Back to the Marquis of Granby

The Marquis of Granby is one of our local pubs but I occasionally visit it for lunch. My last visit was just after the scattering of my Dad's ashes. He was a regular attender of the jazz nights so it seemed fitting to come here. Service is always friends here and food is good. There was mince and dumplings on the menu. As it was one of Dad's favourites, one of us opted for it in his memory! I recommend the Thai fishcakes.

Little Palace Cafe

On the Triangle in Crystal Palace, London, I had breakfast here recently. It's quite a busy establishment, possibly attracted by the relatively cheaply priced meals. Full English breakfast was available and cooked properly! The only problem seemed to be paying for it. We asked for the bill twice but no bill arrived. I eventually had to go to the counter to pay.

An enormous menu at the Thai Crystal

I ate at the Thai Crystal in Crystal Palace earlier this month. My abiding memory is of the enormous menu, running to over 170 items. I think this was a bit too much and left us hesitant as to what to select. Nevertheless, we made our choice and the food was good. Service with a smile in this restaurant as well. Prices are reasonable.



Over 170 items on the menu.

500 Degrees in Crystal Palace

We had dinner in 500 Degrees in Crystal Palace yesterday. The large and warming wood-fired pizza oven helped to attract us in. Good service and for pizzas, they were competitively priced. Worth a visit.

Burning my mouth at the Pack Horse

We had to be in Burnopfield in Co Durham on Wednesday so we called into the Pack Horse for lunch. We've eaten there a handful of times previously. Service is good and prices are competitive. Sadly my choice of lunch was disappointing. The nachos were far too salty and the flavouring was overpowering. The scampi that was ordered as well on the other hand was good.

The pub itself was busy and was clearly popular with families, though it was half term.

Cafe St Germain in Crystal Palace

I am back in London for a few days sorting out my flat. So I'm back on familiar territory. Lunch today was at the Cafe St Germain on Crystal Palace Parade. It was a good job we were not in a hurry. We had to wait 25 minutes after our teas arrived before our lunch was brought to our table. In the cafe's defense, they were very busy. It's clearly a popular establishment. Food reasonable, prices competitive.

Miller and Carter Steakhouse in Newcastle

I visited Miller and Carter Steakhouse in Newcastle last week with a group of friends. Good service and a first class meal, though not cheap. Despite being a a steakhouse, it also caters for vegetarians. Well worth a visit.

Harry Clasper in Whickham

The Harry Clasper is Wetherspoon's relatively recent addition to the crop of pubs in Whickham. I called there last Friday for a cheap lunch. Prices here are very competitive and I made the mistake of thinking the portions would be small. They weren't! I ordered a "small" plate of tortilla chips and to make up for the fact it was "small", I ordered a plate of potato chips. The small plate would have been sufficient.

Yak and Yeti in Crystal Palace

Back in London in September and I needed an evening meal. The Yak and Yeti in Crystal Palace is usually quiet so getting a table was not a problem. The food is always good and competitively priced.

Valentino Italian Restaurant, Bournemouth

I was part of a group of 30 people when I visited this restaurant on Exeter Road when I was in Bournemouth last month. The restaurant had no problem catering for us, despite the rest of it being packed. Good food and reasonably priced with friendly and amusing staff.

Cumberland Hotel, Bournemouth

I spent 3 days in Bournemouth last month and booked myself into the Cumberland Hotel for 2 nights. I had a single room, comfortable enough but I found nothing especially interesting or outstanding in the hotel. It was an okay stay. The only grumble I had was that when I returned to the hotel on my first evening, I needed a meal, but I found room services to be very unhelpful when I phoned them. My second call was a bit more successful. I got a sandwich and bag of crisps for a mere £13. I should have gone out to a chippie instead but there was nothing around.

Burger at the Marquis of Granby

The Marquis of Granby near Streetgate is less than 2km from where I live. I've had lunch there abut 3 or 4 times this year. The most recent was last Saturday when I attended a Sunniside History Society event at the pub to launch a local history DVD.

I had a burger for lunch. Competitively priced and good quality food. Helpful staff as well.

Glendale Show - the video

I recently got round to editing the video I filmed at the Glendale Show in August, so here it is.

Pizza at the Palace

I needed to be in London overnight on Saturday so I stayed at our flat in Crystal Palace. There was no food in so I headed up to the Crystal Palace Triangle and opted for Pizza at the Palace, on the grounds that it wasn't heaving with people and, on past experience, it does good food at a competitive price. Again, the restaurant came up to expectation. I went for the £10.95 meal - a starter (olives), a pasta dish and a bottle of beer. I added to it a dessert (ice cream) and a coffee.

The Bowes Show

Every year we go to the Bowes Agricultural Show in Co Durham. We were there again on Saturday. Despite a few sharp downpours, we had a good time though our performance in the various preserve-making and baking competitions did not match our performances in previous years.

Photos above were taken on the day.

Glendale Show

I was actually due to be in North Wales this bank holiday weekend but plans were changed after a friend became ill. We stayed in the North East but took the opportunity to go to the Glendale Agricultural Show near Wooler in North Northumberland. Our arrival was delayed by an accident on the A697 but we spent 3 years at the show. A good time had by all though at £14 a ticket, the entry fee was not cheap.