Displaying items by tag: restaurant reviews

Imagine our surprise when we went for lunch yesterday at Tom's new restaurant 'Picture' because Tracey reviewed it in the paper on Saturday and I remembered I hadn't been there to see what he is doing after Arbutus (and of course because he was in BSE at the Angel before that) and Giles Coren was there having lunch too! What a buzz! Does this mean that here at simple old suffolkfoodie we are going to places WITH the critics?

Anyhoo, enough about us, look at the food! £15 for a three course lunch with two choices, with free bread and the kind of service we should be expecting everywhere. Our water was replaced three times - as we drank it - without any fuss or hovering, and it was tap water which wasn't charged for either. We had a carafe of house white which was a lovely fruity Chardonnay. I had the plum tomatoes with goats curd salad dressed with merlot vinegar as a starter, the other choice being potato and fennel soup with smoked bacon and parsley. Followed by courgette and oregano risotto with grilled artichoke while the others had Elwy Valley lamb breast, with coco beans and cavalo nero, and for dessert I had marscapone and vanilla yoghurt with redcurrants glistening like rubies on the top, or there was chocolate mousse with scottish raspberries and honeycomb. Yum Yum Yum.

Nice sunny place, wonderful food, great hosts, not very busy on Saturdays (at the moment...) and only 90 minutes from Suffolk - take note - people-who-charge-£15-for-crap-burgers. And Giles Coren is much younger in real life than he looks in the paper - you will have to take my word for it, he left before we could get a picture of what he was eating.

They offered us another meal, we went back, it was much nicer.

The only table for four at this popular and crowded restaurant was at 5pm or 9pm so we went for the latter. I say crowded because it wasn't just busy - it was packed. We had to wait for our table so had a drink at the bar, which by 9pm you need to get in minutes, then nice starters (onion rings and Moons Green beer sticks, a delicious and great value biltong) Another wait for mains to arrive so that eventually we asked where it was, and then huge disappointment... (I think we were really a bit over-excited, Mark) Meat with little flavour, over-cooked chicken, a rare steak that was ordered as medium, so went back to be done again. A rare rib of beef (for two to three people) that we were told 'takes a long time to cook' and 'is best served medium to melt the fat marbling the meat', which I thought was gristle, but why not tell us that when we order? And the ensuing feedback to the concerned front of house staff that we feel will contribute, is embarassing and pointless for a restaurant of this calibre. Yes we like the cow in formaldehyde artwork but the meat could have come from the case hanging above us. The only good thing was the bill, at £35 a head it was a lot less than we expected. But then we're from Suffolk - where some of the steaks are proper good.

Lunch today was at Josef's Vegetarian Cafe in Bury St Edmunds.  This cafe reminds me of the late 70's and 80's.  Days of Bagwhan and the Rajneeshees when they were resident at their commune in Herringswell.  Bright decor and the smell of patchouli with a slight hessian look going through to the Lizard Room.  The food is very good.  I ate the Felafel with spicy salsa, cucumber and yoghurt raita in a warm hummus pitta.  The salads which were not mentioned on the menu were particularly good.  But oh, the service.  So laid back man. 

Dissappointing Thai food at The Beehive, Horringer, sadly spoiled by the heavy handed use of palm sugar in all of the dishes sampled. The subtle flavours of sour, salt, spice with a hint of sweetness usually associated with Thai food were totally overwhelmed. Pad Thai was so sweet that my daughter said that it reminded her of a bowl of Sugar Puffs.   The Ocean Fire pictured was a mixture of fish with coconut cream and some green curry herbs and spices and the coconut rice could have been served as a dessert.

Suffolkfoodie followers, The Sparkes family, sent in this report following a very good meal at The Bistro on the Quay.  Coeliac readers, give it a try and see if you agree.

This restaurant is a great example of how to get it right, from the cheerful attentive service to the beautifully presented and delicious freshly prepared food. I am a coeliac and also have some intolerance to dairy products. As soon as this was conveyed to the waiter he asked if I would like the chef to compose a separate menu just for me.  Nothing is too much trouble.  Such a change from the usual blank looks of ‘oh not another fussy eater’  that I normally get. A real range of starters, mains and desserts, it was hard to choose.

Recommendations - Bang Bang Chicken with peanut sauce, Grilled Sea Bass and the Grilled Thai Chicken breast.  Must try - Samphire, I had never had it before. And Creme Brulee for dessert.

Yes, it is more expensive than your average pub, but then you are getting very high quality food, beautifully cooked and  in a light and friendly atmosphere where you are made to feel that your custom is valued. I am going back to try the rest of the menu.

Emmetts of Peasenhall (www.emmettsham.co.uk) Pinneys of Orford (www.butleyorfordoysterage.co.uk) and Suffolk Food Hall (www.suffolkfoodhall.co.uk) were all in the Independent's 50 best food shops on Saturday.

Tracey Macleod features The British Larder (near Woodbridge) in last weekend's Independent. Also listed are Trinity at Crown and Castle in Orford, Maison Bleue in Bury and The New Roundhouse at Thorington.