View Full Version : Dining Out - Where to go?
Stargazer
30-Jun-10, 20:59
Recommendations for resturants are a bit thin on the ground these days.
Anybody got a recommendation for a decent bar supper / evening meal , anywhere between Melvich and Dunnet?
Id go the extra few miles for food in john o groats at the seaview hotel
http://www.seaviewjohnogroats.co.uk/
Hallerdale Arms in Melvich...big hearty tasty portions in a warm friendly atmosphere.
Norhern Sands have a grehat menu and specials...love their meatballs and pasta...if only they put lemon and ice in a G&T without you begging for it.
Huge and great steaks at both
Had a beautiful meal in the Red Pepper Restaurant @ the Holborn Hotel in Thurso just after New Year. Very high quality ingredients, cooked to perfection!
I know you say not beyond Dunnet, but by far the best meal I've ever had in Caithness (and within top 5 in my life, world-wide) would have to be the Bord de l'eau French restaurant in Wick.
The serve the nicest, juiciest steak in the world in my opinion, served with beautiful sides of sauteed potatos, real french fries and lots of seasoned veg.
Probably the only place in Caithness I've been to that takes pride in serving with a smile, actually caring about the customer, nothing is too much trouble to ensure you have a fantastic meal.
The Northern Sands is by far the best eatery in the county at the moment, Steaks and Seafood to die for! Had their Smoked Haddock andLleek Fishcakes followed by Chocolate Fondue absolutely gorgeous!Really welcoming service too.
The Park Hotel & Pentland have always been really good anytime I have been. Would recommend both for some nice scoff!
I like the Bistro!
Not excatly a bar meal but good food!
Stargazer
01-Jul-10, 20:56
Plenty to choose from. Thanks for your suggestions. :)
skinnydog
01-Jul-10, 21:37
Yes, Red Pepper, Bistro and Le Bordelaux (spelling) in Wick - all fantastic. The bistro in Mackays' Hotel Wick is really decent too.
Bobinovich
01-Jul-10, 21:44
I can add Y-Not in Thurso to the list - not had a bad meal yet and the Cajun Chicken with Creamy Penne pasta is damned addictive :D. Nice relaxed atmosphere too.
The very very very best are Norseman,Wick, Sinclair hotel in Castletown, The pub in Thrumster and the Nethercliffe Hotel,wick.
lybsterlad
02-Jul-10, 18:51
Sorry fran have to disagree with you there Queens hotel in wick is far superior as in quality of food served in norseman hotel, been to norseman three times giving them benefit of the doubt but on the three occasions was not happy with meal, also when out for a meal prefer home made sweets not frozen,Queens i have been on numerous occasions and cannot fault it at all, food was all home made, sweets are to die for also homemade. So in wick in my experience i would recommend queens hotel by far
ShelleyCowie
02-Jul-10, 20:08
I agree with Bobinovich! Y-Not is excellent. I go there very regular for lunch and bar meals. Great prices and excellent quality food.
Scarybiscuits03
02-Jul-10, 20:46
The Y-Not is ok for lunch or a snack but I wouldn't recommend it for a meal.
The Park is good, everything made from scratch (apart from the chips!), Le Bistro is also good, local produce (again they use frozen chips) but I have to say if you want a good homecooked meal I recommend the Castletown Hotel. Im a regular there, freshly cooked food(not reheated and best beer batter around), fresh ingredients, local meat and proper chips!!!!!!!....mmm might have to pop in tomorrow for a little nibble!
Bobinovich
03-Jul-10, 16:56
Kids & I had a meal in the Red Pepper last night - usual choice on Kids menu but very reasonably priced - £2.95 with ice cream pudding included!
Main menu seemed a bit limited on choice but what was on there sounded lovely. I had the battered haddock with chips & side-salad which was all very tasty. As we were celebrating the star of the holidays I treated myself to a pudding - meringue nest with cream and fruit.
It was all really nice but, other than the kids meals, the price seemed a little steep - £12.95 for the haddock and £4.50 for the meringue nest. TBH I've had similar quality elsewhere locally for £7.95 and £3.25 which would seem far more reasonable given the decent pricing of the kids meals.
So, thumbs up for quality & service, thumbs down for price.
ShelleyCowie
03-Jul-10, 17:13
Kids & I had a meal in the Red Pepper last night - usual choice on Kids menu but very reasonably priced - £2.95 with ice cream pudding included!
Main menu seemed a bit limited on choice but what was on there sounded lovely. I had the battered haddock with chips & side-salad which was all very tasty. As we were celebrating the star of the holidays I treated myself to a pudding - meringue nest with cream and fruit.
It was all really nice but, other than the kids meals, the price seemed a little steep - £12.95 for the haddock and £4.50 for the meringue nest. TBH I've had similar quality elsewhere locally for £7.95 and £3.25 which would seem far more reasonable given the decent pricing of the kids meals.
So, thumbs up for quality & service, thumbs down for price.
Do you really need an excuse for pudding? Not like u at all :p
Forss House Hotel; Bord de L'Eau and the Mackays hotel are my personal favourites - even if you're on your own the food and service is really good
I have fond memories of how the Portland Arms used to be.
Lavenderblue2
05-Jul-10, 19:15
Hallerdale Arms in Melvich...big hearty tasty portions in a warm friendly atmosphere.
Norhern Sands have a grehat menu and specials...love their meatballs and pasta...if only they put lemon and ice in a G&T without you begging for it.
Huge and great steaks at both
G&T without ice and lemon… Sacrilege !! :eek:
How about a budget list also?
cheapest meal out- and best value for money?
My choice for budget/value for money would be the all day breakfast at Laidhay croft museum. Less than a fiver for 3 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 eggs, beans, tomato, toast and tea or coffee.
I note with interest that a few years ago probably the highest recommended restaurant in the area would have been the Upper Deck, yet here there is not a single recommendation for them.
That would probably be because in the last couple of years the prices hiked up and the food was not of the best quality. Having recently revisited I can say I recommend them 100%, the prices are back down to what I'd describe as reasonable prices for steaks and by god are they good!!!!
Well done Upper Deck in finally getting it sorted, I'm sure you're seeing the benefits already.
Sorry fran have to disagree with you there Queens hotel in wick is far superior as in quality of food served in norseman hotel, been to norseman three times giving them benefit of the doubt but on the three occasions was not happy with meal, also when out for a meal prefer home made sweets not frozen,Queens i have been on numerous occasions and cannot fault it at all, food was all home made, sweets are to die for also homemade. So in wick in my experience i would recommend queens hotel by far
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Disagree. All sweets in the Norseman are freshly made and out of this world, not frozen at all, with a huge selection. We were in there again today and the meal, the sweet, the staff...everything was perfect. Absolutely delicious.
lybsterlad
15-Jul-10, 20:24
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Disagree. All sweets in the Norseman are freshly made and out of this world, not frozen at all, with a huge selection. We were in there again today and the meal, the sweet, the staff...everything was perfect. Absolutely delicious.
You must have been lucky as i definately got frozen sweet,agree staff were fine but surroundings were a bit tacky badly in need of decoration especially toilets they were terrible.
Maybe they have changed menu were def frozen when i was there, food was ok but not a patch on Queens home made meals, and homemade sweets.
My friend still raves about Castletown Hotel sunday carvery, said it is miles better than norseman carvery i will give it a try this weekend to see.
Will stick with my recommendation of Queens excellent food, lovely clean surroundings
Anyone been to The Holburn recently? Used to love it for their homemade chips and nice side salads/coleslaw. Was disappointed last few times as they had changed to generic frozen chips/bought in coleslaw. Would like to know if this was temporary or a permanent change. I know it would mke more sense to ask in person but too shy.
You must have been lucky as i definately got frozen sweet,agree staff were fine but surroundings were a bit tacky badly in need of decoration especially toilets they were terrible.
Maybe they have changed menu were def frozen when i was there, food was ok but not a patch on Queens home made meals, and homemade sweets.
My friend still raves about Castletown Hotel sunday carvery, said it is miles better than norseman carvery i will give it a try this weekend to see.
Will stick with my recommendation of Queens excellent food, lovely clean surroundings
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Castletown Hotel and the Norseman are run by the same people. Maybe you went to the Norseman before it changed hands. It was taken over earlier this year and i have been many times and never found any fault at all.
lybsterlad
19-Jul-10, 08:39
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Castletown Hotel and the Norseman are run by the same people. Maybe you went to the Norseman before it changed hands. It was taken over earlier this year and i have been many times and never found any fault at all.
am aware that same people own norseman as castletown, obviously different quality chefs as castletown serve far superior food, was at castletown for sunday carvery yesterday and have to say it was excellent food served in norseman is not a patch on it, its a shame really,saw quite a few wick people there as well so they obviously share my opinion as they wouldnt travel to castletown from wick if they could get same quality of food on there doorstep
the Bay Owl at Dunbeath is excellent very reasonable too. We hade a meal at the Red Pepper last weekend too it was lovely but very expensive, (3 closed stuffed mushrooms with a bit of lettuce for £4.95:eek:) The Portland Arms in Lybster is very good too.
Go a bit further afield and try the mussells at Dornoch Castle Hotel- along from the Town Jail. Huge portions, reasonable prices- and the mocha coffee with the chocolate dipper is to die for,
was at castletown for sunday carvery yesterday and have to say it was excellent
Could you tell me more about the Carvery @ Castletown? How much and the times, please?
Northern Sands in Dunnet highly recommended
lybsterlad
22-Jul-10, 18:39
Could you tell me more about the Carvery @ Castletown? How much and the times, please?
Carvery in Castltown is £12.95 and is worth every penny selection of meat, is amazing, and the sweets are to die for all homemade, i went at 1pm but think they serve from 12.30.
Have you tried the Blue Door Cafe on the Thurso Caravan Park. On a Friday night it does burgers and fish. The fish was lovely with nice crispy batter. And there is even entertainment in the form of father and son playing the accordian.
It was a lovely relaxed feeling and at an affordable price.
Well worth a try.
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