Crete - Koutouloufari

Having been based in Hersonissos for a few weeks, we got to wandering around a bit and one day we took a stroll up to the little village of Koutouloufari, which lies on the hillside above the town. It's not that far, about one and a half kilometres, so it's a fairly easy stroll as long as it's not too hot. Beware of the Swallows though! They use the relatively straight roads for attack runs on the insect population so don't be surprised when they zip past you at shoulder height, they're only looking for lunch.

Rustic Bliss On The Road Up To Koutouloufari

Koutouloufari is a much quieter place and offers some excellent views out over the Bay of Malia and the town of Hersonissos so it's ideal to spend an afternoon just chillin' if you need a break from the more hectic lifestyle of Hersonissos.

It's a traditional Cretan village with lots of little white houses and narrow streets leading off the main road, which leads along the other little villages of Piskopiano and Hersonissos. Everywhere you look there are flowers, flowers beside doors and windows or climbing up walls and over roofs. You can walk between Koutouloufari and Piskopiano without hardly noticing the gap but you'd probably notice that Piskopiano is a little less tourist oriented but only a little as it did seem to have a fair number of restaurants as well.

A Geranium Spotted While Having Lunch In Koutouloufari

Koutouloufari on the other hand simply abounds with tavernas and restaurants so you'd be hard pressed not to find somewhere to just sit down, relax and have a drink and something to eat while you're there. We stopped and had lunch in a small café run by a Dutch couple and had planned on coming back one evening for dinner but we never made it.

For anyone interested in the culture and history of the villages, then there's an very old but nice looking Orthodox church on one of the roads up to the village and there's also a Byzantine church in Piskopiano worth checking out.

On returning to Hersonissos we found a road that led us directly down on a more gentle slope to where we were staying at Star Beach Village. It was a very pleasant walk down between flower-strewn borders and olive groves so the visit to Koutouloufari passed the afternoon very nicely.

Hersonissos Harbour From Koutouloufari

Crete - Hersonissos

We're not long back from a couple of week holidaying on the Greek island of Crete. We've been there a couple of times previously but have never stayed in Hersonissos before so here's my slant on the place…

First a bit of clarification. I'm talking about Limin Hersonissos and not the little village of Hersonissos, which lies inland a few kilometers. Limin Hersonissos, the port of Hersonissos, is commonly just called Hersonissos for the sake of the tourist population. It's a small town about 26 km East of Heraklion, the capital of Crete, and it's the most developed tourism area on the island with loads of hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs. There's also a fair smattering of beaches and sandy coves for those wanting to sunbathe by the sea.

Hersonissos Harbour

As to when to go, we were there for the last week in April and first week in May but the place wasn't really fully open and only really started to get going a bit in the second week. Some restaurants and bars, etc. were still being fitted out and loads of the hotels around still hadn't filled their pools. The first of May this year was the island's Easter celebration and I'm sure that's when things start kicking off so I don't think we'd go earlier than that again.

Accommodation

There are loads of hotels and apartments to choose from in Hersonissos but we stayed in the Star Beach Village, which is located a little to the East of town, because we got a very decent deal from the travel agent on a late booking. That said, the place is actually quite nice and the staff were all pretty friendly. The location isn't perfect for anyone wanting to hit the town every night as it's either a twenty-five minute walk or a taxi ride there.


Star Beach Village bill themselves as four-star plus but I think they're being a bit on the generous side. The public facilities are all very good in they have a nice big lounge with a bar, a restaurant, decednt sized pool and pool bar and an internet suite, gymnasium and shop. The rooms are also okay but the facilities don't really hit the mark for anyone wanting to do a bit of real self-catering.

Beach Huts

The "village" is layed out in separate, three-story blocks and we got a standard, one-bedroom suite, which was actually quite roomy. However, what's billed as a kitchenette is a fitted module that looks like it came from MFI. It's got a sink with no drainer, a fridge, a kettle and some basic utensils. If you want cooking rings or pots and pans, then you have to ask for them and they give you a little portable duel ring unit that takes up even more space beside the sink. Not ideal if you're taking a family.

The Star Beach Water Park is between you and the sea so there may be a noise problem in high season. It didn't bother us at all when we were there but I noticed a few mentions of this online and you could hear a bit of beat from the music occasionally. If anything the place is a bit of a bonus if you have kids and entry is free.

Eating Out

There are loads of restaurants and tavernas to choose from in Hersonissos. There are a few along the main street but most are down on the harbourside street and you can choose from Chinese, Indian, Italian and Mediterranean as well as the more traditional Greek cuisines. There are even a couple of burger/gyros bars if all you want is some fast food.

We tried the Lee Garden Chinese restaurant a couple of times as the food was reasonably good and the staff were friendly. It was also about halfway along the walk into town so it was an easier option one night after a bit of a trek in the hills.

Stormy Seas

Closer to Star Beach were the Taverna Tarantella and Theodora's Garden. The Tarantella is a family run Greek restaurant and, while the staff are friendly and food reasonable, it's a bit on the basic side as far as the ambiance goes. Theodora's Garden is another good Greek restaurant but is much more popular so usually a lot busier.

The local Indian restaurant is Passage To India just across from the church on the main street. The food was okay but nothing impressive by Scottish curry standards and the service wasn't all that great either. I overheard the manager saying that they had a place in Malia as well and if it's the same one we tried when we were there, then it explains why the food here was so mediocre. There's another Chinese restaurant, who's menu looked good enough, beside it but we didn't try it.

As for the rest, there are a few Italian restaurants down near the harbour but neither are that great. They're okay but nothing to queue up for. As for the steak houses, both the Manos and Gourmet are pretty good and we ate in these a few times. We didn't try this but, if you're looking for something just a bit more refined, then Kymata down by the harbour might suit. The menu just looked a bit too nouvelle cuisine (poncy) for the likes of us so we gave it a miss.

Entertainment

Hersonissos is an extremely busy town, well it is once May gets under way and the holidaymakers start arriving on masse, so there are a large number of tavernas, bars, Irish bars and clubs for those looking for some entertainment. However, since it was early in the season, we found a lot of them were a bit on the quiet side.

The Irish bars were mostly empty and the New York bar wasn't much busier, mostly because of the dreadful music it was playing. Music bars Tiger and Status were still a bit quiet but got busier as the night went one and I imagine they'd be pretty lively later in the season. We ended up spending more than a few nights in the U2 Rock Bar as it played some decent heavy rock and metal music, which is more to my taste if not Lorna's.

All in all, there are loads of pubs, bars, clubs and discos to choose from so there's bound to be something for everyone here. Luckily, Hersonissos has a wide variety of visitors so you'll get lots of French, German and Dutch tourists as well as us Brits there so it's not quite as much of an English Hell as Malia has turned into (more on this later).

Frankie & Benny's, Springfield Quay, Glasgow

Going to the movies at Springfield Quay used to be a fairly one or two choice affair as far as food went but more restaurants have opened up over the last year and, assuming you don't count Burger King, then you can now choose from Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mexican or American. However, we were in a rush and, having tried to get into the Mexican and seen it pretty full, we popped next door into Frankie & Benny's.

We've been in there a few times before and it's always been okay and fast, which was a prime concern given that we had a movie to catch. I was a wee bit worried since, having recently been to the Braehead Frankie & Benny's and found it woefully poor, any slow service would be a problem. However, no such probems here! Frankie & Benny's at Springfield Quay run a well organized shop - fast and friendy service and an efficient kitchen.

On to the food. Again, we can't complain. We wanted something quick and a burger fitted the bill so that's what we had - bacon cheeseburgers, fries, onions rings, etc. All nice and unhealthy but exactly what we wanted. It's not exactly haut-cuisine but for an American style diner, it's excellent.

I here that the XScape restaurant is still seriously slow though so be warned and give it a miss.

Cuisine: American/Italian
My Rating 7/10

China Buffet King, X-Scape, Braehead, Renfrew

We needed something quick to eat before going to the movies the other night and Lorna fancied a Chinese so, since we'd already tried the Glasgow restaurant, we thought we'd try the China Buffet King in XSpace. I'd much rather have gone to a more traditional Chinese restaurant but CBK is the only Chinese restaurant at XScape.

Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with this one. It's over-large and has the atmosphere of a work canteen with all the associated noise and clamour. It was also very busy with loads of young people filling up cheaply before hitting the nightlife. On a plus side, you do get a good view of the snow slope so you can watch the kids slide, fall and roll down the slope as you eat. On another downside though was the fact that the buffet servery looked like a feeding frenzy at shark island - hordes of hungry diners moving in, grabbing something and then retreating to eat before going back for more.

As for the food, they do have a large range of stuff on offer. Starters and sweets are pretty good, if cheap and cheerful, but the mains are almost all deep fried, battered, covered in MSG laden-sauce (I had a very sore head next day) and high in salt. Great if you like that kind of food but eat it more than occassionally at your own risk.

Unless you're either strapped for cash or in a such a hurry that either the taste of the food or the fact that you're probably damaging your health doesn't bother you, then I'd avoid this place.

Cuisine: Chinese
My Rating: 5/10

Happy New Year From Fort William

We woke up on New Year's Day in Fort William to yet another fairly grey and damp outlook but, undeterred and after a decent breakfast, we drove round to the Nevis Range ski resort to take the gondola up Aonach Mor for a bit of a cobweb-breaking wander around the mountain and then lunch in the Snowgoose Restaurant.

Loch Linnhe On New Year's Day

The gondola cable car system transports visitors over 2.3km up to 2,150ft on the north face of Aonach Mor, the eighth highest mountain in Britain, in about 12 - 15 minutes. That's only just over half-way to the summit but you can get some pretty good views of the surrounding landscape on the way up.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great and the cloud was swirling around up there along with a little light drizzle. Not exactly brilliant weather for a stroll. There are a couple of shortish strolls from the gondola top station out to some viewpoints. You can go west to the little hummock of Meall Beag, where you can get some good views of Carn Dearg Meadhonach and Carn Mòr Dearg on the back side of Ben Nevis. These two peaks form the lead in to the Carn Mòr Dearg Arrete route to the top of our highest mountain.

Carn Dearg Meadhonach from Meall Beag

We climbed the Ben by the Carn Mòr Dearg Arrete route some years ago and it's well worth the effort as the views out over the Aonachs and Grey Corries are excellent and you don't need to trudge up that boring tourist path. On top of that is the perceived danger of walking along the arrete itself and then the stiff climb up a boulder field to the summit. The other walk on Aonach Mor takes you north out to the little top of Sgurr Finnisg-aig where there are some good views out over Corpach and the Great Glen, weather permitting.

Feeling a bit damp and cold after both walks, we headed back to the Snowgoose for a bowl of hot soup and a roll to warm us up. It's a bit like a motorway café half-way up a mountain but the food is definitely better. They do a good range of hot and cold meals, catering for tourists, walkers and skiers alike. A cup of steaming hot tea and a cake to follow and we were ready to head back down to civilization.

Eating Out

We'd spotted a little restaurant in Cameron Square, called simply -No4-, the night before and after a shuftie at the menu, we'd booked a table for our New Year's evening meal. Situated just off Fort William's High Street, -N^o4- is a quiet little place with a touch of old fashioned colonial style, from the prints of India around the walls and the fact that the waiting staff were all pretty obviously from around there too.

However, you won't find any curry dishes here as the food is most definitely focused on local Scottish produce such as salmon, venison and lamb. Lorna had a Caesar Salad and I had more soup to start and then we tucked into a Chicken Forestiere and a Braised Lamb Shank on crushed potato with a rich port sauce and a fairly decent serving of fresh vegetables on the side. I was pretty stuffed by the time we'd scoffed that lot but Lorna finished of her meal with what looked like a very tasty Sticky Toffee Pudding.

If you fancy a bit of civilized dining with good food and service, then you might well find it worth trying. Strangely, or maybe not after the night before, most of the bars were closed so we headed back for an early night.

Hogmanay in Fort William

Faced with a dismal menu of TV programmes over the New Year break, not having tickets for the Glasgow Hogmanay celebrations and the weather across the central belt looking very bleak indeed, we headed north to Fort William and potentially better weather, maybe even some of the white stuff. Setting off just after lunch, we arrived at about half past three, just as the sun was starting to go down.

Loch Linnhe Sunset On Hogmanay

Accommodation

As usual we left it to the last minute to decide on going. That and the fact that our wireless router had given up the ghost left us with very little choice of accommodation and not much in the way of a means to locate more options.

Anyway, Lorna ploughed though her pile of old business cards and tourist information brochures and called one we'd stayed at some years before, Blythdale, and which we'd remembered as being okay with some pretty good views out over Loch Linnhe, but they didn't have any room and suggested we try their neighbour at Balcarres. Luckily they had a room but, being the New Year and with them touting the fact that they had a four-star rating from the Scottish Tourist Agency, it wasn't that cheap but we took it anyway.

Unfortunately we couldn't really recommend Balcarres to anyone planning on staying in Fort William. Their web site makes it look not too bad and the owner was pleasant enough but the accommodation is definitely in need of a bit of renovation. The decor looked like it was last done in the 1980s, there were damp patches in one corner of the room, the bathroom radiator didn't work at all, there were mould stains round the shower and the TV was so old, the remote didn't work very well at all.

I've no idea when they got their four-star rating but it's in serious need of re-evaluation. We've stayed in two-star B&Bs with better facilities, etc. We even had to ask for fresh towels on the second day. These comments have been passed on to the tourist agency.

Eating Out

We booked a table at the Highland Star Chinese restaurant on High Street as we'd eaten there before a few times and it had always been pretty good. It was quieter than we'd expected but that could have been because of the time of year. It's usually packed during the main summer season.

Still, the food was good as usual and the service quick and friendly. The menu is pretty straightforward Chinese fair with nothing extraordinary on offer but it's always been good in the past and it's happily free of MSG as I usually get a pretty severe headache next day after eating anything tainted by it. If you fancy a Chinese meal in Fort William, then I'd recommend it.

The Entertainment

So, well fed and looking for some entertainment to see us through the bells, we wandered down High Street to see what was on offer. We already knew that there was a Hogmanay Ceilidh on at the Nevis Centre but it was ticket only and was predicted to be a sell out as it had been the previous couple of years. If we'd known we were going to Fort William earlier in the year, then we might have tried to get tickets. However, there were quite a few lads wandering around town in formal Highland Dress, obviously heading for the Ceilidh so it may well have been too posh for the likes of us.

With quite a few of the local bars staying open over the bells, we opted for the Ben Nevis Bar. It certainly seemed the liveliest and we've spent a few good nights in there before with some good live music acts as well. This time it was a disco and I know that sounds bad, almost as bad as karaoke, but it was actually quite a good night. I think we called it a night about one thirty and trudged wearily, or was was that wobbily, back to our bed.

Frankie & Benny's, Xscape, Braehead, Renfrew

We went to the movies the other night at the new Odeon cinema in the Xscape at Braehead so it seemed like a good idea to get something to eat there as well. Xscape has a really large range of eateries but we just fancied a quick burger before the movie so we opted for Frankie & Benny's.

We'd been to the Frankie & Benny's at Springfield Quay a couple of times before and it was pretty good, a wee bit on the pricey side but no complaints about service or quality so it seemed like a good idea.

Boy were we wrong; Frankie & Benny's at Xscape is a shambles! We ordered one course as we were on a time limit. Lorna wanted a simple, plain hamburger with a caesar salad side and I fancied a Black and Blue burger; nothing complicated. It took them about 30 minutes to produce a full caesar salad as a starter, not what we'd ordered. Worse than that was the fact that they couldn't even make a simple caesar salad correctly. It had a whole beef tomato quartered into it when there are no tomatoes in any decent caesar salad recipe I've ever seen. They were just using that as filler.

So, once we'd finally got our main courses plus excuse for a side-salad, and we weren't the only ones waiting for ages, we were pretty disappointed with the food. Lorna wasn't happy about that salad and my burger was pretty awful. It was all we could do to shovel some of it down, pay the bill and head for the cinema before we missed the start of the film.

They really need to sort the kitchen staff out; the place wasn't that busy and it looked like they were backed up for ages. Needless to say they got no tip and we won't be going back in a hurry; there are plenty of other diners in Xscape to try first.

Cuisine: American/Italian
My Rating 2/10

Viva Ristorante, Bothwell Street, Glasgow

Regardless of my broken elbow, we went into town on Saturday afternoon with the idea of doing a bit of shopping, getting some food and catching the new Bourne movie. The food was a concern as I can only eat one-handed so pasta seemed the easy choice.

Having spotted Viva Ristorante on Bothwell Street a few weeks ago when coming back from the Post Office at lunchtime, it seemed worth trying out. Also, being that wee bit off of the main town centre we thought it'd probably get missed by the hordes of other folk looking for food after the shops closed. If you've ever looked in TGI Fridays just after six, you'll know what I mean - packed out and with lots of noisy kids and not very conducive to having a relaxing meal.

That said, Viva was still pretty busy as it's probably well enough known by everyone working in that area; it certainly seemed busy at lunchtime. It was all reserved up but we got a table on condition we were gone before 8:15 so that wasn't going to be a problem as we weren't there for a huge meal.

They do a two-course, pre-theatre menu for just under £10, seven days a week so that seemed like an ideal way to go for us. However, it's not just a pasta and pizza place as the a la carte menu was pretty tempting and if we'd had more time, I'm sure we'd have gone for that as there were some pretty good looking choices of main course.

The pre-theatre menu was okay and we opted for the Minestrone Soup and Crostini al Funghi to start with mains of Penne Milano and Spaghetti Meatballs. A couple of glasses of the house red to see it down and we were pretty satisfied. The place itself was quite nicely laid out and decorated and the staff were friendly and attentive. I think we'll definitely go back sometime for a more serious outing.

Not everything was perfect though; the movies were full so we had to head home. Still, at least we'd been pretty well fed.

Cuisine: Italian
My Rating: 8/10

Praia da Rocha, Portugal

We're not long back from two weeks on Portugal's Algarve and we stayed in Praia da Rocha, which is the main beach suburb of the city of Portimão. Praia da Rocha is probably one of the best known resorts on the Algarve and it certainly has some of the best beaches in the area.

Praia da Rocha Beach

Accommodation

We stayed in the Vila Rosa complex, which seems to be a mix of self-catering and time-share/owned apartments. Actually it looked like a time-share venture gone a bit sour but it hits the mark as a self-catering venue. Our building had a few obvious structural cracks in the walls that might have put off buyers, which is how I'm assuming the tour operators get the use of them for holiday lets now.

The building we stayed in, and the place has several spread over a wide area, had several apartments that looked "lived-in". You know what I mean, they had doormats and you could see a level of decor in some of them that we certainly didn't have. Oh and there was a huge Alsatian staying in the apartment above us, which occasionally vented its lungs out from the balcony at all and sundry and that tended to set off the neighbouring muts, of which there were quite a few. For example, the house opposite our building had a Golden Retriever and three large Alsatians prowling the grounds. We did notice a few complaints about neighbours with noisy dogs on a few review sites before we went but they really weren't that bad and we were never disturbed by it.

We had a one-bedroom suite with a sort of open-plan living room and kitchen as well so there was plenty of room, even if fairly basically furnished. The hot water was a bit of a hassle but once we'd learned to put the boiler on boost about 20 minutes before we wanted a shower, then both of us could get washed without it getting cold. Our little balcony looked out over a row of very expensive looking houses and an awful lot of ongoing building developments, through which we had a very small glimpse of a sea view. I guess being surrounded by tourists and poorish ones at that accounts for all the guard dogs around about.

Praia da Rocha Beach

The Vila Rosa complex had a couple of pools with lots of sun-beds and a bar/restaurant close by. There was also a very good restaurant sort of attached near the bottom of the complex. Reception and bar staff were all friendly and helpful. I quite liked the place!

The Resort

From where we were staying, the resort proper was about a 10-15 minute walk down the hill, across a fly-over and up the hill again. Praia da Rocha consists mainly of a single street of bars, hotels and restaurants, stretching along the cliff top above the beach from the adjoining resort of Praia do Vau to the Portimão marina.

Unfortunately they were in the middle of re-laying the road and pavements along almost the entire length of the main strip, which meant the place was in complete chaos. Some stretches had no pavement at all, which meant walking on the churned up earth, avoiding the JCBs and groups of construction workers during the day and trying not to fall down unmarked holes or walk into all sorts of obstacles in the evening. We were there just at the start of the season so the planner's timing was far from perfect, given that there would soon be a very large number of tourists arriving.

Castle of Sao Joao do Arade

I can't fault the beaches though. They were excellent! There was a wide stretch of sand from the marina to the centre of Praia da Rocha with a line of bar/restaurants built out of what looked like mocked up aeroplane fuselage units. You could then walk through a connecting tunnel in the rock to the west side beach, which stretched all the way along to Praia do Vau and had some of the most amazing sandstone rock and cave formations all along the way and all of this backed by a cliff wall.

Eating Out

Being in self-catering accommodation pretty much meant eating out every night. It was okay for cobbling together breakfast and the odd lunch but it wasn't really equipped for cooking a full meal. Anyway, we were on holiday so the idea of cooking wasn't really high on the agenda.

Praia da Rocha has a lot of eateries to choose from and I think we sampled a good percentage of them. You can choose from mainly a mix Italian, Chinese and Portuguese restaurants and I saw at least one Japanese and an American diner as well. The Hollywood Steak House was quite good if a little pricey. We tried a lot of the Italian restaurants and a few of the Portuguese ones but weren't that impressed by any of them. The signature dish of the area is Piri-Piri Chicken but Jús interpretation of that was serving up a grilled chicken breast and handing you a bottle of chilli oil.

Praia da Rocha from the Lighthouse

The Chinese restaurants were much better and The Dragon had a pretty good buffet. Asia had just opened so was also pretty good since they usually want to impress in the first few months. We also tried the Taj Palace for a curry one night and it was pretty good as well. Best of the lot though, had to go to the Sabor Gaúcho, a Brazilian restaurant attached to the Vila Rosa. It was basically a meat-fest and they offered a buffet with two options - one steak from the grill or a constant stream of grilled and barbecued meats. We opted for the simple buffet, which had loads of dishes plus a really well cooked and tasty sirloin as well but a group of four people tried the full buffet option and we sat, amazed at the array of meats that were brought out at a constant rate. There was one point that I thought one of the girls was going to fall over as they dropped yet another steak on her plate - you could see all of them groaning!

Night Life

I think we must have been a wee bit early in the season as the nightlife was still getting into gear and the bars were still a bit quite as they had to compete for the lower number of holidaymakers at the time.

There were plenty of Irish bars with some pretty good, live Irish music acts and of course the Guinness, which helps everyone get into the spirit of the thing. There were a few other decent, modern sort of bars along the strip where you could listen to some non-Irish music and just chill for a while. Of night-clubs we saw but one, which always looked empty, although it did get busier towards the end of our holiday.

See the rest of the photographs of our trip in my Portugal set.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 3

Montrose Basin and The Lurgies

Our third day started out with a walk called The Lurgies, which is a path around the edge of a part of the Montrose Basin, starting from Old Montrose Pier and ending at the Bridge of Dun. As usual, we missed the turn off for the little car park at Old Montrose Pier and ended up parking beside the Bridge of Dun and doing the walk the wrong way (and back again).

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance survey of Northern Ireland.

Montrose Basin is a popular haunt of "twitchers" as it is rich in bird life such as Sedge Warbler, Pink-footed Goose, Knot, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Mute Swan, Grey Partridge, Lapwing, Shelduck, Wigeon, Reed Bunting and Eider and it is a designated Local Nature Reserve.

Montrose Across The Basin

The Lurgies path is an easy stroll along part of the bank of the River South Esk and along the edge of the Basin along to the pier. I'd advise sticking to the path though as it's easy to wander off of it and end up having to back-track to get round water obstacles. There are some very good views to be had across the Basin to Montrose and you can also see the House of Dun from the path.

House of Dun

Once we'd "done" The Lurgies, we headed up to the House of Dun, in the hope of getting a bit of lunch. The beautiful Georgian House was designed by William Adam for David Erskine, the 13th Laird of Dun in 1730 and it also has very nice Victorian gardens overlooking the Montrose Basin.

The House of Dun

We passed a few hours touring the house, gardens and woodland walks. The gardens were quite busy as they'd organised an Easter Egg hunt for the kids.

Scurdie Ness

It was still early so we headed out for walk out to look at the Scurdie Ness lighthouse. Parking at the end of the road in Ferryden, it's an easy walk out along the road to the lighthouse and you have the option to go past on on along the grassy banks for a ways on the other side.


The wind was whipping up a bit and there was a good surf rolling in towards Montrose.

Eating Out

Back in Montrose for the evening, we fancied a Chinese meal and of the two we found on the High Street, the Shanghai looked the far better choice. They offered a buffet, but nothing like any buffet we'd ever come across as there was nothing laid out for the diners to pick and choose from.

What they did was basically let you order anything off of the menu as you wanted it. It was a bit odd but it worked okay as they brought us a selection of starters all at once. We tried several main courses as well so it seemed to work okay for them and the diners and it saves using up valuable seating space with a buffet selection and you get freshly cooked dishes too.

The food was very good as well so I'd definitely recommend it.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 2

It's Saturday and the second day of our break in Montrose.

Glen Clova

We got up early and, after a decent breakfast, headed off to Glen Clova as the assistant at the museum/tourist information office said there were some good walks in the area and we'd found what could be a half-decent walk up at the very top of the glen, around Ben Tirran.

Glen Clova is just under 40 miles from Montrose but the weather had brightened and it was looking like it was going to be a nice day so it seemed worth the drive, even if a fair bit of it wwas on small and narrow roads. There was a large car parking area beside the Clova Hotel so that made things easy too, especially as the route started just behind the hotel.

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance survey of Northern Ireland.

The path was marked as "Footpath to Glen Effock" and it was very clear and easy to follow. All you have to do is follow it all the way up to the bottom end of Loch Brandy at the base of The Snub. We wandered down to the loch for a relax and some lunch while watching a couple of anglers casting. They didn't hold out much hope of catching anything though as the water was still very cold. To make matters worse for them, a couple of girls arrived with three dogs, one of which decided it'd be fun to try and catch splashes so it spent at least 10-15 minutes up to it's knees in the water, smacking the surface with one paw and trying to bite the water that splashed up. Definitely mad but hilarious to watch!

Loch Brandy

After a wee rest, we headed on with a steep climb up The Snub and around the top rim of the corrie above the loch and over to Green Hill and then back down to the loch again. There were some good views at the top of the hill, with Lochnagar to the North and Mount Keen over to the North-East.

Eating Out

After a long day on the hills we fancied a curry and the only place we could find in Montrose was Indian Cottage on High Street. But it was very busy and we had to wait for a table (did that in the pub across the road) so it must be a popular place with the locals.

The service fast and friendly and the food was very good and reasonably priced so if you fancy a curry in Montrose, it's definitely worth a visit.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 1

We'd been planning on going away for a few days over the Easter weekend as we had the Friday and Monday off of work but, as ever, we left everything to the last minute as the weather forecasts looked a bit changeable. The memory of the few days we spent in Mallaig a couple of years ago, almost constantly waterlogged with the continuous rainfall, are still with us.

Anyway,we got up on Friday morning and checked the weather for the next few days to see if anywhere looked like being reasonable enough to warrant going. The North-East coast looked like it was going to be sunny and Montrose is only a couple of hours drive from Glasgow so then it was time to hunt for somewhere to stay. A quick check on the Scottish Tourist Board site gave us some options and the first one we tried from our short list, The Limes, had a vacancy, so ten minutes later we were booked and getting ready to set off.

Scurdie Ness Lighthouse From Montrose

The first thing we did when we arrived was to have a stroll around looking for the Tourist Information office to see if we could pick up any leaflets on walks or other attractions around the area. Trouble was, they'd moved it from where it was on the maps and, even when we found it in the local museum, it wasn't really geared up to handle queries as the move had just happened. Still, the girl on duty was quite helpful and we left with a few ideas for the next few days.

We went for a walk down to the seafront and watched the North Sea surf pounding along the shore. We also got a good view of the lighthouse over at Scurdie Ness, across the bay.

Eating Out

Having walked round the town, noting where the eateries were, we ended up in Carlton Hotel on High Street, which looks a bit odd from the street level as you have to go though a close and up stairs at the back to get into it. That said, the food was excellent and very reasonably priced with good sized portions.

Lorna had Chicken Ajo, which was chicken, stuffed with garlic and mushrooms, in a white wine sauce and I had a really tasty steak and ale pie. I'm sure we had a starter and sweet as well but I can't remember what except that we really enjoyed the lot. The staff were very friendly as well and we retired to the bar afterwards for a drink, then went back to our room and collapsed.

Pulcinella, Hope Street, Glasgow

We've walked past Italian restaurant Pulcinella on Hope Street so many times while hunting for a place to dine for no obvious reason other than maybe just because it's in the middle, between the more obvious centres of Sauchiehall Street and Argyll Street. Anyway, this time we thought we might as well go in and give it a try as we had loads of time before the movie we were going to see started.

First off, once you're inside, it's much larger than it looks from the street. It can seat 70 so maybe that's why the window seats were always empty when we passed before, which probably didn't help make us think it was popular. There were plenty of people sitting eating but we got a table easily enough and the staff were really friendly and inviting. The decor is a bit odd as one complete wall consists of a not particularly good mural of an Italian carnival and the other has an assortment of carnival masks. Still, it goes with the theme as the name Pulcinella is a character from popular Neapolitan puppet theatre.

The unusual decor aside, we really couldn't fault the food or service as both were excellent. The menu is pretty traditional Italian fare with antipasti, pasta, carni, pesce and pizza to choose from. We'd just missed the pre-theatre menu so started with meatballs cooked with fresh basil & garlic bread (polpetinne al sugo) and deep fried mushrooms in breadcrumbs (funghi fritti). I had penne amatriciana and Lorna had spaghetti with tomato, basil and meatballs for main courses, washed down with a nice bottle of sangiovese red. We still had plenty of time on our hands so, once the wine had been polished off, we had a slice of apple pie and ice cream and a piece of strawberry cheesecake to finish.

Well stuffed and nicely satisfied with the meal, we headed off for the movies hoping that we wouldn't fall asleep in the warm and dark cinema.

Cuisine: Italian
My Rating: 7/10

Paperino's, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

I got taken out for my birthday a few weeks ago to Paperino's in Sauchiehall Street. We've been before and enjoyed the food so it's not like it was a new experience but more of a safe bet for a birthday nosh-up.

The food and service was of a high standard as usual and we enjoyed the meal along a with a few beers and a bottle of decent red wine. To start we had stuffed mushrooms and mozarella sticks followed by penne contadina and pappardelle alla Paperino. By that time we were stuffed and could only manage to share a dessert between us - burp!

We'd booked a table as this is a very busy and popular restaurant so dropping in on the off chance of getting a table is really not a good idea and we saw a few couples being turned away.

Cuisine: Italian
My Rating: 7/10

New City Palace, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

Still apt to wander the streets of Glasgow after work on a Friday evening looking for somewhere to have dinner, we popped into the New City Palace on Sauchiehall Street.

It's another one of those mostly hidden restaurants where all you see is a fairly run down and grubby sign outside a closeway between shops. The restaurant is upstairs above those shops and is a reasonable sized place once you navigate your way up the narrow stairs. The decor is bright and not too over-oriental and the background music is modern and western and the place was quite busy. They have a decent three-course, pre-theatre menu for under £10 so it seemed a pretty popular choice for those planning on going on to see a movie or going for a drink afterwards. We were headed for the movies ourselves so it suited us too.

The menu was a good mix of Chinese cuisine with a few Thai dishes in there too and even the pre-theatre menu had a good mix of dishes. Service was blindingly fast, which is quite common for Chinese restaurants but this was even faster than normal. It was maybe a bit too fast as we were trying to pass a bit of time before the movie start time but better that than slow - I hate slow service.

The food was very nice too and the dishes were presented very well, little carved rose carrots and all. We had barbecue spare ribs and spring rolls to start followed by kung-po chicken and beef with green pepper and black bean sauce. This was topped off with a bit of black forest gateau and cream and we were set for the night.

Cuisine: Chinese
My Rating: 7/10

Ho Wong, York Street, Glasgow

With Lorna's sister and her husband over here for a few days, we met up after work at the Marriott Hotel with plans to go and have some dinner and then maybe a drink or two.

We started wandering along Argyll Street back towards the centre of town and spotted the Ho Wong, an innocuous looking Chinese restaurant just off the main road down York Street. We've been working near here for almost a year now and had never noticed it before so it seemed worth having a closer look.

It was a horrible night out, all dark and rainy but the frontage looked inviting enough so in we went and entered a very plush and sumptuous world of thick carpets, solid looking carved wood chairs and vases of fresh flowers. It was quite busy and I think we were lucky to get a table for four even at so early a time slot.

The menu is more traditional than your average Chinese restaurant but not overly so. For example, there were no curries, chop sueys or chow meins in sight but neither were there any chicken's feet dishes so everything should appeal to us more squeamish diners. It leads off with a huge range of starters and then into a very comprehensive list of seafood, poultry, meat, duck, satay, bird's nest, sweet & sour, sizzling and vegetarian dishes so there should be something there for everyone.

Prices are also higher than you'd pay for a standard centre of town restaurant but again, not off the planet. We're lazy and opted for the set meal for four and were treated to a delicious medley of dishes. The starter was mixed hors d'oeuvres (butterfly king prawn, barbecue spare ribs, deep fried wunton, prawn toast and chicken satay) followed by aromatic crispy duck with the usual accompaniments. The main courses were fillet of beef Cantonese style, steamed king prawns with black bean and garlic, chicken in chilli and salt, sweet & sour chicken and Singapore style noodles and to follow we had a choice of ice creams or sweets and coffee.

We washed it all down with a glass of Tsingtao and a couple of bottles of wine and we were royally stuffed. I have to say I enjoyed the lot and we could hardly finish it all. It was still busy when we left which, for a Tuesday night, is quite good going. They were even giving away Chinese piggy banks and calendars in the run up to the year of the pig so Evelyn will be going back to Gibraltar with some more souvenirs.

Cuisine: Chinese
My Rating: 9/10

Koh-i-Noor, North Street, Glasgow

We got lured all the way up to some pokey little pub in the Charing Cross area for someones leaving do on Friday night. However, finding that there were no seats available, we ended up sitting at the bar and having a few drinks or three before saying goodbye and heading off for some food.

The Koh-i-Noor is one of Glasgow's oldest Indian restaurants, having opened back in 1964 in Gibson Street. Nowadays it's a stone's throw from the Mitchell Library and Charing Cross and, as we hadn't been in this one, we thought we'd give it a shot.

Inside is pretty big and there's lots of painted screens, murals, coloured glass and lacquered chairs as well as a central fountain, around which is arrayed the evening's buffet selection. Buffets are great so we opted for that right away. There were loads of starters - about four kinds of pakoras, chicken chaat, chana, aloo, onion rings, popadoms, etc. and you could easily just stuff yourself with that lot alone.

There was also a decent range of main courses, with a good few vegetarian ones too, ranging from mild kormas to fiery curries. Having stuffed myself with lots of starters as indicated earlier, I had some kashmiri lamb and chicken tikka masala with a side of boiled rice and nan bread and then went back and had some lamb korma. The meats were tender and well cooked but the tikka masala sauce was a bit bland for me - maybe that's a side effect of fast food buffet cuisine.

The sweets were good - chocolate cake, strawberry sponge, ice creams, fruit salad and gulab jamin so a little wedge of cake, some ice cream and a couple of gulab jamin suitably drizzled with syrup and cream saw me well full.

The staff were friendly and attentive and, aside from the somewhat bland masala sauce, the food was pretty good on the whole. The only downside to the evening was the arrival of a party of about 40 or 50, some of whom were pretty loud and merry. Thank goodness we got in before them though as the buffet just wouldn't have been an option - it was like a cloud of locusts descending and the waiters could hardly manage to keep the dishes filled before they were empty and the horde were howling for more. There's something to be said for small restaurants!

Cuisine: Indian
My Rating: 7/10

Ashoka Shak, Phoenix Leisure Park, Linwood

We nipped into the Ashoka Shak in the Phoenix Leisure Park before going in to see Open Season at the movies. We've been a few times before and the food's always been good, even if the presentation and ambience were a little on the "fast-food" side. I mean they used to serve the pakora dips in sauce bottles!

However, it's been recently revamped with a new indotapas theme and the decor is decidely on the contemporary side. The food's still as good but portions were a bit on the small side and prices a bit higher than we'd normally pay for a quick pre-cinema meal. And that decor, it doesn't really sit well with an Indian restaurant theme - too bright and sparse.

The Ashoka on Argyll Street, from which this offshoot derives its name, has been one of the most popular Indian restaurants in Glasgow's west-end since 1982 and I've had many a good curry in there in my youth. However, I think it's lost a lot of its original appeal since it became part of the Harlequin Group and expanded the name into a chain.

Cuisine: Indian
My Rating: 7/10

Dino's, 39-41 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

We went to the movies the other night and, fancying a pizza beforehand, opted for Dino's on Sauchiehall Street. It's one of those places that been there for years and years and we've been in a few times before but it gets bypassed a bit these days simply because of that search for something new.

Anyway, it was pretty busy but the head waiter let us have a table on the understanding that we'd be done before eight as he was trying to get ready for some bookings. Since we were going to the movies and didn't want a full multi-course meal, that wasn't going to be a problem. A few other couples were in the same boat but we all got seated.

Service was fast and I mean fast. The guy wasn't kidding when he said he needed the tables later and he was going to make sure his staff didn't keep us there any longer than necessary but I wouldn't say we were rushed at all though.

Since all we wanted were a couple of pizzas and beers, I can hardly comment on the more traditional Italian fare but we've been before and it was always pretty good and the pizzas were tasty too.

Cuisine: Italian
My Rating: 7/10

O'Sole Mio, Bath Street, Glasgow

Still on our wanderings for food around the centre of Glasgow, we drifted into O'Sole Mio on Bath Street. It's one of those restaurants that's been there for as long as I can remember and whenever we've looked in it's always been a bit on the busy side so we've always passed it by.

Now, being busy is a good sign that the food is likely to be good and we'd already just walked past Toni's on Renfield Street because it was completely empty. The menu looked reasonable but the tumbleweeds were rollin through and we just kept walking up the road. So, O'Sole Mio it was and, busy as it was, in we went.

It certainly was busy but we got a table quickly enough and the staff were all friendly and helpful so we were soon downing a couple of beers while we ordered. We started off with some good, hefty Italian bread, soaked in garlic butter and coated with pesto. There's nothing worse than getting a bit of French loaf spread thinly with garlic butter like you get in some places but this was the real stuff.

Main courses were Rigatoni for me but, I hate to admit it, I can't remember what it was called. It was very nice though and had a tomatoey sauce with lots of spicy Italian sausage in it - yummy. Lorna had Ravioli, again it was really tasty but what it was, I have no recollection other than it had lots of cream and peas. Both went pretty well with the house red and the plates were pretty well clean by the time we were done.

The whole lot came to just over £30 but with wine and beers too, that was pretty good. Highly recommended!

Cuisine: Italian
My Rating: 9/10