On Sunday afternoon I happened to be in Birmingham town centre, in Grand Central, waiting on a train home. Since I hadn't eaten anything all day, I decided to get some food and try out one of the many eateries in and around the local vicinity. Unfortunately the place I was really interested in hasn't opened yet so, as it had been several months since the last time I had takeaway fish and chips, I settled on Tasty Plaice.
Whilst I do have to compliment them on their service, it was fast, friendly and fairly efficient, the food itself was definitely disappointing. The first thing I noticed was that, despite being quite busy and assumingly having a high turnover, a lot of the food appeared to have been sat in the heated display for some time. This is never a good thing, it points to poor management, high food wastage and generally means that everything will be over cooked.
Ignoring my initial misgivings, and hoping the food in the display was only there for display purposes, I decided to go for haddock, chips and curry sauce. The chips themselves were black country style, meaning they're battered, and whilst this isn't inherently a bad thing, when done well black country chips are absolutely lovely, these were not good. They were cold, greasy and tasteless, they had clearly been being kept warm for quite some time as any crispness was long gone and it left them unpleasantly soggy. The curry was the only hot thing on the meal, unfortunately warmth was all it had going for it, it was watery and almost completely tasteless. The fish, the thing I had been looking forward to most, was by far the biggest disappointment. Happily the fish did not come out of display, however, when I cut into it, it was a very small, thin piece of fish coated in a lot of heavy batter, which was both soggy from standing and hard from being overcooked. The batter was so cold, hard and greasy that it was almost inedible, I ended up cutting a large proportion of the batter off and throwing it away. Inside the fish hadn't fared much better, it was almost cold and very dry. The fish had so little of the flavour that you would normally associate with fresh, fried haddock that I honestly couldn't have told what type of fish I was eating, it just tasted old.
Needless to say I won't be making a return visit and, as much as I liked the service, I won't be able to recommend this place to anyone. It definitely was not worth the nearly £7 it cost me for one of the worst portions of fish and chips I've had in a long time, I've had much better fish and chips at half this price.
Showing posts with label fish and chips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fish and chips. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Review: The Wheel Inn, Ticknall
The Wheel Inn
50 Main St, Ticknall, Derby DE73 7JZ
Having passed through Ticknall many, many times I have often thought what a lovely, inviting looking pub this place looks. As I was planning on spending some time walking locally, I thought it would be an ideal place to stop for lunch and start my walk from. Inside the place is gorgeous, clean, tidy and very nicely decorated, making good use of its many period features.
Despite there being many free tables, none of which were reserved, I had to wait to be seated. Unfortunately there is no real area set aside for waiting so your choices are standing around in the bar area, where people are sitting eating, or standing in front of the main entrance. I opted to stand awkwardly in the bar area, where I could at least get a drink.
Generally in a country pub of this style and supposed level of quality I'd expect to see a reasonable range of beers on offer, besides the usual awful lagers, unfortunately this is not the case, the beers on offer here are so run of the mill they're not even worth mentioning.
After a brief wait of 10 minutes or so I was taken upstairs to a, largely empty but very well decorated, dining room and shown to my seat. Looking over the menu the food choices seemed of a slightly higher end than other places I've visited locally and obviously the prices were higher to match. I ordered battered cod with hand cut chips and minted mushy peas, then sat back looking forward to what should be a very nice meal.
After about 30 minutes my food was bought out and my first reaction was one of disappointment, the fish was absolutely tiny and the portion of chips, though clearly hand cut and fried, was very small. I shrugged it off, opting for the mind set of "if the food is good quality then this could still be a very nice meal." The chips did not disappoint, they were lovely, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside and tasted exactly how proper chips should taste. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the fish, not only was it very small, but the batter was quite thick, not at all crispy and didn't have much of a flavour at all. The fish its self had that fishy smell and taste that speaks of it being not particularly fresh, that said it was perfectly cooked. The peas were quite simply forgettable, slightly over cooked and over minted.
Overall not the best experience ever, not entirely great service, a lacklustre beer selection and food that simply did not live up to the price tag. There are better, cheaper places to eat in the local vicinity, though apparently it closes early on a Saturday.
50 Main St, Ticknall, Derby DE73 7JZ
Having passed through Ticknall many, many times I have often thought what a lovely, inviting looking pub this place looks. As I was planning on spending some time walking locally, I thought it would be an ideal place to stop for lunch and start my walk from. Inside the place is gorgeous, clean, tidy and very nicely decorated, making good use of its many period features.
Despite there being many free tables, none of which were reserved, I had to wait to be seated. Unfortunately there is no real area set aside for waiting so your choices are standing around in the bar area, where people are sitting eating, or standing in front of the main entrance. I opted to stand awkwardly in the bar area, where I could at least get a drink.
Generally in a country pub of this style and supposed level of quality I'd expect to see a reasonable range of beers on offer, besides the usual awful lagers, unfortunately this is not the case, the beers on offer here are so run of the mill they're not even worth mentioning.
After a brief wait of 10 minutes or so I was taken upstairs to a, largely empty but very well decorated, dining room and shown to my seat. Looking over the menu the food choices seemed of a slightly higher end than other places I've visited locally and obviously the prices were higher to match. I ordered battered cod with hand cut chips and minted mushy peas, then sat back looking forward to what should be a very nice meal.
After about 30 minutes my food was bought out and my first reaction was one of disappointment, the fish was absolutely tiny and the portion of chips, though clearly hand cut and fried, was very small. I shrugged it off, opting for the mind set of "if the food is good quality then this could still be a very nice meal." The chips did not disappoint, they were lovely, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside and tasted exactly how proper chips should taste. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the fish, not only was it very small, but the batter was quite thick, not at all crispy and didn't have much of a flavour at all. The fish its self had that fishy smell and taste that speaks of it being not particularly fresh, that said it was perfectly cooked. The peas were quite simply forgettable, slightly over cooked and over minted.
Overall not the best experience ever, not entirely great service, a lacklustre beer selection and food that simply did not live up to the price tag. There are better, cheaper places to eat in the local vicinity, though apparently it closes early on a Saturday.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Forget George's Marvelous Medicine…
His fish and chips
are the real treat.
We arrived at George's as few minutes early, but, we were quickly seated and served by a polite and professional server who was happy to allow us a few minutes to look over the menu without seeming neglectful. We decided to share a squid ring starter with a small side of sweet potato fries, the starter arrived very quickly and was a nice size portion for a starter. Though the squid rings were ever so slightly chewy, the squid was obviously very fresh and tasted absolutely beautiful. The accompanying sweet potato fries were perfectly cooked and very well seasoned. A nice crispness to the outer coating with a soft, sweet centre that just melted in the mouth.
Our appetites suitably whetted by the starter we moved on to our main courses. I had ordered twice fried chips, battered haddock and mushy peas, Kelly ordered twice fried chips with "proper" scampi. The first thing I noticed when the mains arrived was Kelly's scampi, it really was "proper" scampi, absolutely no sign of the frozen scampi you see almost universally. These were real langoustine tails in the lightest of breadcrumb coatings and they looked and tasted amazing. Usually when we eat at a fish and chip restaurant Kelly will eat a few pieces of scampi and most of her chips, I've literally never seen her eat a full portion of scampi before, but she managed to eat all of this (With the exception of the one I stole for tasting purposes). Strangely, for me the real highlight of the meal was the chips. They we absolutely perfect, soft and fluffy in the middle without being dry or overly greasy. A beautiful crisp skin with just a hint of caramelisation on the edges giving the chips a slight sweetness, which was set off perfectly by a splash of malt vinegar and a liberal grinding of seaweed salt. The haddock was lovely a light, crisp batter full of perfectly white, moist, translucent flakes of fresh fish. No overtly fishy smells or flavours, it tasted purely of the sea as all fresh fish should. I can honestly say I have very rarely had fish and chips of this quality, only two other places have matched it and both are one the coast. The only two places that, in my experience, compete are the Magpie Café in Whitby and the Blue Peter Inn in Polperro, though the Blue peter narrowly piped both George's and the Magpie (I still love you Magpie) to the post for it's excellent selection of ales and truly incredible location.
We arrived at George's as few minutes early, but, we were quickly seated and served by a polite and professional server who was happy to allow us a few minutes to look over the menu without seeming neglectful. We decided to share a squid ring starter with a small side of sweet potato fries, the starter arrived very quickly and was a nice size portion for a starter. Though the squid rings were ever so slightly chewy, the squid was obviously very fresh and tasted absolutely beautiful. The accompanying sweet potato fries were perfectly cooked and very well seasoned. A nice crispness to the outer coating with a soft, sweet centre that just melted in the mouth.
Our appetites suitably whetted by the starter we moved on to our main courses. I had ordered twice fried chips, battered haddock and mushy peas, Kelly ordered twice fried chips with "proper" scampi. The first thing I noticed when the mains arrived was Kelly's scampi, it really was "proper" scampi, absolutely no sign of the frozen scampi you see almost universally. These were real langoustine tails in the lightest of breadcrumb coatings and they looked and tasted amazing. Usually when we eat at a fish and chip restaurant Kelly will eat a few pieces of scampi and most of her chips, I've literally never seen her eat a full portion of scampi before, but she managed to eat all of this (With the exception of the one I stole for tasting purposes). Strangely, for me the real highlight of the meal was the chips. They we absolutely perfect, soft and fluffy in the middle without being dry or overly greasy. A beautiful crisp skin with just a hint of caramelisation on the edges giving the chips a slight sweetness, which was set off perfectly by a splash of malt vinegar and a liberal grinding of seaweed salt. The haddock was lovely a light, crisp batter full of perfectly white, moist, translucent flakes of fresh fish. No overtly fishy smells or flavours, it tasted purely of the sea as all fresh fish should. I can honestly say I have very rarely had fish and chips of this quality, only two other places have matched it and both are one the coast. The only two places that, in my experience, compete are the Magpie Café in Whitby and the Blue Peter Inn in Polperro, though the Blue peter narrowly piped both George's and the Magpie (I still love you Magpie) to the post for it's excellent selection of ales and truly incredible location.
The Demon Barber Of Fleet...... Street
Between both of us
working full time and my partner spending her weekends working hard, preparing
lessons and marking for the week ahead, we don't always get the opportunity to
go out as much as we would like. Last weekend was one of those opportunities, I
had booked us tickets to see a local operatic society performing their
rendition of Sweeney Todd at Nottingham Arts Theatre. A venue that both me and
my partner have a particular fondness for, partially due to it being located in
a part of town we like to frequent and partially due to the venue being fairly
small, giving performances there an intimacy lacking in larger
venues.
Rather than just running into town just to see the show we decided to make a full day of it and headed in to Nottingham early to do a bit of shopping and hopefully have a meal out. With that in mind I booked a table at George's Great British Kitchen for lunch, a place I have wanted to try since I first learned of it's existence last year.
We started the day with a steady wander around town, visiting a few of our favourite shops on the way. Lush, Dr Martens, Fopp, Forbidden Planet and Brew Cavern just to name a few. Having purchased ourselves a few bits, bobs and treats we headed over to George's for lunch. For those of you who don't know George's it's an upscale fish and chip restaurant on Queen Street, just off the old market square in the town centre.
For me fish and chips is a genuine British institution and to find a real restaurant serving proper hand cut chips (Frozen chips at a restaurant, or even a food pub, is a HUGE no for me) with beautifully fresh, hand battered fish is an absolute treat and somewhere I need to visit. To find one in the heart of the midlands, about as far away from the sea as you can get, is even more special.
After lunch we headed off to the Notthingham Arts Theatre to catch the two o'clock performance. Having ordered the tickets well in advance, we had really good seats a few rows from the front with an excellent, central view of the stage, in more or less the same seats as our previous two visits to the venue. The theatre itself is fairly small but very well laid out, with a small stage at the far end and seating for around 300 people set out in 3 columns.
The stage was dark except for one beam of light shining onto a pile of wooden furniture and props in the centre, into the light stepped a single man to announce the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of fleet street. From the very outset the cast managed to set an eerie, atmospheric tone despite the fact that they had absolutely no backdrops and very limited space. Using a meagre supply of props and relying heavily on the casts vocal talents and the dark atmosphere of the story, they made the most of the small stage, moving the furniture and props around to create the different scenes required for the different narrative elements of the show. The casting was excellent and the actors where very believable in their roles, with standout performances by the actors playing Sweeney Todd, Mrs Lovett and Judge Turpin. Throughout the show the musical accompaniment was second to none and the vocal performances of the actors were excellent, often using harsh tones and harmonies to counter point the dark atmosphere and foreboding presence of the story. Overall a very enjoyable show, very well presented, very well performed and very deserving of the audiences applause. An experience both myself and my partner are eager to repeat.
The show itself was a little over 3 hours long, with the 20 minute interval and allowing time for people to enter and leave the venue, meant it was early evening by the time we left and decided that bedways was rightways, so best we go homeways and get a bit of spatchka.
Rather than just running into town just to see the show we decided to make a full day of it and headed in to Nottingham early to do a bit of shopping and hopefully have a meal out. With that in mind I booked a table at George's Great British Kitchen for lunch, a place I have wanted to try since I first learned of it's existence last year.
We started the day with a steady wander around town, visiting a few of our favourite shops on the way. Lush, Dr Martens, Fopp, Forbidden Planet and Brew Cavern just to name a few. Having purchased ourselves a few bits, bobs and treats we headed over to George's for lunch. For those of you who don't know George's it's an upscale fish and chip restaurant on Queen Street, just off the old market square in the town centre.
For me fish and chips is a genuine British institution and to find a real restaurant serving proper hand cut chips (Frozen chips at a restaurant, or even a food pub, is a HUGE no for me) with beautifully fresh, hand battered fish is an absolute treat and somewhere I need to visit. To find one in the heart of the midlands, about as far away from the sea as you can get, is even more special.
After lunch we headed off to the Notthingham Arts Theatre to catch the two o'clock performance. Having ordered the tickets well in advance, we had really good seats a few rows from the front with an excellent, central view of the stage, in more or less the same seats as our previous two visits to the venue. The theatre itself is fairly small but very well laid out, with a small stage at the far end and seating for around 300 people set out in 3 columns.
The stage was dark except for one beam of light shining onto a pile of wooden furniture and props in the centre, into the light stepped a single man to announce the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of fleet street. From the very outset the cast managed to set an eerie, atmospheric tone despite the fact that they had absolutely no backdrops and very limited space. Using a meagre supply of props and relying heavily on the casts vocal talents and the dark atmosphere of the story, they made the most of the small stage, moving the furniture and props around to create the different scenes required for the different narrative elements of the show. The casting was excellent and the actors where very believable in their roles, with standout performances by the actors playing Sweeney Todd, Mrs Lovett and Judge Turpin. Throughout the show the musical accompaniment was second to none and the vocal performances of the actors were excellent, often using harsh tones and harmonies to counter point the dark atmosphere and foreboding presence of the story. Overall a very enjoyable show, very well presented, very well performed and very deserving of the audiences applause. An experience both myself and my partner are eager to repeat.
The show itself was a little over 3 hours long, with the 20 minute interval and allowing time for people to enter and leave the venue, meant it was early evening by the time we left and decided that bedways was rightways, so best we go homeways and get a bit of spatchka.
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