Joff's Qype profile

I’ve been to Margarets Tea Room a couple of times now and would recommend it to others. They serve proper loose leaf tea, do a good bacon sarnie and delicious cakes (the carrot cake was particularly good). Margaret’s makes a nice change for Peterborough where other cafes all seem to be noisy coffee shops – Margaret’s is a proper tea room, decorated with carpet and a sideboard complete with photos.

I’ve been a fan of the Banyan Tree’s approach to Indian cuisine for a couple of years, after eating at their other restaurant in Werrington so when they opened a city centre restaurant much closer to home I was pleased to say the least.

The Westgate restaurant is unique for Indian restaurants in Peterborough city centre, for starters it’s tastefully decorated! There’s no vision-blurring gaudy colours, just a smart, clean decor. Sitting downstairs on the sofas you could be mistaken for thinking you’re in a trendy London bar, with not only a cocktail menu but also Mongoose lager on tap (the BEST lager for pairing with a curry!). It’s also great to see that much of the original bar woodwork (I believe the building is listed, formerly the Royal Hotel but more recently was host to a bar/nightclub).

I love my curries spicy and often get strange looks in other restaurants when asking for the heat levels to be dialled up a notch, but the waiter at the Banyan Tree was very accommodating and went as far as suggesting a different dish entirely. Unfortunately I can’t remember what it was called, but it was served with some kind of roti on top – it certainly got some glances from diners on other tables! I just hope I can find it on the menu again next time.
The food at the Banyan Tree is slightly more expensive than some of the other restaurants in Peterborough, but then the quality is far, far higher.

For me, the unique selling point of the Banyan Tree (both Werrington and now Westgate) has been the menu. Gone are the tired, boring korma, bhuna, balti, dopiaza, madras, jalfrezi, vindaloo that every other restaurant in Peterborough seems to class as a “special”. It’s possible that because the Banyan Tree is Indian-owned (many other restaurants in Peterborough are Bangladeshi-owned) they are keen to promote their own style of Indian cuisine.
I’ve travelled to India and the food at the Banyan Tree is easily as good as anything I had out there, without the hassle of a nine-hour flight.

The best Indian restaurant in Peterborough.

A wonderfully authentic and genuine Indian restaurant, probably the best Indian food I've had in the UK!

This was our first visit to Cafe Spice Namaste and I'm pleased to say it's unfazed by chef proprietor Cyrus Todiwala's TV fame. The restaurant was casual, staff welcoming and we immediately felt like we were regulars.
The menu doesn't compare to any other "typical Indian" restaurant I've visited in the UK so don't expect to find generic curries. The description of the dishes ooze the character that made our visit (our wedding anniversary) so exciting.

The selection of chutneys and pickles to accompany pappadums were astounding and I only wish we had bought a jar or two to take home with us.

As a fan of anything excessively spiced my menu choices were predictably all "three chilli rated" and did not disappoint for heat levels or flavour. I went for the dynamic baby squid whilst my wife chose the lamb dosa. Whilst the squid was delicious (and quite firey!), it couldn't compare to the dosa - I would choose this time and time again.

For my main I ordered Laal Masala ma Bhujaeli Murghi (I had to check the online menu for the spelling) - tender chicken with a dark, intensely spiced gravy that I could happily eat by itself with just a naan. As a guide for others, compared to other restaurant's curries I would say this equals most "Vindaloo" curries heat.
My wife ordered a Murgh pasanda makhani and again was delicious. Much milder in heat but still flavour of spices in abundance.

Unfortunately, we didn't manage to leave any room for desserts but there's always next time!

After leaving another cafe in disgust I chanced on Java over half a dozen other cafes along George Street, but was a little concerned when staff seemed to have trouble with processing orders for the two customers queuing in front.

Thankfully my order wasn't too complicated and when it arrived I'm glad to say the food was very good. The club sandwich was substantial and jacket potato had generous toppings. Coffee was very good however one criticism would be the milkshakes were too thick to drink through a straw (but great on taste!).

Comments above regarding the noise of the smoothie machine were justified, it really was deafening - especially if you're sitting close to the counter. It was only used a couple of times whilst we were there (once for our order) so wasn't really an issue but I can appreciate some might want to use Java for a quiet meeting.

If you're looking for a quick bite to eat and good coffee, I can recommend Java!

We walked out before ordering due to the staff's lack of customer awareness - all we wanted was a jacket potato but it seemed like too much effort, with staff criticising us (yes, we were in earshot). So I can't comment on the quality of the food but as a word of warning to Platos, you're not the only cafe in Hastings.

The best steak I've had in the UK! El Gaucho is an unassuming steak restaurant within York's city limits but a couple of minutes away from the main touristy areas.

Steak is (and quite rightly so) the main ingredient as far as El Gaucho is concerned, so don't expect an extensive menu. El Gaucho know steak and know it well, so don't mess around with pizzas, pastas and all sorts of confused items on the menu.

Being unsure as to what to expect from the starters, we all chose the combinacion gaucho - a trio of empanada, spare rib and chorizo. Each are available in their own right, but the combinacion gave a taste of each.

Next was the main event. I chose the 14oz rib eye (medium) whilst my wife had an 11oz fillet (medium-well). Another member of our party ordered the 14oz rib eye (rare) and three were cooked perfectly. Of course the "rare" steak was barely cooked but that's the point...

Huge slabs of great tasting meat, tender and exactly as you want a £20-odd steak to be. I would rather have this any day than ten of the dry leathery £7 steaks you get from a chain pub.

Desserts were a little disappointing so I wouldn't worry too much about those. The pancake and ice cream sounded the best bet and it was good enough, but a bit overpriced.

In future I'll skip the dessert and maybe have a second steak instead...

The best Indian restaurant in Holbeach for miles, Chameli have been consistently cooking great tasting food for years. No delivery service, but takeaway is always busy so ring ahead.

The Broadway Theatre's now reopened (as of 12th of February 2011) and being run by StageLive.