www.pryordurkin.com

My normal assertion that I am the only one with common sense in this relationship took a little knock on Sunday.  While I was preparing our late Sunday Lunch; the two of us having spent the preceding five hours working in the garden,  I decided that the dish washer could do with a good deep clean.  In between putting the new potatoes onto boil and the chicken chasseur in the oven, I did a good old squirt of fairy liquid into the dish washer before switching it on. 

I turned my attention to the cooker and mixed the vegetables now simmering happily away in the pans before looking inside the oven to check on the chicken.  This took all of two minutes.  I then turned around.

Pouring out the sides of the dish washer was foam.  Lots of it. The cats who had previously being lying around my feet in the kitchen looked on in amusement as I shouted for Paul.  “Something has gone wrong”.  Paul came in to open the dish washer and the foam “it was previously full of” dropped out and spread across the kitchen floor.  Paul asked what I had done.  I sheepishly mentioned the fairy liquid.

 The next ten minutes involved, panic, much reading of the dish washer manual and every available towel in the house. In between this chaos I served up our late Lunch while listening to Paul pointing out the errror of my way.

So there you have it.  A momentary lapse of common sense on my part.  Don’t put fairy liquid in the dish washer. 

This does of course leave the question “Can you use Sunlight washing up liquid instead?”

It’s been a long week for the two of us.  I’ve been working in London and Paul has been busy in the lab.  However this weekend we have nothing planned other than to spend some time at home with each other, perhaps doing a little shopping (despite the doom and gloom of the credit crunch brought on by the BBC it seems) and preparing Garth View for the winter.  We will have to put away the little used summer garden furniture and BBQ that has sat wishfully outside since Easter and been rarely used.  The forecast for the coming week shows the temperatures dropping over 10 degrees centigrade, which will probably result in frost.  This unfortunately means it is also time to dismantle the water fountain and put the smaller bits into the garage for safe keeping.  As if all this were not proof enough of the upcoming winter, the clocks go back on Sunday morning and the cats now resolutely refuse to go outside other than when they can cross their legs no more!

Having finished quite a long day at work I found myself enjoying the company of colleagues at Las Iguanas, opposite the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank London.  I arrived a little after my colleagues around 6.30pm and there were already people queueing at the door to get in.  Thankfully I was able to swish past the waiting list because we had booked a little area of our own inside the restaurant for a couple of pre-dinner drinks.  The place is split across several levels under Waterloo bridge and has a very lively atmosphere. The staff were certainly kept busy and despite the hectic demands placed on them by thirsty customers, they managed to maintain their smiles throughout.  One particular waiter caught my eye (being a people watcher) and he seemed genuinely proud of his biceps given he could not have rolled his sleeves up any higher.  I wasn’t complaining though

We moved to our table at around 8.15pm and placed our orders.  By this point I was not able to remember what everyone had so will review to my own choice of Half Roast Chicken with Fries - Latin Style.  It was pleasant enough given I hadn’t eaten all day, but the curly fries were a bit of a surprise and disappointment however this didn’t detract from the fun I was having. The party atmosphere continued and I could see that by now the restaurant was full with others diners all genuinely enjoying themselves.

In summary, a great place to spend a few hours with colleagues after work, unwinding, eating and having a little drink or two.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

Telephone Tel: 0207 620 1328 Las Iguanas

Opening hours:
Mon-Thu 12.00-23.00
Fri-Sat 12.00-01.00
Sun 12.00- 22.30

Happy Hour
Daily 17.00-19.00

We started out at the Spirit Bar on Saturday evening with some friends we were visiting in Manchester.  After shopping all day and spending more than I planned, I was ready for a drink.  We placed our order at this cavernous gay bar and were served by a couple of young inexperienced twinks, who didn’t understand the importance of consistency when serving customers the same drink.  Nonetheless we paid and then headed up to the outside roof terrace, where we sat overlooking Canal Street below.  When we left I noticed the leather beds were now occupied by a few (clothed I might add) people, chilling out to some good background music.  The place looks quite trendy and the door man was friendly enough so I guess this place is a safe place to spend some time hanging out.

Pryordurkin rating 2 Stars.

Manto was the very first gay bar I ever ventured into when I first visited Manchester some 10 years ago.  I instantly remembered the place which is split over two floors and operates as a nightclub.  We popped in for a drink with friends on Saturday evening quite early on and having been served up our drinks (a round for five people coming to less than £10) we sat outside on Canal Street to watch the world go by.  Apart from the three drunk beggars who approached us (one touching my head, which was not a good move!), the experience was very pleasant indeed.  As we sat, one of the bouncers came over to swap our glasses for the plastic cup affairs you get these days.   This was not a problem though as it was clearly for very good reasons and the bouncer was very pleasant indeed.  The bar itself could probably do with a bit of a face-lift as it looked a little like a student rag bar in places, but apart from that we enjoyed it.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 Stars.

Formerly known as Via Fosse, this bar on Canal Street in Manchester, proved to be a great place to relax, unwind and have a drink while people watching with our friends on Saturday.  A gay bar that is straight friendly, it is best described as Adams Family meets Changing Rooms with its bright colours and Gothic styling.  Situated over three floors, there are lots of small nooks and crannies to chill out in.  On the lower floor we sat in very comfortable sofas while watching the energetic happenings up on the ground floor.  Watch out for the toilets; not the cleanest but supervised by someone who makes you feel guilty if you don’t fork out a £1 per visit.   The owner is a sixty odd year old guy who can often be found manning the door. 

We recommend you get there early as it does get very busy later on and the bouncers don’t look like the type you argue with.  We had a great time in the place though;  it had a nice safe warm and welcoming atmosphere.  Give it a go.

Pryordurkin rating 3 Stars

With four friends we found ourselves eating out at the Zinc Bar and Grill in Manchester on Saturday evening.  Situated in a strange place called Hanging Ditch within The Triangle, the place was busy when we arrived.  At first we were told they had no space for the six of us, but on checking whether we could book a table for later, they suddenly found one free.  We climbed the small number of stairs from the bar up to the restaurant level and sat down amongst many other free tables! At first the waiter was a little icy, but warmed as the night wore on.  We ordered up our drinks first, selecting a range of beers, soft drinks and a couple of bottles of wine, all reasonably priced.  I was pleased to note linen table napkins and nicely polished glasses on the table, so all looked well. 

We ordered up our food.  I went for the roasted red pepper and tomato soup (£4.60) as a starter and the char-grilled rib eye steak (£15.50) for my main, while Paul went for the Thai prawn cakes starter (£6.15) and the Thai green curry main (£13.50)  Our friends went for a number of other dishes including Fish and Chips (£12.95) and roast lamb (£16.95)

The starters were all served up reasonably quickly except for mine.  Everyone waited a little while for mine to arrive before starting to eat, but in the end Paul had to remind the waiter we were still waiting for a starter to arrive.  They apologised and it then soon arrived (fresh from the microwave no doubt).  There were mixed views around the table as to the quality of the starters.  My soup for example for lifeless and needed a good deal of seasoning to spice it up.  Paul’s Thai prawn fish cakes were rubbery and could have been successfully bounced off the floor.

Having cleared our plates, the mains quickly followed.  This time, all arriving without the need to prompt!  My char-grilled steak was excellent.  Well cooked, seasoned and flavoursome.  I’m told the Fish and Chips were very good as well (although a few more chips would have been welcome).  The Thai green curry though was a bit of a disappointment around the table.  There was no traditional Thai heat and the addition of grated coconut left Paul puzzled. 

As for the restaurant, the toilets were down some stairs, a left turn, a right turn, down some more stairs and then along a corridor.  Not good for anyone disabled or in a hurry, but generally clean.

All in all, a trendy place to hang out with friends with food served up at reasonable prices.  The service was fine in the end and we paid the bill that included a 10% service charged automatically added.  The average being £30 pp which was good for a two course meal with drinks.

Pryordurkin rating. 3 Stars.

T: 0161 827 4201

Evil Edna and I went into this Greek Restaurant on Cleveland Street around 9pm on Wednesday gone.  A small cosy restaurant, we were shown to our table by the friendly owner.  We opted for the set Metze meal (£15.95pp) along with a bottle of Aphrodite wine (£13.95).  To say we left satisfied is an understatement.  The service was excellent, the atmosphere warm and the food great tasting and very good value.  It just kept coming!  More and more plates of traditional Greek fayre cooked to perfection in the small visible kitchen.  We had to tell them to stop in the end!  This is by far the best Greek restaurant I have been to in London to date and I would certainly go back again.  Close to the Holiday Inn Regents Park it will become a regular haunt. Highly recommend. 

Pryordurkin rating. 4 Stars.

 Tel: 020 7387 0704

Looking for a nightcap, a colleague and I headed into Daly’s Wine Bar on the Strand in London.  Modern, airy and spacious we were happy to get served quickly.  The down size, was the price of the round.  A vodka and tonic along with a brandy (originally served up in a lemonade glass, before I pointed out the brandy glasses) came to £9.60, which was frankly extortionate.  They weren’t even doubles!  The place was quiet, (not surprising given the prices) and the staff seemed a bit vacant, but nonetheless, I had a good time chatting to my old friend from Croydon.  I would not go out of my way to return to this place though because on top of the above, it didn’t seem to have any soul. 

Pryordurkin rating. 1 Star.

This Thai Style Tapas restaurant served up my evening intake of calories last night after an early lager or two at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.  Arriving with three other colleagues we sat down around 9pm and ordered up the Gold Menu for four people along with a bottle of Rioja.  The food served up was not the best Thai food I have ever eaten, nor could it be described as filling.  The fayre left us all perhaps feeling that just a little more would have been good.  The ingredients used in the selection of starters and main dishes were not what you would call fresh or best quality.  Many of the traditional ingredients you would expect in a home cooked Thai meal were simply not there.  Normally; Thai food is very flavoursome and spicy; this was neither.  The service was however quick and attentive but for some reason, we were asked no less than four times, while our glasses were still visibly full, whether we wanted another bottle of wine bringing out.  I’m proud to say that without any hint of sarcasm, I suggested to the waiter, we wait a while.

The toilets were to be found down some very steep stairs in the basement and were reasonably clean.

Overall, a very pleasant time was had in the company of friends, but the food was not really up to much.  At £105.00 for four people though, we could hardly complain at the price.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 stars.