My first ever visit to Kebab Mahal was atleast 2 years ago. Tub's dad had discovered it when taken there by a business associate and the family had been going ever since.
From the outside, it's easily over-looked as a grubby take away. if you dare to venture in, you will find outdated far-eastern style decor with formica tables. Not the most appealing, but don't write it off until you taste the food I say.
If I recall correctly, the first time I ordered a Chicken Tikka Masala. Tub went for the Chicken Rogan Josh as usual. We had a Shish Kebab for starter, which came with a hot chilli sauce and a milder yoghurt sauce, with fresh onions, sliced cabbage, tomato and cucumber, The kebabs come sausaged shaped, and contained lamb and spices. At around £2, it was excellent value and tasted delicious.
After we finished our starter, our mains arrived not much later. As curries are made to order, they can take quite a while to come but seeing as the place wasn't that busy, they didn't take too long.
The Masala was a creamy yellow colour with generous chunks of chicken and accompanied by a huge pile of steaming rice. Tub, who doesn't like rice, had asked for a garlic naan, which arrived smelling fantastic with a generous coating of garlic. His Rogan Josh looked excellent too, with a variety of spices and herbs.
The curries were roughly around £6 each. Mine included rice while we paid about £1.50 for the naan. Considering the portion sizes, Kebab Mahal is very good value. If you do visit, you will notice that mostly the clientele are of asian decent, which in my book, is a sign of quality.
There is also a fridge where you help yourself to a chilled drink, however all tables are served with a jug of water and glasses on request. At the counter, there are usually a selection of asian desserts. All meals are also available as take away too but there is no delivery service.
For people of more simpler tastes, Kebab Mahal offer a selections of pizzas and turkish kebabs. The pizza bases are made of naan bread and aren't that great, but the kebabs are good and cheap too.
Thanks to Tub's love of curry, we are regular visitors. The staff treat us like old friends, and although their english is not great, you are always greated with a warm welcome. For me, there is no where else you can get an authentic curry like those served in Kebab Mahal. I really would recommend this to curry lovers who want a real taste of Pak-Indo cuisine.
Food 9/10
Price 9/10
Service 8/10
kebab Mahal
Nicholson Square,
Edinburgh
(Parking is available accross the square for around £1.50 an hour)
http://www.kebab-mahal.co.uk/
Showing posts with label Dining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dining. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
The Riverhouse, Stirling
After passing the Riverhouse on many occasions, I'd often made a mental reminder to pay it a visit and when that time came, I was not dissapointed.
It was a Wednesday night, over a year ago. Tub picked me up at work and we had the idea of going as a spur of moment kind of thing. Now the Riverhouse has a good reputation in this area and is apparently owned by TV presenter Carol Smiley's husband.
Set on what the website discribes as a 'Loch side setting', The building is close to the motorway and nestles in the shadow of Stirling Castle. When you walk into the restaurant, you just know it's going to be expensive but satisifying.
We opted for a drink before our meal in the small bar area where we were shown the menu. As it was only 5pm there was a special early menu, offering two courses and a drink for £12.95 each.
Around ten minutes later we were shown to a quiet table with a view of what they call a loch (in my opinion, a pond.)
We decided to order a salad for starters, with salmon for me and chicken for Tub for mains. The starter arrived and was very well presented, but slightly over-priced for the size.
The mains made up for this though. My Salmon came topped with a slice of smoked salmon in a delicious creamy sauce and a shared side serving of fresh veg. The chicken looked promising two, complete with haggis and a whiskey sauce. Both were a little small, but Tub admitted he wished he had picked the salmon when I told him it was the best I had tasted.
We finished off the meal with a small portion of cheesecake between us which presentation wise, was excellent, but the taste left a lot to be desired.
All together, the Riverhouse was everything I expected it to be. The overall taste of the food was excellent, but portion size was small. I'm sure I will visit again for a special occasion or to try the lunch menu.
Food 9/10
Price 7/10 A little pretentious
Service 8/10
Riverhouse Restaurant,
Castle Business Park,
Stirling
http://www.riverhouserestaurant.co.uk/home.htm
It was a Wednesday night, over a year ago. Tub picked me up at work and we had the idea of going as a spur of moment kind of thing. Now the Riverhouse has a good reputation in this area and is apparently owned by TV presenter Carol Smiley's husband.
Set on what the website discribes as a 'Loch side setting', The building is close to the motorway and nestles in the shadow of Stirling Castle. When you walk into the restaurant, you just know it's going to be expensive but satisifying.
We opted for a drink before our meal in the small bar area where we were shown the menu. As it was only 5pm there was a special early menu, offering two courses and a drink for £12.95 each.
Around ten minutes later we were shown to a quiet table with a view of what they call a loch (in my opinion, a pond.)
We decided to order a salad for starters, with salmon for me and chicken for Tub for mains. The starter arrived and was very well presented, but slightly over-priced for the size.
The mains made up for this though. My Salmon came topped with a slice of smoked salmon in a delicious creamy sauce and a shared side serving of fresh veg. The chicken looked promising two, complete with haggis and a whiskey sauce. Both were a little small, but Tub admitted he wished he had picked the salmon when I told him it was the best I had tasted.
We finished off the meal with a small portion of cheesecake between us which presentation wise, was excellent, but the taste left a lot to be desired.
All together, the Riverhouse was everything I expected it to be. The overall taste of the food was excellent, but portion size was small. I'm sure I will visit again for a special occasion or to try the lunch menu.
Food 9/10
Price 7/10 A little pretentious
Service 8/10
Riverhouse Restaurant,
Castle Business Park,
Stirling
http://www.riverhouserestaurant.co.uk/home.htm
Abercromby Arms, Tullibody
One of my favourite, most simple places to eat has got to be the Ab, in the small Clackmannanshire town of Tullibody. I discovered this place after my dad had taken us a few years back and have been going ever since.
The restaurant itself is attached to a lively pub and a small hotel. The whole building was renovated a few years ago when it was taken over, then started doing food. Tullibody isn't a place I would like to take a walk in late at night, but the Ab is situated on the main street so there's no need to wander into some of the scarey looking estates.
The last time we went was after a busy day at work, around 4 weeks ago. It was a Friday night and not too busy so we had ur pick of tables. For a starter we decided to get a shared one v(around £4). This arrived promptly and nicely presented with a selection of pakoras, chicken goujons, mozarella sticks, breaded mushrooms and onion rings with a little salad and two dips. It was quite a portion even shared between two, which left us with the concern of how we would finish our mains. But worry not, we made a good attempt when the main courses arrived.
For the mains, we had ordered chicken margarita for me and Tub had his usual steak pie and chips. (both around £6)
The chicken arrived in the form of two huge butterfly breasts covered in the most perfect tomato sauce with melted cheese on top. There was a mountain of chips next to a side salad and a tasty portion of proper coleslaw and it was at this point I wondered why we had left it so long since our last visit.
Tub's steak pie looked amazing too. Huge chunks of tender steak in a lovely gravy topped with puff pastry. It came with fresh veg and a pile of chips that didn't last long at all.
No matter how we try, we never finish our meals at the Ab. Starter or no starter, it's impossible to fit it all in and this time, like every other time, we left very happy customers after paying the very reasonable bill.
I cannot recommend the Ab enough. It would take a lot to beat this place for simple home cooked food with modest prices.
Food 10/10 perfect
Price 9/10 extremely good value
Service 8/10 not bad at all
The Abercromby Arms,
Stirling Road
Tullibody
Clackmannanshire
The restaurant itself is attached to a lively pub and a small hotel. The whole building was renovated a few years ago when it was taken over, then started doing food. Tullibody isn't a place I would like to take a walk in late at night, but the Ab is situated on the main street so there's no need to wander into some of the scarey looking estates.
The last time we went was after a busy day at work, around 4 weeks ago. It was a Friday night and not too busy so we had ur pick of tables. For a starter we decided to get a shared one v(around £4). This arrived promptly and nicely presented with a selection of pakoras, chicken goujons, mozarella sticks, breaded mushrooms and onion rings with a little salad and two dips. It was quite a portion even shared between two, which left us with the concern of how we would finish our mains. But worry not, we made a good attempt when the main courses arrived.
For the mains, we had ordered chicken margarita for me and Tub had his usual steak pie and chips. (both around £6)
The chicken arrived in the form of two huge butterfly breasts covered in the most perfect tomato sauce with melted cheese on top. There was a mountain of chips next to a side salad and a tasty portion of proper coleslaw and it was at this point I wondered why we had left it so long since our last visit.
Tub's steak pie looked amazing too. Huge chunks of tender steak in a lovely gravy topped with puff pastry. It came with fresh veg and a pile of chips that didn't last long at all.
No matter how we try, we never finish our meals at the Ab. Starter or no starter, it's impossible to fit it all in and this time, like every other time, we left very happy customers after paying the very reasonable bill.
I cannot recommend the Ab enough. It would take a lot to beat this place for simple home cooked food with modest prices.
Food 10/10 perfect
Price 9/10 extremely good value
Service 8/10 not bad at all
The Abercromby Arms,
Stirling Road
Tullibody
Clackmannanshire
A weekend in Manchester. TGI's
Last August, after quitting my job, Tub and I decided to take a weekend break in Manchester. My job had given me the holidays they owed me and Tub was starting his new job in a matter of weeks so we knew it may be our only chance to get away together for quite a while.
A week or so in advance I searched the web for hotels in the Manchester area. It was always a city I had been curious about, but despite living only an hour away in my early teens, I had never got the chance to see. So taking advantage of a deal on the travelodge website, we booked for two nights staying in Rochdale.
The hotel itself was easy to find. We settled into our room and decided to go into the city for dinner. We found a TGI Fridays, and as neither of us had been to one before, we gave it a go.
With it being a Friday night, the restaurant was busy. It had a nice family friendly atmosphere and we were shown to a table straight away. For a starter I had spicy king prawns and Tub opted for Jack Daniels chicken strips. Both were good quality, but not much to the quantity.
For a main course, which arrived promptly after the starter, I had Cajun Chicken Penne and a barbeque chicken salad was ordered for Tub. The pasta was honestly one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. Luckily for me, it was served in a deceivingly large dish which I only just finished.
At £9.29 for a bowl of pasta, it is a little on the expensive side, but I will definetely be going back for more.
Over the other side of the table, Tub was tucking into his salad. Not one for usually ordering salads (I suspect he worries it damages his manly image) he certainly was happy with his choice, so much so there was barely a word spoken between us during the main course.
Stuffed full, we couldn't have possibly have managed a dessert. Quite satisfied we wobbled back to the hotel.
Overall, the dining experience at TGI's was a pleasant one, especially for a busy evening in Manchester and for it being a chain restaurant (which we usually avoid!)
Food 9/10 Brilliant and creative
Price 6/10 A bit expensive
Service 8/10 Friendly and efficient.
TGI Friday's
Valley Park Road
Prestwich
Manchester
Part two of the Manchester experience continues....
A week or so in advance I searched the web for hotels in the Manchester area. It was always a city I had been curious about, but despite living only an hour away in my early teens, I had never got the chance to see. So taking advantage of a deal on the travelodge website, we booked for two nights staying in Rochdale.
The hotel itself was easy to find. We settled into our room and decided to go into the city for dinner. We found a TGI Fridays, and as neither of us had been to one before, we gave it a go.
With it being a Friday night, the restaurant was busy. It had a nice family friendly atmosphere and we were shown to a table straight away. For a starter I had spicy king prawns and Tub opted for Jack Daniels chicken strips. Both were good quality, but not much to the quantity.
For a main course, which arrived promptly after the starter, I had Cajun Chicken Penne and a barbeque chicken salad was ordered for Tub. The pasta was honestly one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. Luckily for me, it was served in a deceivingly large dish which I only just finished.
At £9.29 for a bowl of pasta, it is a little on the expensive side, but I will definetely be going back for more.
Over the other side of the table, Tub was tucking into his salad. Not one for usually ordering salads (I suspect he worries it damages his manly image) he certainly was happy with his choice, so much so there was barely a word spoken between us during the main course.
Stuffed full, we couldn't have possibly have managed a dessert. Quite satisfied we wobbled back to the hotel.
Overall, the dining experience at TGI's was a pleasant one, especially for a busy evening in Manchester and for it being a chain restaurant (which we usually avoid!)
Food 9/10 Brilliant and creative
Price 6/10 A bit expensive
Service 8/10 Friendly and efficient.
TGI Friday's
Valley Park Road
Prestwich
Manchester
Part two of the Manchester experience continues....
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