We were seated near the window which turned out to be a blessing, as it became very hot throughout the evening and we were able to open the window behind us. The staff are always efficient and friendly in the rising Sun (which sadly is fairly rare these days) so it is unlikely that you will be waiting a long time for service.

I started off with a home-made mushroom soup with some granary bread that was first-class although I probably shouldn’t have ordered it as it made me even hotter than I already was.

The head chef at the rising Sun is Phil Etheridge and he has helped the restaurant gain two rosettes which I feel it deservedly holds. After reading through some information on their website it appears Phil has worked at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Claridges London which might explain the high standard of food.

For my main course I decided on the fillet stake that at £23 was not cheap but having had it before I knew it was going to be worth it. Twice now I have ordered the state as medium to well done and twice it has arrived exactly that. My steak was accompanied by green peppercorn sauce, watercress and chunky chips, and the portion size was just right.

If I had to moan about anything, it would perhaps be that is slightly bigger menu would be nice. However there are specials available that generally seem to be geared towards seafood and I would prefer a small the menu that they were able to cook perfectly and utilise fresh ingredients for than a larger menu with average food.

When we went to the restaurant on Friday night it was almost full and I would recommend booking in advance just to make sure you are not disappointed, particularly if you are a party of four will more as generally restaurants are able to squeeze in a table for two at short notice.

For the desert my wife and I shared a typically British strawberries and cream as we were both pretty full from our main course. I actually quite fancied their mixed berry fruit crumble but as I knew the portion size would be quite large I opted for the lighter option.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the rising Sun and everyone who ate with me enjoyed the food and service. It’s maybe a little more expensive than your typical pub, but the quality of the food is not typical and you get what you pay for here.

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

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 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

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.

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

I went to 20 On The River this Saturday with some friends for lunch and wasn’t dissapointed. The last time I came was some months ago and it has just been taken over by new owners.

We were greeted and made to feel welcome and were soon eating warm bread an olives with balsamic vinegar at the ready! The service was on the ball right from the start and drinks were on the table within minutes which was great.

My children enjoyed the Carbonara the last time we came but it had gone from the menu under the new ownership – however they kindly whipped it up all the same and the kids were happy.

I decided to go for Thai Chicken with sweet chilli sauce to start and it was well presented although I did have in my head that it would come with sweet chilli sauce in a seperate dish as you often get when you order tiger prawns with chilli sauce thuis was not the case.

It was made with REAL chilli pieces and seeds and so consequently was a little too fiery for me though I can think of two of my friends who would have loved it.

For the main course I had the classic Ham, Double egg and chips which was very nice coupled with the all important ketchup!

I liked the atmosphere although it wasn’t busy it was relaxed and friendly which to be honest I prefer to lively.

If you bring your children there is a small outdoor play area which may help keep the kids quiet for a bit although they have to go through a fire exit door to get to it which depending on where your sitting may annoy guests next to it.
There is also a nice bar with sofas there two and a good selection of wines – I would imaging it’s actuallyu quite a nice place to come after work to wind down with a pint or glass of Pinot.

You will find ample parking too which is always nice. Overall I would recommend this place to anyone and if you would like to find out more you can see their Website at: http://www.20ontheriver.com.

If you pay them a visit let us know how you found it below.

There is a smoking area outside (for those that still do!) and a bar as you walk in on your right. It has lovely high ceilings and plenty of character.

We waited five minutes before being seated so they seemed a bit disorganised when we first arrived however thereafter our waitress was cheerful and on the ball which made for a nice night.

I had the pan fried mushrooms to start – very nice, tasty sauce and my wife had pearl scallops which she too enjoyed.

For my main course I went for the Steak and Guiness pie that turned out to be a very good choice. The gravy was really nice and the portion size just right. The food was also hot and served swiftly by our waitress.

The meal was washed down with some quality Shiraz Rose whcih complimented the meal well.

If you want to take a look at their menu online go to: http://www.browns-restaurants.com/menu-bristol.php
Overall I would recommend a trip to Browns after my experience and I myself will return next time I’m in Bristol.

If you visit Browns let us know what you thought below.

The Old Granary restaurant is situated right by the river and enjoys some stunning views, especially from the open rooftop terrace seated area.

We had our children with us aged 6 and 10 and unfortunately they had no children’s menu at all and not an awful lot on the menu that kids would find attractive.

In the end we ordered sandwiches for the children with a request to have nothing but the actual meat inside as we knew the kids would’nt go potato salad etc. Unfortunately despite being very clear about this to the waitress the sandwhiches turned up exactly as they are on the menu so had to be taken back.

Our dinners had already arrived and I had a Chicken and ham pie and my wife went for a seafood pie. I wasn’t that keen on the way the food was presented in terms of practicality. The pie was in it’s own dish (which is common) but so was the mash potato and gravy – BUT the 3 separate dishes were served on a flat wooden board!

A plate would have been far better as I could have actually poured my gravy over everything but never mind.
The actual food clearly had quality ingredients in terms of the vegetables and meat but for the whopping £11.00 at the time of writing I didn’t feel I had a good value meal and neither did my wife – hers was a £14 pie!

The childrens food eventually came corrected with an apology and apart from this error the staff service was fine.

The actual premises is really nice, it’s like a maze inside with lots of little rooms and separate dining areas which gives it a lot of character.

Overall I would say that you are most definitely paying for the privilege of being right by the river here and although the food is pretty good, it is overpriced in my opinion and the lack of any consideration for children’s meals in this day an age is a shame.

If you visit the Old Granary in Wareham let us know and make sure you take a nice trip down the river in one of the boats you can hire and if you go on a Saturday check out the market.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Bubble & Squeak

We went for lunch here a couple of weeks ago and were very impressed with the quality of food and the fact that it is pretty much all homemade including the bread and ice cream! I also like the fact that they try to use locally sourced ingredients too including fresh fish from Poole fish market.

So last night we decided to try their A La Carte evening meals out and were nothing less that impressed once again.

The Canteen is owned by Mike and Thamar Wilson, Mike has been a chef for 20 years and Thamar does a great job of making you feel welcome, so they work well together.

When I went for lunch last time I had the slow roasted pork belly with bubble & squeak and tamarind sauce which was stunning so I decided to have it once again only this time as a starter.

Sirloin Steak

I can honestly say that I was genuinely excited about coming here again just to eat this dish – it is gorgeous and a very reasonably priced starter at just £4.95.

For my mains I went for a good old fashioned Sirloin steak with chasseur sauce, medium to well done. My wife went for her favourite salmon dish which as you will see in the photo looked fantastic.

Both our meals came with a selection of vegetables that were full of flavour and were clearly very fresh.
My steak was first class, simple as that and went down beautifully with a glass of Pino Grigio Rose.

Fresh Salmon

It’s such a nice change to come to a place that just serves fantastic food at very reasonable prices.

For desert I went for some chocolate sponge with homemade caramel ice cream which really topped off the experience.

I would highly recommend visiting The Canteen both during the daytime and evening as we have now tried both and loved it. You just have the satisfaction of knowing you are eating good quality food and not the processed, reheated rubbish many places churn out these days.

It’s also in a nice location being only a stones through away from Poole quay which makes for a nice romantic walk in the evening or there is plently to do for the kids during the day.

Chocolate Sponge & Home made Caramel Ice Cream

You can also hire the restaurant for special occassions such as a birthday party or other celebration and choose from a variety of menu packages.

The Canteen has not been open long but already is establishing itself as a little gem of a restaurant in Poole so give it a try and let us know what you thought of it below.

For more information on the Canteen and to see their menus visit: http://www.thecanteenpoole.co.uk