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Three Chimneys (Isle of Skye)
by catsholiday The Three Chimneys Colbost, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Highlands IV55 8ZT TEL: 01470 511258 This was my birthday treat which we enjoyed on our trip to Scotland in October last year. Our friends had told us about the restaurant and that it is apparently one of the top fifty restaurants in the world according to ... "Restaurant Magazine ". We had heard of it but thought it would be stupidly expensive so had discounted it as a possibility but at lunch time it was actually quite reasonable for the service and food and experience we had. Bear in mind this is a tiny restaurant in an old crofter's cottage stuck out in the middle of nowhere on Skye. You have to drive a long way down a road that leads to a dead end and nothing else so it really is the last place on earth that I would have thought of starting a world class restaurant but they seem to have made a huge success out of this. People book for months in advance and the rich and shameless fly in helicopters to a nearby helipad for their meals here. We drove in our car along the long winding road and parked on the road outside the restaurant. From their website: "Since opening in 1984, we have overcome our remote location to deliver an incomparable experience for our diners. Our passion and desire to continually develop and improve our customers' experience has gained international recognition and respect. We believe the authenticity of our offer and our ability to deliver inspirational dishes enables our guests to feel at one with their stunning surroundings." AWARDS AND PRAISE These were taken from the website: "Frank Bruni (New York Times) Personal Top 5 restaurants in the World Twice included in Restaurant Magazine's 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants' The Sunday Times - Top 100 UK Restaurants 2011/13 Visit Scotland - Gold 5-Star 2012/13 'Restaurant with Rooms' AA - 3 Rosettes & 5 Gold Star Award 2012/13 'Restaurant with Rooms' AA - Inspectors' Choice 2012/13 and Notable Wine List Award Scotland the Best (Peter Irvine) - Highly recommended Which? Good Food Guide 2013 - Awarded '6' & in guide for 27th year in succession" We booked about two months in advance but in fact at the time of year we went you could have just turned up but in the summer it does get very booked up so if you do fancy going I would not risk it and I would book in advance. OPENING TIMES AND DATES The restaurant is open daily for dinner for the 'Seven courses of Skye' showcase menu or 3-course dinner menu. The 2-course/3-course lunch menu is available Monday-Saturday 12.15-1.45pm, mid-March until the end of October, plus Easter Sunday and every Sunday from the end of May until mid-September. I believe we paid ARRIVING AND WELCOME When we arrived we were welcomed by a young man smartly dressed and then taken to our table. We were asked what we would like to drink and as my husband was driving he said he would stick to tap water and so I joined him. We have also discovered that drinks can often cost as much as the meal and so as we were here to enjoy the food we thought we would do that and just have the free tap water. The staff were all very friendly and we chatted about where we were from and the weather, their training and experience working at the restaurant and so on. We had different waiters serving us at different times so got to chat to a few of them. I think we might not have had this opportunity had it been packed but there were only four tables being used so it was far from full really but having some others in the place did make it feel a bit more atmospheric. We were sitting at a table beside a window which had a view over the bay or loch and the hills beyond. We could see the other tables but they were placed in such a way that you felt totally unbothered by the other diners but still felt that you were in a restaurant with a bit of atmosphere. Even though we only had tap water this was brought in a nice glass jug with lemon and poured for us into our glasses. We were given our menus as we sat down and had plenty of time to peruse them. We had questions to ask about some of the dishes and they were answered knowledgably and then after some discussion we chose our food. STARTING OFF My husband chose the "Andy Race Smoked Haddie & Ham Terrine with Brunigill Farm Quail Egg, Braised Chicory, Orange & Nasturtium" which he said was delicious and came looking lovely with the quails egg on top and the nasturtium leaves to garnish all different colours. My choice was the Skye Shellfish Bree which I had to ask about as I had no idea what the bree was,it turned out to be a delicious soup. I was in a bit of a quandary as I was having the seafood for the main course but didn't really fancy either of the other choices and the one my husband had chosen had the quails egg which put me off. The tongue put me off another and the Dunsyre Blue Cheese, Pear & Pumpkin Seed Salad with Radish Leaf, Shallot & Thyme Dressing did quite appeal but I was tempted by the Scottish sounding bree. It was a very fine soup, tasty and a bit like a chowder. THE MAIN EVENT Mine was extra special and my husband insisted on me having this as it was my birthday treat. I had the "SEAFOOD PLATTER FOR ONE" - Loch Dunvegan Prawns, Dressed Glencoe Mussels, Loch Harport Oysters, Sconser Scallops, Island Winkles, Potted Colbost Crab, White Fish Salad & Glendale Mesclun. This was an extra £15.00 supplement per person on top of the set price but you only have the opportunity once so I went for it. My husband has to be careful with seafood otherwise I think he would have joined me. I am glad he didn't as I had so much food I needed his help to finish mine! It came on a lovely tray with everything presented beautifully. I had a special little pin to get the winkles out of the shells, the scallops were melt in the mouth, the oysters came with one plain and the other with a sauce. It was all so delicious but so much food for one person! My husband had a fish dish that was a Scottish speciality known as Lythe which came beautifully presented with vegetables and special sauce which was really tasty and the fish which I tried a small piece of was so tender and melted in the mouth. Despite the fact that I had to have help finishing my main course I was very tempted by the desserts but really thought it would have been very pig like to have one so I did manage to say no. My friend who had been twice during her stay on Skye assures me that the 'The Hot Marmalade Pudding' with Drambuie Custard is to die for but I really had to say no. TO FINISH I asked if I could take a copy of the menu with me as a souvenir and they said of course. I went to the toilet and when I came back they brought back the menu and everyone had signed it including the chef which I thought was so sweet of them The bill was £28 each for the main lunch of two courses and then £15 extra for my seafood platter so considering that this is one of the top fifty in the world I don't think that is a bad price at all for the meal and the service we had here. Incidentally the toilets were clean and also with all the needs catered for. The restaurant is on ground level so access is easy once you actually get to the restaurant. RECOMMENDED? Yes indeed it was fabulous. The food was perfect, locally sourced and beautifully presented and in my view the price for the lunch two course menu was pretty reasonable for the class of restaurant and the food and the service offered here. Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name. ©Catsholiday Read the complete review |
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Nandos
by ask_eve I remember when Nando's first opened and I was told it was primarily a chicken-serving restaurant. I was told every dish involves chicken and wasn't particularly interested in going there. I didn't see how a proper sit down restaurant could revolve around chicken and be so popular or interesting as you can't really be that creative with ... chicken. My friends and family had all visited Nandos for various occasions and I was persuaded with the offer of a free lunch to go ahead with my daughter and give it a go. We originally went to the Nando's restaurant in Castlegate, Dudley. It's not a particularly large restaurant but is a decent size with plenty of seating area. It's located amongst other restaurants, a pub and a large cinema so there's lots to do in the area and plenty of parking right by the restaurant. The exterior of the restaurant seems quite posh. The Nando's logo is on the front of the building in large red letters with potted plants outside and wooden beams over the entrance. Once inside the restaurant we were given a menu and told there would be about a ten minute wait. There's an area of seats where you're able to wait for a table which is much nicer than standing. The restaurant is decorated really nice with large paintings, extravagant lampshades and nice wooden tables and chairs. The lighting is nice too, it's not really bright but is given a nice glow by numerous lights dotted around the room. It's not too dark so you're able to see your food but it sets a nice mood. There's cheerful Portuguese or Spanish (I'm not sure which) music playing quietly in the background of the restaurant which again adds to the relaxing atmosphere of it. My first though was that it felt like I was on holiday. When you dine out in a nice foreign restaurant in a hot country, this is what Nando's feels like to me which makes sense as Nando's is a Portuguese style restaurant. I thought the menu would be a bit plain as I didn't know how much you could do with chicken but I was pleasantly surprised. There's a range of appetisers wittily labelled as appeteasers including mixed olives, peri peri nuts and a humous peri drizzle pitta bread all priced around £3.45. The mains include a quarter of a chicken, half a chicken, a chicken butterfly, burgers and pittas and a couple of chicken wraps. All Nando's restaurants have a frozen yoghurt dispenser which you can use yourself for dessert. They also serve a variety of flavours of gelado, cheesecakes and carrot cake. I didn't have a starter as I don't usually eat that much and wasn't sure what the main portion sizes were like so thought I'd play it safe and have a dessert afterwards if the main wasn't filling enough. When you choose what chicken dish you would like, you also have to choose the the spice level. This can be from plain-ish which I'd imagine is little spice, lemon and herb or mango and lime which adds flavour, medium, hot or extra hot. This is clearly explained on the menu with a spice chart so you're able to make an informed choice on what you want. Once you've decided what you want and how hot, you can order sides with it. It's normal to order our burger, chicken or wrap with two sides which is priced on the menu. I opted for the chicken butterfly with medium spice as I don't like my food to be too bland. I had coleslaw and chips as my side which sounded like it would be lovely. Other sides available include corn on the cob, garlic bread, haloumi cheese and spicy rice. It says on the menu that the coleslaw is freshly made in the restaurant and I was keen to try this as it's something I haven't tried before, I've always bought it ready-made in Asda. There are also vegetarian options on the menu which I haven't mentioned. You can get a beanie burger, veggie burger, and haloumi and mushroom rolls and pittas. I've not tried any of these as I do like their chicken but I've been told the beanie burger is particularly nice and is a favourite of one of my friends who isn't vegetarian. The drinks menu isn't great, they do bottomless soft drinks which are just £2.45. I think they are the best value. They also offer red, white and rose wine and some portugese beers and ciders. They don't serve popular lagers, alocopops or ciders which I think would be a bit better as you tend to stick to your favourite drink when you're out. Once you've decided what you want, you go to the counter, tell them your table number and pay for your food there. I ordered two bottomless soft drinks with the meals and was given my receipt and two glasses which you're able to fill yourself at the drinks machine. I quite like this as it means you don't have to pester the waiters for re-fills. The restaurant was quite busy so I thought we'd have a long wait for food, particularly as it's all cooked fresh but it came out after about 15 minutes which I thought was more than reasonable. The food was nicely laid out with the chips and chicken on the plate and the coleslaw in a separate bowl. I'd expected a small scoop of coleslaw on the side but got quite a big bowlful as well as a good helping of chips. I wasn't overly impressed with the size of the chicken butterfly as it didn't look that big but it was quite thick and a lot more filling than it looked. The chicken looks very succulent and juicy and is covered in their herbs and sauce, it looks delicious. I asked the waiter for a side serving of barbecue sauce which he happily fetched for me and gave to me in a small plastic dish. The chicken was cooked brilliantly and was soft and easy to cut. It has a fantastic taste, it wasn't overly spicy but I wouldn't have gone any spicier as it was definitely hot enough. It was very juicy and chewy and tasted great mixed with the coleslaw and the BBQ sauce. The chips were also lovely, none of them were burnt or bad and they were well cooked and very more-ish. The whole meal was really nice and I must admit, I've never enjoyed such a simple meal of chicken and chips as much as I did then, it's very simple but cooked to such high quality. It was also very filling, I didn't have room for dessert although I had wanted to try the frozen yoghurt as people kept walking past with it in little tubs and it looked really nice. The meal and the drinks came to around £25 which I think is quite pricey for lunch for two but was worth every penny as not only was I full but I'd enjoyed the experience of being in a nice restaurant and felt like I'd eaten really good quality food. I've since been back to Nando's quite regularly and always have a chicken butterfly with the same sides as it is so nice. I had a change yesterday and tried one of the wraps. It was a really good size filled with chicken breast chunks, lettuce and a medium spicy sauce. It was really lovely but now I have to choose between the butterfly and the wraps on future visits which is a pain! I also tried a serving of haloumi cheese which I must say I wasn't impressed with. For about £2 I only got a little dish with two slices of grilled cheese in. Although it was quite nicely done, I've had it in a greek restaurant where it was much nicer and I know it's only £2 for a whole block so was a bit disappointed with how much I got for how much I paid. This is the only time I've ever been disappointed with something I've ordered from Nando's. There is a large sink in the restaurant where you're able to wash your hands after your meal which I thought was really unusual and quite a nice touch. The restrooms are also very nice. In the Dudley restaurant, there's only two toilets which isn't great because the restaurant can get really busy. There's one sink which is large and quite posh with a large mirror behind it and the toilets are really clean and fresh which adds to a nicer experience when you go there. I've been to lots of nice places that have been let down by poor hygiene in the bathrooms but their quality reaches every area of the restaurant. I've since been to the Nando's restaurant in Wolverhampton and in the Bullring and have found that all the restaurants offer the same quality and the food tastes and looks exactly the same wherever you go. They've done a really good job at maintaining great quality throughout their different branches. If you're a regular at Nando's you can get a loyalty card which I think is a really good idea. Every time you spend £6 or more you get your card stamped or signed. Three stamps gets you a free 1/4 chicken, 6 stamps gets you a free 1/2 chicken and 10 stamps will get you a free whole chicken. I like this idea as it can save you quite a bit of money on your main but I wish it included the butterfly chicken and wraps as I don't really eat chicken off the bone. It's still a good idea to get people to keep going to the restaurant and get something back in return. Overall, I really like Nando's. I love the food that they offer, the quality, the vibe of the restaurant and the fact that its an ideal place to go whatever the occasion. You can go there for lunch with a friend, to celebrate a birthday or occasion or for a romantic date and I think it would be suitable for all. It's not the cheapest place to eat but I think it is worth more than you pay as it's really great food. If you haven't already, give it a try! Read the complete review |
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Subway
by lubyloo Subway is a fanchise of sandwich sellers, there are many many stores all over the UK, you have probably seen one around (if not you must live in a very remote place as I've seen them in amazing places I would never have guessed!). Subway is committed to a friendly environment and to good working standards and employment. This is one of ... the things I like about subway. Subway shops come in many shapes and sizes, because they are a franchise they can be opened anywhere either in an actual shop of their own or within other stores or complexes such as universities, shopping centres and much more. *** How it works *** Subway is all about sandwich design - designing your own sandwich just how you like it which I think is fab! - All the Subways I've seen (and i've been to a few!) have a counter where the food is all seperated (I'll explain in a moment) so you move along first saying what size sub (that is the name for the bagette!) you can choose from 6" or footlong, to be perfectly honest I find 6" is plenty but it does depend how hungry you are! Then they ask you what type of sub, there is italian - which is normal, hearty italian (which has like a smattering of crusty type bits - I don't actually know what they are - sorry!), honey oat, herby italian and wheat (I haven't had the latter three so can't comment on what they're like). I always have the hearty italian because I just like it!! Then you are asked which type of sub you'd like there's plenty to choose from; beef, chicken, ham, turkey, vegetarian, bacon melt, tuna, meatballs, chicken tikka and many many more. there are also breakfast subs. After choosing the type of sub this is now the best bit, you get to design the rest too, so would you like cheese? yes please! would you like it toasted? yes please! then once it's toasted you are passed on and asked what types of filling, there is plenty to choose from again; gerkins (not for me!), lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and much more and then the sauce; mayonnaise - yes please, ketchup, mustard etc. You can stuff as much as they'll let you in if you like!! I find however if it's too full I can't actually eat it without making a right mess. At this point you are asked about drinks and cookies! *** costs *** I think personally for what you are getting subway is really reasonable and there are often offers on, like buy a sub, drink this is called a £3 subway lunch (not all the options are available but there's plenty to choose from). Brilliant deal. most subs are about £3 to £4 anyway. cookies are 50p or 3 for a £1 (Jan 2013) There is also wraps and salads available and a childrens menu. *** special diets *** As for special diets, there isn't a great deal for poor hubby so I tend to go with friends or my daughters when he's not around (all say ahhh!) however Subway has got an amazing ingredients list online which tells you exactly what is in each subway menu item which helps if you have other allergies such as nuts or diary. There are a couple of salad options which have no gluten in but we've not tried them and I can hardly sit there and eat a lovely warm subway whilst hubby eats a salad!! *** eat in or take away *** Most subways have a small seating area, sometimes it's extremely small and sometimes it's a bit bigger depending on the size of the outlet. *** overall *** Personally for me, subway is a really great place, I often like particular things in my sandwich so to be able to create my own without actually making it, is great. The food tastes absolutely delicious I have never been disappointed, I love the smell too and each time I pass one I'd like another!. what more can I say - go out and try one yourself if you haven't already and have fun choosing what you'd like inside. Read the complete review |
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