Saturday's pre-match meal

[forever a red and white]

for those food lovers:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/aug/24/southampton-top-10-budget-eats-restaurants

[Robsk II]

You know what's telling from all this? The fact that so many of those are new or relatively new. Southampton has always been an absoulte wasteland in terms of culinary invention and quality. My parents maintain that in the 70s, it was literally not worth trying to find somewhere good to eat in the city. It's the sort of thing that's always saddened me about the place. Any other city of its size has far more to offer in terms of this sort of thing, interesting bars and nights out, culture and all the rest of it. Even Portsmouth, though clearly that's largely focused in Southsea. Southampton residents, perhaps the sort that never leave, seem utterly blind to what a poor city it is in so many ways. I'm glad to see that the wheels of progress are still slowly rolling, though. Much though I don't really like what West Quay is, it was probably needed, as was the redefelopment of Above Bar and Ocean Village. I think both could have been done better but at least we're getting somewhere. Personally I think it would have been a good idea to try to focus redevelopment further down the high street, to make the city closer to the water.. I'm not saying we could have been the Nice or Cannes of the UK, but there is a great deal of potential down there that remains untapped - given that we have such a maritime history, it would have made sense. Still. Getting better, even compared to five years ago.

[sotonjoe]

Indian Melody is a monstrosity. Ennio's is a cruel shadow of its former self.

 

If you want budget but good then try Kara, which is a Turkish charcoal grill place just down from From Your Eyes Only. It does great grilled kebabs, fish and meze etc.

[BlakeySFC]

It's all about Turtle Bay.

[Pugwash]

Indian Melody is a monstrosity. Ennio's is a cruel shadow of its former self.

 

If you want budget but good then try Kara, which is a Turkish charcoal grill place just down from From Your Eyes Only. It does great grilled kebabs, fish and meze etc.

 

What's wrong with Indian Melody? Just asking, like. Not been there.

[buctootim]

Southampton is a wasteland when it comes to a good restaurant scene. It says something when number 1 in that article is the Platform Tavern.

[sotonjoe]

What's wrong with Indian Melody? Just asking, like. Not been there.

 

Try it and see what you think, but here's my opinion.

 

First off, it claims to be an upmarket Indian which actively tries to distance itself from the typical curry house. This is all well and good but the fact it that the food is poor and the manager a right pretentious and overbearing idiot. I've eaten up market Indian food including Atul Kochhar so I'm not a beer swilling, vindaloo slurping meathead, but I was still subjected to a 10minute introduction to the restaurant, the menu and the owner's personal philosophy when he sat down at my table. He recommended several dishes which all ended up being generally expensive in terms of what the menu with very crude and or unpleasant and or bland flavours. I left thinking it thought it was far too good for its own good but that the food was some of the most disappointing Indian food I've ever had. Good luck trying it though ;-)

 

For reference - my current favourite Indian in Southampton is currently Sanjha on Shirley High Street which has just opened a small restaurant. Their food is tasty, seems traditional and not at all pretentious. The owner however, does know how to run a restaurant and is the chap who originally started Poppadom Express before selling it to someone else if I remember correctly

 

I'm sure someone will be along to tell you they love Indian Melody in a moment.

[ericofarabia]

Back in my days a Giant Veg Samosa or a Pasty and a couple of Pints of HSB in The Baytree, or a Cheese an Onion sarnie in The Fitzhugh was more than enough to set you up for the match.

[sotonjoe]

Southampton is a wasteland when it comes to a good restaurant scene. It says something when number 1 in that article is the Platform Tavern.

 

Yes and no. The article isn't about "best restaurants" though, it's about budget eating. I think there are some good budget options in Southampton and have already mentioned Kara. Southampton's problem if anything is that it has too many places which think they're top restaurants, with the attitude and prices that come with that, but without the quality to back it up. Most of the restaurants on Oxford Street can be lumped into that category. If I want nice, but not pretentious, dining I like to go to Hotel Terravina near Ashurst which is Nina and Gerard Bassett's current place.

[buctootim]

Yes and no. The article isn't about "best restaurants" though, it's about budget eating. I think there are some good budget options in Southampton and have already mentioned Kara. Southampton's problem if anything is that it has too many places which think they're top restaurants, with the attitude and prices that come with that, but without the quality to back it up. Most of the restaurants on Oxford Street can be lumped into that category. If I want nice, but not pretentious, dining I like to go to Hotel Terravina near Ashurst which is Nina and Gerard Bassett's current place.

 

Sure. I wasnt talking about Michelin star quality and the accompanying prices. It just seems almost everywhere I go in Southampton the food quality is lacking - either cheap cheerful and average - or pretentious, expensive and average. By contrast Brighton always seems to have new places springing up which are fresh, innovative and reasonable prices.

[Jonnyboy]

Indian Melody is a monstrosity. Ennio's is a cruel shadow of its former self.

 

If you want budget but good then try Kara, which is a Turkish charcoal grill place just down from From Your Eyes Only. It does great grilled kebabs, fish and meze etc.

 

I really like Indian melody.

 

And Karas totally ripped me off on a groupon, f*ck that place.