Posts Tagged ‘disabled access’
5
Jan
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review, Review. Tagged: Authors and Book Bloggers in Scotland, disabled access, Edinburgh, Facebook, Kelly Lacey, Lothian Rd, Scotland, Wildwood. Leave a comment
I always get a little nervous when I am meeting a lot of new people for the first time, but for the meal arranged by the inimitable Kelly Lacey for the Facebook Group, Authors and Book Bloggers in Scotland, I need not have worried – what a lovely meal in excellent company. Wildwood 105-109 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh, Scotland is very centrally situated so it was easy for everybody to get to either by car or public transport. 
We were all seated at one long table I was sitting amidst a very jolly group and the chat flowed easily. Several bottles of Prcesso were on the table and included in the cost of our meal. It all added to the happy atmosphere. The staff were most warm and friendly without being intrusive and we all enjoyed a joke with them. 
The restaurant is decorated in a modern, relaxed style and, because there were so many of us, we had ordered in advance. Our starters arrived on large sharing platters these included figs and strips of pizza bread with cheese and onion jam. Everything was delicious.
Main course choices included sea bass and turkey but I chose the pizza. This caused great hilarity as it was enormous and would comfortably have fed a family of five for a fortnight, I think! I thoroughly enjoyed what I had, but there was no way I could possibly finished such a large serving. Deserts included a chocoltate brownie with ice cream or a sorbet. I had the brownie. Again, this was very tasty but I had already eaten so much, perhaps I should have chosen the sorbet.
All in all this was a delightful afternoon. The restaurant did not rush us at all and I had a delicious meal in fresh surroundings served by attentive staff and in good company. I highly recommend Wildwood and plan to visit again with my husband when we are in Edinburgh.
Val Penny
26
Nov
Posted by Val Penny in Hotel Review. Tagged: 1745 Cottage Restaurant, Charles Edward Stuart, disabled access, good value, Innerleithen, Jacobite, Mary Queen of Scots, Scotland, Traquair, Traquair House, Val Penny. Leave a comment
I had lived within 40 miles of Traquair House at Traquair, Innerleithen, Scotland, for many years, but had never visited it. So, earlier this year, My friend Anna and I took time out to visit Traquair House and we had lunch in its 1745 Cottage Restaurant. The date in the name of the restaurant refers to the Jacobite rising of 1745 was the unsuccessful attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the males of the House of Stuart.
Traquair House is Scotland’s Oldest Inhabited House. Throughout its history it has been visited by 27 Scottish Kings and Queens. The house dates back to 1107 and has been lived in by the Stuart family since 1491. Traquair House was originally a royal hunting lodge, and played host to Mary Queen of Scots. Later as staunch Catholics they supported the Jacobite cause without counting the cost.
Now, in its grounds, there is a maze, a selection of craft workshops, a brewery and the 1745 Cottage Restaurant. 
The 1745 Cottage Restaurant is situated separately from the main house. It is picturesque outside but spotlessly clean inside. Internally, the restaurant combines traditional features and modern cleanliness. For lunch, I chose the leek and potato soup. It was home made, but lacked seasoning. I was a bit disappointed by it. Anna made the better choice. She thoroughly enjoyed her homemade tomato and basil soup. Certainly the portions were generous and the rolls served with it, although they did not look homemade, were fresh and tasty.
After our soup, we were served a selection of freshly made sandwiches. Again, there were plenty of them. There were prawn, tuna salad, ham and tomato, egg mayonnaise, cheese ans cheese savoury sandwiches washed down with a pot of strong tea. or coffee. We enjoyed the sandwich selsction very much. Also the service at the 1745 Cottage Restaurant was polite and friendly. The restrooms were spotlessly clean and the restaurant offers good access for those with moblity issues. We were pleasantly surprised by the price, too.
If you have a chance to visit the house and gorunds of Traquair House, I am sure you will find it interesting, and I recommend the 1745 Cottage Restaurant. Anna and I enjoyed our meals.
Val Penny
8
Sep
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: Ayrshire, disabled access, Restaurant Review, Scotland, take-away, Valerie Penny, vegetarian, West Kilbride. Leave a comment
A few weeks ago this new restaurant and takeaway, The Corner Cafe, opened on the corner of Hunterston Road and Main Street in the Craft Town of West Kilbride Ayrshire, Scotland. My husband took me to lunch there recently. The takeaway enters from the 
Main Street while the restaurant is entered from Hunterston Road.
When we went in, I was very impressed with the bright modern decor. Also, you can see into the kitchen. I like this, it is clean, tidy and well organised. The Corner Cafe was busy when we arrived for lunch but we did manage to get one last table for two. The table was a decent size, so many modern restaurants have tiny tables for two people.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the menu. There were imaginative specials, a variety of light meals and a generous choice of main meals. I was impressed that there was a choice of meals for vegetarians too. My husband swithered with having the fish but finally decided on one of the specials, the chicken caesar club sandwich with fries and extra onion rings. He enjoyed the meal very much. I chose the vegetarian cous cous with roasted vegetables. It was a most unexpected vegetarian option and delious. The portions were generous and there was a lovley choice of cakes and desserts.
I am also impressed that the access for disabled people is excellent. The Corner Cafe is a new venture. I recommend it and wish it success.
Valerie Penny
29
Jul
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review, Review. Tagged: Canny Man's Bar and Restaurant, Crooked Cat Books, disabled access, Edinburgh, Free House, Hunter's Chase, local produce, Restaurant Review, Rick Stein, Scotland, Valerie Penny, Winston Churchill. Leave a comment
On a recent visit to Edinburgh, my daughter took me to the Canny Man’s Pub and Restaurant so that we could celebrate the forthcoming publication of my debut novel, Hunter’s Chase, by Crooked Cat Books. The Canny Man’s pub in Morningside is an Edinburgh institution established in 1871 and passed down through generations of the Kerr family. It is a free house therefore it has no connection with any brewery and only sells the best of each brewers produce.
We found a discreet table in a snug so that we could chat. There are lots of little nooks
and crannies in this old building. This small family run bar and restaurant in Edinburgh has catered to many dignitaries and celebrities over the years. With celebrated seafood chef Rick Stein calling the Canny Man’s “the best pub in the world”. We both ordered gin and slims and each of us had our preffered make of gin the snacks served with alcoholic drinks are complimentary and attention to detail here is second to none. There is even a free of charge buffet that runs Mon-Thurs 5-6pm!
My daughter and I sat in the main bar it holds an impressive selection of over 250 whiskies and has seen no change in over half a decade. But there is another bar in the back of the premises is referred to as the ‘back bar’ or ‘lounge bar’, this is a great alternative to the main bar to ensure you will always be served. The Canny Man’s has good disabled access.
The restaurant seating in the Canny Man’s is quirky, eclectic and deceivingly big. Dining tables can be found throughout the pub and there are certainly some very sought after seats available, including the Winston Churchill Room. The restaurant offers a selection of menus using fresh, local produce including a variety of tasty open sandwiches .
The Canny Man’s Bar and Restaurant is a little slice of Edinburgh that I highly recommend to you on your next visit to the City.
Valerie Penny
28
Jul
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review, Review. Tagged: bar, bistro, chaep eats, disabled access, Edinburgh, Restaurant Review, Scotland, The Booking Office, train staion, Valerie Penny, Waverley Station, Wetherspoons. Leave a comment
On a recent visit to Edinburgh, I took the opportunity of meeting up with friends I have known since we counted our age in single figures. That is far longer than any of us need admit to. We needed somewhere central so that everybody could get there easily. As I was getting a train out of the city about 5pm, we chose The Booking Office which is a Wetherspoons bar and bistro near the Waverley Station, the main railway station in Edinburgh, Scotland.
We met in the mid afternoon, and I thought the place would be relatively quiet. How wrong I was! As The Booking Office is so very near the station, it was extrememly busy. We did manage to get a table, but only because we grabbed it when other people left. However, the bar was well staffed. People ordered hot and cold drinks as well as food at the bar and an army of staff were kept busy serving the drinks at the bar and delivering the food to the tables.
The Booking Office had a lively atmosphere and, as it was so busy, tables would have benefitted from being cleaned more frequently and more thoroughly. This was true of the restrooms too. However, there is good disabled access and service was quick. I was not particularly impressed by The Booking Office, however, as it is so inexpensive and conveniently situated, I may well use it again.
Valerie Penny
28
Jul
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review, Review. Tagged: disabled access, Hotel Vibel, https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.com/2016/10/25/hotel-vibel-viale-dello-scalo-s-lorenzo-97-rome-italy/, Il Caffe, Italy, Restaurant Review, Rome, San Lorenzo, Valerie Penny. Leave a comment
Every trip aaway from home requires a little down time. On a recent visit to Rome, The Eternal City in Italy, my husband and I set aside one day for nothing more than relaxing, drinking coffee, eating cake and watching the world go by. It was most enjoyable.
After a lazy start to the day, when we had coffee and wrote postcards (yes, some people still write postcards)! We wandered about San Lorenzo, the area where our hotel was situated. The hotel was bitterly disappointing and is reviewed on this site, here: https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.com/2016/10/25/hotel-vibel-viale-dello-scalo-s-lorenzo-97-rome-italy/. However, we enjoyed our vacation and were happy to find Il Caffe for lunch.
We chose freshly made sandwiches, crisps and a soft drink. The food was very tasty, and the atmosphere at Il Caffe was relaxed and the staff were courteous and helpful. The place was busy over the lunchtime period, but there was no sense of stress or pressure that spilled over to the customers.
Il Caffe offers good value, has good access for disabled patrons and we very much enjoyed our lunch and the experience of visiting this unpretentious, clean, friendly little restaurant.
Valerie Penny
28
Dec
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: Arlington, disabled access, family run restaurant, Il Radicchio, Il Radicchio Ristorante, Italian food, USA, Valerie Penny, vegetarian, Virginia. Leave a comment
I have always enjoyed my visits to Arlington, Virginia, USA. I first visited the State many years ago when my friend Connie was my hostess. It was then I also met our friend Denise. Good times. However, on my most recent visit to Virginia, my husband and I went with our friends Lisa and Bill. We visited their niece, Nika and her beau, Hani and they hosted a pre-dinner drinks party for us. It was such fun. After this we all made our way to Il Radiccho Ristorante, Nika and Hani’s favourite restaurant. They have good taste!
Il Radicchio is quite a small, family run, Italian restaurant. It has a fun atmosphere and friendly service. There is easy disabled access to Il Radicchio Ristorante and there are lots of choices of food available for vegetarians as well as omnivores. We had delicious plates of bruschetta for the table as a starter. It was fun and delicious. The boys chose beer to drink, except for Hani as the poor guy had a late meeting to attend that evening and needed a clear head. The girls shared a bottle of red wine. The breads and salads on offer were lovely too.
For our main courses we mainly chose a variety of risotto, pizza and pasta dishes. My husband chose the spahetti bolognese and spicy sausage. He has a big appetite and the portion was ample for him. I chose the spaghetti with pureed basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil. It was delicious, but I could not finish my meal! Nevetheless, we all made room for coffee and deserts. My husband had an americano coffee to wash down his chocolate cake while I enjoyed a latte with my icecream sundae. 
We very much enjoyed the embiance and the food at Il Radicchio Ristorante. Next time you are in Arlington, I highly recommend this restaurant.
4
Nov
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: buffet restaurant, disabled access, good atmosphere, https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.com/2016/10/25/hotel-vibel-viale-dello-scalo-s-lorenzo-97-rome-italy/, Italian restaurant, Restaurant Review, restaurant reviews, Restaurants in Rome, Valerie Penny, Zero Zero100 Via del Verano, 27, Roma, Italy, ZeroZero100. Leave a comment
On a recent trip to Italy, my husband and I found ourselves in the gritty student neighbourhood of San Lorenzo.This district is immediately east of Termini train station and is where we found the boutique restaurant that is Zero Zero100 Via del Verano, 27, Roma, Italy. It was close to our hotel, the thoroughly unsatisfactory Hotel Vibel, reviewed on this site at https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.com/2016/10/25/hotel-vibel-viale-dello-scalo-s-lorenzo-97-rome-italy/.
The staff at ZeroZero100 are all quite young, very polite and extremely efficient. They are certainly kept busy as a wide variety food and drinks are available both at lunch time and in the evenings. Access is good if you have mobility issues. We only visited this restaurant at dinner time, but we liked it so much we went back three times during our short trip.
The restaurant offers an a la carte menu, but it also offers a buffet. The system for calculating the cost of your buffet meal is ingenious. The cost includes a drink, for example beer at 6 euros or a (large) gin and tonic at 7 euros then the buffet brings your bill to 10 or 11 euros respectively. We were amazed by the selection of salads, breads and pizzas on the buffet so we never saw past that.
Salads are continually refreshed: platters included cold meats, fresh vegetables, eggs, tuna and grains as well as breads, quiches and mini pizzas. Above the salad bar a wide selection of paiizas were on offer. These included some without cheese, magherita pizza, various vegetarian pizzas as well as pepperoni, chicken and tuna. The pizzas were constantly freshed, like the salads and everything was delicious.
The atmosphere in ZeroZero100 was great. There was lively music, but not so loud as to prevent conversation. It was relaxed and even when the place was busy we never felt forgotten or hurried. I highly recommend ZeroZero100 and look forward to dining there in the future.
Valerie Penny
1
Nov
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: breakfast, coffee shop, disabled access, Peet's Coffee & Tea, quality coffee, sel-service, USA, Valerie Penny, Washington DC. Leave a comment
On a recent visit to the nation’s capital, I discovered the delight that is Peet’s Coffee & Tea 1156, 15th St NW, Washington DC, USA. Although founded in 1966, I had never been into a Peet’s Coffee & Tea. They had a counter that sold good quality coffees and teas. The smell when you walk into the shop is delicious.
A variety of savoury and sweet choices are available for eats. I particularly enjoyed the coffee cake, while my husband chose the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. There are a few vegetarian choices, but I did find that the staff understanding of vegetarianism is poor. The sandwiches arrive in the shop premade and when no vegetarian sandwich was available, I was offered a bacon egg and cheese sandwich with the bacon removed. Of course, the bacon fat would remain and I would have been ill as a result of eating that. The offer was kindly meant, but declined.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea is self service. There are two counters: one for ordering coffee, tea, cookies and cakes to take home, while the other serves those looking to enjoy the ambience of Peet’s. There is a wide variety of seating available and access is good for those with mobility issues. 
I thought Peet’s was a great find for a breakfast, a quick snack or a coffee break in the afternoon. It is not fancy, but the quality of the coffee and tea is excellent and the cakes, croissants and cookies to go with it are delicious. I highly recommend Peet’s Coffee & Tea for these.
Valerie Penny
7
Jul
Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: bar, cafe, disabled access, Disney, good food, Oscar's, Oscar's Cafe, Bar and Restaurant, The Esplanade, Saltcoats, Scotland, restarant, Saltcoats, Scotland, Valerie Penny, vegetarian. Leave a comment
My husband and I had arranged to meet friends for dinner at Oscar’s Cafe, Bar and Restaurant at The Esplanade, Saltcoats, Scotland but they were unable to make the date. However, as we had been looking forward to the evening, we decided to go anyway. What a fun evening!
Access is by a small flight of stairs or by a ramp, so those with mobility difficulties have easy access. The service at Oscar’s was friendly and polite. We were seated in a booth and enjoyed people watching through the evening. Oscar’s caters for a wide variety of diners: families with children, couples both young and not so young, larger groups and a private party was going on in the function area upstairs. This restaurant also runs a Disney movie silently on a large screen behind the bar. This is a brilliant way of keeping the younger diners amused.
The menu is varied and does cater for vegetarians. My husband had the chicken and chorizo sausage pie. He really enjoyed it. I had the vegetarian fajitas: also delicious. The atmosphere in Oscar’s was excellent. The restaurant was happy, busy and good-natured. This certainly added to our enjoyment of our evening.
For pudding my husband had a chocolate brownie, which he said was one of the best he had tasted. I had a chocolate nut sundae. it was delious, but enormous and I had no chance of finishing it! We rounded off our meal with coffees. We did not really need to have coffee, but we were having such a lovely time, it would have been a shame to leave earlier than we had to.
I highly recommend Oscar’s Cafe, Bar and Restaurant, The Esplanade, Saltcoats, Scotland and will dine there again.
Valerie Penny
Val Penny's Hotel and Restaurant Reviews 