The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘dinner’

The government wants to limit the number of fast-food premises in any one area. This is not a problem for Dunnington, that has a solitary chippy and no chances of getting a home delivery of a curry or pizza. So one would think that the chippy has a captive market, the posters in the chippy advertising the virtues of a good ol fish ‘n chips. Well, this chippy consistently serves poor chips, greasy fish and the best 3 minute microwavable pie with soggy pastry. No wonder there is never a queue. But being desperate, but not desperate enough to have some volcanically-heated food at the Windmill, I ventured (again) to the chippy just before it shut at 8pm. Upon entering at 8 minutes to 8pm the server glanced at the clock, I asked what was possible, to which I was told that a fish might be possible (the staff were ready to leave and the cabinets were already cleaned and off).I ordered the fish and chips (twice) and was looking forward to the scraps that were obviously going to be the chips. Two minutes later and old man walked in – fish was still on the menu – but the chips were off, as I noted the large basket of pre-cut chips ready to fry being carried out to the back! Nothing like making an effort. I am sure this could be a cracking little place, yet whilst the service is always fine, the quality of the produce could do with a modern make-over. Michael subsequently threw up his fish dinner!

Pryordurkin rating: 1 star  (Note the picture bears no resemblance to what we actually got.)

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

Having finished work on Wednesday with two colleagues I set off for a spot of dinner at a restaurant in Reading.  On our way we stopped for a pint at the Allied Arms on St Marys Butts in Reading.  A strange name I thought for a location, but as I learnt more about Reading from the locals inside discovered it has quite a history when it comes to monks, nuns and religion in general.  The outside of the pub would normally have resulted in me walking on by, but my colleagues seemed confident that what lay inside would be good.  Stepping through the door and having ordered up our drinks we took a table near the window.  One colleague then wandered back outside to make a phone call, the t’other went off to the loo and I was left at the mercy of a very small man with a limp, a scar and a broken arm who seemed to think we were long lost buddies and that we needed to get reacquainted.  He proceeded to ask lots of questions but those who know me, will realise the futility of that particular tactic.  Nonetheless he chatted away for the next twenty minutes without stop.  My colleagues had returned by this point but it made little difference and one colleague who professed to be good at empathy kept acknowledging the conversation and egging this bloke on.  However after a while, my miserable non responsive, emotionless face must have eventually worn him down as he finished off his drink and left the pub completely.

The pub itself serves up real ale which for people who understand these things is apparently very good and I could see and hear from the other punters that this place has a real following.  Cosy traditional and probably a great place to spend a few hours on a cold winters evening.  However it isn’t quite my cup of tea as there were no flashy lights, no house music and no eye candy to speak of.

Pryordurkin 3 stars.  (it might not have been my thing, but this is clearly a well liked traditional pub serving real ale, hence the three stars)

Having complete dinner at a nearby restaurant last night, with a colleague I went to the Island Bar and Restaurant on Pipers Island near Caversham Bridge in Reading.  The place was near empty except for a couple and the bar man.  The place has clearly been renovated and is actually very stylish.  It has both indoor seating and outdoor decking where during warmer weather I could imagine many people enjoying themselves.  The music playing in the background was very mediteranean in style and this only added to the sophisticated nature of the place.   We ordered up a couple of Remy Martin Brandies and I was very pleased when the said bar man offered to warm our glasses and bring our drinks over to where by this point we had taken a seat.  With fantastic views of the river and only a short stroll from my hotel room at the Crowne Plaza a pleasant wind down from a reasonably busy day was underway.

I would certainly go back here and look forward to the warmer weather if I am in Reading again.

Pryordurkin rating. 4 stars.

Telephone +44 (0) 1189 479530

Described on their website as offering fine dining, I found myself at the Riverside Restaurant on Caversham Road in Reading this evening having dinner with a colleague.  It was ideally located for me as the restaurant is just along the river from the Crowne Plaza hotel where I am staying at the moment.

We arrived at around 8.30 and were quickly seated at a table with paper napkins with instructions to order up quickly as they were closing the kitchen.  The bar man / waiter was friendly enough.  A Polish guy with a nice smile and a sparkle in his eye.  I went for the Pea Green Soup (£3.50) starter and Sea Bass (£9.95) Main.  My colleague went for the Portabello Mushroom (£4.25) starter and also had the Sea Bass main.

My ‘mushroom’ soup was warm (not hot) but quite tasty.  Served up with croutons and creme fraiche it was fine.  I was too tired to enquire about the Pea Green Soup I ordered and as I said the waiter had a nice smile.  My main was OK as well.  The Sea Bass was cooked nicely and being served up with couscous, went down well.

We were the only ones dining in the restaurant it seemed this evening.  Our table was at the far end with great views across the river and overall we had a very enjoyable evening.  Not the fine dining as described, but generally OK.  The overall bill which included a nice bottle of Malbec from Argentina came to just under £50 which was good value though.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

Telephone 0118 951 2211

This week has me staying at the Holiday Inn Reading South for a couple of nights.  I turned up at reception around 8pm last night and the check in experience was fine.  They had all my details and all I needed to do was sign for my pre-prepared room card.  The reception area was smart and clean.  The bar and restaurant areas looked busy with business and tourist people alike.  It seemed like a fairly relaxed affair.  Not many stuffy suits sitting around.  I made my way to my room and it took a while.  This hotel is quite sprawling and the walk to my room must have took at least three minutes ( a long time for me!).

The room was as I now expect.  Clean, no character and functional.  The only immediate problem I could find was the TV remote control didn’t work and having reported this, was a little disappointed that it would take till the next day to fix.  I had to resign myself to the old fashioned way of changing channels and volume ie. getting off my ass and pushing buttons.

Room service last night was a bit of a disapointment.  The waiter nearly dropped everything on the floor and the food was barely warm.  I still can’t understand what the tray charge is for either, given the prices charged for room menu items are generally a whole pound more expensive than the same item in the restaurant.  Anyway I was too tired to worry about this for too long and after the guy / or girl upstairs had finished walking backwards and forwards across their floor for half an hour, I fell asleep. (what do they do to keep walking backwards and forward across such a small room?  I’d love to know!)

Anyway this evening, having got back from work, I decided to try the swimming pool out and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Clean and relaxed, it was nice to be staying at a hotel (unlike many in London) that actually has some space for a gym and pool.  Feeling virtuous I then made my way to the restaurant for dinner.

Surprise, surprise.  It was actually excellent food by hotel restaurant standards.  The starter of mushroom soup was freshly prepared and had fantastic taste and consistecy ( I do like a good soup).  My main was equally good; presented well and clearly cooked fresh by someone who cared.  With such good food coming out of the kitchen I then had for try (for research purposes) the dessert menu.  Again this was excellent.  The chocolate sauce was to die for!

All in all, I am very pleased with this hotel.  A great experience so far.  The restaurant food is very good indeed and it has a great gym.  To top all that, it is also moments from the M4.

Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.

I’ve been working at home this week and what struck me today as I took my ‘lunch’ break (and put some laundry on) was that I hadn’t been out the front gates for two days.  Working at our dining room table does of course let me see the great views from the back of our house, but with the central heating pumping away, the availability of fresh air to my lungs has been rare.  So finishing up what I needed to do today I hauled my ‘ever shrinking’ behind past the parked up car and walked into the village to pick up some ingredients for tea.  It’s about a forty minute walk along the edge of the fields into the village and back and when my ears stop ringing from the cold, I’m sure I will feel better for it.

There is of course is another aspect to my working from home.  Paul expects his dinner to be prepared and offered up as soon as he gets in. He doesn’t of course expect it to have flavour or substance based on previous experiences, but at the generally late time when he does get in,  I suppose anything hot and filling will do.

There are some overall advantages to working at home though.  Firstly I can get a decent freshly ground coffee whenever I want, without paying nearly £3 quid a shot.  I can sit on my own pan!  I can eat healthily and best of all, when the work is done, there is no travel other than a short stroll from the dining room to our lounge where I can catch up on Scrubs while awaiting the master to return

We moved to York early last year and after a while discovered A Barker Butchers in Dunnington near York.  You could easily drive past this butchers in Dunnington as there is little by the way of a sign saying butcher or even A Barker!  However once you know where they are and try the produce, then you will no doubt go back again and again.  There are a number of friendly guys who work in the shop and even if you are in a grumpy mood (what me!) you will always find them trying to engage you in friendly banter.  That aside!, I especially like the locally sourced chicken, beef, pork, pork sausages and bacon.  The quality as compared to the meats you can buy in any supermarket are in a class of their own.  While it can be a tad more expensive (but not much), the difference in taste and knowing where the meat comes from is very good value alone.  We are now regulars and will often just pop in late afternoon to pick up some fresh meats for that evenings dinner.

By the way they also sell vegetables and a few cakes, but these are a bit hit and miss.  If you time it right the vegetables can be quite fresh, but not always.  We much prefer the Balloon Tree down the road.  (read review)  The cakes are a bit on the cheap side when it comes to ingredients so I now give these a miss.

However as a butcher they are great and despite their friendly banter every time I visit, I keep going back.

Pryordurkin rating 3 Stars

Telephone 01904 489265

We have been to this restaurant before and returned on Christmas Eve for dinner.  We arrived at around 8pm and were immediately shown to our table on the first floor, in what is a very cosy restaurant with seating for no more than 25 covers.  We ordered up a bottle of Barbaresco which is a fantastic Italian Red and then chose from the menu.

The starters were fantastic.  My chicken liver pate was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed eating it.  For mains, I had the Sea Bream, which was de-boned at our table upon serving.  Nice touch.  Paul had the Sea Bass and he was as equally pleased.  Served up with vegetables which you order separately, the overall meal was very nice indeed.

The place is tastefully decorated and clearly popular with people who like a bit of quality.  The tourists walking along the Shambles below though would probably not realise what a gem lies behind the front door, because on the ground floor, all you see is a couple of laid tables, and a delicatessen counter.  The waiters were very friendly and attentive and in the main quite nice looking which for us is always good. We think they were all actually Italian as well, which only added to the experience.

Overall settling up the £80 bill which included wine, we were very happy indeed.

Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.  Visted 24th Dec ‘08.  Telephone +44 (0) 1904 670247

We visited the Biltmore Bar and Grill on Swinegate in York on Christmas Eve for a couple of pre-dinner drinks.  We arrived around 6.30pm and the place was already quite busy.  It had a mixed set of clientele generally in their 30’s to 50’s.  Very contemporary in style, this bar is housed in what used to be the former Elim Pentecostal church.  On the first floor, where you can down into the main bar area below, there is seating for both people wanting to sample the grill menu and also a separate Champagne Bar area with comfortable sofas to rest while parting with large chunks of cash.  We opted for a few drinks downstairs and started with a couple of Gin and Tonics, which came to £13.60 for two doubles of house gin.  (No Bombay Saphire in sight!)  Not cheap, but if it keeps the riff raff out then worth it.  There was music playing in the background and with the wooden floors and chatter from other customers, it was difficult to hold a conversation, so we settled for people watching instead.  With some eye candy scattered around, we enjoyed the next hour and half in what was a relaxing and generally pleasant environment although we could see there were a few clique groups of customers who seemed to get better service/attention from the staff/owners than the rest of us punters.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

Opening Hours
Monday 4pm till Midnight
Tuesday to Friday 12pm till Midnight
Saturday 12pm till 1am
Sunday 1pm till Midnight

Telephone 01904 610075