tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41544959678952765922024-03-14T09:34:56.288+00:00Grubgang.com<br>
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<b>Restaurant & Pub Food Reviews</b><br>
Grubgang.com a restaurant, pub food review site for establishments <br>in the Portsmouth, <b><a href="http://www.grubgang.com/p/fareham-restaurants.html">Fareham</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.grubgang.com/p/gosport-restaurants.html">Gosport</a></b>, Havant and surrounding areas.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-40604491888176262782015-02-05T14:18:00.001+00:002015-02-05T14:18:43.505+00:00Casa Italia - Southampton <b>Some peoples idea of heaven.......all you can eat Italian buffet!</b><br />
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After visiting Casa Brasil previously and falling for its charms, we were intrigued when Dave decided to take us to Southampton to try the Italian version of the chain. Many of the group did not even know that they did Italian all you can eat buffet as well as Brazilian, and it was to be received fairly well!<br /><br />We all opted for the all you can eat option, with the use of a card to indicate when we wanted more and when we have had enough. The red side indicates no more, the green continue! There was a pizza cooking on the pizza oven and meats cooking away for us to try....plus the colourful buffet bar full of carbonara, salads, gnocchi and olives to name but a few of the dishes! The dishes which went down most with the gang was the gammon, pork, sausages, meatballs, gnocchi and the famous Casa pineapple with cinnamon! The fact we were there doing a quiet midweek evening meant that perhaps there was not as much meat selection as we would have preferred, some of the gang noted that they would like to see if things were different on a busy night.<br /><br />The service was friendly but Pete did feel that as there was only us and another table in use, the staff were a bit eager to get us fed and out so they could go home. Having said this, they were helpful enough to whip us up a fresh pizza when they had run out so that we could have some more. The decor was fresh and to the theme of Italian culture, using old Ferrari cars as a source of conversation and decoration on the walls. The whole restaurant was clean and vibrant, the toilets being very clean also.<br /><br />If anyone has room for dessert, be aware that they are on the pricey side and not really very "Italian" in nature. Three of the group opted for the chocolate brownie, which was tasty but nothing amazing. Gemma had hoped to have tried the "Dessert pizza" which was advertised on the website and the menu in the venue, but was told they were not available. The manager tried to tell us on departing that it was because chef had no bananas, which Gemma does not even like anyway!! We did feel this was perhaps an excuse to make up for the fact perhaps they just wanted to shut up shop for the evening, it did not feel too genuine to be honest!!<br /><br />Despite this little set back and the small selection of meats on offer, the group did have an enjoyable evening and would love to go back, though perhaps on a day when dessert pizza is an option and there are more meats to try!<br /><br /><br /><b><i>Marks out of 10............................................. 7.5 (Dave Graham)</i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-86095455187092469382015-01-20T11:50:00.004+00:002015-01-20T11:50:57.245+00:00Ranchos Steak house Fareham <b>A tasty meal in a popular setting</b><br />
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This month was Gemma's choice in celebration for her 30th birthday! We dined this month at Ranchos, a chain we have been to before but this time we tried out the newer branch in Fareham.<br />
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The atmosphere was lively and busy for the popular Wednesday deal of unlimited ribs. We were seated in a cosy corner where we could admire the bar and the cosy decor which fit the venue nicely. This month we are taking the ladies view on things (the men have been a little slack with their review this time!)<br />
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Clair started with the nachos which she was a little picky about and ordered them without guacamole or salsa, something which the staff were happy to entertain! Thetvwere very crunchy and what you would expect from nachos! Gemma hadctge chicken pasties which were delicious.<br />
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For mains, Clair had a burger which was verybmeaty and delicious and definitely worth a try, whilst Gemna and Dave both opted for the unlimited ribs deal. Gemma felt they were beautifully cooked as the meat just fell off the bone! So filling too that they only managed one round!!<br />
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For dessert, Clair tried one of her favourite desserts, a cheesecake which was tasty but nithingbiutvof this world. Gemma opted to be a little different and had the sticky toffee pudding which soon disappeared!!<br />
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All in all, the meal itself was pleasant and although busy and noisy, the experience was pleasant enough to make us feel that perhaps we could return again at some point<br />
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Marks out of 10.............................................7 (Gemma Wickens)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-47718571382268673112014-11-18T13:37:00.001+00:002014-11-18T13:37:49.743+00:00Jags @ 119 - Southsea, Portsmouth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /> <b>An American Diner with defeat on its menu for one of our Grubgang team!!</b><br /><br />Got a big appetite? Fancy a bit of a challenge? Well, as the Grubgang turned up at this months venue of Jags @119 in Elm Grove, Southsea, Dave was intrigued by the sign outside challenging people to try their massive meal challenge for the price tag of £25. The prize? A T-shirt and a free meal! Never one to turn down the chance of a free meal, Dave opted to give it a go!! More on that later.........<br /><br />The rest of the group decided against the HUGE challenge, and chose to have starters and mains! Clair and Pete both tried the potato skins. Clair tried the cheese and chive deep filled skins, which were creamy and delicious but a little sickly towards the end, whereas Pete tried the pulled pork ones which he found surprisingly nice and not in the least bit greasy! Gemma had the "Meaty Ribs" which she found disappointing and falsely advertised as they were mostly grease, gristle and bone. <br /><br />For mains, Clair had the southern fried chicken and sweet potato fries. The chicken was cooked well and was moist, but not as tasty as she expected as most southern fried chicken pieces are full of flavour! The sweet potato fries were tasty however, a point echoed by Gemma who found them tasty, if no different from what she is used to having in other restaurants. She had the fries on the side of her Hotdog special, a mixture of pork and beef sausage with pulled pork and cheese served in a sour dough bun. She thought this was amazing!! The flavours complimented themselves well and it was refreshing having a hotdog in a bun which was not toasted and stale.<br /><br />Peter opted for the 12oz southern fried chicken burger which he thought was amazing and huge! He too had a sour dough roll with his meal which went down very well! And so to the man of the hour........Dave trying the challenge! The challenge included a 12oz burger, full rack of ribs,onion rings, garlic bread, coleslaw and 2 portions of fries. He had 45 mins to eat the whole lot to get the prize, but he wasn't quite able to make it! There was just too much food! The burger was homemade and tasty, the ribs were meaty but the whole thing was a little too greasy to handle towards the end! Obviously, Dave did not have a starter or dessert because of the size of his meal!!<br /><br />Gemma and Pete did opt for a taste of the desserts........Gemma tried the New York Cheesecake with a scoop of strawberry ice cream. This was nice, but nothing overwhelming. Simple crunchy base with a creamy topping. Pete had the apple pie and ice cream, opting for the hot pie so the ice cream could melt on the top. This went down very well!<br /><br />The restaurant itself has lovely decor, with sketches of Hollywood greats on the walls. The seating did get a little uncomfortable after a while, as both ladies found. Although clean and tidy in the restaurant, Clair did feel the toilets had a funny smell which made her feel not so great about visiting them! Dave mentioned that the gents toilets were not as offensive as he expected them to be, so mixed thoughts here. The service was friendly, if a little slow despite there being hardly anyone in the restaurant it being a weekday.<br /><br /><br /><b><i>Marks out of ten ........................................................ 6 (Peter Hall)</i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-64660895476848390962014-11-06T12:23:00.001+00:002014-11-06T12:23:53.923+00:00Horse and Jockey Pub, Curbridge <b>A charming little pub by the river, with decent food</b><br /><br />As we are now a member down with our little group, we decided to have a "lucky dip" of places to try out. We all placed a venue name into the hat and picked out a place to go, and the lucky place this time around was The Horse And Jockey pub tucked alongside the river on the Botley Road. It was somewhere Clair had often noted as driving past and she wondered what the food would be like, hence putting the name into the hat!<br /><br />It is advisable to book with the pub as it is a smaller venue, meaning if you turn up on the off chance, you may be disappointed! I emailed my reservation through but had not received a reply, meaning we turned up not sure if we had a table or not. Luckily, it was a fairly quiet night, despite the car park being busy, and a table had been reserved for us. It was nice to have a round table too, meaning we could all be part of the conversations which frequent our monthly meeting!<br /><br />The decor was homely and simple, in keeping with what is usually expected in a friendly local public house. The staff were attentive and helpful upon arrival. First glances at the menu, it came across as a limited menu for some, but with the specials board there was an added extra few little choices to indulge in. Clair tried out the Mediterranean vegetable risotto, which is on the menu as a starter or a main option. It was creamy, delicious and a perfect starter size to get the taste buds going! Dave and Dean tried out the whitebait, which proved to be a huge portion for starter standards! Not being a huge fish fan, Dave loved the taste and especially noted the homemade tartar sauce. Gemma too chose a fishy starter with the crayfish cocktail which she found delicious and even nicer with the bread served with it. Peter tried the garlic bread, but he did not feel it was much to write home about!<br /><br />For the main course, Peter and Dave looked to trying the burgers! Peter had a burger with bacon and an egg served with chips, which was a decent size and quite tasty. The burger was homemade and cooked very well. He also ordered some onion rings which did not turn up with the meal, and when they did, it was not as he had expected as they were overcooked and the batter was too crispy for his liking. Dave did not have a smooth run with his burger order wither, asking for a burger with bacon and cheese and ending up with a burger with egg and bacon and no cheese! The owner was extremely apologetic about the situation, and informed Dave that there were no more burgers for him to have a new one made. Dave was happy for them just to add the cheese and the price of all the added fillings were deducted from the bill as a result. Needless to say, the burger went down very well despite the slight difficulty.<br />
Clair opted for the sausage and mash dish, which was lovely but could have done with some vegetable accompliment to even out the mash a little. (Something which effects her diet currently) The sausages were of good quality meat and went down very well.<br />Gemma tried the pie of the day with chips, the pie being steak and ale. It was clearly homemade and very tasty, with perfect pastry. Unfortunately, after a few mouthfuls it was a little dry for Gemma, so she added some sauce from the condiments. After a few minutes, the gravy which it was meant to be served with arrived, meaning this was not necessary!<br /><br />So to desserts, Gemma tried out the blackcurrant sorbet to add a lighter end to the meal, which she found perfect. Dave chose the special chocolate fudge brownie sundae, which was as small as the price was! Peter had the same as Dave and felt it was not as described on the desserts special board.....it tasted good, but not as mouthwatering as described on the baord!<br /><br />The facilities for the ladies were a little on the small side, not easy to get into when you are very pregnant! The rest of the toilet was clean and welcoming, so it was a little disappointing the cubicles were not the same! The little touches of the race horses in the form of stickers on the cutlery was a nice addition, and how the whole mix up with meals was handled with genuine horror at the waitresses errors was a saving grace here.<br /><br /><b><i>Marks out of 10.................................................................. 7.5 (lucky dip choice)</i></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-80690032071871590862014-10-21T11:32:00.002+01:002014-10-21T11:32:32.624+01:00India Gate - Portsmouth <strong>An Interesting Indian On Kingston Road</strong><br />
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Being extremely fussy when it comes to her food, Clair was a little dubious when Dean wanted to choose an Indian restaurant to celebrate his birthday meeting. Then she recalled that she had been to India Gate and had found a meal not too spicy for her tastebuds, and Dean immediately booked! The venue is of a good size, with plenty of room and nice decor in the main restaurant. You are greeted with a smile and a friendly handshake from the very smart staff.<br />
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For starters, Clair opted for the garlic mushrooms which were creamy and delicious. Pete had the different Ostrich Tikka, which he found a little on the small side, yet presented beautifully and tasting just as good! Gemma also tried this dish, but found it a little hot for her taste. Dean opted for the Onion bahji which he felt were a little pale and just Ok for a starter. Dave had the chicken Kathi wrap, which was wonderfully cooked, juicy and not at all overdone.<br />
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The main menu is very varied and offers a lot of choice. Dave chose the mixed grill kebab, which offered a little of everything, allowing Dave to compare what the chef has to offer where he tends to order a variation of this dish when in an Indian restaurant. Dave felt the only thing that perhaps let it down was the beef which was a little over done and bland. The pilau rice and keema naan bread he ordered alongside it set off the meal perfectly.<br />
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Dean ordered the chicken Karnakarta, a dish of chicken, herbs and spices with mango, peppers and onion in a medium strength sauce. He definitely felt full after this dish, even not being able to finish the dish (which is a rarity for Dean!) Gemma tried the Duck Shashlik for her main which offered a pleasant change from the normal curry dish. Served with salad and roasted vegetables, the meat was able to speak for itself. With a lovely mint sauce and dollop of mango chutney, it created a lovely, different Indian meal.<br /><br />Pete decided to try the Tandori King Prawn masala, which was probably one of the best curries he has ever tasted! The prawns were massive in size, even for king prawns! The masala sauce was a typical chicken tikka nasal sauce, but perfectly cooked and not too spicy. The chipatis he ordered for a side dish were perfect also. Clair's not so spicy dish was the chicken Au Gratin. Flavoursome and with the added coolant of cheddar cheese, the dish was just what she wanted to have, without having an "English" dish! The rice was nice, but not quite fluffy enough for her taste. <br /><br />As it was Deans birthday, a round of drinks was offered on the house, which was turned down as only the birthday boy was drinking and time was ticking on. However, as we went to leave, a bottle of red wine was given to him as a token gesture. A lovely extra!<br /><br />In a place where the food was so delicious, it would be expected that we would give top marks for this restaurant. However, the toilets majorly lets this venue down. For a spacious restaurant, there are limited toilet facilities and the ones that are there are not clean and smell musty and disgusting. If there were a lot of people in the restaurant on a busy evening, there would not be enough facilities to cater for customers, or indeed space for anyone to queue!! Some of the group were also of the opinion that the service was a little slow, considering we were the only people in there that particular evening. It is such a shame that such lovely smart staff in a lovely venue with great food needs to be marked down.<br /><br />So, our scores for India Gate are:<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10............................................................... 8 (Dean Maskell)</em></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-39770560654670780112014-09-11T13:47:00.001+01:002014-09-11T13:47:37.394+01:00Banana Wharf - Hamble, Southampton <strong> A sailing restaurant with prices like the waves (up and down!)<br /></strong>Nestled on the front of the Hamble waterfront is Banana Wharf, one of two in the Southampton area. This resaturant offers food to the sailing community as well as from the general public who tend to come down for the lovely views and al fresco experience in the summer time. Unfortunately, the weather did not reflect this for our visit, but Clair thought it a different place to explore with the old taste buds!<br /><br />First look at the menu and the gang were shocked at the prices! It would indeed be a struggle for us to stick to 3 courses and remain in the £25 bracket, so it seemed that 2 courses were the way forward. It was surreal that the prices of the food were so varied! So it was straight to main courses for everyone this time round.<br /><br />Clair opted for the vegetable pizza with a side order of mixed leaf salad. The quality of this was superb. It was tasty, crispy and full of flavour and she was very impressed with the dish. Pete also had a pizza, opting for the "Bear" pizza, which consisted of pepperoni, chillies, asparagus and cheese. It was really nice, apart from the thin crust, which was a little overdone and burnt on the edges. Gemma had the chicken bacon burger and chips with a special salsa. It was lovely. She really enjoyed it and felt it was a sensible portion for the price. Very filling and good quality of food in her opinion.<br /><br />High expectations for the pricey desserts as the quality of food so far was superb. Clair and Dean shared a crepe filled with fresh fruit, although this had to be re ordered as we were served a fresh fruit platter instead!! It was delicious and again, of very high quality. Gemma had the lemon and sugar crepe. Again the prices had her feeling a little restricted and she was gobsmacked that whatever quality of ice cream they have it is not fair to charge the custoimer over £1.50 for a single scoop when we could see it came from an industrial sized tub!! On that basis 4 customers would pay for the tub and the rest would be skimming profits! For that reason she chose not to have the single scoop and it was fine without (would have been perfect with!)<br /><br />Pete had the banoffee pie. It was fantastic, with fresh whipped cream and a toffee sauce topped with a whole banana. The only issue was the price. At. £7.50, which he felt was a bit steep for what you get.<br /><br />Our other main issue with the venue was the state of the toilets. They were not clean and had glass doors, meaning that people could see through the doors to the people in the cubicles. Even the frosted glass they used did not hide this enough!! The staff, although smart in appearance appeared distant and like they wanted to be elsewhere. No banter or many smiles here.<br /><br />We were most disappointed that the quality of the food was not reflected in the staff attitude and state of the toilets. The irradic pricing also was not much to be desired. <br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10................................6.5 (Clair Maskell)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-76811371652633888152014-08-13T14:12:00.002+01:002014-08-13T14:12:54.619+01:00Cams Mill - Fareham <strong>A starter platter and lovely decor really makes this venue!<br /><br /><br /></strong>It was over to Gemma for Junes meeting, and she chose The Cams Mill in Fareham. This venue has received mixed reviews, so the group were excited and intrigued to check this one out for size!! First impressions were good. It being a lovely evening, we decided to wait for all the members who could attend outside for a lovely refreshing drink. Situated near the Cams Creek area, we were treated to a pleasant view, although had the tide have been in, it would have been even more tranquil!!<br />
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First look at the menu and for some, it was a little difficult to find something that particularly wowed for some tastes (and for those who had just announced they were expecting!!) The menu is small to allow for the kitchen to cope, but perhaps a little more variety would have helped! It was not easy to be enticed by the starters, so the group decided to go for a sharing platter, in order to meet the Grubgang £25 rule and save ourselves some money! This proved to be a knock out idea for the group, who all loved the Hampshire Hog which in Daves words was "To Die For!" It was lovely to have a mix of pork pie, chicken and thick cut ham and was just enough to get the mouth watering.<br />
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Our mains were just as delicious and of a high quality. Gemma opted for a burger which was very juicy and lovely with a sesame and poppy seed bun, served with home made coleslaw which was a perfect touch. However, she did feel that the chips could have been a bit crispier for her taste. Dave tucked into a very juicy burger and the home made coleslaw was nice too! The bacon however, was way overdone and salty; more like salty pork jerky than bacon. The cheese was overcooked too(!). Chips were home made and very nice, a nice change not to have manufactured chips with a meal!<br />
Clair was impressed with her sausage and mash, although they were a little too peppery for her taste, despite the baby being very active with each mouthful!! (A Grub Gang member in the making!!)<br />
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And so to desserts. The Chocolate Brownie proved a hit with Clair and Dave. It was just the right balance between light and fluffy and thick and chewy in the middle. The salted caramel ice cream scoop was a perfect accompliment to the dessert! Gemma tried one of the special desserts of the day, an Eton Mess. It was lovely with cream, meringue and strawberries with a pistachio crumb on top - lovely !<br />
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The staff were warm, friendly and up for banter, which made the experience even more enjoyable and the facilities, although small and over powered with the smell of lillies, were clean. Nice to have fresh flowers in the ladies though!! Gemma had booked online, meaning she was also entitled to a free drink, so an extra insentive there.<br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of 10............................................................ 9 (Gemma Wickens)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-31959476034443522762014-06-02T15:49:00.000+01:002014-06-02T15:49:09.244+01:00Wagamama's - Whiteley<span class="null"><strong> Would a trip to Wagamama's float everyones boat???</strong><br /><br />A trip to the new Whiteley shopping Centre and Deans choice took us to Wagamama’s. A clean spacious restaurant where it is nice to be able to talk to everyone at the table without feeling squashed in and helped create a pleasant atmosphere. The only criticism is that the toilets are quite small, but on a positive note were very clean and tidy.<br /><br />
Dean felt the restaurant was well lit with large glass windows providing natural light. The tables are laid out with adequate room in between with cushions on the chairs provided added comfort. The waiters provided a good level of service, humour and information.<br />
There is definitely a large choice on the menu and the waiter was more then willing to explain any dishes and offer any advice in regard to spiciness and general appeal of some of the dishes.<br />
Whilst several of us had not been to a Wagamama’s or a Japanese before this really helped us to decide what we wanted to try. Also as some of us were not too keen on Japanese in general the waiter’s advice was invaluable.<br />
He told us that the sides could be served as starters or served as it is ready, as everything is cooked fresh and served immediately. We chose to have them arrive when they were ready and although some of us were waiting longer than others, we were happy to wait as it had been explained to us.<br />
He also explained when we sat down which items were not available on the menu. This really helped when selecting, as nothing is more disappointing then being told you cant have a dish after you have ordered it!<br />
Although Clair had the pulled pork dumplings after the waiter informed us that the original choice of BBQ ribs was dropped by the chef before cooking... a whole tray apparently! We were recommended the pulled pork starter and it was definitely a great recommendation as they were delicious!<br />
Clair also had a rice dish as a main course, with chicken, courgette, spring onions and mushrooms in an oyster and white wine sauce with ginger. Clair thought It was lovely, but very filling, meaning she couldn't finish it all! Portion size is obviously not an issue here!<br />
As for Dessert Clair had a white chocolate and ginger cheesecake. It was nice, but not something she would say was amazing. Clair does prefer a crunchier base where as this one was very crumbly and soft.<br />
Dean had the Wagamama pad Thai for his main (Which is chicken, prawns, rich noodles, peanuts, leeks, shallots and chillies). It was really good and a tasty blend of ingredients. For dessert he had chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. He was also really lucky as the slice of cake was huge. Although before having his dessert he tried some of Mike's Firestarter meal, which was really tasty, but blimey it was hot and Dean feels he is used to spicy food!!<br /><br />
Mike thought the food was excellent. He had the spiced chilli squid for starters. Which was excellent. His main was the chicken firestarter. It was really nice, but agreed with Dean that it was extremely hot!<br />
As for Dave, he started with the Pulled Pork Gyosa which were pulled pork dumplings and very very tasty. His main was the chicken katsu curry, which was tasty without being overly hot, and the sticky rice certainly helped with his first foray with chopsticks!
He did however feel it was weird how the starters came out with the mains too.
His dessert unfortunately, was not so good. The portions were tiny, but then again, so was the cost. The three cakes were tasty, and it was nice to try some things he wouldn't normally try.<br /><br />
Gemma and Peter opted for the Duck Dumplings to start and they were duck meat in light short crust pastry in a mini pasty style - not what either of them was expecting but definitely delicious The hoisan sauce was lovely too and perfect for the dumplings. Gemma did try Dave's pulled pork ones that came in a pancake style wrap and they were also very nice.
For her main Gemma had the chicken and prawn noodle with vegetables and sesame seeds which was easy to eat with good flavours that did not over power the dish. It was a shame however that there was only 2 small prawns in it – the dish would have been far better with a more equal share of chicken and prawn.
Gemma felt that it was quite a light main so enjoyed the offer of puddings. She opted to have the trio sample of ice cream in rice balls. These were lovely ice creams but she was not a fan of the rice coating (worth a try but not her cup of tea). She did try Dave's trio of cakes and again they were nice but the sauces were a bit overpowering and she wouldn't have been able to eat a larger piece of any of them.<br />
So all in all a good restaurant and a great way to introduce someone to Japanese style food.<br /><br />
<em><strong>Marks out of 10 ...........................................A karate chopping 8</strong></em> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-70146839700096145192014-05-13T16:02:00.000+01:002014-05-13T16:02:18.303+01:00Jamies Italian - Gunwharf, Portsmouth<strong> Not as everyone had hoped for a Jamie Restaurant<br /><br /></strong>Being April, we were in the capable hands of Mike Dixon to chose his birthday restaurant. He decided to take the Grubgang to Jamie's Italian in Gunwharf, where many of the members had often wondered about trying in the past. Hopes were high, especially for Clair, whose collection of Jamie Oliver Cookbooks is her pride and joy!<br /><br />The look of the restaurant is clean and a mixture of modern and rustic Italian, which to some came across cold and industrial. For others, it was refreshing to be offered a round table and to feel it was not too noisy despite them amount of people who were in the restaurant. The group loved the display of fresh vegetables and breads next to the kitchens, but were not so enamoured with the toilets, which reminded the ladies of being at school!!<br /><br />So to the menu. For many of the members of the group, there was not much on the menu which really took to their fancy. Being a big lover of Italian restaurants we have visited since starting Grubgang, it felt a little flat and disappointing. So to the starters....<br /><br />Clair loved her starter of Potato Croquettes, which has always been one of her favourite dishes, although she had not seen it in an Italian menu before. Soft, tangy and zesty, she loved every bite and wished she had at least 2 more on her plate!
Dean had the crispy battered squid for starters with red chillies which was really nice, in his opinion, whilst Pete and Dave opted for the spicy chicken wings to start. They were actually really nice with a little bit of a kick that was not too over powering. Their only criticism was that it was a tiny starter and certainly not worth it cost wise. Gemma had the crab and avocado bruschetta. Which she felt was more like a green apple bruschetta!! All she could taste was the apple - it was way too much and there was just a sprinkle of crab! For the cost of £6, she was hoping for a bit more meat! The avocado was just a splodge of guacamole on the end of the plate and really a let down from the way it sounded on the menu.<br />Mike, however was pleased with his crispi arancini.<br /><br />The mains did not impress that much either. Mike enjoyed his wild rabbit, which Gemma chose too and found a little over powering on herbs for her taste. The meat was cooked lovely and although the bigger pieces were dry in the middle, she believed this to be the type of meat and not the preparation by the chef. On a side note it would have been a lot easier to eat with a spoon and not the knife and fork as provided.<br /><br />Dean was very enamoured with his main course of risotto which he would order again if he ever returned. Clair decided on a vegetarian dish, as the other dishes on the menu really did not resound with her this time. She ordered the honeycomb callaloni, which was ok but she didn't really feel it would be something she would order if she ever visited again.<br /><br />Pete and Dave both had the burger for mains. Pete asked for it plain, but it still arrived with some lettuce on it, which was disappointing. The burger itself was a little dry and unfortunately a bit over done... The mortadella was a great addition though and saved it slightly from being completely bland The choice of style of chips was nice and he opted for the funky chips over the posh style chips. Which were ok. Nothing to write home about though. Dave felt the burger, whilst trumped as being made of steak chuck, just tasted burnt and was very dry ( a disappointment when a small diet coke was £3!) The Funky Chips were just well cooked home made chips, with garlic and herbs, and quite greasy! Very tasty though.<br /><br />We were all hoping desserts would save this restaurant where it was lacking for so many. Dave was very disappointed with the size of his chocolate brownie, which was billed as "Ultimate". Gemma felt<br />
the dessert menu was again so restrictive with every dish containing alcohol (either lemon or coffee - both of which is not to her taste) and only left the option of ice cream. She enjoyed a selection of salted caramel, honeycomb and berry crumble, which were very tasty.<br />
Unfortunately they did not have any honeycomb to sprinkle on top as requested and opted for the popcorn, which she felt had too much toffee o it, even if did perk up the meal.<br />Pete and Dean too had the ice cream and agreed with Gemmas sentiments.<br /><br />Clair and Mike had the fruit crumble for dessert. Clair loves a good crumble, but felt that this one was just fruit with a granola bar on it! It needed a bit of biscuit to give it a sweeter less oaty taste. Mike however, enjoyed the dish.<br /><br />Service was fairly quick and friendly when serving the meals, but we did have to wait a fair while to receive our bill at the end. <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10.......................................................... 7 (Mike Dixon)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-20519693076999092082014-03-19T14:53:00.000+00:002014-03-19T14:53:38.504+00:00The Italian Bar and Grill - Portsmouth<br /><strong>Not the birthday meal the Grubgang had expected this month!</strong><br /><br /><br />So our second outing of the year was Clair's choice (As it was Clair's Birthday!) and she decided on The Italian Bar & Grill in Great Southsea Road in Portsmouth.<br />
Tucked away off Elm Grove and having been converted from an old pub the restaurant offers loads of legroom and is very spacious. The decor and atmosphere is nice, but this unfortunately is where the compliments mostly stop…<br />
Unfortunately, Clair felt it was a real let down and feel that the trip advisor reviews are very misleading, as this is where she had found out about the venue in the first place.<br /><br />
Peter felt the service was awful. With no rapport established by the waitresses, no eager to please attitude, and certainly no reason to tip. Dean felt that the service was also very slow and that the waitresses seemed more interested having a chat at the bar then serving their customers. Gemma did note that there was a little banter at the start of the evening, however as the night progressed it became non-existent. Whilst Dave thought the staff seemed friendly enough at first, but it seemed obvious that there was no ownership of their guests; we waited a long time to have our starters taken and when plates were cleared, only half were taken, the rest by a different waitress, and the bill was also wrong…<br /><br />
As for the food, Gemma’s starter didn’t arrive with everyone else, and when we queried it, they informed us she was waiting for a starter she didn’t order! When it did arrive it was just a bowl of prawn and crayfish on a few leaves and smothered in Marie Rose Sauce. Not the most intricate starter but we have certainly experienced better presentation elsewhere. There wasn’t even a slice of bread to go with it!<br /><br />
As for Mike his starter was the Chicken wings and he felt that they had far too much BBQ sauce on them, whilst Dave and Dean had nachos and felt they were nothing exciting. Yes it's hard to get a bowl of crisps and two dollops of sauce wrong, but they said they have definitely had better. There was however a good amount of chips, just not enough sauce. It seemed they were just lobbed in a bowl and sauce splattered on top.<br /><br />
Clair’s starter choice (Garlic Mushroom Crostini) was not too bad, although like the others she had certainly had far superior versions elsewhere.<br />
It seems the only starter that the restaurant excelled on was Pete’s. The combination of Fresh Mussels with a chilli sauce and a chunk of ciabatta was lovely. It had a little kick that was not overpowering and really enhanced the mussels. He was also given a bowl to clean his fingers with, which was definitely needed after he had finished! There were also no closed shells and the portion size was perfect. So at least they got something right…<br /><br />
For her main course Gemma wanted the Lasagne and was a little disappointed that they didn't have any, so she opted for an old favourite of chicken and mushroom carbonara. She was offered penne or spaghetti (which wasn't shown on the menu so took her by surprise) and opted for spaghetti. It was described as being prepared in a double cream sauce… What arrived (when it finally did) looked like it had never even seen a sauce. It was mainly oil (grease possibly) and covered in melted cheese, which made us think it had been sat waiting a while under the lamps in the kitchen.
The chicken was tough and overcooked (like leather!) and the amount of oil really put Gemma off the meal. It was not creamy at all and she ended up leaving half of it! This wasn’t even noticed by the staff when the plates were cleared!<br /><br />
As for Dave’s main it was frankly, just horrible. He had the I-Burger with a double patty (half pounder). He was expecting this to be home made. It was supposed to be smoked bacon, onion rings, BBQ and blue cheese sauces. All he could taste was the blue cheese, which there were masses of it (Far too much for the burger to be honest). The patties themselves were the same fare as found in any industrial estate burger van. There was a generous portion of French fries to go with it though. However it doesn't really make up for the fact that he ended up paying £11 for a burger that you can get in any DIY store car park for £3.50 minus the blue cheese and chips.<br />
Mike also commented that his main of a spicy Bean burger was also not very nice.<br />
The only dish that seemed to please was Pete’s… Although The Calzone was very tasty he did ask for no onions and unfortunately there was still some in it. Also the calzone was not wrapped properly and as such some of the sauce had spilled out of the side. It was cooked well though and the Cajun fires as a side were really nice.<br /><br />
So with all this combined together it was a good choice to move on from the restaurant to the local Ice Cream parlour Scoops for dessert.<br />
So all in all, even though Peter had been to the restaurant before and had a far more pleasant experience, the speed of the service was ridiculously slow. The food was mediocre at best and teamed with the bill being wrong, we would certainly think twice about visiting again.<br /><br />
A nicely presented restaurant, but poor food and even worse service <br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10.......................................................... 5 (Clair Maskell)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-80370318794684471712014-02-21T11:46:00.002+00:002014-02-21T11:46:47.556+00:00Yonkers American Restaurant, Portsmouth<strong> An American treat....with a car on the wall!!<br /></strong><br />Our first Grubgang of the New Year was to Osbourne Road, where Dave had booked the smart looking Yonkers American restaurant for us to try.<br /><br />When you enter, it is obvious that this is not like any other American diner that the gang have visited. There is a car mounted on the wall as well as many lovely pictures of New York. It has a clean, sophisticated feel! We were seated at a lovely round table, so everyone could join in conversations!<br /><br />The starters were of good quality, with the gang trying the Ribs, Southern fried chicken and the fishcakes. Gemma highly recommended the fishcakes as being very good value for money, as they were packed with meat! Clair felt that the ribs were a better choice than the southern fried chicken as her little try of Pete's starter really got the mouth watering!<br /><br />When it came to the main courses, there was a little mix up with the ladies burgers, meaning Clair had Gemma's Pulled pork burger instead of the special burger WITH pulled pork. A little confusing, yes, but still a mistake which should not have been made. That being said, the ladies did enjoy their mains. The patty for the special burger was a little dry, but the pulled park was fantastic. Mike was totally in awe over the sheer size of the burgers and was definitely filled up by his main!! Pete too was shocked to find his chicken burger was a beefburger WITH TWO chicken breasts and onion rings!!! We were definitely not being deprived of portion size!<br /><br />And so to dessert. Well, it had to be the typical American choices....Pancakes, New York Cheesecake and Apple Pie! Pete asked for the "special Yonkers ice cream" which was listed on the menu, but turned out to be just the same as ordinary ice cream. There did seem to be a few issues on the menu as it turned out. The desserts went down a treat, however!<br /><br />Overall, the staff were very attentive and polite. We were able to have a little banter with our waiter. Not so good that there were issues with the menu and our orders, but the general quality and presentation of the food was fantastic (if not quite wowing Clair this time) There was a little issue with waiting between the starter and main course, but this seemed to be because they wanted to serve our table at the same time as the other table which was being used at the same time as us. Toilets were clean (If a little confusing for Clair who ended up in the men's!)<br /><br />It was unanimous that the gang would love to visit again in the future!!<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10...................................... 8 (Dave Graham)</em></strong><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-46199194259446370812013-11-19T15:26:00.000+00:002014-02-21T11:47:18.215+00:00Casa Brasil , Southampton<strong> A great first choice by Peter, Brazilian style!!<br /></strong>The Grubgang have been very fortunate to try some interesting foods from around the world by visiting restaurants in the South, but had yet to discover Brazilian food. Peter had his first ever choice since joining the Grubgang, so we set out towards Southampton to try out Casa Brasil, an all you can eat Brazilian restaurant full of vibrancy and flavours!<br />
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It would be wrong of me to neglect to set a little of the scene on this particular evening, it should be mentioned but not taken away from our overall score! We had been unfortunate to choose a night where thunderstorms had been predicted, and although the lightening was flashing around when we parked up, it was not raining. However, within seconds of leaving the car the heavens opened, meaning that 6 very soggy and cold people entered the restaurant!! Not a great start for us all sat with soggy bottoms, but at the end of the day this was out of anyones control. <br />
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So, to the restaurant and meal itself. The concept is quite simple. You are seated at your table (or squeezed in on this occasion, not very pleasant for some of the gang!) and you are given a card. On this card one side is red, the other green. You place the green side up when you are ready to begin and the food is brought to your table. And when we say food, we mean....food! Plenty of it! The meats are brought round on skewers and offered to the table. We counted 14 different types of meat throughout the evening, from sirloin steak (which was a succulent favourite on the table) to Peters personal favourite and delicacy of chicken hearts. We were also offered a great palate cleanser of cinnamon rolled hot pineapple, which we all really loved!! Definitely a winter warmer there!<br />
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The side salads, rice, pasta, chips and other small delicacies are offered in the middle of the room, where people can visit as many times as they like to fill their plates. Unfortunately, many people were confused as to what each item was for the side dishes, as nothing was labelled. This could be an issue for people with allergies. What I believed to be a potato croquette turned out to be a banana fritter!! Not really my cup of tea!!<br />
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We were a little put off by the fact that despite booking, our table for 6 was a little cramped, with poor Gemma being stuck out on the end. With the loudness in the restaurant and her position, she was unable to hear a lot of the conversations going on within the group. There was also an issue with the bill. Upon phoning to book, Peter had enquired about a service charge, which he was told was not added to the bill. However, upon receiving the bill this was not to be the case, causing a little issue for us where the service charge had put the bill up quite considerably.<br />
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Gemma and Dave felt that the rice and cous cous was a little undercooked and Clair was disappointed the chips were also on the cold side, but other than this the food was fantastic and made for a lovely evening (despite the damp start!!)<br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of 10.................................. 7 (Peter Hall)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-19273153801102699122013-10-02T10:25:00.000+01:002013-10-02T10:25:01.576+01:00Koh Thai - Southsea<span class="null"> <strong> Live music and great food!</strong> <br /><br /><br /><br />It was Deans turn to choice this month. And once he had decided, he chose the Koh Thai Restaurant in Southsea at the end of Kings Road. It was also his Birthday, so we were all hoping it was going to be a memorable one.<br /><br />
When we arrived we were taken upstairs to an area that was fairly spacious and not too crowded. We would be thankful later for being at the back of the restaurant as there was live music; by a singer with a backing track and some of us thought it was a little too loud at times. However she was very talented and did some great covers of well-known songs.<br /><br />
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a vibrant atmosphere, whilst it has elements of the Far East that you would expect from a Thai Restaurant, however it has also managed to keep the traditional period architecture of the building. It was a little dark however, but the candles more then made up for it and created a pleasant atmosphere.<br /><br />
So to the food and drinks… Firstly the staff were friendly and welcoming and it was lovely that Dean received a free drink and a candle in his sorbet, it was a lovely touch!<br />
As for the starters Dean, Peter and Dave opted for the Thai Fish Cakes, which were very nice, and had just the right amount of spice and flavours, and the sweet chilli sauce supplied complimented it well. As for Gemma, she had to change her initial choice of starter, as they were unfortunately unable to provide her first choice of the duck wraps. The replacement was ribs, which Gemma thought were gorgeous, not too fatty, and plenty of meat for the price. Mike had Mussels wrapped in bacon as his starter, which was very nice, whilst Clair had the Thai chicken wings to start, which were also lovely. <br />
For the main course, Peter and Mike opted for the Duck Thai curry, which was not to Mikes taste as he thought it was a little bland. Peter however was not keen on having grapes and pineapple in the curry, however the waitress said it wasn't an issue to make it without them in. He felt it was a lovely curry though and very typical of the Thai curries he has had in the past. <br />
Clair had the Duck Tamarind, which was beautifully cooked. She was recommended to add a side of noodles as vermicelli noodles are very thin and crispy, but she felt that perhaps she didn’t need them as she was full up on the main course itself!!<br />
Dave had the red chicken curry main that was very nice, and provided a huge portion for the price, whilst Gemma had the Chicken Phad Thai which was also lovely and very filling from a surprising portion. When it arrived Gemma thought it looked a bit meagre but was so filling she struggled to finish it! In fact Dean pretty much finished it off! But that might have been because of the free cocktail he got, as it was his birthday!<br />
As for desserts, they did not have any ice cream, so Clair opted not to have a dessert, whilst Dave and Peter had the Banoffee Pie. Dave thought the pie was beautiful but absolutely tiny, whilst Peter thought it was a perfect finish to the evening and the chocolate sauce that accompanied it was really good. Gemma had the raspberry sorbet, which was also perfect end with a light fruity finish. This was also echoed by Mike who had the banana fritters with mango sorbet.<br />
So the Koh was a great choice by Dean, and was reasonably priced, with interesting dishes and very friendly and attentive staff. Who made sure Dean had a great birthday meal including him getting a free cocktail and candle in his dessert!<br />
Although there were a couple of issues, with not having someone’s first choice and food not coming out at the same time, however the staff really made up for it, with great service and lovely dishes.<br /><br />
<em><strong>Marks out of 10……………………………………………………. 8 (Dean Maskell)</strong></em></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-54915678516746152062013-08-28T20:28:00.001+01:002013-08-28T20:28:50.287+01:00Barnabys Restaurant, Southsea<strong> Great deal but too many points bring this one down <br /></strong>This month, It was the turn of Clair to decide where to dine. Strolling down the Osbourne Road area, she was spoilt for choice, but one particular deal struck her the most "3 courses for £20". Brilliant. That sums Grubgang up in one swoop! <br /><br />It was not easy to book a table at first. Clair rang to book yet there was no answer. Thankfully, there was an answer machine and they did ring back to confirm a time. However, when she rang back,. Clair was yet again given the sound of the machine! All was well though and when the Grubgang arrived, the table was ready to go. Unfortunately, the staff were not so attentive straight off. We think that they were flustered by a group of people who were looking for a table and standing in the doorway, but surely that is not an excuse to be seated without the menu to read? We were a little perplexed as to why we had not been handed them to look at!<br /><br />The restaurant itself was a little crowded, meaning poor Pete was even knocked into by another diner! There were many tables crammed into one place, but with the competitiveness of the area, perhaps they just need to get the covers in. The staff themselves were friendly and once they got going, they were very efficient! Dave noted that despite there being a full restaurant, there were only two waiting staff, so maybe that puts the first little incident into perspective. Dave also felt it should be noted how the food was served without a big wait and exactly to order, which is great for two people rushed off their feet!<br /><br />The restaurant itself is decorated plainly and unassumingly. Clair felt it could do with a little revamp just to neaten a few things up a bit, but overall the group felt it was OK. The toilets however, where a big let down. Cracked ceilings and dirty sinks in the ladies toilet. Not a great feeling when you are hoping for a good meal.<br /><br />So to the food. Starters brought mixed reviews from the group. Dave felt his pate was nothing special and gave the impression of shop bought pate, with far too much given for the amount of bread to accompany it. Pete was also disheartened that the prawn dish he ordered was smaller than he expected, with just 4 prawns which were lacking the garlic and chilli flavour they promised.<br />However, Clair, Gemma, Mike and Dean were very pleased with their starters. Gemma especially felt her plate was a large portion of whitebait for a starter and Mike felt his duck was perfect and couldnt be faulted!<br /><br />The mains also bought a few mixed reactions. Many of the gang decided to opt for a steak. Deans 8oz sirloin was cooked medium and to his taste which he was very pleased with. Pete had a steak too, again feeling it a little on the smaller side, but full of taste, His recommendation is not to have the garlic butter, however, as it does leave the steak a little dry. Gemma was very impressed with her steak with a tasty peppercorn sauce whilst Dave decided to try the fillet steak, (as had Pete) which cost an extra £3.50. Again, he echoed Petes concerns about the size of the steak, but did agree it was one of the best steaks he had ever tasted.<br />At the other end, Clair really enjoyed the duck in orange sauce. Cooked not too pink, as she had asked the waiter, and very very tender! Mike was tucking into his pork and succulent crackling, oohing and aahing in all the right places! Both he had Clair tried the Saute potatoes which were divine!!!<br /><br />So to dessert...... Mike was overjoyed with his apple pie and ice cream which really was "the icing on the cake" for him! Pete agreed it was a lovely dessert too. Dean and Clair enjoyed the syrup sponge pudding, Dean favouring the ice cream option rather than the custard Clair decided on. Lovely! Gemmas Eton mess was a treat ("The Strawberries were delicious") Daves dessert consisted of a chocolate truffle torte with ice cream. He felt it was VERY rich, and well worth the price! (" Truly for a truffle connoisseur though as it was quite strong!")<br /><br />So, the gang had mixed views on this restaurant. It is a great deal, but the size of the portions left some feeling that perhaps they were scaled down for the sake of the deal. Would the dishes have been the same size if bought from the meal outside of the deal days??? The quality of the food fared well, with many of the gang enjoying the way their meals were cooked. However, the state of the toilets as well as the slight issue at the start, alongside the portion issues have left the gang feeling that perhaps the atmosphere was not to the Grubgang standards we are becoming accustomed to.<br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10.................................................... 7</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-28928365834203273272013-07-31T15:57:00.000+01:002013-07-31T16:02:26.686+01:00Blue Cobra Indian Restaurant, Portsmouth<strong>Lovely meal with plenty to go round!</strong><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">This month’s meal brought us to North End
and the Blue Cobra (It is also Dave’s first choice <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>sojourn
into Grubgang – and in his opinion probably the best Indian in Portsmouth –
lets hope everyone else thought the same!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">The Blue Cobra is a contemporary Indian
restaurant nestled in the numerous shops and restaurants on the London Road in
North End, Portsmouth. It offers an extensive menu, including some unusual
dishes such as buffalo and curries with mango pieces. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Unlike many other restaurants in the
nearby area, Mike felt it <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>didn't feel
cramped as there was plenty of space and the decor was lovely and the music was
played at a nice level so we could here ourselves talking. Clair also felt
there was plenty of space to move and you didn’t feel like they were cramping
you in like sardines to maximise covers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p> S</o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">o The blue Cobra is ticking all the
boxes so far… What about the food…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Dave – “<em>The menu here is very varied,
and portions are pretty generous and the price is very agreeable. I had the
Shahee Mixed Kebab to start with, which is a little taster of pretty much all
the meats this restaurant has to offer, topped with onions and cheese. If
you're not a fan of Indian spices, this is the ideal way to try a little of
everything from the mild to the medium. The main course was a Tandoori Special
Grill; again, more of a selection of everything with chicken, lamb, beef and
duck. The meat was lightly spiced, enough to give it flavour without
overpowering everything and also very tender; the chicken just melted without
being overly oily in particular. The Keema rice was a generous portion for the
price, and was also very tasty without being overly spicy. Drinks were also
reasonably priced too. Deserts were usual Indian affair; I didn't partake
because I'd stuffed myself, and didn't even touch my inclusive naan bread!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Gemma – <em>“I had Hush Tikka to start which
is duck cooked to perfection (in my opinion) and the same main as Dave as its a
good sampler. I loved all the complementary items the Restaurant offered. First
with the poppadum’s and sauces and then afterwards with refreshing orange
segments to cleanse the pallet (with a hot towel!).”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Dean – <em>“I played save with onion bhaji
for starters and for the main I had the Chicken Fried Rice, Keema Nann with the
Tandoori Mixed Grill. Luckily Clair chose a lovely curry (don’t remember the
name), which I used to combine with my main, as the tandoori grill in my
opinion really needed a good sauce to accompany it.”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Clair – <em>“I chose a Naan bread to start,
but they are so huge I think if I went back I would go straight for a main
meal. The portions are more than enough and would fill a hungry tum very
quickly! I also liked the fact that I asked the waiter that the dish be as mild
as possible and they seemed to do this for me with no problems.”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Pete – <em>“I choose to be a bit more
adventurous then I usually am and started with the Dum Aloo (An Egg/potato
mixture encased in a breadcrumb outer layer – Which was lovely) followed by the
mixed Massala curry with Lamb, Chicken and Prawns – Also fantastic. I choose to
accompany with a Aloo Gobi – which unfortunately they had run out of
cauliflower – so had to have a Bombay Aloo instead. Now if I had known the
portions were so large I wouldn’t have ordered the side dish (Probably my only
negative of an otherwise lovely meal!).<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So the menu was extensive, the portions
generous and the taste not too spicy – Again the Blue Cobra seems to be ticking
the boxes… What about the service?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Mike – <em>“The staff were very friendly and
attentive to our needs, although the only problem I had was that the waiters
were ever so slightly over eager to clear our plates away!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Clair – <em>“They need to work on getting
orders correct and as Mike said they were too eager to clear up, so I felt a
little rushed!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Dean – <em>“Pretty good service. Especially
liked the fact they gave complimentary orange halves to wash our palates, then
Baileys and chocolate to wash it all done. They even doggy bagged Clair’s
leftovers (curry, Bombay potatoes and my rice), which I had for lunch at work
the next day!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Gemma – <em>“The only down side was the fast
pace that the waiters were setting, was at times making me feel a little rushed
and the usual issue of</em> plates being cleared before we had all finished.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Pete – <em>“A pleasure dining experience,
with very little to complain about except the lack of cauliflower! – Didn’t
really feel rushed at all, however the plates really need to be cleared once
everyone has finished!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So apart from being a little eager to clear
the plates away, not too much to grumble about. So what about the overall score
and final thoughts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Clair – <em>“All in all, Dave picked a
lovely place and for a first choice of venue, you will have to keep up the good
work for future venues! And I now also have a lot to live up to next month!!”</em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Dean – <em>“Had a really nice meal, pretty
good service, especially liked the fact they gave complimentary orange halves
to wash our palates, then Baileys and chocolate to wash it all down.”</em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Gemma – <em>“We definitely recommend it! Not
too crowded.”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Pete – <em>“A lovely restaurant, with great
food, and reasonable priced. Very little to complain about! All in all, a great
Grubgang venue!”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So it looks like the Blue Cobra gets the
thumbs up from the Grubgangers! A great contemporary Indian with a large and
varied menu, with the addition of a range of fish curries as well!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">The decor was clean, the staff welcoming
and attentive (Although a little too eager to clear the plates away!), with
good sized tables (Not too crowded), reasonably priced drinks and clean
respectable facilities.<br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of ten..............................................................8.5 (Dave Graham)<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-65497702819313109422013-07-01T21:23:00.001+01:002013-07-01T21:26:36.447+01:00Giraffe, Gunwharf Quays<strong> Dining alfresco in June?? You are having a Giraffe!!<br /><br /></strong>It is great Grubgang tradition that if a venue is chosen with a view, it is either the height of winter or it rains! Gemma had chosen her latest pick of the bunch, knowing the view was beautiful and that there were tables outside to dine in style! To top it all off, the weather was good!! So, off we headed to Giraffe in Gunwharf for our second June visit!<br />
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Although we did not quite make all 3 courses outside (the wind picked up once the sun disappeared behind the Spinnaker!) It was lovely to be outside!! So, what did the gang think of this experience? (nb: Dean was unable to join us on this occasion)<br />
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Pete : <em>"It was a lovely meal. I had the Yakitori Asparagus to start - was a very light starter, but they were cooked to perfection and the sauce added an extra kick of taste that the dish required to stop it being too bland. For the main I had the leg of lamb steak. Was cooked as requested and was certainly tasty, however I felt it was a little bit expensive for what it was. It would have been nice if it had had a sauce to add some flavour. As for dessert I had the banana waffle split! A great finish to the night! Obviously the chef loves desserts as much as I do! The banana was lightly roasted and the ice cream melted slightly as a result, which is just the way I like it."<br /><br />Dave :</em> <em>"The Nacho starter was not sharing size despite the menu saying otherwise. Main course wasn't particularly good value. Small portion of chips (good for dieters) and chicken burger that had far too much going on taste-wise. The chicken was over done and dry, mayo bed, salsa, barbecue sauce, mushrooms, onion rings and some sort of pesto meant it was quite distracting. Simplifying it a little was in order, I think. Desert menu had some interesting looking choices, but I didn't partake. Service was friendly but slow for a midweek evening with not many covers on."<br /><br /></em>Dave is correct in the fact that the service was a little slow. It turned out that the poor waiter had a whole side of the restaurant to cover as well as us sat outside!! It did seem like he was doing all the work too!! <br />
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Gemma : "<em>I felt it was a surprisingly nice meal - I didn't have high hopes due to it being a chain but was a delightful starter!. I had BBQ Duck on a Tossada (YUM) The duck meat was tender and superb. I then had salmon with pineapple red pepper and red onion relish which was nice but seemed a bit over cooked. The skin on fries are delicious and I really enjoyed them. I finished with the smarty pants ice cream which had strawberries, smarties and jelly tots in. The toilets were semi-clean and a bit cramped in the cubicle, the service was friendly ,but a bit over eager at clearing the plates away for half our group when some were still eating. We then had long gaps between courses which I think was not our servers fault as he seemed to be single manning the restaurant floor. For a choice of somewhere I had not tried before taking the gang to I was happy at the outcome of the evening. We did get hit with another service charge but was able to ask for it to be removed and tipped as we felt fair."<br /><br /></em>Mike : <em>The restaurant was a nice place the decor was good and it was clean. The service was very slow, although as the others said it wasn't our servers fault. He was very good and was rushed off his feet because the other staff were just standing around not doing much. I thought it was very good that our server actually suggested the best things on the menu that he thought we might like to try. <br /> My starter was the mini mezze which was lovely. My main was the duck stir-fry which was nice but didn't wow me. It was nice, however, to have been given chopsticks to use.<br />My dessert was the Apple and cherry almond Crumble which was absolutely Delicious. The menu didn't have an awful lot of choice for each course so I would find it hard to go back and try to find something else that I might like. All this said it was a pleasant evening and sitting outside was rather nice as usually when one of us pick somewhere with a view it rains!"<br /><br /></em>Clair : <em>"I did feel we were waiting a bit long between courses and considering there were plenty of staff about it shouldn't have been so. The guy was a star working so hard and very good service from him with his recommendations.<br />The food itself was good. I felt the Rancho burger I had was quite dry as Dave has also discussed. It was almost as if they couldn't decide which flavour to use to hide its dryness!!The cheesecake dessert and the garlic bread starter were top quality, however. I found the toilets quite dirty in my opinion. The best part of the evening was the lovely view, great company and hard working waiter."<br /></em>All in all, the food was good and the service was friendly, if a little slow due to the way the staffing had been handed out. We were told our tip when paid with the bill would be split between the bar staff and other staff in the venue, but we wanted to just praise the waiter himself. We really should have found out his name as he should get a great big shout out for his hard work and friendliness!!<br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of ten............................................... 6.5 (Gemma Wickens)</em></strong><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-15093558003026837932013-06-18T16:21:00.001+01:002013-06-18T16:25:05.706+01:00Franco and Paolo's Italian Restaurant , Locks Heath<strong> New, Fresh but not overly exciting<br /><br /></strong>The first of this months two meetings and our first as a team of 6, landed on Dean Maskell to chose the destination.As we are now a six strong team, I have decided to write these reviews a little differently. Each member of the group has written a little piece about their experiences, which I have written out below. We have a new rule that whoever choses the destination does not comment as to not show bias to their choice. Therefore, Dean is exempt from this review. Opened by two very experienced Italian restauranteurs, Franco and Paolo's is a pleasant addition to the otherwise dreary looking Locks Heath Centre.<br />
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Upon entering the restaurant, you are given a warm reception from the waiting staff and everything is new and clean looking! Here is Gemma's view of the evening :<br />
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<em>"I found it a pleasant evening but seemed to be just missing the spark of a wow this is amazing foody experience. The 10% service charge is unexpected and a bit of a hit on our budgets. </em><br />
<em>The Meatballs were delicious to start and The Lobster Spaghetti was nice. I wouldn't say amazing but for lobster it was reasonable with the price. </em><br />
<em>Gilatto is always nice so again nothing amazing there. Restaurant appeared spacious but toilets were small but clean. Service was prompt (for most part) and friendly."<br /></em>It is true that we were unaware that this restaurant carried a service charge on the table for 6. This was not clear on their website! Over to Dave :<br />
<em>"Nice evening with very friendly staff and food cooked well, I had Funghi starter (mushrooms in a cream sauce on ciabatta) with a calzone main. The calzone was delicious, but slightly greasy. The pastry was cooked in my mind to perfection. Dessert was a chocolate orange mousse tart and was simply fantastic. </em><br />
<em>It was an expensive restaurant after the service charge was added though."<br /></em>It is difficult to budget for Grubgang rules with an unexpected sur charge on larger groups!! We are hoping this doesnt become a reccuring issue for the group now we are bigger! Pete's view:<br />
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"<em>A newly opened restaurant with an obvious new feel about it. Lacked a bit of character as a result but made up by the friendly and courteous staff. Although I loved the photos and pictures plastered on the walls! Service was prompt, but expected for a quiet week night. My starter was the Polpette piccanti (pork and meatballs) and was lovely. Just enough for a starter, although I did get some bread to mop up the excess sauce afterwards. Not that I'm complaining... For main I also had the Calzone. Was fantastic, although I would agree with Dave that it was a little too greasy. Yet was made up by the lovely spicy calabrese sausage. Dessert was Gelati Misti (a selection of ice cream). Was as expected and would definitely agree with Gemma that it was nothing amazing. Did finish off with a hot chocolate, which was pleasant "<br /></em>I have to agree about the photographs with Pete here, espcially the ones for the ladies pleasure in the toilets lol!! So, what did Mike reckon??<br />
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<em>"I thought it was a nice restaurant the food was spot on I couldn't fault the food, my deep fried squid was lovely with the homemade sauce with it. the Main which was salmon from the specials menu was lovely and melted in the mouth and my desert which was the coppa ameratti was to die for. I thought the atmosphere was nice no loud music and the staff where friendly. I couldn't find the mens toilets so ended up waiting until we got back home. Although i would say that I was very dissapointed in being charged a service charge I think its a cheek that these restaurants charge for something which should be voluntary to give. it shouldn't matter how many people in your party"<br /></em>I must admit, I didnt have a clue where the mens toilets were, but luckily, the other men in the group were lucky enough to find it!! The service charge has definitely caused a little issue here on this occassion! I felt that it was a lovely little place glad to have an italian close to home although glad that if I go again it will be in a smaller group to avoid the charge. My meal was tasty although the mixture of seafood in my spaghetti marinara was very rubbery as mostly mussles and squid. My starter was one of the best I have tried in a while even though im not a fan of the spicy sauce. Really feel the presentation should get a mention as it was very good. Decor was nice. Clean facilities and nice bit of company in the toilet to stare at shamelessly!! Agree not quite got the x factor compared to other places the Grubgang have visited, but service friendly and prompt and therefore I feel should not be put to far down in our expectations.<br />
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Many thanks to our new members for their reviews, our score for Franco and Paolo is.....<br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of 10............................................................... 6.5 (Dean Maskell)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-31956248227628710972013-05-07T21:32:00.000+01:002014-09-11T13:21:38.544+01:00Coast to Coast, Gunwharf, Portsmouth<strong> Well, Yeehah! What a fabulous birthday meal!!<br /></strong>So, for the month of April we celebrated Mikes Birthday by going to Coast to Coast, an American restaurant with style and plenty of happy staff!!<br />
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The menu is fresh and exciting, offering everything American from burgers to pizza and sizzling Fajitas. At first, we were concerned that the place may be very noisy as it was busy even on a Tuesday evening, but although busy the place had such an exciting ambiance, the noise was hardly heard!!<br />
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The staff are welcoming and friendly, making sure you know what is not available on the menu, what the best selling dishes are and what they recommend all before you have a chance to look at the menu! This is such a change from recent Grubgang meetings where we are told meals are out when we order!!<br />
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The starters are delicious. Chowder......massive!! Served in a whole HUGE bread roll, the chowder inside was excellent and very filling indeed! Would even do as a fulfilling lunch time dish! Clair tried the bruschetta which was again delicious, but a little more starter sized!! Dean chose the spicy chicken wings which he soon devoured! They were nice and hot, as he likes them!<br />
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Chicken wings was where Clair headed for her main too, with BBQ sauce oozing from them.They were totally to die for, and definitely recommended! Gemma had the pasta and meatballs which were tasty, but she felt the sauce was a little too thin for her liking. Dean had the Philly Cheese burger and Mike the Pulled pork, which all disappeared very fast!!! It was looking good for Coast to Coast!!<br />
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Great banter with the waiter made the evening even more interesting and we were definitely full after the 2 courses, but felt it would be rude not to try something from the dessert menu. Looking for something cool, we opted to try the ice creams. We were offered to have a selection of ice creams and as we were sharing, we had every flavour on offer!! The blueberry cheesecake and mint choc chip in particular were lovely!!<br />
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We totally enjoyed our time here at Coast to coast. The only mark down is due to the sauce on the meatballs <br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of ten................................................. 9 (Mike Dixon)<br /></em>Birthday revisit August 2014<br /><br /></strong>A little later tham his actual birthday as many of the Gang had holiday commitments and lots of work on, Dave chose for our meeting to be held again at Coast to Coast. Some of the members had visited since the first time we tried this restaurant, but Dave loves a good American feast and had high hopes where the venus had done so well in our estimations previously.<br />
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So here we were again, and Gemma knew exactly what she wanted for her starter! After enjoying it so much previously, the corn chowder was straight on the agenda! It was just as good as remembered, although perhaps the chicken was a little overcooked. Pete ordered the potato skins which he felt were not something he would overly recommend to order. Clair ordered the BBQ rub chicken wings, which when they turned up were not as ordered! They had been made with a sauce, which due to some dietry requiremements were not suitable. She had to wait several mintues for her starter to finally arrive, meaning that the rest of the group had finished their starters by the time they arrived!<br />
To remedy this, Clair was offered a drink free of charge by way of apology. Unfortunately, this still was not reflected in the bill!<br />
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So to the mains, which some people were hoping would be better than the starters! Clair had the Chicken New Yorker which was very tasty. As a side, she opted for sweet potato fries to try out a healthier option and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were!It felt good for her to have something tasty without feeling too left out from not having normal fries. Gemma too tried sweet potato fries, which she really enjoyed alongside her fish for her fish and chips dish. Mike liked his five bean chilli, but was not overly impressed as he had been before with this visit.<br />
Pete had the chicken fajittas, which he felt were over priced for the quality of the food, although adequate in size, and felt they were not overly exciting.<br />
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Dessert needed to be a saving grace for some and the carrot cake that Clair and Dean shared was beautiful, melting in the mouth! Pete did not see anything on the dessert menu to tempt him, so opted for a honeycombe milkshake which he felt was the highlight of the meal. Gemma had pecan pie which was a warm pudding with cream and ice cream which was nice enough but nothing to make her crave to order it again.<br />
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The overall decor of the restaurant proved appealing to the group, although the table we had for 6 people could have been a bit larger.The waiter we had made mistakes and was a little vague, not being as open to banter as we had experienced before. Service was a little slow. Toilets were clean however, which helps save them on this occassion.<br />
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<strong><em>Marks out of 10......................................................... 7 (Dave Graham)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-58066218856214822622013-03-15T12:04:00.000+00:002013-03-15T12:04:02.778+00:00G's Wine Bar and Restaurant, Gosport<strong> Gee, what a surprise from Gemma this month!!<br /></strong>So Gemma gave the Grubgang no incling of where we were off to this month. And what a gem she had found, tucked away in the Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport is G's Wine Bar and restaurant. It is a lovely location in terms of views across to Portsmouth, just not that easy to find and park!!<br /><br />The restaurant is built in the old bakery, the building is large and spacious, meaning that even on busier evenings, it would be hard to see it being cramped. It is fantastic seeing some of the old ovens lit up, adding some nostalgia to the evening!<br /><br />The restaurant describes itself as "Mediterranean" both on the website and on its sign outside. They do advertise events from "around the world", but from what we could see on the menu, there was not many dishes we could see which come under that category. They have separate menus for weekends, but the midweek menu consisted of dishes such as Ham, egg and chips, fish and chips and steaks.<br /><br />But do not let that put you off. The food itself is of a very high quality. Cooked fresh and to order, the dishes are presented beautifully. There was a menu which came under the Grubgang ideal of "3 courses and a drink for £20" with their winter warmers menu, offering 3 courses for £10!! We loved this idea, but were able to still be within the budget using the main menus. Dean opted for the skewered tiger prawns, which disappeared quite quickly! Gemma had the prawn cocktail, which in her opinion was the best she had ever tasted! Mike had the deep fried squid (which he felt was a little undercooked) and Clair had the creamy mushroom brushetta, which was so creamy and tasty, she could have had more!!<br /><br />This is all after testing the sausages they had on the bar for people to try. Local sausages as they use local ingredients. Fantastic for all involved there! (Gemma loved the venison sausage, Clair was salivating at the Hoi sin duck.....yummmmmmmm!!)<br /><br />So, onto the mains. Clair had the taste for the sausages, so ordered the Sausages and mash. (They had run out of the chicken kiev she wanted to try!) They were lovely and it was presented well, but in hindsight she feels some vegetables would have just added to the dish. Dean had a curry, with what appeared to be a homemade poppadom! Mike had the biggest fish and chips you had ever seen (It was mullet, but he called it whale hahaha!) Gemma tried the traditional paella which was filling and tasty, however had pork sausage within it rather than perhaps the traditional chorizo (not that Gemma minded in the slightest!)<br /><br />The dessert menu was small, meaning there wasn't quite the dish Gemma was looking for, but they were fantastic in fulfilling her request to have some ice cream! Clair had the Winter fruit crumble which was warm and delicious! Mike had the orange mousse and Dean tried the cheese board for one, which was really generous and beautifully served on a chalk board!<br /><br />We were impressed with the service, the layout and the cleanliness of the facilities at G's. The food was very tasty, but we feel that G's has not quite found it's identity yet. It says it is serving Meditteranean food, but only has a paella on the menu to show for it. It is great it is using local produce, but it just needs to decide what sort of restaurant it is. Our only other issue is the car parking situation. Although a small section of the huge car park outside is put aside for the restaurant, there are not clear signs as to where this section is, and there are not too many spaces available. It is a shame as G's has such great potential and is well worth a visit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10.................................................. 8 (Gemma Wickens)</em></strong><br /><br />Onto the mainsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-3044602739201341242013-03-01T11:29:00.000+00:002013-03-01T11:29:40.521+00:00Cafe Rouge - Gunwharf, Portsmouth<strong> Not exactly the best birthday meal, but it was ok!<br /><br /><br /></strong>We have not been to a French restaurant for a while, so for her birthday treat, Clair decided to visit Cafe Rouge with the Grubgang this month. Booking online was easy and Clair hoped for a meal to remember. When asking for the reason for the booking online, she even said it was a birthday celebration!<br /><br />The decor in Cafe Rouge and the music makes you feel like you are in Paris. The tables are a little close together and would be quite cramped on a busy day, but being a Monday evening, the restaurant was quiet. We had a friendly welcome from the waiter, who told us to take our pick of tables as they hadn't set one aside for us, being so quiet. There seemed to be no reason as to why they asked if it was a special occasion online, as no mention was made of the birthday at all.<br /><br />The menu is good, everyone could find something to eat. Clair, Gemma and Dean opted to pick something from the set menu, meaning we would be within the Grubgang budget (£20 for 3 courses and a drink - however, we may have to change this to £25 with prices rising!) There were a few choices on the menu, but each found something they wanted to try. However, they had run out of the sausage dish Clair wanted to try for her birthday meal, meaning she had to opt for the chicken and bacon salad instead.<br /><br />We all opted to have some bread as an appetiser, the idea being to share some baguette and rye bread along with some garlic bread. No such luck, they didn't have any garlic bread. First downer there. The bread we did have was delicious, especially the baguette which was fresh and warm. Shame the rye bread could not have been served warm too.<br /><br />For starters, Clair and Dean had the goats cheese tart. It was larger then expected, but that was a good thing. The pastry was light and crisp, but maybe needed a bit more goats cheese in it. Gemma enjoyed the ham and Gruyere vol-au-vent, although feeling there was not too much in the way of ham, and Mike had the blue cheese and walnut salad.<br /><br />So things had started ok in terms of the food we were able to order. The mains came and were only slightly bigger than the starters in size! Gemma and Dean tried the Steak hache chopped burger. As it was advertised as being "served the french way with no bun", they expected the burger to be very succulent and meaty. Not so, as it tasted like any other burger and the bun was seriously lacking as it made the dish dry without it. Clair's Chicken and bacon salad was nice, the chicken was succulent and bacon nice and crispy. There was not much "salad" to it, unless you count tomatoes and green beans with potatoes a salad. Mike had the duck from the main menu, and from what the other grub gang members said who tasted it, it was probably the best from all that was chosen. Gemma wished she had ordered that instead of her burger!<br /><br />So to dessert. Surely the desserts would make the "wow" factor which we like to have at Grubgang meetings. No such luck. Gemma was desperate to try the chocolate ganache by having a mini one with a cup of tea as part of their "cafe gourmand" dish. Guess what? They had run out! So that was 3 things they had run out of. Gemma had no dessert as nothing else took her fancy at all.<br />Dean opted for the chocolate and banana crepe which went down well and Mike had the tarte au citron as yet again, they had run out of the almond pudding he wished to try in the first place.<br />As for the birthday girl, well she had the Apple tarte tatin. It was a nice dessert, but a little to sickly for her taste, meaning she couldn't eat it all. That was just her opinion though!<br /><br />The service during the evening had been quite slow, despite the fact we had been one of a few customers in the restaurant, but we were amazed at how the waiter remembered all of our orders without writing them down! We just did not give us the wow factor which we have been very spoilt enough to find with our visits. We did receive a good feed with what we had, but we just didn't come out of the restaurant feeling as though we had had an amazing evening. We wont be rushing back to Cafe Rouge (there is not much else on the menu we would like to try and they might not have it if we did!)<br /><br /><br /><em>Marks out of 10.......................................6 (needs some "wow" factor) Clair Maskell</em><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-84787586515200881132013-01-21T10:13:00.001+00:002013-01-21T10:13:09.891+00:00Sopranos - Southsea<strong> Not quite what we have seen from other Italian restaurants<br /><br /><br /></strong>Sopranos has been in Southsea for well over ten years and has mixed reviews. Dean chose this restaurant because the Grubgang have always enjoyed a good quality Italian restaurant and when he checked out the website, the prices were just right for the gang to dine for £20 a head!<br /><br />The venue gives a cafe like feel, more than a restaurant. It appears to be that they have fewer tables in the room during the day perhaps, and stuff as many as possible into the space in the evenings. We had to book, and it was clear to see why when we arrived. The place was almost full and extremely busy staff were trying to keep up. Our waitress was so busy, she ended up taking our drinks order with the food order, but we didnt mind this at all!<br /><br />We decided that some of us would have starters whilst others chose to start with something from the appetisers. Gemma had the "warm bread for one" (which she said they should have just called "toast"!), Dean had a bowl of olives.....lots of them!! Mike and Clair had the starters of Grilled sardines and Brushetta respectively. Mike enjoyed the fish, tucking in straight away whilst Clairs brushetta was presented beautifully with goats cheese and a sutle pesto. What we would say here though is that although there was a good few dishes to chose from, there wasnt much variety for starters.<br /><br />So to the mains....... Gemma chose the chicken rissoto, filling and tasty. Dean had a cajun chicken pizza which was also tasty. Clair tried the Pollo Parma penne (chicken, parma ham and mushroom with pasta in a mascapone sauce) and Mike also decided on a tomato pasta dish. The meals were tasty and filled us up, but we couldnt help but feel a little flat. It didnt quite give us the "wow" factor that we have had from so many other Italian restaurants in the area. <br /><br />Maybe the fact that the service was slowing down didnt help. Time was ticking on, and we wanted to order desserts. It seemed, however that because it was quieter, the staff saw it as a time to chat at the bar and kind of forget they still had customers waiting. We were offered the dessert board and there really wasnt much choice on there. One dessert had run out and the others just didnt stand out. Clair had ice cream, Gemma chose the profiterroles whilst Dean and Mike chose a mocha sundae, which they both agreed was nice.<br /><br />Time for the bill......still waiting......waitress clears dishes and we ask for the bill......waitress ends up talking for 10 minutes to her friend at the bar and we finally get the bill when Clair catches her eye and waitress mutters some profanity under her breath that she had forgotten!<br /><br />The most excitement the gang had was when the bill arrived with jelly beans and mints!! The decision was unanimous.....the food was nice, but the place seemed to lack the Italian atmosphere we Grubgang members enjoy and the "wow" factor is missing. We therefore give the Sopranos restaurant a respectable............<br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10....................................................... 5 (Dean Maskell)</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-86102884274180626762012-11-23T17:37:00.000+00:002012-11-23T17:37:30.878+00:00The Titchfield Mill - Fareham<strong> A pleasant evening had by all at the Mill<br /></strong>This month the decision as to where to eat fell to Mike. He decided upon the Titchfield Mill in Fareham, a place where all the members had eaten before, but never as a Grubgang reviewer!! <br /><br />Part of the vintage inn chain of pubs (we have visited many at Grubgang now see <a href="http://www.grubgang.com/2010/04/beachy-head.html">http://www.grubgang.com/2010/04/beachy-head.html</a> for another review) So, to this pub.... an old water mill dating back to 1779, the building is beautiful and rustic, offering lots of little rooms where you can dine in style. In fact, the use of these little rooms allows diners to feel less crowded, even at the busiest of times.<br /><br />We found the pub to be quite busy when we visited on the Wednesday night and with a lovely new menu for the winter season, you could see why. As well as offering the traditional pub food, there were plenty of delicious new ideas which you could try. The starters offered some different ideas with a few classics. Gemma opted for the crab and prawn cocktail, which was presented beautifully, but she did say how she missed a little slice of bread to accompany the dish, as one would expect with prawn cocktail. Mike had the baked brie (he seems to favour this starter of late!!) which again he found delicious, once he could get the bits stuck on the bottom of the dish!!<br />Clair had her favourite in the goats cheese starter which was served with a delicious red onion marmalade and walnut bread and Dean had something a little different.....braised pork belly! Again presented well and tasting fantastic.<br /><br />The mains were just as tasty. If you are looking for a burger but watching the figure, Gemma would recommend the tuna burger. It was succulent tuna steak in a soft bun served with steak cut chips. The portion was perfect, so you don't end up filling yourself up with chips! Dean opted for the traditional burger, which was homemade with chargrilled steak and disappeared quite quickly, so must have been very tasty!<br /><br />Mike chose the homemade haddock fishcakes which looked extremely tempting and Mike enjoyed very much. No complaints here! And then to Clair, who chose a dish from the specials board and opted for a venison and bacon pudding. The suet pudding was made with sage and onion and was melt in the mouth! <br /><br />The desserts to finish........we all had to partake this month! Mike tucked into the banoffee cheesecake, which he felt was more like banoffee pie then cheesecake, Clair had the new addition to the menu in the Apple, Loganberry and blackberry crumble. She enjoyed it, but it was quite tart for her taste and she wasn't quite sure why she had ice cream AND custard?? Not a combination she was too sure about!! Dean had the sticky ginger pudding which was warming and perfect for a cold winters evening and Gemma had the light and fluffy raspberry sorbet.<br /><br />The prices of the dishes mean it is possible to have three courses for £20 depending on your choices, but the drinks would be on top of that. We went over our budget with some of our decisions this evening, but it was worth it (Clair NEEDED that large rose wine!) The portions are just right leaving you full but not stuffed and everything is cooked wonderfully. The staff too are friendly and welcoming, letting you choose at your own pace and making sure you are enjoying your meal by apologising for interrupting first rather than barging in when you have a mouthful of food!!<br /><br />Welldone Titchfield Mill, a very lovely evening was had by the Grubgang<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10................................................................................. 9</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-10640642617185688892012-10-19T15:20:00.000+01:002012-10-19T15:20:08.762+01:00The Village Inn - Park Gate<strong> A very pleasant evening!<br /><br /></strong>The choice fell to Clair this month, and with Dave Graham sitting in for Dean this month, the Grubgang travelled not too far away to the Village Inn in Park Gate. Part of the Ember pub and dining chain, the pub offers its customers freshly prepared food in friendly surroundings.<br /><br />The interior is fresh and modern and very relaxing. It is better than the outside, which is not too well lit for evening dining....you could easily drive past the pub if you were not aware of its exact location. A bit more lighting on the signs outside would remedy this. Being a Tuesday, the pub was quiet and the music in the background was at just the right level for people to talk without feeling the need to raise their voices! It could be possible to feel a little cramped though if dining on a busy night.<br /><br />The menus are wonderful for someone on a budget. There is a set menu, with 3 choices of starter, a handful of mains and three desserts, 3 courses setting you back around £13, leaving ample for a drink out of your £20!! The menu offers plenty of well priced meals to still get 3 courses for £20, with some specials advertised (we however never found the board!) <br /><br />So to the starters........Dave and Clair opted for the mushroom rarebit. Perfect portion size, tasty and cheesy (but maybe a bit too garlicky for Clair!) Mike had the coated brie, which looked fantastic and apparently tasted just that too!! Gemma opted for the prawn cocktail, served with brown bread and again hit the spot. Gemma and Dave were looking to see if you could eat healthy with this menu, which was not mean feat with the delicious amounts of comfort food on the menu, but is possible with a couple of dishes.<br /><br />The mains came at a perfect time after the starters, we didn't wait to long but it wasn't straight on top of the starter either. Dave's healthier choice was the stuffed chicken. He said it was very nice to eat, it certainly looked colourful with plenty of different coloured vegetables. Unfortunately they were covered in butter which did make it difficult to finish if you are trying to be healthy. Great if you aren't!! Clair chose the triple sausage and mash dish which was absolutely divine! She even managed to eat the spicy sausage of the three, with the help of the melt in the mouth mash and delicious gravy. The mint and lamb sausage was definitely the highlight of the dish!!<br /><br />Mike tried the trio of pies........three individual pies offering game, mushroom and another pie whose flavour fails me at the point of writing! He thoroughly enjoyed the dish, telling us he wished the pies were larger, they were so nice, That would defeat the object though! Gemma, who was also looking for a healthy choice, chose the pasta arribiata with the option of sliced chicken breast on the top. She found it very tasty, although the chicken was smothered with cheese meaning she couldn't eat it all, and the pasta was so filling, she had to take the rest home in a doggy bag!! (If you can call it one as it was just wrapped in foil - surely a pub which offers take away orders could have done a bit better??)<br /><br />And finally, the desserts. Partaken by Mike and Clair, the choices were the coffee and doughnuts and sticky dicky pudding respectively. The coffee and doughnuts were listed in the menu as a coffee mousse with doughnut twists......shame the guy behind the bar didn't realise this when Mike ordered his dessert....he asked him if he wanted a coffee!! Mike ended up with a free coffee!! Clair really enjoyed her twist on the traditional spotted dick dessert....it was fruity with a delicious topping to it making it a little crunchy on top and served with piping hot custard!!<br /><br />All in all, the gang really enjoyed their trip to The Village Inn and were warmed by the friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness of the venue and the lovely open fire on display. Well done Village Inn, we give you.........<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10..................................................................... 8</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-20367192241466750312012-09-20T11:22:00.000+01:002012-09-20T11:22:57.640+01:00Boomerang - Hamble, Southampton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGL64wa_DgU/UFrnsWWSyKI/AAAAAAAABRs/7DaZIIEHMkc/s1600/207983_10151014678956326_25781285_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGL64wa_DgU/UFrnsWWSyKI/AAAAAAAABRs/7DaZIIEHMkc/s320/207983_10151014678956326_25781285_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<strong> <br /> We will be coming back!!<br /><br /><br /></strong>Deans birthday choice reflected his youth yesterday as we entered Boomerang, the Australian themed restaurant with lots of offer!! Dean had travelled to Australia backpacking and fancied reliving a bit of the Ozzie atmosphere with his choice of venue.<br /><br />Boomerang is set in the beautiful village of Hamble, with it's Olympic golden post box being a tourist attraction at the moment, as well as the wonderful walks along the river and stunning scenery. The restaurant itself has been established for 12 years and offers a range of dishes from special kangaroo dishes, Italian, Greek and Mexican all on on large menu!! It was quite a shock to be given such a large menu AND a specials menu, but it did mean that there was plenty to choose from!<br /><br />During Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant transforms into a nightclub. There is a dancefloor and pool table up by the bar with comfy sofas and ambient lighting up away from the tables for dining. The decor is bright, airy and welcoming, with boomerangs hung on every wall and lovely large mirrors making the space feel a lot bigger. The tables are quite tucked together, so on a busy night you can imagine you could feel a little claustrophobic, but we were lucky to be there on a quiet evening!<br /><br />It is possible to achieve the 3 courses for £20 grubgang rule here, if you look at the menus carefully enough. (We are beginning to learn that getting the drinks in the money too is not so easy with inflation these days ) There are some lovely steaks and special dishes if you are willing to spend a little more or just opt for two courses!<br /><br />As Mike was unable to join us as he is having his well deserved holidays, it came to our guest grub ganger Dave Graham to add his thoughts to the place. He opted to try the special chicken nacho dish, as did Gemma. Both found it delicious and a great twist on the nachos and cheese starter idea. Clair had a little taste too, but found the salsa a bit hot for her liking (fussy eater alert!!) She had the whitebait for her starter, which was very nice and the birthday boy chose deep fried Brie which again was top notch!!<br /><br />The mains took a while to choose as there was so much to choose from! Dean and Clair opted for the Ultimate calzone, named "Flash" after one of the inshore rescue guys based nearby. A really big meal and very satisfying, full of pepperoni, ham, chicken, mozzarella and Stilton served with chips and salad. It was so big that Clair couldn't finish hers and the waitress kindly wrapped it up to take it home for Deans lunch the next day!! Dave had a 12 inch pizza........or as he put it "I'll have 12 inches of Crocodile Dundee please!" All the pizzas are named after Australian celebrities or items which was a different way of doing it!!<br /><br />Again, Dave could not manage it all as it was sooooo deliciously filling, again the lady wrapped it up for his supper!! Gemma decided upon trying a home made boomerang burger, with bacon, cheese and mushroom. The burger itself was really meaty and tasty. You could tell it had been home made!! Gemma did feel that the mushroom was a little oily for her taste, but was very impressed with the meal none the less.<br /><br />The dessert menu was a little limited, and offered quite heavy puddings after such big meals. We were informed that the dessert menus were changing the next day and that the chefs were in the kitchen experimenting all day. Clair really wanted to try the raspberry cheesecake, but they had ran out and as the gang were so full up on food, they decided to leave the desserts on this occasion.<br /><br />So to the facilities..........well if you imagine any nightclub toilets that's basically what you have here. They are very low to sit on and although they looked fairly clean, they do need a little TLC. Plus, the ladies toilet door was wide open for some reason, meaning that although people couldn't see into the cubicles, ladies would not have such a private time when freshening up!!<br /><br />A last word about the service. Absolutely fantastic!! The lady was very attentive to our needs, apologising for the size of the menus, joking with us and being so lovely as to make us doggy bags. She was lovely and we feel so ashamed that we left so deep in conversation, we did not give her a tip, which she so wholeheartedly deserved.<br /><br />Welldone Boomerang and as every boomerang does, we will be back!!!<br /><br /><strong><em>Marks out of 10 ....................................................... a bonza 8!!</em></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4154495967895276592.post-1488245899501778142012-08-17T21:21:00.000+01:002012-08-17T21:21:45.157+01:00Grubgang extra - The Ferry, Bursledon<strong> A celebratory meal finds a Grubgang possible gem for those who don't mind the steep walk!!<br /><br /></strong>Dean took Clair out to celebrate their forth anniversary last night, and had stumbled upon The Ferry, a unique restaurant nestled in the Bursledon Elephant Boatyard. The restaurant was originally a chain link ferry, taking passengers from Southampton to Woolston up until 1977. Overlooking the Hamble river, the restaurant offers something a little different from your usual restaurant!!<br /><br />Recently, the entrance to the Ferry has been moved, meaning that you either have to manoeuvre your car or walk down a steep, muddy slope. We had to do the latter as the taxi driver didn't fancy the sharp turn or steep slope one bit. One mark down for us here. When you approach the entrance, unfortunately it doesn't leap out to you at all. In fact, if it weren't for the menu on the side wall, you wouldn't even really notice it was there at all!! Very different from what is portrayed on the website!<br /><br />Once you walk around the corner, however, a lovely surprise awaits you where the restaurant is decorated beautifully and the smell of food wafts through the room. Delightful. Unexpectedly, we were handed a Thursday special menu, offering four courses for £18.99, so within the Grubgang rules aside from the drink, and with an extra course!!<br /><br />The staff are friendly and attentive, without being too pushy or over the top. We were given the chance to order garlic bread or olives whilst we waited for our starters, which we did, but it is not really needed as you get lovely warm bread to go with your starter!! Speaking of which, we both decided on the goats cheese salad, deliciously packed with pine nuts, a lovely french dressing, but a little shy on the warm goats cheese for our liking!!<br /><br />For the mains, Dean chose the Veal which was cooked wonderfully and served with potatoes and fresh vegetables and a delicious jus. Clairs main of Hake melted in the mouth and was divine! The caper sauce was buttery and perfect!! No qualms with the chef here at all!! And so the third course was served.... a cheese board with 4 cheeses, crackers, celery and apple. <br /><br />So to dessert........four choices and so difficult to choose!! We both opted for the chocolate brownie, served with vanilla ice cream. It was soft, gooey and delicious and just the right size so to not make you feel bloated!! That is the one thing we both agreed was so good at the restaurant is that the food was delicious, but didn't make you feel you needed to loosen your belt!!<br /><br />We would definitely recommend this wonderfully unique setting to anyone for an intimate meal, celebration or sunday lunch (another deal here if you check out the website) However, the journey could be quite difficult for those not happy with driving up and down steep slopes or walking them.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Marks out of 10......................................................................... 8<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ferryrestaurant.co.uk/">http://www.ferryrestaurant.co.uk/</a></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390172542078246360noreply@blogger.com0