Calcutta Brasserie/Indian/Stony Stratford

We always make a special effort to visit this fabulous restaurant when we are in the Milton Keynes Area.

Situated in a village called Stony Stratford, just a few minutes drive from MK.

The restaurant is actually in an old church building, which makes for a fabulous setting for dinner. It's so ornate and full of characture. 

Parking is on the street outside, we have always found a spot, but always go on an evening so not sure what it would be like during shop hours.

Three of us went on a Saturday night, we didn't book as we knew it was a large restaurant and presumed we would be able to just walk in.  We were, but it very quickly filled up, so might be worth booking if you are planning to visit.

We ordered some poppudums to start while we browsed the menu.  Nice and crisp, with lovely dips, the tomato/chilli one was particularly nice.

My friend and I decided to share a Vegetarian Starter Platter. 

Everything was absolutely delicious.  Especially the Paneer Tikka.  And what a huge portion!  It was a great way to try a little bit of everything.

Hubby had the Onion Bajhi.

He said they were nice and crisp and very tasty.

For a main I went for something I have here everytime I visit, I have never found it in another restaurant ever, which is a shame as it is amazingly tasty.  Tandoori Broccoli & Cauliflower.  Marinated in yoghurt and grilled in the Tandoor.

I had half a portion, as I also wanted to try the Okra dish - Kharari Bhindi - Crisp fried Okra in a spice gram batter.  I had a half portion of that too, served in a cooked poppadum basket.

It was lovely, but a bit dry for a main meal, it would have been great served as a nibbly snack with a drink, but definately needed a sauce or a dipping pot.

Hubby had Chicken Tikka, which he said was moist, tasty and delicious.

Our friend had the Dhal dish of the day, which she enjoyed very much.

We had rices and gorgeous soft naan bread to accompany.

Service was excellent, and the place was spotlessly clean and tidy.

The bill was around £70 for 3 of us, for starters, mains, soft drinks and a bottle of wine.

Will definately return, just wish it was closer to home!

Here are the details for you.

http://www.calcuttabrasserie.co.uk/

Calcutta Brasserie

 7 st pauls court

Stony Stratford,

Milton Keynes,

Buckinghamshire

MK11 1LJ

01908 566 577 

Super Sausage/Cafe/Towcester

If you want a fabulous, fresh cooked breakfast while in the Milton Keynes area, then check out this place.

The Super Sausage Cafeteria is situated on the main road towards Towcester Racecourse. It has a large parking lot out front and is popular with bikers and truck drivers.

Don't let the biker thing put you off, it is very friendly and welcoming.

The tables are american diner style, the only issue is the chairs are fixed to the tables so if you are a biggish person you might want to use the picnic tables outside.  The place looks a little tatty with torn upholster, but it is clean and tidy.  The walls are literally covered with photographs of motorbikes.

Crockery is Asda smart choice style, and tea/coffee is served in simple mugs - but the good prices reflect this.

There is a blackboard with loads of breakfast options on it, full-monty, low-carb, filled baps.  Or you can just pick and choose what items you would like.

The food is perfectly cooked, fresh and good quality ingredients.  The staff are always lovely and friendly.

One tiny downside is that each breakfast is on a different order sheet, so if you go in a group of 4 people, expect to be served one by one as the breakfasts are cooked.

Of course they do other things than breakfasts, but we have only ever been for breakfast, and would always go back when in the area.

Prices are around £5.00 for a full breakfast.

There does seem to be a website, but inacctive at time of posting this.

http://www.supersausagecafe.co.uk/

Here are the details for you:

Super Sausage Cafe

Potterspury

Towcester,

Northamptonshire

NN12 7QX

01908 542 964

First Class/Chinese/Stony Stratford

We always visit this restaurant while in the Milton Keynes area, it is fabulous for the Vegetarian with fake chicken, beef and duck options.

It is actually in the small town of Stony Straford which is just a few miles from Milton Keynes, right bang in the middle of the high street.  There are a few parking spots on the road outside.

It is not great to look at visually from the outside, and the crockery is something else - weird leaf shaped chunky plates made from the thickest glazed pottery - like something you would stand a plant pot on !  But the food has always been excellent.

If you visit the toilets then you get the feeling you are in some grubby teenagers flat with a grubby carpet and peeling deco - but they were clean enough.  The flooring in the main restaurant is fun though, little goldfish on the tiles.

So, onto the food.  We usually go in a group, and the service has always been excellent.  I went for a fake duck starter, served with veg, pancakes and hoi-sin sauce.

The "duck" was fabulous, really really enjoyed it, the hoi-sin was a bit thin though, but when we asked for a second pot it was much thicker, so I guess they water it down.

Check out the plate  :)

Others in the party had Vegetarian Spring Rolls.

Satay chicken, which looked amazing and was served upon a bed of chopped veg & pineapple.

For a main course I went for Crispy Fried "Beef" in chilli sauce.

This was served in a cooked bowl made from the pancakes that are usually served with the duck, they were nice and crispy and the sauce was lovely.  I asked for no onions or peppers, but it came with "no veg", which was a shame as I quite like the other veg and it would have been a nice addition.  Serves me right for being so fussy.

Others in the party had, chicken & cashewnuts (served in the birds nest pancake bowl)

Spicy battered prawns.

Some beef dish, can't remember quite what.

And a Thai chicken curry.

Heard no complaints and everyone seemed to be enjoying their food a lot.

The bill worked out at just £20 a head, the service charge was added to the bill before it was given to us, apparently that't the norm for tables over 6 people.  (There was 7 of us)

We will return to this restaurant again when we are back in the area, it is a must for Vegetarians who would like something other than veggies in sauce for a change.

Here are the details for you.

First Class Restaurant

52 High Street,

Stony Stratford,

Milton Keynes,

MK11 1AQ.

01908 - 307688

The menus are all downloadable from the website.

http://www.firstclassrestaurant.com/

Feel free to comment if you have been.

The Silk Road/Indian/ChineseMilton Keynes

The Silk Road is a gem of a little restaurant we found last year when in Milton Keynes.  It is situated right beside a Travelodge so very handy if you are staying over.

This is the restaurant, tucked behind some trees just off the main road.

It is a fusion style restaurant, serving both Chinese and Indian food, so it is great if you are going out with a load of people.

The deco is very Indian inspired with rich dark wood carving. The tables are nicely set and the staff are lovely and accomodating.

Loads of choice on the menu, as you might expect from a fusion restaurant, with a couple of "all-you-can-eat" options too.

We were given a bowl of poppodum pieces and prawn crackers with dips while we browsed the menu.

I went for the Indian menu, and to start chose Hariyali tawa kebeb - Pan fried spinach and potato cakes lightly spiced with crushed coriander and cracked pepper.

They were delicious, full of flavour and very moreish.

Hubby went for Onion bhajee Onion strands in a spicy batter mix, deep fried until crisp and golden

He says it was very good, nice and crisp.

For a main I chose two side dishes from the Vegetarian list. Paneer makhni - Paneer (cottage cheese) simmered in traditional makhni gravy, which is one of my all time favourites.

It didn't dissapoint, really tasty sauce. I also chose Achari okra - Spicy fried okra cooked with tangy pickling spices.  I love Okra, and it's difficult to get in Carlisle restaurants, and this dish was amazing.  Really enjoyed it.

It was served with some pilau rice and a gorgeous potato stuffed naan which was fabulous.

Hubby had a Chicken Tikka, beautifully marninated.

We would definately return to this restaurant and are more than happy to recommend it to others.

Here are the details for you.

The Silk Road

151 Grafton Gate East

Central Milton Keynes

MK9 1AE

Telephone: 01908 200522

Jinnah/Indian/Flaxton York

While staying in York we fancied an Indian meal.

A quick Google gave us The Jinnah, which was just down the road from where we were staying, so we decided to pop along and try it out. 

Situated on the A64 mid way between York and Malton, it has it's own large car park and is an impressive looking restaurant.

Inside is just as impressive, with the restaurant itself, along with a conservatory section, a lounge and a bar area.

We were greated by a waiter in Indian style dress, he showed us to a table in the conservatory and went through the menus with us.  There was an "all you can eat" buffet for £11.95 per person.  A asked if there was Veggie options on the buffet, and was described three, so we decided we would all go for that.

First of all we were brought Poppadums with dips - and what a wonderful dip selection. Fabulously chunky mango chutney and a beautiful lime pickle.

For starters we were brought a platter of lots of different starters, these were cooked fresh and not taken from the buffet station.  The Veggie starters were brought on a seperate plate, and I got 4 items, all of which were delicious.

I must apologise for the photo, I had eaten all mine and the rest of the group had made a good hole in the meat plate before I remembered I should have taken a photo!

When we all hit the buffet, none of us were actually needing to eat anymore due to the portion sizes of the starters.  I was dismayed however to find the three veggie dishes very very onion based, I should have checked first really, and the onions were way to big for me to be able to ignore.  (See Onion Phobia Blog)

So, the choice was to just eat rice, or order a fresh meal for myself.  I decided to order a meal.  I explained to the waitress about my dislike of onions and barely before I could finish the sentence she stopped me, said "Not a problem" and shouted through to the open-plan kitchen.

Within minutes two vegetarian, no onion, dishes were presented to our table, and still included in the buffet price.  Now that's what I call great service!!

And, wow, they were delicious!!  Not quite sure what I had, but it was really really good.

Here is a photo of some of the buffet curries.

Everyone agreed it was a lovely restaurant.  The food was great, although one said if returning he would order from the menu as the buffet dishes were "too saucey" for his tastes.  The chicken tikka on the starter platter would have been perfect apparently.

They even brought a 'free-of-charge' desert with a candle in for one of the party whose birthday it was, which was nice.

Would definately return if in the area, and would be happy to reccommend too.

They also have other restaurants in Harrogate, Sheffield and York, as well as this one in Flaxton.

Here are the details for you.

http://www.jinnah-restaurants.co.uk/

Jinnah Restaurant,

on the A64,

Malton Road,

Flaxton,

York,

YO60 7SQ

01904 468202

Feel free to comment if you have been.

Oh.... and apparently Jimmy Saville is a friend of the owner  :)

Chiquitos/Mexican/York

I love Chiquitos, I always track one down when we stay away if I can, so was chuffed to find one near to where we were staying in York.

Situated on the Clifton Moor Shopping Centre just outside of the City of York.  Loads of parking obviously.

We went on a Monday evening, it wasn't busy at all, but we still had to hang around to be shown to a table.

Once seated our waiter returned with the menus but he could barely raise a smile.

Every single time we have been to Chiquitos we have been given tortilla chips and salsa to nibble on while we browse the menu, not this time.  Although it was on the bill (with a 0.00 price tag) so I am guessing it should have been served.

We ordered a jug of cocktail to start June Bug - June Bug (Banana liqueur, Malibu & Midori melon liqueur, blended with pineapple juice & sweet & sour)  £12.99 for a pitcher, and a couple of diet cokes for the non drinkers.

It was ages before the waiter returned, service was very slow and yet it was not busy.

We decided on the weekday dinner menu at £9.99 for two courses - bargain.

I went for Chilli Poppers (Breaded jalapeños filled with cream cheese & served with smoky salsa)

They were chin-burning hot, trust me I know, as it dripped down my chin and actually blistered!  Otherwise they tasted really nice.

Hubby chose Garlic Flatbread ‘Tostadas’ (With or without melting Jack cheese)

Crispy flat bread with loads of flavour - delicious.

For a main I asked if I could adapt a meal to be Vegetarian, this was fine, so I got Spicy Chicken Enchiladas (Three rolled corn tortillas filled with spicy chicken, chilli con queso & anchochilli-tomato sauce. On a bed of Mexican spiced rice & topped with melting Jack cheese) swapping the chicken for Veggie chilli.

It was gorgeous - as you can see!!!  I do apologise about the photo, had gobbled it up before remembering. :)

This midweek dinner deal is great, there is plenty of food and great choice, you can either go for a starter and main meal or a main meal and dessert.

As always, I love Chiquitos food, but I have to say in this instance, the service was very slow and poor and the tables were sticky.  Such a shame.

Here is the website and address for you.

http://www.chiquito.co.uk/

York - Clifton Moor

Sterling Road

York

YO30 4XY

Telephone:

01904 477900