It Just Has To Be Delicious

Posts tagged ‘Scarborough’

The Galway Hooker, Scarborough

Continuing with the quest to find the best Sunday roast in Perth, we decided to give the Galway Hooker a try. It’s a traditional Irish pub in Scarborough – a mecca for backpackers who want to enjoy the bustle of the bars and cafes, and sunbathe and surf.

As soon as we arrived I was struck by how noisy it was. The pub was absolutely packed, and the waitress directed me to my reserved table which was in the middle of all the clamour. She explained that there was UFC being televised throughout the pub, and it would be noisy for the next hour or so, and she suggested that we come back later. As we had come a fair way (40 minute drive) we decided to stay, but it was impossibly noisy and hard to have a conversation.

I went to the bar and ordered two $28 roast beef dinners (the other choice was roast chicken).

It was certainly plentiful with several slices of beef, a Yorkshire pudding, some greens, squash, carrot, roasted potatoes and mash, with a nice amount of gravy. We also asked for horseradish, which was of good quality. The beef was a little variable, some slices were really tender where others were a little fatty or slightly tough. I would have liked a few extra roasties and no mash, and would have preferred to pour my own gravy, but it was still a nice plate of food, and I suppose they are catering to a lot of people and providing hearty Irish portions with something for everybody.

In terms of the noise, I really wish that they had a) informed me of the situation when I booked and b) seated us in a corner or booth rather than in the centre of the pub. I think on a different day, we may have enjoyed it more, but the noise, the table location, and the fact that it was ‘okay’ food rather than amazing means that we probably won’t return.

Last Visit – September 2023

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Restaurant review

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Cocolat, Scarborough

Chocolat Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Cocolat is a cafe, dessert bar at the heart of the newly refurbished Scarborough Beach esplanade. It is next to the lido, with wonderful panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. I visited this weekend, with some friends. Previously I came here a year ago (and was not overly impressed – it was nice cafe, but didn’t have the wow factor).
This time I chose a pear and pistachio cake, but when it arrived it was quite dense and tasted a bit stale. I took the cake back and the staff replaced it with a chocolate mousse dome that was much nicer.

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My friends chose a lemon tart:

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A mango dome:

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A chocolate lamington and some berry sorbet:

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The desserts were presented well and tasted okay, but still did not deliver on that special something – it seems that squirty cream accompanies everything. The staff made a few mistakes too, which they did rectify, but I felt that they were busy and not paying attention which probably detracted from this being a special afternoon. I haven’t changed my opinion of Cocolat – it’s okay, but it’s not amazing.

Below is an extract from my previous blog post:
You can choose tea, coffee, fruit drinks and smoothies, then there’s an array of gelato and cakes in the display cabinets.

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I chose a fruit smoothie and a raspberry melting moment. The melting moment was a lovely combination of shortcake and raspberry buttercream which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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My partner chose the salted caramel cheesecake, which was nicely constructed. A biscuit base with caramel cheesecake filling and layers of sweet caramel.

The view was very nice, and although the sweets were nice, I wouldn’t travel all the way back to Cocolat to have them again – the food didn’t make us go “wow”.

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Visit Date – November 2018

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Category:

Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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The Wild Fig Cafe, Scarborough

The Wild Fig Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

This appears to be the only survivor of the Fig group of cafes (the Naked Fig and the Pickled Fig seem to have closed), and it is in a great location on Scarborough Esplanade not far from the powder white sand and blue ocean.

The menu is not overly inventive – it has many of the brekkie favourites – eggs, croissants, pancakes etc. but I liked that the menu offered several vegan and gluten free options. I can’t cope with much dairy – it’s good to have non-dairy alternatives, and this is where a vegan friendly menu helps me.

I chose a coco loco shake to drink – mango sorbet with coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon and shredded coconut. This was very enjoyable and nice and thick.

My partner chose a soy decaf coffee, which he said was rich and tasty, very good for a decaf.

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For mains he chose Eggs on Fire – poached eggs, bacon, harissa, avocado, chorizo, sweetcorn potato cake and chilli salsa on ciabatta. This was a good meal where everything worked well together, and he enjoyed it.

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I chose the deluxe banana pancakes with caramelised pineapple, crushed pistachios and coconut syrup. When they arrived they had a quenelle of ice cream, and I tentatively tasted it. It tasted quite creamy, and I suspected that it was a dairy ice cream. I also tested some pancakes and they equally tasted  like regular pancakes with milk.

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When I checked with the waitress, she realised that there had been a mistake and she returned with the vegan pancakes which were brown in colour. It’s a good job that I am not majorly allergic to dairy otherwise I could have suffered a really bad reaction to the first plate. The second plate tasted good, but considering that they were sold as ‘deluxe banana pancakes’ I would have liked a bit more banana.

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All in all the meals were tasty, and it was good to have dietary choices, but nothing was outstanding – this cafe serves good, honest food, and that’s about it. Lovely staff, good location.

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Visit Date: December 2018

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Restaurant review

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