St. Andrews @ Elba Palace Golf & Vital, Caleta de Fuste, Fuerte Ventura, Canary Islands, Spain

We had dinner every evening at St. Andrews at the Elba Palace Golf & Vital, Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura, Spain during our stay at this landmark hotel due to having chosen full board wich was spot on. It is the fine dining restaurant.

The restaurant is located at the beautiful courtyard of the hotel and is classic elegant designed throughout.

The Maître d' welcomed us every evening and either let us choose our table or brought us to one, depending how busy St. Andrews was.

We would recommend to come early or from 21.00 hours onwards, because the busiest time was always around 19.30 hours to 20.00 hours.

Our fellow diners were generally older and only a few other couples were younger or our age.

There was also a piano player which played classical tunes which suited the upscale atmosphere of this restaurant.

The cuisine was upscale and a mix of international and Spanish highlights served table de hote.

As guests on full board we could choose any main course from the menu, the vital cuisine or the specials of the day.

Starters and desserts were served buffet style. There were some staples, but there was every day something new, so it didn't get boring at all.

Appetizers included cold cuts, smoked fish, salads, fresh and roasted vegetables, bread and butter and much more.

Main courses were based on international and regional cuisine. We liked the selection of the spa menu, the fish, chicken skewers and the ravioli as special of the day.

There was also a good choice of wine. My fiancé had a dessert wine from Lanzarote, which he enjoyed.

Desserts were wide ranging from fruits to yogurt/cream based desserts to cake and ice cream. The ice cream was self-service.

According to a German diner the only word you must know in German is Schlagsahne (whipped cream). He had caused some stares and after saying this laughs, because he really liked his whipped cream. It was much more than the ice cream.

All the meals were very delicious and enjoyable.

We would look forward to stay again at this beautiful hotel and yes, we would chose full board again, it's worth it.

©2016

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill Dawson Street, Dublin, Ireland

Being under way in the city of Dublin, Ireland we were hungry and decided spontaneously to go to Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill on Dawson Street. Dawson Street is near Trinity College and just off Grafton Street.

We were arriving at a time when it was quiet, so getting a table without reservation wasn’t a problem, but we had to vacate it within 2 hours.

The restaurant is beautifully designed with monochrome colors in black and white, classic chandeliers, a huge flower arrangement and lots of photographs. Guests can also sit outside.

We were brought to our table inside and given the a la carte and value menu and the wine list. The value menu was attractively priced. A one course cost 16.95 Euro (ca. 19.10 USD), a two course is 21.95 Euro (ca. 24.70 USD) and a three course 26.95 Euro, ca. 35.35 USD.

After some discussion we ordered a large bottle of still Irish water. He had the three course, while I chose the 2 course menu.

Before our appetizers arrived we received a bread basket and butter.

He started with Bayonne Ham and melon, while I had the Caprese Salad.

The melon was juicy and the ham delicious.

The tomato – some of them were rarer like Baby Plum Tomatoes and Grape Tomatoes -, basil and mozzarella combination worked well.

His main course was Chicken Milanese, served with chips and a rocket / parmesan salad.

My grilled Sea Bass came with a large mixed salad and samphire.

We shared his dessert, a Valhrona chocolate and peanut butter cake with ice cream and biscuit crumbs. The only criticism would be about the crumbs. They didn’t necessarily enhance the dessert and could be left out. The thought behind it could have been, though, to add more texture or a decoration. Otherwise the cake and ice cream were decadent and moreish.

The whole meal was very enjoyable.

He had also a Chateaux Jolys dessert wine to round up the late lunch. He liked it and described part of the notes as apricot or peach and the wine as very light and refreshing.

The bill came in at 58.65 Euro (ca. 66 USD).

The staff was friendly and attentive.

We would return again based on the good experience.

©2015

GOBO Upstairs @ The Traders by Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Before travelling to Malaysia we reserved a table for two at GOBO Upstairs. It was our second visit to the Traders Hotel by Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur. During a previous holiday we've been to the SkyBar with stunning views over the PETRONAS Twin Towers.

This time around we decided beforehand we wanted lunch at one of the Traders' restaurants. Studying the menus online we picked GOBO Upstairs. Setting on a date we heard it was a bank holiday in Malaysia and the restaurant hadn't open, so we had to book our reservation for a different day. It wasn't a big problem, because we were flexible. It worked out for our second date.

The interior was modern and had high ceiling windows.

The staff was attentive and friendly.

The polo shirt I was wearing was a talking point.

It was newly bought at the DoubleTree by Hilton (see also review) and since the Traders is a competitor to the DoubleTree it garnered attention.

We were joining GOBO Upstairs during the week for lunch. We weren't the only ones. GOBO was buzzing with a large mixed business group (some were Malay others were Chinese and Thai), a few couples and a lonely business man.

There were different set menus and an a la carte menu available.

We chose a la carte.

Our drinks were a large bottle of Acqua Panna to share, a mango lassi and a Thai Collins Mocktail.

A fresh bread selection was also served.

The main courses were cod and sea bass with a side dish of green asparagus and parmesan cheese for both of us. We love this combination and the flavors. 

The desserts were of course the highlight. The presentation of each dish was done beautifully, but the most interesting was the berry sorbet. It was shaped like a cone. The tiramisu was also very good.

We were happy with the ambience, the staff and the quality of the food. There's is no reason why we shouldn't go back yet again when in Kuala Lumpur.

 ©2014