Hotel Reviews
A rare day off today was spent with my Mother and sister whilst waiting for my car to be serviced.
Our original lunch destination in Renfrew was closed so we headed to Linwood on a recommendation i had heard about via the website- Linwood farm. Linwood farm is actually not a farm strangely , but a division of Greene King - Farmhouse inns . On arrival i had the usual " judging a book by its cover moment" and thought i may have been sold a bogey by an anonymous web nomination . On entering we sat ourselves down and wondered how the whole thing operated - do we go to the counter or does someone come to you . In the end we asked how we ordered food and were told we had to go to the bar after looking at our menu and remembering our table number. This seemed easy enough ( Even for me ) We met a lovely lady from Greenock who told us how to order wisely ....... Armed with this information i proceeded to order a lunch carvery . I was then given a ticket a few minutes later and told to go the end of the queue and wait. My wait was not long and the choice of the carvery was one of the best i had seen in awhile. I had everything and all crammed onto a tiny plate . Roast beef, cooked ham, mashed potato , roast potato , all sorts of vegetables , gravy , sauces, onions in red wine, yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese ( My favourite and boy could you taste the cheese ) and so much more - very impressive, but the most impressive thing for me was at 2pm (Which is when the carvery ends abruptly ) the food was still piping hot and fresh . Yes i will be back for this carvery . The cakes which are indeed impressive as you enter , mainly for their size , (felt like you were in Gullivers travels ) were the next on our list . My mother had a roulade which would have fed at least 6 and was impressive in size which pleased her sweet tooth. I had the Chocolate Fudge which was just ridiculously huge ( even for my apetite) . I can see the appeal for people and i like the brand regarding the cakes but in my humble opinion they were not as good as they looked. They were all size and no substance. They were also a great price and you could takeaway . The staff were regimental and lacked warmth albeit efficient. Would i recommend - yes i would certainly for the carvery and for the wow factor with the size of the cakes. See you soon Linwood Farm.
<p>This weekend was a culinary delight starting with a 7 Course Seasonal taster menu at Edinburgh's oldest cookery school - The Edinburgh School of Food and Wine. Headed up by Chris Stewart ,the trainees served up an amazing taster menu after only 3 weeks . Anyhow i digress , i stayed at the Dalmahoy Marriot Hotel and Country Club just a mere 20 minute drive outside of the capital city - Edinburgh. I was not to sure what to expect from such a large hotel ( Experience has taught me to expect less and not be disappointed ) . A Star rating or Michelin rating does not always guarentee you a great experience so do your homework. A beautiful long driveway (Immaculately cared for ) led us to the A listed stunning building that is the Dalmahoy Marriot. The original home was built in 1725 for the younger son Earl of Stair and was designed by Wiiliam Adam. I absolutely love this type of Hotel mixing the old with the new effortlessly. The new hotel built in 1990 adjoining the original accomodates a restuarant , swimming pool ,spa and more accomodation. The countryside in which this hotel is set is quite breathtaking and definately feels like a retreat. The best thing about this Hotel is its quality of staff , cleanliness of everything you touch,standard of furnishings ,food , ease of sleep ,bed comfort , etc etc etc . I honestly could not fault this Hotel from start to finish . I ordered room service efficiently and effortlessly ,not overpriced. The pool was immaculate . For two nights in a large Queen room with side passage for extra room i payed £200 and this included all the facilities,breakfast and golf courses on site . The breakfast was a great display of fresh fruit, juices,pastries, buffet style breakfast with the addition of a cooked hot to order breakfast if you wished . As far as Hotels go this was a 10/10 . I will return one day for sure !!</p>
Today was a crisp cold and snowy day for a drive through the Perthshire countryside and on to Crieff Hydro . My initial pit stop turned out to be fully booked at Gleneagles so this was quite a relief to be in in the warmth . I have never experienced anything quite like this immense building elevated over some of the most stunning Perthshire countryside. Absolutely everything you could want is at your fingertips in this 4 * Spa resort. It has the obvious perfect setting , a fully equipped swimming pool with victorian spa and all the extras. It has about 3 or 4 different dining experiences . One of these dining experiences was inside a beautiful conservatory with stunning views of the grounds and countryside. This Hydro also houses a fully equipped cinema, golf courses,childrens entertainment etc etc etc etc . I could go on and on as i was impressed but i wont digress . Firstly the staff in this hydro were very friendly , helpful and eager to chat ( Extrememly rare in a place of this size ) and that makes your experience so much better. I opted for the Downstairs Brasserie which i found through a maze of corridors and gift shops and totally spotless surroundings. Again i was seated at the window by very helpful friendly staff. Service was quick, efficient ,friendly and best of all the Fish was Fresh - what a revelation in such a huge place . Excellent food ,iced water poured on arrival and in an informal atmosphere- great . My only complaint was the dessert menu ( About 3 choices ) and not a great dessert sadly but i would return if only for the fish . Great place and i would highly recommend for a family break or just the FISH !
Today was the fashionable West End of Glasgow for our weekly review on Afternoon Teas in 5 Star Hotels . 1 Devonshire Gardens is a B listed building comprising of 5 townhouses taking up an entire block on Great Western road . This early Victorian red brick Terrace built in the 1870s is quite commanding in this part of Glasgow and is impeccably well kept . Quite easy to park nearby and no horrific parking meters to pay for which is a bonus in the city . Afternoon Tea kicks off around 230pm most days but i arrived early and was served with no fuss . A Prompt and courteous reception on arrival was welcomed and we were shown into i presume a drawing room . Beautifully furnished in keeping with the Hotels age and historical background. Lovely leather comfortable seats and black watch tartan cushions abound with huge paintings of bottled "Vin" all adorning the walls . This Hotel is now part of the "Hotel Du Vin" group . We were served immediately our Tea and not long after a 3 tier plate of Homemade finger sandwiches with salmon,roast beef and tuna. Homemade Scones were next and an overwhelming top tier of tiny little individual and original patisserie. The huge portions of delicious clotted cream and tiny little jars of preserve just about had me jumping for joy ( Dislike skimpy portions) . If you are looking for a classy ,relaxing Boutique Hotel in the trendy West end of Glasgow and feel like spoiling someone special i would recommend . Nice to see a slightly different variation on the run of the mill normal cake and sandwich choices on a High tea . The scones also i would recommend and i will tell you why. When you get a warm scone served to you- i worry how old or how fresh or how dry it was . This is the first Hotel in my small list so far that has served a scone cold and it was as fresh and light and full of flavour . A good baker i would say . Most people like a warm scone but in my line of work it usually hides a multitude of sins . So for the purpose of reviews serve me the scone the way it was served here at 1 Devonshire Gardens - Fresh as a daisy . At a reasonable price tag of £18-95 per head i Look forward to dropping in again soon - slainte .
