The Yew Tree/British/Carlisle

Situated in Crosby Street in Carlisle, there is little parking around, but probably very difficult to find a spot during the day.

We decided to go after seeing a feature in the local paper.

We parked more or less outside the door, in the street, and walked over to the front door.  Here we had to walk into a little conservatory type porch where the Chef (owner?) and two men were sitting smoking.  How nice, having to walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke to get into a restaurant.  Because it was a warm night the door was wide open too, so the cigarette smoke was floating into the room.

The waitress was lovely, very accommodating and pleasant.  Brought us the menus and took our drink order.

For a starter I went for Brie.  It was lovely, a huge piece with redcurrant jelly on the side.

My friends had Chicken Coujons from the snack menu, plain frozen chicken bits, just chucked in the deep fat fryer, although they said the sauce that was served with it was lovely.  (Even though it was served in the little square dish you usually get sauce sachets in!!)

For a main there was actually loads of Veggie options, but alas, there is a small print at the bottom saying they need to be pre-ordered......which left two choices.

I went for the Mushroom & Lentil burger.

This had to be the WORST burger I had ever eaten, it was so thin and overcooked (cremated!) that it simply turned to dust in my mouth.  No bread bun, or salad, which would have hidden how bad it was, just a burger slapped on a plate with chips, peas and a touch of salad garnish.  Chips were ok, said they were home-made, not entirely convinced to be honest.

Hubby had a home-made chicken kiev.

It was a large piece of chicken, very very dry to eat, and he didn't even get a hint of garlic or butter until the 2nd last mouthful.  Very disappointing.

Our friends went for Cumberland Sausage & chips - no complaints there at all.

We didn't go for a dessert as by now we were sick of the noise coming from the floor above.  It was a load of banging and crashing, and very distracting.  We asked the waitress what it was and she said "Oh, he's just moving stuff about upstairs"!  HE came down later on and walked through the restaurant carrying a bucket and something else.  Odd.

Our bill was somewhere around £70 for drinks, starter and mains for 4 people.

Wouldn't rush back.

Here are the details for you:

The Yew Tree
2 Crosby Street
Carlisle
CA1 1DQ

Tel: 01228 522785 



Do please comment if you have been.

The Mango Tree/Indian/Carlisle

We were talked into giving this place another go after having a horrible experience about 18 months ago, apparently it has changed hands since then.

Situated on the A595 at Cardewlees, a few miles out of Carlisle towards Wigton.  It is a very busy road, but there is a good sized car park around the back.

We walked in and was shown to a seat in the bar by a lady and given a menu, then ignored somewhat for some time as she chatted with a couple on the next table who were obviously friends.  A waiter then came in and wandered over to take our drinks order.

We ordered and were shown to our table.  The restaurant looks like an old barn - nicely done out I must add, but with lots of old brickwork and little rooms. Nicely set tables and comfortable seating.

We started with some poppadums. They were fine, nice and crisp and the sauces were good.

I asked for a vegetarian starter, there was a couple of options on the menu, Chapati Roll or Veg Chat - I said either would be fine. I think I got Veg Chat.

It was very good, although the carrots were tinned, but the taste was nice and the presentation was lovely.

Hubby had Chicken Pakora - his response was "nothing special", but beautifully presented.

For a main I went for an Okra side dish and a "minted pea" side dish.  Both were ok, but nothing memorable. The "peas" were actually chick peas, for some reason I expected garden peas  :)

I had it with a paratha and we shared rice and chips.

Hubby had Chicken Tikka.  Small portion, tasted fine, but again, nothing memorable.

In a nutshell portions were small, nothing very exciting, and service wasn't the best we've ever had.

Bad points were apart from the Indian menu you would be forgiven for not realising it was an Indian restaurant, the only people we saw (young man and lady) were locals, the restaurant looks very nondescript with not a lot of atmosphere.

There was a book end of an Elephants bum by our table which was covered in cobwebs, and my wine glass was dirty, only realising once I had drank the wine.  The toilets need a good overhaul too.

Not somewhere I would rush back to, but let us know if you have been.

Here are the details for you:

The Mango Tree
Cardewlees, CA5 6LG,