 |
Mother India's Cafe (Edinburgh)
by charby
*This review was written and posted elsewhere last month, andI haven't edited anything in it so apologies if anything has changed*
Luckily for me going out for a meal seems to have turned into a weekly thing, as I have been to a restaurant once a week for the past month or so. Last night I met up with a friend who I hadn't ... seen in a long time, and since both of us had bizarrely been thinking about curry all day, we decided to go to Mother India Cafe for some Indian tapas.
I live on South Bridge, so Mother India is just around the corner from me on Infirmary Street, though for some reason I have only been there once before. Often when I am walking along that end of South Bridge I can smell the delicious smell of curry wafting from the restaurant, and every time I do so I swear that I will go back again soon, so I was delighted when my friend suggested that we go there last night.
We arrived at about 8pm without having booked a table, and were surprised to find that it was remarkably busy and that every table was full. I know that 8pm is prime dining time, but I rarely find restaurants that busy on a Wednesday, but took this apparent popularity as a good sign of it being very good. The last time I had been here it had been fairly quiet, if I remember rightly, but I do recall thinking that the food was good enough for the place to be packed. We only had to wait for about five minutes before we were sat at a table for two.
We were brought food and drink menus almost straight away, and we decided to order a bottle of house red (£12) between us while we decided on food. The menu listed about twenty tapas sized curries, along with a short list of rice and sundries at the bottom, as well as another sheet of paper which had that days' three curry specials and a naan listed on it. The main menu suggested ordering three to four dishes between two people to start off with and ordering more if you're still hungry. We were both starving but decided to only go for three at first, along with rice and naan, knowing that we could order more if we wanted. We went for a Chilli Chicken Dosa and Butter Chicken off the main menu, along with a lamb and okra dish from the list of specials, as well as peshwari naan and rice.
We didn't have to wait long for the food to arrive (though drinking copious amounts of red wine probably made it feel like time was passing more quickly than it actually was), and the chicken dosa arrived before anything else. For those of you don't know (I didn't, anyway) a dosa is a 'crispy rice and lentil pancake', and this one was stuffed with spicy chicken and came with a small dish of lentils and a very small side salad thing. We cut the pancake in half and shared everything else roughly fifty fifty, and were impressed with all of it. The dosa was delicious and the chicken well cooked, with the lentils and salad making nice accompaniments. We really enjoyed it and it gave us high expectations for the rest of the food, which arrived shortly afterwards. I'm a massive fan of Indian food, and although I like almost all of it, I tend to go for a lot of the same things every time I have it. These include always going for peshwari naan and either lamb bhindi (okra) or lamb sag. I have had some really good ones in my time, therefore the naan and lamb okra at Mother India had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, they didn't disappoint. The lamb was soft and the okra had a perfect mix of crunchiness and softness, and the peshwari naan was so sweet and delicious that my friend and I ate it just by itself without dipping it into curry. The butter chicken, although good and tasty, was probably my least favourite dish of the lot, but my friend absolutely loved it and so I let her eat most of it. That's not to say that I didn't really enjoy it, because I did, but just that everything else as so amazing that it didn't quite match up.
We felt quite full after all that food, but after sitting for about ten minutes and perusing the dessert menu, we decided that maybe we could fit something else in. There were a few nice looking desserts to choose from, and we ended up sharing some Scottish tablet ice cream and mango kulfi (an Indian sorbet/ice cream type thing). They didn't take very long to arrive, and the amount was fairly generous. The kulfi was nice and fruity without being overly sweet, and was pretty much an exact cross between a sorbet and an ice cream. The tablet ice cream was in fact vanilla ice cream with small pieces of tablet mixed into it, which worked very well and tasted amazing. We were pretty full by the time we'd finished them, but it was definitely worth it.
So, after eating all of our food and wine we got the bill quite quickly as we had a party to go to (and therefore university to miss the next day due to a ridiculous hangover). We had eaten and drank quite a lot, so we pretty surprised to find out that it only cost £40 between the two of us. If we hadn't had a bottle of wine or desserts our meal would have cost less than a tenner each, which is definitely student budget friendly. I was still fairly impressed that it only cost £20 a head for the amount that we had, as we didn't feel like we could have had anything more.
In conclusion, our meal at Mother India Cafe was excellent in every way. It was very good value and tasted amazing, and I will definitely go again soon. I probably preferred the quality of the food as Khushi's Diner (which I reviewed last week), but if you fancy some Indian food tapas-style in Edinburgh city centre, then I would definitely recommend trying Mother India Cafe.
Read the complete review |
|
|
TGI Friday's (Glasgow)
by Supermaz
Did you hear about the guy who got drunk eating Jack Daniels chicken wings? Nothing to do with the delicious JD coating, he had to many Hurricane cocktails...
TGI Fridays is one of the those places that you know you will enjoy if you're looking for a little bit of atmosphere with your meal and cocktails. My local TGI's is in ... Glasgow but they are dotted all around the county waiting for you to sample their wares.
***How it looks***
The concept of TGI's is similar to other American influenced restaurants and is clearly along the same lines as Planet Holywood and the Hard Rock Café. The walls are bedecked with music and movie memorabilia from the Rat Pack to Rick Astley, from Godzilla to the Godfather, its all there. I personally love the rock music references and I am also fond of the large Harley Davidson Motorcycle that greets you when you walk through the front door.
The restaurant floor is filled with dark wood tables and chairs while the staff wander round in red and white striped shirts covered in badges. It s well lit without being overpowering and there is also usually some good but not too loud music on in the background.
***Food***
No matter how good somewhere looks, the proof of an establishment's success is ultimately the food.
Again, TGI's very much draws on the American diner influence and the menu clearly reflects this.
There are a reasonable selection of starters including Loaded Potato Skins (£4.29), Mushroom Alfredo (£4.49) and my personal favourite the Jack Daniels Sesame Chicken Strips (£4.99). These are tender little chicken strips covered in a sweet and sticky Jack Daniels glaze which is very tasty. There are also a selection of chicken wings and appetizers to share.
The main courses are naturally heavy in meat dishes, focussing on their love of the mighty steak. A New York Strip will set you back around £13.99 however you have a fair choice of accompaniments and a choice of 5 sauces for the side which is really good. TGI's is actually one of the few places I know that can properly cook a steak. Personally I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want a well done steak, but they do, and TGI's offer it up without cremating it. Unlike some restaurants, they know how to cook a rare steak. While some places serve up medium instead of rare, TGI's rare steak is succulent and melt in your mouth soft. Exactly how it should be.
In addition to steaks you also have a selection of ribs, grills, burgers, chicken dishes, salads and pastas. Sandwiches are also on offer however at £8.99 for a grilled chicken sandwich, I think there are better value for money dishes on the menu. If you aren't a big meat eater, the Cajun-spiced vegetable Quesadilla is very tasty and is the same price as a sandwich while the Spicy Diablo Pasta (£7.99) is also pretty good.
If you do venture into TGI's however I would stick to the steaks, grills and ribs. They really are very good at them.
Desserts, if you can stomach one, are quite chocolate based with the chocolate fudge fixation being a personal favourite (£4.99). However they also do desserts to share if you are not ready for a whole one, and the dessert minis is a great way to sample. You can choose three or five mini desserts for £5.49 and £6.99 and while they aren't huge, they are pretty good and will take the edge off if you have a bit of a sweet tooth.
***Drinks***
All the usual drinks are available but TGI's do a pretty fine selection of cocktails. All the traditional ones can be found including the Pina Colada, the Cosmopolitan and the Sex on the Beach, but they also have a great selection of more unusual cocktails including the Gremlin (Midori, Chambord, Vodka and citrus juice), the Barnamint Baileys (Oreo Cookies, Mint Liqueur, Baileys and Vanilla Ice Cream) or the Harlem Mugger (Rum, Tia Maria, Vodka, Gin, Champagne, Grand Marnier and citrus juice). Prices vary from £5.95 to around £10.
Now I would not like to encourage drinking copious amounts of alcohol at all, but I would recommend giving some of them a try. Even if you don't want a sit down meal, you can enjoy a couple of drinks at the bar and bar snacks are available if you find yourself there longer than you expected!
***Atmosphere***
TGI's always has a fun and warm atmosphere and while this review may sound as though it is geared towards the older, cocktail drinking crowd, it is also a great place for families. There is a good kids menu with dishes ranging from £2.99 to £4.99 and the kids also receive an activity pack to keep them entertained.
I have visited TGI's on various occasions and it was a good night out for us as a couple and also when we were with a group of friends. I have also visited a number of their restaurants and the staff have always been attentive and friendly, although I am a bit sick of the old "hi my name is Lauren and I'll be your waitress for the evening..." shtick... Imported from America.
I would recommend TGI's to anyone looking for a typical American style meal where you eat till you burst and enjoy a few cocktail to go with it. it is definitely not a budget restaurant and once you have a couple of courses and some drinks, it doesn't amount to a cheap night out, but I think every once and a while its worth a visit.
Go take a bite and thanks for reading!
Read the complete review |
 |
Italian Kitchen (Glasgow)
by Supermaz
The Italian Kitchen is a traditional Italian restaurant located on Ingram St in the stylish Merchant City area of Glasgow.
As it is very close to my office, I have visited the Italian Kitchen on many occasions for both lunch and dinner and I have never had a bad experience.
The restaurant itself is not small and ... intimate like some Italian restaurants in the City but atmosphere is warm and inviting. The décor is modern and the tables are well spaced, clean and well presented. The staff are always welcoming and are also willing to give you advice on any recommendations they may have.
However more importantly, how is the food? Well they pride themselves on simple and fresh Italian cuisine and they don't disappoint.
The selection of antipasti is good, with the king prawns being my personal favourite, however the bruschetta, carpaccio and homemade minestrone soup are also very good. Prices range from £3.95 for the soup to £8.95 for langoustines so there are less and more expensive options.
Main courses primarily focus on pizza and pasta.
The pizzas are excellent. Thin and tasty without mounds of dough to chew through. I would recommend either the Crudola which has pancetta and mushrooms or the Pollo e Pomodoro which is topped with marinated chicken and sun blush tomoatoes, both priced at £10.95 and £9.95 respectively, which is about average for their pizzas.
There is also a wide variety of pasta dishes which are cooked very well. At £9.95 the Penne Con Pollo is a creamy tomato and chicken dish while the Tagliatelle Con Ragu Di Cervo is ideal if you are looking for something a little different. This is a venison ragu with mushrooms, tomato and garlic and is priced at £11.95.
There are a good selection of sides and salads, with the rosmary focaccia being a personal favourite of mine. However I would avoid the Insalata Caprese which consist of tomato and fresh mozzarella. While it is very crisp and tasty, it is a bit overpriced for what you get at £6.95.
A selection of meat dishes are also available with a fish of the day option. If you have room for dessert, all the usual suspects are there including Crème Brulee, Tiramisu and Pannacotta.
Overall, the Italian Kitchen is a great restaurant for a special lunch or dinner. A meal for two can set you back anything between £50 and £90 so it is not the cheapest of places to dine and I do think there are other Italian restaurants in the city that are slightly better value however I would still recommend a visit here and the food has always been of excellent quality.
Read the complete review |
