Beef
Portofino New Brighton

Portofino New Brighton

2 Union Terrace, Marine Promenade New BrightonMerseyside CH 45 2JT, Wallasey, United Kingdom

Sushi • Mexican • Seafood • Asiatic


"We had been enjoying delicious meals at Portofino New Brighton for several months, but unfortunately, our recent experience has left us hesitant to return. While the food quality is typically excellent and the staff are usually attentive and helpful, we encountered some issues with a young Italian waiter who struggled with English. This language barrier led to confusion with our orders, as he often had to consult with his manager. On our most recent visit, it was the manager who took our orders, but there were discrepancies with the dishes we received. My partner's Sea Bass came with a sauce not listed on the menu, and she suspected it may not have been Sea Bass at all. The manager insisted it was, but mentioned that they sometimes change sauces without prior notice, which seemed unusual to us. Additionally, I received Ravioli instead of the Canneloni dish I had ordered, but opted not to complain after the confusion with my partner's meal. Unfortunately, the manager failed to follow up on our concerns and we left feeling disappointed. Due to this strange behavior, we have decided not to return to the restaurant and caution others to ensure their orders are accurate before accepting them. It is disappointing that Portofino New Brighton does not address customer feedback, as it suggests a lack of concern for their patrons. It is important for them to prioritize customer satisfaction and communication to avoid similar incidents in the future."

Banana Tree

Banana Tree

75-79 Battersea Rise, London, SW111HN, United Kingdom

Chicken • Noodles • Chinese • European


"I’ve had the Tastecard a little while now, but never got around to using it. The restaurants featured on the program are largely chain-based. Or not very good ones. So this is my first experience with that in hand. BananaTree is located in the heart of Soho making it an ideal spot to catch up with a friend from the office. The deal meant buy-one-get-one-free so we had a lot of food for not a lot. A good start. Our order consisted of the chicken wings, money bags along with our mains of the beef rendang curry and the pad thai. The fried wings are very good. Messy, sticky and lots of sauce. They offer a recipe for their tantalising wings on their website. It all looks well and good and I get excited up to a point. Then I realise, and decide it’s too many ingredients and too much work. It is one of the most popular appetisers at Banana Tree, and easy to understand why. The rendang was just above average, the meat tasted a bit dry and there wasn’t enough curry for my liking. The beef is quite chunky, and of good quality so its got that going for it. Banana Tree feels like yet another whitewashed Asian-inspired food restaurant in London. Others that come to mind: East Street and Dim T. Dishes across Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam all meld into one being rather than having each of its own elements celebrated. The first store opened a staggering twenty one years ago and now its eight stores it may have traded that authenticity with domination. The venue at Banana Tree has a nice, vibrant atmosphere and this is only completed by the size of the crowd. It’s plenty busy and a popular haunt for some of the other corporate dwellers from the looks of it. I didn’t find the find innovative but it was tasty."

Ebrington Arms

Ebrington Arms

Ebrington GL55 6NH, Cotswold, United Kingdom

Pubs • Beer • Hotels • European


"I 'mma be bold: I think this is my favourite pub I have visited in the UK. If I had to open up the pub awards category to sub classifications I 'd specify that this is my favourite non London pub. But even if we 're going general with big, bold claims...I think The Ebrington Arms wins. I heard about The Ebrington Arms last fall; someone who I 'd met in passing proclaimed it his favourite place on Earth . Ok sure, I thought, that sounds impressive, but maybe this guy also doesn 't care about local food, or strong coffee or innovative twists the way I do. I mean, EARTH? There 's a lot of good eatin ' out there. But then I got it. I went for Sunday roast day, on one of the first rainy it kinda feels like fall 's a coming days. There was a fire going. A lot of stonework. Someone popped up immediately to welcome us, to offer a spot for our umbrellas, to guide us to our table. Sunday means roast options pulled pork and beef complete with Yorkshire pud as well as the veggie friendly nut roast in addition to an a la carte lunch menu. As a party of two we went in the direction of: To split: blue cheese souffle to start. It had a tart yet sweet fruit puree and a light salad. It was warm, and salty, and light but deeply flavoured. A perfect way to kick off a meal. The roast we went for was the ol ' pulled pork...my flat can never accommodate roast cooking so we decided to go, erm...(pun ahead ...whole hog. The pulled pork came with perfectly caramelized parsnip, cauliflower cheese, and golden roasted potatoes. Condiments? You got 'em. AMAZING apple sauce and a whipped horseradish cream that I wanted to scrape out of the ramekin directly into my purse. But on to the second main... ...The Ebrington Arms also has a reputation for their fish and chips. Fish of the day was halibut. Sold. AND HOW! It was clean, and fleshy, and substantial but lightly textured. Very well fried, with the most delicious pea puree I 've ever tried. Pro tip: because it was made from actual fresh eye wincingly bright green peas. The tartar sauce was speckled with seasoning and pickle and was a perfect pairing to the fish. On the side came some dang fine chips. They weren 't the standard British thick chip (a welcome change but were thicker than a frite. They were perfectly cooked, crunchy, salted and hot. And were the first thing to disappear with four hands launching into the side dish. Was there room for dessert? Not really. But we did it. A fragipane/mixed berry tart and a chocolate almond brownie with some raspberry cream. The desserts were good, but perhaps not as memorable as the first two courses. I adored the choice to use unsweetened whipped cream mixed with muddled raspberries to top the already sweet brownie. Smart decisions like these characterise the menu at The Ebrington Arms and really make it stand out as a winner. The coffee was affordable, and strong, and made from a solid espresso machine that chugged away and expelled some locally sourced brew. Last but most certainly not least: the staff here is extremely warm, and casual, but...knowledgeable. Our server was extremely hard working; knew her stuff, popped by to check in, but didn 't rush. Hats off to that. The affordability was just the final icing on the cake. Lesson learned: taking pub advice from strangers ain 't such a bad idea after all. Yelp note: truly my only criticism, at all, is that there are very few bathrooms for the space. One single bathroom for gals and dudes, unless you 're wanting to brave the chill and go to the one that involves walking outdoors (I assume this is a more popular option during patio season . That 's it, though. No biggie. Second Yelp note: this place books up (Sunday lunch was bumpin ' so...reservations, gang! Use 'em. Third Yelp note: this place also has several rooms for stay overs. Long pub y meals and field stomping through public access paths and Cotswoldian beauty? You 're welcome: I think I just put a wonderful weekend idea in your head! (See you there!"