Ullacombe Farm Shop and Cafe: Review

Ullacombe Farm Shop and Cafe are found on the right hand side going up the hill towards Haytor, Dartmoor from the Bovey Tracey direction.  It can be a really handy place to stop for refreshments either before or after a walk on the moors, and we have found in the past, a useful place to pick up supplies on a Sunday afternoon.  Open 7 days a week from 8:30am - 5pm

A table reservation might not seem essential but on the mid-week lunch time that we were there, a huge party of people were at one long table.

 There is also a cosy lounge area that looked quite tempting.  This has the feel of a Swiss log cabin -  a shelter from the elements on a winter's day, but in the summer there is lots of outdoor seating and the place has quite a different feel.  We've also had breakfast here in the past - of the cooked variety.

 This is a 'pay at till' sort of place (for both farm shop and cafe customers.  But meals are cooked to order.

 This is not an innovative place - it is somewhere to get wholesome food with no huge surprises.  I think the most radical thing was the milk served  in a cute little glass bottle.  The soup was good: smooth and homemade, served with a choice of breads.

 My friend enjoyed her toasted sandwich that was garnished with crisps, salad, coleslaw (yuk, that's just my own personal preference) and a handful of crisps.

We had to wait a little while to pay for goods from the farm shop, but I am guessing the staff were running around with that long table of people that were having lunch.  Apparently, the barn across the yard can be hired out for parties - useful for lots of parking, no neighbours to complain about any noise and good on-site caterers.

The Old Java Coffee House, Teignmouth

We had a very good meal at the newly revamped New Quay Inn on the Back Beach, Teignmouth.  I barely recognised the place- and the food was good.  Then we were on the prowl for tea and cake....and I suddenly thought of the Old Java Coffee House.  It is a cafe that is well-known in Teignmouth.

It was just right.  One table remaining.  We were just in the market for tea and cake (instead of pudding!).  The place was full of people - it was just after lunch.  The serving staff were pleasant and the food and drink were yummy.

I had the citrus gluten-free cake that was moist and delicious.  My mother had toasted crumpets with butter and jam - they took a little longer to appear.  The only thing I would say is that my mother commented that it was served with little sealed portions of jam - it was a shame they didn't offer homemade jam - there is so much of it produced around here.  My father had the apple and cinnamon flapjack that was large and a bit soggy, but good nevertheless.

Overall we were satisfied by the price, location, food and drink, service and atmosphere.  A good place to pop into when you are in Teignmouth.

Devon Cafe Review: Babbini's Tearooms, Abbotskerswell

I went deliberately to this out of the way spot with my 2 friends, S and K.  We got a table in the middle of the fairly empty room.  A few minutes later the place was filled with a hiking group.  All hungry and needing sustenenance.  We ordered hot drinks and snacks.

I had a pleasant, but not outstanding cheese scone.  It was served with some chunks of cheese and a tiny bit of salad, plus butter.  The tea was lovely.

My friends had bacon sandwiches which they enjoyed.  There was a little dog who presumably lives there, greeting everyone and touring the room.We had a very nice morning stop there, but there was nothing that would make me return.  I would pop in if I was passing, but it's not so quirky or great that I would head there as a destination.

On the way back towards Newton Abbot, we met some cows in the lane that were being moved.  I suddenly realised quite how rural we were as we stopped in the car and let them go past.  It was great to see them in such a surprising fashion.

Devon Cafe Review: Venus Cafe, Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth

I was a guest at Venus Cafe at Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth.  The location is stunning.  The privately owned beach is immaculate and the rather grey sky revealed some sunshine and blue sky.   The beach has been in the same family for 400 years and is a wonderful place.

The beach is golden, the sea is blue and the red cliffs are covered in trees and vegetation.  It is a great place to walk, laze, do water sports (surfing, sea kayaking, swimming...)

or eat....

The inside of the cafe at Blackpool Sands cafe is relaxed and large and has great views of the beach through the huge windows and doors.  This place is licensed for weddings - that would be incredible.  What a wonderful venue to get married: plenty of parking, space inside and outside, great food, and that view!

The food was plentiful and great tasting.  There was a huge emphasis on locally-caught fish, shellfish plus some delicious Eversfield steak too.  The owner, Michael, really respects the environment and has more than a vested interest in the whole venture - his wife owns the beach.  The magnificent beach.  Dogs are allowed on the beach from 1 November until late March.

The John Dory was served 'en papillote' and was very tasty.  I loved the delicately seasoned crab crostini and the crab bisque for starters.  The sticky toffee pudding was also delicious.

Venus also has takeaways scattered around the South Devon coast: Bigbury-on-Sea, East Portlemouth, Tolcarne and Watergate Bay in Cornwall.  There is also a Venus cafe at Dartington.  They are a 'small, local' chain that I thoroughly recommend.               

Devon Cafe Review: Lloyd's Kitchen Exeter

I met N from Bilby Bites and Bilby Marketing at Lloyd's Kitchen in central Exeter and we had a really good lunch.  And a great blogger meeting really.  She is the person to do your local Exeter marketing and restaurant reviews for sure.

This is the eponymous Lloyd, bending over to chat to a customer.

 There was a real variety of customers.  It was very busy and had that great atmosphere where everyone is enjoying themselves.

 I had the Allotment Breakfast: Halloumi cheese, toast, spinach,saute potatoes and grilled (fresh) plum tomatoes - delicious - for £7.65.

  N had the Halloumi Salad which was gluten free.  There were several items on the menu described as 'GF'.

They do 'All Day Breakfasts' (which looked very popular), daily specials and interesting salads.

This place is buzzing and busy.  They did not want to take reservations - you just have to turn up and hope.  I'm guessing that it's a breakfast / lunch venue.  It is open for evening meals.  Good value and a good place to take a breather in Exeter.  It's located in that rank of shops behind Dingles, the department store, and next to the large open air cafe.

Cafe Review: Deli Shack Cafe, Bickleigh,

We visited the Deli Shack mid-week for lunch.  We made a reservation - I think that's wise, although not essential midweek, but it's one of those weather dependent venues.  I also think it gets busy at weekends.  We received a warm welcome from the owner (thanks, Lisa!) and two workers.

There was plenty of parking and it was located down a country lane, a little bit outside of Bickleigh, and has a more independent feel than Bickleigh Mill.  Diners can sit inside (I noticed the wood burner in the corner) or outside for fantastic views.  My top tip is to walk through the cafe and sit outside on one of the 5 tables out the back with that view of the Exe Valley.  There is a gazebo covering some of the tables to prevent rain, wind or sun damage!  In a car, you need to follow the signs to Yearlstone Vineyard.  I think it's probably the sort of place that a Sat Nav might be confused by.

The choices were on a blackboard.  I like blackboards - it generally means the food is fresh and homemade.  I am guessing that some are semi-permanent and others are more like specials.  Each day there are some meat, vegetarian and vegan options - what a great idea and it all seemed appealing. I shared the Deli Shack platter.

This was huge and consisted of olives, cheeses, meat, breads, pickles, crackers and was great for a lunch dish.  There were some yummy choices - a mixture of Devon and Continental produce (I really liked the duck, and the Cheddar was good too) on the plate and it felt like the right amount of food (large though it was!).

My companions had the duck and Coppa salad and the smoked salmon creamy pasta.  They both looked good.  Three desserts came to the table - two types of pancakes (with strawberries and chocolate...with banana and caramel) plus a very good lemon tart served with clotted cream.  I noticed some visitors left when they noticed there were no sandwiches on the menu - that was part of the appeal for me.  I get fed up with the number of Devon cafes offering panini.

We did that annoying thing of sitting inside for a coffee, then moving outside for the view and sunshine, then moving back in for dessert and to avoid a sudden shower.  The waiting staff were very obliging and helped us move.

Yearlstone Vineyard is attached and I think there was a wine tasting for a bargain £3.  The cafe had bottles of their wine for sale.  On another occasion we would have happily quaffed the wine and visited the vines, but there was chatting over good food to be done.

Dogs were welcome at the outside tables - and the parking is very close to the cafe.  We had a dog and baby with us who were greeted and treated well.  There are plenty of high chairs and the place seems very child-friendly.  I would say that this is a good recommendation for some home cooked food in a relaxed and beautiful environment.  The prices are good too.

Devon Cafe Review: Home Farm, Parke, Bovey Tracey

A great place to stop for a snack, cake, cuppa if you have had a walk on the Bovey side of Dartmoor, or had a walk at the NT hq at Parke.  There are some great walks and views of the river here, and dog walkers are welcome.  There is an old orchard, a vegetable garden and a pony sanctuary.

 Free and easy parking.  The pizza had too much cheese for our taste but everything else was very good.  Nice atmosphere and well cooked and presented.  A good place to stop when you are in the area and they're open later in the summer.  They have a good reputation locally.  NB went there is late Jan 2014 and the handy toilet is no longer in the cafe - you have to go down some stone steps outside to the main NT toilets.  It was also packed inside on a Sunday early afternoon.

Bristol Trip

We stayed at the Bristol Hotel which was good.  A little bit impersonal, but we knew that's what we were getting.

A good price via one of the price comparison websites too.  We didn't have the hotel breakfast as it wasn't included and the rumour was that the Crepe and Coffee Cabin just down the road in Prince Street did excellent coffees with great 'latte art'.  It's tiny in there, but there's no arguing with the quality of the service or the quality of the coffee.

We munched for lunch at Friska - this is the ground floor of the great record (and books, T shirts, posters etc) shop, Rise on Queen's Rd.  This was exceptionally good.  I can highly recommend it - good value, home cooked and damn tasty.  And then we got to spend a fortune upstairs on CDs, books and presents!

Review: Not so Jolly Good - The Jolly Good Fish Cafe, Teignmouth

Three of us had lunch at the Jolly Good Fish Cafe in Teignmouth in November 2013.  We all chose the cod, chips and peas (there was no chicken or haddock that day. They also said that the fish were one size only - this didn't bother me).  This picture is not an actual shot of our meal!

Thanks to Tripadvisor for this interior photo.

Number 1 fish was discoloured and smelt strongly and wasn't eaten.
Number 2 fish was slightly discoloured and had a slight whiff and was partially eaten
Number 3 fish was slightly discoloured and had no smell and was mostly eaten.

The woman working there said that she was 'unhappy' with the fish that was delivered.  Personally, I wish she had rejected it - that's what I would do.  I certainly wouldn't have served the fish to paying customers.

My companion chose a pineapple fritter from the menu as a replacement...they had no pineapple....and came back to tell us they couldn't buy any locally.  I have a fresh one and tin of it at home and ALMOST went back to get them.

They also forgot to bring my bread and butter which was included in my meal deal.  What a shame.  We are local to this place and eat fish and chips regularly.  So, they tried to remedy the situation, but the situation shouldn't have arisen in the first place.

We will be returning to Finn McCools next time - that place has never let us down in any way.

Cafe Review - The Courtyard Deli, Falmouth

It was a really hot day in August and I sat outside in the 'courtyard' of the Courtyard Deli, Falmouth.  Nobody took my order for over half an hour - I was waiting for three members of my family, but I would have liked a coffee or tea while I waited.  My family were in Beerwolf  next door.  This place has developed from a book stall into a pub / bookstore and we all love it.  Apparently their food isn't really great (yet) so it might be worth popping next door for coffee / tea/ lunch.

I also had a long chance to look around the courtyard of the deli.  I think they could do more with the area.  The bins and air con unit from the pub adjacent are TOO visible and the table where I was sat was so sloping that the waitress had trouble putting glasses on it without them sliding downhill.  There was also quite a bit of litter around, plus flowers that needed deadheading more than my own at home.  And that's saying something.

Sooo, I was feeling worried about the food as the attention to detail in the 'courtyard' just wasn't there.  When my companions arrived we all ordered different dishes so I got a good idea of the menu.  My son ordered the homemade tomato and basil soup with garlic bread which he loved.  My daughter had the quesadillas which she thought were alright (we have them a lot at home so they might have had to live up to them!), my husband had a plate of local bread, cheese and charcuterie which he loved and I had some spinach filo pie with salads which was fine, although not outstanding.

I had a wander around the shop later and thought the interior was charming.  The friendly owner chatted to me and even provided a website for me to source a difficult to find ingredient that she didn't have in stock.  I was very grateful and I bought some local cheese.  A satisfying but not perfect lunch.

I was a guest of the Courtyard Deli but I was able to write what I wished