Loch Fyne

Well, what a surprise: the team is back together for the first time since 2006. We finally got around to getting to Loch Fyne as a group, though we have been there a few times individually.

Loch Fyne has a reputation as a good fish restaurant, so we have been looking forward to it for some time. However, from experience we also know not to go on a hot day (stuffy, no ventilation) or a cold day (no decent heating). Friday was just right for our impromptu gathering.

There are various sections of seating in LF. There is a little corridor bit down below which is more private but a bit gloomy. The main section is brighter, but a little noisy with the hard décor, and the seats are hard wood, which is a little uncomfortable for those with ageing bottoms like ourselves. Service is generally bright and breezy with a young and enthusiastic staff in attendance, though some of our remarks have to be qualified by the fact that two of the party were closely related to our server for the evening.

The menu is extensive if you like fish: but there is still a good choice for the cod-o-phobe. Unlike some restaurants, the main courses generally do not include side dishes and these are a bit pricey. There are always specials on the board for the fish that is in the current catch, but the main menu has all the variety you would expect or need. Bear in mind that things do run out as they want to serve fresh produce.

We had a party of eight, aside from some slight mix-ups in the kitchen over the order, food was delivered in a timely fashion, and the small problems were sorted out quickly without fuss. One of our party was mad enough to enjoy the oysters, the mussels were good (the "plain" probably nicer than the Thai) the mackerel fillets enjoyed.

The distraction of the main course was that two of our party shared the spectacular sea-food platter, made slightly more so by the last minute upgrade of the crab to lobster due to the crab being found to be suspect at the last minute. Chips were great, SHMOB decided that oysters were something never to be tried again, sea-bass tasty and everyone was content. Wine was a slightly expensive Pinot Grigio at some £17 a bottle (ouch!).

People went for the light options on pudding, nothing that memorable comes to mind. Coffee and off home after a bill at an eye-watering £40 per head.

On to the ratings:

Food quality : 4
Service : 4
Atmosphere : 3
Oyster-eating face entertainment: 5


So good food, adequate accommodation, expensive (but there was a large chunk of a wine bill in there), not the best value for money on the High Street, but we came away happy.

The Thai Village

We were back on the road on Friday and looking forward to our next stop which we decided was to be the Thai Village. We decided that we would make sure we had an early start so arrived fairly promptly at 7. There were some tables occupied, but there was plenty of time for the staff to be pleasant and attentive. The waitresses were all striking in their Thai outfits - a simple touch which creates a good atmosphere.

The early birds had a quick rummage at the "a la carte" part of the menu, but as we are not well versed in the ways of a Thai menu, we soon wimped out and decided we would go for the set menu. We decided that we would go for the cheaper option (they have a choice of two £20 set menu and two £30 set menus). Being indecisive, we went for 3 A's and 3 B's which just added a bit more variety. Then we got stuck into the Thai beers - well recommended and similar to the Indian beers we enjoy at the curry houses.

The starter was a Thai platter, sesame toast, chicken satay, a strange beefburgery looking thing (very nice) and a couple of other items. This arrived promply, was well presented and was enjoyed by everybody. (I'm not very good at remembering dish names, so take a look at their link I've included if you are interested).

After just the right amount of time, the main course arrived. This was a nice selection of chicken, beef in a green sauce, some lovely tiger prawns, noodles and rice. There were some spicey mouthfuls, but it was tasty rather than fiery. Overall, we enjoyed each dish and plates were emptied. There was plenty of rice and noodles each.

I think that if you are very hungry and want to spread the evening out for longer, the more expensive set menus might suit, but we were content with what we had.

Having arrived early, the service was prompt. As we finished our main course we realised that the place was full. It had a good atmosphere, we felt we were in our private corner (by the window) and neither felt we were disturbing others or being disturbed.

It dawned on us that we were horrendously early for the Sea-Scout pickup so we decided to have coffees. If we'd arrived a little later, we think we would have taken longer. We then settled up and toddled off to the Vaults for a pint before pickup.

So as ever, on to the ratings:

Food quality : 5
Service : 4
Atmosphere : 5
Thai costume rating : 5

Prices, well we paid £27 for the meal, including beers, coffee and tip. Not the cheapest on the High Street, but we felt it was value for money.

The Greswolde Hotel

Well, it took a bit of time but we got it together. Which of the remaining venues to go to? The Loch Fyne was ruled out due to it being freezing there in the cold weather, curries had already been consumed earlier in the week, so with some nervousness we headed for the Gres.

To explain that comment, when we arrived in K & D in the late 1990's, the Greswolde was a lively place: on a Sunday you would have to battle with the wrinklies to get a Sunday Lunch table, woe betide you if you had not booked. The food was basic but good, and the beer flowed till late in the evening. Then it had a change of management: the prices went up, the quality plummeted and the place became a shell of its former self. Eventually, the long promised refurbishment happened but the occasional foray over the doorstep into the bar was not very welcoming, and as we looked through the windows from the Bilash we would comment that there was nobody there.

Anyway, we arrived in timely fashion. Service at the bar was slow, and we stood next to a heap of uncleared glasses. Heart failure nearly occurred as a small glass of wine and a pint of Tetleys cost £6.70. On a Friday night, the bar was quite quiet. We then moved through for our meal. The dining area is quite large, the odd chair a bit on the wobbly side: not a problem, lots of empty tables to switch with. Whilst we were there,theree were only 5 or so tables occupied. With so few people, it felt a little drafty and lacking in atmosphere.

The service was ok, but the young staff lacked the flair and personality. However, the menu was interesting, fairly short but good variety, and a limited but well-chosen wine list.

For starters, there was a choice of starting bits and bobs, chosen individually (too much of a hassle for us) or more normal starters, warm lamb, spring rolls and a chilli dip and a goats cheese were chosen. Aside from a slightly anxious moment when one starter did not arrive but no comment was made aside from that rather worrying "...and what did you order?" but it turned up a minute or two later.

The verdict was that the starters were very good, aside from a disappointingly un-goaty goat's cheese (wouldn't have been a problem for me!).

We were now looking forward to our main course. The variety was perhaps not reflected in our choices, but the steaks were too tempting and the girls were also tempted by fish and fat chips (which on arrival we re-christened Jenga Chips, which might give you a clue as to the arrangement). I seem to remember a hock of lamb arriving too. Generally, the main courses were good, the medium rare steak was quite cold though reasonably cooked - it seemed to have been standing and the horseradish butter pat on the top stayed resolutely unmelted. However, the steak itself was excellent. The cod and chips was thought to be very good and all in all, everyone enjoyed the main course. This was all accompanied by a rather pleasant Pinot Noir.

We had time for puddings, but four of us decided that coffee was enough whereas two decided there was a corner to be filled with a little ice-cream or cheese cake - very nice too.

The bill came to £24/head including wine and tip which puts it at the more economical end of the eating range. (It was slightly irritating was to be told when we arrived that there was a £5 special offer menu if we had had the voucher with us from the Solihull Times).

So onto the ratings:

Food quality : 4
Service : 3
Atmosphere : 2
Jenga Chip rating : 4


We had a relaxed evening and if it got a bit livelier and a little less drafty, could become a recommendation in the future.

Spirals Is Dead - Long Live Viva Vito's

Having enjoyed Spirals, the B93 Award-winning resaurant, we are sorry to see that they have decided to call it a day and it has been turned into an Italian Restaurant.

It is not bad news though, it means another opportunity to dine out on Friday night.

Result!

The Bilash

One of the odd things about Knowle is that everyone has their favourite curry houses. One of mine is the Bilash, yet some of the others struggled to remember the last time they were here.

The Bilash is a Tudor-style building with lots of character - and character is what you need if you are tall, as you are bound to come out bruised and bashed with the low ceilings! The dining areas are small, with there being a downstairs and upstairs area. Though not spacious, there was never a feeling of sitting too close to the next table, so cosy rather than cramped.

We arrived early at 7.00, waiting to be joined by the others. The Bilash has a small sitting area just as you arrive, so we were able to start with Cobra bottled Indian beer(s). There is a friendly atmosphere and even at 7.00pm it was lively and full. We must give a special mention to the staff who coped with Saddlebags who arrived somewhere towards the end of the meal, having failed to estimate the time to get from J6 of the M42 to Knowle by about half-an-hour having driven from down South. They moved tables around, and were happy to help. Bonus marks there!

Here the mint yogurt was pink, if this is important for you.

The menu has a good variety, though perhaps a little traditional. In amonsgt the standard fair were a couple of interesting ones, and there was sufficient of interest that no-one had the Jalfrezi.

In my search for the perfect stuffed pepper, there was a good attempt here, though perhaps a little too much like a curry stuffing: pleasant none the less.

Main course was a Chicken Jaflong, very tasty too.

After coffees, yours truly had to rescue the Sea-Scouters, and returned to find the others tucking into their complimentary drinks, a pleasant touch and a genuine offering.

The meal, including drinks came to a reasonable £21 per head.

So onto the ratings:

Food quality : 4
Service : 5
Atmosphere : 4
Poppadom rating : 4
Jippy tummy rating : 5

We had a good relaxed evening and with the good service and the atmosphere, it has to be a top recommendation.

Spirals

Back on the tour after a long summer break. We had some debate as to where to go next, but with Sea Scouts on Winter(?!) Camp, we had some more time so thought we could go for one of the eateries where we thought we might need more time - this turned out to be a wise decision.

Booking in was easy - we booked on a Wednesday, though the restaurant was full on the Friday night. The atmosphere is quiet and calm - it was probably a good thing that we had a very private table at the far end, which was very roomy.

Spirals is, I suppose, a modern English restaurant with a strong bias towards fish dishes. It has a small but varied and interesting menu, and there are always some specials on the board, which are typically fish dishes. They have a vegetarian menu that the girls liked the look of. It also has a small but well-chosen wine list, and a sensible choice of bottled beers.

The service was slow throughout the night. We were not in a hurry, and we were relaxed and enjoying the evening but having arrived at 7.30 we did not leave until well after 11.00. It took a long time for the first drink order and there were a few times where we felt the need to signal for something to happen. This did not spoil our evening as we had a lot to catch up on after the summer break, but I can imagine it being a problem in other circumstances.

I had Tiger Prawns and avocado with some tasty leaves, very enjoyable. For main course I had lamb shank. I'm very partial to a piece of lamb and this was tender, falling off the bone. It was served on a bed of mash with leeks and we added a bowl of vegetables. The vegetables were simple carrot, cauliflower and broccoli, very plain, which was ok.

Puddings again were a small, but well selected, choice.  I had a delightful crème brule with brandy. We were slightly surprised that they seemed to have run out of most things, but that might have been a reflection that our meal had been slow and we thought that as early diners other tables had yet to order, whereas we were nearly last to leave.

The wine flowed rather too freely throughout the evening and there were at least 3 bottles of wine consumed.

So on to the ratings:

Food - 5
Service - 3 (very friendly but very slow)
Atmosphere - 5
Hangover rating - a surprising 5 considering!

The cost per head was around £33 including tip, but there was around £8 of drinks per head in that. So, one of our more expensive nights out, but we felt it was good value for money and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Recommended.    

Cafe Saffron

For some reason we just haven't been getting the curries in recently. On Friday, the Sea-Scouts were off for the weekend, and the Arden German trip was not due to return till late, so late arrangements were made.

We continued our journey and arrived at Cafe Saffron for a late start, added to this was the need for emergency golf swing surgery for the Fox. The rest of the party had an emergency top up at the Vaults first.

When we arrived the restaurant was quiet. Beers (Cobra bottled, but draught beer and lager was avaiable) were ordered and the menu examined. The menu did not seem as extensive as some, but there was plenty of choice and a few interesting variations. Decisions made in reasonable time.

The starters arrived, well presented on over-sized plates, attractively presented with green mint sauce and a spicy brown sauce too. The special starter that a few of us ordered was a combination of items, which seemed to be appreciated. My quest for the perfect stuffed pepper was nearly satisfied by a tasty lamb stuffed version.

The consensus on the main courses was that they did not live up to the promise of the starter. The main problem was the texture, where the sauce was thick and dry, without any discernable flavour. The rice was disappointing too, being slightly oily.

The major discontent was for Saddlebags who didn't get a meal to be disappointed in. The Cafe Saffron had managed to produce 5 meals for 6 people, which is a basic error. This left one of our party in a decidably tetchy mood for the rest of the evening, though the missing meal was produced in reasonable time and they did deduct the price from the bill.

The other problem with the Cafe Saffron is that it gets very loud - it is a small restaurant with no soft furnishings to deaden the noise. As the evening went on and it filled up, it became impossible to hear the person two seats away. This probably didn't help on the service later on as it was also difficult for the waiters to hear what was going on too.

So, on to the ratings:

Food quality : 3
Service : 2
Atmosphere : 2
Poppadom rating : 4
Jippy tummy rating : 5

Costs, (with dodgy order discount) £19.00/head including several beers and coffee.