Places to eat in Europe

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This is a World Class Restaurant you do not want to miss. The food here is so impossibly delicious that you will want to lick your plate clean. The reason it is called ‘Arran on a Plate’ is due to the fact that the Master Chefs of Great Britain award their Chefs with plates highlighting their achievement. The restaurant is centred around Chef Richard Attkins. Richard began his training in Scotland and progressed into Michelin-starred establishments in France and the UK. Throughout his career he has specialised in sourcing Scottish season produce to create awesome meals. The menu changes and is varied, but its all fantastic. They even serve locally produced beers from the Arran Brewing Company. I also enjoyed THE best ever cheese board in my life. They use lots of local Arran ingredients and this really makes Arran on a Plate special.

The restaurant itself has great views over Brodick Bay and has a trendy interior. They have a licensed bar open until midnight with a good selection of whiskey.

The great thing about Arran on a Plate? You do not even have to stay on the Isle of Arran to enjoy this world class restaurant. You could come over on a ferry from the mainland for a scrumptious lunch or early dinner. In fact lunch here would really make a day out on Arran something special.

OPENING TIMES (7 DAYS A WEEK):
* Lunch 2pm to 2.30pm
* Dinner 5.30pm to 9.30pm
* Cocktail bar open until Midnight

Favorite Dish:

had the Scallops and Salmon starter with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste to start with. And a whiskey of course. My main meal was Trout Almandine which was absolutely delicious. This went well with a Dark Isle of Arran Ale. Finally – the best Cheese Board I have ever eaten. This comprised several Arran and Scottish cheeses, oat cakes and an Isle of Arran Tomato Chutney. Complemented by an excellent glass of house red wine. Fabulous!

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Muya has only been open a few months, but it’s a real winner. The hardest part of Ethiopian cuisine outside of Ethiopia is getting the Injera right. They do a great job. It’s a modern and stylish restaurant that is intimate and cosy. It’s a family run business and they are from Addis Ababa. The food is excellent. I had Doro Wot (chicken and egg with a spicy red Berbere sauce) and Ayib Begomen (cottage cheese and spinach) along with some authentic St. George’s beers. Excellent. I received a warm greeting, great service and a nice atmosphere. This is a great find. They do coffee if you want to stop by. Coffee was invented in Ethiopia, so you get the real thing. Great for a quiet business meal, new food experience or a romantic evening.


Coffee Lounge Opening Times Monday- Friday: 8am till 5pm Saturday: 11am till 5pm Restaurant & Bar Opening Time Monday - Saturday: 6pm till 11pm Sunday: 6pm till 10pm

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Triana Restaurant is a must eat at Taverna in Fira. Why? Because it is one of the few surviving traditional Tavernas left. They have been serving up great Greek food at great prices for 45 years. The owner, Aris Pashalidis told me that the Greeks have a saying: “You don’t change your barber and you don’t change your Taverna”. Too many traditional tavernas in Fira have lost business to ‘fusion’ art houses parading small morsels of food as ‘meals’. Triana serves you traditional meals that fill you up and make you happy. They also serve good beer and wine if you want to sit and have a relaxing drink without the need of a bank loan.

The interesting thing about the quality of the food was when we first noticed the Greek Salad. The huge chunk of Feta cheese just tasted better than any we enjoyed in Greece. Why? Because they had properly marinated the cheese like any Greek household would! Find a busy restaurant in Fira and I will show you restaurants that do not properly prepare their Feta! Eat here and taste the difference.

Triana is on the main road and has a lovely terrace overlooking the ocean and several nearby islands. It does not have Caldera views so its prices are not elevated, only its terrace.

And yes, I ate there twice on my last visit. Everything is just good. Greek salads, Stamna, spaghetti, vegetarian dishes, house wine. All well prepared and served with a nice conversation and smiles.

Mr. Pashalidis is looking to retire, so if you would like to carry on a proud tradition, you can actually buy Triana!

Favorite Dish:
I enjoyed STAMNA a traditional dish of baked beef in a casserole dish. It had huge hunks of tender beef seasoned to perfection. I had a Greek salad to start the festivities and washed it down with house wine that was cheap in price, great on quality.

When we had lunch there I had the ‘Tirana Special Salad’ with fresh seafood.

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Had it not been for their large windows and an observant passer-by – I could have been had my passport burned up in the fire. What fire? These enterprising individuals leave small burning tea lights out across their customer drinking/dinning counter in their front window. Yes, live flames in the middle of the morning. I didn’t realise they were there. To be fair I was trying to drink a nice strong coffee to wake up. So yes, my brand new VT bag and bus ticket to get home went up in flames. I beat it our before it got to my passport. And the coffee? Weak in taste. Very. Nice surroundings, but who cares. There is a corporate Costa Coffee around the corner and several well rated cafés in town. ‘In Your Pocket’ Guide recommends you look elsewhere for a great coffee experience as well.

They do offer free WiFi, air-conditioning and take credit cards. Open 08:00-21:00 M-Sat, Sun 10:00-20:00

They also allow smoking. Of course they do. I left the place smelling like burnt nylon and paper. Not nice.

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Šadrvan is simply a great restaurant. It is just a few meters from the famous Mostar Bridge so you absolutely cannot miss it. I was greeted warmly outside and lead through what would be a great seating area outside (in summer) and into a warm interior. The décor is traditional and tasteful. My waiter was a great guy and everything just magically appeared. I knew I wanted to try the Bonian national dish - Ćevapi - as well as have a local beer. Interestingly the old beers listed were 'Beer 1' and 'Beer 2'. Seeing that Beer number 2 was more expensive I asked for it. The waiter rattled off 3 massive worldwide brands of beer. I looked horrified. He explained that Beer 1 was a list of Bosnian and nearby beers. I opted for a Sarajevo Beer. Fantastic choice! Very impressive.

Then my food came to the table from the large wooden counter the waiters have to climb up to when food comes out of the kitchen. It was very well presented, was hot and fresh. Even the bread had just been baked. Ćevapi is essentially 8-10 small mince meat kebabs. They tasted absolutely fantastic.

I only stopped here for lunch, but can definitely recommend this wonderful restaurant for any meal. They also have a very good looking bar upstairs. The dinning room is downstairs.

Favorite Dish:
I enjoyed the Ćevapi and a cold Sarajevo Beer.

Some of the great things about Šadrvan:
* The menus (and website) have great pictures off all the dishes to help you choose
* Very professional service
* Good prices and they accept Euros
* Great location
* Great local food, dishes, wines and beers
* A warm and friendly atmosphere
* You can make reservations on their website

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The food was so bad here that I am starting to guess what happened to Ragusa 1. It had real potential. I cam across this restaurant when I noticed some tables in a narrow alleyway just north and up the stair from Stradum. It looked nice inside and out, the menu look great and the staff said that a free drink came with meals. Get in there. I then made the mistake of returning that night. My service was polite and my meal was ordered. So was my bottle of local wine. Neither was good. My starter, garlic mushrooms, were ok I guess. Just a bunch of garlic sauce poured over some mushrooms. That’s about the quality of the culinary skill. I then awaited the most expensive single dish they had – a mixed seafood dish. In the meantime 2 couples I had met on an excursion that day walked by and said hello. They mentioned they had eaten here the night before. I could tell they had not been impressed.

My seafood arrived and it actually didn’t look quite right. It was all deep fried. This left the fish and langoustines tasting tough and nasty. Even the mussels had been deep fried! Who deep fries mussels in the shell? I tried to eat what I could. I did through a few pieces to a homeless cat. He walked away from it. That’s just how bad it was. I also noticed a man showing up who seemed to scare the staff. The owner maybe?

I found my meal to be the most expensive I ate in Dubrovnik and the only one that was not absolutely delicious.

The next day I saw the people I had met again. The first thing they did was ask me how my meal was at Ragusa 2. When I explained they said similar things. They didn’t want to be impolite and I had already started dining before they could save me.

So please read this tip and avoid this restaurant! They have been in operation since 1929, but with the current offering, I don’t think they will be here much longer. There are some excellent restaurants in Dubrovnik. This is not one of them.

Favorite Dish:
Even my beer was bad.

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Bangladesh Tandoori is by far the best Indian cuisine restaurant in all of Ardrishaig. It’s even the best Indian restaurant for 50 miles or more.

Actually it’s the ONLY Indian restaurant for 50 miles. And it’s not really good.

I am guessing that the Pub next door brings this any repeat trade that it does. I fell sorry for everyone in this community. I have had some absolutely delightful Indian meals in Scotland. This would never be one of them – even remotely. It’s just kind of a ‘here you go’ attitude to service, ingredients and taste. This is not even that great on a fast food basis, which it wasn’t fast either. It’s just poor.

If you are driving along, like I was, either go to the grocery store, or keep going. This is not worth the money – sorry. It was not cheap. I had £20 to spend and I couldn’t have a drink – as I was driving. My bill was more than that for a starter, main meal and 2 diet cokes. I ate it because I was hungry. I ordered the Mixed Grill as you usually get lots of meat and rice. No. Small portions. And it was lacking in flavour and the quality of the meat was on the tough side.

So just pass on by….


Open 11:30AM-11PM Monday-Saturday and 11AM-11PM Sundays.
They do takeaways and delivery nearby.

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Want a guaranteed great meal and entertainment too? The Knutsford Wine Bar has it all. Located in the Old Chapel and Grammar School right in the heart of lively Knutsford. It has an intimate and lively feel to it and the staff are fun and really helpful. And the food? Incredible! They are always changing the menu, but I have never had anything less than a fantastic experience when I eat here. The varied menu means you could have a Thai started with and Italian main dish. Their wine selection is second to none. They even won awards in 2003 & 2004 from Cheshire Life Magazine for their superior food.

The Knutsford Wine Bar also has loads of live entertainment. As they say themselves:

‘Check out our live acts, live bands, live music, our menu and our wine list by visiting’
www.thebestof.co.uk/knutsford/2/events.aspx
or call us on 01565 750459

They describe it as a complete night out and it is!

Excellent for business travellers staying at Cottons Hotel.

And a bit of history:

A Chapel stood on the site built in the 14th century. It was replaced by the Parish Church built in 1744. It also served as the Grammar School until 1887.

Favorite Dish:
I try different dishes every time I visit and they have all been fantastic. I have included a picture of their current menus.