Yesterday I got invited around a very good friend of mines – Rick Marden. It was excellent we had fajitas and they were good. Also had to have a photo with the hat !!.
It was such a great send off for my emigration to the USA. It ended up with him giving me a bottle of Pol Roger which was Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne and a special edition scalextric mini cooper from the Italian Job. So kind, thank you.
It was just great and I will miss him and his wife Judy a lot.
Well things finally came to an end for myself on the BPOSS (BP Open Shipping System) team. So the team decided that we would combine the Christmas team lunch with my leaving dooooo.
John Sparke thought we should go to a Spanish restaurant that he knew…
El Faro
3 Turberry Quay
Pepper Street
London E14 9RD
It is right next to Crossharbour station on the Isle of Dogs.
The staff were welcoming and Spanish which is great as most of the waiting staff these days in Spanish restaurants are english.
I would say the menu was small but precise with some really good stuff on it.
I had the Spanish omelette to start with, followed by a perfectly cooked blue rump steak. The wine menu was excellent and I and a colleague had a red rioja which was just fantastic.
For dessert I had the caramelized bananas served with Madagascar vanilla ice cream.
My colleagues meals were also excellent.
The bill was 433 pounds which worked out at 86 pounds a head so it wasn’t the cheapest lunch although I think the three bottles of champagne and the brandy’s after the meal somewhat pushed the price up.
Would I go back – YES I would.
Well saw that the cafe in Bramley had re-opened after the last owners had left, so thought being a lover of cafe’s I would go and try it today.
It is situated on the high street in Bramley. Initial impressions: lovely smell of hot food and it was busy. I opted for the Bramley special which was a sausage, 2 pieces of bacon, fried egg, fried slice, 2 pieces of black pudding, baked beans, hash brown, bread and butter. I also ordered a mug of hot tea and the whole lot came to £6.20.
The delivery of the food and drink was a little different to most other cafe’s I have been in around this area because the others tend to give you your drinks as you pay. Here you pay, sit down and the tea is brought out to you. I guess this approach is a little posher but personally I like to get my drink there and then as you can drink and read your paper if you have one. It took a little while for the tea to arrive but was quickly followed by my food.
Initial reaction – it looked good, food was hot and fresh.
You can always tell something about a cafe by the type of sausage they have on offer and this sausage was a very meaty one, it was delicious. Minor detail here but could have done with a bit more bread and it would have been nice if it was on a plate because there was just too much stuff for the size of the plates they were offering.
Value for money – I would say it was a little more expensive than I am used to but it was nice to go to a cafe out in the sticks. It was nice so I am happy to pay a little extra.
Would I go back – Yes I would go back, probably not as often as my favourite cafe in Leatherhead but I would go back.
