The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘garden’

We paid another visit to Ambience Cafe Bar at 40 Glllygate York for lunch today.  We wanted something light and quick while out shopping in the City Centre.  As we arrived around 12 noon, the walled garden was starting to fill up with other customers.  We took a seat at one of the plastic tables and waited to be served.  Within moments we were greeted by the friendly owner, who said someone would be with us soon.  A nice touch.

A young guy with a blank look turned up to take our order.  We knew after placing the order, it was unlikely to arrive without problem.   Sure enough my chicken sandwich arrived covered in coronation sauce, despite my specifically asking for it to come plain.  Despite this the sandwich was fine.  Paul had opted for Ham and it certainly looked home cooked.  Accompanied by curly fries (how can respectable places still serve these grease laden things) and a small bowl of soup, it was good value at £5.90 each.

The garden itself is very private and sits within the walls of York City Centre.  It has certainly filled out with planting since we were last time and was as usual very nice indeed.

In summary, this cafe bar, while not exactly serving ‘Gastro’ food, does do what it says on the tin, and provides a nice place to stop and refresh in peaceful surroundings.

Pryordurkin rating 3 stars.

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

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?…….

The weather was (by comparison) mild yesterday getting up to around 8 degrees centigrade which made working outside in the garden possible.  Paul was therefore keen to get on with things and headed outside spending quite a bit of time making up some new raised beds for planting and having a general tidy around.

I didn’t want to seem lazy myself! So while carrying on with a little more restoration work on my laptop  (PS If we have ever given you a CD/DVD with photographs on over the years, we would love you to make us a COPY and post one back!) I started to tidy the garage and in between feeding CD’s into my laptop drive, I filled my car boot with rubbish from the garage and garden that needed skipping.  Of course an added incentive for getting rid of the rubbish in my car this weekend, is that my car is going into the garage tomorrow to be replaced with another one.  So I wouldn’t want to be using my new car for carrying rubbish, now would I.  At least not so soon!

Waking up Sunday, the weather looks like it is going to hold again, so another day involving fresh air seems to be in order.   As a little treat though, we’ve booked ourselves into Hazelwood Castle for Sunday Lunch.  Look out for the review!

It’s the eve of New Year’s Eve and thankfully Paul seems to be getting over his 24 hour illness the symptoms of which are still too graphic to describe in polite society. It was that bad we even had to cancel our cleaner coming today in case she was at risk of catching the bug.  This means of course that for the first time since we moved into this house, we will have do some housework ourselves!  Paul doesn’t have much energy today but at least he is now taking a little food.  The only good thing according to Paul is that he lost nearly 11 pounds in weight over 24 hours but I’m sure he will put this straight back on when he is drinking properly again!

We did manage to get out of the house for a spot of fresh air today though.  We made what is now the third trip to the garden centre because of the ongoing problems with the Christmas gift I bought him (I’m sticking to socks and underwear next year!) and we had a short walk to post a birthday card for my niece but primarily just to get ome fresh air.  Apart from that it was a quiet day all in all and we’re looking forward to a slightly more active New Year’s Eve itself.

In the meantime have a great New Year yourselves and see you in 2009! P&M xx

Since moving to York early in 2007 we have become regular customers of Dean’s Garden Centre on Stockton Lane in Stockton-on-the-Forest near York.  It is a family run business with a second branch in Scarborough and is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this year.  We have bought quite a few things from here over the couple of years since, including garden furniture, wood fencing, a large water fountain and of course lots of planting.  Having tried a number of other nurseries and garden centres around the area, including Homebase and BBQ, Paul always seems to think the plants from Deans are just that much better for quality.  Although they may be just a little more expensive, they in the end, prove to be better value by far.   Paul was particularly pleased to discover that in December 08, all Hardy plants are for sale with a straight 40% off the price and to celebrate their anniversary you also walk out with a free Ruby Rose.

The service over the time we have shopped here has always been friendly and professional.  When looking for advice or information they are happy to spend time talking to you.   The old guy who seems to work in the portacabin is an especially interesting character.  Worldly wise and canny with it.  A really nice man.

While Paul meanders around the outdoor planting area, I can usually be found trying to persuade him to join me in the on site ‘Brothy’ for tea and cake.  A cafe that serves up hot and cold snacks and fine looking cream cakes, which are clearly popular with the old dears of York.   Although not the best Cafe I have attended at a Garden Centre, it is certainly not one of the worst either and is worth a visit.  Be aware though it gets very busy.

Finally, as was the case over the last couple of days, if you need to return anything or have a query on a product, they go out of their way to help.  Many who know me will know, I am not a gardener, but if I quite like this garden centre, then it must have something special going for it.

Pryordurkin rating. 4 Stars.

Tel 01904 400 141
Fax 01904 400 157

With nearly seven hundred driven miles under our belts we are back at home having made fleeting visits to relatives in the south of the country.  Starting out on Friday we headed off to Bury St Edmonds for a Durkin family lunch, before spending the night in Huntingdon with my sister.  Saturday then had us heading off to Milton Keynes for a Pryor family lunch before setting off the Quedgley in Gloucestershire for tea with the in-laws.  After tea we made our way from Quedgley back home to York arriving around 10pm.

Sunday was a fairly laid back affair with a bit of shopping at the local garden centre and all seemed to be going well until Monday morning when Paul woke in the early hours feeling like death warmed up.  Paul has come down with a stomach bug; the symptoms of which are too graphic to mention here, but even my sense of sarcasm can’t hide the fact that he really doesn’t look well.  Doctors advice so far, is to rest and if nothing improves in 24 hours to call him out.

So Monday has me, following a very nice haircut and close wet shave from Alex at Cube this morning, carefully tip toeing around the house, making as little noise as possible hoping Paul will sleep through most of the day.

I’m hoping it’s not a virus that’s spreadable!

Since we moved to York last year, Barnitts Home and Garden Store on Colliergate has become one of our favourite shops.  There is a common saying in York  ”If Barnitts haven’t got it, you can’t get it anywhere!” and we agree.  Over the two years gone, we have bought a range of goods and furniture from this shop.  When you enter through the front floor, as if entering the Tardis, this large extensive department store opens up in front of you.  It has bags of character, lots of nooks and crannies and stairs leading somewhere and nowhere for the adventurous to explore.  We particularly recommend the furniture department on the top floor, where we have over time, bought an extensive range of dining room and bedroom furniture.  Our latest pieces being made by hand in Vietnam using reclaimed Oak.  They are beautiful sturdy pieces of furniture that will no doubt see both of us out!

Today as is usual when I am looking for something unusual (it’s not unusual for me to use two many words like usual in the same sentence), I went into Barnitts to wander around it aisles.  I came out with some discounted Christmas lights (wait till Paul sees them hanging on the outside of our house flashing away!), some picture hooks and a rubber stopper for the bottom of my umbrella!  What a range!  Not always the cheapest, but when you weigh that up with the convenience then it gets our vote.

Pryordurkin rating 4 Stars.

Telephone 01904 629429  Open Monday to Saturday 9.00 – 6.00pm.  Normally Open Sundays in the run up to Christmas.

Along with Helen, Mark and little James we found ourselves having lunch at Sapori on Drury Lane near Covent Garden in London.  We arrived around 1pm and sat at a table for six on the ground floor.  The staff were very friendly and attentive and we were soon tucking into freshly baked Italian breads with Olive Oil and Balsamic dips while looking through the menus.  We ordered up a variety of mains including Linguini, Chicken Skewers, Spaghetti Meat Balls and Lasagne.  I was delighted to note the linen napkins and the general decor of the restaurant was airy and bright.  The tables though reminded us all of a back street cafe.  After a reasonable wait, the food arrived and it was very very good value indeed.  The only minor complaint would be I think restaurants should always warm their plates.  Ours were cold, which meant the food didn’t stay hot for long.  Aside from that though it was fresh and flavoursome. By the time we left, the place had filled up and emptied of customers and settling the £90 bill for four, we were very happy to have enjoyed a very nice lunch break with Helen, Mark and James..

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

After a late start and watching some beefcake on Sky Action movies it was time to leave the hotel room to meet up with Helen and Mark near Covent Garden.  The taxi driver dropped us off on Bedford Street immediately outside the Paul French Bakery and Patisserie.  Spotting the cakes we wandered inside only to feel very hungry.  The counters full of freshly baked bread and cakes looked wonderful.  We ordered up (after they recommended it) two cups of hot chocolate and along with a couple of pastries left with our lot.  The hot chocolate was the best we had tasted in a long time.  Not since our visit to Paris had we tasted thick hot sweet liquid chocolate.   Along with the fresh pastries we were very happy indeed, especially as all that sugar kicked in!.  We think they should open up in York and give Betty’s a run for their money.

Pryordurkin rating 4 stars.