GOURMET INTERNATIONAL | REVIEWS OF FINE FOOD AND WINE RESTAURANTS Join our international membership and submit your review of a gourmet restaurant.

My friends had called upon me unexpectedly and said they wanted to go for tapas and drink, and asked me if I would like to join them.  Of course unless you are actually on your death bed you should leap at every opportunity to avail yourself of the excellent food available in Andalucia, so I immediately accepted the invitation.  Walking down to the Capri tapas restaurant we were disappointed to find that they were closed, but I had a brainwave and suggested that we walk a little further down to the terminus of the new railway/tram station to the Meson Iberico la Estacion Restaurant Bar that another friend, viz.,  Pilar, had told me about.  Tom was with us in his wheelchair so we were a little circumspect about the proposed visit to this restaurant as none of us had visited before.  We need not have been anxious as entry was easy and the owner cleared a way for us and simply re-arranged the tables.

What was intended to be just a simple snack turned out to be a full-blown meal with entertainment thrown in.  We had asked for a selection of fish and had a massive plate of salad and a plate of prawns as a starter, with all four of us tucking in with gusto.  Later a plate of calamari and a plate of grilled fish were served with beautiful fresh bread.  As a compliment to the food we were served an excellent house wine which was delicious and left a delightful flavour in the mouth.  We had really only anticipated stopping for thirty minutes or so, but the time rushed by as we sat and chatted to the owner in Spanish with one of his companions talking to us in excellent English. Read More…

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This month we are giving away two 8 Gb USB pens as prizes for the best restaurant reviews received during the month of November. If you want to send us a review of your favourite restaurant and why you rate it highly, then here is your chance. Try to include a photo if possible, and certainly tell us where it is and contact details for bookings. Why not tell your friends about the competition so that they can have a chance of winning a high capacity High Speed Flash Disk

If you don´t feel like registering then just send your review and photos via e-mail and we will put it on the site in your name.  It really is that easy.  Just send an e-mail to:  reviews@gourmetinternational.org
At the end of the month we will hold a poll as to which review is the best so that we don´t have to choose, but in the case of a draw the editor’s decision will be final.

We look forward to your submissions, so have fun and win!

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One of my pet hates is to have a cork-in-the-bottle disaster where the cork disintegrates and you end up with bits of cork in your wine and when somehow, a few little bits of cork always manage to avoid your most careful examination. A good bottle opener that overcomes this problem is always worthy of inclusion in your kitchen armory and these are just a few of my favourites, although I no longer have all of them and rely upon a couple of reliable types that I have around my home.

One of the easiest openers to use and which is the very same as most waiters carry about their person, i.e. the pen knife with a lever arrangement with a short blade to cut through the foil at the top of the bottle. Although it is quite a common bottle opener I don´t think it is necessarily the easiest to use.

I no longer wish to have a problem extracting a cork by trying to hold onto the bottle whilst a particularly stubborn specimen of a cork tries to resolutely maintain its position in the neck of the bottle, refusing to budge, in spite of my very best efforts. Thus, the traditional pull type of cork extractor that historically clutters the kitchen drawer has slowly died out and is used as a very last resort when your favourite cork screw has mysteriously hidden itself since the last dinner party. You will probably locate it later during a spring clean, hiding itself beneath a sofa trying to avoid detection. Read More…

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A warm and friendly restaurant,  providing delicious freshly prepared food, efficient service, and an inviting atmosphere.  It has an excellent wines list. The exciting and unusual menu offers a range of traditional and modern dishes, blending French cuisine with Eastern European specialities and flavours from the Far East.

Tel: 029 20707774. For those with a GPS 51°26′27.53″N  3°10′38.19″W

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Porters was first established to re-instate the English tradition of good wholesome food, without the lavish trappings of the school of Nouvelle Cuisine.  As a result Porters is a popular restaurant with people in the know and has a healthy and substantial regular clientele.  The wine list is impressive and varied and you can be confident that you will have an enjoyable time eating out.
Bookings Tel: 020 7836 6466

For those with a GPS 51·30´38.42″ N 0·07´26.43″ W

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One of the great joys of eating out and eating well in Spain is that wonderful place, the tapas bar.  Said to have been introduced by General Franco to curb the Spanish worker from suffering from the effects of a drink at lunch time, he is said to have ordered that each beer or cerveza served should be accompanied by a small amount of food and some bars started to vie with each other to see who could supply the best or most varied tapas in their bar.  Very quickly people were being selective not on the best beer, but rather who had the best tapas in town.  Although most bars do offer tapas, for some this is no more than a piece of cheese with one or two pieces of bread.  In others you have a wide range of tapas from beautiful fish dishes to enticing meat dishes that have been prepared on the premises.

A fabulous example of a tapas bar is to be found at La Linea on the Spanish/Gibraltar frontier, called Jimmy´s Bar.  This is a place recognised by all nationalities as a place to go and eat, and indeed people from Gibraltar regularly take the short drive to go and have an evening out at very little expense.  You will probably have to queue at the door before you can place your order, but believe me it is well worth the wait.  When you have finally made it to the bar you place your order from the raw food on the counter, and are served your beer or wine.  Whilst your fresh food is being cooked you need to try and locate a vacant table. You will be hard pressed to find any vacant seats, such is the popularity of the place, but if you stand next to someone who looks as though they might be finishing you will find that people are very obliging, and will quickly gesture you to take your place at the table.  This is definitely not a place that you can linger after you have eaten because other people will want to follow your example and enjoy the lovely food.  The message really is one of enjoy, then move on. Read More…

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Everything about this restaurant tells you that the people running it care about their food, reputation and you - the client visitor.  With ample parking, the restaurant is clearly visible as you travel along North Street in this lovely Sussex Town.

Reserving a table is a sensible precaution because even when arriving early you are likely to find that the restaurant is already well populated.  However, no matter how busy the restaurant is, service never seems to suffer and it is to their great credit that you always feel welcome and well served.

The menu is quite extensive and this is complimented by a good wine list to make your selection from.

The restaurant is quite child friendly, and when the British climate permits it is worth taking a table on the garden terrace so that you can enjoy spectacular views of the beautiful countryside and the ruins of Cowdray Castle.

Loch Fyne Seafood Bar and Grill Rothermere, North Street, Midhurst, West Sussex
Tel: 0044(0)1730 716280

For those of us with a GPS:  50·59´16.32N 0·44´17.56W

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A tastefully restored 16th century restaurant that from the outside looks very much like an ordinary pub eatery, but inside is quite the opposite. This restaurant ticked all the boxes.

The Chili Pepper is a restaurant with a difference, in that you can call in just for a drink at the bar, stay for lunch or go out for a really good dinner in the evening. It is child friendly, with a large garden area at the rear for eating outside. The service and welcome are really warm and excellent without being over the top.

The restaurant is easy to find, being just a little outside the Gloucestershire town of Lechlade, off the A361. The Chili Pepper is really worth visiting for its excellent food, good wine list or for just having a beer.

What is so nice about the restaurant is that it is equally suitable for a quiet intimate dinner for two or for a large dinner party for twenty, and everyone will enjoy it. There is plenty of parking space.

Broadwell, Lechdale, Gloucestershire, GL7 3QS
Tel: 0044 136 786 0385
E-mail: info@chilli-pepper.net

For those of you with a GPS, the Chili Pepper can be found at: 51·43´57.94N 1·38´12.75W

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El Pantano restaurant is a very typical Spanish restaurant that is very child friendly, has a good selection of wines and a very reasonable menu.  It is particularly well known for its steaks and fish dishes.

Overlooking the Vinuela Lake, it is blessed with spectacular  views of the lake and mountains.

A short drive from Velez Malaga on the A-356 on the way to Colmenar, you drive until you come to the Lake Vinuela on your right hand side.  It is now only a short ride to the restaurant which is on the right after you have passed the viaduct at the end of the lake.  There is ample parking and only one step to negotiate.

You do not normally need to book unless you are in a large party, even though this is a very popular eating place.

Ctra. Colmenar 356, km. 30 Los Romanes, 29713 La Vinuela, Spain
Tel: 0034 629 779 039

For those with a GPS it is at waypoint  36°52′18.86″N    4°10′58.69″E

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Here is a restaurant with a good menu and good service.  Not really suitable for people in wheelchairs because of the steps, but in all other respects this is a gem of an eatery.  I have traveled some 20 odd kilometers just to join friends for dinner and I have never had a single grumble about the food, wine or coffee.  In the garden terrace you can enjoy the open air, alfresco meal that is so popular with diners in Spain.

The restaurant has an Italian & International cuisine and is very popular with a wide patronage from all nationalities.  You cannot drive directly to the restaurant, but there are two car parks nearby and it is only a short walk from the Balcon Europa, the famous sightseeing spot in Nerja. The restaurant is very average for pricing and puts great emphasis upon people having an enjoyable meal. The Pinocchio welcomes families and is very child friendly.

If you want to book a table for a party then you need to phone beforehand.

Calle Cristo 48, Nerja, 29780, Malaga
Tel: 0034 952 527 248

For those with a GPS the way point is 36·44´50.54N 3·52´31.69 W

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