La P'tite Folie

This week we were lured into this wee little French cafe by the two course for £10.95 lunch offer. We decided to go for a starter and main each and started off by ordering a couple of bottles of French red wine. While we were waiting for the wine we were served complementary salad and bread, which seems to be quite common amongst the French cafes in the area.

We ordered quite varied range of starters including the very tasty Broccoli and Stilton soup, beetroot salad and a well presented calamari and chorizo dish. The most popular main course choice was the well sized lamb course, other options including roast chicken in a red wine and tomato sauce. The food was very good quality, well cooked and well presented. A little more expensive than other options in the area however definitely worth it.

Results of the recent survey

Quality Food                      8.90

Quality Drinks                    7.70       

Value                                  7.70

Service                               8.40

Ambience                           7.90

Overall                                8.50       

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Cost per head including tip: £17.00

Comments:

- Very nice food, good wine, good service, want to go back.

- Very good quality food and environment. The only critisicm is that the table we were sat at was too small for 10 people and the selection of drinks was a bit limited.

- Fantastic lunch, a winner!

- Beetroot fritter starter was sublime - sweetness of beetroot balancing perfectly with the creamy sauce, peppery cress and slightly salty batter. Lamb  was served more or less as a steak, off the bone. Slightly chewy, but not overcooked, and accompanied by crunchy beans, a rich dark jus and buttery parsley potatoes. The wine was smooth yet full bodied, and was a perfect accompaniment to a near-perfect meal.

- Really enjoyed the food, but disappointed by the narrowness of the pavements.

- French speaking waitresses were great. Beetroot Tempura starter very tasty. Lamb Gigot also very succulent. House wine also very good. Seating a bit "intimate" though.

- Chicken sizings were a bit inconsistent with other dishes. Service was a bit slow.

- Could have stayed there all afternoon. Brilliant food and atmosphere.

Update March 2014. Unfortunately La P'tite Folie on Frederick street has now closed for business. There is still the sister restaurant at Randolph Place in the West End. 

Queens Arms

This week we decided to try our luck with some local pub grub. The Queens Arms have a good range of beers, so decided to give the food a go. Scanning the menu online, I noticed a few classics you would expect like fish and chips, burger etc, also there was a couple of more interesting options like roasted pork loin, all price around the £9 mark.

We were pleasantly surprised, to have our table presented in a candle lit setting on arrival.

The most popular section this week was the classic fish and chips option shown below. The lemon in a mesh bag was a nice touch as well! They had also had a more elaborate beef brisket with mash which proved to be very tender. All washed down with a pint of Borders ale and we all left happy customers :-)

Results:

Quality Food       7.71
Quality Drinks     8.29
Value                    6.71
Service                 7.29
Ambience             8.00
Overall                 7.86

Cost including tip £15

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Comments:
- Beef was cooked well - really tender.
- I liked the atmosphere.
- Very difficult to fault overall. I had the haddock and chips which were very well cooked, a bit more of the mushy peas and tartare sauce would have been nice. The selection of beers was also very good and the ambience and general atmosphere were very pleasant. Maybe a wee bit pricey at 15 quid for fish and chips and a pint but still not bad value given the quality.
- One of the best Pub Fish and Chips I've had for a while. Chips very good and nice batter on the Fish. Lovely pea puree. - Good selection of Real Ales.
- God ambience, fairly quick service, and tasty food with a good beer selection. Not the cheapest though.

Chez Jules

We decided to start the year off with the 2013 overall winner! It was good to see that the lunch time offer of 2 courses for £7.90 is still going. On arrival we got our usual bonus offerings of bread, olives, salami and salad - such good value! The most popular picks were the french onion soup for a starter and the pork chop as a main, all washed down with a good bottle of French table wine! The rustic ambience was as good as ever and we left happy customers!

A couple of changes to the format as well this year. Scoring is now out of 10 and not 5 as there was complaints that the results were too bunched up. Speed is now replaced with a broader category called service, which should also encompass speed. Results for the survey below:

Quality Food       7.14
Quality Drinks     5.57
Value                   8.71
Service                8.14
Ambience            7.14
Overall                7.29

Full Leaderboard

Comments:
- Limited drinks menu with slightly above average food. Scoring high on value and service as it was quick and of course they gave us freebie food...
- The french onion soup was ok, but not brilliant. The pork steak for me was tough and over cooked. The service was good and the atmosphere was great so overall I would say pretty good but with a wee bit of room for improvement.
- Soupe à l'oignon fantastique, suivi par porc terreux avec du boudin noir, le tout arrosé d'une bouteille de vin rouge. Un gagnant digne des 2013 Bright Gruts Awards.
- The benchmark is set for the year