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Thursday 20 September 2007

Name them, your favourite restaurants!

answer
you must answer!


Twenty Thousand hits eh! Check 'em numbers out! That's what I call vindication. And I need constant vindication. Those are like 20,000 little hugs telling me "You're all right". I need the love, and the hits, and the subscribers, but really I need to get out more... (If you are reading this early in the morning I may not have quite got there but I will by lunchtime. I was always one for chicken counting!)

Blog baby number three is likely to go over his due date. It's proving to be a difficult birth. But hey when it's ready it's ready. Keep voting all the same.

Now I need something from you, my avid readers. Tell me about the top 3 restaurants you visit. You can be as detailed as you want, quality of the food, the quality of the service, the ambiance, the reason why you keep going back. Or you can just tell me where it is. I'm not profiling you for some CIA type agency or to target some spamtastic advertising campaign. I want to create a list of WellDoneFillet approved restaurants. If you say it's good, I believe you. It doesn't matter where you live or where you the restaurant was that you visited. And if there are particular people in these places that make your meal more complete go ahead and name them. Lets celebrate the great!!

I suppose I should repeat this exercise for the not so hot places you have stumbled out of with the shakes. Thanks again for your readership and for visiting......

26 People trying to get Manuel's attention:

Enda Guinan said...

Congrats darling! It took you a hell less time than it took me to reach the big numbers!

PS: remind me to blog about how a waiter in Greece told me that he and his colleagues were talking about how lovely I and squeeze were recently. It's repaid my karmic debt, I feel.....

Well done! (Fillet)

Anonymous said...

[Oh why do I forget to change the user from bloody Blogger?]

Manuel said...

Enda (p): Thanks! Share your story, soon, I like to hear about other waiters

Megan McGurk said...

I should give your query some thought before replying, Manuel.
But hearty congratulations on your expectant 20,000 hits!
And many more to come.

Jenny said...

Be honest, how many come from YOUR URL?

Now off to think about your "challenge."

Megan McGurk said...

OMG, Manuel, look at this:

http://lolsecretz.blogspot.com/

Jenny said...

Back and yet another "ping" for you!

Space Needle Restuarant. The food is crap, the prices HIGH, but the view... the view...

iconoclastical said...

1. Retro Bistro (Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA). This is real french food, not the fussed-up snotty chef version of french that americans seem to enjoy. the prices are always reasonable and the service is good as long as you don't show up too late in the evening.

2. Celia's (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA) The food is AMAZING and the service is great- a little stuffy and pretty expensive, but very good for a special event.

3. Mama Desta's Red Sea (Chicago, Illinois, USA) The service sucks. There, I said it. But, you don't go to the Ethiopian restaurant for the service- you go for the delicious food, fluffy injera and plum wine- and this is the best I've ever had.

ellie said...

Congratulations on 20,000 hits!

My Top 3

1) Aldens, Ballyhackamore
2) The Point, Ballyhackamore
3) The Platform, Holywood

Aldens for the indulgence factor and the fact that they do what they do so well.
The Point for a decent night out and not breaking the bank.
The Platform for honest to goodness home cooked style food with a price tag that won't anger the bank manager.

Anonymous said...

Here's another hit from me like a bitch-slap across the face...

1, The Bucks Head, Dundrum - great fresh, locally produced food with staff that know customers want to eat in peace.

2, Darcys, Bradbury Place - great for coupley nites. lovely food and friendly staff.

3, (cant remember the name of the place), Broadway, New York - some great wee italian restaurant that gave us loadsa free booze and kept the place open till the small hours when the owner and all the staff sat down and drank themselves stupid with us. Best carbonara I've ever had

Manuel said...

Keep em coming folks! Sheepo, Darcys? Wah? We need to get you out more......

GayƩ Terzioglu said...

Manuel,
I am discovering restaurants in Dublin. I have to say Jaipur indian restaurant downtown is really good. I had lamb on the bone and the meat was coming off the bone just at the touch of the knife. The hot curries were hot enough and not some watered down western version of a curry, and spices just right.
It was not overly pricey but not cheap either. It's a swish nice restaurant where you have to make reservations (meaning busy) and although we were on time and had to wait a little, it has a huge turnaround. Nice service, great food. It's my top of the list here in Dublin at the moment.

Donal said...

Manuel, YOU'RE ALRIGHT!

Well done! Makin it happen and all that jazz!

Ok so my top 3 restaurants!

1. Mao's (Dun Laoghaire and South William Street in Dublin)

-Flawless Food everytime, you can't go wrong, really cool interior design, if I was on death row i think my last meal would be the chili squid they serve! Also the toilets have those free paper seats so that just makes the whole experience worth it!

2. Casa Pasta (Howth and Clontarf in Dublin)
- This was an old favourite of my parents when we were kids, as its a very kid friendly atmosphere. THe food is pretty much amazing, I recommend the Mexican Quesidilla, Chicken Satay, or the Barbeque Chicken Wings!

3. Wagamama (Worldwide)
I know this is pretty much a franchise but the food is always quality and always tasty.

And that does it, I'm sure there are more but you did say three! Enjoy the day!

Mudflapgypsy said...

My top 3 in Norn iron-

1/ Ginger- always great anytime I go in, great innovative food and a nice atmosphere.

2/ D'arcys, Portrush. Nice for lunch and dinner, relaxed and good food.

3/ Pizza parlour ballymena, BYO and the pizzaz are good. Cheap and cheerful.

Top 3 so far -

1/ Cafe Paradiso, Cork. Truly amazing food.

2/ Mermaid cafe, Dublin. Marvellous food, great staff and lovley atmosphere.

3/ Tamam, Hania Crete. Great food, great staff and great atmosphere.

Anonymous said...

Manuel - I just like the atmosphere. Its not pretentious and the food is always really nice. Fair enough its not a taste explosion and they dont have a large menu, but sometimes its just nice, ya know.
Its a shite site better than any of them l'burn road eateries.

Is it just me? said...

Congrats Manuel..Barcelona waiting to confer freedom of the city on your good self.

When in Dublin
1. The Mermaid Cafe - for the staff, the excellent wine list and the out of this world food..try the pork belly...drools

When in Meath
2. Eden at Bellinter House
as with Mermaid and again with the pork belly (are you sensing a trend?)

When in Galway
3. Ard Bia
no nonsence grub

When in New York
4.Les Halles
The french cut steak...flitters of fatty bits....

haven't eaten out in Belfast yet but can reccomend some good pubs=)

Anonymous said...

Ohhh, I couldn't resist the chance to pump my top 3! I live in Calgary, Canada, and my 3 are...

1) Centini's - wonderful Italian food in a great atmosphere. We went there for my birthday and it was lovely! Expensive as all out, though.

2) Chicago Chophouse - I stopped there for lunch and I'm itching to bring my parents for Christmas. Best lunch ever! Still expensive as all out though.

3) Julio's Barrio - Mexican food at reasonable prices. This is a chain, I like it because of the ambience and the margaritas. :) The food is okay, not super special but good enough to justify the prices. We go there a fair bit.

Unknown said...

Sopranos, Antrim Road, Belfast. Kinda dark inside but relaxed atmosphere. Staff are friendly and attentive without pestering the eaters.
Great and varied menu. Food is delicious and comes in gianormous portions. The Juniors Ribs dish is unbelievable.
Although named after the TV series of the same name, Sopranos is not adorned with posters and other TV memorobalia. There are a few pics of Tony and the mob discretely positioned but the overall abience is country Italian.

The Hangar Queen said...

Costa Abruzza
Mulberry St.
New York City.
For that genuine Mobbed Up atmosphere.

Philomena's
Wisconsin Ave,
Washington,D.C.
For a less honest kind of gangster.

Donkey Ford's
Broad St.
Limerick.
Pure class lads...pure class.

Btw we had dinner at The Grill Room (part of The Ten Square hotel) in Belfast last week.

fatmammycat said...

Breakfast, the Manhatton, probably full of truckers, bacon, baked beans and drunken hussies and taxi-men, but that's good.
Lunch- Elephant and Castle for the chicken wings and chips.
Lunch 2-Saba, genuinely good fusion asian food.
Brunch -the Odessa, over the tops yummy ya-ya, most entertaining.
Fast Lunch- Wagamama- always good, cheap and easy.
Early diner, that place I was telling yoou about, you know, the secret place on FADE STREET.
Diner, the Trocedero, go for the seabass, stay for the ambiance. See how many actors you can recognise from the photos on the red red walls.
Late night- Gigs place, portobello, full of taxi drivers and truckdrivers waiting for the Manhatton to open, also dealers, hookers and folk having affairs and drunken hussies, awesome eggs and chips.

Manuel said...

More, I want more!!!!!

Troika said...

The Orange Tree - a beautiful little restaurant off the Mid-Levels escalator up by Princes Terrace in Hong Kong. A dutch restaurant with the best steaks your hard-earned cash can buy.

Cabbages and Condoms - sukhumvit, Soi 12, Bangkok. Outdoor joint, best green curry anywhere in the world. And the mango and sticky rice rocks. All proceeds go to Aids foundations.

The American Peking - 20 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Best Peking Duck ever. Waiters are well-known for their rudeness and they play on it. Good fun.

Any curry house in Chung King Mansions, Kowloon. Especially the Taj Mahal. The staff smell fucking awful but the food is great.

Troika said...

PS You'd probably do well at the Taj Mahal, Manuel.

Old Knudsen said...

Pancake hoose -- excellent
Delaneys --- shite
The Thai place or chink place on the Dublin Road was good but I was very pished, not the one with the fish tank.
BK on the Dublin road is great.

Anonymous said...

Manchester - Greens, Simon Rimmers Veggie restaurant in Didsbury - hands down the best place i have eaten and consistently good for about 5-6 years that i have been going - not BYO any more unfortunately

Kroma - a chain set up by disgruntled pizza express employees - in chorlton and manchester centre - the food is cheap, its damn fine pizza and the staff are friendly - all you want really

Manuel said...

MORE MORE MORE PLEASE!

ps thanks to everyone so far