but when you pay 8 or 9 pounds for a main
you should expect the quality of the food to be high and consistent. These
are after all heading towards restaurant prices and this is well outside
London so food should be cheaper. while portion sizes are good, I am a
little concerned about overall consistency.

Staff were generally quite helpful and over all I give the Clinton Arms a
mark of 6 out of 10.

Café Isha, 115A Roman Road, London E2 0QN

This is a restaurant offering lebanese and bangladeshi food under one roof.
I visited there yesterday.

My friend had Salmon and I had what was supposed to be beef steak made with
chef special sauce. both dishes came with rice, lebanese bread, corn on
the cob and Coleslaw. Chips came on a plate on the side. The quantity was
very plentiful and I would say I got over half a pound of steak.

The member of staff who served us started off very quiet and hesitant and i
thouggt she may have trouble understanding what we wanted but that turned
out not to be a problem.

The chips were also good and crispy. Service was also quite prompt.

The positives stop here though I am afraid. My friend's salmon was half raw
and had to be sent back. to be fair, the staff did not question this but
they did not apologise either.

My steak was really tough. It may have seen some spicy marinade in its
youth but it had been very well cooked since then and I was having trouble
cutting it. i did not finish all the steak as it gave me jaw ache! I
cannot recommend these house grills on the basis of what we ate. it really
was 2 extremes. Fish was almost raw and steak was massively overdone and
tough.

So, while staff were friendly and the stuff that came with the grill was
good, the meat and fish themselves were poor.

I therefore give the Cafe Isha 4 out of 10 due mainly to poor food.

The Grove, The Esplanade, Exmouth, Devon EX8 1BJ

The grove is a Young's pub in Exmouth which sells most of the Young's beers
and a changing range of local cask ales too. Myself and 2 friends went
there yesterday for lunch. The beer seemed to be generally kept well so no
complaints there!

This pub was recommended by a number of people but over all I was not that
impressed though I would not object strongly if I had to go there for a work
do or something similar.

The only starters were a soup of the day and a bread selection to share.
This seemed ridiculously limited to me. My friends had a roast turkey and a
roast beef dinner and I had a Guineafowl schnitzel which consisted of
guineafowl marinated in lemon and time then cooked in breadcrumbs. It was
served with sweet potato wedges and a salad garnish.

The schnitzel was well cooked and fresh. I got less than a handful of
sweet potato wedges. The wedges were well cooked and using sweet potatoes
was a nice twist but I would have liked more for what I paid. The salad
garnish of a small sprig of parsley, a few shredded leaves one segment of
tomato and a couple of small slivers of cucumber in a mustard dressing was
acceptable but uninspiring. I feel a more varied salad might have been
more appropriate.

One of my friends left some of her roast so I got a chance to try it. The
potatoes were quite well cooked. they were reasonably crispy and nice and
soft in the middle. The vegetables were a real highlight and they were
gorgeous. There were leaks, Carrots and red cabbage in a slightly tangy
white sauce and the vegetables were not too over cooked. The turkey also
came with home made stuffing which tasted as though it had sausage meat in
it. This was also very pleasant and went well with the meat.

The meat itself was a real disappointment. The turkey was cut very thin and
I am told the beef was little better. We got in the pub for half 1 and had
booked our table for 2. we actually ordered slightly earlier than this and
people who got served 5 minutes after us were told there were no roasts
left. I don't know if they sliced the meat very thin because of this or if
they always slice the meat that thin but I don't care. for the price we
paid, £8.95 this practice is unacceptable. If there was not enough meat
left we should have been told when we ordered and offered an alternative.
I have rarely had meat this wafer thin since I was at school!

Two of us had the cheese selection for pudding. Again, this was slightly
disappointing. We got some stilton, some mature cheddar and some Brie
cheese with a pile of water biscuits, celery and grapes with real ale
chutney. This sounds quite a feast and there was indeed about quarter of a
pound of cheese. this was almost bigger than the main meal and it should
have been listed in the platters section of the menu rather than the dessert
section as 2 people could have easily shared it. There was the choice of
buying a dessert for a pound if you chose to eat the roast but the cheese
selection was not included so I don't believe it belonged in the dessert
section at all.

The cheese selection should have come with butter for the biscuits. There
should have been a range of biscuits included, not just one variety of water
biscuits and though there was a lot of cheese it was unadventurous and it
was all cut into similar sized triangles suggesting that perhaps it came in
a preprepared pack.

It took us 3 quarters of an our to get our meals and we were not warned of
the delay. I know it was Easter and I know it was busy but surely this is
to be expected. I will probably give this pub the benefit of the doubt and
try it again on a quieter Sunday but in a seaside town like Exmouth any
Sunday can be busy if the weather is good.

In short, the vegetables that came with the roast and the stuffing were real
highlights of the food we ate. Main courses were small for what we paid and
the portions of the meat served with the roast dinners were miserly. The
cheese selection was uninspiring and in the wrong part of the menu.

Staff were courteous but the food was a little over priced and the service
was slow. The Guineafowl cost £11.50. the roast dinners were £8.95 and the
cheese selection cost £5.95

I therefore give this pub 6 out of 10. I paid London gastro pub prices but
the food was not good value for money though everything was quite edible.