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

It’s a nice little kind of bar/restaurant, contemporary but lots of character due to the age of the buiding. There’s also a little courtyard out back if you fancy siting outside.

The owner took our food order and we were soon introduced to a gorgeous new resident black labrador puppy called ‘Woody’ who made us all feel very welcome.

Two of us ordered Crab with Salad, 2 of us bguesttes and a Southern Fried chicken and chips for our young lad. The crab meals came out first and looked pretty impressive with the crab meat served in the open shell.

We waited some time and eventually a baguette came out on the wrong bread so it was taken away. Then it turned out the there was some mix up with our order and we had to wait now for our baguettes and our lads chicken. 10 minutes went by and eventually the rest of the food came out whch was a shame becuae the 2 folks eating crab had almost finished.

Then the nightmare – my wife cut into our lads southern fried chicken on to see the middle was raw! None of us could beleive it so we told the owner who apologised and promptly took it away.

meanwhile I began tucking into my Tuna Mayo baguette but to be honest it wasn’t very enjoyable. The mayo tasted unusual to me, no necessarily anything wrong as such but just not that nice. Sadly another let down were the chips – everyones chips were dark brown where they had either been reheated in the oil or they used old oil. Either way they were not great and I didn’t even eat mine.

Our lads chicken came back 5 minutes later and was cooked ths time though they left the same chips on his plate. What surprises me the most with all this is I actually presented a Food Reviewed business card BEFORE we were served our food and it still came out the way it did.

On a positive note the gus who ate the crab did really enjoy it and wew were not charged for the baguettes or the lads meal. Still we would of rather have had a nice lunch and paid of course.

I can’t say I would go back after that experience and it’s a shame becuae the actual place is really nice and we were made welcome.

If you visit Cranberries, let us know how you get on and if you want to see there menu visit their Website at: http://cranberriesatno4.co.uk

This used to be my local HSBC bank and whenever I come here and reminded of that cheeky Natwest advert that ran a few years ago – ” My local banks been turned into a trendy wine bar”. However because of this the building has some character, with high ceilings and original features in tact.

I was with my wife and daughter on this visit, my wife and I both had chicken roast dinners and my daughter had a good old jacket potato with cheese and beans.

As you can see from the photo, the food was well laid out, with three different kinds of vegetables and a Yorkshire pudding.

Everything was piping hot which is always good however I did feel that there wasn’t much flavour in the food which was a shame. I think it would have helped if the gravy was a little thicker and tastier too, although I understand that is a personal preference.

I also thought the portion size was a little small really for £9.95 in comparison to other roast dinners I have had.

On the plus side, the service was fine, the atmosphere relaxed and they did fit us in at the last minute which saved us from running around trying to find somewhere else.

My daughter also enjoyed her Jacket potato that came with a generous salad and coleslaw.

If you fancy a drink in Lower Parkstone they also have some nice lagers on draft and a relaxing bar area with sofas, papers and Plasma TVs with the latest news and sport.

To find out more about Patricks you can visit there Website at www.patricksrestaurants.co.uk and you eat there why not share your thoughts below.

As an example there are wraps, salads, jacket potatoes, steak, chicken with bbq sauce and the classic full English breakfast amongst a few.

I went for the full English as it had been a while since I had one and for £4.95 at the time of writing represented good value for a filling meal.

As you can see from the photo there’s plenty of it and bit of everything. I can’t really fault the meal actually and I will almost certainly be back for another one at some point. Those with hangovers know nothing beats a full English too!

The staff were on the ball which is always nice and there is a nice atmosphere here. I’d be interested to try out the A La Carte menu one night so when I do I let you know how it was.

In the evenings you’ll find the bar gets quite busy and in fact Lower Parkstone has becoming quite a nice place to go out on the Weekend now as there are a few nice bars and pubs and a more sophisticated crowd than Bournemouth town centre.

The bar has a whole surfer vibe and indeed many top surfers pop in due to it being near the famous Sandbanks area. The last time I came in for a drink it was with our British Super Middleweight Champion, Jo Calzaghe and in fact you’ll see his signature on the wall at the back of the bar!

If you visit Le Bateau in Lower Parkstone, Poole let us know below and if you want more information, visit Le Bateau’s Website at: www.lebateau.co.uk