Favourite Restaurant

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 30 Mar 2006, 20:57

Poppy wrote: Saw notice in Blue Bean re evening meals FRi & Sat - diff menu every week, open til 10 and BYOB.

Observant as ever, Poppy.

See BC's post a few back up the page

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 30 Mar 2006, 21:03

ecm wrote:
Poppy wrote: Saw notice in Blue Bean re evening meals FRi & Sat - diff menu every week, open til 10 and BYOB.
Observant as ever, Poppy.

See BC's post a few back up the page

Ha! But more info there tonight than was there at the weekend

BC never mentioned the times nor the change of menu - so there.

Novastar · Post by **Novastar** » 31 Mar 2006, 09:35

Porty wrote:I shared a double bed with Gerry once in Moffat, we were almost total strangers.It was the night Los Angeles Raiders won the suprebowl in 1985(?)I reminded him about it recently at Living Well and he had forgotten!!! I was hurt.

Chicago won it in 85 (Superbowl XX). 46-10 against New England. The year of William "The Refridgerator" Perry, Mike Singletary and the greatest defense the world has ever seen.

LA was 1983. Think they beat Washington by loads (30 or 40 something to 3 or something like that).

Will dig out my NFL facts and figures book tonight and find the score

Sorry if that made you feel 2 years older than before

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 31 Mar 2006, 14:22

83? OMG it can't be.

I seem to remember Marcus Allen played a superb game.

And Chicago in 1985 does sound correct. William Payton was the star of that team and the QB Jim McMahon. Payton died about 8 years ago. An outstanding athlete. The fridge? He was called that because of his size but I recall John Madden claiming the reason was; when he closed the door your lights went out.

Jackson Priest · Post by **Jackson Priest** » 31 Mar 2006, 21:18

bearcub wrote:I see from an "advertisement feature" in the EN today that Sizzlers will be changing it's name shortly to.....drum roll please maestro........."Select"

Ha ha ha! Select! Does that refer to their 'selective' entrance policy - ie not allowing in children in buggies into their empty restaurant on a sunday morning?! Ha ha ha!

JP.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 31 Mar 2006, 21:29

Portly said

I reminded him about it recently at Living Well and he had forgotten!!! I was hurt.

Well, you can stop being hurt - if you'd remembered the right year, he'd have remembered every glorious moment (

)!!

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 01 Apr 2006, 22:25

bearcub wrote:Myself and S are planning a visit very soon to check it out

And now we have...........and very good it was too

Excellent value for money, huge portions well presented and very tasty. Nice candle-lit atmosphere too.

S started with a (definitely homemade) chicken liver pate with pink peppercorns and cranberry coulis. I had sausage & mash with onion gravy.....for a starter

, expected a small portion, but it wouldn't have looked out of place as a main course.

Mains were an excellent (again definitely homemade) and v large salmon & sweet potato fishcake for me, with mussels, tomato & basil sauce. S had a ribeye steak with brandy sauce.

Bellies were by now v full, but we managed to share (awwww, ain't that sweet

) a crepe with flambeed banana and caramel sauce, which was v lipsmacking.

All for only Â£35......and a bottle of wine we had in the house.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 01 Apr 2006, 22:35

That sounds excellent, BC.

Was it busy?

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 01 Apr 2006, 22:45

Every table was taken - 20 covers, nice atmosphere with candles and music. Food was great.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 01 Apr 2006, 22:48

Sandra wrote: Food was great.

I am sooooo going to make you walk that off tomorrow.

Forecast is for rain, btw.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 01 Apr 2006, 22:55

ecm wrote: I am sooooo going to make you walk that off tomorrow.

Forecast is for rain, btw.

saw that, hopefully weather man will be wrong and rain will start when we are finished

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 01 Apr 2006, 23:02

Actually, I quite fancy some of BC's sausage and mash right now.

It sounded fantastic and I'm a bit peckish.

I had a look at the Blue Bean menu a couple of nights ago. There were some tough choices to be made.

Dave Connelly · Post by **Dave Connelly** » 25 Apr 2006, 22:51

Well,

I have to say that the evening at Gerry Goldwyres restaurant, in The Water Tower at Dalkeith,

<a href="http://www.gerrygoldwyre.co.uk/">Gerry Goldwyre.co.uk</a>

was definitely worth the wait. We arrived slightly early and were very warmly greeted by Gerry and Genevieve, (our waitress for the evening), in the Gazebo and treated to Champaign, there was a lovely atmosphere there and a wonderful view across Ironmills Park.

A while later, when we were ready, we were taken to the restaurant, which is within the actual water tower, (Gerry's home), where we enjoyed a beautifully prepared meal of

starter

Marinated beef and bean sprout salad with miso lime and chili dressing

Sorbet

"Crabbies" sour apple sorbet

Main course

Five spice-blackened halibut with wasabi mash potato and lemon butter sauce

Pudding

Rhubarb and ginger ice cream with poached rhubarb and brandy snap biscuit & caramel sauce.

It was in short a great night out and to take a quote from his website it was

A restaurant that is not a restaurant! It is a place where a group of friends, family or business can meet, eat, drink and enjoy good company in an unpretentious setting with a feel of home.

Just that, it was like dining in the home of a friend who happened to be a brilliant chef, well actually that is exactly what it was.

We were delighted that the evening was more enhanced when Genevieve offered to sing for us. Ella Fitzgerald would have been proud of the performance, what a stunning voice from one so young.

If you are looking for a special night out, then book â€œThe Water Towerâ€

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 22 Jul 2006, 22:27

Lunch at the Boat House in South Queensferry today. We had fishcakes, mussels, haddock and sea bass - all very good. Service friendly and attentive, stunning views out to the Forth Rail Bridge. SQ is a great day out. Lovely old terraced main street, very interesting museum, variety of boat trips. Dalmeny House, Hopetoun House, Blackness Castle and House of Binns all within easy reach. We had a tour of Tam's ancestral pile today while our son zipped around on a power boat at Port Edgar. Did I tell you? I'm on holiday!

Jackson Priest · Post by **Jackson Priest** » 20 Aug 2006, 12:21

Porty wrote:My fave place at the moment is La Partenope in dalry road, it used to be Pepe's Taverna. Gillian Glover was raving about it a couple of weeks ago.

Went to La Partenope last night. Wow.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 20 Aug 2006, 16:16

Jackson Priest wrote:
Porty wrote:My fave place at the moment is La Partenope in dalry road, it used to be Pepe's Taverna. Gillian Glover was raving about it a couple of weeks ago.
Went to La Partenope last night. Wow.

Its a beauty.

xxxx · Post by **xxxx** » 24 Aug 2006, 08:23

I'm waiting for a branch of this resturant to open in portobello

Mate of Marya · Post by **Mate of Marya** » 02 Sep 2006, 07:37

Can anyone recommend a good local chinese restaurant?
We used to eat at Karen's at Meadowbank but, unfortunately she has moved premises.
We visited the Dragon's Way last night. Never again!
The fresh mussels on the menu were cooked in a black bean sauce and we asked if we could have mussels without the black bean sauce. They said they could offer the mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce, great! When the dishes arrived the black bean sauce appeared to have been washed off the mussels. The "garlic and wine sauce" was the colour of black bean sauce, although slightly lighter in colour, and still tasted of black bean sauce. Yet, we were assurred this sauce was not black bean.
My prawn dish was contaminated with MSG - triggers Migraine!
My son's Lemon Chicken was orange - full of colouring.
The Sweet and Sour Chicken was actually crimson in colour.
No children's portions were offered so we ordered two adult portions and left half of each.
The waitress looked like she had lost a tenner and found a fiver. She never smiled once.

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 02 Sep 2006, 08:24

Karen, as you may know, has re-located to St Leonards which isn't too far away. Haven't tried it yet but I'm sure she will be sticking with the winning formula she had at Meadowbank.

Food colouring and MSG is difficult to avoid in Chinese restaurants. I do wish they would get the message that a lot of people would prefer they left these ingredients out. Instead, the trend in recent years has been to dumb down and 'westernise' what is, at its best, one of the world's great cuisines. Witness the success of 'eat as much as you want' Chinese buffets, complete with fried onion rings, chips and Mr Whippy ice cream. Deep fried everything in a sickly, glutinous, neon sauce. And luke warm.

Even my favourite Indian takeaway, Cinnamon, insists on food colouring in its 'pilau' rice, which I find really off-putting. Let's get a petition going.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 02 Sep 2006, 08:58

Bob Jefferson wrote:Even my favourite Indian takeaway, Cinnamon, insists on food colouring in its 'pilau' rice, which I find really off-putting. Let's get a petition going.

We had a cinnamon take away last night and we duly ordered by phone. BC went to collect and was left waiting 45 minutes

seemed they couldn't cope with orders/deliveries. He eventually got home only to find they had forgotten his nan bread

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 02 Sep 2006, 09:12

Well, I seem to recall that we have discussed this before but I think restaurants should refuse to deliver to anyone within a 1 mile radius unless they have a disability that prevents them from being able to walk there themselves. And since it is free delivery, I object to cross-subsidising these people who are too lazy to collect their own meals.

I've never had to wait more than a few minutes at Cinnamon but then I do tend to avoid Friday nights when they are at their busiest.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 02 Sep 2006, 20:19

Bob Jefferson wrote:I think restaurants should refuse to deliver to anyone within a 1 mile radius unless they have a disability that prevents them from being able to walk there themselves

Does this mean that single parents within 1 mile must walk with their kids before bedtime if they want a takeaway?

Does this mean that anyone who might not feel comfortable being out on the street at night must make sure that they find a delivery service which is greater than 1 mile away from their house?

If those "disabled" to which you refer do not have a car sticker, taxi card or other proof of disability, how do you envisage the average takeaway delivery staff member properly enforcing the administrative/bureaucratic aspects of this scheme of yours?

seanie · Post by **seanie** » 02 Sep 2006, 20:40

This may be of limited value, but if any of you find youselves in north London, near Tufnell Park tube, then I recommend Lalibela, my favourite restaurant. Ethiopian food.

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 02 Sep 2006, 21:17

Dadaist wrote:Does this mean that single parents within 1 mile must walk with their kids before bedtime if they want a takeaway?

Does this mean that anyone who might not feel comfortable being out on the street at night must make sure that they find a delivery service which is greater than 1 mile away from their house?

If those "disabled" to which you refer do not have a car sticker, taxi card or other proof of disability, how do you envisage the average takeaway delivery staff member properly enforcing the administrative/bureaucratic aspects of this scheme of yours?

You're right, it's completely unworkable. OK, let's keep the delivery service but offer those who collect their own meals a 10% discount.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 02 Sep 2006, 22:36

Bob Jefferson wrote:Well, I seem to recall that we have discussed this before but I think restaurants should refuse to deliver to anyone within a 1 mile radius unless they have a disability that prevents them from being able to walk there themselves. And since it is free delivery, I object to cross-subsidising these people who are too lazy to collect their own meals.

I've never had to wait more than a few minutes at Cinnamon but then I do tend to avoid Friday nights when they are at their busiest.

We phoned in order to collect by foot

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 02 Sep 2006, 22:59

I know! You only live a few feet away but that wouldn't stop some able-bodied people from requesting a delivery for no other reason than they can't be bothered. That's my point.

Incidentally, we ordered (to collect) from Cinnamon this evening and they gave me chicken instead of the lamb dish I ordered.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 02 Sep 2006, 23:26

Bob Jefferson wrote:I know! You only live a few feet away but that wouldn't stop some able-bodied people from requesting a delivery for no other reason than they can't be bothered. That's my point.

Incidentally, we ordered (to collect) from Cinnamon this evening and they gave me chicken instead of the lamb dish I ordered.

Pal of Porty · Post by **Pal of Porty** » 03 Sep 2006, 11:48

On Friday we ordered a home delivery from Cinnamon and was told it would be an hour. After two hours it had still not arrived so I phoned and cancelled it. Ended up up making cheese and toast!

Pal of Porty · Post by **Pal of Porty** » 03 Sep 2006, 11:51

Mate of Marya wrote: We visited the Dragon's Way last night. Never again!

I have not eaten in here for a while now but this is the 3rd time this week I have heard people say they will never be going back here. Not a good sign for a local business.

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 03 Sep 2006, 14:00

Noticed when taking our morning constitutional that "The Place" has a new-ish menu in the window. Sounds promising, have added a few "restaurant-type" dishes (ie. sea-bass, mussels, steak with roquefort) to the standard pub-grub options.

Might give it a whirl one lunch-time, be good if they had the old chef back too.

Cleopas · Post by **Cleopas** » 03 Sep 2006, 14:57

I'm allergic to sea-food! Or am I just being crabbit??

Marguerite-the-Poet · Post by **Marguerite-the-Poet** » 03 Sep 2006, 17:10

Bob Jefferson wrote:Food colouring and MSG is difficult to avoid in Chinese restaurants. I do wish they would get the message that a lot of people would prefer they left these ingredients out. Instead, the trend in recent years has been to dumb down and 'westernise' what is, at its best, one of the world's great cuisines. Witness the success of 'eat as much as you want' Chinese buffets, complete with fried onion rings, chips and Mr Whippy ice cream. Deep fried everything in a sickly, glutinous, neon sauce. And luke warm.

Even my favourite Indian takeaway, Cinnamon, insists on food colouring in its 'pilau' rice, which I find really off-putting. Let's get a petition going.

"How long has MSG been used? More than 1,200 years ago, Oriental cooks discovered that some foods tasted better when prepared with a soup stock made from the seaweed Laminaria Japonica. It was not until 1908 that Professor Kikunae Ikeda of The University of Tokyo isolated glutamate from the seaweed and unlocked the secret of its flavor-enhancing properties. Since that time, MSG has been, and continues to be, widely used as an effective means of making good food taste better."

http://www.msgfacts.com/facts/msgfact02.html
###

I try my best to avoid unhealthy foods. My diet mostly consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, and free range products. Plenty of fresh air and exercise on a daily basis keeps us fit and trim.

Cleopas · Post by **Cleopas** » 03 Sep 2006, 18:28

My mother refused to let us eat food with MSG. We also used glucose rather than sugar. Not saying my mother's a health nut ... but doctors could learn from her!

BTW Marguerite ... that avatar of yours is really creepy!

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 04 Sep 2006, 10:23

Cleopas wrote:BTW Marguerite ... that avatar of yours is really creepy!

It certainly is. The first time it blinked at me I nearly jumped out of my skin

Pal of Porty · Post by **Pal of Porty** » 04 Sep 2006, 13:17

Marguerite-the-Poet wrote:...Since that time, MSG has been, and continues to be, widely used as an effective means of making good food taste better.":D

Absolutely spot on there. That's why it is so widely used in the fast food industry - low quality foods can be used as the MSG masks the flavour. Furthermore, the sodium in the MSG also counts towards your daily salt (sodium) intake but does not have to be listed under the salt content in the ingredients list.