What would you order?

I always order something I know I'll like.

I don't want to waste money on something I might not enjoy.

Kamiso

We went to Paris for a few days at the height of nouvelle cuisine. Stayed in a very smart hotel with the evening meal included. Our faces must have been a picture when the silver salver lid was removed and there was a tiny little one bite portion and the next courses were all the same size. We went out after and found a McDonald’s still open!
The portions are much bigger in the Midlands than the south east.

I know, so hard to find, I must research that SOHO restaurant

Desire

Kamiso

We went to Paris for a few days at the height of nouvelle cuisine. Stayed in a very smart hotel with the evening meal included. Our faces must have been a picture when the silver salver lid was removed and there was a tiny little one bite portion and the next courses were all the same size. We went out after and found a McDonald’s still open!
The portions are much bigger in the Midlands than the south east.

I know, so hard to find, I must research that SOHO restaurant

sorry wrong quote

DaisyL

I think I had brains in Spain last time or possibly France. There used to be a terrific French restaurant in Soho that an old boss of mine used to take me to - can't remember its name - where they did tête de veau that included brains! Some people's idea of a nightmare, but I thought it was delicious. they do still have brains in menus in France, but don't often see them over here!

I know, so hard to find, I must research that SOHO restaurant

It depends on where we are, and the time of year.
We've just had a few days at our family cottage right on the coast of Ceredigion, and I've consumed a LOT of Crab and Lobster!
If we go out for breakfast, my favourite place does Eggs Cypriot, like Eggs Benedict, but with Halloumi in place of the ham, and their Hollandaise sauce is the best I've ever tasted! I'm a foodie, and a very keen, and experienced cook, but I just can not do a decent poached egg, so I let the experts cook them for me!

My choices are very limited, so anything that is guaranteed gluten free.

If I can get away with it I often have a starter followed by a starter as I have limited capacity these days. Otherwise it will be fish - and I ask if they will swap the accompaniment for chips!

Anything without chilli in it. It’s getting increasingly impossible to find anything on a menu without chilli! I’m very intolerant of it and would be extremely ill within the hour!
Recently I forgot to check because I had ordered eggs florentine… guess what was added “to spice it up a bit “ according to the chef. ?

Definitely something that I couldn't easily do at home. I'm often inclined to go for something fishy, or maybe crustacean-y.

Whatever is the most appealing on the vegan menu. Many places are a bit hit and miss. We are going to a lovely place here in Devon for my 70th next week and the vegan menu is quite extensive for a change.

I have prawn cocktail but as a main course.

Brains were taken out of the food chain during BSE and the CJD outbreak. I don’t know if they are now for sale again.

I like dressed crab salad when in Norfolk and something like a Barnsley chop, duck breast or halibut locally. I’d enjoy any of those providing they’re cooked well with nice fresh veg on the side.

I like brains cooked in turmeric and lemon.
Would possibly go for a carvery as such a faff to do at home.

After chemo I’ve been left with nasty taste in mouth and struggle to find anything I want to eat, or I think I want it and after a few mouthfuls it tastes horrible. For some reason at home I’m liking steak …and anything crunchy. I know I need them but vegetables now taste unpleasant too !

But normally when I am out I choose two starters. Something seafood related or a v small non tomato pasta. Used to be starter and pud but I’m now diabetic …

Always seafood. Oysters. Scallops, prawns, fish, crab or lobster depending what looks good on the menu. In a pub: steak and kidney pie. liver with onions and gravy or fried fish and chips.
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Somebody, sorry can’t remember who, asked why whitebait were banned in Portugal. I was told that it was because they were immature fish and the ban was to protect fishing stocks. It might be different now.

Often try and order something we don’t have at home, although I’m slightly addicted to a good chicken burger! Can’t eat the volume I used to and will often skip pudding completely.

@grannyrebel7 I'd never heard of it either. Speciality of the north apparently.
www.eatgreatmeat.co.uk/product/lamb-henry/

The problem is that what is now served as 'whitebait' are the size of sprats.

When I first ordered whitebait, they were tiny little things only a few inches long and thin. The menu frequently also offered sprats, which are a larger fish, much the same size as the fish currently sold as white bait!

The last ones I had MOnica Eastbourne, 2019.

I have tried to post a picture of what I understand to be white bait but failed. So here is the link. www.italianspoon.com.au/fried-whitebait/

Compare the size of fish to lemon in your image and mine. What I understand as whitebait are much smaller.

My whitebait eating days were the 1960s at iconic pubs like The Prospect of Whitby at Wapping and The Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich. What they served then as whitebait were the smaller fish. The larger fish were on the menu but called sprats.

The smaller the better. I don’t like their little eyes looking reproachfully at me ?

I last found whitebait at a pub around the back of Stanstead airport, and very good they were too. Tiny, crunchy fish. That was a couple of years ago though. I'd completely understand if they were banned to help conserve fish stocks.

Sprats are great on toast - my Mum would often serve this up on a Saturday evening. They do need preparing though, so cleaned and heads off.

The best whitebait I ever had were in Orford Ness at pub by the Quay. And then, all of a sudden, they stopped doing them.