Restaurants?

[Accip74 7,112]

We made a New Years resolution this year to only eat out once a month & to go somewhere new each month because we were wasting too much money on average meals. 

Anyway that went out the window within a few months, but the general principle still remained. It just gets harder as I get better at cooking at home, which often means the more expensive restaurants are the biggest disappointments & we are frequently left wondering why we f***ing bothered! But it’s not all bad, far from it!

So what do you think? Favourite cuisine? Worst experiences? Not interested? A waste of money or a regular treat? Any great recommendations/great meals or do you always order steak?

I very rarely order steak, but we made an effort to go to this place after I saw it on TV......... just a truly great restaurant experience & not expensive!

https://casajulianmg.com/historia/our-history

[ginger beard 4,654]

Get yourself yo the chiltern firehouse and sample some gingerbeard killed lamb.

[Arry 25,637]

Like you I get well pissed off if you get a meal in a restaurant and you know you could do better your self. On the other hand there is a Pub that I go to for an evening meal when I can't be assed to cook that servers up good Pug grub with good ale and friendly banter.

Some so called restaurants I've tried should not even be in business. I'm not one for tiny tarted up twee stuff, I much prefer something wholesome were you don't go home and want a sandwich afterwards.

Got say that place look the biz.

Cheers Arry 

[Born Hunter 17,974]

Love trying new places and new food. I'm not much a fan of dishes that involve a heap of ingredients though, I just want quality simple ingredients that stand alone with minimal fuckery. Not big into Asian stuff for that reason.

Atmosphere and setting are as important as the cuisine imo. Eating out, like most things for me, should excite all your senses, not just the obvious one.

[WILF 51,425]

53 minutes ago, Accip74 said:

We made a New Years resolution this year to only eat out once a month & to go somewhere new each month because we were wasting too much money on average meals. 

Anyway that went out the window within a few months, but the general principle still remained. It just gets harder as I get better at cooking at home, which often means the more expensive restaurants are the biggest disappointments & we are frequently left wondering why we f***ing bothered! But it’s not all bad, far from it!

So what do you think? Favourite cuisine? Worst experiences? Not interested? A waste of money or a regular treat? Any great recommendations/great meals or do you always order steak?

I very rarely order steak, but we made an effort to go to this place after I saw it on TV......... just a truly great restaurant experience & not expensive!

https://casajulianmg.com/historia/our-history

I love eating out, but I have to say my experiences have been mixed.

I will say, it’s very hard to eat a bad meal in Paris.....I think I have had one bad meal there ever.

We had a great Italian near where we used to live and that was very good, I like Italians anyway because I have kids and they are normally bang on with kids.....they don’t treat them like unwanted customers.

My pal owned a good place in Bromley, but when he took his eye off the ball and moved towards other projects it went down hill.

Quaglinos in London was alright, don’t know if it’s even still there but it was good.

The most disappointing was Sicily when I was there, I was in Palermo and every meal bar one was totally ordinary.

Had a good meal in Brussels too in a place down some old street full of restaurants, all the produce on display outside in chillers.....that was good.

Also had a really nice Italian in Windermere strangely enough and the maitre de was a top bloke.

Nearly forgot, there is a decent little Spanish place in Greenwhich that me and my boy go to when we are over....that’s pretty nice.

Greenwhich market on a weekend is great if you like food.

Edited to add: Eating out is one of the few occasions I may have a drink and I enjoy one then.

And Harrods is f***ing jank for a bit of grub !.......just in case you wanted to know ! Lol 

Edited November 6, 2019 by WILF

[WILF 51,425]

If you are ever in the west of ireland this one here is one of the best I have ever eaten in......if it was in Paris or London it would be famous !

http://anportmor.com/

Edited November 6, 2019 by WILF

[WILF 51,425]

1 hour ago, Born Hunter said:

Love trying new places and new food. I'm not much a fan of dishes that involve a heap of ingredients though, I just want quality simple ingredients that stand alone with minimal fuckery. Not big into Asian stuff for that reason.

Atmosphere and setting are as important as the cuisine imo. Eating out, like most things for me, should excite all your senses, not just the obvious one.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there mate, good quality gear will always be good in the hands of someone who can cook a little bit.

You don’t have to be Marco Pierre White, a decent bit of pork simply roasted or a veal steak done in butter, same with fresh veg.

Good quality ingredients don’t need much more than salt and pepper half the time.

[Accip74 7,112]

2 hours ago, ginger beard said:

Get yourself yo the chiltern firehouse and sample some gingerbeard killed lamb.

Ginger I’m sure anything killed by your own fair hands tastes great! 

[ginger beard 4,654]

8 minutes ago, Accip74 said:

Ginger I’m sure anything killed by your own fair hands tastes great! 

Its an exclusive venue.say you know me and you'll be treated like a v.i.p.your missus will be so impressed she'll be riding you around the bedroom til christmas.

[Accip74 7,112]

1 hour ago, WILF said:

I love eating out, but I have to say my experiences have been mixed.

I will say, it’s very hard to eat a bad meal in Paris.....I think I have had one bad meal there ever.

We had a great Italian near where we used to live and that was very good, I like Italians anyway because I have kids and they are normally bang on with kids.....they don’t treat them like unwanted customers.

My pal owned a good place in Bromley, but when he took his eye off the ball and moved towards other projects it went down hill.

Quaglinos in London was alright, don’t know if it’s even still there but it was good.

The most disappointing was Sicily when I was there, I was in Palermo and every meal bar one was totally ordinary.

Had a good meal in Brussels too in a place down some old street full of restaurants, all the produce on display outside in chillers.....that was good.

Also had a really nice Italian in Windermere strangely enough and the maitre de was a top bloke.

Nearly forgot, there is a decent little Spanish place in Greenwhich that me and my boy go to when we are over....that’s pretty nice.

Greenwhich market on a weekend is great if you like food.

Edited to add: Eating out is one of the few occasions I may have a drink and I enjoy one then.

And Harrods is f***ing jank for a bit of grub !.......just in case you wanted to know ! Lol 

Firstly wilf I want to thank you for replying to this topic without referencing what a shithole England has become, it must of been tough mate & I appreciate the effort!             ..........only joking of course

Yeah you have to be pretty unlucky to go wrong in Paris. I’ve actually only stayed there the once, driven through many times, but only enjoyed the restaurants over two days, which is crazy really as it’s only a 3 hour drive down the road! We must make more effort.

You can easily get good food in Brussels/Belgium, but they often struggle with service & value for money. When you find all three you keep going back!

Love Spanish food & you mentioning Greenwich reminds of a place in Camden that’s been there donkeys years.... Bar Gansa, did you ever go? I often had my dinner there on a Friday night in the mid 90’s......... it was quite exotic to me then!

 

[Accip74 7,112]

1 hour ago, WILF said:

If you are ever in the west of ireland this one here is one of the best I have ever eaten in......if it was in Paris or London it would be famous !

http://anportmor.com/

The great thing about these places not being in London or Paris is your not paying the same overheads! I read a thing recently about the humble Parisian bistro starting to die out in some places because of this issue......

[WILF 51,425]

4 minutes ago, Accip74 said:

Firstly wilf I want to thank you for replying to this topic without referencing what a shithole England has become, it must of been tough mate & I appreciate the effort!             ..........only joking of course

Yeah you have to be pretty unlucky to go wrong in Paris. I’ve actually only stayed there the once, driven through many times, but only enjoyed the restaurants over two days, which is crazy really as it’s only a 3 hour drive down the road! We must make more effort.

You can easily get good food in Brussels/Belgium, but they often struggle with service & value for money. When you find all three you keep going back!

Love Spanish food & you mentioning Greenwich reminds of a place in Camden that’s been there donkeys years.... Bar Gansa, did you ever go? I often had my dinner there on a Friday night in the mid 90’s......... it was quite exotic to me then!

 

Never been mate, the only times I was in Camden for leisure purposes I was completely off my f***ing tree ! Lol 

I think if we are talking about London then Manzes has to get a mention, traditional grub like that can get forgotten and when it’s done as well as they do it it’s up there with anyone imho 

When I was a kid there used to be a really good butchers/delicatessen in Broadstairs and me and my old man used to go to another on Roman Road every Saturday morning.

Id like to think they are still there but sadly they probably ain’t ........good delis seem to be dying out.

[Accip74 7,112]

2 hours ago, Born Hunter said:

Love trying new places and new food. I'm not much a fan of dishes that involve a heap of ingredients though, I just want quality simple ingredients that stand alone with minimal fuckery. Not big into Asian stuff for that reason.

Atmosphere and setting are as important as the cuisine imo. Eating out, like most things for me, should excite all your senses, not just the obvious one.

Casa Julian in the link I put up was simplicity in a nutshell. In fact I thought it was going to be too simple, but they nailed it, including the unchanged 50 year old decor!

[gnasher16 31,602]

I think people who love eating out can sometimes be their own worst enemy we,ve often got to a stage where we,re eating out so much you start to use nice restaurants as little more than cafes and it actually spoils the whole experience....for me eating out in a group is a cherished social occasion that i love to do so doing it too often loses its value....it doesnt help when you are surrounded by nice restaurants and i hate washing up so eat out probably more than we should ...i have a handful of my favourite restaurants me and a pal owned one for a while but again you end up using it like a cafe when dining out should be an exciting and stimulating experience.

 

One of my favourite areas at the moment is Shoreditch in East London theres so many new places opening up all very close to each other all very different and not silly posh.....Quaglinos,i can tell Wilfs a Fortnum & Mason man 

[Accip74 7,112]

11 minutes ago, gnasher16 said:

I think people who love eating out can sometimes be their own worst enemy we,ve often got to a stage where we,re eating out so much you start to use nice restaurants as little more than cafes and it actually spoils the whole experience....for me eating out in a group is a cherished social occasion that i love to do so doing it too often loses its value....it doesnt help when you are surrounded by nice restaurants and i hate washing up so eat out probably more than we should ...i have a handful of my favourite restaurants me and a pal owned one for a while but again you end up using it like a cafe when dining out should be an exciting and stimulating experience.

 

One of my favourite areas at the moment is Shoreditch in East London theres so many new places opening up all very close to each other all very different and not silly posh.....Quaglinos,i can tell Wilfs a Fortnum & Mason man 

We had to make the effort to stop being lazy with it.......... “less is more” as they say.....