Bournemouth Restaurants

While I walked through Bournemouth in search for lunch I stumbled upon Amaretto Restaurant and decided to have lunch here. I was the only customer and that felt a bit weird. The restaurant just felt like one of those traditional Italian restaurants in Germany: Italian kitsch all over the place (empty wine bottles, white goddess statues, green and red colours and the odd false fresco), and old Italian pop songs playing in the background. The interior is also very dark, and I did not find it too inviting. Staff was friendly, though.
As always I ordered a vegetarian pizza without cheese and this was no problem. The pizza was ok, but I had better ones before. The price was £6,50.

Altogether, it was ok to have lunch here, but nothing to write home about.

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I had a really enjoyable dinner here. Just walked in at 6.30 on a Saturday night (works in mid-April; don't try it "in season").

Lovely place with a pleasant laid back seaside atmosphere, excellent service and good food.

Scallops to start, in a carrot & white raisin salsa.

Then sea bream with samphire, green beans & new potatoes. At the risk of sounding too Scottish, the tatties were braw. The fish was about 60 seconds overcooked. Trouble is, if you're charging top dollar (see below) you have to get it just right. No excuses.

My bill was £47 before tip. I had a carafe of white wine, the scallops (3) were £10, and the fish £23. Worth it, but only just.

Favorite Dish: The scallops...

£6.50 for a delicious bowl of crispy noodles!

And it's a relaxed, spacious, clean & bright place, with seating outside - in a pedestrianised street.

Hit the spot for me!

Just does sushi type stuff and noodles.

Favorite Dish: Only had one, so has to be the crispy noodles.

I had a long morning (awake at 5ish and up at 7) of wandering the beach and town, as well as a spell in The Russell-Cotes Gallery & Museum (tip to follow).

After registering at the conference, the hard choices started. A frugal fundraising lunch with ardent Rotarians? A picnic on the beach? The hotel restaurant?

No, I took the adventurous path and went for Mexican.

It was great. Quesadilla (chorizo & cheese filling) with rice. Then a banana burrito with rice and a double espresso.

They have a lunch menu at £7.95 for main course and soft drink, plus starter or dessert for an extra £2. So, a bit of a feast for £12.50.

Service was friendly and efficient, but the place was quiet. The decor is very pleasant. Part of a chain, I’d guess.

Favorite Dish: The quesadillas...

Overpriced for what it is, but they have done a little hawaian theming.
The staff were pleasant when I visited with my family and had a good selection of meats, soups and salads.
Food was presented within 15 mins and had nice taste.

Favorite Dish: Only had one thing, burger and chips

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I was actually just after something simple and greasy but the blackboard here caught my eye -I liked the sound of the Seafood Ragout and so decided to give the place a visit.

Service was welcoming and the restaurant itself is smart and minimalistically trendy. The little terrace on a sunny June evening overlooking the main drag suited me ideally (cos then I could smoke of course) and so having already decided what to eat it was just a matter of perusing the drinks menu.

I opted for a large glass of the house Pinot Grigot to go with my Ragout which arrived promptly and nicely chilled. The seafood soon followed and it certainly looked the part being a generous portion of mixed fish and shellfish. The saffron potato (singular) though looked as if it had been merely shown the packet rather than actually cooked in it but the meal itself was tasty and the sauce obviously made from a seafood stock.

So far so good. I paid my 20-odd quid bill (a little pricey but not extortionate) and went for a wander, and a couple of of beers, before heading back to my friendly little hotel.

It was in the morning that I had the problem - HA! Stomach cramps woke me up about dawn and before I'd made it to the bathroom I was evacuating from both ends. Now I've got a cast-iron constitution and for me to succumb to food-poisoning is very rare - there have been occasions in the past where I've eaten out in company and everyone but me has had a problem - and so there had to have been something dodgy about my meal. Being a professional cook I know a little bit about these things and thinking about what else I'd eaten (and drank) that day, and taking into account the timing, it had to have been something to do with the seafood - maybe the stock had been kept too long, or left out in the kitchen all day, or maybe the mussels were dead before being cooked but it was definitely something dodgy about the kitchen practises IMO.

Not a place I'll revisit.

There are not many Chinese restaurants in the Dorset area that serve real dim sum. This little gem has grown from strength to strength it seems, providing a wide range of dim sum in a modern environment.

Previously there was really only Oriental Garden and then Chef Hong Kong but their range were a bit limited and the restaurants a bit small. Otherwise you had to go to Southampton, to the Pearl Harbour restaurant.

Note that they only do dim sum from 12pm till 5pm, after which is resorts to the usual Western-centric menu.

Favorite Dish: Pork and prawn dumplings, prawn dumplings, steamed spare ribs, mixed seafood crispy noodles.

As Indian restaurants go this one is merely OK. The only time I ate here there was only one other table occupied and the place was a bit soulless.

Decor and the sitar twang-twang music are bit too kitschy for my tastes and the menu is far too familiar, lacking any individual touches.

Staff are friendly enough but on a quiet night seemed more interested in getting finished than looking after their customers.

Favorite Dish: I can't remember exactly what I had - shows how inspiring it was - but it was OK, otherwise I would have remembered.

I do remember it being not particularly cheap though.