Author: Alex

Mongolian Barbeque, Dublin, Ireland

- Alex Leave a comment

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date of visit: Monday 22 October 2012

Getting to Dublin had meant a very early start: up at 0330 to be ready to wake and feed the baby before jumping in a cab at 0430 for an early bargain basement flight.

This meant it was a long day and, by the time the toddler’s dinner time rolled around, we were all hungry, tired and ready to sit on the sofa in our apartment. Rock and roll.

And so we happened on Dublin’s Mongolian Barbeque, in the depths of Temple Bar. We were there so early we qualified for the early bird discount – all you can eat BBQ for €12 per person, rather than €16.

You may have realised, by now, that I normally eschew anything ‘all you can eat’, ‘buffet’ and such. However, I have done Mongolian BBQ once before (a long time ago) and enjoyed it and I knew that this was going to be the perfect way to feed a hungry toddler.

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The premise of Mongolian BBQ is that the diner makes a selection of foods which is then cooked by a chef on a large grill plate. It’s quite an interactive way of dining as you are up out of your chair, picking your food and watching it being cooked. It’s great for picky eaters as they have ultimate control over what goes in their bowl.

At Dublin’s Mongolian BBQ we were greeted warmly, and pram and high chair were sorted out swiftly. Wine and bowls of rice arrived and we were ready to hit the food.

There were suggested combinations although we found that making up our own was both more fun and tastier!

The tandoori chicken was a big hit with all of us, but there was also pork, beef and plain chicken. In addition, there was tofu, meaning that vegetarians are well catered for. There were plenty of fresh vegetables and a huge pile of egg noodles. After making your selection you add sauces and sauces before handing over to the chef.

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While it’s not an Irish night out by any stretch of the imagination, the Mongolian BBQ is a fun, flexible and cheap dinner. It is probably better suited to smaller groups – in a large group you could well find yourself doing a bit of waiting.

Early in the evening the restaurant was quiet but it was getting busier as we left, so consider an earlier start. The BBQ does also offer an extremely cheap lunch deal. However, I’d recommend the Mongolian BBQ for a fun meal even if you aren’t short of cash!

Mongolian Barbeque on Urbanspoon

The Fleece, Otley

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Date of visit: Monday 29 October 2012

In an age of easy communication it can be surprisingly difficult to organise catching up with geographically disparate friends. Even those who work with the cutting edge of technology.

A fair bit of last minute to-ing and fro-ing saw us loitering outside a supermarket in Otley, waiting for my mate who had suggested the Fleece for lunch. The food and beer were both supposed to be excellent.

On a Monday lunch time the Fleece was almost empty: hopefully this means that many of the good folk of Otley are gainfully employed. As far as I’m concerned, a generous choice of tables in a pub is always a good thing.

The Fleece is operated by WharfeBank Brewery so in addition to a small selection of real ales from other small brewers, three of WharfeBank’s own beers took pride of place on the bar. I tried a pint of WharfeBank’s CamFell.

The menu is a good size list of smartened up pub classics. Andy chose fish and chips (Steve commented that the piece of fish looked like it had come from a whale), Steve chose the burger (with cheese but no bacon) and I opted for the crispy pork belly with black pudding mash.

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The mains all hover around the £8-10 mark so this was by no means the cheapest pub meal you’ll find in the north of England, but it was very good. My pork belly (the only thing I managed to taste!) was tender and moist, its piece of crackling was crisp and, perhaps most importantly, it got the seal of approval from the toddler. The black pudding mash also got a thumbs up – there was plenty of black pudding and the chunks were all different sizes. My one criticism would be the gravy which was a bit thick and, um, commercial tasting.

Service wise, the barman we dealt with was super friendly and helpful. He was chatty and efficient and, from what I saw, a real asset to the pub.

As with pretty much everywhere in the UK (it seems!), the Fleece offers patrons free wifi – just ask at the bar for the password!

A big tick all round and definitely a pub worth making a trip to Otley for if you live nearby.

S Cafe, Grange-over-Sands

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Date of visit:  Friday 19 October 2012

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A week in the south Lakes with a toddler saw us frequenting a series of farms, aquaria and other outdoor activities. While natives of the area might have declined to join us on the basis that it was too cold or too wet, our enthusiasm remained, ahem, undampened.

We spent some time feeding the ducks in the Grange duck pond. The toddler grew tired of that pretty quickly, preferring first to people watch and then charge around the garden with a stick. After a while of “stick, stick, tree, tree” we decided it was time for a quiet sit down.

S Café advertises itself as selling the best coffee in Grange ‘or your money back’. Grange does have quite a few coffee houses, so this is no mean claim. We didn’t have the time to conduct a comprehensive survey but can report that S Café’s coffee is pretty good.

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Its coffee cake is also excellent, the vanilla slice rates as acceptable, while the shortbread is best described as poor (soggy and crumbly rather than super short and crumbly). The cakes were all served beautifully presented – with grapes (‘hello grapes!’ said the toddler, ‘pshaw shortbread!’) and a swirly S in raspberry.

Where things go wrong in S Café is the service. The lady who served me had clearly chosen the wrong career. A more dour demeanour I couldn’t have managed myself. At least I would have got the order right … When I asked for an Americano she queried whether I wanted milk (no) and yet she brought out a cappucino (printed docket as aide-memoire clearly no use). She then returned with an Americano – with milk. Why bother asking?

S Café did score quite highly on the child friendly front – while no one in the UK seems to be able to make a froth dominant babycino, S Café did have a generous selection of children’s toys to entertain younger patrons.

While S Café does indeed do a good coffee, the cakes are inconsistent and the service is well below par. Smiling at customers costs so little …

S Cafe on Urbanspoon