what meals do you like when out?

catz1ct

I do prefer it when places do real chips but I don't mind either way. I think good home cooked food is always a winner.

POSSETTE

FC the salmon sounds a good idea thank you,you are all being fantastic.I dont mind picky eaters..they are the ones to nail!..if you get a picky eater to like your food you are doing something right.

Strage chicken dinosaurs will NOT be making an appearance!!

next debate is..potatoes....skins on or off!??

lilac_lady

I like to eat something that I'd find fiddly to cook at home and I NEVER choose pasta (although I like it) as it's a very easy dish to prepare.

memelalou

I prefer real chips with things like fish or with a pie, but frozen 'skinny' chips with things like burgers and the bbq chicken thing - it's on of my pub faves.
Though my D/D is too young to be eating kids meals yet, i do prefer to have a menu with smaller portions from the main menu than the normal processed chicken with chips things you usualy get with kids.

If your having baked potatoes make sure they are soft and fluffy inside and have a crispy skin, everytime i order a jacket its always pale and microwaved. eugh!

As others have said a good roast is a must. Decend salad too, i get sick of ordering a salad and it only having the usual lettace, cucumber and tomatoe and the only dressings are mayo or salad cream.

A decend chicken burger would be nice, most pubs/cafe's only have the processed type and there awful.

Another thing lol don't get your chef to over cook your peas - birds eye are best. I love peas but there always like bullets and a evil green colour or over cooked.

LE3

I LOVE home made chips & it would put me off *totally* to have "frozen chips" specifically listed on a menu! I think the twice-cooked idea is fab - the best chips are always hot & very crispy on teh outside with fluffy centres.
I was out with friends the other day & expecting the usual "pub grub" (reheated in our own kitchen, but mass produced elsewhere) but was VERY pleasantly surprised by the quality & portion size. I chose steak & ale pie, but sausage & mash with onion gravy is my ultimate fav if I know it's not packet mash!! For starters I adore pate, baked camembert or even a GOOD garlic bread (not the mass produced stuff!); for mains, pies, stews & bangers & mash - a good fillet steak or a piece of fish that's very simply cooked (not salmon - that's so unadventurous these days!) is a winner too. For puddings, suet puds in winter are a total winner, as is a very rich very dark chocolate pot type thing (not a huge bucket of chocolate mousse - a tiny shot glass of good stuff is far better!), pal likes sticky toffee pudding & in summer I adore a good lemon tart. I find most puddings are too sweet, come with too much cream or are way over priced! I would generally have a starter & main rather than a pud because of this.


It would be well worth putting on your menu something like "all food is freshly prepared and cooked on the premises. If you have food allergies or other dietary requirements, please speak to one of our staff - the chef will be pleased to help you select suitable dishes, or adapt a dish for you". One of my friends has a mushroom allergy & needs to ensure that none have come into contact with the food/hidden in sauces etc - and it's so reassuring to have somebody taking your order say "I'll pop through & check with the chef .... yes madam, there are no mushrooms in the dish and he'll prepare yours completely separately to ensure that there is no cross contamination whilst it's being prepared"

Pee

I like MacDonalds, but if I'm out for a meal, I also go for things that I can't cook at home - so although I love Chilli and lasagne and vegetable curry, those are things I do at home so would be unlikely to eat out. Good fish and chips, with nice crispy batter on the fish, is a favourite. I like a roast dinner, especially on a Sunday - I think that is a lot of effort when there are only two of you. Something with salmon or prawns would usually win me over or in the winter, lamb. If I am eating about 12 on a weekend, an all day breakfast is favourite.

The Kirkstile Inn in the Lake District has a fantastic menu. I've been there a few times and enjoyed everything I have ordered.

Another thing is that my sister often likes the children menu, such as sausage and chips, which isn't always available to adults, so offering bigger portiuons of children's meals could work well. (If we have a family meal, that is the first thing I check, something on there she will eat.)

Wishing you the very best of luck.

spike7451

memelalou wrote: »

I prefer real chips with things like fish or with a pie, but frozen 'skinny' chips with things like burgers and the bbq chicken thing - it's on of my pub faves.
Though my D/D is too young to be eating kids meals yet, i do prefer to have a menu with smaller portions from the main menu than the normal processed chicken with chips things you usualy get with kids.

If your having baked potatoes make sure they are soft and fluffy inside and have a crispy skin, everytime i order a jacket its always pale and microwaved. eugh!

As others have said a good roast is a must. Decend salad too, i get sick of ordering a salad and it only having the usual lettace, cucumber and tomatoe and the only dressings are mayo or salad cream.

A decend chicken burger would be nice, most pubs/cafe's only have the processed type and there awful.

Another thing lol don't get your chef to over cook your peas - birds eye are best. I love peas but there always like bullets and a evil green colour or over cooked.

With proper butter curls & not those little trays of motor oil!:D

Here's my recipy for Hot & Spicy Pepper Chicken Dippers!

Get some chicken breast,slice into strips.
Then get 1/2 cup self raising flour,pinch of bicarb & a good desertspoon of chrushed black pepper.
Using beer or ice water,mix into a semi-thick batter.
Dip the chicken strips in batter mix & deepfry till crisp.

Serve with a salad &/or skinny chips & chilli mayo (mix some sweet chili sauce into a little mayo)

Sequeena

I love homemade burgers and chips :money: I'm also a huge fan of pasta and garlic bread when I'm out for a meal

POSSETTE

oh wow..i have just got in from work and checked the thread out...fabulous..Spike..do you want a job in the kitchen??lol
Partner does do the double cooking of chips,i think proper homemade garlic bread is great idea too,we will be having part baked rustic rolls,so smeared with garlic butter and sprinkled with herb would be great. Baked pots do need to be crispy out fluufy in,couldnt agree more, and a proper salad is a must,colourful and crispy.

LE3..Great idea to put that,we will thank you.I did similar at another pub i worked in,lady wanted fajitas,and they were made that morning, but she didnt like onion,so asked if she could have one without,i said yes,and went into kitchen and rolled 2 up with extra peppers etc,she loved them and actually came back.
I find that allowing dogs in a small area works well too, as we had, and will have a caravan site nearby,i make a fuss of the dogs and give them some beef scraps,one couple came back every day for a week after that!
A dessert that went well in another pub i worked was the "heart attack"..broken choc brownie in glass bowl,with choc icecream,maltesers, and whipped cream.....mmmmmm.
is it too late at night to eat something right now? everytime i read this thread i get hungry,

spike7451

Love to be a chef if I could turn back time!
Anyway,last year we were in Barnstaple training with the Booties & in one of the pubs was a couple of computers so customers could surf the net,check e-mails ect.
It was very popular!!!
My suggestion is maybe site a cheap pc or two in the corner of the bar so visitors & tourists can check there e-mails ect.Go to a suplier like 02 for £7.50 a month,customers can surf & chat on Facebook ect,all the while they're buying beer!
Another selling point.You've got internet cafe's so why not a pub with internet access.
I mean how many times have you been away & needed to check your e-mails?