Edge Restaurant at Studland Dene, Bournemouth

If you’re looking to have an exquisite meal with stunning sea views to match, then I can thoroughly recommend the Edge restaurant, at the Studland Dene in Bournemouth.

Opened in December 2009, the Edge restaurant boasts a lofty location at the top of Alum Chine, meaning you have got superb views over the whole of the coastline from Old Harry Rocks, right up to Hengistbury Head.

Redeveloped recently, the Studland Dene is a far cry from the building that preceded it.  The modern building houses its’ Edge Restaurant on the fourth floor, meaning customers are sat in an ideal dining location.  As well as this fourth floor, is an extra dining area on a higher level, which again, has windows on all four sides, so you can savour some stunning views.

Service wise, Edge was second to none.  We were served by Chris, a model example of how any waiter should be – knowledgeable and attentive – plus, he had that all too seldom trait of actually being able to strike up a decent conversation, therefore, from the beginning – we were more than satisfied with the overall feel of the restaurant.

To start, I had the lightly curried parsnip soup, and my partner had the home smoked duck breast, with a
prune & Armagnac puree, and herb & nut crisps.  The soup was very tasty, and plentiful.  The duck, although at first it looked a tad sparse due to the artistic way it was presented, was more than enough for a tasty entrée into the main course.

For the main course, I chose re-constructed braised belly of pork & black pudding, with pease pudding fritter, sautéed spinach, cider & braising liquor veloute.  It was hard enough me saying it, let alone the chef who actually cooked it!  It tasted fantastic, and the liquor veloute successfully entwined the different tastes and textures – and this ensured that the meal as a whole was very fulfilling.  I ordered this with a side-order of garlic mash, which, to be honest was probably not needed given the portions I had!

My partner had the seared sesame seed crusted tuna, with pad thai stir fry, wilted ginger & chilli, bok choi, hoi sin reduction.  I’m not much of a tuna fan, however from the sounds I was hearing across the table, I can confirm that her feelings toward the dish were more than positive.  I haven’t heard the words “lush” and “amazing” so many times in a sentence.

Finally, to finish, I had the deconstructed strawberry and cookie cheesecake, whereas my partner had the fruit and nut hot chocolate fondant.  Again, these were sublime.  If you’re looking for a filling dessert, I’d recommend the fondant over the cheesecake – however, given the main course I had, I ended up pleased with my choice.  Presented on a slate… I literally managed to “wipe the slate clean”.

During the meal we drank rosé wine (for her), a lager shandy (for myself), still water, and afterwards we had a couple of liqueur coffees to finish.  Once again, in terms of drinks, the waiting staff were attentive without being obsessive with regards to topping it up/offering another.

We arrived at the restaurant at 7pm and didn’t leave until about 10.15pm.  It is not a place where you can pop in and pop out (although I’m sure if you were in a rush they’d happily oblige) – however, when you put together the good service, excellent food, and the tremendous views – it is the general experience which gives this restaurant (and here’s comes the pun)… the Edge.

Our meal came to just over £90.  More expensive than the usual “meal for two”, however in my opinion, the price is justifiable when you consider the whole experience.

If I go again soon, despite the awesome views on the “extra” floor at the top, I would probably opt to sit on the main fourth floor – as I do like the hustle of the bar, and the general chit-chatty atmosphere as you would expect from a busy eatery.  Although the area where we sat was busy, it did slightly lack atmosphere – but then towards the end of the meal some music was played softly into our area – so that was my one negative remark lambasted!

The Edge toilets were are definitely worth a visit if you get the chance – fantastically designed, contemporary and stylish décor, and gorgeous smelling hand soap which, perhaps ironically, makes you not want to wash your hands again. PLUS, they had The Spy Who Loved Me Bond movie showing on the LCD TV in there – genius.

Chris, our waiter, told us that Edge is now open for breakfast in the morning, and also during the day if you want to pop in for a drink.  On the fourth floor is an outdoor balcony, and this will be a great location for sitting outside with a glass of wine, soaking up those evening summer rays.

Their website is http://www.edgerestaurant.co.uk/ and it provides more information, as well as a gallery, plus you can access their menus too.  It is well worth checking out, and I certainly would recommend the place for a superb meal in a top location to match!

Address: 4th Floor, 2 Studland Road, Alum Chine, Bournemouth, BH4 9JA, UK.
Tel: 01202 757007

The Cliff Restaurant, Barbados Review

I was looking forward to eating at the Cliff as it had been highly recommended to us by friends.
The Cliff restaurant is situated right on the beach in Derricks, St James on the West of Barbados and to be honest if you didn’t know about it you could easily drive right past.

We arrived around 8pm on a Friday night for our dinner and we booked our table some weeks in advance which is recommended to avoid disappointment. As soon as you arrive you are welcomed in and offered a drink shortly before your jaw drops when you take in the full beauty of the location – it is stunning.

The Cliff restaurant really is on a cliff that goes right down to the beach and the sea is lit up an night by spotlights for added effect. Then there’s the fire torches placed all around the barriers of the restaurant which makes the place look cozy, yet glamorous. Yes my friends, this is a place suitable for a James Bond scene! I was going to add a photo to this review but I have decided not to spoil the surprise for you if you ever visit.

This is not a cheap restaurant, there was 4 of us and we spent around £600 , naughty but nice.
However you will receive fantastic food and service in  return and as you can see from some of the photos in this review, the food looks stunning and I am pleased to say tasted it too. The Restaurants Chef is Paul Owens whom I confess I don’t know at  lot about other than the fact is he creates wonderful food.

They have a great menu and usually they have a 2 course special price which is still lots but you will more than likely have no trouble finding a dish you will love. For example on the main course menu you will  find Steak, Duck, Veal, Pork, Chicken and of course some quality sea food.

There is a huge wine list and plenty of Champagne and cocktails on offer, not to mention good old beer.

While we were eating dinner we watched a stingray swimming by and when we spoke to the waiter about it he said “Oh sure, that’s George, he stops by every now and then for scraps”. Poor George had no tail so was easily identifiable – probably bitten off by something!

Eating at the Cliff is a special occassion no doubt about it and I for one plan to return with more friends and family just so too they can experience a magical evening.

If you are lucky enough to go , let us know what you thought below in the comments section and for more information about the cliff or to book go to: www.thecliffbarbados.com

The Print Room, Bournemouth Review

Last week I visited the Print Room just off Richmond Hill in Bournemouth’s town centre for a birthday dinner around 8pm.

The Print Room used to be the Bournemouth Daily Echos newspaper printing room and as a result it’s an impressively large room with high ceilings with an Art Deco design. The building is over 100 years old and the Print room has kept many of the original features as it is a Grade II listed property.

In the main dining area there is combination of open tables and wooden American style booths for a slightly more private dining experience. We found the table a little small however for 6 of us but it did make for plenty of conversation between all guests as we could virtually touch each other!

My wife had soup to start but didn’t really like it as she said it had no flavor and was just watery really so that wasn’t an ideal start.

For the main course I had a leg of lamb which pretty much literally was just a leg of lamb in a bowl with some beans around it. The lamb was very nice and cooked perfectly however, overall the meal was pretty boring and could have done with some potatoes, vegetables and maybe some sauce or gravy.

Most of the other diners on our table all pretty much felt the same that the food was cooked well but didn’t have that great deal of flavor.

On the night we went there was a special set menu offered which did offer a considerable saving over ordering from the standard menu and many in our group felt that they would have been unhappy to have paid full price for the meals.

Al though this review doesn’t sound great I actually would go again as I have been previously and had a fantastic Sausage & Mash dinner and service has been very good on both occasions. There is a certain ambiance about eating in such an unusual building too which adds to the experience.

I think the Print Room does pride itself on high quality ingredients and service but lacks that certain ‘je ne se qua’ in the taste of food sometimes.

Try it out and see what you think and let us know in the comment section below. If you want to book or find out more about the place, see there Website at: www.theprintroom-bournemouth.co.uk

Basilica Restaurant, Westbourne, Bournemouth

Basilica in Bournemouth is a fantastic eatery in the heart of Westbourne.  As well as being superb for lunchtime and evening meals, it is also open in the morning if you fancy popping in for a coffee and Danish.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is very vibrant – as soon as you walk in there is a chill out area with sofas on the right hand side – it is there that you are greeted by one of the friendly waiters/waitresses.

The wooden floor throughout the venue makes for a very contemporary feel, and together with the stylish wall art, and the general clientele that dine here – you can tell instantly that you are eating at a place where people know their food.

Indeed, have a quick chat to the manager Niall, and you’ll realise how knowledgeable him and his staff are – he’ll pick you out an excellent bottle of wine to accompany your meal – and he will always do it with a friendly face!

I went with my partner, and we shared a bottle of Chardonnay – and started with a plateful of Mussels, some of which were huge.  The taste was incredible, and it was a good dish to get the taste buds tingling.  We also had a plate of olives – I have never been a fan of olives, but on this occasion I thought I would try one because they looked amazing.  I was very surprised, and my girlfriend assured me that they were fantastic – especially due to the nut centre.  My partner also insisted on some extra bread, which we also feasted on throughout our stay.

My main course consisted of penne pasta with bacon strips, mushrooms and chicken – all put together in a fantastically rich sauce – accompanied by some ciabatta bread and olive oil – the perfect duo.  My partner had an amazing Parma ham dish which was on a cheese and tomato pastry tarte.  This was accompanied by a side salad and a number of orange seasoned potato wedges.

As we shared our way through the next hour – there was a sincere taste explosion on the tongue which was delightful to say the least.

During the meal, the staff were very courteous, meeting our every need, and generally making sure that the meal was as good as it could be!

The dishes were deceptively filling, despite at first looking as though we might need extra side dishes to fill us up!  In the end we didn’t actually manage to squeeze in a dessert, or even coffees!

Our total bill came to £40, which is absolutely incredible considering the quality of food that we were eating

We really had an excellent Friday evening in Basilica, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of eating in Westbourne – a buzzing yet relaxing atmosphere, and a really sense of quality dining.

Sorridi Restaurant At Compton Acres Poole Review

We tried Sorridi, a restaurant on the grounds of Compton Acres in Poole yesterday for lunch. The restaurant sits just near the entrance and has an modern, Italian feel to it.

The menu was quite varied and we had no trouble in finding something we liked with most main courses averaging at about £9.95.

I wouldn’t say we received a particularly warm welcome on arrival with the waiter barely saying a word to us throughout. It’s times like this when you realise how good the Americans are at restaurant service. After being seated we waited around 10 minutes before being asked what food we wanted – no mention of drinks until we brought up the subject. To me the first thing that should be offered is a drink, fairly quickly on arrival and without you needing to ask for it.

The drinks actually took an additional 10 – 15 minutes to get to us after ordering them too which also annoyed me.

On the food side, I ordered Gammon steak with Pineapple and it was nicely grilled and well presented. My wife ordered Chicken curry with Basmati rice which was served nice and hot and looked very fresh so overall the food was very nice.

Generally you will find that the restaurant goers here are retired locals, particularly at lunchtime so I wouldn’t recommend taking children as I suspect the other guests wouldn’t appreciate any disturbances.

They do various music evenings here which seem to be popular, but again I would suggest for the over 50s really – Neil Diamond and the Carpenters is the next one on Friday 20th of March.

If you are coming for a visit to Compton Acres for a walk around the gardens give Sorridi a try and let us know how you found it below and for more information see their Website at: www.sorridi.co.uk

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