Friday night?...Chinese take-out of course

Alex had spent a busy week on a training course - away from his lovely home in Ealing :o( So a take-away treat is just what was called for! Alex and Lou, nifty with their internet skills looked up a local Chinese tastery. Having only eaten Chinese before at Maxim*, (on Northfields Road)...a wonderful dining experience and probably the posh-est Chinese they had ever tried (some months ago), they were keen to test some more Ealing Chinese, this time for take-out.

Google to the rescue, we found My-Old-China on South Ealing Road...4.2 star-rated on Google. Well worth a try we thought!

Undeterred by the shifty website, and pop-up adverts trying to redirect us to Papa Johns , we checked out the menu and gave them a ring. We ignored the Thai menu option, but that seem to also exist (online at least). Excited by the unusual option of crispy aromatic LAMB - we asked for that. Unfortunately they no longer do the lamb, nor the pak choi :o( We were happy to settle with the duck, and mixed veg though. 

It arrived within the 45 mins they promised and was reasonably priced. 

Alex unpacking the delivery

Lou usually judges Chinese by its oiliness - and pleased to say, this wasn't too oily and in fact quite yummy. The spring rolls were a bit stodgy and the chilli sauce a bit sweet, but the special fried rice was good. The chicken in its black bean sauce was succulent and the duck great (though we did think that its hard not to get crispy duck right :o). We also had the pork in BBQ sauce - also good. Quite a feast for the two of us...there is some in the fridge for some further weekend mealing.

Our Chinese feast!

So all-in-all a good take-away time (in front of our first sitting of Sherlock Episode 1 Season 1 - also great by the way!), we think we'd definitely order there again!

Summary score table /5
Food Deliciousness:	3
Drinks Tastiness:	N/A
Service Skills:	4 (take away)
Atmospheric Vibes:	N/A
Recommendation Score for a Casual Eve:	4
Recommendation Score for Showing off Ealing:	2
Total average score:	3.25

*Maxim's was recommended to us by Sarah and Pete, its super yum...we'll blog about that next time we go again - a good place to take the parents or friends visiting Ealing we think. Also just so you know Maxim's does do take-out, but we like to try new things :o)

North Star shining bright...where shall we all eat

tonight?

Mark, Pete, Sarah and Lou outside the North Star!

After an evening of first-world mishaps (think cancelled yoga, and collected packages not fitting into cars), we thought it might be nice to relax over some dinner. Having failed to get into our first choice (another mishap!) we ended up at the newly revamped North Star pub on the Broadway.

The menu choice is mainly focused on burgers...with a twist. There is a good selection of toppings, pre-selected in the named burger section, or build-your-own. Served in little baskets, american diner style, the burgers were made from ground beef and plenty sizable! The brioche buns were sweet and delicious and the fillings were deep. We didn't get to try the puddings as we were too full, but they offered a small but appealing selection of american classics, think brownies and sundaes.

Sarah's halloumi chorizo burger was dense, incompressible in fact. It could have been a bit juicier and softer, but it was tasty. We all agreed that it is quite normal to eat a burger with your hands...but luckily these were served with a knife and fork - much needed for these huuuuge filled buns! (side note: the baskets were a little flimsy for the normal metal cutlery...oops). Pete's burger was pretty fun and full too, it had mac and cheese in it! (macaroni cheese in English).

Lou approved of the tasty fries - crisp and hand-cut!

The decor is pretty cool, a nice twist of the standard 'industrial' look that is everywhere these days, and we liked it. There are pretty stars on the walls...quite apt for the name, The outdoor garden has American diner furniture in it, and although it was far too cold to sample, it seemed to keep the smokers happy and looked like a nice spot for the summer.

Mark had to open wide - but liked his burger too!

We sat on bar stalls at a high rustic wooden table in the centre of the pub bustle. It was surprisingly busy for a Thursday night in January - these were in fact the last seats we could find!




Overall a nice relaxed, buzzy atmosphere to the pub. Super central location! We'd recommend it for a  chilled mid-week drink or eat!

Love from
Sarah, Lou, Mark and Pete

Summary score table /5
Food Deliciousness:	3
Drinks Tastiness:	3
Service Skills:	3
Atmospheric Vibes:	4
Recommendation Score for a Casual Eve:	4
Recommendation Score for Showing off Ealing:	3
Total average score:	3.33

Plenty of choice in just a few Lime Yard(s)...

Having suffered through the cold first week in January, Pete and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner out. A restaurant seemed to offer the best balance of warmth from someone elses superior heating and dishwashing skills, as well as more variety than our bare cupboards could provide.

Having been awed by the new look Ealing Broadway centre, we thought we'd try one of the new places on the 'restaurant strip' (I use 'strip' in the loosest sense given the passages other hospitality nightlife spot 'LA Confidential') and plumped for Lime Yard.

Warm and cosy from the outside, we stepped in and we're quickly greeted and shown a to a table. The welcome was warm and hospitable and we settled ourselves with the menus.

Dry January ran the risk of failing at the first hurdle as the cocktails were very reasonably priced and there was a good selection...but we opted for a juice instead (halos polished) and both choose the strawberry and ginger cooler which was surprisingly good. It was long, tasty, crisp and satisfying. A good dry January choice after all!

Virtue done for the day, and burgers were the order of choice. I'd heard good things about the buttermilk chicken so choose this whilst Pete picked a good ol' hamburger. Whilst waiting for them to arrive we pondered the decor...is it 'french train station meets mid-west', or 'industrial cafe rouge meets park bench'? The jury is out.

Overall, the food was tasty but average. The hamburger was a bit dry and my buttermilk chicken fairly unremarkable. The portions were sizable though and the generous portion of spicy chips certainly hit the spot. Puddings were, in my humble estimation, a bit small but given the mains they were actually probably quite well balanced.

Lime Yard serves decent food at a decent price, and redeems its self on the drinks and cheerful service. It's a welcome addition to Ealing's new troop of restaurants.

Summary score table /5
Food Deliciousness:	3
Drinks Tastiness:	5
Service Skills:	4
Atmospheric Vibes:	3
Recommendation Score for a Casual Eve:	4
Recommendation Score for Showing off Ealing:	2
Total average score:	3