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...

Old Austria

Hallo there,Mr Grinch and His lovely wife have been eating at this delightful emporuim for over 20 years. That should sum it all up. They have since then moved premises but the menu still boasts a fine selection of good quality fare. Our long time favourites being a starter of fried cambert with cranberry sauce. the Grinch always has pot roast for mains and I chop and change between the stir fry, pot roast and veal crodon bleau. We always conclude with the Pavlouva having in our time eaten various of the desserts, this to us by far the best on offer. The best pavlouva in PE. No shirking on fruit or any other delicous ingrediants. If you are going to Old Austria for you initial visit I suggest you make a booking and inquire after the pianist as he is not on duty every night. Its sooo romantic to sit with a glass of wine, rose on table and a hunky specimen of man-hood opposite you with the music playing in the background, movie making stuff. When it rains they have a man holding out an unbrella to protect you from wetness who escorts you to your vehicle. (I told you, romance personified!)This place is always a good bet. They have recently introduced chips to their menue - why? I'm not sure. I waited for an opportune time to ask but it has never come. The chips are good. The service is always excellent with the owner being hands-on making you feel very welcome. If I can have just ONE complaint its the veg of the day, Yes, you guessed it butternut/pumpkin (both orange and taste the same in any restaurant)and spinach. That being said make your booking today. You won't be sorry.