Category Archives: restaurant review

When I visit a restaurant, I will make some comments about the place.

Dusit restaurant

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Met up with Ravi and Maggie in the Oxford Bar at 7.00pm for pre dinner drink. Then onward to Dusit Edinburgh Thai restaurant where they seated us this time. Booking a retaurant is a new concept to me.

We shared two starters between us:

  • Miang – Secret Garden
    A light salad of apples, mangoes, melons and leaves with a tamarind & coconut dressing
  • Koo Saneha – A Loving Couple
    Char-grilled scallops and jumbo king prawns served with garlic and chilli dip

I especially liked the Miang salad.

We then shared three main courses. Much argument, I was going to order duck, but was persuaded to order beef, and Ravi then ordered duck!!!

  • Panang
    A rich, creamy medium red curry with fresh chillies, kaffir lime leaves and holy basil.
  • Pad Ped Prig Tai Ong
    Stir-fry of meat with baby aubergine, imported fresh peppercorns,
    fresh chilli, grachi and holy basil, with beef
  • Ravi’s choice, I can’t remember [Ed’s note: thought you said it was duck?]

The Panang was lovely, nice thick creamy sauce to it, and enough bite to know you are eating a curry. The other two dishes were beautiful as well.

This Thai restaurant has a reputation amongst my friends of being the best Thai in Edinburgh, and I think it is well deserved. The service was good, the waiters were friendly and the food arrived quickly and on time.

Afterwards we parted our ways, but will be meeting up in Essex in a couple of weeks time.

Edinburgh and the Kanburs

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Made it to Edinburgh this week, staying in a hotel on Lauriston Place, a Best Western hotel. The hotel includes breakfast and is slightly cheaper than most I stay in. You can see it’s cheaper because there were tradesmen staying there.

Met up with Maggie and Ravi for a pint on Rose Street. They asked where to eat, so I suggested Dusit in Thistle Street. After one wrong turn we found the place. Alas no booking, so they were not able to seat us. Maggie and Ravi suitably impressed that this restaurant was fully booked on a Tuesday made a booking for 7.30 on Wednesday.

Where to now? I had mentioned the Oxford Bar earlier, being that it is on the same street as Dusit. Maggie, having read all the Rebus novels, was keen on the idea, so off we walked. A couple more pints, and some chicken and mayo rolls were consumed in the side room of the Ox. We completed the tour by walking on to Charlotte Square, and then back down Rose Street, Maggie pointing out all the saunas to us. I am still not sure why.

Ravi Kanbur standing outside the Oxford bar in Edinburgh

Bristol

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Spent three days and two nights in Bristol. Arrived in Bristol on the Monday, called my company to book a hotel. The only one they could find was £150 a night. I was able to find a Premier Inn on the waterfront on Kings Street for £65 a night. Was quite adequate, though the mobile phone connection for 3G internet access on the ‘3’ network was very poor in my room.

Trying to remember what I ate. The first night I ate at a Turkish restaurant called the Bosphorus. Started with a very lovely mezes dish, and then a main course of I think chicken, but not sure now. The mixed mezes was very good.

On the Tuesday evening I ate at a tapas bar, very full for a Tuesday evening, probably due to the band playing in the background. Several glasses of wine later I left.

P&A or Plough and Anchor Resturant

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Due to circumstances, like the fridge not working we were destined for supper at the P&A. Yes, as soon as Rosemary came home on the Monday, she asked why was the fridge not working. Didn’t you notice it was 20 Celsius inside the fridge and what about that horrible smell. I said no, and then related my coffee saga. So out with most of the contents.

So to the P&A for a few beers, and then a trial of their new menu. We have not eaten at the P&A since the new lower cost menu has been in place. We went for the standard menu and had a starter and the main course. Rosemary enjoyed her Thai fish cakes, while I ate some mussels. The mussels and the sauce where definitely up in the much better than average ratings. The sauce had a hint of chili, but was also a creamy sauce. Um it was very yummy. Much better than the Edinburgh Mussel and Steak on the Grass Market.

Main course we both had the same, BBQ ribs. I had been tempted by the pasta dishes. The BBQ ribs are the P&A signature dish, and they are massive. The meat fell of the bones, was a massive amount, very filling and very enjoyable. Yep I reckon the P&A is back on track.

The olde reekie

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This is my second week in Edinburgh. Last week I was here for four days, and this week it is a full week. It’s back almost to the old days, no rain, or at least when I am out walking there is no rain.

So what have I been doing, not a lot really, just working and going out in the evening for a meal. Last week at the Radisson Hotel I forgot to sign my bar/food bill. The next day I remembered and found the waitress. She said no problem, we put it on your room, I know your name, you won’t be able to get away with that.

This week as I had one meal in the hotel, she asked if I would be signing the bill tonight. I visited the Mai Thai for one meal. Had the spicy, hot duck. As usual very good. Last night I ate at the Mussel and Steak. Had a nice steak. Not quite as good as usual and was to my taste a tad over cooked.

Another blast from the past has just completed our comment book. Ashley Pickering, used to work for Walker, and here I am still working for a continuation of the same company.

A day in London & a night in “The Mousetrap”

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On Friday morning, after gasping at the price of rail tickets and underground tickets (& giving up trying to work out cheap deals) we arrive in London.  We go first via a walk along by the Thames to The Tate Modern and admire their crack (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/salcedo-shibboleth-ii-p20335).  We decide on an early lunch in the museum Café 2 where we, from indoors, smugly watch everyone walking around outside getting sodden.  They have amazingly tall metal vases topped off with Singapore orchids on the bar, which look very classy.   We have fried broad beans and bread with olive oil as snackrell-type starters and I opt for a quiche while Steve opts for a mezze plate for mains. 

Then to our Radisson hotel near the BM.  This strikes me as disappointing; I know it’s London but why can’t it be a larger, nicer room for all those points?  And the lift is so slow, too, and the breakfast not included but £16 each extra.   

Amazingly, Steve has spotted a Jessops nearby and we end up in there and he gets a discount off a Tamron 18-250 lens and is exceedingly smug and announces he can sell two of his existing ones. 

We visit the close-by British Museum and admire the wonderful hall, which always impresses.  We have cake & tea and watch the visitors. But we are here To See Things not just Eat Things, so we visit the Lewis chessmen (having seen the Edinburgh based ones we feel we should complete the set) and I end up drooling over the jewellery.  However, one piece of pure Victoriana is so frightful it makes me squeak out loud – a necklace made of the mounted heads of hummingbirds.   

In the evening we finally see “The Mousetrap” in a minute theatre with many empty seats near us (which was just as well cos I swapped at the interval so I could see the whole of the stage).  Very mannered and of its times and I guessed The Murderer, but an experience. 

For some reason, as we walk back, Steve wants more food, so we eat in an Italian place (although The Ivy was opposite!) and both decided we cook better than at home, but the staff are more pleasant.

Back to the Petit Paris

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The day started bright and sunny. It ended in drizzle, though I managed to miss it. Had a quick drink with some colleagues from the bank, before making my way back to the hotel and supper.

Ate at the Petit Paris. The waiter spotted me through the window and beckoned me in. He thought he had not seen me for seven months. I am sure I have eaten there more recently.

Ate a lamb shank, salad and a pitcher of red wine.

Razor clams

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Up at 05.45 to catch the 7.00 flight from Luton to Edinburgh. I had expected to be kept awake during the night by the storm, or my active thoughts which always occur when I am leaving early. Nope.  Had a good night, and woke just before the alarm.

No storm, but it had just started to rain. Luton was fine, though the queues at the security have grown since the summer rush. Must be enforced holidays during the slack period.

Boarded the plane on time, but we sat and sat for ages without moving. The pilot eventually said they were having trouble calibrating the inertial navigation system because of the turbulence rocking the aircraft. They would have to taxi to another area, and then try to re-calibrate. So off he went to near the runway, and parked facing the wind. Another 10 minutes and we were ready, so off we went. The flight, what storm?, it was quite calm, and of course landing up north was pretty quiet as well. The only event I noticed was the very high cloud top. It was ages before we broke through the cloud, and even then we were only just above the top of the storm clouds.

Edinburgh is like Aylesbury; in a construction boom. Grassmarket, where I am staying at the Apex, is totally a building site. Princes Street is a work in progress with new gas mains, water mains and the tram going in. Saint Andrews Square garden was closed all last year for the reconstruction of the garden, it is still closed, but now the road is being dug up for the gas mains.

Had lunch with Mary in a caff near the bus station. Great meeting up with her again.

Ate at the Mussel and Steak. Had the mussel pot for mains, and razor clams for starters. Interesting things, razor clams. Very firm meat, tasting of the sea. Unusual and an experience. Might have something different to eat next time though.

Bristol again

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Another three days at Bristol and this time more people from the company with me. This is odd, working at a customer site, and people I can go out with for a drink and a meal. Very unusual indeed.

The weather, must talk about the weather. Yet again sunny and no rain. I shall soon expect to hear the farmers and water companies complaining about the lack of rain.

Finished the install, most of the stuff working, though some issues with the command SET CURRENT SQLID=xxxxxx which seems to be issued by our software, and is not always liked by DB2 systems. Ah well, I am sure it will be resolved in due course.

Restaurants, I ate at an Indian restaurant. It was near the waterfront, but not on it. Unusual, not the normal run of the mill Byrianis and Vindaloos, but more meaty dishes like lamb shoulder or lamb hock. Wish I could remember the name, but alas I don’t have the bill to hand.

Lovely run back home on Wednesday night, left the drive back till 7.00, and was soon home. No queueing on the M32 or at the Oxford M4 interchange.

Beltless in Edinburgh

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The bank wanted me for a couple of days urgent work.  So up to Edinburgh on the Easyjet from Luton.  Bit of a problem at security.  I had to take my belt off, no problem I always collect it as it passes through the xray machine.  This time they wanted to test my toothpaste as well.  Never had this done before, so in total confusion I left my belt at security.  Only realised this several hours later as my trousers fell to the floor. 

It was wet and miserable in Edinburgh.  Rained the whole time I was there.  Stayed at the Apex in Grassmarket, so a short walk to the Mussel and Steak.  Had a good meal of tuna cooked to a lovely pink colour inside.  Even early on a wet Monday evening the restaurant was quite busy. 

Flight back was a breeze, left on time and arrived back in the clear skies.  Collected my belt from lost property.