SeeDee's Profile
London dining-out advice, please.
Would like to give a Christmas gift of a dinner out to my daughter and boyfriend, London based and very keen on trips to restaurants.
On visits to London, I have dined out with them in Bocca de Lupe and Moro and I know they have been this year to St John's Bread and Wine, J Sheekey and Pollen Street Social.
Anywhere new and interesting that they may have not been to yet?
Or perhaps somewhere solid and reliable that may have drifted slightly below the London gastronomic radar?
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Pollen Street Social
10 Pollen St, London, England W1S 1, GB
Restos in Dublin, Ireland
A couple of fishy spots.
Dublin - Cavistons in Glasthule (south of city, near Dun Laoghaire).
Galway - McDonaghs is a decent fish and chip place in the centre of town, near Spanish Arch.
Istanbul - Ciya Sofrasi report
Thank you for your observations.
Perhaps our main disppointment was the lack of meats, other than stewed. The shish kebap was over when we arrived and there were no offerings of roasted meats; had hoped for either kid or lamb but perhaps these are not specialities of the region.
Hopefully the report does not appear to seek to discourage visitors to Istanbul to try the restaurant but perhaps to inform them of what to expect.
Istanbul - Ciya Sofrasi report
We crossed over on the ferry on Easter Sunday with a sense of pilgrimage, having read the many glowing reviews of Ciya Sofrasi. Bemusement might best sum up our feelings as we returned back to the European side later in the afternoon.
We located the place surprisingly easily, without the assistance of a map or the fairly common lack of Turkish street signs. Our attempt to reserve a table in three hours time was met with some blank looks, matched by a similar reaction on our return at 4 pm. A table was found however but no explanation of their point-and-order system of communicating your food selection was given until we had sat for some time contemplating our bottles of water.
For the record, you go to the cold starters station and point to your choices of mezes; these are weighed and a docket is issued to you. You then order your hot food from the other station, your selection is written on a piece of paper and you pass this on to your server when you return to your table.
We chose a general selection of mezes and found them in general to be a little different and more interesting than what we had sampled in our previous four days in Istanbul. However, the hot food we selected (two lamb, two vegetarian) came lukewarm, overcooked and lacking in flavour. The options were numerous types of lamb stew, some vegetarian casseroles and two vegatable soups. While we can happily profess a total ignorance of Turkish peasant cuisine, we had hoped for a lot more excitement on our plates. Transposing ourselves back to our home country, I could not help thinking how tourists would react to a menu offering multiple variations of Irish stew.....
Sufficient to say, we ate our way through some but not all of our food and paid our (very modest) bill. Overall, we were generally underwhelmed by the experience as we obviously missed out completely on what this restaurant is all about; a good working knowledge of a particular cuisine should not be a requirement to enjoy a new food experience however.
For those making the trip over to the Anatolian side. we can highly recommend the promenade walk to Moda, an Efes overlooking the sea at Moda Teras and the walk back again ( or there is an historic tram linking Kadakoy and Moda).
Dublin next week- Restaurants and Pubs?
Sorry, hadn't read your plan carefully enough; rugby is next weekend, not this one.
Dublin next week- Restaurants and Pubs?
Don't leave town without having a pint in Mulligan's in Poolbeg St - try in in the afternoon.
Warning! First rugby international match of the season (v Italy) Saturday so give it a miss on that day unless you like scrummaging to get to the bar for service. Advisable to book your table on Saturday night as these matches bring a lot of hungry souls into town.
I like the Mermaid Cafe in Dame St for decent (mid-range) fare.
For something a little out of the ordinary for Sunday brunch, there is a place (no name) over Foley's pub, corner of George's St and Fade St - you enter by an unmarked door beside l'Gueleton in Fade St. They only seem to open at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays but our group of five tried different options on the menu and all were happy. Hoping to make it there this Sunday; come to think of it, I'll probably be scrummaging In Mulligans after the match as well..........
Dublin dining near Abbey Theatre
Talbot 101, on Talbot St., is close to the Abbey and are experts at getting you served in good time for the performance. Word has it that they have, of late, tried to offer value at the expense of choice but the place is usually buzzing between 6 and 8.
HELP ME CHOOSE IN DUBLIN
Good value to be had at lunchtime; noted a two course option at both One Pico and Bentleys yesterday for €20. Opted for Bentleys - very much towards fish, especially as one of the two beef options was not available. Pig trotter starter should be sampled.......
Make our Vacation Great: Tuscany/Umbria (Oriveto), Florence, Como/Tremezzo, Milan
Two places in Milan, not for big food, but solid with a good number of local clientele. Bebel's Ristorante, Via San Marco or Antica Trattoria della Pesa, via Pasubio. More suited to a wind-down evening at the end of your trip though; the city should not be lacking in alternative places if you want to melt down your credit card before you return home.
La Punta in Bellagio is an okay place to eat but you need to have favourable weather to make the visit worthwhile (the view is the thing).
In Florence, try a light lunch at Pitti Gola wine bar, across the street from the Pitti Palace, they have a great selection of wine by the glass.
Calling London Sushi Buffs
Travelling to London in a few weeks time - found plenty to digest above but would like to narrow down my search for an evening of Japanese chow.
The gold standard are the fun izakaya places in Vancouver - lots of small plates, pitchers of beer.....
Anywhere to compare in the central London area,? Staying near St Pauls.
Saki? Tajima-Tei? Aki?
Honeymoon in Italy in Sept: need recs & feedback, please!
Just returned from Tuscany; a few suggestions based on our experiences.
Lucca - always wary of the ever-praised restaurant but Buca di San Antonio did live up to its reputation. Busy but the food and service were spot on. Had a less enjoyable experience at Tratorria Gigi.
Siena - had a good value buffet type lunch downstairs in Morbidi (€12, with a glass of wine @€1.50). Best evening meal at Mugolene, very near to the Campo. Also near to the Campo but with a more local feel, il Tamburino was less polished but decent food.
Florence - no particular stand outs in our week there. Very friendly place, Osteria de Que Ganzi is worth a try in the Santa Croce area. il Pizzauiolo nearby is the place to go if pizza is your thing. Wine bar opposite the Pitti Palace, Pitti Gola has a great selection of wines by the glass and some decent food to nibble.
A particular honeymoon suggestion in Florence would be to seek out the 500 Touring Club and head for the hills in a vintage Fiat 500; they do a wine tasting trip, escorted, to a small estate - and the car is suitably cosy for honeymooners (even belated ones).
Walking (and hopefully eating) in Tuscany
Thanks for the recommendation; unfortunately they were short on kitchen staff when we called so menu was very restricted. Genuine people though and what we had was both tasty and very reasonably priced.
Spotted the soppressatta in one or two shops; it truly reflected it's origins as it looked remarkably like a cross section of an actual brain (never did much biology in school though, so I may be under a misconception).
Will do a report on our two weeks eating around Tuscany when we have returned; overall very good but menus were a little on the repetive side, possibly due to the conservative nature of the Italian eating habits.
Walking (and hopefully eating) in Tuscany
Taking a walking trip Volterra to Siena in late July, with overnights in San Gimignano, Colle Val d'Elsa and Monteriggione.
Would appreciate any dining recommendations; nothing too fancy but we will have showered before going out in the evening.
Are there any particular dishes that are seasonal for the region at this time of year?
Co. Galway, Gort and Loughrea
Two well known places in the area, both in the direction of Galway city - Paddy Burkes in Clarinbridge and Morans on the Weir in Kilcolgan; both are pubs which provide food, specialising in local oysters during the season.
Romantic Paris dinner on Easter Sunday to hopefully celebrate a "yes!"
Thanks for your recommendations but all a little far from our base just beside the Louvre. Walked to Fish on rue le Seine - pretty unadventurous menu, cooking fine; favourite dish was risotto with salmon and the bread was pretty good too.
Pretty ominous silence from backwards Steve........
Romantic Paris dinner on Easter Sunday to hopefully celebrate a "yes!"
Best of luck with your proposal - will raise a glass in anticipation on Sunday night. Keep us posted!
Romantic Paris dinner on Easter Sunday to hopefully celebrate a "yes!"
Lost this message twice trying to reply so I'll be brief.
Visiting between Thursday and Easter Monday.
Prefer to dine on main course each with shared starter; possibly cheese/dessert
Budget : not more than €50 each before wine.
Preferences : fish, duck, cassoulet.
Romantic Paris dinner on Easter Sunday to hopefully celebrate a "yes!"
Oh dear, this is getting worrying. Heading to Paris on Thursday to celebrate 2nd wedding anniversary on Easter Sunday. 5 day weather forecast predicts a deluge on Friday - and now nowhere to eat on the big day. Probably not under quite the same "romantic" pressure as evetseht, so is there any hope for us - staying on rue St Honore in the 1st.
Dublin and Galway Eats?
No clues as to your preferences but let's take a chance on fish....... In the south of the city (Dublin), try Cavistons in Glasthule, a small place that is attached to a deli and fishmongers so freshness is assured - not open for evening meals.
McDonaghs in Galway is a reasonable fish n chip place but offers a wider choice in the adjacent restaurant; outside town, Morans on the Weir (Kilcolgan) is worth checking out if you are a fan of oysters and Guinness.
Need recs for Dublin restaurant gift cert
Given that your friends are not wildly advenurous, they might enjoy the Trocadero in the centre of town (www.trocadero.ie). In a bit of a time warp, but solid on food and great on atmosphere. Fallon and Byrne nearby has a nice dining room over their food hall and not too expensive.
On the north side of the city centre, Chapter One would be way over budget but 101 Talbot is a reasonably priced alternative.
Need recs for Dublin restaurant gift cert
It's a real restaurant so don't be put off by the cafe title - The Mermaid Cafe in Dame St might be an option if water is preferred to wine. They have a website.
[London] Toronto Chowhound heading to London...
For the meat and veg fans, try Simpsons on the Strand - the roast beef is brought out on a trolley to the table (or at least it used to). Think a tip is part of the deal for the man with the carving knife......
London - Farringdon area
Friends at the Guoman Tower hotel, north of river. My limited trawl on the internet led me to the Rising Sun in Smithfield area for a typical London boozer with the option of Carluccios or Smiths afterwards. South of the river suggested the Anchor or the George Inn Yard - are any of your Borough recs nearby?
London - Farringdon area
Now there's a pretty useful piece of information. A pub that closes at the weekend is indeed a strange concept to an Irishman.............
Just to throw the matter up in the air again, keeping things reasonably central (friends are staying near Tower Bridge), any suggestions for a combination of interesting pub / nearby restaurant, both of which do business on Saturdays. Very averse to imbibing where food is served but a seperate dining space would be okay if an all-in-one pub option is suggested.
London - Farringdon area
Visiting London in November; planning a meeting with friends on a Saturday afternoon in the Jerusalem Tavern. Any local eateries in the vicinity that might appeal to those of catholic tastes - though there will be Canadians in tow. Bistro, casual but we could handle a bit of modern British/gastropub.
Dublin - Middle Eastern?
The Cedar Tree on South Andrew St (Grafton St area of town) does Lebanese food. Maybe it was all the Algerian wine, but I remember a belly dancer appearing at some stage during the meal (I think....)
Dinner in Ireland
Cafe Rua in Castlebar is a well regarded spot but if you are passing through Ballinrobe, try JJ Gannons which has a nice selection of wines to go with some interesting a la carte options.
The Mermaid Cafe, Dame St in Dublin is worth a visit - you can check their menu on their website.
Hwy 4 from Nanaimo to Ucluelet and Tofino
Try the salmon and dill pie there - no, try two of them!
Ireland...Sweet Ireland
Further suggestions for the Co Leitrim area when checking out your roots. The Oarsman is a pub in Carrick-on-Shannon that has a very good restaurant upstairs, well worth a visit but book ahead. Slightly over the country boundary but one of the best restaurants in the region - Cromleach Lodge in Castlebaldwin. Leitrim may be the least populous county in the country but you won't starve.....
Ireland...Sweet Ireland
Stay true to your roots and don't ignore Co Leitrim! Two suggestions - The Courthouse in Kinlough is a lovely informal place but don't expect bacon&cabbage as the owner is from Sardinia. More formal would be Lough Rynn house outside Mohill, a nicely restored small country hotel that does a mean Cote du Boeuf for two for those who like their meat (or "mate" as it's spoken in these parts).
