Clam Chowder Clam Chowder

Creamy and rich New England-style clam chowder with tender clams, potatoes, and a hint of herbs.

Crown Anchor

Crown Anchor

44 Findhorn, Forres, Moray, United Kingdom

Wine • Beer • Steak • Drinks


"The Crown Anchor offers a spacious setting, but it's worth noting that it could become quite loud if the place were full. The comfortable chairs were a plus, although we wondered about the accessibility for individuals in wheelchairs. One aspect that could be improved is the ordering process – having to order from the bar felt a bit less convenient for a place that presents itself more like a restaurant than just a pub. Additionally, parking was a bit tight, making it a bit challenging to navigate when the lot is more than half full. The culinary journey had its ups and downs. The mussels in white wine, garlic, and cream sauce, while generous in portion size, left us craving more flavour. On the other hand, the Breaded Brie Wedges, while delicious, had a disproportionately thick layer of coating compared to the brie itself. The accompanying sauce was a delightful touch. The Chili Con Carne was undoubtedly a star of the evening, receiving rave reviews from everyone at our table. It was remarkably flavourful and well-seasoned. The Wholetail Scampi, while decent, didn't stand out in any particular way. The Steak and Ale pie, however, was a comforting delight – not only was it nicely prepared, but it also came with a generous serving of vegetables. Considering the restaurant's location in Scotland, we expected a more extensive whisky selection, especially given the prominent display at the front. While the whisky options were okay, we were hoping for a wider range and a dedicated whisky menu, given the focus on whisky on the website and in the display. Additionally, it would be a great enhancement if the staff were trained by professionals in whisky tasting and knowledge, which is something we would have expected given the restaurant's emphasis on whisky. The Crown Anchor in Findhorn offers a pleasant dining experience with some room for improvement. The food had its highlights, particularly the Chili Con Carne and Steak and Ale pie, but also some misses, like the mussels and overly coated Brie Wedges. With a more extensive whisky selection and staff training, the bar could elevate the overall experience. The restaurant's ambience is comfortable, but attention to accessibility and ordering convenience would be appreciated."

The Little Yellow Door

The Little Yellow Door

6-8 All Saints Road, London I-W11 1HH, United Kingdom

Asian • French • British • American


"There 's nothing more fun than eating at a pop up every time is something different so you never quite know what to expect. I love them so much that I started doing my own one just over a year ago, and when I was invited to The Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill for an evening of drinks, bloggers and food by The Wandering Chef I couldn 't resist.I arrived at The Little Yellow Door which is just that, on the wettest, windiest Wednesday for a while and was practically blown up the stairs when the door opened. Regaining my composure, my coat was taken and I was given a block of lego in return which would be exchanged for my first drink of the evening. The Little Yellow Door is a licensed premises, set out like someone 's living room. There 's an eclectic mix of furniture and art around the room, which has 2 long tables at one end, the bar at the other, and a huge projector halfway down the room playing The Big Lebowski. Menus are hidden inside magazines which cover the coffee tables at the bar end of the room. We were warmly welcomed in by the flatmates who made sure we had everything we needed including our first drink The Libertine an Earl Grey infused gin, lemon, gomme and egg white cocktail served in a china teacup that was a strong as it was sharp, and utterly delicious. This was swiftly followed with a house punch, an ever changing recipe served out of a huge silver urn on the bar. Last Wednesday 's was a fruity and refreshing concoction. No sooner had I said hi to London blogger Angie who had organised the night, than it was time to take our seats for the meal. The Little Yellow Door is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and though we were there on a Wednesday, we had the Friday night experience where drinks are served and food is a feast of a meal at the tables, before the room is transformed for the after party. You need to book in advance to eat there and tickets are available here. Thursdays and Saturdays focus more on drinking than eating, but TLYD are launching a weekly Wednesday night mid week dinner from the 11th February.So time for the food I don 't know what I was expecting but for some reason I didn 't think I would be bowled over by the food (and I also didn 't know beforehand that it was The Wandering Chef) I stand corrected! The food was seriously good, and the Italian feast we were served went something like this:Starters were platters of burrata with mint pesto, cured tomatoes, smoked aubergine, confit onions and rye crisps; prosciutto, lardo, peach, basil and almonds; smoked beef carpaccio, mustard dressing, crispy capers and salted ricotta my favourite of the starters, I can 't get enough of capers!; and arancini of mushroom and asparagus with truffle and porcini mayonnaise. This set the tone of the evening fabulous ingredients, cooked perfectly that packed a massive flavour punch."

Hidden City Cafe

Hidden City Cafe

1 London Street, Derry I-BT48 6RQ, United Kingdom

Cafe • Cafés • Delis • Irish


"With ingenious delicious food, some of the best service in NI, and a stylish, relaxing atmosphere, there is no way this restaurant should be hidden in any way. I had the sandwich of the Ploughman, and it was huge, filled with taste, and not on ingredients as a vegan option, with a generous serving of vegan cheese. There were also so many vegan options that it was hard to choose, and I wish I was in Derry for more than one day trip so I could eat here again! You have a huge beverage menu with some delicious options that I wish I could have tried. The side salad had what was probably the most tasty salad dressing I've ever eaten: a dill pickle Mayo that sounds strange for a salad, but was so prone that at the end I ordered a salad to take home for dinner so I could eat some more of it. The service was a wonderful cherry on the top: my waitress was warm and friendly, and went over and over with my to-go order, packing everything separately to keep it fresh until consumption, carefully sticky typing the dressings so that they don't spill, and even handwriting me a note about the best way to heat up and the side. It was so sweet. I don't come from a tipping culture and typing isn't the norm in NI, but I'm sure I tipped the way it deserved. The location is centrally located in the city, directly above the main statue and about 5 minutes walk from the town hall and the square. You have well furnished tables so you can have privacy and stay a bit of Covid safe. You have a large wheelchair accessible toilet. I can't recommend it very much."

Hurdlemakers Arms

Hurdlemakers Arms

Post Office Road, Maldon, United Kingdom

Meat • Ribs • Steak • Salads


"Went to the Fawlty Towers of the pub world with the intention of enjoying a nice relaxing meal with friends. Very young children collecting glasses, 2 hour wait for food and lying staff is mostly the gist of this review. Arrived at 5.30 with a table booked for 6 and was met by (I assume) the landlady who must have just eaten a bag if lemons stating we could sit down but not order food until 6. One of the party bought an extortionatly priced round of drinks whilst we waited. At 10 past 6 , after being ignored by staff, we had to ask for service. The young chap that took the order was friendly enough but unfortunately as the night went on, relayed a never ending stream of porkies from the kitchen about our meals. Some of our party got starters but we stated we wanted our mains at the same time so we weren't waiting, a simple enough request you may think but oh no, not in this place. After 1 hour we asked about our meals and was told 10 minutes, in another 30 minutes we asked again and yep, you guessed it they said 10 minutes, after 2 hours had gone by we asked again and , blow me down they said 10 minutes. When that 10 minutes had passed we left. At least they got a few rounds of drinks out of us but I really didn't enjoy my 9pm burgerking. Trust me, give this place a wide berth. I did wonder if it was because we were obviously northern and had a Scot with us too as people arrived after us with local accents who appeared to be served before us."

Dog Bull

Dog Bull

24/25 Surrey Street, CR0 1RG, Croydon, United Kingdom

Pubs • Pizza • Lunch • Drinks


"The Dog Bull has seen several styles of cuisine come and go over the last five or six years- burgers, steaks, pizza, Caribbean, and others. They have a new chef at the stoves now, who started last week, and I popped in with a couple of friends to try the new fare. The menu is far more interesting than it had previously been and it appears obvious that the pub is stepping up to compete with local rivals in the culinary stakes. This can only be a good thing, as central Croydon certainly needs more places where you can sit down for a good quality meal; the town centre establishments, with one or two notable exceptions, tend to offer either standard pub grub or takeaways only. Standard pub grub this most certainly isn’t. Amongst our starters, the lamb belly “chips” (essentially, lamb fish fingers) and clam chowder certainly hit the right notes but it was the potted shrimps that really stood out; I’ve had vastly inferior versions in expensive restaurants up in central London and these shrimps were so good that I could have had a second serving there and then. The mains were all delicious too; two of us chose the confit duck leg, which was beautifully succulent, and another had the chicken and tarragon pie, which he declared a resounding success. My goat curry (from the daily specials) was exemplary- in fact, almost as good as my own! There’s a decent selection of wines, both by the glass and by the bottle, and the pub’s selection of beers is both extensive and very well kept. Service was friendly and swift and the bill very good value given the quality of the meal. My next visit will be to try the Sunday lunch, which I’m certainly anticipating with relish. While it’s never going to be a “gastropub”, having been around for several hundred years and established as a true market street local, the Dog Bull has certainly elevated its cuisine by several notches now and it’s easily up with the best in the area. As I mentioned earlier, there’s been a high turnover of chefs here recently; let’s hope that this one stays for a very long time."