Tag Archives: Review

Sailing Away

19th July 2013

You might have heard already, but the weather’s been quite nice in England. Last weekend, I jumped at the chance to get out of London and head towards the coast, in search of any kind of breeze.

My parents, along with some friends, had planned a little sailing trip – meet in Southampton, sail down to Lymington on Saturday and return on Sunday.

Sunshine, sea, sails…

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On Friday night we went to the Jolly Sailor in Bursledon, which is just outside Southampton. It’s a pub that’s right on the water, with beautiful views. To get there, you have to walk down a very long set of wooden steps, but it’s worth it. Inside is cosy and welcoming, and they serve proper food.

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Sardines, butternut squash and onion croquettes, mezze board.

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Roast cod and chorizo salad, falafel and haloumi burger, fish and chips (with battered peas!)

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After dinner, I tucked into my cabin on the boat and went straight to sleep. I always sleep really well on board – I love the sound and movement of the water!

The next morning we went for a spin in our friends’ power boat…

and then returned to the yacht and prepared to set sail!

Out into the Solent, and then away…

Obviously I was hard at work…

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It’s the best spot!

We moored at Lymington Yacht Haven.

Champagne on deck – before dinner at Haven Restaurant in the marina.

The yummy mummies had their white skinnies on…

I’m always scared the boats will fall off those big wooden stilts.

Luckily, we had the food to distract us, which was amazing.

Pan fried scallops with sweetcorn purée and curried pea fritter…

Wood pigeon breast with rye bread and watercress salad with red wine dressing…

Pan fried turbot fillet and Solent crab cakes

I couldn’t stop raving about my main course: monkfish tail, with olive oil, mashed potatoes and clam sauce. The clam sauce was a total dream, and went perfectly with the mash.

All this, and a gorgeous view across the Isle of Wight – the clearest we’d ever seen it from here.

Sunday dawned sunny (again!) and we made a relaxed passage back towards Southampton. We anchored up for a long lunch – sunbathing and reading the papers.

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The skipper decided that swimming was on the agenda. The sea… has not warmed up like everything else. Let’s just say it was fairly refreshing.

The sail home was calm, and I got the train back to London with salt in my hair, happy and tired.

What have you been up to in the sun?

Burger & Lobster: The Lobster Roll

2 Replies

15th July 2013

Ok, so I’m not winning any races with this blog post. Everyone who lives in London knows the Burger & Lobster story…

However, a) not everyone who reads this does live in London and b) it was amazing and I want to tell you about it anyway.

After a day of birthday shopping with Mummy (lucky me), we headed to Mayfair for a late lunch at B&L. The deal: choose Burger, Lobster or Lobster Roll. Each one costs £20, and includes sides. Beautifully simple, especially if, like me, you’re terminally indecisive. I like to read a menu cover to cover, so not being given a menu nicely eliminates this task.

There is however a comprehensive drinks list with great cocktails. We went for gingery, limey and refreshing.

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We both chose the Lobster Roll (hence the post title). I would be very happy to return and report back on the other options one by one – takers please?

The interior of the restaurant is sort of rustic and wooden, with an open kitchen front. Diners eating lobster are given a fetching plastic bib – a definite plus.

If you’re in a group and up for a challenge, you can order one of the bigger (to massive) lobsters to share.

Although we certainly had enough to be going on with when our food arrived…

Buttery, cooked bread filled with lobster – so, so good.

Don’t look past the sides – the salad is well dressed and topped with parmesan. The chips are really good chips. Simples.

I lined up the roll and went for it. No cutlery needed.

Something that really endeared the restaurant to me is their sauce policy – ketchup and mayo are out on the tables, in bottles. No need to keep asking politely for another tiny ramekin over and over again.

I was glad we’d finished shopping because I struggled to walk to the tube after we were done!

You can’t book at the Mayfair B&L, but you can make reservations for large parties at their other restaurants (there are four in total). Details are on the website.

If you haven’t been yet, go. That is all. (Even if you are late to the party like me!)

And thank you M for a lovely day.

The Lockhart

2 Replies

11th July 2013

Last night I went for dinner at a new restaurant, and I left feeling absolutely certain that I would return.

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The Lockhart serves upmarket US Southwestern food and has taken a calm, gentrified approach to the ambience and flavours. There’s no tacky tourist Tex-Mex here; the décor is a soothing palette of white walls, exposed brick and thoughtful, quirky features.

I made my way towards Marble Arch from Edgware Road, and with the weather still being lovely, I found H sitting at one of the tables outside.

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We had lots to catch up on, and managed to successfully be those annoying customers who don’t read their menus. We did however quickly wolf down the scrumptious baked jalapeño and cheddar scones that were brought out.

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The side plates are charming old fashioned china, each with different patterns.

Having lived for some years in Texas, I have a serious soft spot for this type of food and I was definitely a bit overexcited at what was on offer. Nachos, tortilla soup, enchiladas – the favourites are all there, but the plates coming out of the kitchen looked healthy, fresh and beautifully presented. Forget that bright orange cheese...

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By the time we were ready to order and our very patient waiter had answered all our questions, it was getting a little chilly and we migrated inside (typical Brits!).

But not before the man at the next table had informed us that the chicken wings were ‘as good as crack’…now there’s a review!

The tables and floorboards are polished wood, the napkins are linen and there are tea lights dotted around.

Look at the ceiling…

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I ordered a Strawberry Fields cocktail – vodka, fresh lime juice, strawberry, cucumber, basil and black pepper. There are some deadly sounding tequila cocktails on the list – if only it wasn’t mid week!

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We started with some ‘crab hush puppies’ which came with cajun dipping sauce. These are breaded balls of brown and white crab (one of my greatest weaknesses) and they are actually miniature bites of crabby heaven. (Not sure if that reads right, but I’m gonna go with it).

For main course, I had one of the sharing boards – how could I resist the combination of lobster and nachos? Also, why have I never thought of the combination of lobster and nachos?

So here it is – Dunny’s lobster nachos: native poached lobster, crisp tortillas, piquant pepper salsa, house smoked mozzarella, dorset cheddar, and fresh guacamole.

I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn’t get full up, but these nachos are packing some serious stuff. Each one – lobster, cool sour cream, tangy salsa – I think I could live on these.

H had the seabass, which came with lobster, mexican chorizo, crayfish bouillabaisse and summer greens.

On the side (strongly ignoring the mac’n’cheese) I went for succotash, an ole Southern favourite.

It was a smoky, bacon-y mix of corn and beans and I was very pleasantly surprised.

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After scraping our plates and talking a whole lot more, we popped downstairs to check out the bar.

It’s genteel take on a classic American bar, with a subtle nod to the saloon in the low lighting and wood details. There are more tables as well, which I have no doubt will be filling up fast over the weekend and coming weeks.

The Lockhart has been set up by two Texan couples who live in London. They have done a beautiful job and I would highly recommend putting it on your list to visit.

It’s my dream to help set up a restaurant like this one day…

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