Not thinking of St Ives (for reasons mentioned earlier), but I've eaten in some distinctly sub-standard places, and not cheap, in Bournemouth in particular (I'm thinking in particular of an Italian restaurant that has been there for years and is no better now than it ever was, but is still open).

There are chains too – Piccolino in Bristol was dire, twice. I was not particularly impressed with Browns in Sheffield, yet people rave about it. Can't remember the name of the South American place in Cardiff, but it wasn't anything special – and the most memorable thing was the noise. Best chain I've got dragged to was in Brighton last year, Zizzi. I've had Chinese of dubious level in Brighton (although Al Fresco is good, as is The Regency Fish and Chip Restaurant).

That's just an illustration. And add to that a number of pretty dismal meals I've had (usually at Christmas) in London eateries – places that are supposed to be decent and are not cheap – and it's not particularly good.

On Glasgow: Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery was excellent (and very good value). Rogano was good – the smoked salmon was heavenly. Rab Ha's was good – great Cullen Skink – and I had a wonderful meat pie standing outside a bakery one afternoon. On a previous trip, Cafe Andaluz had been good too. Glasgow absolutely remains the stand-out in terms of dining on a work trip.

I first tried Zizzi in Taunton and, when I realised it was a chain, I thought that Pizza Express needed to pull its rather-dated socks up sharpish.
Pizza Express was, let's be frank, never that good but at least you knew it was dependable and had a nice ambience.
Now, given the choice between the two chains, Zizzi is way, way ahead on every aspect, especially quality and flavour.


Hmmm ... makes me want to give it another try sometime.

I'd agree with that.

I go to Pizza Express on occasions simply because you know what you're going to get.

More generally, and since it's now autumn: [url=http://thevoluptuousmanifesto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/north-and-south-on-plate.htmlrecipes for Flemish classic Vlaamse Stoverij and Catalan classic dish, Bole de Picolat[/url.

So Zizzi's in Harrogate would be a good choice for my birthday meal out tonight ?

And second question - why am I apparently having to pay the bill for six people when its MY birthday ?

It's because you're taking the bread knife and nippers, who've clearly also found a couple of people to accompany them and further empty your wallet.

Let's hope the shops have closed by the time you get there...

Because you're a lovely big old cuddly softie who's about to be even older.

BTW - Bee in bonnet time - It's Zizzi not Zizzi's, ... as in Tesco rather than Tesco's.
Aye thang ewe.

I was tempted to be somewhat less polite.

I'm just gonna be nice although it's a challenge for me
Happy Birrhday McChicken.
Enjoy ones fodder.

Why thank you everyone - and its decided, the winner of the "where shall we go for my birthday dinner" combined with the "where shall we also go for our 30th wedding anniversary" competition is ... Cattlemens in Harrogate.

The question is do I go for the 72oz steak or shall I leave a little room for a pudding ?

Wow, I hadn't realised it was still there.
I was last in there in about 1991 and there was a hugely rotund chap at an adjacent table who looked to me convincingly like a big eater, who was having a go at the 72 ouncer with chips and salad, all free gratis if you ate it in all in an hour.

Anyway, the steak arrived, it was the size of a breeze block.
Long story short, he paced himself and ploughed on and on and on like a true Yorkshireman in dogged pursuit of a free meal ... but could not manage the last half-kilo or so ... and, with tears in his eyes, had to put down his eatin' irons and pay for it.

I went for a 24oz (I think) T-bone, figuring that the bone would weigh a few ounces and I'd stand a chance of not needing a doggy bag.
Long story short again, nae problem.

For a multi-multi-banoffee pie man like you though, the T-bone would be little more than a mere snack-ette, an amuse-bouche, if you will.

Happy Birthday, by the way.
Hope you have a good 'un.

30 years?
Blimey, how did you break four mirrors?

Missed this comment the first time.

Yes, I'd agree, I ate there twice too (it was handy as I was staying at the Marriott around the corner).
Very busy place, popular with the younger diner and large parties of shrill, high-maintenance young women.
Menu reads well but the actual food is poor.
The place has delusions of adequacy.

You might appreciate [url=http://thevoluptuousmanifesto.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/experience-that-got-right-on-me-bristol.htmlthis[/url then.

I printed it off and sent the company a copy. The eventual reply was most apologetic and explained that they'd sent a regional rep down. He'd done some digging, got rid of the manager and organised staff training.

I was offered a freebie at their place on Regent's Street, but never took it up, but I like to think of it as an example of the importance of complaining.

Anyone findinb themselves in South Devon (as in South Hams, not Dally's version) would do worse than eat at The Fortescue Arms in East Allington. They keep a limited menu of 5 starters, 5 mains and 5 desserts, plus fish on the specials board, depending on what's been landed. Similarly the veg is seasonal-dependent. The young chef is a star and is rightly proud of his three times cooked chips.

I ate there twice, the john dory was superb and even though I almost never eat cod, the fish & chips was some of the best I've tasted. Even the burger (kitchen-ground beef from a local herd, topped with local bacon and cheese) was worth the £12 asking price

The Cattlemens Association in Harrogate last night was a good choice as should any restaurant that has been trading for 25 years in the same location, food very good, steaks as they should be, nothing to fault at all, good food served in a non-corporate restaurant where food is cooked to your specification, its easy to forget that this is how it should be.

One strange thing that happened last night though, we seemed to be waiting a long time to be served our starters and then between courses and yet when we left the restaurant we'd only been in there for just over two hours and it was then that I commented that if we'd been in France or Portugal where eating in a restaurant is more a social night out and the whole point of being out, then that would be considered to have been a fast food experience.

Thinking more about it our local "special meal" restaurant is a branch of the Gusto chain and we've never been there without being aware that they need your table for the next wave of diners who are arriving 60 minutes after you have sat down, we have always had very quick service in Gustos but you do get home rather early afterwards with the lasting taste of being hustled through a dining experience rather than doing it for enjoyment - all that happened last night in Cattlemens was we were left to spend the evening with them and as a side effect I didn't have that awful "full" feeling afterwards that means that you don't sleep too well that night (especially if you pig out like me).

Sometimes you need to be reminded ...

And?
We're on tenterhooks here.
Come on, spill the beans, which steak did you go for in the end?

Didn't go over the top, just went for the 10oz rump, rare and very nice it was too.

Then had to eat half of the wifes well done rump steak too, you know me, can't see food go to waste, don't know how people can eat meat cooked to hell though.

Fazenda in Leeds

Best meat place I have ever eaten at

I'm intrigued as to how they say that one cut of lamb (shank) is in season but another cut (steak) isn't.

Except that, if my local butcher is typical ... he only sells Dales lamb and he maintains that English cuts don't include shanks and that shanks come frozen from New Zealand, hence he doesn't sell lamb shanks.
(I like shanks but he is very sniffy about them because of the frozen NZ aspect ... I do suspect that some butchers will cut British lamb in styles other than English cuts and he's just being a bit narky about it).

Anyway, IIRC, the main season for fresh English lamb runs up to about September, Scottish up to November, so, maybe, Piccolino had simply run out of fresh Scottish lamb steaks and were using frozen NZ shanks ... hence the "seasonal" excuse.
Or maybe it was all bollox anyway.

Remaining question ... can anyone out there confirm/refute what my local butcher says about lamb shanks i.e. they're all (or mainly) frozen NZ lamb?

A perfectly good question. If, as you then note, it depends on imports, then the menu should reflect that.

I wouldn't normally want to be instrumental in someone getting the sack, but in this case, the manager was presiding over a series of quite deliberate cons, in the hope that people wouldn't check the bill again. Naughty.

I've no idea about the answer to your question on the shanks – it's not a cut I use very often. And in essence, I get whatever my farmers/butchers have available or can bring up if I order during the week.

Up there with Reds as one of the most overrated in Leeds IMO

Long time listener first time caller!

What your butcher says is pretty much true, NZ Lamb is butchered slightly differently in that they remove the shank /knuckle from the shoulder to sell separately but leave the neck fillet on. British lamb tends to be butchered the other way round so the shank is left on the shoulder for sale and the fillet removed.
NZ lamb is not necessarily frozen, it is quite easy to transport fresh meat half way around the world in a refigerated container.

Thanks for that !
You've also cleared up another niggle, which was whether the shank was below the shoulder or the bottom of the hind leg.

I can see the sense in the refrigerated container rather than frozen, after all meat is hung for a few weeks to mature, so I guess it's a bit like that, just colder.

Cheers.

You live and learn.

I had no idea of that. Thanks.

I knew those days subbing for the butcher behind a supermarket meat counter would come in useful. I was actually a fishmonger!

You won't get many shanks on a fish though ?

Or a neck...