[Dining Review]

[ferretchucker]

Don't ask about the square brackets...I just like them :p

What I thought might be "fun" is to post about interesting dining experiences. Let's face it, some restaurants are god awful, but then others are fantastic. Either the food is sublime, the service has an interesting gimmick or just the setting is a bit surreal.

For one, I always love the long table seating in Wagamama. Not sure if you have it in the states, but essentially it's a noodle bar. However the seating is communal. As in, your dining party sits directly next to total strangers who are in turn next to strangers. I always enjoy that just because it's fantastic for people watching...and listening.

[hammerfan]

Hmm, I think my favorite places to eat are Pappas, which is just a local diner-type joint, and Lucky's Coffee Shop, a great place with an eclectic menu.

[newb]

Shoguns is fun....we have one in R.I.

Xu_mZM7Eodo

Food's great too

[ferretchucker]

I think my grandmother went to one of those. That's basically what she described to me and yeah, it does sound pretty damn fun. And it gives you a good reason why not to put your elbows on the table :D

[Diabolical]

I like Outback Steakhouse and Red Lobster. My wife loves Kobe Jap Steakhouse. I havent tried it yet. Speaking of, I was just at Red Lobster last weekend and the waitress was feeling all over my arms looking at my tattoos. Then while we were eating the manager came over to see my tattoos. I thought it was pretty rude for a manager to do that. Am I overreacting?

[ferretchucker]

Then while we were eating the manager came over to see my tattoos. I thought it was pretty rude for a manager to do that. Am I overreacting?

Depends how awesome these tattoos were! What are we talking here?

Show us a picture here \/

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33520&page=4


Has anybody ever been to a Logan's Roadhouse? Every time we go to America we relish in those places. I mean, come on! It's done in the style of a roadside bar, but the gimmick is that each table has a bucket of shelled monkey nuts. You crack it open, eat the nuts, and chuck the shell on the floor. Nutshells everywhere. The food itself is...passable. Nothing fantastic but nothing disappointing.

[Sistinas666]

Has anybody ever been to a Logan's Roadhouse? Every time we go to America we relish in those places. I mean, come on! It's done in the style of a roadside bar, but the gimmick is that each table has a bucket of shelled monkey nuts. You crack it open, eat the nuts, and chuck the shell on the floor. Nutshells everywhere. The food itself is...passable. Nothing fantastic but nothing disappointing.


Lol, I almost mentioned that place earlier in this thread. It has pretty decent food and the peanut gimmick is cool(my 2 sons love it).

I tried Outback Steakhouse once in Joplin Missouri, I thought it sucked and have vowed to never go to another one(dry, tough steak and stringy/rubbery lobster, yuck!)

[Diabolical]

Depends how awesome these tattoos were! What are we talking here?

Show us a picture here \/

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33520&page=4


.

ok, i posted my work.

[Ferox13]

Am I overreacting?
No - its rude to maul someone without their permission. Its worse that its in an establishment that you were paying to eat in....

[hueyisme]

Whenever I go to the states which is about once a month I go to Jack in the Box, they have some of the best hamburgers in the world. In most cases the food in Mexico is better, but American hamburgers and pizza tastes like something you find in a barnyard.

[BookZombie]

Me and my hubby's favorite restaurant is this Mongolian Barbecue, the gimmick of the place is that you fill your place with a selection of meat and vegetables, then you take that to the chef who fry it for you. All i very nice, however you have this chef, and seriously he look like he belong as a bad guy in a bad Martial Arts movie, his face is like carved from stone and he never, ever smiles or changes facial expression, I can just see him tossing fireballs at the heroes and bragging about what he will do to the kidnapped Princess once he is done with them and when he manhandles your food you just know that this is not a guy to piss off. He makes good food though. :D

[TheWickerFan]

I have a double-bill. The Swiss Hutte. It's a bed and breakfast place in Hillsdale, New York (home of Hill House) with a five star restaurant. It's a ski resort, so it's nice and quiet (and cheaper) during the late spring/ early summer.

http://www.lanierbb.com/images/?path=/bb/bb5755.jpg&size=&compression=40

[Diabolical]

Whenever I go to the states which is about once a month I go to Jack in the Box, they have some of the best hamburgers in the world. In most cases the food in Mexico is better, but American hamburgers and pizza tastes like something you find in a barnyard.

thats because cows live on a farm. they might even live in a barn. hamburger comes from a cow....too bad your economy sucks or else mexico might be a nice place to live.

[Diabolical]

Me and my hubby's favorite restaurant is this Mongolian Barbecue, the gimmick of the place is that you fill your place with a selection of meat and vegetables, then you take that to the chef who fry it for you. All i very nice, however you have this chef, and seriously he look like he belong as a bad guy in a bad Martial Arts movie, his face is like carved from stone and he never, ever smiles or changes facial expression, I can just see him tossing fireballs at the heroes and bragging about what he will do to the kidnapped Princess once he is done with them and when he manhandles your food you just know that this is not a guy to piss off. He makes good food though. :D

is this seriously the type of shit you think on a daily basis?

[BookZombie]

Yes it is and I am quite proud of it, I have fantasy, science fiction and horror on my mind constantly. I would ask you what you think on a daily basis but I suspect you do not think all that regularly so it would be a moot point.

[Diabolical]

Yes it is and I am quite proud of it, I have fantasy, science fiction and horror on my mind constantly. I would ask you what you think on a daily basis but I suspect you do not think all that regularly so it would be a moot point.

making quick money. violence. and no, i dont think too much, i usually just act. you should think about jogging.

[BookZombie]

I am not much for jogging, I belly dance instead.

[Diabolical]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QyPHbqu8r68/TKd7HN3WyWI/AAAAAAAAAE4/XJmhMg_cHO4/s1600/throw-up.gif

[BookZombie]

How classy. I know who is hiding behind your nick, you are my three year old nephew right? i knew you where a bright kid learning to write at such a early age, good for you.

[Diabolical]

How classy. I know who is hiding behind your nick, you are my three year old nephew right? i knew you where a bright kid learning to write at such a early age, good for you.

your comments are failing at a miserable rate. go tie yourself up. have your husband whip you and slice your nipples with razors. it'll make you feel better.

[BookZombie]

Indulging in troll feeding have a tendency to fail yes. However it is oh so fun to watch you make a fool out of yourself, though you are right, bedroom activities might be more entertaining, at least until you get out of the puke and poop stage, after all like I said I have a three year old nephew, kids have a period around that age where such things are very interesting, and I get enough from him. It is no fun to make fun of a mentally challenged troll, it is just to easy.

Now if you excuse me, breaking the rules of this forum is just not worth it to make fun of a sad looser who have nothing better to do than to pick fights with random people on the Internet, for no apparent good reason. I do not know if it is that you are not intelligent enough to participate on the forum on a normal way, or if you are so upset that I disagreed with you on the religions thread that you have nothing better to do than to run around the forum and bother me. Now I am flattered by all the attention, I really am, but really, you need to get yourself a life. Anyway I am done with you, it was fun for a while but I would much rather discuss horror movies and books than to argue with a man with the maturity level of a three year old.

[ferretchucker]

Me and my hubby's favorite restaurant is this Mongolian Barbecue, the gimmick of the place is that you fill your place with a selection of meat and vegetables, then you take that to the chef who fry it for you.

There's an all you can eat buffet about 40 minutes away in Cambridge that I went to like that. It is pretty fun, although I found I did the classic buffet mistake of thinking "I'll try that...ooh that looks nice...yeah, I can manage 30 of them..." and ended up leaving half of the stuff on my plate.

Has anybody been to one of those Sushi Bars with the conveyor belts? They look fun. I think I'm just a sucker for gimmicks...

[Diabolical]

Indulging in troll feeding have a tendency to fail yes. However it is oh so fun to watch you make a fool out of yourself, though you are right, bedroom activities might be more entertaining, at least until you get out of the puke and poop stage, after all like I said I have a three year old nephew, kids have a period around that age where such things are very interesting, and I get enough from him. It is no fun to make fun of a mentally challenged troll, it is just to easy.

Now if you excuse me, breaking the rules of this forum is just not worth it to make fun of a sad looser who have nothing better to do than to pick fights with random people on the Internet, for no apparent good reason. I do not know if it is that you are not intelligent enough to participate on the forum on a normal way, or if you are so upset that I disagreed with you on the religions thread that you have nothing better to do than to run around the forum and bother me. Now I am flattered by all the attention, I really am, but really, you need to get yourself a life. Anyway I am done with you, it was fun for a while but I would much rather discuss horror movies and books than to argue with a man with the maturity level of a three year old.

picking fights isnt worth breaking the rules? LOL. Is there a fine to pay? So you type an essay on it anyway. Wouldnt it have made sense to just ignore me? I never called you any direct names, i just thought you came off as snotty in the religion thread. what do really expect in a RELIGION thread? Peace?

And why the hell is the word "troll" thrown around so much these days? troll this troll that. i think people on the internet are getting softer and softer.

[BookZombie]

There's an all you can eat buffet about 40 minutes away in Cambridge that I went to like that. It is pretty fun, although I found I did the classic buffet mistake of thinking "I'll try that...ooh that looks nice...yeah, I can manage 30 of them..." and ended up leaving half of the stuff on my plate.

My mother and I sometimes take the boat from Oslo to Denmark and sometimes to Germany, they have some great buffets on those ships. But yes the belly fill up before the eyes as we say over here. :)

[ferretchucker]

So true. It doesn't help that all you can eat buffets are so uncommon in England! I swear, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I first went to America. Who gives a fuck if it makes people fat? They get fat happy.


Or perhaps a better word is Jolly..

[Sistinas666]

I recently discovered a local place called Kyoto. Its a huge all you can eat buffet thats mostly chinese but has a little of everything. It also has the mongolian bbq buffet were you pick the raw stuff and the guy cooks it. Absolutely amazing! I swear I gained 20 lbs and waddled out.......

[BookZombie]

Well I am overweight and it was not the few times I can afford such restaurant visits that made me this way :P It is the everyday habits that affect ones weight not the days one do a little extra, or as my mother like to say, it is not what you eat between Christmas and New Year's Eve which makes you fat, it is what you eat between new Year's Eve and Christmas.

All you can eat buffets is not that common in Norway and they tend to be expensive, but boy are they good. A few times though the local pizza place have all you can eat buffets, last time I was at one was during the summer meet up of the the local Aspergers support group I am at. We wolfed down pizza and discussed horror movies and hauntings all to the dismay of the people arranging the meet up, it was great.

[The_Return]

You want gimmick restaurants? Hit up New York City - its crawling with them.

My favourite by far: Jekyll & Hyde's. Whole thing's themed like an old-school monster movie...creepy Maître d' escorts you to your table, checks in on you from time to time to weird you out...picture frames on the walls that move...skeletons everywhere...classic horror trailers playing on screens...all kinds of awesomeness.

Its cheesy tourist stuff for sure, and the food wasn't anything special...but the atmosphere is just too damn cool to pass up.

[BookZombie]

My favourite by far: Jekyll & Hyde's. Whole thing's themed like an old-school monster movie...creepy Maître d' escorts you to your table, checks in on you from time to time to weird you out...picture frames on the walls that move...skeletons everywhere...classic horror trailers playing on screens...all kinds of awesomeness.

If I am ever in New York I have to go eat at this place, I do not care what the food tastes like, sounds like an experience to visit the place in and off itself. :D

[ferretchucker]

You want gimmick restaurants? Hit up New York City - its crawling with them.

My favourite by far: Jekyll & Hyde's. Whole thing's themed like an old-school monster movie...creepy Maître d' escorts you to your table, checks in on you from time to time to weird you out...picture frames on the walls that move...skeletons everywhere...classic horror trailers playing on screens...all kinds of awesomeness.

Its cheesy tourist stuff for sure, and the food wasn't anything special...but the atmosphere is just too damn cool to pass up.

Anyone up for an HDC reunion? I think I know where we can go for dinner now ;)

It's odd though. In all of this debate of gimmicks and so on, I've forgotten about my favourite, oh so simple dining experience. A good old fashioned roast dinner carvery at a country pub. Can't beat that on a Sunday.

[Sistinas666]

In all of this debate of gimmicks and so on, I've forgotten about my favourite, oh so simple dining experience. A good old fashioned roast dinner carvery at a country pub. Can't beat that on a Sunday.


What is a "roast dinner carvey"?:confused: I've never heard that expression before.

[Diabolical]

buffets are shit unless you're on a cruise ship. you arent getting quality food. a meal at any restaraunt is too much for me to eat anyway.

[hueyisme]

Theres a local place here called Pablitos. They have the best quesotacos in the world. One is enough for a meal, I had two last time I was there and I know what you mean by waddling.

[ferretchucker]

What is a "roast dinner carvey"?:confused: I've never heard that expression before.

A carvery is what you get in most pubs and hotels on sundays. It's a one stop buffet roast dinner. There are usually four or five meats to choose from which the chef carves for you. You go on to select your vegetables, yorkshire puddings etc. and add gravy then go down and eat.

[Sistinas666]

A carvery is what you get in most pubs and hotels on sundays. It's a one stop buffet roast dinner. There are usually four or five meats to choose from which the chef carves for you. You go on to select your vegetables, yorkshire puddings etc. and add gravy then go down and eat.


That sounds awesome! God i'm starving............:o

[Diabolical]

sounds like they stole it from the brazilians.

[crabapple]

Hey, I had fish n chips at a local Brit-run pub here, they are out in Venice. It was really good! And the first time me having fish n chips. Always wondered what that stuff was like! And I believe there was brown sauce in a squirt bottle. It was brown and tasted like no other condiment sauce I have had.

[Diabolical]

isnt fish and chips just fried fish and potatos?

[crabapple]

Basically, yeah. I was hoping there would be subtle nuances to the preparation, though, peculiar to the variation, and there were.

[TheWickerFan]

I live in New York. Hardly a week goes by that we don't have genuine New York pizzeria pizza. Tasty.:D

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rUyfOI7LHdE/Shw4g93TpWI/AAAAAAAABKw/HJcytBzDH2E/s400/New+York+Pizza.JPG

[crabapple]

Oh, that looks good! I am a sucker for a delicious pizza, as my associates well know. Pizza, Pepsi, some peeps, and three videotapes, that is a mildly entertaining evening right there.

[BookZombie]

A carvery is what you get in most pubs and hotels on sundays. It's a one stop buffet roast dinner. There are usually four or five meats to choose from which the chef carves for you. You go on to select your vegetables, yorkshire puddings etc. and add gravy then go down and eat.

Sounds yummy. I would like to try such a restaurant at one time or another.

[Diabolical]

Basically, yeah. I was hoping there would be subtle nuances to the preparation, though, peculiar to the variation, and there were.

i guess im confused to your reaction. I have fried fish probably once a week.

[Sistinas666]

Sounds yummy. I would like to try such a restaurant at one time or another.


Me too!:D Beer and slabs of beef= heaven!

[Fearonsarms]

I went to Wagamamas once and never again-poor potions of noodles and veg-the salad I had was more generus but not worth the price at all. Really loved the Mogolian Barbecue that someone mentioned-highly recommend that cos when I went you could eat as much as you wanted for a cheap fixed price with plenty of fried veg. If I'm going to random restaurants I'll usually have a mushroom pizza or a veggie burger cos you can't usually go wrong with those.

[ferretchucker]

I can't believe you guys don't have carveries! They're common as anything over here. Although, come to think of it, how common are roast dinners in the US? This is a genuine question - I don't think I ever really see them on TV shows. The full shebang with chicken, roast potatoes, peas, carrots, yorkshire puddings, gravy, sage and onion stuffing, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc. ?

Same with Chippies in regards to how common they are. I can think of at least 7 in my town alone, and it's not a huge town.

I guess the chips are a bit different because they're a lot chunkier than fries. They tend to be a lot softer because they have more potato and less of a coating.
http://www.windmillsshopping.co.uk/images/thumbnails/0000/0725/wm-chippy01_full.jpg

As for brown sauce, that stuff is the shiznit! I have it with most meals. I heard once that it's called steak sauce in America? It's a vegetable mix that's mildly spicy and has a somewhat pickled/fermented flavour.
http://www.beatmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2e57hb5.jpg

[hueyisme]

New York pizza sounds great. Ive never been to New York but Ive heard great reviews about the pizza. I wish I had some now, as Mexican pizza sucks. In Mexico if you eat where the locals eat, Mexican food is the best food in the world. If you eat in the American resturants here, the food is the worst.

[Sistinas666]

I can't believe you guys don't have carveries! They're common as anything over here. Although, come to think of it, how common are roast dinners in the US? This is a genuine question - I don't think I ever really see them on TV shows. The full shebang with chicken, roast potatoes, peas, carrots, yorkshire puddings, gravy, sage and onion stuffing, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc. ?

Same with Chippies in regards to how common they are. I can think of at least 7 in my town alone, and it's not a huge town.

I guess the chips are a bit different because they're a lot chunkier than fries. They tend to be a lot softer because they have more potato and less of a coating.
http://www.windmillsshopping.co.uk/images/thumbnails/0000/0725/wm-chippy01_full.jpg

As for brown sauce, that stuff is the shiznit! I have it with most meals. I heard once that it's called steak sauce in America? It's a vegetable mix that's mildly spicy and has a somewhat pickled/fermented flavour.
http://www.beatmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2e57hb5.jpg

Roast beef dinners are a bit uncommon here at restraunts, mostly its always been a sunday dinner by the wife/mother/grandmother in my family. It usually consists of a beef roast with potatos, cabbage, carrots, and onions. There are also rolls, salad, and dessert. Tomorrow I am firing up my smoker and smoking a pork butt *insert joke here*. Probably will have baked beans, corn on the cob, and homemade coleslaw with it!(I can't wait as I have the munchies right now) :D




Also, that picture of fish and chips looks exactly like what our Long John Silvers looks like. I mean it totally looks like LJS, like the pic is from a commercial for LJS.......

[newb]

"As for brown sauce, that stuff is the shiznit! I have it with most meals. I heard once that it's called steak sauce in America? It's a vegetable mix that's mildly spicy and has a somewhat pickled/fermented flavour."


sounds like our A1 sauce

http://www.momsbudget.com/coupons/images/a1.jpg

[crabapple]

It's funny...a funny thing about that steak sauce stuff. I like it okay, but not with steak! I find the stuff tastes dreadful on steak, ends up just sort of masking the flavor with its weirdness. But on other things, potatoes and veggies and whatnot, I think it is lovely.

[BookZombie]

Me too!:D Beer and slabs of beef= heaven!

Movie night at my house, homemade food, quite often something like beef or a roast, with baked potato and vegetables. Horror movies on the TV, and me with orange juice and my hubby with a glass of good whiskey, those are the times life is great to live. :D

[ferretchucker]

It's funny...a funny thing about that steak sauce stuff. I like it okay, but not with steak! I find the stuff tastes dreadful on steak, ends up just sort of masking the flavor with its weirdness. But on other things, potatoes and veggies and whatnot, I think it is lovely.

It goes superbly with a cheese toasty.


Interesting dining experience - Went to a pub yesterday that sold pork scratchings by the "half pint" in, well...half pint glasses. Very odd.

[BookZombie]

Ok so my hubby, me and my hubby's best friend where going out for pizza. We ordered a custom pizza with one half being a standard number from the menu, the the other half being chicken and scampi. I do not know how many times we tried to explain this to the obviously mentally challenged girl taking our order. Half in half custom pizza, one side nr 35 the other side chicken and scampi, that should not be to hard to get.

Eventually I pulled out a pen and paper and drew a pizza, divided it by a line and wrote this side chicken and scampi and this side nr 35, still the woman did not get it. She asked things like: so you want scampi all over the pizza? Do you want two pizzas, do you want nr 35 with scampi? We could not get her to understand what we where trying to order so we ended up having to order a nr 35 and not a custom, which off course lost them money as the customs are more expensive. I think that girl must have been the most stupid person I have ever met, either that or she was high and her mind where somewhere else.

[Diabolical]

I ca

I guess the chips are a bit different because they're a lot chunkier than fries. They tend to be a lot softer because they have more potato and less of a coating.
]

do you think of mcdonalds fires when you think of fires? they are many different types of fries. the ones you pictured would be considered steak fries.

[crabapple]

BZ, your pizza ordering story scares me. Once I went out to hang with some buddies in a desert city north of here, and everyone in the town was stupid, as if they had been bored by their environment and could no longer think. Maybe it was the bright sun reflecting off all the dirt. Hard to say.

You would go to the local hamburger place and ask for a meal and the person would stand there for a long time and say "Uhhhhhh, uhhhhhhh......what is it you want again?" or something similar.

[BookZombie]

I have s story which is almost as bad though it did not happen in a restaurant. My best friend is a co owner of a Internet cafe, now he had hired my hubby to do some maintenance on their servers. One day I dropped by to give a message to my hubby and I asked the vacant eyed girl in behind the counter if my hubby where there. She chewed her gum and said she did not know who that was. So I asked her about the man who had been hired to fix the servers, she only looked at me with a deer cough in the headlight sort of way. Then I asked her if my best friend was in, I asked for him by name, she said she did not know who that was. I said, the owner of this place, your boss is he in. The girl look at me confused and said. "I do not know, but you can go down and check." And with that she sent me down into the server room where the cafe's most expensive equipment was without knowing who I was or without checking on me in any way, but then as she did not even know her own boss's name I do not know what I could expect.

[ferretchucker]

do you think of mcdonalds fires when you think of fires? they are many different types of fries. the ones you pictured would be considered steak fries.

Not necessarily McDonalds. I tend to think of chips as the thick, softer ones and fries as a crispier affair. That's how it tends to be viewed in England.

[crabapple]

At the pub where I got the fish the other day--their chips were skinny, like McDonald's fries, really, but were soft and also well browned. I was expecting a thicker cut on these, but it was tasty all the same. I splashed a lot of vinegar on them!

There was a dish or tartar sauce that came with the plate, and that was nice to dip both the fish and the chips into.

[cheebacheeba]

I prefer chips personally, best when dipped in bleeding flesh. Maybe.
Try it.
I don't actually dine out a lot...when I do, it tends to be "cheap" food, but better food than your standard takeaway fare.
I'll hit up a "food court" underground in our chinatown that looks completely dodgy, but has some of the best assorted asian food along with "street" food there...totally crowded but it works.
I love hitting up a Frasian (common term here for asian operated french bakery) for a vietnamese chicken or pork roll.
Fish and chips joints, pubs occasionally...far superior, nicer, and healthier than most takeaway places.
I also really like Korean food, anywhere I can try a dukbokki that I haven't samples yet I'll try that.
I very much love "whole foods" kind of like what someone mentioned as a Carvy, I'll take that where I can find it, German style is the bomb.
I quite like Indian, and while it's a blast to make from scratch going out for some is the bomb. There's actually an Indian operated burger joint near me, they make the biggest, freshest, saladi-est grilled chicken burgers, and an assortment of Indian dishes - They do a better butter chicken (murgh makhani) than all the local indian places combined.
A lot of Indian food here is North Indian though, South indian I'd get more if I could...love me a masala dosai set.
What else. The occasional traditional shawarma/donner kebab at a GOOD kebab place, I know one in Sydney that's older than me so yeah I'll hit that up.
It's really hard to just say...I go to a lot of places, and I'm constantly looking to try new things and have no intention of stopping, though these are some of the more frequented selections.

[ferretchucker]

Wow, you do have an assorted palette! :eek: I've never actually had a full kebab - I have a strong dislike of Onions and whilst I know I can ask for it without, I prefer to just get Kebab meat with fries. As for Indian food - I genuinely want to move out there just so I can experience it.

There's a pretty decent place just 20 minutes or so away from me that literally just sells Bangers and Mash, however they have about 30 types of each, plus a selection of gravies, and you just select the mixture that most appeals to you. It's a surreal experience because literally everything there is leopard print. I guess the joint itself is a bit tacky but the food is decent.

[cheebacheeba]

Wow, you do have an assorted palette!
Yeah it's a bit allover the place isn't it?
I just like to not limit myself...most of the places I do "frequent", if you can even call it that, I'll try to not get the exactly same thing all the time either.

I'm typing this at 5:21am, been up all night...if there's one place open between all this Anzac day-ish stuff and the Easter weekend it's were I just came from - My local frasian (they open at 4:30am, how fuckin' awesome is that??) for fresh bread rolls, a big-ass damper, a vietnamese pork & salad roll with chilli and soy, an apple crumble and a chocolate cupcake. Haha not all for me and not all for right now either...I just love getting bread that's that damn fresh...

I've never actually had a full kebab - I have a strong dislike of Onions and whilst I know I can ask for it without, I prefer to just get Kebab meat with fries
You should. I don't think the subtraction of onion would kill it. There's a lot to a full kebab, a really huge range of flavours going on there. Give it a shot, probably a little bit healthier to throw salad into the mix. Ha, yeah at times I've gone the meat n chips boxes too. Bad-ass munchie food.

As for Indian food - I genuinely want to move out there just so I can experience it.
You know, I've always been convinced the UK is pretty well in hand for Indian food? Maybe it's just certain towns/places though?

There's a pretty decent place just 20 minutes or so away from me that literally just sells Bangers and Mash, however they have about 30 types of each, plus a selection of gravies, and you just select the mixture that most appeals to you.
Sounds oldskool to me, I'd check that out in a second.
Don't know why the whole bangers n mash didn't make the move with the rest of the UK expats that came here...should've done...love that shit. Peas, potatoes, carrots, mash , gravy...hell fuckin' yeah.

[BookZombie]

Wow, you do have an assorted palette! I've never actually had a full kebab - I have a strong dislike of Onions and whilst I know I can ask for it without, I prefer to just get Kebab meat with fries. As for Indian food - I genuinely want to move out there just so I can experience it.

I love kebab, and I usually do not have onion in mine and I think it still tastes great. I do have extra of other vegetables in it instead though.

I think it is good like allot of things, it is good for the body and for the mind to have a little variation I think.

[cheebacheeba]

I think it is good like allot of things, it is good for the body and for the mind to have a little variation I think.
Yep, that's how you keep loving food.
I think the variety is an important and enriching part of life.

So I just had one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1nh_m%C3%AC
Fuckin' delicious.

[BookZombie]

Sounds yummy, I have to try making some of those for my hubby and me as it looks real tasty.

[cheebacheeba]

Well, since you're considering it...they're actually super easy to make at home, they end up even cheaper too.
Here's a quick recipe that might help, for the chicken one:

With the chicken, get a whole chicken (or more)and cut into pieces.
Boil
*some water
with some
*vegetable stock
*lots of light soy
*a little dark soy
*some peppercorns
*a bay leaf
*a few star anise
*garlic
*ginger
*some chinese cooking wine (Shoaxing)
*a bit of sichuan pepper if you can get it
*maybe 1/4 of a cinnamon stick
*a couple of dried (preferred, fresh is fine) large red chillis
*a little sesame oil
*some chopped onion.
*Dried onion
No exact amounts here, I never do that, each to their own taste so experiment a bit.

Just simmer/boil your chicken in that for quite some time. There's no maximum really but what you want is to be able to pull the chicken off the bone.

Now one thing is you can actually keep the liquid to cook with another time, something a bit like what they call a "master stock", you can top it up with more flavours every time you cook with it, or use it to add to things like stir-fry etc. The important thing to remember is proper storage - Strain it well first, then into an airtight container and frozen as soon as it's cooled sufficiently, only take it out when it's going to be used again.
To add to it at first, or later if you want to cheat a bit there's store bought master stock mixes, though I'm not sure how good they are on their own.

Get your bread rolls, as you like them, butter or not.

With the carrots traditionally they're pickled but if you don't want to go through the trouble I see little difference, I simply grate fresh carrot for mine.

Get/chop:
*Carrot
*Spring onions
*lettuce (butter or coral)
*Corriander (cilantro, the leaf bit)
*Red chilli - Can be left out, but IMO should be at least a little on there.
*Cucumber (in "sticks", no pulp)

Throw that on your roll with the chicken which can be either served hot or cold, and drizzle a little bit of light soy over the top, and some white pepper if you have it, though any will do.

There you have it...it's the relatively basic version and once you have a pre-existing stock it's even easier. They're awesome to make at home and/or for when friends come over and basically one of the most economical and healthy things to throw together for yourself.

[Diabolical]

Not necessarily McDonalds. I tend to think of chips as the thick, softer ones and fries as a crispier affair. That's how it tends to be viewed in England.

yeah, i know what you said, twice. its called steak fries. food from england fucking sucks. period.

[cheebacheeba]

No, you call them steak fries because you're from a country that calls them and mostly anything like them "fries", and calling them chips I would gather, would have people confusing them with ah, "crisps" or the savoury snack you call chips over there.
Here, there's both. All 3 actually.
Crisps, for some reason, we call chips too.
When referring to the variety under discussion here, quite often we'll say "hot chips".
Here and I'd say in the UK and probably NZ, Fries are generally thinner, or of the "shoelace" variety (pommes frites, or fried potato).
Chips are the thicker variety.
We have "steakhouse chips", which are thicker still than most "chips", a bit flatter, something like between a chip and a wedge, on occasion with skin left on one side.
So yeah I'd say that it depends upon where you're from...so, saying it sucks on account of being from the England, is a little strange as you've probably been eating a similar, if not the same thing?

Ferret...nothing beats oldskool non-commercial chips though eh...

[Diabolical]

No, you call them steak fries because you're from a country that calls them and mostly anything like them "fries", and calling them chips I would gather, would have people confusing them with ah, "crisps" or what you'd call chips over there.
Here, there's both.
Fries are generally thinner, or of the "shoelace" variety (pommes frites, or fried potato).
Chips are the thicker variety.
We have "steakhouse chips", which are thicker still than most "chips", a bit flatter, something like between a chip and a wedge, on occasion with skin left on one side.
So yeah I'd say that it depends upon where you're from...so, saying it sucks on account of being from the England, is a little strange as you've probably been eating a similar, if not the same thing?

Ferret...nothing beats oldskool non-commercial chips though eh...

either fucking way. its fried fish (probably not even good fish)and fried potatos. i guarentee i could cook both better than you've had. like i said, there are 100 diffeerent way people cook potatos in america. where did this arguement even come from? cause the guy who cant fry up some food? i dont fuck with england period. so i will argue anything.

[BookZombie]

Thank you for the recepie Cheebacheeba I have to try this for dinner, and perhaps even serve it the next time I have the RPG group over for a game.

[Diabolical]

Thank you for the recepie Cheebacheeba I have to try this for dinner, and perhaps even serve it the next time I have the RPG group over for a game.


lofl. do you wear costumes?

[BookZombie]

No it is table top not Laiv, however when I go to Laiv's then yes I wear costumes. However I do not Laiv often as I seldom have a whole weekend to set aside for a game. Table top RPG is when the group sit around the table, roll dice and make up stories together, Laiv RPG is when people dress up in costumes and play what effectively speaking improvisation theater without a stage. There is also Play by Post and Play by Chat which is RPG over the internet which is like a group of people writing a story together.

[Diabolical]

have you ever gone to a late night diner, maybe pub in you case in full costume and eaten in character? i think that would be pretty amusing.

What is Laiv??

[Sistinas666]

have you ever gone to a late night diner, maybe pub in you case in full costume and eaten in character? i think that would be pretty amusing.

What is Laiv??



Years ago I was a butcher in a small town. A couple times a year a big bunch of mountain man looking dudes came in and bought a shit load of meat at my shop. I mean these guys wore coonskin hats and buckskin pants, they looked like extras from a movie. They had some kind of club and re-enacted shit for entire weekends in the woods outside of town. I hid and watched them shop and laughed my ass off every time they came in....

[BookZombie]

have you ever gone to a late night diner, maybe pub in you case in full costume and eaten in character? i think that would be pretty amusing.


No I have not, though I have dropped by the mall in costume to pick up supplies. I however do not roleplay Laiv in public, it is bad form as it might scare those around who do not know what is going on. I might be wearing a costume in public but I am always behaving as me not my character, to roleplay at a diner would be to include everyone there in the game and that is irresponsible.

What is Laiv??

As I explained in my previous post Laiv is when the players dress up in costume and act out the character as opposed to table top when one sit around a table and describe the character's actions instead of acting them out. Other words used are LARP, as in live action role play, live RPG and similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game

[Sistinas666]

Kinda like in the movie Role Models?

[cheebacheeba]

either fucking way. its fried fish (probably not even good fish)and fried potatos. i guarentee i could cook both better than you've had. like i said, there are 100 diffeerent way people cook potatos in america. where did this arguement even come from? cause the guy who cant fry up some food? i dont fuck with england period. so i will argue anything.

Sorry, I didn't realise we were in...an argument?
You said what you had to say, and I made you aware of some cultural differences in terms of how things were commonly referred to in different places.

i guarentee i could cook both better than you've had.
That's a good one. :D

As I explained in my previous post Laiv is when the players dress up in costume and act out the character as opposed to table top when one sit around a table and describe the character's actions instead of acting them out. Other words used are LARP, as in live action role play, live RPG and similar.
So, that would be something like d&d with costume?

[Sistinas666]

So, that would be something like d&d with costume?


I'm pretty sure she is talking about the same thing they do in the movie Role Models. You actually get into costume and fight with foam swords and shit like that. I've actually seen people do this in the parks in a near by college town. Like 50 crazy looking people going at it. Its cool/funny to watch.

[BookZombie]

Kinda like in the movie Role Models?

I have not seen this film so I would not know.

So, that would be something like d&d with costume?

Yes, there are many different games than D&D though, but yes in essence yes it is like D&D with costume.

[ferretchucker]

either fucking way. its fried fish (probably not even good fish)and fried potatos. i guarentee i could cook both better than you've had. like i said, there are 100 diffeerent way people cook potatos in america. where did this arguement even come from? cause the guy who cant fry up some food? i dont fuck with england period. so i will argue anything.

Slight over reaction? We were simply trying to establish the different names given to different styles of chips/fries!

As for your insinuation that just because it is a simple dish it is a poor one, food needn't have 200 steps to be delicious. So what if it's just "fried fish and fried potatoes"? I'll be surprised if you can cook better than the hundreds of dishes I've had in that style prepared by people who literally make their living from it.

As for "there are 100 diffeerent way people cook potatos in america"...are you suggesting that chips, fries and crisps are the only ways they are cooked elsewhere? Is America suddenly the pioneer of spud preparation?

Anyway, moving aside from RPG and root vegetable naming debates - I tried to replicate a McDonald's burger today. Since I started work there (yes...I know. Just...I know, okay!) I've gotten to know the subtle nuances - the proportions of each condiment, the dimensions of the meat and the fact that the buns are toasted (who knew?!).

The result?

Meh. To get the dining experience of McDonald's (not that one would often want to), you have to go to McDonald's.

[Sistinas666]

I tried to replicate a McDonald's burger today. Since I started work there (yes...I know. Just...I know, okay!) I've gotten to know the subtle nuances - the proportions of each condiment, the dimensions of the meat and the fact that the buns are toasted (who knew?!).

The result?

Meh. To get the dining experience of McDonald's (not that one would often want to), you have to go to McDonald's.


My wife can replicate the Mcdouble perfectly. I really think the secret is the onions. She soaks the dehydrated onion flakes in water for a few minutes and uses them. I friggin love them!

[crabapple]

Ass goblins and eccentricities aside, fish 'n' chips is a neat regional-style dish and I am interested in trying more of it. I found an H Salt Fish and Chips restaurant just a short while ago...it is just on the other side of the boulevard. H Salt is a chain that I recall at least from the 70's here in the US. It has declined in popularity but evidently a few still exist!

[ferretchucker]

Always nice rediscovering a seemingly extinct old hole. Wimpy Bars are few and far between, as are the Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chip shop chain.

[BookZombie]

I have never heard of dehydrated onions, I always use fresh one, but then my burgers do not taste like Macdonald's burgers as they are just pure meat, a bit of onion and egg and nothing else fried in real butter. with salt, pepper and garlic spices.

I have only had fish and chips once, at the harbor down here in Bergen. I thought it was delicious, and I agree that a dish do not have to be complicated to be good. Steak with baked potato is not complicated but it is really good.

[Sistinas666]

You want gimmick restaurants? Hit up New York City - its crawling with them.

My favourite by far: Jekyll & Hyde's. Whole thing's themed like an old-school monster movie...creepy Maître d' escorts you to your table, checks in on you from time to time to weird you out...picture frames on the walls that move...skeletons everywhere...classic horror trailers playing on screens...all kinds of awesomeness.

Its cheesy tourist stuff for sure, and the food wasn't anything special...but the atmosphere is just too damn cool to pass up.




I just saw the Jekyll & Hyde Club on a rerun of The Girls Next Door, looks freakin awesome!

[ferretchucker]

I have never heard of dehydrated onions, I always use fresh one, but then my burgers do not taste like Macdonald's burgers as they are just pure meat, a bit of onion and egg and nothing else fried in real butter. with salt, pepper and garlic spices.

I have only had fish and chips once, at the harbor down here in Bergen. I thought it was delicious, and I agree that a dish do not have to be complicated to be good. Steak with baked potato is not complicated but it is really good.

The dehydrated onions are just that. They come in small sachets we keep in the back room and just have water added a little while beforehand. Good for storage.

And yeah, fish and chips is definitely the idea sea side food. Until the seagull bastards start gathering...

[BookZombie]

I have never seen dried onions in stores in Norway, but if I see it I will have to pick up a package and try it out.

Seagulls are in permanent residence on the harbor in Bergen, however they are more interested in the fishermen gutting their catch a way further down the harbor than in people eating fish and chips. That reminds me that it is probably possible to get fish and chips again on the harbor now that spring have come, perhaps I should drag my hubby out to get some one of these days.

Oh and that reminds me of another harbor delicacy, fresh shrimps which where in the sea a few hours before, just boiled and eaten as is, very simple food, but extremely good.

[Fearonsarms]

Has anyone ordered something from a restaurant and got loads more than they bargained for? I went to one and ordered cheese on toast and a spicy bean burger just for myself before a night out on the booze to fill up on much needed grease. I ended up with two massive plates of food. The cheese on toast came with salad, pasta, cous cous, pulses and coffee, the bean burger also came with more salad, pasts, cous cous, pulses and two slices of pitta bread all covered in a spicy fresh onion sauce. I somehow managed to eat both dishes except for the pitta bread which I can't stand.

Oh and I'm going to my local "chippy" in a bit for mixed vegeatables in black bean sauce and chippy chips.

[ferretchucker]

Has anyone ordered something from a restaurant and got loads more than they bargained for? I went to one and ordered cheese on toast and a spicy bean burger just for myself before a night out on the booze to fill up on much needed grease. I ended up with two massive plates of food. The cheese on toast came with salad, pasta, cous cous, pulses and coffee, the bean burger also came with more salad, pasts, cous cous, pulses and two slices of pitta bread all covered in a spicy fresh onion sauce. I somehow managed to eat both dishes except for the pitta bread which I can't stand.

Oh and I'm going to my local "chippy" in a bit for mixed vegeatables in black bean sauce and chippy chips.

I am most certainly an "eyes bigger than my stomach" person. I'd have made the same mistake - would have ended in me half dead from gluttony and my dad happily finishing my portions. There's a pub nearby which is terrible for it. One garlic bread portion can fill the whole table.

[ManchestrMorgue]

I love food. Really love it. Love trying new things, and love going back to old favourites.

Some favourites:

German food. Things like pork knuckles, dumplings, Jaeger schnitzel, Goulash soup, liver dumpling soup. Some of the greatest food to eat on a cold winter's day. Goes very well with a good German wheat beer.

French food. Its complexity and delicacy make it as much a work of art as a meal. Makes for a supreme dining experience when you want to admire as well as savour. And it is a great excuse to drink French wines :) Then, simpler fare such as grilled trout. Some of the best fish and chips that I have ever had was on the bonnet of a car from a roadside vendor in the south of France.

American food. Americans make some amazing food. Chili. Southern style barbecue. Cajun food. When I have people over for a barbecue at home, this is what I will often make. It shows that barbecuing is not just about burning meat to a crisp over hot flames.

Italian food. A great food when you want something simple but amazingly tasty. I prefer pizzas and pastas to mains.

Greek food. Fried haloumi, barbecued seafood, dips. Amazing stuff.

Middle Eastern. Again, full of flavour and the sort of food you just want to eat with a whole bunch of people in a very casual and comfortable setting.

Thai food. Spicy and complex flavours.

Korean BBQ.

Indian food. Such a huge range of flavours (unfortunately we mainly see a small portion of that in most Indian restaurants).

There are so many great foods. Unfortunately, there are so many bad restaurants.

[crabapple]

Manchester's droolingly descriptive post covers a lot of ground!

[ManchestrMorgue]

Manchester's droolingly descriptive post covers a lot of ground!

Yeah, I like variety :D

[BookZombie]

Manchester your post made me hungry. There are indeed so many great foods from around the world. One thing I miss though is more variation in Italian restaurants, the Italian kitchen is so rich, but all you ever see is pasta and pizza, now do not get me wrong,I love both pizza and pasta, but it would be nice to see more of the Italian kitchen.

I also really like the English kitchen, it is often overlooked and marked as boring, however I love things like Sheppard's Pie and other traditional British foods. I love fancy foods to, but sometimes I just like to relax with something simple.

I also love all kinds of Asian food, I love to taste spices that are normally not used over here. Often in Asian food flavors are mixed in ways which really work out well but which is not common over here and it is exiting to try out.

[Fearonsarms]

Book you made me smile with you're mention of "Shepherd's Pie" we also have "Cottage Pie" here in the UK but someone more knowledgable than me will have to explain the difference.

My fave food has to be Italian-though I haven't tried the spaghetti desert thing they specialise in yet and I'm very curious as to what that tastes like.

[TheWickerFan]

We have this going on at the moment. I like bacon, but in moderation!

And yes, there is bacon in that sundae.

http://k2togp2tog.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dennys-baconalia-a-celebration-of-bacon.jpg

[hammerfan]

I'm also a lover of bacon, but even I wouldn't get the bacon sundae. All I can say is "ick!"

[ferretchucker]

Book you made me smile with you're mention of "Shepherd's Pie" we also have "Cottage Pie" here in the UK but someone more knowledgable than me will have to explain the difference.

My fave food has to be Italian-though I haven't tried the spaghetti desert thing they specialise in yet and I'm very curious as to what that tastes like.

Shepherd's is made with lamb or mutton, cottage is made with beef ;)

I do love a good cottage pie. Anything with Mashed potato really - bangers and mash is a definite favourite.

As for bacon, I think it depends on how it's cooked. I often find restaurants do bacon far too streaky and crispy. This is how good bacon looks.

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/6084450/2/istockphoto_6084450-english-breakfast-bacon-egg-sausage-baked-beans.jpg

[TheWickerFan]

Shepherd's is made with lamb or mutton, cottage is made with beef ;)

I do love a good cottage pie. Anything with Mashed potato really - bangers and mash is a definite favourite.

As for bacon, I think it depends on how it's cooked. I often find restaurants do bacon far too streaky and crispy. This is how good bacon looks.

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/6084450/2/istockphoto_6084450-english-breakfast-bacon-egg-sausage-baked-beans.jpg

Blech! How often do you land in the hospital with salmonella poisoning?

[ferretchucker]

Blech! How often do you land in the hospital with salmonella poisoning?

:eek: What's wrong with a bit of back bacon?!

[hammerfan]

Blech! How often do you land in the hospital with salmonella poisoning?

LOL, I was thinking the same thing! Undercooked egg, raw bacon......*gag*

[ferretchucker]

Pfft! I wouldn't touch egg! The chick's that...never were :(

But that bacon is perfect! None of that brittle streaky crap.

[Sistinas666]

Pfft! I wouldn't touch egg! The chick's that...never were :(

But that bacon is perfect! None of that brittle streaky crap.


We call that stuff "Canadian Bacon" where I live. Regular bacon is greasy and crisp here.

[TheWickerFan]

We call that stuff "Canadian Bacon" where I live. Regular bacon is greasy and crisp here.

Greasy and crisp. Just the way I like it.:D

http://www.kryptonitekollectibles.com/images/prod/chhomerbacon2.jpg

[ManchestrMorgue]

One thing I miss though is more variation in Italian restaurants, the Italian kitchen is so rich, but all you ever see is pasta and pizza, now do not get me wrong,I love both pizza and pasta, but it would be nice to see more of the Italian kitchen.



Sydney has some decent Italian restaurants that offer more than just pizza and pasta. But often I find that the pizza and pasta are what they do best anyway.

One of the problems that I have found with most Italian restaurants I have been to outside of Italy is that they don't seem to care about the presentation of their food. They sometimes cook good food, but you wouldn't tell by looking at it. This is a shame - it doesn't do justice to what they have prepared.

As a result, I don't think I have ever really thought of going to an Italian restaurant in Sydney for a "special" dining experience.

[Fearonsarms]

On the subject of bacon myself and a friend went to a restaurent for all day English Breakfasts. I got as usual the vegetarian offering but my friend was shocked to discover he got no bacon with his. I actually asked the waiter if there had been a mistake but no their all day breakfasts did indeed come without bacon. It's like Shepherd's Pie without the mash, fish n chips without the fish. Even though I'm veggie myself I was in shock for my poor mate he had really been looking forward to greasy bacon lol what a ripoff!

[ferretchucker]

I would have thrown the hot breakfast back in their face!

@Manchestr - I know exactly what you mean about the presentation, it all just seems to...die on the plate.

But this is usually balanced by the wonderful Mediterranean decor! All those stone steps, candles and vines really set the scene.