The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘italian’

Italian Fine Foods are available from Le Langhe who have recently opened in the Old Coach House, in York.  We have visited this shop twice in as many weeks and the food on offer certainly looks beautiful.  There is an excellent choice of Italian breads, olives, wines and cheeses.  Parma Hams and many others hang over the counter tempting you the minute you step inside.  Olive Oils, pestos and lots of other fine Italian ingredients are laid out across shelves and in baskets all making the trip seem irresistible.  At the back of the shop they have opened a cafe restaurant which is always full of people and on the door last week as we entered, there was a sign saying you now had to book a table because they are so busy and popular.

You might be wondering therefore why we underlined the word “looks” above!  Well it is because on both occasions we have found ourselves putting produce we had selected for purchase back on the shelves and walking out in disgust.  The service is atrocious.  In what is clearly a good quality produce shop, they seemed to have completely forgot about trying to sell any of it to actual customers.  We think this shop might just be a piece of art.  Look but don’t bother trying to buy.  Maybe that is why they describe themselves on their website, which has pictures of their old shop, as importers of Italian Artisan Food.  I always wondered what Artisan Food was.  Now I know.  Looks good but you can’t buy the stuff for love nor money.

Today, like last week, they had one stressed individual working on the deli counter, that doubles up as the till for any produce bought in the shop.  A queue of grumpy customers hangs around hoping to get served before they close around 5pm.  On both occasions our patience got the better of us and we simply walked out complaining about the business logic behind a shop that is clearly capable of selling very good quality food, but one that lets itself so badly down on something so simple as having staff to actually serve eager customers.

What a ridiculous approach to business.

UPDATE 7th March 09.  We really couldn’t believe a place could be so bad when it came to service, so decided to give it one final try today.  So for the 3rd time, we ventured into this shop.  This time we chose 4.30pm thinking the place would be quiet.  It was, hardly any customers, yet still, we didn’t manage to get served.  Standing at the counter being completely ignored by the staff is an experience  which unless you’ve been there, you would never actually believe.  Storming out for the FINAL time, we found what we were looking for in another shop as we made our way back to the car.  in that shop we mentioned our experiences of Le Langhe to the staff and were not surprised to hear that they too had heard of other people complaining about the very poor service.  One lady who did manage to get served was made to feel as though she was in the way.  So there you have it, it’s not just us who think this shop should win an award for really awful service.

Pryordurkin rating. 0 stars. (Can’t be anything more, as we’ve never managed to actually buy anything yet!)

Not believing the mother in law when she said most shops barring Debenhams would be closed today we went into York City Centre for a little browse.  Like many other people trooping through the streets of York we discovered there was nothing to do, other than eat.  So we decided, unlikely as it sounds, to stop for lunch.  We chose the new Pizza Express outlet serving Italian food, that has recently opened on Sampson’ Square.  One of the smaller outlets in the Pizza Express chain, it was housed over two floors and as we arrived at around 1.30pm the place was reasonably busy with parents and lots of kids.  Thinking it was going to be hell, we went ahead anyway and took a table near the front window.

As it turned out the kids were fine, well behaved and importantly quiet.  What annoyed us this time was the loud women opposite who clearly didn’t spend too much time with her kids throughout the year because she was over compensating by trying too hard this time in a loud gratingly posh voice. Apparently the kids, when they get home, mustn’t eat chocolate on the new white sofa.  Here’s hoping! 

Anyway, to the food.  We ordered up a couple of pizzas.  I went for the Romana Diavolo at £9.70 and Paul opted for the Pollo Pesto pasta at £8.30.  A bottle of water costing £3.45 (why we didn’t ask for tap water is a mystery come to thinks of it) and a side salad costing £3.10 completed our meal.  The food, apart from the bland salad, was good.  My pizza, nicely prepared thin and crispy (like me) was very nice and went down a treat.  Paul left a little of his pasta, but only because he was full.  Other than that he enjoyed it.

All in all, a reasonable place to stop off.  Smaller than the usual Pizza Express outlets, where with size, you get the option of saying you don’t want to sit near kids (or at least that’s the option we always ask for), but quick friendly efficient service.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

Telephone 01904 630 930

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

With the last minute shopping done, we’re pretty well set for a few days eating, drinking, sleeping and watching TV.  Some might say “How is that different to any other day at home?” but we tend to ignore those questions.   The last few days had us trying to second guess what the other might want as a little pressie from Santa.  We had said earlier in the year, that we would invest in the house instead, but at the last minute we bought a couple of token gifts to open on Christmas morning.  (Well I’m hoping they are token. Mine certainly are!)  Finally I had thought of donating some money to save the rainforests but apparently it is not as important as it once was!

The nice man from Royal Mail brought us a package this morning.  Marked from Australia we’ve resisted the urge to poke and prod. Instead it is safely nestling under the tree.   We haven’t quite decided if we will travel anywhere over the holiday.   We might just close and lock the gates our home and spend a few days locked up with just each others company.  However we are planning to start the onslaught on our digestive systems with a few drinks in town tonight followed by dinner at a (with a) small Italian we know on the Shambles.

Anyway have a good one yourselves and don’t forget to eat all your greens!  P&M  xx

We headed off into North Yorkshire today for a spot of fresh air and sight seeing.  Stopping off at Pickering we came across The Ginger Pig, a small farm shop on Market Place, selling a small range of delicatessen products.  At the back of the shop was a small open kitchen area where they indicated that at certain times of the day, you could watch them baking products for sale in the shop.

It was a bit hickety pickety in layout with little by the way of flow. I found myself having to squeeze past other customers, some of which were just rude enough as to pretend to not notice.  They seemed to sell a good range of imported products and I noticed quite a few cheeses and Italian meats for sale.  In the end we opted to buy a couple of pies at £5.50 each.  One Chicken and Ham, the other Beef and Kidney.

Getting them home we discovered the next day that the advice from the lady behind the counter to warm them in a medium oven for twenty minutes was completely incorrect.  They were still stone cold in the middle.  They in fact needed just over forty minutes to heat properly by which point our freshly cooked vegetables had lost all substance and taste.  We were not happy.  Why people give advice to questions when they simply don’t know the answer is a mystery.  She would have been better off saying “I don’t know, go figure”.   As for the taste and quality when they were eventually cooked through.  Pretty mediocre.

On top of the above, the service was what you might call warm and friendly; we waited at the counter to be acknowledged for a little while but in the end when we asked a question, they did brighten up a bit and smile.  I am going to put this down to the shop being in a tourist spot and judging by the rude customer I came across, the staff probably have a lot to put up with at times.  I say if you are a customer, smile and you might just get a smile back.

We still prefer our own local Balloon Tree Farm Shop (read review) because it is closer and in our view much better.

Pryordurkin rating 1 Star.

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.

Last night had me dining with my colleague Mark at the Old Amalfi Italian Restaurant on Southampton Row in London.  A short walk from my hotel in Bloomsbury, we chose this restaurant because of its looks primarily.  I could also see a number of tables in use at around 8.30pm so felt that it must be good.  We ventured in and sat near the window.  The restaurant has seats for around 40 covers and as I mentioned there were a number of other diners enjoying what looked like very nice food.  The smell of garlic was strong in the air as we sat down and this only made me even more tempted by the menus given.  After choosing an Italian wine at £14.95, I ordered up a vegetable soup (£3.95) hoping it would sooth my poorly sore throat.  For my main I opted for the Baked Pork Shank (£13.95).  Mark went for the Scamorza Forna (£4.55) to start and the Carbonara (£7.95) as a main.

As we waited for our food to arrive I noticed the kitchen at the end of this small restaurant was open to view.  I could clearly see it was clean and seemed to be professionally run which gave me some further comfort.  The decoration throughout was tasteful; not overdone, but clearly Italian in style.  The stone floor did however make it a little noisy and the paper napkins were a bit of a let down.

The food arrived and within minutes we both agreed it was good.  My soup was very welcome and with the atmosphere developing amongst all the diners, a fine evening was getting under way.  The mains followed and you could instantly see care and attention had being paid both to the choice of ingredients used and the way in which they had been prepared.  My Baked Pork Shank simply fell apart from the bone and was delicious.  I could see the carbonara being enjoyed by Mark had a fantastically creamy sauce and we were both happy with our lot.

The total bill came to a stroke of £60 including 10% service charge and given we had just picked this restaurant from walking by, were pleased to have chosen well.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars      Tel 0207 636 5811

The weekend winds down as I write.  We were joined by Steve and Russell on Friday and have enjoyed showing them the sites and sounds of Yorkshire until they left after Sunday Lunch today.  Saturday consisted of a late start (following a little too much vino the night before) with us heading into York and Leeds for a spot of shopping.  Harvey Nichols was on particularly good form with lots of eye candy and new clothing alike. A good few quid later, we stopped for Lunch at their Espresso Cafe Bar in the Victoria Quarter.

Saturday evening had us join the Ghost Hunt of York.  We arrived by taxi to join a crowd of tourists all eagerly waiting for the tour to start in the Shambles at 7.30.  Dressed as I was (see left), quite a few of them thought I was the act!  A little girl asking if I was going to be scary?  Me!

The hunt itself was really good fun and the near 100 people who followed the story and humour around the back alleys of York all seemed to have a good time.  We rounded the evening off with a late dinner at a favourite local Italian restaurant before grabbing a taxi back home.  Sunday has been all together more sedentary affair with me cooking a traditional Sunday Lunch with Yorkshire Puddings.  All in all, a very nice relaxing and fun weekend.  Check out the pictures in the Photo Gallery!

Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci.  It seems to centre on the bitter rivalry between two women who fall for one man. 

What does this have to do with my visit this evening to the restaurant by the same name on Cleveland Street I hear you ask.   Well nothing as it happens; just a bit of useless information to show I do have some culture.  Anyway I couldn’t face eating in my hotel room this evening, so opted for an early dinner at La Cavalleria Rusticana on Cleveland Street.  I entered the restaurant at around 7pm and in the front dining room (seats 28) there was a family of four adults and three kids eating already.  I took my seat and ordered up from the plastic covered paper menu.  I went for a Minestrone Soup to be followed by Chicken breast with Asparagus in a cream sauce.  As I waited, I was delighted to notice that my table was covered in a plastic tablecloth with the ever popular paper napkin in evidence.  Looking for a quiet meal, I’d taken my paper along to read but unfortunately the kids on the table opposite made any attempt to concentrate on the news stories of the day, impossible.  The parents didn’t seem to notice just how loud (and lewd) their kids were. 

Anyway, the food arrived.  The soup was OK, nothing great but welcome on this cold evening.  My main course however was awful.  The watery veg to the left of the plate had more taste than the lifeless chicken and asparagus to the right.  The creamy sauce that covered this delicacy added nothing to my enjoyment.  A real disappointment, especially because the service was actually very warm and friendly to the point that I felt guilty at not enjoying the food.  I should add though, that the family opposite were clearly delighted about their fayre, because amongst the conversation about how they could pass their kids off as under 10 to get free travel on the underground, they kept saying the food was fantastic.  “This is wicked” was quite a popular phrase in between popping outside the restaurant for a smoke.

Anyway, I settled up my £20 bill and left; returning to my hotel wishing I’d opted for room service after all.

Pryordurkin Rating. 1 (for the service only)

Telephone 020 7383 7762

With two colleagues I dined at a small Italian restaurant off Charlotte Street in London, called Da Paolo. We arrived at 8pm to be seated in the corner of this small and cosy eatery by an efficient but cold waitress.  The place can cater for 30 covers on the ground floor, with washrooms being located down some stairs in the basement. Probably difficult for disabled customers to use.  The decor was nicely authentic and felt warm and comfortable only to be let down by the frosty ice witch who served us, which was a shame, because the food was faultless.  Well cooked, excellent taste and really good value Italian food presented as it should be.  Fresh and well seasoned.  I went for Sautéed Mushrooms, Bacon, Spring Onions and Garlic on Freshly Toasted Bread for my starter (£4.95) and a Grilled Tuna steak with tomato and rocket salad (£12.95) for my main course.  Both of which were really enjoyable.  I especially liked the salad served up with a great Olive Oil dressing. We opted for a Pinot Grigio (£16.95) wine along with bottled Peroni Nastro Azzuro.  The overall bill came to £105 and for three people having two courses, with bottled beer and wine, was good value indeed.

As I say though, it was just a shame that the welcome was so cold and unfriendly.

Pryordurkin Rating. 3 Stars.

Telephone 020 7580 0021

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 12.00 – 11.30pm, Saturday – Sunday 5.30pm – 10.30pm