Restaurant Ibaizabal @ the Barcelo Bilbao Nervion

During our stay at the Barcelo Bilbao Nervion (Please see also review) in May 2016 we had two meals at the Ibaizabal Restaurant.

The restaurant has an open plan concept and gives a choice of an a la carte or Prix fixe menu. There are international and regional dishes available.

The Prix fixe menu offers outstanding value, but the cost varies. Our Saturday meal for example was around 18 Euro per person / ca. 19.70 USD, while Sunday's was a bit more elaborate and cost 20 Euro per person / ca. 21.90 USD.

The quality of the dishes was of a high standard and the cuisine simple and light.

When we arrived at ca. 20.00 hours the restaurant was not that busy and only a few patrons were there. Some where Spanish and our neighbor were a group of French ladies. The later it got the more guests arrived.

The staff brought us to our table and gave us the menus. We ordered a bottle of still Font Valle water. Studying the drinks menu we realized the wine was very affordable and a glass of Rioja cost just 2 Euro (ca. 2.20 USD), so he had one.

It was a young one and good in his opinion.

Next we could choose from different types of bread.

We received welcome starters, which were stuffed pepper with cheese and salad. It was delicious.

Our appetizers were endive salads with smoked salmon. The salmon was smooth and the endive salad crunchy, so the contrast between the textures was good. While the leaves were bitter the salmon was salty and the dressing a bit sweet, so an umami effect was created.

The main course was cod with Ratatouille. The dish was colorful and beautifully presented.

He had a Crème Bruelee as dessert, while I had an almond cake with vanilla sauce. Both were very good and the cake fragrant.

Staff was attentive and friendly.

The dinner cost 40 Euro (ca. 43.80 USD).

Breakfast had been included in our overnight rate. When we arrived the restaurant was already full.

Thank goodness we were brought to our table and didn't have to search for a free one by ourselves like at some other hotels. It's a pet peeve of mine to have to look for myself.

Tea, coffee and juice was self-service.

The buffet was large and included a wide choice of hot and cold items, including egg dishes, bread, pastries, muesli, cereals, gluten free items, ham, cheese, yogurts including low fat, vegetables and much more.

We had the bad luck to sit near a couple, who made a big mess on their table and had a huge amount of food waste too.

Having to look at it wasn't very appetizing. The other patrons were better in this regards and left their space as clean as possible and with as good as no left overs.

We enjoyed both meals and would return, even if the breakfast service can be busy, because the staff is friendly and the quality of the food/choices and value are good.

©2016

The Lobby Lounge @ The InterContinental Dublin, Ireland

After visiting the 3rd National Classic Car Show at the RDS Simmonscourt in March 2016 we stopped at the InterContinental Hotel Dublin Lobby Lounge for our lunch.

We were lucky and the lounge wasn't too full, so we could have a table at the large floor to ceiling windows of the conservatory overlooking the garden and fountain.

The staff was friendly and overall efficient.

We ordered a large bottle of still water, two hot chocolates, one Luscious Bliss cocktail, one Chicken and Mango Salad Wrap with salad and one salmon fillet with green beans, tzaziki and Quinoa, the 70% dark molten chocolate dessert and a trio of crème brulees.

While the drinks and main courses arrived pretty quickly and were delicious, the desserts took their time.

We weren't in a rush, so it didn't matter. The wait was well worth it. The presentation was beautiful. My dessert looked like a piece of art. The cake was shaped like a Guglhupf from Austria and there were edible flowers on both plates. It was very tasty indeed.

The raspberry, chocolate and vanilla crème brulees were intense in flavor.

We received a few apologies for the delay and didn't have to pay for the desserts, which was a nice touch, but not expected.

The bill was 58.25 Euro (ca. 63.85 USD).

Having visited now the Seasons Restaurant for brunch and the Lobby Lounge for lunch we will return to both and at some stage stay at the InterContinental.

©2016

John Cranko Lounge @ The Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten Stuttgart, Germany

On our full day in Stuttgart we went to the Mercedes Benz Museum and afterwards stopped at the bar of our hotel the Althoff Hotel am Schlossgarten (Please see also review.).

The lounge is named after John Cranko, a ballet director, and specialized in Rum cocktails.

It is a contemporary space in muted colors with restaurant, bar and lounge style seating.

The bar was already busy with couples and a group of business men.

There was a cocktail of the month too and it was well priced at 8.50 Euro, ca. 9.60 USD.

One of the bar tenders was Frau Manamat (Hope I caught the name right.), we already knew her from in room dining service.

She is a great asset with a friendly and outgoing personality, making us feel welcome each time.

We ordered two cocktails, one Indulgense and one Havanna, and a Crème Brulee.

The Indulgense was cream based, while the Havanna was inspired by Cuba and contained Gossling Rum and citrus fruit juices.

The Crème Brulee was moreish, while the Havanna was tropical and the other cocktail as the name suggests indulgent.

We paid 28.50 Euro (ca. 32.10 USD).

We would return to this bar, because the atmosphere is good, the staff attentive and the drinks fantastic.

©2015  

Dagligstuen @ The Hotel Continental Oslo, Norway

During our stay at the Hotel Continental in Oslo in April 2015 (Please see also review.) we visited the hotel's bar and lounge Dagligstuen.

It is clearly visible from the entrance and was busy, no matter when we passed by. We checked the menu and liked what we saw.

The bar is large, has a gentlemen's club atmosphere and design and is infamous for its Edvard Munch art pieces Arne Boman Hansen, the owner at the time, bought in the 1950's for 5.000 USD.

Since nearly all tables were gone, we took one closer to the window and behind a column. I was a bit worried we would be overlooked, but there wasn't any reason. Service was flawless at all times.

We were greeted friendly by Cecilie, who took care of us for the rest of the evening.

Cecilie left us enough time to make up our mind what we wanted to order.

We had two orange juices, two glasses of Michel Turgy Champagne, two Vitello Tonnato, one "Our Snickers" and one Crème Brulee.

Cecilie asked if we were very hungry and even so we said we weren't that hungry, she promised she would bring us a fresh bread basket with the meal.

She was concerned if we would like the meat-fish combination when she heard it was the first time we were trying Vitello Tonnato.

The plate looked like a work of art and was healthy with lots of green leaves, very thin slices of veal and tuna-caper sauce. It was delicious. The bread was plentiful and lovely.

We were intrigued by "Our Snickers", so we had to try it. The "snickers" was slightly longer and wider than a real Snickers.  It was made with chocolate, peanuts and salted caramel ice cream. It was a highly interesting and creative dessert. We loved it.

The Crème Brule was perfect. The caramelized sugar crackled and the custard was smooth and creamy with a light vanilla flavor.

We talked about going to bed soon, because we had an early start the next morning. It was already around 11 PM, overhearing our conversation in passing by Cecilie brought our bill quickly.

It was 1.028 NOK (ca. 121.60 Euro or 136.50 USD) and very well worth it in such beautiful surroundings.

Cecilie found the right balance between being professional, warm and unobtrusive.

We liked the attentive service, atmosphere and quality of the food.

We can recommend a visit and will return, when in Oslo.

©2015