My Restaurant Tips

Blue Elephant
Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel
Amager Blvd. 70
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark

+45 33 96 59 70
www.blueelephant.dk

Contemporary Thai cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Blue Elephant is located in Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel near the center of Copenhagen. The restaurant is very comfortable and has a beautiful Thai themed decor.

Service: 1.5/5

The service was very mechanical and the burned menu didn’t add to the experience. On the upside, an orchid is offered to womens when leaving the restaurant.

Food: 2.5/5

I started with a very traditional tom kha gai, a chicken and lemon grass soup. The soup was very flavorful but could have been a bit more spicy.

As main course, I had kai himmapan, a dish of chicken with cashew, green peppers, red peppers, baby corn, pineapple and onion served in an half pineapple. It was good but, again, a bit bland for Indian food.

Value for money: 2/5

Around $80, including drinks (mai tai, still water and espresso) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the Danish Kroner, Blue Elephant offers just a fair value for money. I probably won’t come back.

Jensen’s Bøfhus
Södra Förstadsgatan 1
211 43 Malmö
Sweden

+46 (0) 40 97 96 97
www.jensens.se

Steak house

Restaurant: 2/5

Jensen’s Bøfhus is a casual restaurant located in the center of Malmö. The restaurant is relatively comfortable and has a simple pub decor.

Service: 2.5/5

The service was good but a bit slow. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 2/5

As starter, I had the snack basket that comprise onion rings, mozzarella sticks, potato waffles and cheese and jalapeño nuggets served with spicy tomato sauce and white sauce. While a bit heavy (all deep fried), everything was good.

As main course, I had the favorite steak. The steak, tender and juice was excellent. It was served with a tomato, potatoes and a paprika sauce that was both a surprising and perfect complement to the steak.

As desert, I had the queen’s delight. The queen’s delight is a soft vanilla ice cream topping a waffle and served with chocolate sauce, nuts and strawberry jam. The ice cream was very good but the waffle was a bit too sweet to my taste. The jam, overly sweet, was unnecessary.

Value for money: 3/5

Around $50, including drinks (pear cider) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the Swedish Kronor, Jensen’s Bøfhus offers good value for money. I’ll come back.

Thai Edge
7 Oozells Square
Brindleyplace
Birmingham, B1 2HL
UK

+44 (0) 121 643 3993
www.thaiedge.co.uk

Contemporary Thai cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Thai Edge is located in Brindleyplace, in the heart of Birmingham. The decor is very nice, both modern and Thai. The restaurant is very comfortable. The music was a bit loud and repetitive. While the tiles on the floor are practical, they make the place feel a bit cold.

Service: 3.5/5

The service was very good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us. All the staff wears very nice Thai uniforms.

Food: 3.5/5

I shared a “Royal Orchid” menu as it offered a wide diversity of dishes. As starter, the menu offered chicken satay, golden bags, spring rolls, prawn rolls and chicken in pandanus leaves. The golden bags are a kind of fried shrimp dumpling. Everything was good but the chicken satay and the chicken in pandanus leaves were above the rest offering more subtle flavors.

As main course, the menu offered chicken green curry, stir-fried beef with chili and basil, pork with garlic and pepper, stir-fried mixed vegetables and egg fried rice. The egg fried rice was more Chinese than Thai but again everything was good. The stir-fried beef with chili and basil was above the rest being hot and very flavorful. The chicken green curry was very good too.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $70, including drinks (still water, beer and espresso) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, Thai Edge offers very good value for money. I’ll come back.

Bank
4 Brindley place
Birmingham, B1 2JB
UK

+44 (0) 121 633 7001
www.bankrestaurants.com

French British fusion cuisine

Restaurant: 3.5/5

Bank is located in Brindleyplace, in the heart of Birmingham. The decor is very modern and the restaurant is very comfortable. You should note that they have nice terraces overlooking the canal at the back of the restaurant.

Service: 3.5/5

The service was very good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 3.5/5

As starter, I had the smoked haddock and leek risotto. The risotto was served with a poached egg and mustard dressing. It was both original and very good. The texture of the risotto was perfect.

As main course, I had the rump of lamb. The lamb was served with peas, potatoes, spring onions and bacon. The lamb, perfectly cooked was very tasty. It was well complemented by the vegetables. Very classic but very good.

Value for money: 3/5

Around $80, including drinks (still water, wine and espresso) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, Bank offers good value for money. I’ll come back.

New Diamond
23 Lisle Street
London, WC2H 7BA
UK

+44 (0) 207 437 7221

Chinese cuisine

Restaurant: 2/5

New Diamond is located in Chinatown, right in the center of London. The restaurant is relatively comfortable. The decor is very basic without any real effort. As negative, table cloths are not changed between customers.

Service: 3/5

The service was good. Our waitress made genuine efforts to please us.

Food: 2.5/5

I shared a “menu B” as it offered a wide diversity of dishes. As starter, “menu B” offered prawn toasts, hot and sour soup and crispy aromatic duck. The prawn toasts were served with crispy seaweed and BBQ ribs. The crispy aromatic duck was served with pancakes, cucumbers sticks and spring onions. The prawn toasts were a bit dry but the seaweed was excellent. While the hot and sour soup tasted good, the texture was very artificial. The crispy aromatic duck was excellent.

As main course, “menu B” offered special rice, oyster sauce vegetables, chicken with cashew nuts, sweet and sour pork and spicy beef. Everything was good but sweet and sour pork and the spicy beef were above the rest. Servings are generous, so it’s a lot of food.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $50, including drinks (beer) and tip. Considering the food, the location and the current strength of the British pound, New Diamond offers a good value for money. I’ll probably come back.

La Mamounia
20 rue du bat d’argent
69001 Lyon
france

+33 (0) 4 78 28 68 44

Moroccan cuisine

Restaurant: 2.5/5

La Mamounia is located in Lyon city center. The restaurant is relatively comfortable and has a nice Moroccan decor. As a negative, table cloths are not changed between customers. You have to live with the stains.

Service: 1.5/5

While our waitress made efforts to please us, the service was a bit slow. They could do with a bit more staff. When it was time to pay, we found that the card processing machine was broken and had to go to an ATM to get cash to pay. On the bright side, the restaurant conveniently accepts customers up to 11pm.

Food: 2/5

As starter, I shared a tasting plater with eggplant dip, roasted pepper dip and egg bricks (deep fried package of egg enveloped in a very fine flour sheet, similar to an egg roll). While the dips and the brick were good, the presentation was very basic.

As main course, I had couscous with chicken, merguez, lamb chops and vegetables. It was good but nothing exceptional. Actually, the couscous could have been significantly finer.

I had the opportunity to taste the chicken tajine. The chicken was cooked with almonds, grapes and cinnamon. Again, good but nothing exceptional. The kind of dish you could easily do by yourself at home.

As desert, I had Moroccan pastries (gazelle’s horns and almond cigars). The pastries, not too dry, were an excellent complement to the min tea we ordered.

Value for money: 1.5/5

Around $65, including drinks (sparkling water, rose wine and mint tea) and tip. While the location and the decor are nice, the food was average. You can get better and cheaper Moroccan food in Lyon. Next time, I will go somewhere else.

L’Est (Paul Bocuse)
Gare des Brotteaux
69006 Lyon
France

+33 (0) 4 37 24 25 26
www.bocuse.fr

French food

Restaurant: 2.5/5

L’Est is one of Paul Bocuse bistros located as its name in French indicates in the east of Lyon. The restaurant is set in the old Brotteaux train station and has a train themed decor. While the restaurant is relatively confortable, tables are very close to each other and you don’t get much space.

Service: 2/5

As you could expect, the restaurant was packed on a Friday night. We had to wait and after 20 minutes ended up with a table hidden behind a door. When we were seated, the service was good but relatively slow. The certainly could do with more staff.

Food: 3/5

As a starter, I had pan fried foie gras. The foie gras, served with cooked apple and mango slices, polenta and a passion fruit sauce was delicious. The combination of foie gras and sweet fruits works extremely well.

As main course, I had red snapper ala plancha. The snapper, grilled the Spanish way, was served with a mix of confit vegetables and a basil tomato sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked and well complemented by the vegetables. The sauce was very flavorful and it was easy to taste the basil.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $40, including drinks (mineral water, communard, espresso) and tip. While the service wasn’t great, if you consider the quality of the food and the current strength of the euro, you’re getting very good value for money. I will certainly come back.

Le Bon Bourgeois
5, rue des Marronniers
69002 Lyon
France

+33 (0) 4 72 40 01 22

French food

Restaurant: 2.5/5

Le Bon Bourgeois is located on a pedestrian street in the heart of Lyon. The restaurant is relatively comfortable. The decor is typical of a traditional bouchon.

Service: 2/5

The service was good but a bit slow. They certainly could do with a bit more staff. You may want to avoid that place if you are short on time.

Food: 2.5/5

I had a “salade savoyarde” as main course. The salad was composed of hot potatoes covered with raclette cheese, ham with French pickled cucumbers and salad with vinaigrette sauce. It was simple but very good.

As desert, I had peach clafouti. The clafouti was excellent. The pastry was crumbling while the fruits were soft and juicy.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $35, including drinks (red wine, espresso) and tip. If you consider the food, the restaurant and the current strength of the euro, Le Bon Bourgeois offers excellent value for money. I will come back, but this time for diner as the service is a bit too slow for lunch.

Leon de Lyon
1, rue Pléney
69001 Lyon
France

+33 (0) 4 72 10 11 12
www.leondelyon.com

French food

Restaurant: 5/5

Leon de Lyon is located in a small street in the heart of Lyon. The restaurant is very comfortable with a classical decor. From the fine tablecloths to the crystal glasses, everything is perfect. The chef, Jean-Paul Lacombe, is a celebrity in France and the restaurant, which originally opened in 1904, is an institution in Lyon. Leon de Lyon guests include countless celebrities and heads of state. Most notably, the place was chosen for the 1996 G7 summit heads of state private dinner.

Service: 4.5/5

The service, very formal in the French tradition, was excellent. Our waiters provided good advice and detailed descriptions. The sommelier was as good. While our waiters did speak English, I was disappointed not be able to get a menu in English for my American friends.

Food: 4.5/5

As main course, I had the pike quenelle. The quenelle was served with crayfish tails and Nantua sauce. The photo really doesn’t do justice to the dish as the presentation was truly exceptional. The taste was on par with the presentation. The quenelle was soft and fluffy, perfectly complemented by the crayfish tails and the Nantua sauce.

Following the main course, I had cheese. As you would expect, the cheese platter is exceptional, offering a very large variety of all perfectly matured cheeses. They cover all tastes, from a very mild cervelle de canut to a quite strong roquefort. The cheeses were served arranged from the mildest to the strongest.

As a desert, I had 5 small deserts with Saint-Genix praline, a local speciality. The Saint-Genix praline has a very distinctive red color. The deserts were praline nougat, praline ice cream, praline sorbet, praline cake and on a separate plate, praline tart. They were all delicious, with a particular mention to the praline tart which was from far the best I ever had with it’s nice very smooth texture.

Value for money: 4/5

Around $165, including drinks (mineral water, red wine, espresso) and tip. While this is a lot of money, if you consider the food, the restaurant, the service and the fact that the euro is at an all time high, you definitly get excellent value for money. I will certainly come back

Brasserie Paulaner
4 Rue de la Barre
69002 Lyon
France

+33 (0) 4 78 42 06 37

French food

Restaurant: 2.5/5

The Brasserie Paulaner is located in the heart of Lyon. It has just been redecorated going from a traditional French bistro style to something clean and modern. The restaurant is comfortable but a bit noisy because of the bar. While you probably can get some food in the evening, it’s really a lunch place.

Service: 2.5/5

The service was very good. We were taken care of by the manager who not only speaks English but has a kind of funny wicked sense of humor.

Food: 2.5/5

As main course I had a bavette (flap steak) with a Saint-Marcellin cheese sauce, a typical dish from Lyon. The bavette was served with cauliflower gratin, penne and stuffed eggplant. While the meat was very tasty, it was a bit too though. The Saint-Marcellin sauce and the vegetables were excellent.

As desert, I had the chocolate tart. The tart was excellent. The pastry was just right, crumbling but not totally falling apart. The chocolate had nice smooth texture and a strong but not overpowering flavor.

Value for money: 3.5/5

Around $35, including drinks (red wine, espresso) and tip. If you consider the food, the restaurant and the current strength of the euro, the Brasserie Paulaner offers excellent value for money. I will definitely come back.