Royal Deli

Hallo there, The Royal Deli has been the curry house of choice in PE for many years. When it first opened its doors the Grinch and I were regulars and then laziness crept in and take-outs from this delicious spot became the norm however after an energizing hike we went to feed our faces at the imporium. The decor has much improved since I was last in the spot and it is looking very upmarket. The menu has also been added to which was a delight to me as the takeouts have alway been the Royal Deli special which is mutton curry with potato. So after quizzing the menu, the Grinch and I decided to share a fishcake starter. When the Grinch first mentioned fishcakes I honestly thought "Oh no what's Indian about fishcakes" Wait until you eat them. These fishcakes are H. O. T. Hot! Not for the faint hearted. You definately need to ply on the sweet chilli sauce to cool the damn things down.5 small fishcakes were served as the starter so a word of advice - share unless you want to leave off the main meal. The starter is enough to have as a bar snack and feel full enough not to need a main. For the main, Grinch went for the usual Royal Deli special - mutton curry. I venture out to try the Madras Lamb Curry. This is superb! Just meat and sauce,no potatoes or other bits. Its served with rice and pomperdoms and of course the sambals. Sambals consist of chopped banana, chopped, fresh tomato and onion mixed together, chutney and some other intersting bits apparently called chevron. Now I'm not one for pmpadoms, I find them far too oily and bland however, last night I added a hint of salt and found that they improved vastly. (maybe that was the trick of the 2nd glass of wine.) When the Grinch sampled my fare he declared it a winner and from now on the Lamb Madras would be our stample take-out. Having said that I am sure that you have deduced that the Mutton Curry did not live up to expectation and was reassigned to the medioca catagory. Do book. This place was humming yesterday. They do have a smoking section, which is where we sat. The smoking section is in the pub area so when, like last night, theres a huge crowd at a birthday bash one feels like a bit of an intruder and when they leave and you'r left sitting stock-siel-aleen it is a bit in the eyes. Next time I'll sit in the restaurant and Grinch will have to smoke the electic thingy. The evening passed plesantly. The food is good, priced perfectly. The service is efficient and friendly. The owner is hands on and that does make a differnece especially when he takes time out to chat to you. This is a place you recommend without hesitation. It does cater for those non-curry guests serving both steak and fish.

Apron Strings

Hallo there, Apron String's is an age old PE favourite, one happy place. Nothing more pleasant than sitting in the baking hot sun under a shady tree, kids playing at the "Bottom" of the garden were than can be seen and not quiet so easily heard sipping a cup of your favourite brew and ensuring that you partake of enough sugar to see you through the next bout of child minding. The tarts,cakes and scone are delicious espically when accompained by the strawberrry jam. Apron Strings was once known for its strawberry fields and home made strawberry bakes. Things have changed a bit but it still remains a good place for a family outing. The lunch menu is sparse and the meals a bit medioca. K and I had toasted samies, chicken mayo and a tomato and cheese,no extra bits like a few chips (get that at the Wimpy) or a light side salad (most coffee shops) and definately lacking in salt. We both felt our lunch would have been better if we had made it at home. The Grinch went for the Liver pate. He remarked that it was ok but nothing to write home about. My boets kids that we were entertaining enjoyed a vienna and chippies. I couldn't resist - for the sake of the blog - I sampled a chip and found it to be dissapointing, flowery and on the oily side so lunch can do with improvement. Tea time treats are a different matter altogether. K had the Apple Strudel - wonderful she said. The Grinch went for an all time favourite of his, Lemon Merangue. He commented that it was good. I went for a scone and lapped it up with strawberry jam and cream. We all remarked at the end of our day that we would be back for tea at a later date. The service is efficient, but don't expect things to be done in a hurry, it's not that kind of place.

Sage - Coffee Shop

Hallo, hallo, The new kid on the bock - Sage is a delightful spot. Well worth a visit. The menu is priced right, real value for next to no money and you can easily afford to take the family out for breakfast or a light lunch and come away with change. The Grinches mom and I met for our weekly cup of brew and were delighted by the friendly atmosphere and by the very effiecient service. Mommie Grinch had a Scone with jam, cream and cheese, I went for my one weakness - bannana and carmel panacake (irrisistable). The scone was a mountain of a scone and the bites lasted until the very end of our hour and a half long visit. The caramel and banana is served as two huge pancakes and I must say I was so full I had difficity gobbling the last mouthful, I am glad to report though, that I endured to the end and simply could not resist each tasty morsel. This is the kind of spot I enjoy, where no one regrets picking up the tab and neither do you feel guilty when someone else insists on paying. A truely delightful spot. Come on girls grab the old foggie and take em to Sage....

Valley Harvest

Hi di ho. Valley Harvest is under new management. Is it better, dunno? They closed for the first week in March to undertake renovations and the deli area is looking clean and fresh but it has lost that cosy, come browes around feeling. The restaurant/coffee shop with its painted wooden furnishings is a lot more inviting than previously. The menu seems to be a work in progress. The Lamb pot the Grinch partook of, an old Valley Harvest favourite had a lot more veg than lamb in it and what was there was so small you needed spectacles to see it. This is exactly how it was served previously, tasty though. The Aspari samie I had was different. Homemade toasted bread with cottage cheese(plenty of),chopped bacon and asparagus with melted cheddar on top,the ingrediants are plentiful. We took our own alcohol as the place isn't licensed. (a plus in my opinion as you tend to linger longer.) After lunch we could not resist the freshly made fridge cheese cake. A hint of almond. This is definately a must have. The Grinch gobbled his share and smacked his lips and I licked the platter clean so now you know it really was good.The cheesecake will draw me in through their doors again without any arm twisting, the service is polite, friendly and efficient. Go encourange the new owners and give this place a try. At the moment it is open during the day only.

Weavers restaurant - Colchester

One the way back from a long weekend break at Burlington game farm we stopped off for a light lunch. The little house that the restaurant is in is too cute for words and the front garden tells you how the place got its name,sitting under shady trees with birds everywhere seems like a mini twitchers paradise. The food however leaves a lot to be desired. The Grinch had a garlic burger with what tasted like a sauce with no garlic, that sums that up! I wanted the macaroni cheese being an old time favorite of mine only to find that it was not available. Decided on a toasted bacon and banana,nothing wrong with this but I can do same at home. The chips that came with the sarmie were not cooked through, tasted of oil and a definate no,no. Wine and beer cold and good.Service better than food but slow, polite but not overly friendly. Not a place to drive out to but if you need a pit stop why not.

Farraigers at Kelway hotel

Long time no speak, Farraigers at Kelway hotel is the hotel's pub. Very upmarket,the type of place a lass can walk in by herself for a drink and enjoy her evening without anyone thinking she's on the make. If hungry, the spot sports a pub menu and you can also eat from the Restaurants menu if you so choose. The pub menu is restaurant quality grub at decent prices.The Grinch and I met for drinks one Thursday night and yes, you'r right, I got there first sat down with my glass of wine and waited. Very relaxed. (There are a lot of places where I would wait in my car rather) We ended up eating there and boy was it good, Heybo! We shared a starter of camembert and fig preseve wrapped in phyllo pastry. Delicious despite the fact that the phyllo was warm and the camembert in the middle was a tad chilly. Something original though, original scores high on my list. I went on to a main of cajun chicken which was lip smacking recommendably good. A do again kinda meal. The Grinch was salivating after steak so he decided on the sirloin with jalapeno peppers, mozarello and cheddar. Grinch baby rated this as a 7/10 but he rated my chicken a solid 10 / 10. We then went on to share a pud -chocholate caramel tart. Hands up, this is tasty stuff. This place calls my name. The service is not rushed nevertheless it is good, friendly and very much a callling card. This is one of our favourite spots for a Sunday afternoon refreshment ( or 3 ). The view of the sea is spectacular. Wine is not cheap by the glass but the draught beer is, so come prepared . Definately not for students. The staff will always welcome you with open arms, like a family returning home. Don't hesitate. Go there, you won't be sorry, the kitchen is not always consistent, I suppose it is one of this spots quirks but a fine experience overall.


Back to Farraingers for yet another delightful meal. K treated herself to Hake and chips, the Grinch went for the Cajun Chicken remembering how good it was and I decided on Pork chops. Our lips smacked together in great enthusiatic mouthfulfuls of deliciouness. Each one of us was more than delighted that we had chosen our fodder as we had. The chips were excellent. The vegetables were a medley of baby corn, corgettes, carrots ala dante, really fresh and crispy, with pumpkin ( again ), but it was good. My own meal came with mash potato, what a lovely alternative to chips! We shared a Date pudding between the 3 of us and we were reduced to hmmmmmms as we fed greedily of this delicous pud. The service here is excellent, friendly and efficient. As I said before go and try it out,you won't be dissapointed!

Veranda/Beach Hotel

Greeting to all fellow diners. The Verandah at the Beach Hotel is a delightful place to enjoy a light lunch on a beautifully warm South African day. Even if the wind is blowing a gale the verandah will shelter you and provide a splendid view of the sea. The Grinch and I often pop over to enjoy a light alcholic beverage after a meal out or a morning spent walking along the beach. We have on numerous occssions partaken of their cheese platter which has recently been improved tremendoulsy. It was good before but now its excellent. Be warned that there are two different cheese platters on the menu. The first is listed under the light lunch and called 3 cheeses, the other is found in the dessert section.(This is cheaper by a good couple of bucks and is the one I am refering to.) The Grinch and I decided to order a chicken salad and a cheese platter and two extra plates so that we could share our meals serving from the main dishes. Truthfully I am glad we opted for this route as had I indulged in the salad on my own I would have been extreemly dissapointed. It does not lack for chicken, which is tender and has a peppery flavour, it does have all the usually salad ingrediants ie cucumber, tomato a huge mound of leaves and watercress, it just lacks enough of the cucmber which is so thinly sliced youre eating air. No crunch. Nothing to get your teeth into. The cheese platter came with blue cheese, camembert,brie, chedder, sliced fresh apple, grapes, fig preserve biscuits and strawberries. This is what I call brilliant, definately worth its money. The chicken salad was a good compliment to the cheese platter the combination making a lovely summer lunch. the salad on its own is not worth the price. It lacks oumf. You need to be able to bite, chew not swallow whole, a salad needs crunch. All in all this is a peaceful, pleasant place to dine outdoors and not cook in the sun. We have enjoyed many a good time on the Verandah and we will of course be back. Heres hoping to bump into you the next time we'r there...