Dragon Castle: dim sum

In the unlikely region of Elephant and Castle is a recommended Chinese restaurant, making two Chinese meals in two days for me. This one is the request of my daughter for her birthday outing. A bit of research on the Internet shows varying opinions, from universally liked in 2010 to some discontent in 2011. Anyway it is not my choice. In a somewhat unprepossessing position on Walworth Road, opposite a block of council flats, is the entrance.

You don't get in through the dragons, and its actually the door on the right. Once inside, it is more confidence inspiring, and there is a big hall with about 120-150 diners. It is not the panic crowd that I found some time ago at the Peninsula (now closed down due to health breaches, and resurrected under a different name), and if you cold called at Sunday lunchtime, you might get a table, but possibly not for a group. There was a small queue for tables. We were 6 and were taken to an area with bigger tables with lazy Susans. Just what you expect. It was also comforting to see as many Asian faces as I did. I hoped that all the people had not been fooled.

The object of the day is Dim Sum. There is a dedicated dim sum list and as I knew no better, I just left it to my daughter to order.

I can't give you a good description of what we had, as I don't know what a lot of it was. There were many dumplings, cake like things and things rolled in wide noodle. I think I had prawn, scallop and crab. There is also an a-la-carte menu, and we ordered some chicken in chilli, and some seafood Ho Fun with scrambled egg sauce.The service was patchy and things turned up in slow succession building a table full. Some reviews recently had commented on the greasiness of the food, but I failed to register this. The food was a mixture of strong and delicate tastes, a variety of textures, and we had a huge variety between us - about 11 dishes. We had one failure that no one wanted to eat, and that was the chicken feet with pickled vegetables. That was certainly not my choice. By the way, Baby had his lunch separately as his parents think he is not yet ready for MSG.

Whether or not you think the chicken feet look yummy is a matter of taste, but suffice it to say, there was too much skin and slippery stuff for my taste. We wont be ordering that again.
The place is popular for Sunday lunch, and again it is child friendly, but there would be a bit of work finding lunch for a little one if they were not used to Chinese food. The a la carte is a little pricey. However the Dim Sum seemed reasonable, many costing under £3. We had lunch for 6 including two beers, tea, and a few diet cokes for £93 without service. Service was patchy.
As to the hotness of the food, it was a complete mix with some of the dishes scoring a 9 and some a 6 on the CHOF scale. There was no means of keeping things warm, and in a well air conditioned room, the food became lukewarm all too quickly, but there is nothing you can do about that. I would certainly be interested in trying a meal of the menu some time. So if you like Chinese, I would give this a whirl for an off the tourist route establishment.

East Southend: the better part of all you can eat buffets

East is a restaurant on Alexandra Road, which is one of the side turnings of the high street in Southend. We have used it many times, but mainly because it is near where my in laws live, and my mother in law likes it.
Check out their web site on http://www.east-restaurants.co.uk/pages/find-us.html
It is a contemporary Chinese all you can eat buffet at a fixed price with a fresh cook section like a Mongolian Barbecue.
It is very popular with families, because children can eat as much or as little as they like with chips, and everyone seems very accommodating of children. At weekends in the daytime it is a fixed price of £7.95. and children get to eat for £4 which is a bargain.They will not give you free water to drink, and if you want to drink water, I think they charge you £1.50 for tap water. Recently there was a case in the newspaper of two guys that were banned from an all you can eat in Brighton because they regularly ate there and consumed vast quantities without buying drinks. I think that if a restaurant opens with this marketing statement i.e. all you can eat, there should not be any conditions to it apart from waste. Clearly there are some that cannot eat huge quantities and it all evens itself out.
Among the all you can eat Chinese buffets I have visited, this is probably one of the better ones in the UK. The reason for this is that the tureens of food actually contain honest food, and unlike the many and frequently criticized  London ones around the tourist areas of China Town in Soho, there is not the issue of excessive amounts of gristle and onions. Here everything has plenty of meat, and plenty of variety. The freshly cooked section allows you to create a plate with squid, chicken, beef and sometimes egg, together with mushrooms, noodles, peppers, onions (if you want them) and occasionally fish.

So as you can see, it is quite a large space, tables fairly closely packed, and people thronging about. It might be worth going early to avoid the crowds, and at lunchtime, that probably means as soon as they are open. There is no issue with service, as you only need service to bring drinks and clear empty plates.
So here is what I had for the first round:

A collection of dim sum like pork dumplings and some satay chicken. There are many starters, but this is to my taste, and you can go back as many times as you like. 

This is the raw ingredients for the hot plate. Mainly squid, with mushrooms, pepper, beanshoots and so on.

And this is the cooking process which takes about five to ten minutes depending on the chef and what you chose. Chilli and garlic are added to taste.

And this is what you end up with. I added a couple of chicken wings just in case I felt hungry. I think this is the best part of the show, and cannot understand why many stick to the safer buffet options, but it is a matter of taste. I have on occasions eaten exclusively from the fresh cooked. It is hot, spicy and to one's individual taste.

Even so, there is a good choice in the buffet with lots of chicken dishes, noodles, rice chips and so on. One tiny criticism is that there are no duck pancakes, and what they have is shredded pork to use with the accouterments of pancakes. It works but not as well as duck.
Desert is included and there is usually banana fritters, jelly, melon ice cream  lychees and some fresh fruit. It is not the most exciting, but you do not go to a Chinese buffet for the desert.
All in all, this is an immensely popular establishment that has the formula right. It is pointless trying to get hot food at the buffet, but the hot plate food is as hot as it comes off the griddle. Check out the steam. Dinner is more expensive, with a weekend adult price being £13.95, with an expanded choice of dishes. I have used it once for dinner, and the upside is that it is a fixed price, so you know where you are. So a thumbs up for East.

Bobby Jo's 50's Diner, Southend

20th October
My daughter and her husband, who are very into retro, love eating here when we come to Southend. I was only too pleased to join them. The concept is simple, but the execution is clearly not so easy. Have a look at their web site on
http://www.bobbyjosdiner.co.uk/  which is really informative.(Interestingly this works well in Firefox but not Chrome or IE)
So the thing is that this is a lifetimes work of the owners, and they are very much present.with Tony doing the orders and Jo there as waitress, both kitted out in suitable costumes. It is an American 50's rather than an austere British 50's and the menu tries to replicate the food of the time if not the prices.
It is located on the seafront of Southend a bit east of the hustle and bustle, a short walk from the Kursaal. If you want to go there, it gets really busy on Sunday lunchtime with lots of families, and the parking can be difficult.

Having just had the American Burger experience, we all opted for burgers, and I had the Cheese Burger at £6.75 with Fries. The cup of coffee is refillable and the shakes look like five dollar shakes.

I had had one somewhat disappointing experience there before with ribs, but the burgers are the thing. You can have either French or Curly fries, and garnish, and a variety of other toppings. It's a pity that the cheese in the cheeseburger appears to be a slice of Kraft processed cheese, but that is almost universal in the UK.

The 6oz. burgers were well cooked, tasty and in a fresh bun. There are two patties of meat, and the web site assured me that food is locally sourced and home made. I could well believe that. It was sufficiently hot and on a crowded day scored 7.5 on the CHOF scale. 

The place is immensely popular with children, who are probably taking their cues from television and film. I was a child in the 1950's in the UK, and much of the imagery was what was shown at the time of the U.S. There is much film imagery and booths are named after stars, some of whom may be unknown to the customers (we sat in the Tony Curtis booth, and learned that he was originally Hungarian). I had a look around me and tried to imagine if I was actually in the place and time, and the thing that lets it down is the other customers. This is very definitely 21st century Southend. It is possible to eat there quite reasonably, and a simple lunch for three was just under £30 including drinks and a tip. Given my daughter's allegiance to the place, I know I will be eating there again, and would definitely recommend the burgers. Note that there is not a huge choice for vegetarians, but they can be accommodated.

Tommy Bahamas, Orlando

Actually visited on 13th October.
Check out my review on trip advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34515-d645609-Reviews-Tommy_Bahama_s_Tropical_Cafe-Orlando_Florida.html
Mod satis but only just.

Markers Express, Jersey City

15th and 16th October.
This is a continuation of the breakfast in America Theme.
One of the rituals that is penetrating European society from the US especially New York is picking up breakfast on the way to work. People don't eat breakfast at home any more, and would rather spend 6 or 7 dollars and eat their breakfast at work. In fact, some of the people I work with have a flat, and they have never cooked in the kitchen. I also find that these places are quite good for picking up breakfast to take back to your hotel room. This is now a recognised fact in some American hotels which have deli coffee bars in the lobbies so you can take it back to your room. It is a question of economy, choice and quantity.
So I stay at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, and their breakfast buffet is of the order of $20 plus tax and tips. Just outside the door is a small mall with a food hall and take-aways. I have tried the food hall breakfast, and it is good. More comfort in one's own room, and I have taken to buying stuff at Markers Express. It appears to be a one off with no other branches and you can check out their web site at
http://www.markersrestaurant.com/express-takeout-delivery-markers-restaurant.php

This is an offshoot of a mainstream restaurant which serves the financial district of Jersey City, and the carry out breakfast needs of the financial plaza offices. When you go in there is a coffee bar, where you can pour yourself about 6 different kinds of coffee at sizes up to 20oz (that seems to be one old pint). There is a servery that makes bagels and sandwiches and an area with prefilled buns with breakfast fare. I bought a big container of prepared fruit which lasted me two days.

It can get busy and the staff seem pressured, but work quickly. Over the two days I sampled a bagel (choice of four different kinds)with cream cheese (choice of three different kinds) and a roll with egg sausage and cheese.  These are substantial, fresh and properly cooked. There is a good supply of cutlery and napkins for carry out, but the coffee cups on one day were an odd size that would not take a lid and were not insulated. I think I could have eaten there for about three weeks and not repeated myself. I cannot fault this food. The staff are a little on the surly side, but I guess they are not serving people at the best time of the day (busy at 0730 in the morning) and there is little scope for tips. Why would you want to tip someone preparing a takeaway? It also looks hygienic at the start of the day. So I give them a 7.5 on the CHOF scale, because there is always heat loss with takeaway, but they are doing a good job, and I would definitely go there again. Cost about $6 to 7 for a simple breakfast with coffee.

Breakfast in America: Denny's Versus IHOP

9th through 14th October.
When in America, forget your luxury hotel and its outrageously priced breakfast or buffet. Get outside on the street, and eat the food the locals eat (within reason). In an ideal world go to the Diner, or the nearest equivalent, but if you must, eat in a chain outlet. Two of the two most popular places for middle America, and tourists when they are in Orlando, are Denny's and IHOP. I make no apologies here, and I know that there has been much adverse comment about these being the lowest common denominator, and showing no taste at all. I like them, and my family and millions of others seem to like them. They are everywhere, and seem to offer good value for money. So there are several on International Drive in Orlando, and when I had time before attending meetings, they can be relaxed places to go. This is not true on Sunday, when they are thronging with the brunch crowed.
First Denny's:

I had a breakfast style loaded chorizo burrito with scrambled egg, cheese, potato, chipotle sauce ($6.79 plus tax) and endless coffee

The picture does this justice. A tasty hot filling meal (no lunch needed).One of the things I like about the US is that the eggs taste more eggie, and this was true. I could probably have survived without the cheese covered hash browns, but it is what they eat. The staff are very helpful, and I don't care if they are insincere, because they make you feel wanted, and it is a pleasure to leave these ordinary folk their expected 15-20% tip, which was more than I could say for Tommy Bahamas restaurant, but that is another story on trip advisor.

I was sufficiently impressed to go back the next day for another gargantuan breakfast of scrambled egg with beefsteak. I probably should have read the menu more closely as it turned out to be a minced beef steak, rather like a burger or meatloaf.

This may have been a breakfast too far, and explains why Americans are big. This is the biggest American I saw

On a mid week morning the restaurant is moderately full, but I checked back on a Sunday brunch time, and they were queuing out of the door.

On a Sunday morning, not thinking too much about it I walked to the local IHop, which was part of a motel. They normally have blue roofs, but this one had individual architecture. It was packed, and became even fuller by about 1030. The pictures speak for themselves.

I had chosen the smoked sausage and scrambled eggs with pancakes. I probably did not need to order the extra toast, but it was a done deal. There was quite a wait as things were busy as you can see in the picture, and by the time I had finished they were queuing out of the door. Again, a well cooked tasty breakfast with flavorsome eggs and enough food to see me through the rest of the day. Choosing between the two is difficult as they have similar values, but obviously, International House of Pancakes is dominated by pancakes. I think that Denny's is probably more versatile and a mite cheaper, but as can be seen from the amount of food, Ihop is not stingy. Service was probably a bit more homely at Denny's, and they cater more for the evening eater. I would be hard pressed to choose, but probably for sheer variety Denny's must take the vote, but only by a very slim margin. Both places served hot food scoring a 7.5 on the CHOF scale.Both establishments are to be commended for their retention of the American free refill of coffee ritual, which as disappeared in so many places. Basically a very good breakfast costs between £8-10 and feels a whole lot better than the anonymous breakfasts of the upmarket hotels.

American Fast Food

October 8th to 17th.
A trip to the US to attend various meetings. When I arrived at my very expensive hotel in Orlando (truly a good destination for a meeting or convention), I did not want to eat big time in the hotel restaurant or pay big hotel prices. So a wander down the street (not a lot of foot soldiers on International Drive) brought me to the Pointe, where there is a big choice of restaurants. I wish I had taken my camera with me. I chose Johnny Rockets for a carry out Burger and fries. Very basic. Fairly cheap.

I had not used this chain before, and it looks like one things a 50's style American Hamburger joint should look. It caters for both take out and eat in. You can look at the menu at
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/menu.html
I chose a Route 66 burger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms for $7.99 plus tax.. I see that on the menu it says  that it would be served with unlimited fries or side salad. This is clearly an untenable offer, but the quantities were more than adequate. There was also a coffee.
Even after taking it back to my room in the hotel (sounds a bit disgusting, but at least I was in my own comfort zone), it was still hot. The thing about American burgers is the beef. It is so much better than European beef - juicier and tenderer. This burger was one of the best I had had in many years. Soft, juicy, cooked but not over-cooked. It tasted like you would want an American burger to taste. There were probably too many fries and maybe a little on the over-greasy side, but on the other hand they were not like the dried out over-stored ones that you might get in the UK except from a genuine fish and chip shop.

The picture of this partially eaten repast cannot do it justice, and whilst the maker's picture is excessively optimistic about what you actually get from the bag, all I can say is that if you get the chance, do not be put off by what seems to be a bit down market. The food was excellent and good value. Scored an 8 on the CHOF scale.
A second experience of burgers, a week later in Jersey City was at Five Guys. I wish I had take pictures here as well. They are in a functional black and white mostly take-away outlet. They are a franchise, as are Johnny Rocket, and have a look at their Web site: http://www.fiveguys.com/
I thought this was just boasting, but my colleagues in the US who do know better said it was definitely a good choice. Their web site makes some pretty steep claims.On ordering you get a choice of basic burgers, and you can add various toppings within the price. The fries are extra, but you get a huge portion. They boast using local produce, and one of the claimed branding points is that they offer free peanuts in their shells whilst waiting. I did not realise this at the time as there is no clear indication in the store what the peanuts are for, and no one else was eating them.  One thing they did not serve was hot drinks, and the choice was limited to fizzy drinks. Burgers are freshly cooked and therefore get a 9 on the CHOF scale. Again even after carry out, it stayed pretty hot. The web site claims they are all well cooked: medium is not an option. At the time of writing there is a paranoia in the US about food poisoning from under-cooked food. The cheeseburger I sampled was well cooked but not overcooked. It was juicy with a crispness on the outside. There was a good portion of Swiss cheese (not like the nasty Kraft Cheddar Slices you get in the UK) which ran out of the bun. The bun was soft, not too thick, and fresh. The fries were well cooked, a good portions size, but a little greasy. The whole meal came to about $10. Strangely enough, when I was looking up the web references today, I found this news item, and it may be that five guys is coming to the UK.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/282085/US-burger-chain-eyes-UK
I don't know if they can keep the same quality, because, in my opinion, the USDA beef is the critical ingredient..Maybe they will become one of the overpriced gourmet burger joints, which will defeat part of the object.
Very impressed, and would use them again. Apparently GQ magazine says the food is unhealthy. What do they expect?

Alsterkrug Hotel, Hamburg

4th October 2012
We needed a meeting facility near Hamburg airport for a day meeting, and this was the choice
http://www.alsterkrug-hotel.de/?lang=en
As a meeting hotel it was excellent with a meeting room suitable for about 20 and modest but comfortable rooms at about 120 euros. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere near the airport, and if you do not have a car, there is nothing convenient for eating, except Burger King, and so meals were in the hotel.
Lunch was a somewhat insipid pasta with pfefferlingen mushrooms. This is the time for this kind of mushroom in Germany, called chanterelle in this country, and I have experienced delicious pasta dishes in the past. This was a distinct disappointment, with the mushrooms having been drown in a bland cream sauce.
Dinner was not much better, and rather than the food, it was the staff that were the bitter experience. They truly made us feel unwelcome. A bottle of prosecco was poured out without even offering us the unopened bottle or taste.
The good news was the meeting lunch. The pictures on this occasion do it justice.

A piping hot seasoned squash soup, turkey in sauce, and I cannot remember what the desert was. However this was attractive, scored an 8.5 on the CHOF scale and was attractively presented. Turkey, whilst a safe choice, can sometimes be a bit dry and tough. Not so on this occasion, being well cooked but not over cooked, with a mushroom sauce which complemented the food perfectly. I guess we were just unlucky before.

So, if you want a meeting in Hamburg, where there is no chance of the delegates absconding for the pleasures of the city, and can make a quick escape, I would recommend this place.

Wagamama's for breakfast

3rd October: en route to Hamburg
I am not a great lover of terminal five at Heathrow, as I find the security a bit heavy handed and inconsistent, but I had to use it early in the morning for a trip to Hamburg. So there was a breakfast opportunity.
Typically I use Giraffe, but on this occasion I used Waggama as it was different, was not so differently priced and had things I was likely to eat.
The menu is here:
http://www.wagamama.com/~/media/WagamamaGlobal/Food/Menus/heathrow-main-menu.pdf
I chose from the more American selection and had the beef and pastrami hash and a coffee. Not very Japanese.
The atmosphere for breakfast is far calmer than most of the other eateries in airports, with space and proper service. There were the refectory like tables, but plenty of room. After a while, this is what emerged (a little bit of photoshop to make up for dim light)

This was attractive and tasty, and fairly warm (about an 7 on the CHOF scale). Very artistically presented but what is difficult to see is that the portion size is probably less than average for breakfast portions. The beef and pastrami hash was of excellent quality and separate as the picture shows. The eggs had been ordered scrambled. What you can also see is an empty coffee cup. The coffee came in demi-tasse size cups which may be normal for Japanese breakfast restaurants, but it is more common to get a BIG cup or mug in most of the other chains in the UK. When I was asked if everything was OK, I expressed my disappointment over the size of the coffee (which was otherwise strong and flavoursome, and not like some of the insipid stuff you get in some cafes). This was immediately met with an offer of another cup at no extra charge. Service indeed.

So for style service and attractiveness, Wagamama gets my vote. If you want a stonking great breakfast, it is probably not the first choice, but for something a little out of the ordinary, I would seriously consider coming here again, and for peace and environment it beats the other places hands down.

So it cost £7.15 for the meal and £1.90 for the small coffee. If I had looked closer at the menu, I would have found that green tea is said to be free. I would not advocate the second cup of coffee stunt.