Review – The Old Grey Mare, Cottingham Road, Hull

There was a time when the Old Grey Mare was a place to avoid. The food wasn’t great and the service was pretty poor. However, all that changed a few years ago and we have eaten here on a fairly regular basis, preferring to come here now compared to the sister pub, The Fair Maid, in Cottingham.

So, how did this visit stack up.

I phoned up in advance, booking a table for us for a busy Saturday evening. The pub shows live sport and you can never tell if you’re able to get a table without a reservation, so it’s always better to book in advance.

Arriving at the pub, you are greeted by the smokers, hanging around the doorway for a crafty fag. It’s not ideal because the smoke does drift back into the pub and you can smell it near the door. However, once you get sat down, you don’t notice it.

There is always a game we play at The Old Grey Mare called “Find Your Table”. Joking aside, this is the only real gripe I have. The reservations are on pieces of paper which are moved left in the menu holder, and almost impossible to see without walking up to random tables to see which one has your name on it. Surely in this day and age we could embrace technology?

Anyway, enough about gripes. We found the table and sat down. The table hadn’t been cleared and cleaned from the last customer, which was a little disappointing, and I have to say, not the norm. I asked one of the staff if they could give the table a wipe down, and he was quickly on it, returning with spray and a cloth before heading off to fill up the cutlery pot as well.

I ordered at the bar, and returned to the table with our drinks. The pub has a good selection of wines and spirits and quite a few lagers. It’s a little bit lacking in terms of real ale, with a couple of standard brews on offer.

Although the pub was fairly busy, we weren’t waiting too long for the food and were soon tucking into our order. The grills are served on a hot skillet which does keep the meat hot. It does have the unfortunate effect of continuing to cook the meat as well, but the staff at the Old Grey Mare seem to have mastered the art of transferring the meat onto the skillet before it’s quite ready to go.

We were left to enjoy our food, but the waiter did come back for a meal check half-way through. Having worked in the restaurant trade, it’s always nice to experience this. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to happen so much anymore.

We passed on desserts this time, although when we have had them here, they have always hit the spot.

The menu is typical pub food, and price-wise it’s very reasonable. The prices are not the cheapest in the area, but the food is of a good standard and I’m happy to pay a little more.

Overall, it was another good meal at the Old Grey Mare. Long may it continue.

Service (out of 10) – 7 – The table wasn’t ready when we got there. It was quickly rectified but should we really have to be asking?

Offer (out of 10) – 9 – Maybe it could offer one or two more pub staples, but, it’s a pub, serving pub food!

Value (out of 10) – 9 – Prices went up slightly with the menu change, and there are cheaper options, but this is good value for money.

Review – McDonald’s, Cottingham Road, Hull

McDonald’s is a sort of go to easy option in our house. When we are moving kids around between A and B with not much time, it has always been a quick win.

On this occasion, this was exactly the case. Or so I thought.

I pulled into the drive thru lane and expected to be ordering fairly quickly. After about 2 minutes, it was apparent that this wasn’t going to be the case.

Finally, I got to order and pulled round to the payment counter. It was apparent, even at distance, that the young lady working on the paynent counter didn’t know what she was doing.

However, no one came to help her or go find out why customers were moving slowly through the drive thru lane, or why the volume of traffic was building up.

After a few more minutes, I was able to pay and edged forward to collect the food. The staff serving the food didn’t have a clue either and were totally confused as to what was being served to who.

Finally getting the food I had paid for, we set off. As we drove away, I was told by my child in the back that “this is cold!” I pulled over to check and have to say that it was not only cold but it was freezing. The food had obviously been stood for a good amount of time to cool down. In my opinion, it shouldn’t have been served.

We didn’t have time to go back and put this right, but to be honest, even if we had, I’m not sure we would have got a satisfactory response.

The food was cold and the service was poor. I won’t be back.

Service (out of 10) 3. Poor. No one seemed to know what they were doing.

Offer (out of 10). 2. Cold food.

Review – The Seafront Chippy, Marine Drive, Hornsea

An impromptu family trip to the beach on a sunny September afternoon saw us looking for somewhere to eat.

Having walked along the beach, heading towards Bridlington, we were at the wrong end of the town for our usual haunt, and when hunger called, The Seafront Chippy was the answer.

There was a small queue in front of us, which is never a bad thing. We were served quickly though. Since we were having a large fish, it had to be cooked to order (I always like to see this) and we sat on the stools at the front of the chippy waiting for our food.

We didn’t have to wait too long. Like a lot of chippies now, you buy a little sachet of sauce to go with your food, so armed with ketchup, as well as curry sauce and mushy peas, we tucked into our food.

The batter on the fish was really light and tasty. I like fish and chips, but often find I’m disappointed by the quality of the batter. Not on this occasion! The fish was fresh and the chips were good too.

There is a small area at the front of the chippy that you can sit in as well as a few tables outside.

Best of all (if you’re 8 or 80), there is an ice-cream stand that is attached to the chippy, so we were able to get ice creams / waffles after we’d finished our fish and chips. No complaints there either!

All in all, a great alternative to our normal haunt.

Service (out of 10) – 10. Served quickly, no messing with the fish. No complaints

Offer (out of 10) – 10. It’s a ronseal here. It does what it says on the tin. 

Review, The Horseshoe Inn, Levisham, North Yorkshire

My only previous visit here was 25 miles into a 26 mile walk. I remember never having been so glad to see a pub!

This time, it was a slightly more relaxed atmosphere (although we did do a 6 mile walk afterwards).

We visited here for lunch. Based on how busy it was on a Saturday lunchtime, I’d say that a reservation is a must. We arrived a few minutes late but were greeted warmly. We ordered drinks and were shown to our table.

We were given a few minutes to decide. There is a well-stocked specials menu as well, so this added to the decision making process, but when we were ready, a member of staff came to take our order.

One member of the group ordered a sandwich which wasn’t on the menu but this wasn’t a problem for them. The rest of us stuck to the script and ordered a selection of burgers, sandwiches, and a kid’s portion of sausage and mash.

The pub was filling up, and orders were going in to the kitchen quickly. However, despite this, it wasn’t too long before the food was being served and we all tucked in.

The food was excellent. The steak sandwich that I ordered was really filling. The steak was well cooked, and the baguette it was served in was crusty on the outside and soft in the middle. The only complaint would be that there weren’t really enough chips on the plate, especially looking around at other tables. However, since I need to lose a few pounds, I won’t complain too much!

Others in the group were just as complimentary about their food (minus the chip gripe).

The meal finished, we resisted the call of the dessert menu and settled up, ready for the 3 mile walk ahead. The fact that it became a 6 mile walk is a different story!

All in all, this was a good place for lunch. The smell of food going to other tables and being prepared in the kitchen was delicious, even after we’d eaten. If I’m back in the area, I’ll definitely be back.

Service (out of 10) – 10. Great service at a time when the pub was busy. You can’t really ask for better

Offer (out of 10). – 10. There’s a part of me that wants to mark it down because of chipgate, but the food is too good. 

Review – Gino’s, Hallgate, Cottingham

Gino’s is a local pizza takeaway which has been popular with locals and students alike for a long time.

A busy Saturday saw the family deciding that pizza was the food of choice. Deciding on a couple of 12-inch pizzas and a garlic bread, I phoned the order through. The phone was answered quickly and politely, and I was told that the order would be ready in about 10-15 minutes.

Heading straight up there to collect, I found that the pizzas were ready inside the 10 minute mark and were sat, boxed up, on the top of the pizza oven.

I paid, picked up the order and headed home. Despite having been ready for a few minutes, the food wasn’t cold, and we were soon tucking into some really nice pizzas.

The pizzas tasted good, with plenty of topping. The bases were crisp and the sauce didn’t taste artificial. The garlic bread also tasted nice, with not a hint of garlic powder.

Gino’s justified it’s place as the got-to pizza takeaway shop locally.

Service (out of 10) – 10. Does what it says on the tine

Offer (out of 10) – 10. Pizza takeaway selling good pizzas.

Review – Nenno, Islington, London

An unscheduled catch-up with a an old friend led us here.

We arrived about 9.45pm and although the restaurant was very empty, the food smelt great.

We were greeted and seated promptly and given a few minutes to pick over the menu. There was a good choice of pizzas and pasta dishes along with some more substantial main courses, sides and starters.

We were left waiting a couple of minutes to order, nothing too long, but just long enough to question whether they had forgotten us in a mostly empty restaurant.

Once we had ordered, the drinks came out really quickly and the food wasn’t too far behind.

The food looked good. Plenty of toppings on the pizza and plenty of meat in a good looking carbonara sauce.

We tucked in, and the food tasted as good as it looked. It was really well made and very tasty.

My friend had to ask for parmesan cheese, which was a little disappointing though.

At the end of our meal, the plates were cleared promptly and we were left to finish our conversation before asking to settle the bill and leaving. We were asked as we left if we had enjoyed our food but until that point, we’d had no contact with the staff since we were served.

If I was in the area, I’d eat here again, but I wouldn’t rush back.

Service (out of 10) 6. Could do better. We had to initiate almost everything.

Offer (out of 10) 9. Great choice of food. Just needed a calzone and a dessert menu to top it off.

Review – Bert’s Pizzeria, Queen Street, Hull

A celebratory meal with the family saw us book in at Bert’s. They have two restaurants, one in Hull and one at Brandesburton.

The greeting was friendly when we arrived. We were shown to our table and left to look over the menu. Bert’s is an Italian restaurant, serving starters and pizzas. It’s also a gelateria. There is a choice of 16 pizzas along with some specials.

The restaurant wasn’t overly full, with enough staff to more than manage. Unfortunately, the staff were more concerned with looking at a mobile phone rather than serving the customers, and we were left waiting quite a long time before anyone came back to our table to get the order. We also asked for some water for the table, but this was forgotten, sadly.

Once our order was taken, we weren’t waiting that long for either the drinks or the food. The food was really tasty. I went for a calzone, which had more than enough filling and wasn’t doughy. The others went for margheritas and enjoyed them just as much.

As you’d expect in a gelateria, the kids eyes moved very quickly to dessert. There are a good dozen plus flavours of gelato to pick from, with something that will suit everyone. The server at the counter was quick to serve and we had two very happy children eating gelato.

I asked for the bill and again, had to wait for the bill to come over. Rather than wait for someone to come back to see how I wanted to pay, I took the bill to the counter and settled.

Overall, this was a mixed experience. A lot of the service was fairly poor, with longer waits than we should have had when the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy. However, the food was really nice.

I would go back, but I’d be hoping to see an improvement in service.

Service (out of 10) – 5. Slow too many times, and they forgot the water for the table

Offer (out of 10) – 10. Sets itself up as a pizza and gelato restaurant and delivers.

Value for money (out of 10) – 10. Prices are really good compared to other local restaurants.

Review – Pizza Express, Princes Quay, Hull

Pizza Express. Synonymous with jazz and pizzas. The Pizza Express in Hull is tucked away on a sub-mezzanine level (if that’s even a word) of Princes Quay Shopping Centre in Hull.

You can enter from the outside via a walkway from Princes Dock Street, or you can enter from the shopping centre itself. The meet and greet happens at the foot of the stairs from the shopping centre.

The decor is typical of a lot of Pizza Express stores. There are big plate glass windows looking out onto the Princes Dock, which can be a great view in nice weather, or thoroughly depressing in bad weather.

The size of the plate glass windows means that the restaurant can be quite chilly, something which is exacerbated by the fact that they insist on running the air con in the restaurant, even when it isn’t needed.

On this occasion, we had booked ahead, and were greeted promptly and shown to our seats. We weren’t sat near to the windows this time, which made the experience a little less chilly.

We were given our menus and left to decide what we wanted. To be honest, it often doesn’t take too long. There is a fair choice of pizza toppings served on a couple of different bases. There are some other dishes as well as well as a kid’s menu.

The waitress returned quite quickly and we ordered food and drinks. There was a little wait for food, but nothing excessive.

Since we’d been recently, we’d completed a feedback survey and were able to get out free doughballs to start. I mean, who doesn’t like free doughballs?!

As always, we had no complaints about the food. It was just what we expected. The bases were crisp on the pizzas and there were plenty of toppings.

The waiter came back and did a meal check about halfway through the meal and we had no complaints.

At the end of the meal, we asked for the check. There was a little confusion about who was now waiting on the table and who needed to produce the bill on the system, but it was soon sorted.

Overall, it was another nice meal at this Pizza Express. We will be back.

Service (out of 10) – 9. A couple of kinks to iron out but generally very good.

Offer (out of 10) – 9. Great if you want pizza.

Value (out of 10) – 8. There are a couple of cheaper places nearby.

Review – Cottingham Tandoori, Hallgate, Cottingham

Sometimes you can’t beat staying in with a takeaway on a Saturday night. The debate in our house is always between Chinese, Indian or pizza.

On this occasion, the Indian won and we ordered from Cottingham Tandoori.

Cottingham Tandoori has been a go to for Indian food for us for a while. It’s very rare that we get something that disappoints.

Occasionally we order something that is too hot or not hot enough.

On this occasion, we ordered a Chicken Thali with an extra naan bread and some poppadoms.

I was told the order would be ready in 15 minutes and it was ready right on time.

The food didn’t disappoint, as normal. The chicken curry and chicken bhuna were well flavoured and not too hot for the various tastes in the house. There was plenty of food to go round, and not much left at the end. The thali comes with rice, chicken kebab and mixed vegetable bhajee, and at a price which is good value.

We were all left feeling full and I know for sure that we’ll be ordering from here again.

We’re always greeted with a friendly smile and never kept waiting for our food. In fact, writing this, I’m already looking forward to my next curry from here.

Service (out of 10) – 10. Friendly and welcoming.

Offer (out of 10) – 10. The menu never disappoints.

Value for money (out of 10) – 10. Good value for money.

Review – Pave, Princes Avenue, Hull

When Pave first opened, it was a go-to place on a night out on Princes Avenue. It had a good selection of drinks that weren’t massively expensive.

I hadn’t been in for a few years until this visit and was really taken aback by how badly it needs some TLC.

The sofas and other soft furnishings are really showing their age. The sofas have rips in them. Now even I have heard of shabby chic but this was just a hole in the sofa.

The decor felt much more like run down boozer than cafe bar.

In terms of the drinks, there is still a wide ranging offer, but in terms of beers, Pave seems to be looking for a lot of ales which other bars don’t carry. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t just stock your bar with ales that are 6.5% alcohol plus. There was very little choice if you wanted something with a little less kick, and what they did have was fairly acidic and not that pleasant.

It was a Saturday night and the staff were busy, and were as attentive as they could be.

All in all though, this was not an experience I really want to repeat anytime soon

Service (out of 10) 10.

Offer (out of 10) 5. Really disappointing decor and poor choice of drinks.