Coffee Time in Canterbury at Boho

January 29, 2017 / cathyp

Boho is in the High Street so a seat in the window as you drink your coffee lets you watch the world go by.

But there’s plenty of room further back in the cafe if you prefer and a small outside area. The decor is unusual but fun.

Loved the brightly painted walls and chairs.

That apple tart was delicious just the right amount of sugar and spice. I’m told the breakfast was brilliant too.

The scrambled eggs were spread over a very large part of the floor by my granddaughter but the waitress kept smiling!

Perfect location for a shopper, right in the middle of the High Street
The service was excellent, fast and friendly.
A great place to sit for a while with quirky decor.
The coffee was excellent.
There is a large menu including all my favourites like roast veg and goats cheese.
Prices are reasonable.
The toilet was clean.

Verdict

Really liked this place and will definitely go again. There are several things on the menu I would like to try.

Coffee Time in Canterbury at The Local

January 25, 2017 / cathyp

Not really in Canterbury and a pub not a coffee shop but worth a mention anyway.

No coffee choice, this is a pub not a cafe, but very nice and hot chocolate was available.

A nice place to stop on a long walk.

Good location if you are walking around the area.
The service was excellent, the landlord was welcoming and friendly.
There were plenty of comfortable seats.
The coffee was really good.
No elevenses but there is an extensive lunch menu with Indian food or more traditional items.
Good value for money.
Toilets were clean .

Verdict

This was a lucky find on a long walk and we got a good welcome.

Might make it back for lunch in the summer. Definitely have coffee or a drink if we are nearby again.

Coffee Time in Canterbury at Nadines

January 15, 2017February 6, 2017 / cathyp

Didn’t know Nadine’s Coffee House was here but it was a great find.

Its a really nice place and surprisingly big inside.

There are sandwiches and an excellent range of homemade cakes, they had a Victoria sponge, chocolate cake , carrot cake and a couple of others when we were there.

The menu also has options for lunch and there is wi-fi.

All the staff were very friendly and helpful and there is a nice outside space at the back. There is even a marquee for the smokers.

outside at Nadines

Victoria sandwich

Nadine’s is in Ivy Lane but this is only a short walk from the high street once you know it is there.
The service was outstanding , the staff were genuinely friendly
The seating was spacious and comfortable.
The coffee was delicious.
Best cake in a cafe for a long time and the others looked as good.
Very good value for money.
The toilets, like the rest of the cafe, were spotless.

Verdict

Absolutely loved this cafe.

I noticed a poster for afternoon tea and we will go back and try that sometime.

Coffee Time in Canterbury

November 20, 2016 / cathyp

Sitting in Costa during a regular shopping trip to Canterbury we had great coffee and toasted sandwiches. These are delicious and reasonably priced

Costa is the biggest coffee shop chain and you can get the same experience in any city. I even had a Costa in Shanghai recently – exactly the same!

Reliability is good but the same as last week and the week before had become boring.

It was time to try something else.

So the quest for the perfect coffee in great surroundings began.

We would try every coffee shop in Canterbury in a search for the best.

I have to say this idea formed before we considered how may coffees we would have to get through but once started we will carry on to the end!

First stop – Cafe Nero

Cafe Nero claim to provide a continental European coffee house atmosphere with an Italian based food menu.

Its a big chain with two branches in Canterbury city centre so it seemed a good place to start.

In a good location at the top of the town.
There was a queue but the service was fast and friendly.
Comfortable seats.
The coffee was nice although not very hot.
The toasted panettone was delicious.
Not too expensive.
The toilets were quite dirty. It looked like no had given them more than a quick wipe for a long time.

Verdict

Acceptable coffee and nice food but the dirty toilets are a major problem.

This won’t be replacing our Costa visits any time soon.

Eating in The Ukraine

November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 / cathyp

The obvious Ukrainian dish, Chicken Kiev, isn’t Ukrainian.

It is French. It was first served in Kiev when tourists began arriving in the 1960’s and asked for it assuming it was a local dish.

But there are some delicious genuine Ukrainian dishes

Kovbasa

There are so many sausages in The Ukraine.

I think this one is called Kovbasa but they all seem to have more than one name or I’m missing some of the intricacies of sausages.

Perogies

These are filled dumplings made from a flour dough.

They can have almost anything inside – cabbage, mince, potatoes or cheese. They taste a lot better than they look.

All the cheaper eating places sell them.

Deruny

Deruny are potato pancakes sold everywhere, most often as lunch. They are very easy to make.

You need:-

Three potatoes

Three onions

One egg

Two or three tablespoons of flour

Peel and grate the potatoes and onions.

Then add the egg and mix everything together.

Add flour until you have a good consistency, probably a couple of tablespoons.

Fry on both sides until brown – about twenty minutes.

These taste good served with mayonnaise, ketchup , or if you want to be authentic, sour cream.

Delicious!

In Defence of Maccie D’s

August 15, 2016November 9, 2016 / cathyp

Lately I have read several travel blogs knocking McDonalds and suggesting that you should eat “real food”

As someone who once thought going to a Wimpy Bar was cool I don’t know if I’m qualified to judge but I think McDonalds is OK. Years ago before I did much travelling and as they usurped Wimpy I thought their burgers were rubbish (really they still are) but I have come to recognise McDonalds charms.

They are in nearly every country.
The toilets are clean(ish) remember where you are!
The food may be slightly different from home but it is recognisable as food. After a few weeks of mysterious slimy objects on your plate or an overload of curry for breakfast it begins to taste delicious.
Its cheap – everywhere. In the places it seems pricey nearly everything else costs more!
Free Wi-fi – a big bonus in places where it is expensive or difficult to get online.
Coffee – they have coffee as you know it, not Turkish or Malaysian or any other variety of disgusting just coffee!

Mcdonalds Chisinau

Lunch in Mumbai

June 25, 2016August 4, 2019 / cathyp

Mumbai has a unique lunch service enabled by one of its greatest assets – Its extensive railway system.

Continue reading →

Eating in Israel

June 3, 2016November 9, 2016 / cathyp

If my granddaughter has been with us in Israel I would have an instagram set of at least twenty one pics of meals to choose from. However my mind is usually on eating not photographing my food. So I don’t have any examples.

All I can say is that all the food was delicious. The diced salads are very tasty and you will not find fresher fish anywhere.

As I am not a great fan of chick peas I was a little concerned that my food choices would be limited. Falafel, deep fried balls of chick peas and spices, are more or less compulsory for lunch and hummus is everywhere but I needn’t have worried there was plenty of choice and for dessert there was baklava and ice cream, lots of ice cream!

The fruit and veg in the market all looked wonderful