Sophie's Steak House

Sophie's Steak House, Covent Garden, London

Ah, London Covent Garden, where else to go for a good old steak dinner? This restaurant is highly rated by my group of friends, who enticed me into going for a celebration with promises of ' the best steak ever!' 

When we walked in the door, I was amazed by how big and grand the restaurant was, not only that, but also how busy it was. We asked the Host for a table, holding our breaths in a faint hope they could squeeze the 5 of us in, but we were told it was to be a 40 minute wait. Okay, not to bad (considering), the bar was beckoning us anyway.

They were true to their word and after about forty minutes we were seated in a nice booth table with view of the kitchen. The charming waitress came over with some menus, checked we were okay for drinks and presented us with a plate of nibbles. The nibbles were cooked meat, maybe salami, and was very original and very tasty! Perfect hint of salt and lots of flavour.

Although, it was a Steak restaurant, the menu consisted of a wide range of options, including favourites such as Fish and Chips and a meaty and mighty Angus Burger. Although there was a selection of fine Steak on offer I decided to go for the Pork Ribs, my partner ordered Steak, so I knew I could have a taster of his, for research and blogging purposes of course.

We ordered a Terrine Board to share as a Starter, which comprised of a selection of pates, pickles and bread. It was very tasty and just the right amount to get us started. They offered extra toast on demand too, which is always a bonus!

 

The Steak arrived perfectly cooked and was a large and exquisite cut of meat. The meat was tender and very flavoursome, one of the best Steaks I’ve tasted, which is a bold statement considering I was only having a taster.

My Pork Ribs were also fantastic. The BBQ sauce was delicious, sweet and tangy and the meat just fell off the bone. I sometimes find in restaurants that Ribs can be particularly hit and miss, and sometimes fairly fatty and chewy but these quite honestly, just melted in my mouth.

 

They both also came with an individual bowl of hand cut chips.

The price of the menu was at the higher end of my budget. However I am a firm believer in you pay for what you get, so even though this was more pricey, the quality was unrivalled and you really do get the high standard that you’re paying for.

I would highly recommend this place for a special occasion, or even just if you fancy a bit of meat! Check out their website at; http://www.sophiessteakhouse.co.uk/covent-garden.php

Ditchling Tearooms, East Sussex

Afternoon tea? A lovely and elegant tearoom situated in the quant village of Ditchling in East Sussex.

We entered a dainty looking cake shop, with windows and display counters deliciously decorated with a wonderful selection of cakes. We followed the building round and entered a room, which felt like I was in my grandmother's living room. It had a cosy cottage-like feel, with a warm friendly atmosphere. We sat by the fireplace in the back room and looked at the menu.

The cosy, traditional fireplace we sat next to.

The menu consisted of what one would expect from a tea rooms. Afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes, scones, but also cooked food such as fish and chips. I decided to go for my favourite Sandwich; Prawn Cocktail. The sandwich came with a nice salad garnish and a handful of Sweet Chilli flavoured Kettle Chips. My partner enjoyed a Coronation Chicken Sandwich, described as ‘lovely’. I enjoyed my sandwich too, I must admit you can’t really go too wrong with a Sandwich, but this was very tasty.

After our Sandwiches, we just couldn’t resist going to select a slice of cake. We went back out to the shop front and we were met with a difficult decision, which cake? I decided to choose a tempting slice of Sponge cake.

It may have become clear by now that I am a fan of cake. The picture may actually say more than my words, but the cake was exquisite, obviously home made and well produced. The cake had three delicious layers, illustrated with tasty butter icing and jam. We enjoyed this gem, with a pot of good old British Tea for two.

My partner and I served a very dignified afternoon with pleasant conversation over afternoon tea, in atmospheric tearooms, and I couldn't be more relaxed. The service was good and the food excellent, a really good choice for a nice quiet spot of Afternoon tea.

Ditchling Tearooms

01273 842708

6 West Street


Ditchling


Hassocks


BN6 8TS

Fancy an Indian? Banana Leaf Restaurant, Sevenoaks.

For a friends Birthday we went out for a curry. It was a big table with 15 people. 

The menu was fairly extensive, had all the favorite and regular curry dishes, as well as a whole extra menu dedicated to the house specialties. 

 

A friend and I shared a selection from the menu, Chicken Korma, Pilau Rice, Onion Bhajis, Peshwari Naan and Poppadom and Chutney selection.

The Pilau rice wasn't its usual bright yellow shade so as I dished some into my plate I wondered whether it had been mistaken for a plain boiled rice. I cautiously piled my fork with the rice and as soon as I gave it a taste and it had all the taste and aroma of Pilau rice, just not the colour. It made the rice taste and appear more wholesome; to have the nice Pilau taste and perhaps no added colours.

Chicken Korma is a standard, mild, creamy curry, and as much as I like my curries, I'm not a fan of the spiciness, which is why a korma is my perfect and always a regular choice. This Korma had the generic, yellow and creamy look to it. Some curries can be quite heavy, but despite the creaminess of the curry, it was really light and was full of the mild coconut flavour.

I myself used to work in hospitality waiting on tables, so I know how challenging big tables can be but the staff were efficient, attentive and very friendly. The Birthday girl was happy claiming, "it's the best Indian I've ever had. I’ve never been to Sevenoaks before, but the restaurant seemed to be in a nice area, away from the town, but with plenty of on-street parking. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you fancy Indian Cuisine in this area.

Feel inspired? Or hungry? Visit their website;

http://www.bananaleafcuisine.com/

All pictures copyright © 2012 Banana Leaf Indian Restaurant | Seven Oaks | Kent | United Kingdom

Ella's Yummy Delights

Queens Road, Brighton

Everything is homemade! Need I say more? Okay, I will. 

Ella’s is a small Café found on Queen’s Road in Brighton. It is an independent café, where Ella makes everything fresh. The business is run by mother and daughter, with Ella as the cook and her daughter to serve and greet customers. 

When I first walked into this intimate café, the first thing  that caught my eye were the stunning looking cakes. My mouth began to water just looking at them. Pulling myself together, my friend and I sat at a table in the corner, which was elegantly furnished with sweet ornaments and endearing salt and pepper shakers shaped as cows. 

 We walked up to the counter and was greeted by a very friendly enthusiastic young lady, who happened to be Ella’ daughter. We both order iced Vanilla Lattes and toasted Sandwiches. I went for a Mozerrella and Sauage, my friend going for a Tuna and Mozerella. These are fairly basic sandwiches, but we chose them from a list of toasted sandwiches which a selection of fillings. The drinks arrived promptly and were decorated nicely with whipped cream. 

Our toasted sandwiches were made fresh and arrived still satisfyingly warm.  Mine was very nice, prepared and cooked perfectly. Yes, I do understand that it may not be the most exotic and difficult of dishes, but the ratio of sausage to cheese was spot on, and that really is saying something. 

Throughout the time I was eating my sandwich I could hear in the background friendly voices and laughter. This really made such a nice atmosphere. I looked around to see it was none other that the friendly server, chatting and laughing with every single customer. Talk about positive service. 

I was very content with my sandwich for lunch, but I could not leave the café. There was an overwhelming urge to try one of those beautiful cakes I saw when I walked in.  I was faced with a very tough choice. How could I choose from such a marvelous selection. After long and arduous thinking I went for a nice Raison and chocolate one.  My friend went for a Black Forest Gateau cake. 

















No hyperbole at all but this cake was amazing. It had a subtley sweet taste, which meant it wouldn’t get too sickly. The raisons and the creamy chocolate icing really complemented each other.  The chocolate cake itself was moist and light. 







I really would recommend going to Ella’s and I do look forward to returning after the holiday period. As for the price, it really was a bargain. £7.60 for a Sandwich, coffee and a large slice of delicious cake. Can’t really complain about that. 



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C & W’s African Experience, Gloucester

This restaurant really is what the name suggests; an experience. Having never tried African cuisine before I was very eager to learn about this unique restaurant on my visit to Gloucester.

My partner and I walked into this restaurant and was greeted by an African gentleman. We asked for a table for two and he asked if we’d booked. Naturally as this was a spontaneous find we had not, and when we told him is he looked concerned. He told us he’d see what he’d do, then after a few minutes he came back and asked us to follow him. We were placed on a small table in this small restaurant. We looked around the room and the entire restaurant consisted of five tables, two large and three small, with a maximum of 20 customers at any one time.

The gentleman, who was our waiter apologised and told us that they did not do alcohol in the restaurant. No alcohol? This was a strange experience, but we smiled and ordered our Diet Cokes. As soon as the drinks arrived, we hear a clatter of bottles as a group of five people arrived bottles of beer and wine swinging in Supermarket bags, oh so that’s the way it’s done.

After a few minutes of not receiving the menu I started to wonder what was going on. This is when the waiter came over and explained, that they always make all of their dishes fresh, which is why they normally have customers phone to book and pre-order what they would like to eat so they can cook exactly what the customers want. He then continued to explain that this is why we hadn’t been given the menu as they weren’t equipped to cook something fresh from the menu for us. However, he offered us a meal that comprised of a selection of everything that had been cooked for that evening. Although, this seemed a rather non-traditional offer at a restaurant, I jumped at the chance. How often do you get to try a little bit of everything from the menu?

When our dinner arrived, we had 8 different dishes and the waiter explained what each dish was. We had; some lentil curry, a goat curry dish, a beef curry dish, a chicken dish in a sauce with 15 different spices, a sweetcorn, pea and potato dish, a lamb chop, rice and some roasted vegetables. It was array of colours and flavours and the food really was something out of this world. It was magnificent. Each dish was very flavorsome and had its own unique taste.

The lamb chop had a nutty and smoky flavour, as the waiter told us and the combinations were divine. The goat dish was definitely a first for me. The meat was tender and flavoursome in a rich Sauce. The chicken was a curry, as already mentioned with 15 spices. Each spice complimented the others and it was almost like you could taste each one.

The entire meal was a complete new experience for me. Mandazi then followed this, which is an African dough desert with ginger and cinnamon. This was delightfully served with Cornish ice cream, as the waiter joked a perfect compliment to the African food. However, this desert was sweet and flavousome and was thoroughly enjoyed. The texture of the Mandazi was very unexpected, not as stodgy as it looks but a mixture of moist in the middle and crispy on the outside.

Our waiter who is the C in C & W’s African experience turned out to be from Kenya and he explained how he started the restaurant two years ago basically from scratch. He said how busy it gets with the tables being fully booked for Friday and Saturdays about two months in advance. Although this is unsurprising considering the size of the restaurant, it is still a noticeable accomplishment form the nothing the business was started with. As we were leaving, the chef, who is the W, poked her head around the door of the kitchen to thank us for our custom, which was returned with a flush of compliments from us about our magnificent dinner.

If I were to go to Gloucester again, this restaurant would be the first point of call. Although, in future we may phone in advance, and maybe even suggest a new dish to the menu, a C & W special, which is exactly what we had. 

Visit their Website to find out more