Tandoori Hut Hut Hut!!

So I was checking out the Cre-Ole 2008 tryin to find somewhere different to hit but most of the restaurants i already knew and just wasn't feelin :( but hark a little spot close to where i work..... why not! So i walked to Shoppes of Maraval with two foreigners and took up my place at the Tandoori Hut counter. They boast of AUTHENTIC Indian Cuisine (i.e. no roti and buss up here!) It was a simple over the counter set up with seating available for dine in customers. It was pretty cool to see Tandoor ovens where stove tops would be in a traditional food outlet and even more interesting to watch them cook .

The staff were super pleasant and accommodating and since i was curious and there was no line i started “What would u recommend as the 'Tandoori Hut item' ?” The Cashier/Waitress/Part Owner went to town with suggestions based on meat preference, spicy or not, here or take away, sides i might like and so on. We finally settled on the Chicken Vindaloo with Garlic Naan, a Mango Lassi and two Gulab Jamon.

Numero uno Lassi as it was explained to me is a Blended Yogurt drink (think Yogurt smoothie) and its the shiznit! The Vindaloo was hot no tail but under all the fire was a highly seasoned, flavourful chicken dish. It was a brilliant red stew of sorts with pieces of whole star anise and spices. The Garlic Naan was to die for! fresh out of the Tandoor with little charred bits and full of flavour. The Lassi was the ideal complement to the hot Vindaloo because it cools the pepper much better than water or soft drink. The only damper on the parade was the Gulab Jamon..... it was way to soggy! Yes i know that it's supposed to soak in syrup and stuff but it was like eating a soaked sponge dripping with syrup in every bite..... not appealing . Now this experience was a good one i enjoyed my food, had enough to share with a friend and got some cardio in by walkin back up the hill but i will not be doing this often cuz this little run cost me $125. 00 and unfortunately my budget does not allow for such a lunch everyday. Pictures will soon follow.

Rustica

Once again a by the way trip but definitely what the doctor ordered! Not in the mood for heavy food or too much noise we made our way to Rustica thinking that it was a sister of Snappers.Little did we know that we would be taking the side entrance to the same establishment. LOL the difference between the two was merely different furniture and Rustica only served Pizzas. Which was fine by us. These are not ur average Pizza Boys or Mario's NO NO NO watch ur mouth!!! The hearth behind the counter was not just for show! These are hand formed (well rolled any way), super thin crust Wood Stone baked pizzas. And oh were they good. You could have it anyway you like it Seafood, Veggie, Trini, Meaty with Provolone or Asiago but they tried to stay true to an upscale selection.

I had the Wood Oven Pizza which was Grilled Chicken with Spinach, Roasted Garlic, Bell Peppers and Asiago Cheese. Personally the Bell Peppers should have been roasted as well but man did it taste good anyway! Big chunks of roasted garlic, bite sized pieces of grilled chicken and just enough cheese to compliment but not kill the flavours No ketchup required! slight pepper added though! My riding partner had the Pizza Pollo which closely resembled mine however it was made with Provolone instead of Asiago cheese which gave it a milder flavour a little reminiscent of New Zealand Cheddar that we're accustomed to.

What ppl (well Trinis anyway) don't realize is that Pizzas done this way get a crisp, well baked crust. Slightly roasted think b-b-q of sorts with little charred bits which add to the complexity of the Pizza. Very different from the generic, mass produced, conveyor belt pizzas that you get now a days. But like my Blog title said i paid too much for food! our bill seemed steep for Pizzas and drinks keeping in mind however this was not ur typical Pizza Hut Pizza. In spite of price it was a worthwhile experience. The ambiance was nice and quiet (Monday night lack-o-crowd), pleasant staff, food was great and for beer drinkers, since they share a kitchen wth J Malone's I'm sure you can get a foreign beer to really compliment this "fancy shmancy" Pizza! Oh and don't expect well cooked food at fast food speed, sip yuh drink, talk alot and let the ppl take dey time to make yuh Pizza!!!

Sweet Lime

Sweet lime is exactly that …. A cool lime! Great for after work chillaxin. I got there while a Heineken promo was goin on so there was instant entertainment watching ppl play video games, do tyre runs, stack cans and the funniest of them all search through a cooler full of ice and beers looking for a key to free the captive Bond Girl all in the hopes of winning the ULTIMATE Bond experience!
Now when you go out with ppl who are “in the industry” it’s bound to make things interesting but when ur group works closely with the establishment wow ma ma watch out! We had kicks and giggle to no end along with Chicken Fingers and Steak Fries. I was informed that Chef Michael was in the kitchen tonight so food would be good (any other night and no guarantees) fingers were generic (sorry folk) but d Pepper Sauce was insane!!!! I found it looked and sniffed hot but I put 3 drops in my b-b-que sauce and it was like molten hot lava b-b-que sauce. Pressure for anyone who playin fas and splash dat on dey food! Colin ordered a sample platter later but I left b-4 it got to the table. Tragically I wanted a dessert but when I asked for a recommendation I was told “um um” and that I would be better off with a Malta or a Shandy! Wow not very encouraging. So I am currently working on samples to help Sweet Lime upgrade their Dessert Menu.
And that as they say is that. Sweet Lime is a cool hangout, it has a live atmosphere and I’m sure that’s true without the Heineken freebies and on a Chef Michael night good food. OH when u going find a proper parking spot cuz the wrecker was out in full force, caught 3 victims in the two hours I was there. Sucks for them huh! My advice is wait till Christmas by then Gabby would have whipped the place into shape and then it will be kick ass 4sure!

Botticelli

Oy vay! We got there on a night when i think they didn't expect a soul ....actually there wasn't a person there except staff when we arrived ( to be honest we were going to Ruby Tuesdays but there were closed with water problems and traffic was real bad) but all that is besides the point. We got there.....all 14 of us and we wanted to lime.

After waiting a while for a table we were shown to our seats upstairs but had to be moved because of a leak in the roof. No issues we'll live. The whole place looked like something out of a hotel school text book an old text book at that. We laughed, we joke and tried to find something to eat. But when a restaurant spells Quesadilla wrong on the menu its time to b wary. The font was frustrating, the wording blunt and not very descriptive and the menu just seemed like it was cut and paste from a couple websites.

We settled on a variety of items ranging from Calamari, to Steak. I had the Chicken Pomodoro which was not spelt that way on the menu but that's what our waitress called it (another typo probably). Ppl shot Port (yeah shot tee hee) and sipped on Scotch and reminisced on old times only to realize we were here quite a while and well ahhhhh no food! not even the Apps which were suck eye to fry and kick out in no time. We questioned and waited a while longer and out they came with most of our food (a more glorious site was never seen fus we was hungry by then) they were a few plates short but we were jus happy to see food. Everything was nice, well cooked and presented old school style right down to a sprig of thyme in the middle of every dish.

The food was good I'll give them that but everything else Lord have mercy! needs work. They need to remodel and revamp everything! I attribute the late food to two things #1 they didn't expect guest so everything was neatly put away and #2 old school decided to work on the entire bill and tried to send everything out at the same time. A better approach would have been to ask if that's how we wanted it or prioritize slow cooking stuff on the fire first, quick stuff last but hey we had our meal and made enough raucous in d ppl place. Definitely would not return without a crew it would make for to dead a night!

Zanziboo boo

Zanzibar Zanzibar Zanzibar!!!! LOL wat can i say...... well for starters IT WAS JUST THE CORN!!! By the end of the post u'll understand. So we finally got to Zanzibar's in Movie Towne and this trip almost ended like the last.Our first stop, Chilli Peppers on Sackville Street very small, very out of the way, very closed!! onto The Maravillian in Chaconia, well they only open for dinner but we could eat in the Tea Shop if we like........ nah! So Zanzibar's here we go.
On entry it hits you as a kinda New Orleans-ish Friday's without the 10 million things on the walls kinda vibe. Not too many ppl so we were seated quickly. The menu was a nice mix but what struck me was the many sub categories it was divided into. Apps, salads, sandwiches and then the different meats each with its own crazy title bar and pictures. It made for easy selecting.

After a quick convo about experimenting, trying new things and the purpose of our journey we ordered the starter Coco-loco Chicken. Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders. The breading/crust reminded me of Crushed Coconut Shortbread cookies (but not in a bad way). And the Main course ....... after a good long read we decided on... me- Tijuana Pork Tenderloin (Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetable Medley, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Pepper sauce/concasee kinda thingy) him- The Chefs Seafood Canoe (I think that was the name) a whole pineapple half (yeah i said a whole half) filled with sauteed scallops, mussels, shrimp and pineapple chunks with a creamy white wine sauce and covered with wholesome cheesy goodness. It was supposed to also have Garlic Mashed Potatoes in there making it a casserole of sorts but it probably couldn't fit with all the stuff in there so it was placed on the plate in a very abstract, potato based paint splat way which actually added to the overall presentation of the dish.

So wat corn am i speaking about? Well when my meal came it looked great but at the tail end of the aroma was a “now goin bad” scent. I sniffed the pork...good, sniffed the veggies.... good , sauce..... good! Well alright then my mistake. After eating half my food I was full enough (i wanted dessert) so decided to pack the rest to go. While waiting for the waitress I continued to pick at the veggies and in a corner of the plate was some baby corn which had no real business being on this plate (in my opinion) as I picked and put to lips THE SMELL!!! it was the kiss meh bartty corn that was gone!!! Steups I was so lookin forward to takin that pork home. Excuse me while I rant...... HONESTLY how could something I have no real love for... stupid baby corn....... with its lack of flavour and nutrients rob me of the pleasure of a next day pork sandwich!!! (granted i got the meal free BUT THATS NOT THE POINT). STEUPS

But on another note the Chefs Canoe and every thing else was so good I would actually eat here again inspite of the vile baby corn!! To soothe my soul I had the Buttermilk Coconut Cream Cake which as the name suggests was a Buttermilk Cake with coconut and cream. Quite nice but a little too cold. Portion sizes were large which is cool but I figure scale the portion sizes so it's actually an amount someone would eat and shave the prices to match! But hey if you givin plenty food for money then I can't beat that can I!? All in all I enjoyed my experience EXCEPT FOR THE CORN! and I hate to go out and have to complain about food especially when I was enjoying myself so much but hey such is life!

Wishes do come true

Be careful what you wish for cuz you just might get it!! I wished for a journey and in one night BOY DID I GET IT!! 4 restaurants in one night and we ended right back where the journey started ! Restaurant #1 Maravillian . We decided to try this hotels inhouse restaurant for a change but started out late, halfway there we realized we would be getting in 5 min before kitchen closed and being in the biz (ha ha "in the biz" funny) I don't like to do that to staff and I wanted to hang awhile so onto Restaurant #2 La Trattoria Garibaldi. Got there it was quiet, just a few ppl. Cool, casual setting, we got as far as bread on the table and realized our waitress was a trainee no problem right? Well we placed our order three times but everything we ordered was 86'ed or she had to go ask for clarification on and then finally we were informed that well there was just no chicken on the menu and my too picky companion wasn't in the mood for fish so we cancelled my Ozzo Bucco and onto restaurant 3 Zanzibar We never even made it to the door. As we rolled into Movie Towne we took one look at the overflowing car park and knew its Friday the "incrowd" had this place packed and peace was nowhere to be found so for sanities sake onto Restaurant 4 which is the original #1 Paprika's. Needless to say it still looked so cool and the staff were welcoming. Mohito was dirty not hygiene eyewww dirty but more, like rustic, hardcore, dutty mistress, crushed mint and lime slices dirty a little too much lime but quite a good drink. Food was great and we had a ball all in all a nice end to a long evening. AND THEY HAD CHICKEN ha ha! Stupid crack pot ended up eating fish!

Snapper's Seafood Restaurant

So important lesson learned DON’T EAT OUT IF YOU FEEL UNINSPIRED! I needed to eat so I went out and ended up in Snapper's an new restaurant in Trinicity mall. I took one look at the menu and was uninspired. It could be because i was jus lookin for food not a real experience. The menu was pretty nice but heaven forbid u look for something simple, it was a lot of sabayon here and salmon there, even the pizza section seemed a little elaborate. For a seafood restaurant they had a very extensive menu so fret not you meat and veggie eaters.

I ended up having the Chicken Pasta (you know thing bad when i can't remember the name of my dish.) it was a combination of Penne pasta, wild mushrooms, spinach and chicken. It tasted really nice it just needed a little sauce and it would have been great. My friend also not too inspired had the Seafood symphony (an app) it consisted of two shrimp and two scallops with a spring roll and a plantain sabayon with micro sweet potato fries. Presentation was nice just needed some colour. Over all a very nice dish and a great combination of flavours. I think they are a member of the J Malone's family because we had a J Malone's drinks menu and the desserts were the same as next door however my cheese cake came frozen so i couldn't enjoy it till the next day.

Over all had i been a little more enthusiastic this might have been a cool experience but the vibe jus wasn't there. The decor was clean and comfortable and the staff pleasant it would make for a nice couple or group outing but not a “whoo d whoo leh we drink!” kinda group for that go next door please.

Lentil Stew!!! Meh dahlin!

Okay so I didn't actually eat out for this one but it was an experience so hell i writin bout it anyway!!!!! I am officially a stew person... beef stew, lamb stew and now lentil stew!! and for allyuh trinis i don't mean stew meat (aka burn sugar). I had the bestest bestest lentil stew ever the other day and i'm not saying that cuz i made it because i've made lenti stew before this one just tasted real great. I think it had something to do with the fact that i froze it with the rosemary and then slowly defrosted on the stove making the idea conditions to draw ever last ounce of flavour from the herbs. It was (in the words of Mos Def) nutritious and delicious. Yummy sausage, caramelized onions, soft potatoes and carrots ohhhhhhhh fresh mushrooms all happily playing in harmony!!!!!! STEW !!! And for the love of the Almighty... butter is your friend! To ass wit all the health nuts out there everything in moderation a little butter never hurt nobody and if it did i assure you they were done for anyway! Butter adds tonnes of flavour to this and almost any other dish that it is added to.

Now yuh can't get cheaper than lentils in this day and age of rising food prices and this is a fairly simple dish, extremely healthy (protein out the ying-yang) and did i mention it tastes the bomb!!! (yes i said the bomb). Probably the most expensive part of my lunch was the bread but HA! i made that too!!! Really crusty home made bread is the only way to go for this meal cuz Lord knows as soon as dew starts to form Kiss bread turns to pap far less if you try to dip it in stew. And save electricity cuz toastin it is a waste of time. Anywho if you dare...try almost any recipe with the aforementioned ingredients and you're almost certain to have a hit on your hands or for the lazy jus call meh! (disclaimer that pic is off the net not an actual representation of my stew but close though)

J. Malone's restoring my faith in chain restaurants!

I take it back eatin at the inspots aint too bad!! J Malone's... if i had some extra thumbs i would put them up too. It was basically wat it was supposed to be! If wat you see in movies and stuff is accurate they got the decor right all it needs is some wear and tear, some drunk irish football fans and boom yuh feel as irish as a clover. Sooo my real reason for going... the food !!

The menu was ur typical burgers and cutters but they tried to keep adding a touch of Ireland here and there with Shamrock this and that but the truly traditional section contained things like Shepard's Pie , Fish and Chips and Irish Stew, I had the stew (after all it's an irish pub man!) ohhhhhhh stew!! ohhhh beef!!! yes i know traditionally it should be lamb but hey I was glad for beef! It looked great with its pastry crusted bowl and side of vegetables. A+ I loved it from start to finish, Guinness and all. My peeps mostly had burgers but i got my brother to try the Herb Crackling Chicken. That too was great unfortunately I saw cackling and assumed it would come with crisp seasoned skin which would have made for better presentation and flavour but hey it was still a great meal. and for all you “Wanna try Bleu Cheese Trini's” out there if you don't like the smell of funky socks and the taste of mould just don't !!! I still laughin at Kareem silly boy!! That stench gets into ur pores and ur hands reek for hours!! They serve wedges REAL WEDGES!! seasoned and crispy mmmmmmmm good stuff with a garlic sauce/dip ohhhhhh good stuff! Much love to our server, Sasha I think was the name. She dealt with us like a pro straight forward and not just loads of fun but very well informed!

Second time around ... yeah I was a repeat customer i had an adventurous group this time (I love my foodie family) we sampled Ribs, Beer Battered Chicken Sandwiches, Quesadillas, Chicken Alfredo and more stew! Everything was just as the menu described and was a good choice. To all the titty fans the beer battered chicken is for you!!!! Mucho meat!! It took me back to when Piarco was tiny there was a vendor who used to fry chicken and drop it in a hops nothin fancy but it was good chicken (bone and all) with great hops mmmm i think he still sellin there!!! Any way back to J's, dessert! Baileys Cheesecake shhhh ur interruptin the heavenly chorus....... yeah ! that was by far the best cheesecake I have ever ever EVER bought (please note i said bought not tasted) it was mile high New York stlye Cheesecake with a splash of Baileys poured on it. I guess you could ask them to hold the Baileys but y would u? the fact that they didnt try to bake the cake with the Irish Cream in it preserved the true flavour of both the cake and the Baileys. From its super thin crust to its simple presentation this was a great way to end a meal. It was unfortunately imported. The Chocolate Cake was sweet as a mofo but good once you had a sip of coffee to go with it and you can get your coffee “dressed up” if you know what I mean wink wink!! two very very good dining experiences I will most definitely be returning.Take time to read the Irish proverbs and stuff in the menu it makes for good kicks especially if read in a shitty wanna b Irish accent.

The Original B-B-Q Hut!

So yeah this was not ur typical eatery but it is exactly what opening an establishment should be about. According to what I’ve been told they started small and grew and grew and grew not because of funding or fake fame cuz i ah trini and i didn’t even know bout them. Apparently they consistently put out good food and it brings people and they bring people and like a pyramid scheme we all profit!!! So yeah like a pyramid junky my friend swore this was the best bbq in south if not the country so i packed my bag settled my mind and journeyed down to the south land.

The setting was super simple... a really oversized tent with a large parking lot, half the tent dedicated to customers and seating the other was the kitchen. Just a note it was a beauty to see, an active lively kitchen is a wonderful thing to watch almost distracting so i made sure to sit with my back to this distraction (a really fun distraction). Hygiene was not an issue, for an open air facility they kept things really clean and organized. I loved the fact that they served dessert REAL DESSERT!!! I didn’t like the dessert..... but at least they tried!

The food was what I expected but sorry baby not the best. They had good a variety of meats (no pork) but as a person who’s accustomed eating her own food I am not going outside of my safety zone yet so chicken it was!!! AND FOR ALL YOU TITTY HOUNDS OUT THERE !!! leg and thighs have so much more flavour try one once in a while!!! It came with a small salad and fries. Simply put it was simple food done right, no complications. They understand that a fairly limited menu allows you to focus on each element and do it right, no worries. It also allows them to serve customers quickly so even though when we got there we met a serious line we still got to the head quickly and were served swiftly. I had the Cheesecake but like I said I didn’t really like it. All in all a good dining experience i really enjoyed it and hell you can’t beat the price!!!The best I’ve had for the record was from Neil Seepersad of Seepersad Catering in St. Augustine.

My Woodford Experience!

Fiesta Plaza, Movie Towne

UHHHH i hate hate HATE trendy places!!! But we fell into Woodford Cafe and so here I am. This place reminded me of all the reasons i dislike places known by the in-crowd as the place to “hang” and not as the place to eat cuz the food is good. So yeah onto the food.
The menu once you strip away the tonnes of padding like pelau with cole slaw and other local dishes i would never leave my house to go buy was a nice blend, it really gave you alot to choose from. The padding is good for one thing though.. showcasing local food in a nice atmosphere so take ur tourist friends when they come down.

I went simply in the hopes of not getting something too screwed up. The Jerk Burger with Spicy Potato Wedges........ so i thought you couldn’t mess up a simple Jerk Burger WRONG !! it was lame i sincerely think they took a cheap burger patty grilled it and 10 sec.b 4 it came off the grill slapped some jerk seasoning (store bought) on it and BAM Jerk burger. The bun was buttered and toasted very nice contrast to the burger. The wedges.... well after the initial charred flavour (eyuck) seemed to be coated in a combination of smoked paprika, fine black pepper and couple other indistinguishable spices in a liquid and who the hell cuts wedged into little potato cubes huh!!!!.

My partner feared better with the Shrimp Boat which was seared shrimp served with seasonal salsa which turned out to be mango chow finely chopped minus the pepper (very nice) which came with two sides. He ended up with Corn Pie and Fried Plantains both of which turned out to be really nice. My only complaint on this plate was no sauce even some stew gravy would hav been alright but thankfully nothing was too dry. For dessert i had the Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream. The Crumble was just spiced sliced apples with a walnut and flour topping and it tasted like that!! it was served with a lumpy tasteless custard and a scoop of Haagen Daz ice cream so the best thing on the plate? the ice cream!!! If i were them i would take homemade off the menu.

All in all not a great dining experience. My friend swore that usually the food is good but HARD LUCK PATNAH Food too expensive for me to go fishin in the hopes that things might be better second time around. Maybe if they cut the menu in half and concentrate on making everything with more love and real ingredients then MAYBE i'll return. On a positive note..... The staff were helpful and vibrant! From the manager to the cashier very pleasant ppl. i would only recommend it cuz i heard its a hot spot for liming on an evening but if your going for the dining experience try Zanzibar next door it will have less people and I hav a feelin the food will be better or so i hope will tell you when i get there.

The Lure #2 Stella Maris Dr. Chaguaramas

While writing this post i came across one that sited a racially biased and unfortunately bad experience at this restaurant and warned others not to visit SORRY THIS IS NOT THAT BLOG !!! i had a good time and this is my account!

Well not exactly on the list but a fun addition none the less. The Lure was very quiet (probably the night we went) but it proved very comfortable and the ambiance was inviting. You had a choice of indoor or outdoor dining, we chose to sit out on the patio overlooking the water which didn’t smell like stale fishy sea water. Points on the board for that!

The service staff were friendly and the menu was varied enough. Ironically the two things we ended up eating had very little descriptions but our server knew enough to inform us and help in our choices. While we waited for our meal we were served warm crusty artisan style bread with an unusual melongene choka which didn’t look appealing at first but after a quick taste proved to be worth the try. It was smoky and flavourful without a hint of ‘slime’ and for the less daring they also served two pats of butter.

On to the main course. I had the Chicken Switzerland which consisted of grilled chicken, more bread and fettucine served with what can only be described as a red sauce. The pasta portion was smaller than what you usually see in restaurants now a days but it was sufficient and the meat was more than enough, I had a chicken salad sandwich for breakfast the next morning to say the least. All that meal needed was a nice small salad to accompany the rich sauce which didn’t taste like glorified bbq or marinara sauce !!!!!! whooo whoo!! Unfortunately the Chicken Pocket was not such a big hit. It was essentially a large chicken wrap served with fries and cole slaw. The tortilla itself was bland and could have probably done with some grilling or toasting and the chicken was okay but it didn’t really compete with the lettuce in the wrap. Well fries are fries they didn’t mess those up and like I said not really a big hit but not a total flop. The evening was overall a good experience would recommend for couples or small groups not looking to party just quiet out of the way dining with a little class no tie required but please no football jerseys i said class!! That night there was a private party upstairs with karaoke and dancing I'm pretty sure the same would be true on any other night definitely a fun trip if you throw that into the mix!. My headliner for the evening was the melongene choka or as they called it roasted eggplant spread LOL!!!!!!

If you really want to make this a journey/escape start out from home at about 2p.m stop off at Macueripe for about two hours of cool Triple S therapy (salt,sand and sun) you should be done by about 6-7p.m. Throw on the clothes you neatly hung in the car and then head to the restaurant.

Paprika Restaurant and Bar the start of my journey!

201 Western Main Road just before Bayside Towers!

25^th April went to Paprika. Even from the car park it seemed very hidden and on entry the atmosphere was very very captivating. It was very busy without being overwhelming. It felt like a combination of a traveller's treasures mixed with a raid on some grandmoms prized old stuff. Candle light and hip, cool, jazzy, mellow music but onto the food......

The menu was simple but varied in that there were a reasonable amount of appetizers but we went straight to the main course their pasta selection was great you could choose one of four pastas (fettucine, penne, ravioli and something else i no remember) and then choose your sauce from a list of about 10 sauces ranging from heavy to light, meaty to vegetarian. Since it was Paprika i thought it only right i had the “Pasta Paprika” it was a light tomato sauce with mushrooms and veggie goodness with pieces of ham and bacon. OHHH it was good. My friend had the Seafood Pasta which was also tomato based and held exactly what its name suggested a combination of mussels, shrimp, scallops and calamari (big shock no fish! great shock but still big!!)

The wares like the decor were far from normal. Mine a blue printed antique looking bowl of sorts and my friend's a large platter like dish shaped like a fish. Even the coasters were unique (i still have mine cleptomania acted up!) To end i really would have liked to try their Almond Coconut dessert it sounded promising but unfortunately they were out of it so i ended up with Tiramisu HOMEMADE!!! Whooo hoooo! It was very very nice rich and creamy but still light if thats even possible and the Apple Crumble served with Vanilla Ice Cream. Also quite good. And to end our meal a glass of Port. Ohhhh Port warm and soothing! In true Paprika fashion the bill did not come in a padded check book thingy rather in an old Turkish Delights box unfortunately no Turkish Delights inside but two Hershey's kisses.. all in all a wonderful experience which made dining out really seem worth the effort. But don't make the effort while you're broke. To really enjoy the experience one needs to be able to spend.... not necessarily wild money but not have to forgo your 1^st choice simply cuz u don’t have the money! A definite repeat on my list of places to eat out at and even if you don’t go to eat you can still just chill at the bar have two drinks and make good conversation. A great start to my journey!