The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘coffee’

This was a return trip for Sunday Lunch to Hazlewood Castle which lies just off the A64 in between York and Leeds.  This time we were joined by my brother and sister in-law and the kids.  The first time we dined here was great.  With good service, good food and good surroundings we were looking forward to another treat.

One of the measures we look for when reviewing places is consistency.  Unfortunately on this occasion, the food and service were not quite as good as before.  We had telephoned ahead to book a table for 12noon and on arrival were shown straight to our table.  No option of an aperitif in the bar beforehand.  The restaurant manager did not even offer to take our coats, so we found ourselves hanging them over the back of the chairs and I had to put my hat on the FLOOR!.

We ordered up our food and having seen bar menus in use last time, I mentioned there may be a simpler option for the kids to enjoy.  However this time, the waiter never gave any option for the kids to order from the bar menu and they had to make do with a kids tailored version of Sunday Lunch. Our drinks soon arrived and after a little wait were closely followed by starters which were nicely presented and very good.  After the plates were cleared we then had what seemed like a long wait for the mains to come out.  When they did, my beef was tuff and on the small size, as compared to last time.  The Yorkshire pudding, which was so good last time, was hard and brittle this time around.  The kids, who love Yorkshire puddings both seemed disappointed.  The vegetables were cooked to perfection though. Desserts followed and these were very good indeed.

Overall as mentioned earlier, this visit was let down by the service and the quality of the main course.  The restaurant manager made you feel as though you were a bit of an annoyance really and certainly not warmly welcomed, which was a pity as the Castle itself, the grounds that surround it were all great.  She seemed to take particular umbridge at being called over to take an extra order of drinks!

Pryordurkin rating 3 Stars. (dropped 1 star since our last visit in January) Tel: 01937 535353

It was spring-like and after a short stroll through the grounds of RHS Harlow Carr we headed off into Harrogate to explore and find a little bistro for lunch. We eventually came across Van Zeller Restaurant on Montpellier Street, a little restaurant that we liked the look of, even though we could not clearly read the menu since the window was steamed up. As it turned out, this place had only officially been open since Fri 13th Feb 09. The owner and chef is Tom van Zeller and according to the advertising is the only chef in Harrogate to have been awarded 2AA rosettes, whilst head chef at the Hotel du Vin, Harrogate. With backing from David Moore (one of the inspectors from BBC2’s The Restaurant) Van Zeller’s is aiming to be the premier dining destination in and around Harrogate.

It had just gone 2.15pm  but the chef was still prepared to accept two more covers. The restaurant is on the small side, which makes listening to fellow diners extremely easy, but was smart and stylish. One table was screened off from the till, and when the couple seated at this table were being served one person was served and then the waiter would run around the screen and the till and then serve the other half of the table. They did make the comment that they felt hemmed in. This place is certainly bijou. We were readily seated, our coats taken, and were glad to note the linen napkins. Two menu options were available, the ‘Du Jour’ which consisted of two courses and a free glass of wine, for the bargain price of £14.95, and the A La Carte menu. We both opted for the A La Carte menu. Michael opted for the game terrine and then the lamb confit with leeks and potatoes, I opted for the salmon balotine to be followed by the lamb too.A little sliver of butter (that was sitting in a little puddle of water) was put on the table but we were half way through the starters before we eventually managed to ask whether we could have some bread to go with the butter. Additionally,  whilst we were told about the free wine, the front of house weren’t so keen in promoting the drinks that we had to pay for and we had to ask for a drinks menu. The drinks menus were given to Michael to browse and one menu promptly dropped one of the fastenings into his terrine. Instead of replacing the starter (or at least removing the fastening in the kitchen) Michael was asked to pick the fastening out of the terrine and hand it over! Michael chose a glass of Shiraz that he said was very nice but looking at the bill when we got home we were charged for 2 Erdinger beers instead (another loss in profit). Michael thought the terrine was ok but had tasted better recently, and the centre of my salmon balotine had ice crystals in it. Not the best of starts. The mains were acceptable but not overly outstanding. Being a cheesecake aficionado, Michael ordered the rhubarb and lime cheesecake but said the two flavours clashed, I opted for the apple tarte tatin but the caramel had been burnt and left a bitter aftertaste. Two double espressos were ordered but they did not come with any cantucci or the like and I could still taste the burnt caramel even after the coffee but I could not find any mint imperials.

Whilst Van Zeller’s is hoping to become the premier dining destination in and around Harrogate,  the front of house need to pull their socks up, they weren’t even half full, and more attention needs to be paid to the food being served ie not to send out frozen or burnt food. Whilst we wish a new business to succeed we don’t feel that Van Zeller’s has yet achieved the standards that they are clearly hoping to attain. The chef Tom Van Zeller did apologise for the frozen salmon though.

Pryordurkin rating: 3 stars.  (We will go back though to see if our experience was just early opening snags)

Telephone 01423 508762

It has been a couple of months since I last used this East Coast Main line to get from York to London, via Doncaster, Grantham and Peterborough. This morning however has me travelling from York on the National Express service that leaves at 8.36am.

There was an air of excitement around York station as I waited for the train. I couldn’t put my finger on what was creating this atmosphere until I noticed quite a few Events Co-ordinators (evidenced by the big bright yellow jackets which said Events Co-ordinator!). They were putting up posters that would direct people who were clearly expected to visit the station and view the new Tornado Steam Engine which was due to pass through. Watching the preparations kept me amused for a while as I waited for my service to arrive into platform 3.

I boarded the National Express East Coast train and we left York bang on 8.36am. The outside of the train looked a bit grim, with old style doors and a lot of winter dirt. However inside was very pleasant indeed. I’d decided to upgrade myself and was happy to find a double seat with a table all to myself. Who says I’m miserable?

A few improvements seem to have been made since I last travelled. The at-seat menu has been revamped and you can now enjoy full dining at any seat in first class. The prices are quite high but I suppose they do have a captive audience and when you think about the space they have to work within to prepare food, it is quite a feat that they can produce so much for so many when they are so full.

In the interest of research I tried the freshly cooked bacon and tomato toasted sandwich (£3.75) and it was nicely prepared and tasty. Another change they have introduced is that you now find sparkling and still bottled water all ready placed on your table which is a nice touch in my view. Along with complimentary biscuits (which I avoided in the interest of my waistline) they served up fresh coffee which was passable and hot. I do wish they would invest in better beans though.

The staff were a little grumpy and barked requests to each passenger …… Coffee?……Milk?……Tickets?……. I just felt they could have been a little happier in their work.

Finally, I should mention the ticket prices. Since I last travelled the open return ticket to London seems to have gone up by £36 since early December. By my reckoning that is the equivalent to a 15% increase. This is on top of the price rises they introduced earlier in 2008. However I do recall a news story which explained National Express pay the government billions of pounds for the privilege of running this service and have to sell several thousand tickets each day before they earn a penny to cover their own running costs. Tax by another name me thinks?

Anyway we continued our journey and arrived into London Kings Cross bang on time.

Pryordurkin rating 3 stars.

This is a small drop in cafe in the middle of York City Centre open during the day for shoppers and local workers alike.  I popped into Cafe Venice over lunch on Monday for a coffee, sparkling mineral water and a sit down having walked in to the City after parking up at the University.  A mixed (plastic) menu catering for the brits as well as those wanting a more mediterranean style is on offer.  Most of the items cost between £4 and £5.  Pizza slices, baguettes, panini and pasta were all on offer as well as Bacon Butties and freshly made up sandwiches.  I’d noticed this place before and think it has been open around 12-18 months.  In that time it seems to have attracted a loyal customer following.

The service is quick, friendly and one or two of the Turkish guys who work there score reasonably well on the old eye candy scale.    Downstairs there were a number of tall tables and stools to chose from each with an ample supply of paper napkins.  I’m led to believe there is more seating upstairs.  If you like the mediterranean feel of a cafe , then this is a good place to stop off for a quick snack.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

I returned to Pepe Sale Restaurant on Queens Walk in Reading last night with two colleagues for dinner. I had visited this restaurant on two previous occasions in 2007 and enjoyed both so was hoping for the same quality of food and level of service.

We arrived around 7.30pm and were greeted at the door by a friendly chap who took my hat, coat, gloves and scarf (it was freezing outside). We were seated at a window table and offered up some Sardinian breads with olive oil while we looked through the menu.

I was pleased to see it had not changed from last year and therefore ordered up a Pasta Casereccia for starter and the Spigola Al Sale for my main. The Pasta Casereccia was a Sardinian variant of Pasta with Bolognese and was very nice indeed. Well seasoned, served up with parmesan cheese, it went down a treat. The Spiogola Al Sale was Fresh Sea Bass baked in a crust of sea salt that was broken away at the table by the waiter, who de-headed the fish and went onto remove the bones before sprinkling extra virgin olive oil over the white moist flesh. This was a fantastic treat both in terms of looks, the experience and taste. Served with fresh seasonal vegetables, it was a fine meal indeed. My colleagues all enjoyed their starters and mains in equal measure but had just a glint of “I wish I’d ordered the Sea Bass” in their eyes!

I skipped desert, because I’m looking after my figure but my two colleagues both said the deserts were beautiful. Finishing off with coffee all round, it was another very pleasant meal. The service was very good, the restaurant itself, although perhaps looking a little tired still had that relaxing feel about it and during the course of the evening had filled and emptied of many a satisfied diner. I was therefore pleased to conclude the service and quality of food hasn’t changed one bit and is just as good as I remembered.

Settling the bill of £125 for three people that included two bottles of wine, reminded us that you do tend to pay for good quality, but we enjoyed every penny. Of course the old expense budget won’t quite stretch to that, but I don’t mind chipping in a little personal money because of the fine dining experience.

Pryordurkin rating. 4 stars.
Telephone 0118 959 7700

With the weather having turned very cold and snow being forecast I decided to get the train from York to Reading today, instead of driving, as has been the norm for the last two weeks. Paul dropped me off at York station just after 8am and with my train due at 8.27am I was pleased to see it being reported on the information boards, as on time. I had therefore had a little time to sit down in the Costa Coffee bar for a medium Americano. The lady serving, well girl, was on her own and a little underwhelming with her friendly personality and broad smile.

Anyway as indicated, the Cross Country train from Newcastle to Reading via York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Birmingham New Street, Leamington Spa, Banbury and Oxford was on time. I took my seat in carriage A. The carriage was clean and quite warm but the seats were a little more suited for short commuter rides than long distance inter city journeys. There was also not a great deal of luggage space and had the carriage being full this would have been a problem. As it was for most of the journey I had the carriage more or less to myself.

There was a power point for my laptop and each seat had either its own table or a shared table. Being the miserable sod I am, I always try and get a seat on my own. There is no free wireless access though and if I didn’t have my own mobile wireless network card, this would have been a big problem. As we pulled out of York I immediately noticed that this wasn’t going to be one of the quieter train rides I had. I am not saying it was noisy, but the rumbling that was immediately evident would no doubt start to annoy me after about an hour of my four hour journey that lay ahead.

The train offers up light snacks to keep you going and where I was sitting, complimentary drinks and Bacon Butty’s were a very welcome treat. The service from the young lady was attentive and regular. With a genuine warm smile on her face as she asked if you needed any more refreshments, I compared her with the cold hard faced witch that I so often came across on the National Express East Coast mainline train service.

The toilets were those that come with an electric door, which I hate. You never quite trust these things and I have seen a number of people suitably embarrassed because of the inadvertent opening that continues to be a high risk. As for their cleanliness, it left a little to be desired and I will even more fervently follow the rule of no number twos in a public loo!

A good thing about this journey is that it is certainly more scenic than the usual East Coast main line which I know so well. This line trundles through many a town and village offering the bored commuter, who has finished doing any preparation for work and exhausted the morning paper, a chance to see other parts of old blighty. With much of the country being covered in snow today, this is quite a treat. The only slight problem is a pretty poor wireless network signal as you travel across the countryside.

There was of course a momentary panic as we pulled out of Birmingham New Street train station. The journey up to that point had me facing forwards in the direction of travel. For a brief moment, I panicked that I was on the wrong train as upon leaving Birmingham New Street, we suddenly started going backwards and continued to do so for the rest of the journey. I could have just moved seats, but this one by now had taken the shape of my cheeks and was nicely warmed through!

Anyway we are now nearing the end of this journey and while it has been a long one, it has in the main being comfortable, relaxing and on time.

Pryordurkin rating 3 stars.

This week had me staying a couple of nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading.  Sitting on the River Thames, it was easy to reach by car as I came into town from the general direction of Oxford.

I immediately thought this hotel was going to be nice as I pulled up.  Not only did I find a car parking space right in front of the hotel; it looked modern stylish and well kept as I headed into the reception area.  I was immediately greeted by a friendly chap who had all the paperwork prepared and having simply applied one signature I was on my way to the room.  The lift door was a little slow in closing, I thought the floor button wasn’t working but apart from that it was smooth and importantly clean.  Entering my room, I was again very happy.  It was large, had a view of the river and included a seating area along with a desk and reclining chair to work at with full internet connectivity available.  The bathroom although small was well appointed and sparkling clean.  The complimentary toiletries were of reasonable quality and the towels soft and fluffy.  Even the loo roll was more your Andrex, than your Aldi variety, which is a nice touch.. literally!

Anyway after I’d unpacked my case and hung the suit up I decided to try the Spa.  The pool as you can see was very good indeed. Not your usual mis-shaped hotel pool, but properly square and 17 metres long, which allowed for a decent stroke.  The Spa also included a very nice gym with a good range of equipment, although I only saw it through the window as I relaxed in the Whirlpool.  Heading out, I passed a steam room, sauna and a number of treatment rooms.  With nice chill out music playing in the background I could easily have forgot I was in Reading and might have imagined I was back in Cyprus.

With all this exercise behind me I decided to order up room service.  Again I was delighted.  The quality of the food really surprised me.  None of the usual thrown together affair usual to hotels, but a well cooked meal.  My rib-eye steak was cooked medium rare as requested and came with chunky chips cooked in Goose fat.  (Note to Paul) They were cooked so well, they were not greasy at all.  Nice, light and very tasty.  A lovely meal all in all.

A good nights sleep lay ahead after I turned the air conditioning down to 18 degrees and waking up the next day I felt refreshed and ready to face the world.  Before that breakfast in the restaurant lay ahead.  A good breakfast was available with healthy choices all round.  I went for cereal with added sunflower seeds which were to the side with other nuts and optional extras (a nice touch).  I skipped the fry up, more out of will power than anything else, because it looked great.  The coffee brought to my table was  also very good.  Smooth, full flavoured and freshly made.

The rest of my stay continued in the same veign.  The service was excellent and because this is not one of the biggest Crowne Plaza hotels you come across it always had a nice local warm welcoming feel about it.  I look forward to going back next week.

Pryordurkin rating.  5 stars.

Hotel Reservations: 0871 423 4896

Hotel Front Desk: 44-1189-259988

While I was working in Reading today I received a text from Paul.  It read “Well I have forgotton my poster and now I have thrown coffee all over me!”  You could say I was surprised.   You’d be wrong.

Let me take you back a little and imagine how Paul’s morning went.

6.00am. Woken by Sooty walking over face….Lay in bed wondering why it’s all so difficult.

7.00am Got up, fed Sooty and Tia.  Sat down in ’silent’ lounge with bowl of cornflakes.  Contemplated for a few moments.  Contemplated for a few moments more.  30 minutes contemplation later decided to ring Michael on his phone.  2 minutes later, hung up clearly realising Michael was fast asleep before I rang and is now grumpy.

8.00am.   Showered, shaved and sh….ould have gone to gym but started up laptop and did some work instead.

10:15am.  Taxi sounds it horn.  Look around house for keys.  Put coat on. Say good bye to Sooty and Tia.  Put shoes on (laces untied) and leave house.  Remember to lock door.

10:36am.  Sit on train at table with three strangers.

10:48am.  Realise the poster due to be presented at scientific conference in London (purpose of trip) is still at home.

10.50am.  Need to console myself.  Order up coffee from the trolley.  Try to open milk.  It doesn’t comply.  Try to squeeze milk carton.  Squirts, hand hits cup.  Coffee goes flying.  Clean white shirt now covered in and smelling of coffee.  Three travellers mopping up coffee from table, legs and bags.  Face a lovely glowing colour… not from heat of coffee currently burning legs.

11.00am.  Sent text message to Michael.

11.38am.  Received call from Michael who said.  You’re special…..

After a late start to the day we headed into the City Centre for a spot of shopping and a light lunch.  On our way, we stopped off at Deans Garden Centre looking to buy a water butt so we could start to collect rain water for the garden come summer.  Unfortunately they didn’t have the 60mm connection kit so we could link it up with our guttering drain pipes, which (as is now usual with the Pryordurkin luck) are non standard.  Anyway, laughingly we thought B&Q might have it in and promised ourselves we would call on the way home (Aren’t we silly?).

Getting into the City we parked up and walked into the centre.  It was packed full of tourists and shoppers alike.  You would think it was the week before Christmas.  Restaurant, shops, cafes and the streets were buzzing with people who generally looked up beat, happy and pleased to be out.  I still can’t quite square this with the pessimistic downbeat doom and gloom messaging you get every time you switch on the BBC news.  I find myself shouting at the TV the more excited the news presenters get with every bit of bad news.  Perhaps a few of them should lose their jobs and feel the pain many others are suffering.  They then might think twice about making things even worse by creating even more worry and pessimism amongst Joe Public.  While I’m on one, I’m curious how much the BBC Downturn logo cost.  This is the second one I’ve seen so far.

Anyway where was I?   Oh yes, we bought a few items from around town, stopped for lunch at Harlequin (which was packed, even at 2.30pm) and then made our way home.  On our way, as mentioned earlier, we called into B&Q to see if they had the connection kit we needed for the water butt.    Guess what?…….

From the outset, my treatment at Castle BMW of York was exemplorary.  Although the showroom looks a little tired compared to the other ‘newer’ show rooms for other car makes on the same Clifton Moor site, the experience itself was first class.  Not one red balloon was in site and the copious amounts of coffee that I did drink were all served up in china cups rather than the plastic one offered when I bought my last car.

With the current credit crunch all the rage and the world falling down around us, or so you would think if you watch the BBC news, I obviously expected a very good deal.  Thinking the sales people at dealerships like BMW would be so desperate they would do anything to sell a car I entered Castle BMW of York two weeks ago looking for a deal.  I went in with a fixed budget in mind, a base-lined specification and the expectation that all I would be able to afford was a second hand car.  After two visits, I had on offer a car that met my base-lined specification and was within the budget I had set.  The only difference I did compromise on was that this time it would be brand new.

What was interesting throughout the discussions and deal making was how confident Castle BMW were with their prices and (like I do) listening in to the conversations of other sales people and customers who were sat around me, there was something re-assuring about knowing they weren’t actually that desperate for business as the BBC news people might have you think.  It reminded me of the Stella Artois adverts – reassuringly expensive.  That all being said though, I was very happy with the deal struck and picked up my new car yesterday.

The handover process was (now to be expected) professional.  Everything was explained; from the vehicle registration and warranty papers I was been asked to sign, to the button on the right hand side of the drivers foot-well, that pops open the boot.  They even made handing over a ‘wodge’ of cash seem relatively painless.  All in all the handover process took two nearly two hours, but a lot of that was down to us chatting about everything other than cars.

Anyway, I am pleased with my experience of Castle BMW, feel sure they will look after me post sale and if they do manage to update their showroom, would get five stars all round.

Pryordurkin rating. 4 stars.

(If you do visit them ask for Simon H’ who looked after me)  Tel:0845 128 6429