The Fleece - Addingham

Joe has decided he wants snails.  Not just ordinary, run of the mill, eating all my parsley snails, but ones you buy from a nice lady down south on www.snailfarm.org.uk.  She sells live snails for you to cook or, for around £300, a whole snail farm mini metropolis, so you can breed your own slow food army.  Now, I'm sure I bear some of the blame for this - every now and again I go on a wild goose chase to find someone who will sell me snails like you get in France - ready cleaned, back in their shells and smothered in garlic butter.  Yum.  But really, I've seen the snails in my garden.  I even live in the suburbs with only fractional traffic and people.  My snails shouldn't be too bad.  But I won't.  Sorry Joe - will have to wait for the next holiday.

On other news, this week we visited The Fleece in Addingham.  My parents dropped in to Yorkshire for a flying visit and we were looking for somewhere near Bolton Abbey for dinner - a quick twitter survey pointed us in the direction of the Fleece.

We arrived early evening on Sunday, expecting a quiet country pub serving good food.  What we got was a traditional coaching house, super busy, with great food.

I was always going to like the place because within minutes the chap behind the bar recognised a few Edinburgh accents.  The Fleece is the second outpost of a pub called the Sun Inn, near Dalkeith on the outskirts of Edinburgh.  The Sun Inn has been winning awards for a few years now and the team at the Fleece are hoping to emulate that success. I felt instantly at home.

We were shown down to our table in the cosy (and later a little too cosy!) dining room.  They offered an a la carte menu as well as the two course set menu for £14.95.

A little round of rolls with butter and a tomato salsa was first up.  To my mother's chagrin the rolls were not hot (!) but tasty all the same.  Not to worry, she had ordered the calves liver starter which made up for it with real flavour punch.  I could not have eaten more - calves liver is ridiculously rich - but for a starter on a rainy day it was good.  My dad went for the trusty prawn and crayfish cocktail, served in a slightly silly aluminium martini glass but stuffed full of crustaceans.  Joe went for the local Fettle salad of Yorkshire feta, both deep fried and plain with heirloom tomatoes, while I had the ham hock croquettes with a poached hen's egg.  Over all, everything was great - simple ingredients treated with respect.

Prawn and crayfish cocktail

Ham hock croquettes (the oeuf appears to be hiding but the piccalilli was amazing)

Pan fried calves liver

Yorkshire Fettle salad with heirlooom tomatoes

The main course menu was also very good but we were a little predictable and picked the fishy dishes - fish pie for dad and I and mackerel on a Catalan stew (I think) for Joe and mum.  The fish pie was delicious - creamy, fishy, with a warming potato topping and peas on the side, while the mackerel was an unexpected Spanish surf and turf of Mediterranean vegetables with chorizo.  Both were well received, full of flavour and well cooked.  I could have done without the peas in the pie, given I also had them on the side, and my fish was perhaps sailing a little close to the firm side, but it was a truly enjoyable meal.

Mackerel on Catalan stew

Fish pie

We were far too full to give the dessert menu any serious thought, although there was a little more deliberation over their range of liqueur coffees.  A latte with amaretto, glayva and topped with whipped cream anyone?  We settled for espressos and were delighted to be treated to some petit fours - what appeared to be a super gooey chocolate brownie and a nut crammed flap jack.

Overall, I loved it.  For a Sunday evening, the place was packed, and I don't think there was a single table free when we left.  I'd like to give a few more of their dishes a try, and they have some interesting pre-order group dishes including a crustacean plate. 

We were also told that they are hoping to set up a cookery school in the future, which sounds fantastic.

If looking for somewhere to eat in the West Yorkshire moors, I'd thoroughly recommend The Fleece.  Simple produce, treated sympathetically but with a little spin of imagination, I will be back.  It's just a shame they don't have rooms or I'd probably still be there now.

The petit fours.  Mmmm

Thai Aroy Dee 8.5/10

Joe went to Thai Aroy Dee without me a few months ago, and I was very jealous when he came home with tales of amazing Thai food at reasonable prices and, best of all, a bring your own policy.  Well, it was only a matter of time before he caved to my insistences that he took me there too.

Thai Aroy Dee is on Vicar Lane, sandwiched between the Tong Palace and an "adult superstore" (mmm...classy).  It is a nice little cafe, small, but when we went was packed with a great range of patrons including a lot of Thai which is always a great sign when looking for authentic, tasty food.

Having picked up a couple of beers from Gerrys on Briggate (one of the best wine and spirit purveyors in the city by the way), we settled in for a starter of prawn and vegetable tempura.  The batter was super light and crispy, the vegetables hot and full of flavour and served with a sweet piquant chilli sauce.  A very good start.

The main event was chicken pad medmamuang himmapran, served spicy on request (chicken with cashew nuts, pineapple and chilli oil), yum phed yang (hot and sour roast duck with chilli and lemon), pad broccoli in an oyster sauce and fried rice.

The chicken was absolutely brilliant - sweet, salty and lovely and spicy and was definitely my favourite.  I wasn't a huge fan of the duck, but I'm not normally as I don't like the fat.  It tasted nice but was a bit overwhelmed by the chicken.  The broccoli was a total revelation: crunchy broccoli with a salty, fishy sauce, ginger and chilli. Fantastic.

I'd definitely recommend trying Thai Aroy Dee - it might not look like much from the outside but the food is wonderful.  Next time we are going to be a bit more adventurous and ask for some recommendations of more off-piste dishes.

Pad broccoli

Yum phed yang (hot and sour roast duck with chilli and lemon)

pad medmamuang himmapran (chicken with pineapple, cashews and an extra dose of chilli for me

Me and my broccoli

Joe enjoying his rice

Oh, and when I said next time, Joe went back for Thai Aroy Dee for lunch two days later!  They do a deal of £6.50 for two courses, every day between 12.00 and 5.00pm.  This time he tried the pad thai and spring rolls, both of which were also great.  So so far, not a dud in sight.  Good job.

Joe's lunch - pad thai and spring rolls

Restaurant Review - Frankie's, Hoylake 9/10

I had a lovely few days with Mum, which was rounded off by lunch at Frankie's in Hoylake with Dave Bro joining us on his return from Leeds. Luckily it is a stone throw from Mum's flat and I will definitely be returning with Jo as we all had a great time.

Horse racing little man Frankie Dettori and grumpy/ genius chef Marco Pierre White opened the restaurant this year in the £7m Holiday Inn redevelopment of the Kings Gap Hotel, and is one of 6 other Frankie restaurants including London, Dublin and Dubai. 

As the weather was outstanding the outdoor space really came into its own. We all agreed that we could be anywhere in the world and I for one could have sat there all day soaking up the rays and drinking cocktails. However, I was driving so that wasn't possible.....this time! 

View inside

View outside

The restaurant

As it was lunch time the others were quite restrained, but as I am running the Edinburgh Marathon I got stuck into the fat boy cannelloni. Mum had the caesar salad that came with anchovies! It is one of Jo's pet hates that they aren't always included in the dish so this was a big thumbs up. Dave Bro has the prosciutto and avocado salad which ticked all the right boxes and my cannelloni was the ideal mix of pasta, spinach and cheesy goodness - it was a struggle to finish but I managed to soldier on until the bitter end!! All in we couldn't fault the food at all.

Caesar salad

Prosciutto and avocado

Cannelloni with garlic bread and rocket

I had to leave Mum and Dave Bro to their desserts as I had to rush to miss the traffic so I have no pictures and am unsure what they had. But I am sure they would be been a brilliant finale to our lunch. Overall I would definitely recommend Frankie's to anyone who asks - it certainly puts one or two other restaurants in the local area to shame. 9/10.

Mum and simple Dave Bro

Sunday - Stew & Oyster Part Deux

This is a follow up on our other Stew & Oyster posts as we have now finally tried the food.  You'll think we're obsessed with the place but you must forgive us as it's quite refreshing to have a good bar in strolling distance from the flat!  Anyway, we are a food blog so it's only right we do actually comment on the food!

On Sunday, after Joe had run the half marathon and I had made the short run from home into town (a pathetic 4.5 miles compared to all those marathon runners!)  we went to Stew & Oyster for lunch before watching the Super Sunday football.

When we arrived it was nice and relaxed, with good music playing and the papers distributed on the free tables.  We quickly settled down at the best seat in the house - the sofas next to the wood burning stove - and ordered a nice tea.  S&O have cottoned on to the trend of tea loving that has been growing over the last year or so and offer a variety of teas including a local Yorkshire, Chinese Jasmine, Earl Grey and some herbal types, complete with optimum brewing times and some seriously insulated tea pots. 

Tea

Once refreshed we moved onto the food, and how could we go to S&O without trying the oysters?!  A first for Joe, he looked a little hesitant before wolfing down the beast topped in one go.  I thought they were lovely, served with piquant shallots in red wine vinegar, Tabasco and lemon, and will definitely be having more when the sun finally comes out!

Our oysters

Me and my massive oyster!

Joe, looking a little scared of his oyster....

We followed the oysters up with the Mediterranean platter and half a Wilsons' pork pie plate.  The Mediterranean platter comes complete with tomato and herb focaccia, sun dried tomatoes, hummus, olives, oil and vinegar, salad and Italian meats, including a really tasty, spicy sausage.  The bread was really good, as were the meats and the hummus.  My only (and very, very minor) disappointment was that they put the oil and vinegar in a deep pot.  It matches everything else but makes it very difficult to get to the tasty balsamic!

As for the pork pie, well who can say a bad thing about a Wilsons' pork pie?  The menu has the option of a whole pound pie, or a half, which was more than enough for us and at the bargain price of £3.95.  The pie is served warm with a number of pickles including piccalilli, branston, brown sauce, mushy peas and mint sauce.  There is something to suit all tastes, but my personal favourite was the tangy piccalilli.

Overall, the food was great and perfect for a taster lunch.  You could eat as much or as little as you like, and while away the hours with good drinks, the paper and great company. 

The Mediterranean platter

The half pound pork pie

Nawaab Khan, Oakwood

After driving back from the Wirral and a few drinks in Stew & Oyster, the last thing we wanted to do on Sunday night was cook.  Luckily for us, next door to Stew & Oyster is Nawaab Khan, self proclaimed "probably the best curry in Yorkshire".  Now, I'm not really in a position to judge whether that statement is accurate - I've eaten a lot of good (and some rubbish) curries whilst living in Leeds.  However, I will say that I did like this one. 

We opted for takeaway treats (Joe finally getting his way after what feels like months of asking), although on Sundays they do a "mega Asian buffet" for £10.95 per person.

Nawaab Khan is a family run restaurant serving Pakistani and Indian dishes.  We were relatively restrained in our ordering and could have gone for a lot more.  What I did note is that the menu doesn't give much of a spice indication - its fairly clear what is mild from the ingredients list, but what is spicy is less clear. 

We went for poppadoms and a pickle tray as a little starter and the pickles were great.  There was a lovely little coriander pickle which I haven't tried before, and was really tasty.  The others, although more standard, were also very good.

Poppadoms and pickles

For mains we went for Punjabi chicken, which is a Rajastani dish made with green chillies, cloves, cumin, black pepper and coriander, and was full of flavour and not too hot despite all the chillies. We also had lamb madras, which had sweet lamb in a lovely warming sauce full of flavour.  Both served up with pilau rice and a plain naan, it was a lovely dinner.  I was stuffed to the rafters but it was well worth it!  They are definitely giving the other Indian restaurants in the area a run for their money.

Punjabi chicken (left) and Lamb Madras (right)

Stew & Oyster on a Sunday

We did promise we'd revisit Stew & Oyster this weekend, to give it a real go after the opening.  We made the long walk (approximately half a mile) down the road and popped in on Sunday afternoon on our return from the Wirral.  

It was nicely busy, with most tables full of people relaxing with a drink and the papers.  The building itself is lovely - at the front there are high ceilings and huge windows which let in tons of light.  It occupies the old HSBC building and makes the most of the space.  It feels light and airy and altogether good for taking it easy and whiling away the hours.  As well as the tables downstairs, there's more room upstairs with comfy sofas and good people watching specs. 

This time we had a proper chance to check out what is on offer drinks-wise.  Apparently it had been a busy few days as they were out of one of the five white wines on offer, but I was able to try the pinot grigio rose (nice and easy drinking) while Joe made his way through some of the beers on offer.  These included Stew & Oyster's own brewed ale, another ale from the Burley brewery, and a pint of Vedett.  Anyone keeping their eye on twitter yesterday might have seen that the Vedett stirred up a bit of a debate - it's a bit on the pricey side!  The warning that should (and wasn't) given is that a pint of Vedett in Stew & Oyster costs a slightly inflated £4.95.  No worries if you really fancy a Vedett, but perhaps their beer prices should be a little clearer - it was more expensive than my wine, which was a first. This coupled with the fact that a very small plate of pistachios costs £2.00, and I was in a bit of a grumble for a while - it feels a little mean compared to what you get elsewhere in the local area.  Roundhay might be affluent, but it doesn't mean that people don't value their cash.  I only point these things out as constructive criticism as I like the place and want it to be a success.

Anyway, these were my only real negatives - it's a great space, the rest of the drinks are nice, and the food that we did see looked fantastic.  I spotted the pork pie plate, the Sunday stew topped with an enormous Yorkshire pudding and the ploughman's platter complete with pork terrine, pork pie and cheese, as well as some tasty looking oysters.  I'll have to get some more drinks in Joe before he will join me with the oysters unfortunately!

The oyster menu

The stews on offer - I haven't spotted the blackboard yet but it will be there somewhere

The £2.00 pistachios

Vedett - which is probably off the drinking list now!

Me trying the Burley ale - not quite my tastes!

In case you haven't seen it so far...the outside

Lunch at the Red Door, West Kirby

This weekend we were back on the Wirral to spend some time with Joe's mum and catch up with friends (including watching the football - the less said about that, the better!)  Joe's mum was on great form and it was lovely to be back.  We made the most of a non-rainy weekend by some running - me doing a paltry six miles compared to Joe's 18!  The last long run before the marathon so things are looking good for a strong finishing time.**

After all that hard work we (well, Joe) deserved a nice lunch so we headed for the Red Door in West Kirby.  It's a great "neighbourhood bar" serving solid food and a great range of drinks.  It's kitted out really well - stripped back decor, cosy without being stifling and looks like an excellent place for spend a Friday night checking out some of the very interesting rums and tequilas they offer.  The music, even at a Saturday lunchtime, was great and it had a really nice buzz.

Joe and Sue - thumbs up!

Me and Sue with our lunchtime wine

Food wise, they offer a limited, but good, range of small and large plates.  There's deli boards, including a compile-your-own option of various meats, cheeses and vegetables such as home dried tomatoes, waldorf salad and mustard seed and red cabbage coleslaw. They also do a range of "ploughmans boards" which include the traditional, a daily quiche, pate or a old spot pork pie.  If looking for something more substantial, the menu has larger plates of whole or half chicken, fish and chips, kebabs and burgers with a selection of rubs and toppings.

The wine menu is either by the bottle, or they class their glasses as cheap, decent or good (a red and white of each) which means they can change the wines on offer without messing up the menu.  I tried the "decent" white - a South African Sauvingnon Blanc which was indeed quite decent. The bottled beers also look good and Joe enjoyed a couple of post-run Staropramen.

For lunch, Sue tried the daily quiche, which although she only asked for salad, also came with a rather large pile of chips (many more than on the picture - they ended up on Joe's plate).  The quiche was good, nice and light and a good size for a smaller appetite.  I had a small chicken Caesar with chips (we didn't need quite so many!)  The Caesar was very good - juicy chicken and not all breast which is a good thing for my tastes, crispy leaves and a light but tasty dressing.  I'm always a bit disappointed when my Caesar doesn't have fresh anchovies, but they're not to everyone's tastes.  The chips are awesome - crispy, well seasoned, far too easy to eat.  Joe had the beef burger topped with beetroot and horseradish.  He was offered a choice of pink or well done (pink, obvs), and although there was a little hiccup at the beginning (that beetroot and horseradish topping being missing) it was quickly rectified and we had a great lunch.

Overall, I'd recommend the Red Door to anyone looking for an easy lunchtime or evening dinner and drinks - the staff are friendly and attentive and clearly care about giving good service, and it was a very good experience.  A solid 8.5 out of 10.

** sponsorship for the marathon is still very welcome - a lot of hard work for a great cause: http://www.justgiving.com/joerees2012

Quiche, salad, and some more chips

Chicken caeser

The beef burger

Saturday - victory at the Hub and squid stuffed with black pudding

This weekend there was a momentous event in the calender - the Liverpool v Everton FA cup semi final at Wembley.  As you may have noticed, Joe is quite a dedicated Liverpool fan, and over the course of our relationship has suckered me in too.  I always maintain that we wouldn't be where we are today if I hadn't embraced football - it would have made for some fairly lonely weekends and a constant Saturday night battle for the TV (Match Of The Day always wins). 

So on Saturday we headed to the Hub in Chapel Allerton to have some drinks and watch the football, with a certain amount of trepidation because Liverpool haven't had their best season this year.  We were joined by Dave Bro, another Red, and Paul, a filthy Arsenal supporter who was very keen for Everton to win - fun all round. 

After a nail biting 94 minutes Liverpool were victorious, making their way to the FA cup final against either Chelsea or Tottenham with a 2-1 win over Everton.  We celebrated with some beers and a tasty bar lunch at The Hub of a Real Greek burger with curly fries for Joe and a Puppy Love Bratwurst hot dog for me, which were both awesome and a great accompaniment for the beers. 

We also stuck around for the Grand National, but the less said about that the better - out of six horses picked between us, only three finished, and only one of those was top four and I had bet on the nose!  Oh well, it was a lot of fun anyway.

The Real Greek burger, with lamb mince, coriander and tzatziki

The puppy love bratwurst - simple and effective

Andy Carroll - the new love of Joe's life

After all that, we retired home for an evening of the papers and some reality tv (don't tell anyone but Joe is a HUGE fan of The Voice) and some dinner.  I've been telling Joe for ages that I wanted to make stuffed squid, and finally got round to it this weekend.  Our dinner was baby squid stuffed with Macsween's black pudding, turkey and brown rice, accompanied by a squid, tomato and chargilled pepper stew. 

Stuffed squid

Squid, tomato and chargrilled pepper stew

Stuffed squid, stew and rice