6 High Street, Shrewsbury
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Monday, 13 September 2010
Sarnies, Shrewsbury
Still doon south like, get your gob round some canny pasties. This place has queues out the door from 11am-1pm, but it's worth the wait. Fresh sandwiches made to order with a good veggie choice, and the best chilli pasties I've tasted south of The Moody Baker.
6 High Street, Shrewsbury
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6 High Street, Shrewsbury
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Sheraz Tandoori & Balti, Shrewsbury
Last visit JULY 2009.
Yes, it's a while ago, but this place warrants a mention. As I said elsewhere I'm quite fussy with my Indian dinners, so the fact I ate here thrice in six days says something. Indeed, if I remember rightly I went two days running.
Though it looks pretty ropey from the outside, the food and service are top notch, and remarkably cheap. It's over a year ago so I can't remember the exact details, but a main course (I think it was a hot channa balti on all three visits) and garlic naan were all I need to be completely satisfied (and I can eat, believe me).
Proper Balti (not just a sauce with the name attached as found in so many other establishments) with the flavours seared into the sauce.
Highly recommended if you're in town.
79 Wylecop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1UT
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Yes, it's a while ago, but this place warrants a mention. As I said elsewhere I'm quite fussy with my Indian dinners, so the fact I ate here thrice in six days says something. Indeed, if I remember rightly I went two days running.
Though it looks pretty ropey from the outside, the food and service are top notch, and remarkably cheap. It's over a year ago so I can't remember the exact details, but a main course (I think it was a hot channa balti on all three visits) and garlic naan were all I need to be completely satisfied (and I can eat, believe me).
Proper Balti (not just a sauce with the name attached as found in so many other establishments) with the flavours seared into the sauce.
Highly recommended if you're in town.
79 Wylecop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1UT
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Sunday, 12 September 2010
mmm... Newcastle upon Tyne
mmm-food.co.uk
Great shop in the Grainger Market selling all the organic and exotic foody stuff you could desire. Good range of rices, pulses and the like, as well as a bewildering array of sauces, pastes and dinner kits. Oils, fresh stuff (how many different kinds of chillis do you need? This many of course).
All served up with a friendly smile or two.
There's usually a selection of oils and scarily hot sauce out to sample.
Grab some Wildon Grange Blueberry Balsamic, any of the Mr Vikki's range (Cumbria's curry King - I love the Goan Curry Paste and Banana Habanero chutney - hmmmmmm), and Gateshead's own saucy saviours Spicy Monkey. Their Jerk Marinade is a bit more interesting than your usual Dun's River or Walkerswood, and not quite as hot so you can savour the flavours more. The Sambal Olbek is amazing for having such a simple ingredient list, and the Szechuan Stir Fry is as hot as you need with a generous amount of Szechan pepper.
Unit 12/13, Grainger Arcade, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5QF
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Grab some Wildon Grange Blueberry Balsamic, any of the Mr Vikki's range (Cumbria's curry King - I love the Goan Curry Paste and Banana Habanero chutney - hmmmmmm), and Gateshead's own saucy saviours Spicy Monkey. Their Jerk Marinade is a bit more interesting than your usual Dun's River or Walkerswood, and not quite as hot so you can savour the flavours more. The Sambal Olbek is amazing for having such a simple ingredient list, and the Szechuan Stir Fry is as hot as you need with a generous amount of Szechan pepper.
Unit 12/13, Grainger Arcade, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5QF
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Saturday, 11 September 2010
Ganges, Exeter
thegangesrestaurant.com
Fine Indian dining just around the corner from The Fat Pig pub, so you can have a lovely pre-scran real ale.
Fancy pants versions of trad dishes, and some I'd not seen before.
I had Ragara Pattice to start, and a dish that doesn't appear to be on the online menu - Fried Paneer with charred pepper and onion. When it arrived I was a bit put off in that is was pretty much exactly as it said. Where's me sauce? The paneer had been rolled in a highly seasoned lentil flour which gave it the most amazing aroma. It turned out to be delicious, even without a hint of brown slop, but I was left with an amazing chilli naan and nothing to dip it in. Fortunately a colleague didn't like their Palak Kootu (spinach, coconut and dal favored with mustard, garlic and curry leaves), so I managed to fill myself to bursting point with that.
Nice decor, decent service, not as expensive as it appears.
156 Fore Street Exeter, EX4 3AT
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Fine Indian dining just around the corner from The Fat Pig pub, so you can have a lovely pre-scran real ale.
Fancy pants versions of trad dishes, and some I'd not seen before.
I had Ragara Pattice to start, and a dish that doesn't appear to be on the online menu - Fried Paneer with charred pepper and onion. When it arrived I was a bit put off in that is was pretty much exactly as it said. Where's me sauce? The paneer had been rolled in a highly seasoned lentil flour which gave it the most amazing aroma. It turned out to be delicious, even without a hint of brown slop, but I was left with an amazing chilli naan and nothing to dip it in. Fortunately a colleague didn't like their Palak Kootu (spinach, coconut and dal favored with mustard, garlic and curry leaves), so I managed to fill myself to bursting point with that.
Nice decor, decent service, not as expensive as it appears.
156 Fore Street Exeter, EX4 3AT
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Al Basha, Newcastle upon Tyne
al-basha.co.uk
"Newcastle's first and best Lebanese restaurant"
Once a tiny little cafe on the Bigg Market, Basha relocated a few yards up the road to a bigger venue complete with shiny tat, pillars and statuettes everywhere. The decor doesn't detract from the food though.
Cheap lunchtime deals available, but the menu is pretty cheap anyway.
Clean, fresh dinner. The Fatoush salad is a must, as is the Foul Medames.
Unlicensed, so doesn't get full of drunk idiots of an evening.
They recently changed their breads, and they aren't as good as they used to be so they lose a star for that. But if you didn't taste the previous ones you won't know what you're missing anyway.
Mind the weird sloping step on the way in.
7-9 Bigg Market, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1UN
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It'll go up to 4 if they bring the breads back.
"Newcastle's first and best Lebanese restaurant"
Once a tiny little cafe on the Bigg Market, Basha relocated a few yards up the road to a bigger venue complete with shiny tat, pillars and statuettes everywhere. The decor doesn't detract from the food though.
Cheap lunchtime deals available, but the menu is pretty cheap anyway.
Clean, fresh dinner. The Fatoush salad is a must, as is the Foul Medames.
Unlicensed, so doesn't get full of drunk idiots of an evening.
They recently changed their breads, and they aren't as good as they used to be so they lose a star for that. But if you didn't taste the previous ones you won't know what you're missing anyway.
Mind the weird sloping step on the way in.
7-9 Bigg Market, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1UN
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It'll go up to 4 if they bring the breads back.
The Green Shop, Berwick
Small shop front which leads into a labyrinth containing a bewildering stock of pretty much everything. Good selection of organic wines. Fresh organic veg and bread.
They also sell multi-coloured hippy garb, but I'll forgive them.
30 Bridge Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland TD15 1AQ
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They also sell multi-coloured hippy garb, but I'll forgive them.
30 Bridge Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland TD15 1AQ
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Villa Spice 2, Berwick
Lovely stuff. Smallish veggie menu, but they'll do vegetable versions of all the usual curries as well.
We've been twice in the last few weeks. First time around I asked for a Mushroom Pathia which was a cut above the usual brown gravy you might expect. Finely spiced, nice heat, thick. The Mrs had their special Dhal Paneer which come in at a reasonable £7 inc rice. Very rich, buttery (but not greasy), thick dhal with generous helping of lightly fried cheese. Mouthwatering. Perfect Garlic Naan.
Visit no.2 I had their Channa Masala which was a drier consistency than I expected but delicious with it. Mrs had the Dhal Paneer again, and to be honest I wish I had. Nothing wrong with mine, but that really is quite special. Starters: light and tasty onion bhaji, mushroom bhaji (ok, but I probably wouldn't have it again). I had a rich mushroom pilau and garlic naan.
Can't remember how much it was exactly, but I think it was around £40 inc coke and two pints of Cobra.
I'm fussy with my indian food and this makes the grade.
34 Ravensdowne | Ravensholme Hotel, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1DQ, England
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We've been twice in the last few weeks. First time around I asked for a Mushroom Pathia which was a cut above the usual brown gravy you might expect. Finely spiced, nice heat, thick. The Mrs had their special Dhal Paneer which come in at a reasonable £7 inc rice. Very rich, buttery (but not greasy), thick dhal with generous helping of lightly fried cheese. Mouthwatering. Perfect Garlic Naan.
Visit no.2 I had their Channa Masala which was a drier consistency than I expected but delicious with it. Mrs had the Dhal Paneer again, and to be honest I wish I had. Nothing wrong with mine, but that really is quite special. Starters: light and tasty onion bhaji, mushroom bhaji (ok, but I probably wouldn't have it again). I had a rich mushroom pilau and garlic naan.
Can't remember how much it was exactly, but I think it was around £40 inc coke and two pints of Cobra.
I'm fussy with my indian food and this makes the grade.
34 Ravensdowne | Ravensholme Hotel, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1DQ, England
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Jintana Thai Restaurant & Takeaway, Kendal
jintanathaicuisine.com
Not many options if you want thai in Kendal. Fortunately the one you do have is top notch.
They do set veggie banquets if that's what you fancy, but since we were in a party of 50/50 veg/carnie we ordered individually.
Starters - tofu satay skewers, tom kha soup, veg tempura, somtam thai (spicy green papaya salad which was, for me, the highlight of the table).
Mains - tofu gaeng mussamun (rich, nutty, aromatic coconut curry), veg green curry, tofu pad khing (stir fry with ginger, spring onion, peppers and veg). 2 x sticky rice
Yes, we had an extra starter and an extra main course, but there were four of us (I'm not listing the meat/fish stuff).
All of it was great. Faultless. The somtam thai and mussamun were especially good.
Four people, four beers and a big sparkling water, extra starter and main course.
TOTAL BILL: £96
That included a fairly expensive seafood dish (£14)
101 Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4EN
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Not many options if you want thai in Kendal. Fortunately the one you do have is top notch.
They do set veggie banquets if that's what you fancy, but since we were in a party of 50/50 veg/carnie we ordered individually.
Starters - tofu satay skewers, tom kha soup, veg tempura, somtam thai (spicy green papaya salad which was, for me, the highlight of the table).
Mains - tofu gaeng mussamun (rich, nutty, aromatic coconut curry), veg green curry, tofu pad khing (stir fry with ginger, spring onion, peppers and veg). 2 x sticky rice
Yes, we had an extra starter and an extra main course, but there were four of us (I'm not listing the meat/fish stuff).
All of it was great. Faultless. The somtam thai and mussamun were especially good.
Four people, four beers and a big sparkling water, extra starter and main course.
TOTAL BILL: £96
That included a fairly expensive seafood dish (£14)
101 Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4EN
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Zeffirellis Pizzeria, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK
zeffirellis.com
Full menu available to download.
Fully veggie pizzeria attached to cinema and jazz bar. Used to be quite small but has expanded into a much bigger restaurant area in recent years.
I've been eating here whenever I can for years, often heading towards Ambleside specifically to visit Zef's. I hadn't been for a while but was looking forward to chomping down earlier this week.
Since I'd been eating Moody Baker produce all day I thought I'd start with a green salad which was nice, if a little under-dressed. I'd have liked a bit of balsamic zing. Mrs Greedy had the special starter which was Goats Cheese and Balsamic Onion Tart, which was delicious and not too heavy.
I usually go for the Mexican Pizza (bean chilli topped with cheese), but I'd had a chilli bean wrap earlier so went for the Rain Forest Pizza (spinach, roasted peppers, jalapenos, red onions, grated mozzarella and cheddar) instead.
I was disappointed to find the peppers were't roasted at all, just cooked with the pizza, so back it went. I was informed by the manager that there was a misprint on the menu (!?) and that the peppers shouldn't be roasted at all, but they'd remake it for me. No problem. That'll do me.
I got my new pizza 8-9 minutes later, still sans roasted peppers. They'd certainly been cooked longer than the pizza, but were simply charred around the edges making them bitter rather than roasted to sweetness. I couldn't be bothered by then so just ate it, despite the vinegar tang of the pickled jalapenos. I'd have preferred fresh.
Mrs Greedy went for the Puy Lentil Rissole served on spinach and sage potato slices with tomato and coriander salsa. I couldn't find fault with that. Nicely spiced, lovely consistency and very fresh salsa.
White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake for me, the special Meringue Roulade for Mrs. Both came with a small pot of cream which had been squirted from a can, which was entirely unneccesary and cheapened the plate. It turned out the Mrs' pudding wasn't what we'd ordered at all, but was actually the Chocolate Roulade. Back to the kitchen again. When it arrived it was nice though, despite the squirty froth it came with.
All washed down with a nice Barbera.
All in all we were very disappointed with the dining experience, being out of sync due to the kitchen mistakes and the so-so pizza. When the bill arrived I felt I had to say something, since we'd only ended up in Ambleside so we could eat here, and I was particularly incensed to see a 75p charge for the cream I hadn't asked for.
The bill was adjusted as an apology, but I'll think twice about going back. Gutted.
TOTAL BILL (2 people inc wine): £57
AFTER APOLOGY ADJUSTMENT: £41
They now have a sister 'Vegetareannean' restaurant, Fellini's, around the corner. We may try that next time.
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Used to be a 4 Belly establishment, now I'm afraid....
Full menu available to download.
Fully veggie pizzeria attached to cinema and jazz bar. Used to be quite small but has expanded into a much bigger restaurant area in recent years.
I've been eating here whenever I can for years, often heading towards Ambleside specifically to visit Zef's. I hadn't been for a while but was looking forward to chomping down earlier this week.
Since I'd been eating Moody Baker produce all day I thought I'd start with a green salad which was nice, if a little under-dressed. I'd have liked a bit of balsamic zing. Mrs Greedy had the special starter which was Goats Cheese and Balsamic Onion Tart, which was delicious and not too heavy.
I usually go for the Mexican Pizza (bean chilli topped with cheese), but I'd had a chilli bean wrap earlier so went for the Rain Forest Pizza (spinach, roasted peppers, jalapenos, red onions, grated mozzarella and cheddar) instead.
I was disappointed to find the peppers were't roasted at all, just cooked with the pizza, so back it went. I was informed by the manager that there was a misprint on the menu (!?) and that the peppers shouldn't be roasted at all, but they'd remake it for me. No problem. That'll do me.
I got my new pizza 8-9 minutes later, still sans roasted peppers. They'd certainly been cooked longer than the pizza, but were simply charred around the edges making them bitter rather than roasted to sweetness. I couldn't be bothered by then so just ate it, despite the vinegar tang of the pickled jalapenos. I'd have preferred fresh.
Mrs Greedy went for the Puy Lentil Rissole served on spinach and sage potato slices with tomato and coriander salsa. I couldn't find fault with that. Nicely spiced, lovely consistency and very fresh salsa.
White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake for me, the special Meringue Roulade for Mrs. Both came with a small pot of cream which had been squirted from a can, which was entirely unneccesary and cheapened the plate. It turned out the Mrs' pudding wasn't what we'd ordered at all, but was actually the Chocolate Roulade. Back to the kitchen again. When it arrived it was nice though, despite the squirty froth it came with.
All washed down with a nice Barbera.
All in all we were very disappointed with the dining experience, being out of sync due to the kitchen mistakes and the so-so pizza. When the bill arrived I felt I had to say something, since we'd only ended up in Ambleside so we could eat here, and I was particularly incensed to see a 75p charge for the cream I hadn't asked for.
The bill was adjusted as an apology, but I'll think twice about going back. Gutted.
TOTAL BILL (2 people inc wine): £57
AFTER APOLOGY ADJUSTMENT: £41
They now have a sister 'Vegetareannean' restaurant, Fellini's, around the corner. We may try that next time.
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Used to be a 4 Belly establishment, now I'm afraid....
The Moody Baker, Alston, UK
themoodybaker.co.uk
If you are anywhere within 20 miles of this place and can get there before 12:30 I say go for it.
Though not solely vegetarian fayre, they have enough to make it worth a trip. The pastry is unbelievably rich and buttery, the stotties are the best I've had since my gran stopped making them, and the cakes are canny. Loaves look great but I've yet to try one.
Take your pick from Spicy Lentil Pasty, Chilli Bean Wrap, Brie and Mushroom Pasty, massive Veggie Sausage Rolls, Stottie Pizza and more.
Stotties come in brown or white. I recommend grabbing a white one, dashing down the cobbled hill to the Co-Op and pairing it with a bag of salt n vinegar crisps. Head up around the corner to the play area and picnic away.
3 West View, Alston, Cumbria CA9 3SF, UK
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It would get a 5 belly rating if fully veggie.
If you are anywhere within 20 miles of this place and can get there before 12:30 I say go for it.
Though not solely vegetarian fayre, they have enough to make it worth a trip. The pastry is unbelievably rich and buttery, the stotties are the best I've had since my gran stopped making them, and the cakes are canny. Loaves look great but I've yet to try one.
Take your pick from Spicy Lentil Pasty, Chilli Bean Wrap, Brie and Mushroom Pasty, massive Veggie Sausage Rolls, Stottie Pizza and more.
Stotties come in brown or white. I recommend grabbing a white one, dashing down the cobbled hill to the Co-Op and pairing it with a bag of salt n vinegar crisps. Head up around the corner to the play area and picnic away.
3 West View, Alston, Cumbria CA9 3SF, UK
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It would get a 5 belly rating if fully veggie.
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