The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘thai’

One of the many things people who know me will tell you is that I am if nothing else, pragmatic.  So it was, with this same sense of pragmatism, that I came up with a good idea for Valentines Day.  I knew Paul would be too busy at work to have time to buy me a card and I knew that if I got him one he would then feel a little guilty at not doing the same.  So with all this in mind, my pragmatism kicked in.  I bought two cards and wrote both of them out, signing each with “An Admirer”.  The plan was, that at the appointed time, Paul could pick one unopened card and I would then be left with t’other.  Both of us then being happy in the knowledge we each got a card…….

Well, lets just say, I thought it was a good pragmatic idea.  Paul however thinks it takes something away from the giving of Valentines cards.   Men.  Go Figure!

The good news though is that having found a supplier of fresh Thai ingredients who deliver everything to your door I am now sipping champagne in the lounge while Paul prepares a full on Thai Banquet in the kitchen for this evenings meal.   Oh and yes, the TWO cards are up on the mantlepiece!   Have a good one yourselves.  We will.  P&M xx

Not wanting to travel to far last night given we were both tired, we booked ourselves into Bistro 51 at the Crowne Plaza on Buckingham Gate, London.  The place was quiet as we arrived around 7.30pm.  The maitre’d showed us to our table with a walk I hadn’t seen for some time! Browsing the menus, I noticed there seemed to be more staff than customers, but it was early so I wasn’t too worried.  I went for the Spinach and Potato Soup while Paul went for Chicken Satay starter.  For mains, I opted for a salad (I haven’t eaten very healthily this week) with a Rib Eye Steak, while Paul went for Carbonara.  We chose a French Red to accompany our meal.  My soup was very nice and very green, which meant is must have been good for me.  It could have done with been a little hotter, but with the basket of fresh bread went down a treat.  Paul’s being a Thai connoisseur, was not impressed with the chicken satay.  The chicken hadn’t been satay’d and the peanut sauce reminded him of Sun Pat Smooth.

At this point I should say the service was excellent.  The staff being attentive and very friendly.  When I needed to visit the loo, the maitre’d took me there!

Back to the meal, my rib eye steak was a bit of a disappointment.  Little by way of taste and nothing like the steak we get back in Yorkshire.  The peppercorn sauce was a cold, lifeless tasteless affair which I reckon was made up of brown gravy granules and bit of pepper.  Paul’s carbonara was nothing special either, but overall we were content because we hadn’t walked too far.  Deserts were a bit of a disappointment to Paul as well.  (He is used to being disappointed).  The creme brulee had split!  My Apple Pie and Custard though was very good.

The bill came to a little over £115 which for the ingredients used was expensive, but the surroundings were very nice and as I said earlier, the staff gave excellent service!

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

With four friends we found ourselves eating out at the Zinc Bar and Grill in Manchester on Saturday evening.  Situated in a strange place called Hanging Ditch within The Triangle, the place was busy when we arrived.  At first we were told they had no space for the six of us, but on checking whether we could book a table for later, they suddenly found one free.  We climbed the small number of stairs from the bar up to the restaurant level and sat down amongst many other free tables! At first the waiter was a little icy, but warmed as the night wore on.  We ordered up our drinks first, selecting a range of beers, soft drinks and a couple of bottles of wine, all reasonably priced.  I was pleased to note linen table napkins and nicely polished glasses on the table, so all looked well. 

We ordered up our food.  I went for the roasted red pepper and tomato soup (£4.60) as a starter and the char-grilled rib eye steak (£15.50) for my main, while Paul went for the Thai prawn cakes starter (£6.15) and the Thai green curry main (£13.50)  Our friends went for a number of other dishes including Fish and Chips (£12.95) and roast lamb (£16.95)

The starters were all served up reasonably quickly except for mine.  Everyone waited a little while for mine to arrive before starting to eat, but in the end Paul had to remind the waiter we were still waiting for a starter to arrive.  They apologised and it then soon arrived (fresh from the microwave no doubt).  There were mixed views around the table as to the quality of the starters.  My soup for example for lifeless and needed a good deal of seasoning to spice it up.  Paul’s Thai prawn fish cakes were rubbery and could have been successfully bounced off the floor.

Having cleared our plates, the mains quickly followed.  This time, all arriving without the need to prompt!  My char-grilled steak was excellent.  Well cooked, seasoned and flavoursome.  I’m told the Fish and Chips were very good as well (although a few more chips would have been welcome).  The Thai green curry though was a bit of a disappointment around the table.  There was no traditional Thai heat and the addition of grated coconut left Paul puzzled. 

As for the restaurant, the toilets were down some stairs, a left turn, a right turn, down some more stairs and then along a corridor.  Not good for anyone disabled or in a hurry, but generally clean.

All in all, a trendy place to hang out with friends with food served up at reasonable prices.  The service was fine in the end and we paid the bill that included a 10% service charged automatically added.  The average being £30 pp which was good for a two course meal with drinks.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

T: 0161 827 4201

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.

We spent our honeymoon at the 5 Star Intercontinental Resort Hotel in Paphos Cyprus (and returned again this year because we enjoyed it so much). Arriving in the early hours we were greeted with complimentary champagne to enjoy during the check in process and were then whisked by Golf Buggy, to our hotel rooms to settle down for a good nights sleep.

Waking early we started to take in the surrounding facilities and were delighted to discover they were very nice indeed. Two infinity pools formed the central point for the hotel surrounded by great accommodation. Our room had an excellent sea view where we could sit on our balcony watching the sun set over the Mediterranean while downing the complimentary wine left our for us on arrival. A massive bathroom and queen sized bed with very good air conditioning had us set up for a thoroughly enjoyable week.

The hotel has a number of restaurants and bars and throughout the week we tried them all. Our favourite though was the sunset bar on the roof where we would generally end our days with a decent brandy, while listening to gentle live music.

The hotel staff are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble. A big credit to the Intercontinental brand!

Sitting within the Aphrodite Hills resort, the hotel is sited near a fantastic Spa (The Retreat) which we sampled a couple of times during our stay. Firstly opting for the Full Hammam, followed by a facial and then ending the week with, for me, a therapeutic massage and for Dusty, a Thai Massage (She stands on your neck apparently!), we could see why it had won one of the Best Spa’s in the world awards.

All in all it was a great hotel, with great food, great staff and a great relaxing atmosphere.

Score: 5 Stars. Last visited October 2008

With two colleagues I went along to the Lotus Thai Restaurant on Cleveland Street in London this evening.  I had passed this restaurant by on previous occasions primarily because the menus listed outside were tatty and weather beaten.  However this evening, on the recommendation of my colleague, I went in.  The restaurant is very small, catering for around 36 people at most.  The place was nicely decorated and seemed clean.  Unfortunately paper napkins were the order of the day; so not a great start.  We ordered up our food from the plastic menus presented and opted of a bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir by Marlborough which is best described as unique, light and fizzy.  The food arrived very quickly.  My chicken satay starter was OK but nothing special to taste.  It was presented on the dish very well though.  My main; green Thai chicken curry was again OK, but nothing to write home about.  The coconut milk had not quite mixed well and looked a little curdled in the bowl, but tasted OK.  There was little by the way of authentic Thai vegetables and I suspect the paste came out of a plastic tub.

The total bill for three people including wine came to less than £73 so was very good and the service was friendly and efficient.  With good company, I had a very pleasant time.

Rating. 2 Stars.

With the rain threatening we decided to revisit the 1331 Gastrobar in Grape Lane, York for a spot of Lunch.  This Gastrobar sits within the old Norman Court and occupies three floors around a central courtyard.  Looking to find somewhere quiet away from screaming kids we headed to the top floor restaurant.  This floor had recently being refurbished in the last three months and you could tell.  Tasteful decoration with nicely laid tables that included linen napkins.  Taking a seat near the window we could watch the world walk by outside while dining in this very pleasant space. 

Dusty ordered up Thai Fishcakes while I went for the Soup of the day (Carrot and Coriander).  For mains, I went for the Fish and Chips (with beer batter) and Dusty opted for the Posh Ploughman’s. 

The food was very good indeed.  My soup was well balanced, seasoned and served up with fresh crusty bread.  Dusty enjoyed the Thai Fish Cakes that were served up with a sweet chilli sauce.  The main dishes were equally as good.  My fish was cooked to perfection.  The batter was very light and didn’t mask the taste of the fish unlike some other places.  The Posh Ploughman was also very good.  Very nice hand cut selections of meat and cheeses served with crusty bread and salad.  We both agreed this restaurant offered up very good value in relaxing tasteful surroundings.  The total bill for lunch was a stroke over £30 which was excellent given it included a couple of bottled beers as well.

Rating: 4 Stars.  Visited 9th August 2008.  1331 Gastrobar, 13 Grape Lane, York. Telephone 01904 661130.

We arrived at around 5.30pm on Saturday hoping for a spot of dinner, before heading off to Castle Howard.  The place was empty having only just opened and we were quickly greeted by a very friendly chap who turned out to be the new owner.  We explained we were looking to eat now and needed to be away quite quickly.  They set up a table for us in the bar area as their restaurant was apparently fully booked that evening.  After the table was set by a very friendly young waitress and a couple of very small helpers (kids!) we ordered a couple of drinks and our food.  I went for the Chicken Kiev while Dusty opted for the Storyteller; a steak pie.

The place was visibly different since we last visited.  It used to be a Thai pub restaurant, but the new owner who took over in the last week has stripped it back to reveal a much larger pub.  He acknowledged that it was in need of decorating and we could not argue with that.

Our food arrived and to be honest we were disappointed.  While they were clearly using fresh ingredients, it didn’t quite come up to the standard we expected having listened to the new owner talking about his approach to food and plans for the pub.  My Chicken Kiev seemed to have been deep fried with a garlic and herb butter then being spread on top, as opposed to normal Chicken Kiev’s with the garlic and herb stuffed inside the chicken.  The chef had also overcooked the outside a tad too much, in that the herb crust was a little ‘over done’.  The chips, which were home sliced and cooked would have been fantastic, except for the fact that they had also been over cooked.  In the same deep fat fryer I am guessing!  Dusty was also a little disappointed with her Storyteller Steak Pie.  A little dry round the edges.

We will go back to this pub though to check how they are doing, because as I said earlier, they had only been in the place a week and maybe were still getting used to the kitchen.  If they stick to fresh ingredients and get on top of the timings, they could be onto a winner.

Future plans we were told include the building of a micro brewery at the back of the pub and with the planned decorating, this should give it a boost.

Rating: 2 Stars.

We took Walter and Mavis to the Egypt Mill Hotel and Restaurant in Nailsworth for evening dinner.  We arrived a touch before 8pm and were quickly seated in this Cotswold stone built Mill.  The place was already busy with fellow diners.  Mavis went for a Parma Ham starter, Dusty opted for Thai Fish Cakes and I went for the Chicken Livers with mushrooms.  All were priced at around £6.00 and were very good indeed.  For mains, I went for Shirleys Steak and Kidney pudding, Dusty went for pan fried Chicken, Walter opting for slow roast Belly Pork and Mavis having a peppered rib eye steak.  These were broadly priced around the £14.00 mark and were excellent value indeed.  Well cooked, beautifully presented and accompanied by fresh seasonal vegetables.  Washed down with a decent Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon for Mavis and I, with a Guinness for Walter and a chilled sparkling water for Dusty (guess who was driving).

We were seated behind the original and still functioning water wheel which was a great backdrop to a very nice evening.

Score: 3 Stars. Visited May 08.

Telephone: +44 (0)1453 833449

We’d just finished buying some furniture and were ready (as usual some of you might say) for a spot of lunch.  We headed down into the local village centre with the in-laws and came across, The Lamb Inn on Sheep Street in Burford.  We took a table outside in the garden at the rear.  Walter and Dusty headed off to the bar to place our order, while Mavis and I sat chatting. The gardens themselves were reasonably busy with other couples and families enjoying a lite lunch.  The planting (even I noticed) was very good indeed and had been clearly put together by someone with an eye for detail.  I took quite a few pictures and you will be able to see them in our photograph gallery soon.

Our food quickly arrived,  three of us opting for the Ham Sandwich and Mavis going for Thai Fishcakes.  The ham was very nice indeed and we all felt very satisfied with our lot.  Mavis tells me she thoroughly enjoyed her Thai Fishcakes as well.  They did look nice.  All in all, a very nice place to stop for a rest.

Score: 3 Stars. Visited May 08

Telephone 01993 823 155