The meal of a lifetime.

Riverwalk We decided against the wine pairing and chose a bottle each 2 whites and 2 reds, there were 4 of us.
My choice was a Hungarian dry white.
It was delicious but not as good as the Saumur. MaybeMaw it was auto correct!!

Looks a fabulous place and menu Sago - did you have all the wine pairings as well?

I can't choose my meal of a lifetime as have had so many lovely meals from lobster in New England to simple 3-courses in tiny French villages in the middle of nowhere.

The most glamorous was with my son at the Montana Art Deco Hotel, overlooking Lake Lucerne where he lives.

Hotel Montana

gulligranny

In 1980 my then husband and I were staying with friends in San Diego; our 10th wedding anniversary was coming up, and they took us for lunch to the Hotel Del Coronado (where Some Like It Hot was filmed). Apart from the location and the dining room being totally stunning, the meal was amazing. I had a seafood salad which was served in a hollowed-out iceberg lettuce, followed by Strawberries Romanoff. We had champagne and afterwards, probably because of our awe-struck Englishness, the hotel manager gave us a tour.

Memorable indeed, unlike the husband (we divorced 3 years later!)

I've been to the Hotel Del Coronado for dinner, about 10 years ago, and loved it. Some Like It Hot is one of my favourite films of all time! I have a good friend who lives in La Jolla and have visited San Diego a number of times - time I went back

Hotel Del Coronado

Saumur?

Thank you all for your contributions, I have just got home after our magical weekend and have thoroughly enjoyed reading through.
I agree with posters who have said it’s the people not the food etc and I totally agree, eating pizza at an Italian truck stop with a wood fired oven and a toothless chef with our children was unforgettable!
L’Enclume though for me was so special because my main interest in life is food, every aspect of it.
Our Chef and sommelier were just lovely young people without an ounce of pretention.
They just wanted to give us the best experience they could.
To watch the food being prepared in front of us and have every dish explained was wonderful.
It’s hard to choose my favourite dish but it was probably “Fuseau artichokes,grilled Maida Vale Crosnes and chrysanthemum”
The favourite wine was a Samaur and the prettiest dish ( in the photo) was Chamomile cake and cobnut cream with candied pumpkin,pumpkin juice and sea buckthorn?.
Non of these will be replicated in my kitchen???

I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it was a tasting menu in Sydney whilst on a tour of Australia. Each course (7) was accompanied by a half glass of wine to compliment the food. Even the vodka martini in the bar first of all was the best I’ve ever tasted. It was recommended in the Sunday Times before we left ad we booked it in advance as it was famous in Sydney.

It was 2007 so might not even be there now but it was truly memorable

My very first taste of real Italian pizza under the stars Lido di Jesolo 1971 - simply sublime

Two in Paris,Le Bristol Rue Fouberg St Honore where we were staying and Le Maurice. The food and ambience were sublime.

Alizarin that sounds wonderful. Just shows what a kind compassionate thought can lead to! Well done you.

I’ve enjoyed reading this thread - although makes me sad that we’ve missed 2 years of travelling. I agree that the most memorable meals are not necessarily those made with expensive ingredients or in ultra smart surroundings, but the meals that evoke warm memories of friends / family / kindness and hospitality.

Mavis from Corrie retired to run a tea room in Cartmel. Sometimes Rita goes to stay with her there! That was the first time I'd ever heard of it.
My most memorable meal was in a village near the canal du Nivernais in France. We tied up the boat and walked into the little village. We noticed lots of people carrying big dishes and pots going into the local and only cafe. We followed them. It turned out that this was 'Couscous' night. The owners wife was Moroccan and once a week she'd make a massive vat of tasty couscous and people could bring their own dishes for a carry out. Luckily there was enough left for us and it was delicious. Goodness knows what was in it but the spices and flavours were delicious. It was a great evening of friendly companionship with the locals helped on by lashings of local wine. Happy serendipitous days.

Two pics for some reason!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202201/medium-664649-img-20220131-wa0000.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202201/medium-261123-img-20220131-wa0000.jpg

The shop

My husband and I took presents to a Moroccan ship stranded in the River Fal. The impoverished crew were stuck there because there was a writ metaphorically nailed to the mast and the owners wouldn't pay their salaries. So sad. We thought we were going for coffee but they sat us down to a seven-course meal, including swordfish and a tagine that had been cooking for hours. The crew were so glad to have company (our small children were with us) and showed us photos of their families. They hadn't any money to speak of and the whole event moved me to tears. The food was wonderful.

No Ann You are correct. We have partaken of sticky toffee pudding in Cartmel several times and brought some home for the famIly from the village shop!

Cartmel is a lovely village.
There is a racecourse and races occasionally.
I think it is said to be the home of Sticky Toffee Pudding.
My memory may have played tricks on there though.

Sago I’d never heard of Cartmel village before and just now I bumped into a friend in the square and she told me she and her husband are off to stay there on Friday for 2 nights.
Witchy ?‍♀️

I don't have a meal of a lifetime – I have a lifetime of meals
Sums it up Absent !

TBH it’s not ever the food- it may be place or the occasion - but for me it is always the people (or person) I am with.

In 1980 my then husband and I were staying with friends in San Diego; our 10th wedding anniversary was coming up, and they took us for lunch to the Hotel Del Coronado (where Some Like It Hot was filmed). Apart from the location and the dining room being totally stunning, the meal was amazing. I had a seafood salad which was served in a hollowed-out iceberg lettuce, followed by Strawberries Romanoff. We had champagne and afterwards, probably because of our awe-struck Englishness, the hotel manager gave us a tour.

Memorable indeed, unlike the husband (we divorced 3 years later!)

One of the best meals ever, in the Wadi Musa after a walk to Petra. So much variety, Middle East cuisine at its best. The hummus, well you can forget your pot from Sainsbury's it’s nothing like the real thing.. A once in a life time experience.

The most memorable meals have been good fish and chips sitting outside overlooking the sea somewhere, preferably with friends and/or relatives.

We went to the Doyles in Sydney opposite the Opera House, EllanVannin the meal was ok, vastly overpriced but the view was terrific!!

Like others, we’ve had plenty of meals that are memorable - either because of the quality / inventiveness of the food or because of the wonderful setting - or both!! Sometimes the simplest food is the most pleasurable if it’s just at the right time. Years ago we were travelling around Europe in our VW camper with the children. One day in Italy the children were hungry and getting fractious. We stopped to ask someone where we could find somewhere to eat and he leapt on his scooter and gestured for us to follow. He took us on a slightly hair raising ride through narrow streets to a well hidden tiny pizzeria where we had the most delicious food and the children were fussed over!
Closer to home, the Beach House restaurant on Oxwich Bay, South Wales , is well worth a visit. Great setting right on the beach and fabulous, mostly local, food.
beachhouseoxwich.co.uk/

It would be hard to pinpoint one meal, but those that stick in my memory, are on a beachside cafe many years ago, Pampelonne Beach in France, an Omelette Aux Fines Herbes, didn't have much money at the time, but a finer omelette I have yet to taste!

A Chinese boss when I worked at a firm of chartered accountants took some of us out to a Chinese restaurant only known to him and ordered for us, I particularly remember it was best Chinese food I had ever tasted, steamed whole Sea Bass with Soy and Ginger will forever etched in my memory as overwhelmingly delicious. Can't remember the actual restaurant.

A birthday meal in the much lauded River Cafe in London met all expectations.

My 60th birthday meal in Hotel des Cataratas, Iguazu, Brazil, best hotel I've ever stayed in, fabulous food even the breakfasts were sensational.

The Elizabeth (long gone, alas), St. Aldates, Oxford, the evening after my degree ceremony. Famous for its crême brûlée and its wine list. We had a 1906 claret and a 1914 port.

MiniMoon

Tasting menu at Hyem in Wall. The only Michelin starred restaurant in Northumberland. 18 courses of the most sublime little dishes with the juice tasting menu. Everything was presented beautifully, and each course described by the very knowledgeable waiting staff.

It was a 70th birthday gift to my husband from our wonderful children and their partners.

We are booked to go to there on Wednesday, every time we go to Northumbria we try and book but it normally has a three month waiting list, this time we managed to get a cancellation. I'm going with DH and DD for my 57th and DD's 30th birthdays. We're staying at Walwick Hall, so looking forward to it, nice to hear it is as good as the reviews.