The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘bottle of wine’

It’s been a relatively quiet week for me this week but I suspect all is about to change with a couple of new assignments at work just around the corner.  However for now, the weekend lies ahead, so it’s time to crack open a bottle of wine and settle down in front of the TV to watch and support Comic Relief.  We’ve done our bit as you can see in the picture and hope you do too.  Anyway, have a good weekend yourselves and don’t forget to donate.  PS.  You never know if we might just pop in and visit you

Sunday had us sitting down and writing out all this years Christmas cards and wrapping up the pressies that needed to be sent abroad. Listening to the old Christmas Crooners CD and scoffing the odd warm mince pie, we had finished by the time the Stars Wars Movie Part 1 (or Part 4 depending on your point of view) began showing on TV at 3.50pm. Cracking open a bottle of wine; an evening watching the box then lay ahead.

On Monday, ignoring Paul who said two first class stamps would do for a ‘heavy’ card and package to Australia, I took all the international ones to the post office for weighing. Not that I doubted Paul for a minute you understand, but as the sign that hangs in our kitchen says “I’m right, He’s wrong.  End of story!”, I just wanted to be sure those cards heading outside old blighty would in fact get to their destination, without requiring the recipients to fork out penalty cash on collection.

I’m pleased I did. Without exception all the cards and packages need significantly more postage than the ‘two first class stamps will do’ from Paul. (Apologies to anyone who has ever previously received a card from us and has had to pay a penalty postage fee!)  Of course, for those who didn’t fork out the penalty fee and remained tight lipped about not ever getting a card; well done also.

Finally, don’t ever think of sending us a card or package without the right postage fee

Having worked very late last night I had a great lie in this morning.  With us spending the weekend in London, the only thing I needed to do was check out of one hotel and check into the other.  I arrived at the Crowne Plaza on Buckingham Gate around 2pm and after a spot of coffee in the lounge was shown to our room by Philippe. (nice warm smile).  I was very pleased to discover we had been upgraded to a suite and with the bags unpacked, a warm bath ahead and a soft fluffy bathrobe to lie around in, the only thing missing is Paul who gets into London around 6pm.  I’ll just have to take in a movie and perhaps crack open a bottle of wine to unwind with.  The reason we are spending the weekend in London is that we are off to see Monkey:Journey to the West at a specially built theatre next door to the O2 arena.  We’d followed a documentary about the making of this new Chinese Opera written by Damon Albarn and just have to see.  We’ll post a review after the event.

This Thai Style Tapas restaurant served up my evening intake of calories last night after an early lager or two at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.  Arriving with three other colleagues we sat down around 9pm and ordered up the Gold Menu for four people along with a bottle of Rioja.  The food served up was not the best Thai food I have ever eaten, nor could it be described as filling.  The fayre left us all perhaps feeling that just a little more would have been good.  The ingredients used in the selection of starters and main dishes were not what you would call fresh or best quality.  Many of the traditional ingredients you would expect in a home cooked Thai meal were simply not there.  Normally; Thai food is very flavoursome and spicy; this was neither.  The service was however quick and attentive but for some reason, we were asked no less than four times, while our glasses were still visibly full, whether we wanted another bottle of wine bringing out.  I’m proud to say that without any hint of sarcasm, I suggested to the waiter, we wait a while.

The toilets were to be found down some very steep stairs in the basement and were reasonably clean.

Overall, a very pleasant time was had in the company of friends, but the food was not really up to much.  At £105.00 for four people though, we could hardly complain at the price.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 stars.

Well, Paul set’s off in the morning to his conference in Switzerland for the week, leaving the cats and me to fend for ourselves. Unfortunately, the cats are better equipped to look after themselves than I am.  For example; they are clearly more adept at catching mice judging by the number of remains we find around our home.  The next few days will therefore see me eating loads of junk food, with little by the way of vegetables or vitamins.

If by chance you read this, feel sorry for me and know where I live then do feel free to send round a good home cooked meal, a decent bottle of wine and perhaps the odd cream desert or two

“The Orchard – a corner of England where time stands still as the outside world rushes by.”  This taken from their website is a reasonably good description of The Orchard in Grantchester.  Famous for poets, scientists and medics alike going back many many years, this place has a long historic association with Cambridge University.  Yesterday, we met up with family and friends alike for afternoon tea.  The place was busy with people sitting out amongst the apple, pear and plum treas on little wooden deck chairs from a bygone age.  We ordered up a round of cream teas for 8 people (£40 – not cheap!) and spent the next couple of hours relaxing chatting, fighting wasps and topping up with fresh tea and the occasional bottle of wine.  The scones were OK, but nothing special; the clotted cream came out of individual plastic tubs as did the Robinsons strawberry jam.  Not a patch on the cream teas served up by Harlequin Coffee and Tea House in York.  The place itself is run in a very professional way; i.e. squeeze every penny out of you and do very little for it.  You have to queue, there is no table service and lots of signs remind you that “consuming your own food is strictly prohibited”.

A very pleasant place to spend a few hours though with great walks back along the river towards Cambridge.

Rating. 3 Stars.

Situated within the infamous Yumbo Centre, this restaurant for many many years was regarded as one of the best on the island serving quality food to men (and women) of a particular persuasion.  We arrived at around 7pm and were pleased to find they had a table free.  As it happens, they had several tables free, but we just assumed because it was early.  Anyway, the decoration befits the general style of the Yumbo Centre, with flashy lights, tacky signs and lots of swishy curtains.

We ordered up a bottle of wine (Marques de Riscal Sauvignon) and some food.

Lets just say the wine which was cheap and drinkable was the best thing about the whole experience.

My tomato and rocket soup was very salty and not in the least bit enjoyable.  Dusty went for the Chicken coated in Sesame seeds.  Yes it was a strange combination and frankly it tasted worse than it sounded.  Think cardboard coated in straw and you will start to get the idea.

Next came the mains.  I went for the special of day, a roast pork based something or other which is exactly what it turned out to be.  Along with some warmed up Pork (read the earlier review, it wasn´t the drink that made me bad, honest!) it was served with potato croquettes.  Yes potato croquettes.  If that were not bad enough, it was also accompanied by watery (previously frozen veg).  The sauce was some kind of sweet sickly affair, which even now, three days later makes me want to gag.

Dusty’s Fish dish was no better and I could see he was struggling to eat it.

So, although we decided not to do any reviews while on holiday, we just had to write about our experiences at this once well regarded restaurant.  It was absolutely horrendous and should be avoided at all costs.  The food was foul.

Score: 0 Stars. Avoid. Visited April 08.

What I have never been able to figure out in Hotels that provide mini bars in rooms, is why the prices charged are so prohibitively expensive.  It has over my working life always puzzled me, why this particular aspect of the capitalist society is immune to the normal supply and demand principles that apply to pretty much every thing else.

However at last I have found a hotel that breaks this rule once and for all, albeit in a very strange and frankly annoying way.

I arrived back at my hotel for the evening and as you will see in an earlier review, settled down to watch a bit of mindless television with a glass of wine.  I noticed in the mini bar a small 25cl bottle of white wine, checked the price and thought £3.95 was extortionate but given my current state of dress, worth taking.  It was only when I was recounting the previous evenings meal in the hotel restaurant that I remembered I had been served the same 25cl bottle of wine at £5.55.  So in my mini bar, I could buy (albeit only 1 was stocked and this is important to remember) the same bottle of wine as I had in the hotel restaurant the previous night for an extra £1.60.  OK you might think I paid a premium for the use of the restaurant.  Fair point, for now.

However this evening I wanted to stay in my room and started leafing through the short room service menu.  This time, the same bottle of wine was again priced at £5.55.  I had a choice.  Ring reception and tell them to re-fill my mini bar, where I could then take said bottle for £3.95.  Or, I could ring room service, likely to be answered by same people, and order a bottle of the same wine from the room service menu and pay £5.55.

This was an annoying option in it’s own right simply because it had no logic.  However things got worse.  Feeling a little peckish I decided to order up some food.  Like many hotels now, there is a tray charge (£2.50 here) and that itself winds me up. However it is just about (with a strong wind) justifiable on the grounds they have to carry the food upstairs.  So I browsed down the new menu, and noticed many of the exact same dishes as were served in the restaurant, only this time they were more expensive.  An example (not a good one as it shows my taste but hey, I’m working class), Benn & Jerry’s ice cream.  Served at £5.00 in the restaurant for a little tub (they don’t even try to add value these days), but on the room service menu it was £6.00.  Outrageous.  Not only were they charging £2.50 for the tray charge to bring it to my room, but the cost of the food had mysteriously gone up by 20% as well.  How can this be.  Is it me.  No logic to the pricing structure, except one that is based on the assumption customers are stupid and there to be ripped off while tired and relaxing in the hotel.  I am very tempted to stop coming to this hotel on these grounds alone.  That all being said I quite like this hotel.

The hotel accomodation is fantastic. Clean, smart, stylish and fresh from a recent refurb.  The service is generally friendly and attentive.  The lifts work (not like the Holiday In Regents Park) and the place is popular with business people and cabin crew alike. Not many tourists thank goodness.

The hotel is next to the Bloomsbury centre, where a range of (chain) restaurants and shops seem to do a roaring trade.  So instead of room service or visiting the hotel restaurant, along with colleagues I will often dine out.  Around the area there are also a good many Italian and Greek restaurants, some of which are very good indeed.  Failing all that the Waitrose shop in the Bloomsbury offers you the chance to just buy some basics and prepare your own meal in your room.

Anyway, give it a go and see if you can figure the wine pricing structure.  If you see me, I’ll be the guy asking stupid questions at the bar.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

It had been a long day at work and with some colleagues we ventured out into Croydon for something different to the usual Croydan Park Hotel Buffet. Having booked a table for 7pm we arrived just after 7.30 and were seated straight away. I had to ask the waiter to take my coat and he looked just a little put out but I let it pass. The table was small but thankfully had decent napkins. Regular readers will know just how much I hate those paper napkins usually served in cafes and restaurants.

We looked through the menus and they were very well laid out. They even had an index and some text apologising for the recent price increases. What was also quite good was that they gave an indication to the overall price you would pay for a typical meal that included a bottle of wine for two. At around £25 – £30, I thought this was refreshingly honest.

The orders placed we engaged in the relaxing and necessary ritual cliche based conversation, that is so common at these work events. The beer was flowing though and soon the conversation moved up the communication triangle we had learnt so much about earlier in the day and a little peak raport might just have crept in.

The food itself was different to what I was expecting. The Onion Bhajee starter I had was made up of sliced onion dipped in a batter made from Gram flour and then deep fried. It wasn’t to my taste. My main dish was a Chicken Masala which was cooked to a reasonable standard indeed. I skipped the usual frozen deserts on offer, now having filled my small petite tummy with two pints of Cobra!

The chef came out towards the end of the meal to check everything was fine and in true British style we all said yes.

Score: 3 Stars. Visited March 08.

Formerly known as Four High Petergate,this restaurant is now known as The Lamb and Lion.  We will drop by soon to undertake another review.

ORIGINAL REVIEW of Four High Petergate.

Stopping for lunch on Saturday at around 12.30 we found the place warm, welcoming but strangely empty.

We were seated quickly by the two very nice waiters and started to look through the lunch time menu. The place was empty except for an older couple sat at a window table looking out on High Petergate. The décor was stylish and contemporary, the tables well laid and lit by candlelight. Of course, the paper napkins were a bit of a let down. Anyhow, we ordered. I went for the Egg & Ham Tartlet , while Dusty went for the Soup, both very reasonably priced at £3.50. We ordered the recommended wine, an Argentinean Malbec Dona Paula Estate 2006 which turned out to be a very fine choice.

My tartlet was very good indeed. The egg ran as soon as I broke into the tartlet, just the way I like it. Dusty was not so keen on his soup as it had separated slightly and was served with a basic microwave to defrost bun.

The main courses soon arrived. I opted for the Chicken Breast with Mushroom linguine while Dusty went for the Galloway Northumberland Steak both priced at a very reasonable £9.95. My main was beautiful and well cooked. Dusty’s steak was cooked rare, the way he likes it and served with very skinny fries.

Desert beckoned and I went for the Treacle Sponge while Dusty went for the Clementine Gratin, again both priced at £3.50. My Treacle Sponge was scrumptious but Dusty was less keen on his Clementine gratin complaining that he didn’t like warm orange segments.

While Dusty finished the bottle of wine (I was driving) I ended with a double espresso and made small talk with the cute waiters.

Score: 3 Stars. Recommend. Visited December 2007.