Hungry? Why wait?

Oh wait... is it.... YES! It is I Nick Serrone writing a post!

I am happy to announce that wedding season is now coming to an end. I have been driving back and forth from Portland to Seattle over the past several weekends, to attend weddings. I guess I have reached that time in my life when all my friends decide to get married within a period of two months. =)

Anyways on to the trip! All of us have roles in the planning of this trip: Ben is in charge of where we are going to stay, John is overseeing the travel/logistics of the trip and Rachel is going to make sure we play Frisbee at some point. My role in the planning for this trip was to find the places we are going to eat/drink. (restaurants and pubs) Also, a big thanks to Hayley Sims, our UK Food connoisseur, who provided me with some of the descriptions bellow:

DUBLIN

Abbey’s Tavern

This place is pretty expensive. Definitely the most expensive out of all the places we are eating at for the tip, but so worth it! For the price of E50.00pp we get to watch some Irish dancing and get the menu below:

Starters

• Smoked Chicken Salad
• Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon
• Served with red onions & Capers
• Cream of Leek & Potato Soup

Main Course

• Poached Irish Salmon
  
• Baked Fillet of Cod with a tomato & basil sauce
• Ballotine of Chicken (Stuffed with Irish cream cheese & ham And a mushroom sauce
• Crispy Roast Duckling with a ginger & pineapple Sauce
• Silverside of Corned Beef with cabbage

Desserts

• Baked Apple Pie & Fresh Cream
• Irish Coffee

The Quays ( Temple Bar )

Irish cuisine at 15 to 20 Euros per person. Apparently Temple Bar is well signposted and is a hot spot for tourists. It is a bar which plays mostly Irish music, and the reviews tend to agree that it is a good place for tourists to visit. I am sure that Guinness in and around this area will be plentiful.

CONWY

Town House

Small restaurant with home cooked local produce. This is highly recommended by both the locals and visitors to the area. The food is locally sourced and the fish apparently cooked to perfection.

KESWICK

The Old Keswickian

Described as the best fish and chip shop in the country! A cheap meal where you can eat in or take away.

EDINBURGH

Café Piccante

You can’t go to Scotland without trying the deep fried mars bar! Although most fish and chip shops are no longer advertising this National Dish for health reasons, I have it on good authority that it is on the menu at Café Piccante. They also sell the usual fish and chips and pizza to eat in or takeaway, and you will not miss it as it has a neon purple sign to entice customers after a night on the town! Another very reasonably priced meal which should not be missed.

The Sheep Heid Inn

Pub serving up market pub grub at good value at under £20 per head! It is heralded by the Best Pubs Forum as the oldest surviving Inn in Edinburgh, established in 1360. It is slightly off the beaten track, but is the closest thing to a country pub that you will get in the city. Visited by Bonny Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scotts, they serve good quality Scottish food including: Haggis, venison sausages, and Angus burgers.

BATH

The King William

Gastro pub serving home cooked meals. It is run by a husband and wife team costs around £25 per head. The pub prides itself on using local produce wherever available, and the husband is keen on using organic, they even cure their own bacon. The food is described as wholesome British fare, and comes recommended by the Restaurant Guide and the Guardian food critics.

Wagamama

Japanese restaurant based on the ramen bars. Very relaxed atmosphere, serving a variety of dishes from soups to noodles to stir fries and all very reasonably priced. We had planned on eating at one of the many fish restaurants, but they are over priced and didn’t look overly appealing.

Beaujolais Bistro

As the name suggests this is a French style bistro at around £30 per person. It has been established for over 30 years. The food is all home made and they pride themselves on serving simple and fresh produce.

LONDON

Borough Market

Londons oldest food market which has occupied its current site for over 250 years. It is Britains food centre of excellence, with the vendors theory being that everyone has the right to eat well. Its busy noisy and brimming with British produce. There are also an array of cafes, bars and restaurants in and around the area. A definite must see.

M Manze: The home of pie and mash

This is a traditional South East London pie and mash shop. Established in 1902 by the present owners’ grandfather, they serve pie and mash with jellied eels and liquor to the traditional recipe. The surroundings still emanate the early 1900’s with marble booth tables and sawdust on the floor. Food is cooked fresh and served steaming hot with a proper cup of English tea in a mug. This is a definite must see, and the prices are very reasonable at around £3 a portion. They do have funny opening times though, so it is best to make sure that this is scheduled as a lunch time thing (12ish looks like a good time on most days).

Brick Lane, London Borough of Tower Hamlets

This Lane is centred around a huge Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community so you are bound to find a great curry house at very reasonable prices.

Viet Grill

Kingsland Road is the Brick Lane of Vietnamese cuisine. The average price of this restaurant is £13 per person. It won it the title of Best Budget Restaurant in London. The Independent claims that it demonstrates the real taste of home cooking from the other side of the world.

The Marquess Tavern

Gastro pub in a restored Georgian pub situated on a leafy street in Islington. They serve simple home cooked meals with an emphasis on meat and game. They also have a good variety of traditional beers on the menu. The Independent suggests that a meal here is a typically British affair and Time Out states that it is “simple English cooking” as they like it.

Not all of these places are set in stone, but most of them we will be at least checking out. Let me know if anyone else has an recommendations!