Bowl of Pho - Restaurant Review

Last night we had been to the theatre and decided that we wanted something quick and easy for dinner. I suggested 'Bowl of Pho'. Its a Vietnamese Noodle soup restaurant 5 mins form our house.


We've been multiple times before and it never lets us down.

What we like

1. Its clean and fresh looking inside
2. The menu is extensive and great value (entrees $6.50 - $11!)
3. Its frequented by Vietnamese (great sign)
4. Food comes super quick
5. Food is always fresh and delicious
6. They have bubble tea (For the first-timers, ordering a Bubble Tea can be an event. The tea is likely to be in pastel colors of pink, green or yellow. The unique ingredient of Bubble Tea is the tapioca pearls . About the size of pearls or small marbles, they have a consistency like gummy candy (soft and chewy). Being heavier than the drink they tend to always stay near the bottom of the glass. These drinks are usually served in large see-through plastic containers with an extra-wide straw to sip these jumbo pearls. Just sucking on the translucent straw creates a show, with pearls floating up in succession)

Husband had a 'PHO' the big bowl of soup and I had a noodel dish with their delicious pork. It was, as ususal delicious, and with a shrimp appetiser and pineapple bubble tea for me the check was only $26  -can't beat the value really.

Please go  - the menu is in English, and I guarantee you will love it.

A bowl of Pho

Emeril's Tchoup Chop

Unusually we ate out this Christmas day, which was a pleasant relaxing day for me and with no leftovers to go to waste...

We walked in to Emerils Tchoup Chop and were immediately greeted at the door. If you have never been the restaurant is beautiful inside with stunning glass flower chandeliers, and a lily pond through the centre.

We were seated promptly to a nice table at the end of the pond and met by our very attentive waiter. We ordered wine and beer and perused the menu. They had a special Chritsmas day menu as well as the regular a la carte. Whilst looking we munched on Emeril's house prawn crackers with an asian dipping sauce...yummy

We chose for appetisers
Polynesian “Kicked Up” Crab Cake Mango-Habanero Butter Sauce and Caramelized Pineapple Compote
Wasabi Cured Lomi Lomi Salmon Napoleon Avocado, Tomatoes, Crème Fraîche, Crispy Wontons
Fried Goats Cheese salad with Sirachi sauce & crispy pancetta

Entrees were
Grouper (from the Christmas menu)
Garlic Grilled Black Tiger Shrimp on Chinese Style Noodle Cake with a Lemongrass Infused Wild Mushroom Crèma
Tender Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs on Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Garlic Cabernet Reduction
Mongolian Barbeque Grilled Pork Tenderloin Caramelized Sweet Onion-Orange Confit, Stir Fried Lomein Noodles

All was extremely tasted, the down point being the temperature of the Shrimp dish which arrived a touch cool. High points were the grouper and short ribs.
For dessert we chose items off the Christmas menu - A gingerbread cake and a Candy Cane creme brulee.. the creme brulee was to die for and the highlight, for me, of the whole meal.

Servive was attentive throughout and we tipped large ( well it was Christmas Day!!) We'll be back..it was out 5th visit, but the first time for my parents who loved it.

We dined here Christmas Day, and for four of us with two rounds of cocktails, appetisers, entrees and desserts & tip the bill was $300 - well worth it...

Emeril's Tchoup Chop
The Royal Pacific Resort

6300 Hollywood Way
Orlando, FL 32819

Camicupcakes...sublime

OK so not really a restaurant review, but these cupcakes are to die for. We discovered Camicupcakes yesterday evening and we have to admit to going back today to try some more. The moistest, most delicious heavenly little cake I have ever put in my mouth, this girl knows her cupcakes.

Yesterday we had the Chocolate Raspberry Almond Cream (I know sounds yummy right?!) and hubbie had the Elvis (click on the pictures for the description). They were gone in about two seconds flat and left us desperate for another one!...We decided that what made them stand out from other cakes was that as well as the cake being super moist the icing was not overly sweet, so there was no point where you said, I can't eat any more as it's too sickly...clever.
So today we went to Mellow Mushroom for some pizza ( review follows) with alterior motives..to try another Camicupcake...

Oh I thought I'd gone to heaven when I tasted the Pineapple Toasted Coconut and the speed at which hubbie downed his Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream ( it didn't make it home) seemed to indicate that he was pretty happy too...

Please try them if you can, they have two locations in Jacksonville and one in Atlanta...trust me they are sublime.

P.s. they are only $2.50 each....

My cupcake just before I devoured it!

Brass Monkey, Jacksonville, Florida

Brass monkeys in the UK means freezing cold...not exactly how I'd describe our barmy November visit to Brass Monkey in Southside, Jacksonville. We were looking for an early dinner somewhere and had intended to go to Mellow Mushroom, but being a Gator game night, it was rammed and we looked for somewhere we could get in without waiting ages for a table. The other end of the strip to Mellow Mushroom we found Brass Monkey . It was quiet when we walked in (6.30pm) but soon started to fill up, and as a bonus we had view of the large screen that was showing the football, so we wouldn't miss the start.

It's a tapas restaurant, with an extensive drinks bar, and I have since read that they have live music and other special nights. It's modern inside with low lighting and plenty of booths (our favoured seating). It was nice to have cloth napkins and a very attentive waitress.
We picked a few small plates of Tapas raning from $6 to $9 each to share and some were better than others.
Asparagus wrapped in Serano ham, with pesto sauce - you can't really go wrong here and they didn't, crunchy asparagus with crisp ham and a delicate pesto, very nice
Garlic Prawns - Disappointing, some of the garlic had been burnt and it made the sauce bitter, and the prawns were a little tasteless
Gruyere Macaroni & Cheese with truffle oil - I want more ! absolutely delicious, melty and with a little crunch from the panko topping, perfect.
Cagney Fries - Too big, not crisp, a sin if you are doing fries in my opinion. The taste was right but spoilt by the greasy texture
Chicken Empanadas & Avocado sauce - Pretty good, hubbie reckons that the pastry should have been more crispy and the chicken spicier, however I enjoyed them, and the sauce was super tasty.

It was very reasonable, and my Merlot was very nice and smooth for $6 / glass. We'd go again, but maybe a little later when the bar has heated up a bit.

Azurea - Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville - Restaurant review

Azurea Restaurant, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville $$$

Six People
$500 with tip (3 rounds of cocktails, 2 shared appetisers, 6 entrees, 6 desserts, 2 coffees)

What we had .....

Appetizers
Cast Iron Seared Jumbo Blue Crab Cake, Apple Cider Braised Collard Greens, Charred Heirloom Tomatoes, Crisp Smoked Bacon
Artisana Chesse And Wild Mushroom Tart, Watercress, Tomato Marmalade,Shallot Vinaigrette

Entrees

Seafood “Mixed Grill”,Local Catch Hawaiian Prawns, Diver Sea Scallop,Tangerine Vin Blanc x 2
“Local Catch, 3 Ways”,Grilled with Stone Fruit Salpicone,Bronzed with Lime Butter Emulsion, Beignet Battered with Smoked Vidalia Onion Remoulade
Harris Ranch 16 oz. Beef Rib Eye Cipollini onion and Pancetta Relish, Béarnaise
Red Sea Salt Crusted Diver Scallops, Anson Mills Tasso Grits, Sweet Corn Fava Bean Sauté, Smoked Piquillo Coulis
Coriander Dusted Sea Bass, Spiny Lobster-Mango Gastrique, Cilantro Emulsion

Desserts
Warm Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Center,Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Chocolate Pouring Sauce
Crème Brulee Two Ways, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Malted Chocolate, Assortment of Butter Cookies
One Ocean Dessert Sampler, Platter for Two x 2



On being invited to Azurea I was excited. I'd read good reviews and knew that our foodie fix would be very well satisfied.
We arrived a little late, walked through an amazing blue shell entrance which makes you feel like you are under the sea,
and found the rest of our party were already having cocktails on the outside seating area overlooking the ocean (it was dark, so we coudn't see it, but we could hear  and smell it!).
They quickly ordered us martini's and we settled in for a very nice evening. As we had an early table we were not rushed into coming to our table, and the wait staff outside were friendly and efficient.
Inside we were shown to our table and another round of cocktails swiftly appeared. I never saw the menu so can't tell you the prices, but they were delicious!
Our main server was a little over attentive, and seemed to appear without warning ! It was like he could materialise from thing air! but as he was not actually delivering the food we did not have to see him the whole time!

We were talking away when an amuse-bouche lollipop of grape, goats chesse and pecan came....it was surprising yummy and fresh tasting!
Our appetisers were elegant, although two between six of us was just not enough as they were very moreish, especially the cheese and mushroom tart. A nice break and then on to the entrees... they were fresh, well-prepared and divine. My Local Catch was a yellow eyed snapper and was superb! My husbands steak was well cooked (rare) and very juicy.
We chose for the table Four Cheese Baked Macaroni, Sautéed Baby Savoy Spinach with Shaved Garlic and Wild Mushroom Fricassee with fresh Thyme Butter.Two of the couples had the dessert sampler which was chef's choice of 4 desserts, which looked nice, but I was extremely happy with my salty and sweet chocolate cake, and my husband with his creme brulees!
...all scrumptious!


Attentive service and elegant beach atmosphere!

The best meal we've had this year, and worth a night out for a special occaision...we will be back !

Restaurant Review - 'M' at the Point, Mandurah, Western Australia

Date: September 13th, 7pm
Dining: Just me
Price: AUS$54 (approx $40)
Meal: Fish of the day, roasted vegetable side dish, glass of local red wine

Downstairs underneath the Sebel Hotel is 'M at the Point' restaurant. ' Unique Modern Australian cuisine that may include anything from a wagyu beef burger to a delicious gourmet pizza.' was the description...sounded good to me!.

I love eating fish in Australia and had the fish of the day...not sure what it was called but it was delicious. Served on a bed of roasted potatoes and a creamy sauce, I soon polished the lot. It went very well with my large glass of cabernet sauvignon, which was from a Margaret River vineyard. I did make a mistake in ordering the roasted vegetable side dish as it was so large - enough for 4, but again yummy.
The staff are young, but were polite and well trained. This is not silver service but professional and friendly. I did have to take my bill to pay at the exit which is a pet peeve, this was not a diner, so marked down a little for that, but all in all recommended. Not the cheapest, but the food was note worthy.
 
Service: good
Food: above average
Price: a little pricey

Poogans Porch, Charleston, S. Carolina

We have always posted our reviews of restaurants on 'Open Table' before now, so I'm going to re-post on here. In future I'll give a little more detail on what we ate and prices etc, but for now I'm just copying in from there!

Poogans Porch

'After waiting until 8.50 for out 8.15 reservation ( a pet peeve of mine) we were finally seated. (No apologies for wait!) They had no where decent to wait as the bar area was being used for dining ! It was valentines evening and we expected better. The wait staff in our dining room were friendly, if a little untrained - but this is not a gourmet restaurant - just good southern cooking. We enjoyed the food, but would probably not go back as too many other choices in Charleston..'

Overall rating : 3/5

Charleston Grill, Charleston, S. Carolina

We have always posted our reviews of restaurants on 'Open Table' before now, so I'm going to re-post on here. In future I'll give a little more detail on what we ate and prices etc, but for now I'm just copying in from there!

Charleston Grill

Ok ..if you have the money to splurge then this is the place...everything...and I mean everything! was perfect. I had pre-informed the restaurant through Open Table that this was a 5th wedding anniversary celebration...and from the moment we arrived we were congratulated by all the staff we met, seated by the piano ( they had a live jazz singer that evening) which was fantastic. The dining room is romantic and you aren't so close you can hear what other diners are talking about. The food was exquisite and to top the evening off they bought us complimentary glasses of champagne and a hand made celebratory dessert with happy anniversary enscribed on it...one of the best meals we have had.

Overall Rating 5/5 (can I give 6?)

Nelore Churrascaria, Orlando, Florida

We have always posted our reviews of restaurants on 'Open Table' before now, so I'm going to re-post on here. In future I'll give a little more detail on what we ate and prices etc, but for now I'm just copying in from there!



Nelore Churrascaria
 
After a early afternoon theatre date my husband and tried the newly re-badged Nelore. We love Churrascarias, (if you ever get the chance Fogo de Chao is amazing in Dallas, but it was too late to get a reservation at Texas de Brazil (down the road), so we booked Nelore.. Eating at 5.30 the restaurant was quite quiet, but we saw about 20 - 30 people seated whilst we were there. We had Caprihinas..delicious. The salad bar, although not quite as extensive as TDB, was tasty and fresh ..the cheesy rolls not as fluffy..but they were free flowing! You help yourself to mash and plantains (bought to you in TDB) and the meat was plentiful. $130 for 2 with two coctails and 1 dessert, wait staff were friendly and polite. We'd go again, but only if we couldn't get in TDB!
 
Overall rating: 3.5 / 5

A Fish Called Avalon, Miami, Florida

We have always posted our reviews of restaurants on 'Open Table' before now, so I'm going to re-post on here. In future I'll give a little more detail on what we ate and prices etc, but for now I'm just copying in from there!



A Fish Called Avalon

 
We went with my parents who had flown into Miami for our anniversary. After some of the best Mojitos on South Beach we ambled down to the Avalon hotel. The restaurant was extremely busy, but our table was ready on time and we were seated promptly. The fish dishes were outstanding - I had the tuna and my husband lobster, for my parents a grouper & skate ..each one different, each one delicious. The restaurant is buzzing with activity but you are still made to feel special. The cocktails were great here too! and the wait staff friendly, young and well trained. Don't miss the Key Lime Pies - it is famous!!
 
Overall 5/5