The perfect antidote for what is proving to be ‘Miserable May’!  The Voice, BGT …… get recording these and go have dinner out at The Postilion Restaurant in Bowness on Windermere!

The Postilion Restaurant and Bar is located in Ash Street, a quaint cobbled street, free of traffic, in the heart of Bowness – Also being slightly off the beaten track, only real foodies and those in the know come here.

We chose from the early bird 3 course menu @£17.95 which offered a great choice of starters, mains and desserts.  This is available until 7.45pm on a Saturday.

The chefs use a variety of local suppliers as much as possible to ensure the freshest ingredients.   The results are both delicious and exceptionally good value, coupled with warm hospitality, attentive service making this a great intimate eatery.

Next time you are in The Lakes give this restaurant a try – although not completely necessary I would strongly recommend you book to avoid disappointment!  We got the very last table on Saturday!

Total bill £ for 2 people £51.20 (including 2 glasses of wine)

Rating: Food 5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 5/5

In the UK, Heston Blumenthal’s newest gastronomic endevour, Dinner, located at the Mandarin Oriental in London, made it into the top 10 at number nine. His signature restaurant in Bray, The Fat Duck, claimed 13th place, with the Ledbury of London coming in at 14.

However, having just three restaurants is the joint-lowest number for the UK in the list’s decade-long history – and for the first time ever, not one of the restaurants made it into the top five.
Surprisingly, no French restaurants made into the top 10, while Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca, Murgaritz and Arzak claimed second and third and eighth place, respectively.
The US didn’t disappoint with Per Se, Alinea and Eleven Madison Park claiming the sixth, seventh and tenth spots on the list, which is organised by Restaurant magazine and compiles the opinions of 800 international restaurant industry experts.
See the full list of ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ below:
1.    Noma,  Copenhagen, Denmark  – no change

2.    El Celler de Can Roca, Girona – Spain -  no change

3.    Mugaritz, San Sebastian – Spain – no change

4.    D.O.M – Soa Paolo, Brazil – up three spots

5.    Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy -  down one spot

6.    Per Se, New York, USA – up four spots

7.    Alinea, Chicago, USA – down one spot

8.    Arzak, San Sebastian , Spain – no change

9.    Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, England – new entry

10.    Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA – up 14 spots

11.    Steirereck, Vienna, Austria – up 11 spots

12.    L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joel Robuchon, Paris, France – up 11 spots

13.    The Fat Duck, Bray, England – down eight spots

14.    The Ledbury, London, England – up 20 spots

15.    Le Chateaubriand, Paris, France – down six spots

16.    L’Arpege, Paris, France – up three spots

17.    Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France – down one spot

18.    L’Astrance, Paris, France – down five spots

19.    Le Bernardin, New York, USA – down one spot

20.    Frantzen/Lindeberg, Stockhold, Sweden – new entry

21.    Oud Sluis, Sluis, Netherlands – down four spots

22.    Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany – up three spots

23.    Vendome, Bergich Gladbach, Germany  – down two spots

24.    Mirazur, Menton, France – re-entry from 2009, was at 35

25.    Daniel, New York, USA – down 14 spots

26.    Iggy’s, Singapore – up one spot

27.    Narisawa, Tokya, Japan – down 15 spots

28.    Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo Japan, down eight spots

29.    Quay, Sydney, Australia – down three spots

30.    Schloss Schauenstein, Furstenau, Switzerland – down two spots

31.    Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain – up 19 spots

32.    Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy – no change

33.    De Librige, Zwolle, Netherlands – up 13 spots

34.    Faviken, Jarpen, Sweden – new entry

35.    Astrid y Gaston, Lima Peru – up seven spots

36.    Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico – up 13 spots

37.    Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York, USA – up three spots

38.    Biko, Mexico City, Mexico – down seven spots

39.    Waku Ghin, Singapore – new entry

40.    Quique Dacosta, Denia, Spain – new entry

41.    Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm, Sweden – re-entry from 2009, was at 50

42.    Hof van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium – down 27 spots

43.    The French Laundry, Yountville, USA – re-entry 2010, was at 32

44.    Amber, Hong Kong, China – down seven spots

45.    Vila Joya, Albuferia, Portugal – new entry

46.    Il Canto, Siena, Italy – down seven spots

47.    Bras, Languiole, France – down 17 spots

48.    Manresa, Los Gatos, USA – re-entry 2006, was at 38

49.    Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark – new entry

50.    Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand – new entry

There’s a well-known chef who has appeared on TV before, looking at proposing a restaurant brasserie with a cooking school. However, he or she faces stiff competition from a “broad selection” of rivals, with one experienced restaurateur who is already operating venues in the north Leeds also keen on securing the contract. Andrew Carter, the leader of Leeds City Council, said it “is very important that we get the right kind of company to run the restaurant” at the mansion, which is situated on 700 acres of parkland. The firm which does win the right to operate the restaurant will be well-positioned to attract the many tourists who visit Roundhay Park to tour the spectacular themed gardens or to visit the Tropical World wildlife park.

Hundreds of guests packed out the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road as Yorkshire Evening Post editor Paul Napier dished out the awards.

Kendells Bistro in the city centre stole the show, scooping the Best Fine Dining, Best Chef and Overall Winner Awards.

Steven Kendell, who won the Best Chef Award, was praised for his first class food and delivering excellence on a plate.

The restaurant was described as having that ‘little extra something’ with ‘a refined ambience’.

Best Newcomer Award went to The Hummingbird in Chapel Allerton, which was praise for its ‘spirit of independence’ and focus on food.

Chino Latino scooped the Best City Centre Restaurant Award whilst La Bottega Milanese took the Best Cafe/Bar Award.

The Olive Tree in Headingley won Best Suburban Restaurant and another Headingley restaurant, Salvo’s, won the Best Italian and the Outstanding Contribution Award for their impact on the Leeds dining scene.

Bird by Vineet at Clarence Dock won the Best Indian category and the Best Service Award was won by celebrity chef James Martin’s The Leeds Kitchen, also at Clarence Dock.

The Foundry in Holbeck was awarded Best of British and Neon Cactus on Call Lane won the Best World category.

Best European went to Brasserie Blanc and Best Fast Food went to Primo’s Gourmet Hot Dogs in the Corn Exchange.

The Best Hotel Restaurant Award went to The New Ellington on York Place in the city centre.

Newly re-opened Town Hall Tavern scooped the Best Lunch Award.

For more on the awards and interviews with the winners, pick up a copy of Wednesday’s YEP. The winners’ supplement will be in Thursday’s YEP.

Join us in celebrating the city’s unique food offer as Leeds Loves Food returns to the city from 25th – 27th May this year. 2012’s festival is set to be bigger than ever with ASDA unveiled as the headline sponsor of the three day foodie extravaganza!

The festival’s centrepiece event, the Yorkshire Food and Drink Show, will be returning to Millennium Square once more with over 100 exhibitors showcasing delicious produce and tasty treats.

The popular Leeds Loves Food Kitchen Theatre will be serving up live cooking demonstrations from some of the city’s favourite chefs and celebrity Yorkshireman, Brian Turner. Opening its doors at 11am on Friday 25th May, the Yorkshire Food and Drink Show is free to enter.

Get your teeth into a number of other exciting events throughout the city during Leeds Loves Food, with festival hubs including Briggate, Leeds Corn Exchange, Leeds Kirkgate Market, The Light, Victoria Quarter, Merrion Centre and St Johns Centre to name a few. Expect a fabulous mix of live cooking demonstrations, book signings, browse unique markets, exclusive offers and appearances from celebrities! More details will revealed shortly on www.leedslovesfood.com.

Standards are impeccably high here, with each customer made to feel like a VIP.

The Witchery by the Castle has developed a world-wide reputation for its exceptional dining experience, showcasing the very best of Scotland’s produce in the most magical of settings. Now in its fourth decade, the Witchery is a Scottish dining landmark, much loved by loyal locals, its celebrity fans and visitors to the city alike.

Alongside the Scottish seafood, beef, lamb and game you’d expect to find, you’ll also see the Witchery’s legendary Angus beef steak tartar, briny-fresh seafood platters and even some haggis featuring on the menu.

The Witchery is open seven days for Lunch, Dinner and Theatre Supper.

We chose from the a la carte menu and had starters of Scallops followed by mains of Red Deer and Double Sirloin.  We shared a selection of miniature desserts to finish – all cooked to perfection and exceptional deliciousness!

The menu is complemented by a carefully selected wine/champagne list.  Its comprehensive list of over 500 wines covers all of the great wine producing areas, varieties, prices and styles with a special selection of seventeen available by the glass.!  I did spot a bottle of wine on the menu which was priced at over £6,000 a bottle!!

With such stunning food and such a dedicated team of staff, The Witchery by the Castle in Edinburgh is a pure unmitigated pleasure palace!

Total bill £147.45 for 2 people

(Including a bottle of Château Montaiguillon Montagne St-Emilion, Bordeaux, France 2006 – £38)

Rating: Food 5/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 5/5

I visited this newly opened Cafe for breakfast a couple of Sunday’s ago after a long, cold walk with my dog!  On the back of this visit we decided to book for Valentines!

The menu was £40 per couple and included a glass of Champagne upon arrival.  This seemed exceptional value and more than happy to support our local businesses.

Upon arrival we were greeted by our waiter and a glass of Champagne!  The Bistro was dressed very romantically with red roses on each table (which we got to take home!), and candles.  The Bistro was fully booked for the evening and was a lovely mix of locals, old and young!

The Valentine’s menu started with a Meze, a plate of Mediterranean starters for sharing.  This consisted of olives, stuffed peppers, and tomato and feta cheese.  Piped cream cheese in a love heart shape with an asparagus to represent the arrow was a nice, creative, valentine’s touch – and this was recreated in each course throughout the meal.

We then moved on to Salmon en Croute – a miniature version, thank goodness, as the pastry was a little heavy and very buttery but nevertheless was delicious!

The main was either Steak Diane or a Vegetarian option.   We opted for steak which was served with peas and mashed potato (again piped in a love heart shape) – the steak was cooked to perfection.

Two choices of dessert which for me was an easy choice – baked chocolate mousse with candied fennel and ice cream – again the candied fennel was love heart shaped!

The whole evening had a ‘Come dine with me’ experience about it!  The food was very much home cooked and reminiscent of the 1970’s. It somehow didn’t feel like restaurant food either.  It was more like you were dining in someone’s house!  It was however a lovely evening and we wish Frewin’s all the very best with their new venture!

The lunch menu is both appealing and represents value for money.

We skipped starters and went straight to mains.  We ordered Linguine Prawn which was excellent and cooked to perfection.  The presentation of the Chicken Tikka Balti was delightful and again the dish was very flavoursome.  The grill menu features a number of chargrilled dishes cooked on an open grill for authentic flavour.

Service is smooth, with friendly staff persuasively suggesting aperitifs and pointing out the menu’s signature dishes and specials.

A meal here, from beginning to end is hard to fault.

The upbeat atmosphere is invariably as cheerful as the menu – Restaurant Bar & Grill brings a touch of sunshine to Leeds!

Total bill £43.89 for 2 people

Rating: Food 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Service: 5/5

The restaurant will open in the town’s £100 million Brewery Square development – It will occupy 3,264 sq ft in the Bonded Stores building, including a dining terrace beside the new Odeon cinema, reports the Dorset Echo.
A number of restaurants have been confirmed for the town regeneration plan, including Wagamama, Zizzi, Cafe Rouge and Pizza Express.
Andrew Wadsworth, director of project development company Waterhouse, said it has given the project a boost to offer a place to an iconic brand like Carluccio’s.
“We are delighted to have secured such a fantastic building in Brewery Square and look forward to opening Carluccio’s delicatessen and restaurant this year,” added Steve Hill, chief executive of the Italian-style chain.