Come on Belgian hounds- can no one help at all ??!

In Brussels with friends next weekend ,one veggie two not - looking for good chow of a tapas-y ( or otherwise eclectic ) nature.

So far looking at Appuntamento ( as per recent posts ) and Henri.

Moderate cost best. Bargains always welcome.

Thoughts on whether these two places fit the bill ? If so, do we need to book for Fri/Sat nights ?

Recs of good bars near to places above ( or other recs ) would be great. We are ( and so shall still be ) three blokes in early to mid 40's with a fondness for witte and wheat beers and looking for a mixed age crowd, a friendly vibe, with late music a bonus.

Friend of mine has recommended some places for beer and/or food.

Thoughts, good and bad,therefore welcome on the following...

1. Greenwich,Kartuizerstraat 7,1000 Brussel

2.De Skieven Architek,Vossenplein 50,1000 Brussel

3. Au bon des vieux temps

4.Mappa Mundo

5. http://deliriumcafe.be/bar/?

6. http://www.tapaslocas.be

Thanks for any help you can provide !

Hi

de bierfabriek looks perfect !

Would we need to book for a fri/sat night, would you say ?

Any other places worth popping to for a beer nearby ?

Any other classic beer locations that must not be missed ?

In de Wildeman is in all of the books - tourist trap or must visit ?

Thanks again for any help you can give !

Hi

Thanks for these ideas
Am intrigued by de Struisvogel - is it just fixed menu or can u order less than the set menu ? Also ,would we need to book for weekends ?
Any good bars nearby ?

Is Lucius good value as my travelling companion may think it a bit pricey !

Again ,any good bars on hand for 'afters' ?

Evening all

Off to Amsterdam at the end of the month , but with a friend as opposed to other half, hence no need for romance - just great food ( and beers ) !

Price bracket more towards moderate than high end. Prefer a locals vibe rather than touristy but not sniffy about it. Do want to avoid the red light district if poss. though - unless it has changed significantly since 2011.

When last in the city ate at Burgermeester - is that still good for a quality burger experience ?

Cuisine wise happy to range from good bar food ( esp if microbrews are on tap ) to bistro stuff.

Also keen to get some great seafood if that 'works' well. Squid and octopus particular favourites.

Ashamed to admit I know little about Dutch cuisine so some pointers there would be very welcome.

We are staying pretty centrally - Crowne Plaza - so places within a 20-30 minute stroll would be cool. We do have four nights though so if somewhere is a 'must eat' would be happy to commute. Also going to a gig at Paradiso one night so somewhere near there would be welcome.

Oh and where serves the best wheat beers without making a bloke in his mid 40's feel like he is past it ?! Late night bars ( particularly with live music ) where us 'older folks' might hang out with some quality beer would be gratefully noted.

Thanks in advance

Hmm - this is tough as I am going with 3 friends who have never been before and I love both P and PC but did go to them with my ex SO so new places may be psychologically prudent !

Any particular recommendations , given that we seem to have reasonably similar tastes ?!

Genlonch ?
Bar Mut

both seem to be quite well written up...

I almost went to Onofre last time I visted - is that any good ? Perhaps for lunch ?

Oh and is anywhere particularly good for squid or octopus ?

Thanks for any further pointers you can give !

Thanks for this folks

Do you mean 41 degrees - the posh cocktails place ?
Has anyone eaten there ?

Also see that Gelonch gets good write up.
Anyone have any views on that ?

Or Bar Mut ?

Or new kid on the block Pakta ?

Hello everyone,

I was last in Barcelona in 2007.

My two favourite places were Paco Meralgo for marvelous tapas ( though quite pricey, as I recall ) and La Paradeta (Born ) for brilliant value seafood.

I am returning in a few weeks and so wonder

- are these places still great ?

- where else would you recommend for traditional or modern Catalan cuisine ?

- where else must I not miss, irrespective of cuisine

We are staying near the cathedral but always happy to travel for great food.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Did you find anywhere decent open ?!

Morning all,

Just looking at proper Chow places for a festive break. We will be three blokes in our 40's - mixed incomes so nowhere too pricey or fancy please.

At Trafalgar Studios 27th Dec and Donmar 28th.

Looking for places either pre or post theatre. Probably post on 28th as show is a 'straight through' so should be done by 9,30 ish.

Am thinking Terroirs on 27th - never been - does it still cut it ? When I have tried to get in before it has always been a queue down the street , though perhaps that was when it first opened.

Am thinking Bocca di Lupo post theatre on the 28th - but is is it really a post theatre place for 3 single blokes ? And how will it be late on 28 December ?

Ideal place would be a good pub or tapas or bistro-ish place with decent beer or wine by the glass that will still be lively late on. On past visits have enjoyed the Elk in the Wood in Islington , the Jugged Hre near the Barbican and Jose and Pizzaro near London Bridge. Anywhere with the quality or atmosphere of these places would be perfect.

Thanks all

Hey all

Well, we tried to go to Jose but it was super rammed.So, we opted for Pizzaro, which was excellent. Lovely room , quality ingredients ( razor clams and especially the octopus ), friendly staff. What more could you ask for ? Puddings. Lovely lovely puddings - especially the one involving yogurt.- implausible though that may seem.

Also managed to pop into the Jugged Hare ( so thanks to pj26 ) for a quick lunch on Saturday. Lovely pub/resto ( we ate in the bar ). Decent own brand pale ale, lovely medium rare burger. Only down side was that they were a bit tight with the chips ( which came in one of those miniature pans like sauces do in some pretentious steak places ) which was a bit irritating. Would definitely venture back when had more time for drinking, though !

Thanks all for your tips. Make sure to post if you are ever up Liverpool way !

Brilliant, thanks. My friend does eat fish so may got for J or P.

Is Zucca super pricey ( some Zagat reviews say ) or good value ( Jay Rayner said when they first opened ) ?

Hear Hear !
We loved Klassz and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Evening all

Meeting friend for dinner tomorrow night whilst staying at London Bridge hotel. She is veggie I am not - looking for good chow of a tapas-y ( or otherwise eclectic ) nature. Someone has recommended the two places mentioned above. Any good - or is there better nearby ?

Needs to be walking distance from London Bridge Tube. Nowhere too flash or silly money. Just a nice chilled out place for a few glasses of wine and some quality chow !

Also wondering if Vinoteca is still any good or if there is somewhere else near Barbican which is better for a decent quick lunch on Saturday ? Lat timei was ther the 'bankers' had descended but hoping it may be quieter at the weekend.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Okay, so it looks like we are agreed !
Harters you must visit midweek, referee on the War of the Tapas places ( personally I think Salt House is waaaay too noisy to eat but nice for an after work drink ), check out Side Door and maybe visit Puschka too ;-)

Anyone been anywhere new though ?

Re Lunya - have been for lunch and for an evening. Preferred it for lunch, and it was better if ordered more adventurously ( if razor clams, etc count as adventurous ) than if played it safe ( in which case it was bog standard tapas.) Atmosphere was more tolerable during the day.

Re Side door - chef ( Sean Millar ) has now uprooted to Pruno in Woolton village -

http://twitter.com/PrunoLiverpool .

Not been as yet, but a mate is a co owner so shouldn't really comment anyhow. Bit of a schlep from town but may be worth a look. Let me know if you go if its any cop.

Just thought you should be aware, though. Would be interested to hear back as to how you get on at Side Door if you go as to be honest I stopped eating there when they moved to a 'two sittings' approach which I just find immensely irritating. I also thought the food went off just when they started appearing in the guides. That may in part be inverted snobbery on my part, but friends and colleagues had a similar view - it went from being inventive and genuinely great value to being pedestrian and business like. One example - from lovely bread to dull cheap bog standard bread - a small but significant sign in my book

Have heard decent reports about Puschka recently, though never been a huge fan myself.

As posted previously I like Etsu ( Japanese place near Cunard buildings ) - they seem to be reducing their opening hours ( open fewer lunchtimes ) and deserve some support. Had dinner there last Wednesday and it was excellent.

Please do report back on your trip,

Hey

Thanks for posting. We went to both Klassz and Bock. Whilst I preferred the room in Klassz, Bock was attached to our hotel which meant we at least could get a reservation ! Both were excellent. The service in Klassz was outstanding, albeit we turned up at 9.45pm. Favourite courses had to be the crab soup with octopus at Klassz, and the pork chop with cabbage and (heavenly ) potatoes with onion at Bock. Simple food, beautifully prepared - chow heaven !

If I had to choose again, I would choose to go back to both !

We also went to the wine festival at the Castle on Sunday night which was a great experience and an absolute bargain opportunity to try lots ( and lots ! ) of Hungarian wines.

Brilliant city, great food. Thanks for your help.

Evening all

I am in Budapest this weekend and apparently there is a wine festival one
, as my mate has bought me a ticket !

Does anyone know anything about it,and if not, does anyone have any tips for which wines to sample and which to avoid ?

I know nothing about Hungarian wine, so all help gratefully received.

Oh, and if you know any good breakfast places ( even if just a bakery or good deli type place ) near Corinthia hotel that would also be appreciated, thanks.

Well , what a timely post !

I am flying to Budapest - 3 nights - from Saturday - staying at the Corinthia on Erzsébet körút

I had the following places on my list

1. Klassz !
2. Baldastzis
3. Bock Bistro

all for dinner.

Am looking for recs for breakfast, dinner , lunch and good 'bar hopping' areas for three early forties blokes looking for good quality beers wines and chowish food.

So, should I change my plans and abandon Klassz or try to go for lunch ? Is the service better then ?

Finally ,on of my co travelers is talking about wine tasting at Faust cellars. It scores well on Trip Adviser but my tourist trap antennae are twitching ! Any thoughts ?

Thanks in advance, folks.

quite a way way, it turns out, but thanks for the suggestion !
anyone else out there ?
are there no West Yorkshire hounds ??

Hey Yorkshire folks
Are there no places you can recommend ??
Come on, there must be somewhere !

Evening all,

Staying at Austwick Hall near Settle shortly.

Apparently food there pretty good but wonder if is anywhere else - from decent pub for lunch and proper real ales to evening meal places - worth trying nearby rather than eating at hotel both nights ?

Pub wise The Lion at Settle has some decent feedback and room looks quite nice.

Traddock hotel gets decent write up in some places - any good ?

I always struggle in the Dales to find genuinely great value places so all help gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

Hey folks, thought I would let you have a quick report following on from your super recommendations.

We went to....

The Old Bookshop - hilariously at the end of the street my friend lives in ! - this place was great. Brilliant value 'not so small ' small plates ( four was more than sufficient for two ) for four quid each. Hearty stuff like chorizo and chick pea stew, asparagus on Marks bread with poached egg, etc. Plenty of local bottled ales and good wine by the glass. Small but friendly - nicely busy on a Thursday night. Apparently rammed at weekends and understandably so.Lovely stuff.

Mark's Bread you will all know, queue out of the door on Saturday morning - a mean walnut sourdough - we want one in Liverpool,please !

Allium bistro - Abbey hotel inBath. Seriously lovely place. We booked for 5.30 due to early concert but shifted table to 6.30 as it was empty. Lovely bright room with ( at the moment ) some great art work on show. Staff friendly & helpful ( if not super knowledgeable ) but not overbearing.
Food was great - I had the wonderful stuffed Mandarin segments ( shrimp paste, peanut, chilli, garnished with coriander ) to start and then belly pork which came with a delightful little shrimp omelette for main course. Friend had sea bream for main which was a little more conventional but lovely too. Great and reasonable wine by the glass. Just a shame we didnt have time to stop for pudding.
An indication of how good it was - my friend started to speculate that the hotel rooms must be nice.I reminded her it was a B.W establishment. She was sceptical about my scepticism. Then she went to the loo. Her scepticism about my scepticism ended there ! So, go and eat there please - just don't expect a lovely lav !

Ethicurean - perfect Sunday lunch spot. Great English wine by the glass (though pretty pricey IMO ). Lovely kitchen garden. Would definitely return.

One other place we ate at which is worth a mention - The Souk Kitchen on North Street in Bristol. Family run Turkish bistro. Now, I am not a Turkish food afficionado but it seemed like great authentic fayre to me ( wicked falafel starter ). Only downside was that wine we bought wasn't that great ( though we had just come from a lovely little wine bar in Clifton so they had a tough act to follow.

So, overall a great weekend. Thanks for all of your help. Make sure to post if you ever venture oop north !

Hey , thanks both

Since I am coming from Liverpool, the brolly will already be in the car !

Your recs look great - now for a cheeky follow up - will be in Bath on the Saturday night but seeing a concert at Bath Pavilion ( Elizabeth Fraser wa hey !! ) so wondered where might be good for a lazy lunch or early tea ?

Again a quality pub venue or super bistro place would be perfect - though needs to be walking distance from train station and the Pavilion.

Hope you can help unearth a Bath gem for me !

Thanks again,

The lady tells me Southville/Bedminster but happy to travel if that is not a foodie hotspot !

Evening all

Down in Bristol in August with a good friend who is from Bristol.

Would like to surprise with my uncanny knowledge of great local places..

So, which knock out places , for lunch or dinner, might she not have heard of ?

Hidden gems, neighborhood winners, tiny amazing places, unexpectedly great food in pubs - please give them up now !

All cuisines welcome , casual places preferred to formal but not fussy if its a stellar place.

Thanks in advance.

Hey all

Just wanted to say thanks for your posts. JuanDoe's ,map was particularly helpful, though La Ancha seemed to be closed - even at 9pm on a Saturday night.

We couldn't get into Lamucca without a reservation ( again on a Saturday night ). We loved Casa Alberto ,Casa Gonzalez and Maceiras in particular. The sherry place was an 'experience' for a none Spanish speaker - a fairly rude experience it has to be said but, hey, they don't want tourists in there in the first place.

We also got great Tapas and marvelous 20cl glasses of Mahou at several tiny bars - thus meaning that I will not be able to face eating at another overpriced and poor quality Spanish restaurant in the UK again for quite some time !

Thanks again

Hey

Thanks both for these posts - Maceiras looks exactly like the kind of place we are after.

A friend of mine has suggested a night out in the Malasana or Chueca barrio.

Any top places for food & beers up there ?

Thanks again

Dear all

Off to Madrid at the end of the month , but with a friend as opposed to other half, hence no need for romance - just great food !

Am open to any cuisine suggestions, though price bracket more towards moderate than high end. Prefer a locals vibe rather than touristy though lamentably I speak little Spanish so nowhere unfriendly or intimidating, please !

No particular cuisine preferences but tending toward the more authentic Spanish or other European than any asian/fusion stuff unless it is outstanding.

We are staying at
Calle de San Sebastián, 2
28012 Madrid,

which I think is pretty central so places near there would be cool. We do have four nights though so if somewhere is a 'must eat' would be happy to commute.

Also wonder if there is anywhere which is the equivalent of La Paradeta in Barcelona ? - great value no frills seafood that you choose what you want and how you want it cooking in almost a market kind of setting ( poor description but if you have been hopefully you will know what I mean - if you haven't been you should go ! )

If there is no similar nirvana in Barcelona, where to go for great squid or decent seafood ?

Finally any decent bars with live music suitable for two blokes in early 40's i.e not full of students - indie through bluegrass a preference !

Thanks in advance

Blimey, some controversial stuff here, though at least the consensus is that Panoramic is for posers not foodies.

Ditto San Carlo for me - all orange nation and pretension in my book - bizarrely the best Italian food I have had in a while was at Il Forno which is a bit of a soulless place, room wise, but food was solid and puddings very good if done by the in house pastry chef.

Please dont go to Ziba - it started off mediocre and has gone alarmingly downhill from there.

Delifonseca - agree its great - Dockside is not more formal room wise but the food seems a bit fancier - I much prefer the Stanley Street branch - it is a cosier environment ( if booking ask for a booth ) and they have the mutton curry on more often than at dockside.

Of the formal gaffs 60 Hope still gets my vote as its in a lovely building and the room is nice, if noisy. Much prefer it to the Carriage works which is 'suits' heaven, only slightly less orange than San Carlo.

I also like Etsu, an unpretentious Japanese place which is great value at lunch.