Exploring the world one bite at a time

Day: May 27, 2017

Wineport Bistro: “Good local food”

The Wineport is a friendly pub which serves local pubfood with an emphasis on local produce from Arran. We went here for a quick lunch. I had the creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted homemade bread topped with goat’s cheese, the men in our company really enjoyed the pork & chorizo burger with arran cheese and my female friend had the crab roll with lemon mayo. The food was decent and the service really welcoming. You can also try the local beer, brewed in the Arran Brewery next door.

Wineport Bistro, Cladach Brodick, KA27 8DE, Scotland
http://www.wineport.co.uk/
+44 1770 302101

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Wineport Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

ViaVia: “Dreadful service”

The ViaVia in the Parkstraat lays a bit further away from the touristic heart of Leuven in a neighborhood where there aren’t that many restaurants. The concept of this bar and brasserie is the same as the one in Leuven: a relaxed place where you can enjoy drinks or order some daily specials (written on a chalk board).

I have to be honest, it has been a while since I met a waiter that was so rude and unhelpful. When asked if we could have a look at the menu, he at first declined to bring one and just pointed at the chalk board, saying to my friend: “You have been here before, you know we only serve what’s on the chalk board.” But I was the only one who wanted to order food, my friends just wanted some drinks. So then my friend asked: “So can you please tell me what beers you have?” The waiter let out a big sigh, turned around without saying anything and brought back some drink menus. We were quite taken aback by his attitude.

I was contemplating just leaving right there and then, but since it was such a beautiful summer evening and I was very hungry, my friends and I stayed. The first dish I tried to order was sold out (not that the waiter made an effort to erase this dish from the chalkboard), so I went for the chicken tandoori. The chicken tandoori was fine, I guess, nothing special and the meat was a little bit dry. But the dish wasn’t that expensive (15 euro), so no complaints there.

When we wanted to leave the ViaVia, it took us some convincing before the waiter brought us the bill. I guess he must have had a really bad day? O yeah, he also couldn’t be bothered to clean our table. Such a shame, because the patio is a great place to sit outside for drinks in the summer.

ViaVia, Parkstraat 146, Leuven 3000, Belgium
http://viavia.world/nl/content/wiewaar-4
0478-36-24-82

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about ViaVia also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.

Wagamama: “Asian fast food”

Of course Wagamama is a fast food chain, so you get what you pay for. The restaurant in Antwerpen is conveniently situated on the Meir, the big shopping street, nearby the Central Station. The interior is nice and modern, with big wooden tables. The staff could be better trained though. You would suspect that a fast food chain would have efficient and friendly staff, but the waiters who served us lacked on both fronts.

I ordered the wagamama ramen, the portion was very big, so no complaints there. Sadly I found the broth rather tasteless and as the broth is the ingredient which gives the ramen its flavor, I was kind of disappointed. Perhaps this was due to the fact, that the broth was made of vegetables.

Good for a quick meal, nothing more.

Wagamama, Keyserlei, Antwerp, Belgium
https://www.wagamama.be/
+32 3 234 99 80

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about Wagamama also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.

Isle of Arran Distillers: “Small and fairly new distillery”

Arran distillery is a fairly new distillery which opened in 1995, but a visit is a nice introduction to the distillery process. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We started the tour with a little movie and a little taster of Arran whisky. The guide tour takes about an hour. After the tour finished we could try some more drams. The distillery also has a big shop with lots of different products and a lovely café where you can have drinks or something to eat.

Isle of Arran Distillers, Lochranza KA27 8HJ, Scotland
https://www.arranwhisky.com/
+44 1770 830264

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Isle of Arran Distillers also on TripAdvisor.

The Rialto: “Great food, lovely people”

Superb place to enjoy a coffee, a sandwich or some home baked goods. The Rialto is a little gem you really shouldn’t miss when in Eyemouth. The staff is super friendly and very helpful. When we told them we were passing through on our way to Glasgow they gave us lots of tips for great places to eat and drink in Glasgow.

We were in a hurry, so we ordered take out panini’s. They were so kind to offer us a place to sit while we waited until our panini’s were ready. I have to be honest here: the Cuba panini I ordered was the best I ever had in my life. The pulled porked with the musterd and pickles was simply delicious. A real treat!

The place is very cosy and inviting. So do yourself a favor, go in for a coffee or try one of those lovely cakes!

The Rialto, 33 High Street, Eyemouth TD14 5EY, Scotland
http://rialto-coffee.uk/
+44 1890 752048

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about The Rialto also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.