guestspy » Uncategorized http://www.guestspy.com undercover, independent reviews of places to stay & eat Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:07:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Mildreds Vegetarian Restaurant London http://www.guestspy.com/2010/12/04/mildreds-vegetarian-restaurant-london/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/12/04/mildreds-vegetarian-restaurant-london/#comments Sat, 04 Dec 2010 09:10:50 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=79 As someone who thrives of a healthy diet of meat and bread a trip to a vegetarian restaurant only happens once a year, on my better halves birthday. Dragged past the numerous steak houses like a petulant child I was eventually glad to be seated inside the long. warm and cozy dining area of Mildreds the famous vegetarian restaurant smack in the centre of Soho. Having already come this far I opted to go vegan for the starter, home made hummous with chili oil and a nicely char-toasted flatbread. If all vegan food tasted this good I wouldn’t hesitate in making the switch. Between our group we sampled everything on the starter list and not one comment was even remotely negative. Judging by the standards expected by some people in our group this is very high praise indeed.

Having washed down the starter with a nice organic cider  we moved to the mains. Opting for the sundried tomato and buffalo mozzarella risotto cake accompanied with wilted spinach, green beans and grape mustard cream sauce I was not to be disappointed. The stunning array of flavours and the perfect texture left me quite literally stunned. I now thought I understood why this place is so highly rated but the truth was I had yet to sample their coup de grâce.

The white chocolate and pistachio cheesecake is out of this world. I have never tasted a cheesecake close to as good as that in my travels around the globe. If you are in London even if only for one hour get yourself to Mildreds and indulge. Stunning!

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/12/04/mildreds-vegetarian-restaurant-london/feed/ 0 Aspect Hotel Kilkenny – Surprisingly Good Value http://www.guestspy.com/2010/11/05/70/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/11/05/70/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:01:59 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=70 I have just returned from a fantastic stay at the Aspect Hotel Kilkenny.  I drove down from Dublin on the new M9 which took a little over an hour, even on Friday evening and with the big signs on road into Kilkenny you can’t miss it!

Check-in was great, really friendly receptionist (Sinead) gave us lots of ideas for our visit and even booked our table for dinner that night.  Room was good size, clean and comfy bed.

After looking for a restaurant in Kilkenny using the free wifi we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant on the first night. The steak was excellent, loved the sauce but the real treat are the hot fudge brownies.

Next morning we got up early and had a great breakfast with proper sausages (always a test of a good hotel).  We walked into town for sightseeing.  Had been bit worried about how far it was but only took 10 minutes to get to everything.  Kilkenny is lovely city with excellent shopping (might have to come back to do some Christmas shopping, excellent selection of large shops and lots of smaller ones you don’t get everywhere else).

We asked at reception for restaurant reservations (don’t want to eat at same place twice) and the girl (Jane I think) recommended Café Sol in the town centre.  After a lot of wandering around the shops we didn’t feel like walking back into town but Jane organised us a taxi on the hotels special rate!  Restaurant was great and close to lots of great bars so we had a bit of a night on the town.

Sadly our weekend was over before we knew it!  Still lots for us to see in Kilkenny and when we come back we will definitely choose the Aspect Hotel Kilkenny again

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/11/05/70/feed/ 0 The Happy Pear – Organic Food in Greystones http://www.guestspy.com/2010/09/17/the-happy-pear-organic-food-in-greystones/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/09/17/the-happy-pear-organic-food-in-greystones/#comments Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:43:59 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=74 Once in a while I find I’ve had enough of gorging myself in swanky Dublin restaurants. This new found disinterest leads to itchy feet which in turn can lead me to forage further a field in country back waters such as Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Ok maybe it’s not so backward but being the last stop on the southbound Dart it is the further most limit of many Dublin commuters. The negative feelings of having to travel for an hour to get to the city centre are offset by quaint establishments such as Three Q’s and the Happy Pear, both just metres from the Dart station. Locals are well aware of these benefits and can frequently be seen queuing up to spend their hard earned Euros on the finest organic foods the country has to offer. From the traditional brown bread, mouth watering pestos and delicious smoothies to a wide selection of the finest local produced vegetables the Happy Pear has it all. The fact is that the supermarkets in the area cannot compete with such high quality standards. The only consolation I have when exiting through the doors of Tescos is the weight of my wallet. Quality does not come cheap in Greystones but if you beat the recession and are still flush the Happy Pear is the place for you.

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/09/17/the-happy-pear-organic-food-in-greystones/feed/ 0 Bergamo Zoo – Le Cornelle, Parco Faunistico http://www.guestspy.com/2010/08/12/bergamo-zoo-le-cornelle-parco-faunistico/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/08/12/bergamo-zoo-le-cornelle-parco-faunistico/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:37:52 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=64 I have mixed feeling about Zoos, and I don’t go often; I find the repetitive pacing of animals that evolved to roam large spaces unsettling, as I do the behavior of visitors; trying to spur the apathetic animals to action by shouting and making noises. In this regard Bergamo Zoo is like any other.

Captive sImian in Bergamo

It’s a compact area and the edge of the town and the enclosures for the large animals are not anything like the size of their corresponding areas in Dublin Zoo. There is a large supervised carpark @ 3euro per day, and entry to the zoo is 11euro for adults with under 4’s in free.

Brown Bear in Bergamo Zoo

There is a kennelling service for people with dogs: in Italy people still bring their dogs everywhere with them, and in a country where the car temperatures soar in the summer, this seems like a sensible approach to animal welfare. How much of this carries over to the rest of the zoo, I’m not qualified to judge, but I have a gallery with some of the animals here.

Parrots in Bergamo Zoo

One thing I can say for certain: it’s a big hit in the 4 year old demographic, and there are a lot of merry go rounds and petting zoo type animals, including one tiny pony with a bossy attitude that has to been seen to be believed; he charges in from far, head held high and mane flying, with nibbles and karate-precise kicks to rouse his herd to action. I didn’t get a picture of the pony (I was too shocked at his management style), but this one from the fairgound part of the zoo will give some idea of his outlook:

Mechanical Pony Ride in Bergamo Zoo

Don't share an apple with this one.

My vote would be to populate the whole zoo with similar domesticated beasts with attitude and let the big cats and other animals roam the savanna, but I’m unlikely to have the last word.

Their website is in Italian only, and the navigation doesn’t translate with Google Translate, but this page contains a map. I suppose they’ve never head of multilingual content management for tourist attractions :)

If you’re trying to get there with a Tom Tom it’s not listed as an point of interest, you’re going to need the street address. As with all Italian maps on Tom Tom get ready to be misdirected down some roads that are one way (frequently), or haven’t been built yet (when you’re rushing to the airport). Morbegno bypass is a good example: the GPS shows a spagetti junction, while reality shows a field with some red and yellow poles in it.

The address of the zoo is Via Cornelle, 16, 24030 Val Brembo (BG)

Service is very friendly and bring a picnic, there are loads of covered eating areas.

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/08/12/bergamo-zoo-le-cornelle-parco-faunistico/feed/ 0 Theatre Restaurant Riga http://www.guestspy.com/2010/06/04/theatre-restaurant-riga/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/06/04/theatre-restaurant-riga/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:42:16 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=55 On my recent trip to Riga the capital of the Baltics I stumbled upon the Theatre restaurant hidden in a courtyard away from the hustle and bustle  of the busy streets. With pleasant weather touching 20 degrees it was perfect for sitting outside. A really nice place to relax. Shame about the food. Cheaping out on the salad sauce by using sunflower oil instead of olive oil. Bizarre considering the effort taken to create a nice atmosphere in the restaurant. The portions were decidedly small. After my useless salad starter I indulged in some pasta carbonara. This was also so-so. Not as good as I would cook at home which is not good enough from a professional chef. Deserts?… nah why bother with being underwhelmed again?

On the up side the coffee, drinks and cocktails were good. Would definitely recommend it for a tipple in the sunshine but avoid the food. I’ll be covering a better option for grub, just around the corner, in my next post.

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/06/04/theatre-restaurant-riga/feed/ 0 The Unicorn Dublin http://www.guestspy.com/2010/02/11/the-unicorn-dublin/ http://www.guestspy.com/2010/02/11/the-unicorn-dublin/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:36:14 +0000 alexevil67 http://www.guestspy.com/?p=60 Sick of hearing about this recession drivel my colleague and I decided the best detox would be to visit The Unicorn just off St Stephens Green for lunch. Rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers of the Irish finance industry during this lunch hour it was clear by their pot bellies that their recession is confined to sensational newspaper headlines and an is primarily an event that is happening elsewhere. How fitting that the people who caused this mess get off scot-free. I digress….

The place was rammed to the gills and we were lucky to get a seat. After enjoying an excellent lunch it is easy to see how this place remains so popular during these supposedly tough times. The variety on offer for the buffet starter would have been enough to satisfy even the most choosy of eaters. After enjoying the juicy olives, mozzarella, tomatoes salad and a range of other tasty morsels it was onto a main course of roast lamb. The lamb was slightly over done by my taste but I’ve unfortunately come to expect this in many Irish establishments. The roast potatoes, veg and yorkshire puddings which were served as accompaniments were however excellent.  As we had a full schedule in the afternoon we stuck to water though the extensive wine list was enticing.

4/5 for the Unicorn.

]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2010/02/11/the-unicorn-dublin/feed/ 0 Hotel Barcelona ME – Merry Crisis http://www.guestspy.com/2009/03/24/hotel-barcelona-me/ http://www.guestspy.com/2009/03/24/hotel-barcelona-me/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:07:10 +0000 Undercover Brother http://www.guestspy.com/?p=28 I was lucky enough to spend a few days in the brand new designer Hotel, Barcelona ME, when I was visiting the city for a show earlier this month. This hotel had it all but you would want deep pockets. Maybe not the ideal time to open a hotel of this grandeur. On the other hand if you want to escape the rat race with a weekend in Barcelona I would highly recommend the ME. Situated in the 22nd district near the Pobleneu Metro station it’s stunning architecture (see the slide reel below) and everything possible concierge left me with a feeling of awe. I can only thank God that I wasn’t paying with a double pack of Durex (flavoured albeit) coming in at a tidy 15 Euro and a bag of crisps (small snack size) at 6.50 Euro.
The room was small but comfortable with a large panorama window giving a eye catching view which had you looking straight down the outer wall. The bathroom was all you would expect and featured a large window into the bedroom which gave the room a spacious feel. If you like a good book there was also a Roman style triclinia in the corner. It was 160 Euro a night. The cheapest option.
Breakfast was quality. A buffet with a large selection of tropical fruits, cereal, pastries, cheese, bread, cold cuts, juice, coffee and tea along with a menu where you could order a range of cooked items. I couldn’t resist the chorizo sausage, bacon and eggs (along with a good helping from the buffet). They do say breakfast is the most important meal! The butter was, strangely, noticeable through it’s absence and if I have to admit it, it wasn’t missed so grand was the selection on offer.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any time to get stuck in at the pool or gym (after a breakfast like that it would have probably been a good idea) or any of the bars or lounges. I did however manage a few sneaky pics for you on my final morning.
]]> http://www.guestspy.com/2009/03/24/hotel-barcelona-me/feed/ 0