portseven's Profile
Inspiration for a London weekly commuter
Cheers for that Limster, perfect set of ideas.
Travel wise I don't really want to go beyond zone 3, I keep meaning to try east ham and the various keralia places there.
Inspiration for a London weekly commuter
Currently spending a lot of time in London for work, usually tues to thurs. Food wise I have £25 evening meal allowance, and I have been rotating between Testi & Mangal Oakbasi in Dalston, Maoz, Yalla Yalla & Wong Kei in Soho, and the nearest Nandos or Wagamamma.
I stay either at Tower Hill or Southwark (office is in Bankside) and am looking to venture out food wise, whilst staying in budget and keeping to a reasonably healthy diet. Don't think I can give up my Turkish Oakbasi craving just yet but want to try something else.
Anyway chowhounders, inspire me!
Recommendations for Lebanese and other good places near the City
What about hopping on a 149 (comes through Gracechurch st) and going to one of the Turkish Okabasi resturants in stoke newington, Mangal, Numara or Testi get my vote
Treacle Vinegar
It's a dark brown in colour, easily mistaken for balsamic
Not seen it elsewhere so maybe it's a Nigel original???
Treacle Vinegar
anyone know where you can buy treacle vinegar?
they have recently started serving this with rapeseed oil as an acompniant to bread in Nigel Haworths RVI pubs (3 fishes etc), I guess it's the Lancashire take on balsamic vinegar and olive oil
anyway its wonderfull stuff and i want some for home
Ethnic Cuisines in London
For ethnic London you need to visit a Pie and Mash shop, good ones within walking distance of Bethnal Green Tube, also Pease Pudding and Saveloy from the stall on Chrisp St Market, get off at Poplar on the DLR line, or take a no15 bus from central
Cheap eats in London
I like the Paper Tiger in South Ken, it's slop, but comforting slop
NW and NE England Must Eats - Produce and Restaurants
On the way from the lakes to the NE you could pop into the Highwayman in Kirby Lonsdale, then on to Tebay services for their farm shop
Manchester / Leeds - anyone out there?
I am a lurked too
Can second the rec's of the Northern Quarter 'curry cafes' with their rice and three. I was a regular at the This an That when I worked at the Coop. Some of my regular haunts are Jasjasjas Lebanese deli in Cheadle, and The Three Fishes up in Mitton nr Clitheroe
Anyone tried the stalls in the new Arndale Market?
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The Northern Quarter Restaurant & Bar
108 High Street, Manchester M4 1HQ, GB
London, Euston Station
Try Drummond St, come out of the west entrance past the lost property booth, and in about 1min walk you will be surrounded by a load of south Indian places
Testi [Stoke Newington, London]
Monday night in London found me meeting friends in London for dinner. We ended up at a Turkish Ocak Basi place up on Stoke Newington High St called Testi
Great cold Meze of various dips and Dolmades accompanied by hot flat bread that had been rubbed with the hot meat off the charcoal grill, soaking up some of the flavour.
Had a Kofte like thing that had been wrapped in thin flatbread, served with rice and yogurt. The kofte was good, nice flavour with nice meaty flavor. They also do a great side dish of grilled onions that were served in a v nice sauce (sumac and lemon?)
And if you were wondering they do serve a 'special' that you can work out from the Resturant name.
I will be back
Burritos at Salad Factory and the newly opened Chipotle [London]
I guess they are trying to get in before Taco-Bell who are opening in the UK later this year.
[Lancs] 3 Fishes Alternatives in Manchester
Cheers for that Harters
Never tried Sutton Hall, so might give it a go. It appears that the Highwayman is now closed, which is a shame as that was probably the closest too me, and I know the road well.
Never tried the other 2 you mention, so will put on my to-do list.
We also recently tried the Didsbury, which was OK, though not up to 3 Fishes Standards.
[Lancs] 3 Fishes Alternatives in Manchester
So yesterday we had a very pleasant meal at the 3 Fishes up near Clitheroe in Lancashre as we often do. I had the veal, and she had the Lamb Roast.
We go as it's good quality locally sourced food, family friendly and the seating arrangements are really good, you never feel like you are crammed in.
Though we live in North Derbyshire (High Peak) and the trip up to Clitheroe can be a bit of a pain sometimes, so I was wondering if anyone knew of anywhere similar in the Manchester / North Cheshire / High Peak area?
Jas Jas Jas [Cheadle, nr Manchester]
Just discovered this place in Cheadle, its a small family run Lebanese deli / cafe / take-out.
They do a variety of Lebanese / Middle Eastern dishes, both hot, cold, meat and veg. Lamb and Chicken Sharmwa, Lemon Chilli Chicken, Houmous, Feta Salad, Tabouleh, Shanklish.
We often just get a 50:50 box, which is a polystyrene container filled half with whatever meat based dishes he has on that day and half with whatever vegi dishes. And its all very delicious, one of my co-workers who is Albanian, rates it highly and say its like his Mum would cook at home, which in my mind is high praise indeed.
Their belly pork is amazing too, but not being a Lebanese expert I wonder how authentic that is???
Today I had a 'Chefs Special Wrap' which was a bit of everything thrown in
It's tasty and cheap, recommended. They have a website too jasjasjas.co.uk
Family Eating nr Borough Market? [London]
Staying near Borough Market soon, with wife and kids
Anyone recommend any good family places in the area? I know about the Nandos and Wagamamma's, though as much as I like those places (Chicken Livers from Nandoes, mmmm!) it seems a shame to have to resort to them being so near Borough Market.
The Three Fishes [Mitton, Lancs]
So today we had a drive up to 'The Three Fishes' in Mitton, which is near Blackburn in Lancashire. It's a celebrated 'Gastropub' that I have been meaning to visit for ages.
All their food is sourced from the North West, much of it from Lancashire.
I had the 'Treacle Baked Free Range Middlewhite Garstang Ribs with Black Peas' for starters and they were *very* good, the meat was tender and dropped off the ribs, and the glaze was really good too.
For mains I had the 'Breast of Deviled Cornfed Goosnargh Chicken' with 'proper' chips (cooked in dripping, a rare find these days)
Wife had 'Heather Reared Bowland Lamb Lancashire Hotpot with Pickled Red Cabbage'
I was stuffed and too full for pudding, but the wife managed to sneak in some Pancakes with Lemon and Cane Sugar.
The place itself is done out nice, all slate with solid wooden furniture. We were glad we went and will certainly be back with reinforcements. This is what all pubs should be like when it comes to food.
Recommended
P.S. They also have a good selection of Real Ales for you who are CAMRA members!
Dublin Eats
I enjoyed 'Elephant and Castle' on Temple Bar, they had lots of interesting breakfasty egg related dishes, and I enjoyed their Chicken Wings
Lily's Indian Vegetarian - Manchester
Just discovered this place after years of driving past it, its in Ashton-Under-Lyne, attached to the ASM Indian Cash and Carry on Oldham Rd.
It's a Indian take away / cafe specializing in South Indian / Vegetarian dishes. So Dhosas, Thali, Uttapam, etc.
My first visit, so went for the Masalla Dhosa, nice big one, crispy on the edges with a nice Potato Masalla in the middle. V-Nice Sambal and a milk based chutney I have never had before, really tasty. So that and a small Bottled water came to £4.50. Very satisfied, and am looking forward to my next visit, I think I will try the Thali!
These types of Indian food outlets are rare here in Manchester, the only other one I know is the Punjab in Rusholme
Cheap, tasty and on my route home from work!
Flamin Nosh - Stalybridge, Manchester
After attempting to get into Nando's for a Saturday afternoon meal, we chanced upon this place on the way home.
Flamin Nosh, is a locally owned family oriented resturant in Stalybridge. The menu is a bit of a TGI's wannabe. With ribs, fajitas, burgers, pizza, pasta. Though their selling point is that it is all freshly made, and locally sourced (where possible).
So took the Mrs and the little'un (2yrs old)
Starters - I had 'garlic and lemon' wings, she had 'tortilla platter, with salsa, hummous and sour cream', little one had garlic bread. All obviously homemade apart from tortilla chips, and the garlic bread was v-nice homemade and with rocket on the top.
Mains - I originally requested Lamb and Rosemary Fajitas, but as the butcher hadn't made delivery I plumped for a very nice Fritatta instead. Wife had Morocan Lamb with Cous Cous, and baby had chicken strips with flatbread and chunky chips.
Desert - Only wife had a pear and almond tart.
Overall the food was very nice, flavours were not overpowering so no MSG there. Bit confused about wifes Lamb dish being available but not mine, I suspect the butcher does lots of work for them!
Nicely presented, and good staff. Would go again.
Frank's RedHot?
You can get it in most Tesco's or Sainsburys now. I have a stock of bottles from local supermarkets, from here in the wilds of the Derbyshire Peak District
Regards the cooking of the Wings, do people fry or bake? I have been baking, under the possibly unfounded assumption that it's not as unhealthy
supermarket w/American foods
Several
Glossop, Stockport. If they have them in out of the way places like that, I would imagine they would be everywhere.
supermarket w/American foods
Try Cybercandy on Garick Street in Covent Garden. They stock mainly sweets, though they do other bits and pieces I think. They have a website, just Google for them.
On a related note, I see Tesco have started selling Reeces Pieces!
[St Helens] - Larkins any good?
I keep hearing people mention Larkins in St Helens, anyone been, any good?
From what I hear, its a family run place, and popular with a number of local celebs
[Manchester] Trafford Centre - lunches at the mall
I am going there tonight, I am going to try and swing the missus in the direction of Barburrito who now have a branch there. Though I suspect we will probably end up in Tampopo (which is not a bad thing).
[Edmonton] Alia's Pitta
Just came back from few weeks in Edmonton, unfortunately didn't really get to do much Chowhounding (though I did enjoy Swiss Challet) due to an unadventurous, chain loving spouse.
I did manage to find a little independant pitta / donair place that I thought was a good little find.
Alia's Pitta is on the northside at 3-8103 127 Avenue NW. Just north of Yellowhead on a small stripmall that also has a McDonnalds.
It's family run business, who sell the usual donairs, but also sell a range of middle eastern snacks. sharmwa kebabs, felafal, hommous, and various delicious salads.
My first visit, I just asked for some hommous and Salad. The hommous was homemade (I asked) and the salad was crisp and fresh with the most amazing dressing and herbs. It was the salad that really impressed me. While I was there the lady of the shop offered me a small pasty thing with a spinach and lemon filling that was really nice, just out of the oven and delicious
The next time I had a chicken kabab on a small flatbread with spinach baked into it. Again delicous, the chicken was nicely flavored (lemony again). With some bean salad, pickles and hommous.
What I liked about this place was that it seemed to have more than the usual donair and pitta stuff. Each time I was in there there seemed to be a few middle-eastern customers, so it was catering to them.
All in all a good find, it's not the ritz but good food at a good price.
Calgary - Banff - Edmonton with Todlers??
So heading out to Alberta for a few weeks, flying into Calgary, driving out to Banff for a few days, and then heading up to family in Edmonton for the rest of it.
Any reccomendations for good family friendly places?
At the moment I am thinking of stopping in at Pete's Drive-in on the way out of Calgary, then Banff doens't seem too interersting food wise, but I fancy Canmore and maybe the Rocky Mountain Flatbread place?
When we leave Banff for Edmonton we will be going via the Icefields and Jasper, so any reccomendations for lunch along that route?
Edmonton, not really sure, we have eaten at the Tomn Tanh (spelling?) Noodle house before and were suitably impressed.
Being a Brit, I am unashamedly looking forward to your fast food places, Taco Bell, Bad Ass Jacks and Harveys! As well as drinking an obscene amount of Keg Rootbeer! All of which we don't have in the UK
Shop-bought Teriyaki sauce [London]
What about that Japanese place in Manchester on Whitworth St?
New Samsi??
