Restaurants, Cafes, Coffee Bars

Argon, all good things come to an end. "Fing's ain't what they used to be" More is the pity. The Aussies love their meat pies but after 48 yrs. here I have yet to eat one I fancy. I'll settle for a rice pud though.

Aussie coffee has to be the best I've had, its almost a religion down here.

I've my favourite bakeries over here - NSW. Some fantastic meat pies on offer, a Chicken & Camembert one I found in Tassie is yet to be beaten though.

I generally find bought pies disappointing. I tend to make my own.

I've had fabulous pies both in New Zealand and Australia and some of the smallest places have had an amazing selection. Here in Virginia, in the town of Vienna they have Pies on the Run, Aussie Pies and The Pure Pasty, the latter having quite a large variety of British staples especially sweeties and chocolate on their shelves too. They cost a fortune but once in a while.....Vienna is close to Washington DC and is in Fairfax county, which has a large multicultural population as a result of jobs in governments from all over the world.

I must confess Gumnut I am a chronic Coffeeholic.

Hello, The Playwrights cafe is open but is shut all day Monday.

Hello, I enjoyed a jacket spud lunch today which was fabulous. The only snag is that they must have a thief, because all my food disappeared off my plate. I looked around & under the table but nothing. Not a crumb.

I saw that you mentioned the Belgrade cafe for breakfast a few posts ago. We'll be staying at the Telegraph in a few weeks and plan to pop into the theatre for a full English. Yum!

Hello, Cafe Italia is the only venue that I know of to do a full & filling nutritious Ceaser salad. That you are not calling in on the chippy on the way home. I love salads all year around. So in winter, to enjoy a proper dressed salad with whole pieces of char grilled chicken & beautiful bacon rashers is absolute beautiful. It's a scrumptious dinner. If I'm starving & eating with company, I might ask for a separate bowl of chips or mash, I once had garden peas. I was staying at a posh country hotel where I was so disappointed with their Caesar salad, that I politely asked them to see how it's done properly at Cafe Italia. They did & were amazed. So will you be. Good food isn't cheap anywhere, it's quality here.

Hello, good afternoon & good evening. For our friends downunder, good night. A Bulletin, The Stonehouse carvery (The Walsgrave pub), is shortly to close for major refurbishment, including a leaking roof. It's expected to re-open in good time before Easter. That's the end of this bulletin.

Hello, it's me! I had a midweek dinner at Bistrot Pierre today, having arrived back from B'ham in good time. As yet, I've not joined any of their "club" schemes, so I'm reporting fresh off the hoof. I so enjoyed their 8oz, rump, where I added fresh long stem broccoli. The rump is grilled in a garlic butter sauce, which is why they do not serve English mustard. It's the most fabulous dish of rump that I've enjoyed in ages. It comes with small sized fries, which are very nice. They've got a 30% overall discount this month, so even having had a latte, the bill was £20. I enjoyed my Sunday lunch there. Please be aware, when normal prices without promotes on-going, a glass of wine & pudding & so on, the bill will easily creep up to around or approaching £40. All of our tastes in food are different. For me, this is a good instance of extra money buying extra quality. Ok, on with what ever you are doing. Love to you all.

The Botanist in Cathedral Lanes has just announced they are closing.

Hello, Yes, very sad Neil. I won't surprised to see some of my favourite venues close. I'm deliberately avoiding politics, but unless business margins are healthy, which many hospitality sites aren't, the bank roll in a say, payup or layup. So, not only are folk reigning in trying to pay off debts, the cost of borrowing hits hard for businesses, now more expensive than at anytime since 2008. Moving & fund mobility is the oil of running a business. These two factors are huge for anyone running a business.

Philip, it's a good job we can still eat, drink and be merry. I am a Topside beef and yorkies girl myself as I take after my dad. He liked his beef swimming with red juices but I preferred the first two slices carved from the joint. Then to follow a nice crusty apple pie or even a creamy rice pudding which I make with Carnation milk. Bon Appetite Philip I know you like your food.