How often do you eat out?

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I cook pretty much every day, until we are on holiday. From city break, to a month away driving tour we eat out in various ways each night.
Ooooooo, get me!

At home. We go out for our birthday and anniversary. But not really any other time.
I'd say, we eat out once in 4 months at a restaurant.

Tonight, we are going out for a dinner date at a local Italian.
No reason, Tony just fancied it. I'm half stunned.

How often for you then?

[smitch Profile]

We try to eat out at least once a week. Nothing fancy, generally an independent bar or restaurant in Manchester city centre. We take it in turns to choose and pay and have a few regular places in rotation. We try to avoid large chains, although I don't mind small local ones. We don't tend to eat out in the area we live in as it is mostly pub grub. I do enjoy it from time to time, but the veggie options for me are normally limited.

Tonight we're going somewhere a bit more special to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which was on Wednesday.

Some weekends, we come into Manchester for breakfast or brunch. I love going out for breakfast, it feels like such a treat.

[Renee Profile]

Living on my own, I rarely eat out and fortunately enjoy cooking for myself and trying things new and there are plenty of ideas on here which help to keep my cooking mojo up! When I stay with Colin in the south of England, we have the occasional lunch out if we visit a place for the day. Usually it's Cote Brasserie, where the lunch specials are reasonably priced and the food is good. I enjoy cooking for him.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I’d like to eat out more than I do, when OH was alive we used to eat out much as snitch does and I miss it, I do meet up with friends to eat but it always seems to take so much organisation, not like just turning round to the person next to you and saying “shall we?”

It also means I miss out on our local restaurants, as if I meet up with friends from outside the area we tend to meet in central London.

I do eat out on my own quite happily when away or out for some other reason, but somehow I don’t get around to going out locally solo

[Joanbunting Profile]

We eat out quite often, but not always in restaurants because we have a group of friends/neighbours who love entertaining and being entertained - some more successfully than others

I am a complete sucker for high-end restaurants too and love trying palces i have never been before. Like Maison Pic last week which was absolutely wonderful. I would rather go somewhere like that for a short break than be away for too long. I hate snooty pretentious palces though - and most of all really dislike dishonest cooking. I'll happily pay a lot if it is worth it but I'm very critical if it's not!

However we usually make it to one of our favourite local once a month or so. We have 4 or 5 in easy and all of which are popular with locals. The cooking is excellent and the prices affordable especially when you consider that, in France, the price you see is what you apy. No service charges or expectations of a tip.

We're going to friends for Sunday lunch this week which will be nice because we haven't seen each other for a while and we have a lot of catching up to do

[Badger's Mate Profile]

We eat out a fair bit but it does vary. Last month we had a couple of weekends away with different groups of friends and ate out each night. We also had a week and a day in North Norfolk, which allowed one night at Morston as a belated birthday treat, plus four pubs and a chippie, (if that counts) whilst staying at the cottage. In between those trips I can't recall us eating out locally.

Similarly this month, we've been eating out when away in Hungary. But when not away we don't eat out so much, except that this coming week we're out most nights seeing friends and it happens that we're eating out thrice. More normally though, I'm cooking our tea. Mrs B is a lady wot lunches so sometimes it's just one for lunch at home.


We're more likely to eat out with friends than just the two of us, but when we're out during the day we'll have lunch together. I suppose we eat out on average once or twice a week when we're at home. Plus maybe once a week Mrs B lunches out.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Over here? In the Soviet Socialist Republic of Venezuela?
NEVER!

[Suffs Profile]

Basically we do pretty much the same as Gillthepainter ... special occasions,sometimes lunch when shopping in the city together, plus a pub lunch on the way to and from visiting MIL and an occasional meet up with friends. On holiday we'll eat out at least once a day ... sometimes twice (occasionally three times if we're going to have breakfast overlooking the harbour sort of thing) but if it's twice usually one of the meals is a light snack, or a pasty on the beach.

Just now and again one of us will get a hankering for something and we'll eat out on a whim ... sometimes it's a yen for moules et frites so we go here http://www.thebelgianmonk.com/ They sell over a quarter of a ton of mussels a week ... check the menu ... nobody does it better ............ checks the beer menu too!!!

[Binky Profile]

Depends who is visiting us. Our younger relatives like to be taken out, but the older ones prefer to stay in with good home cooking and lots of wine.

On holiday we eat out daily, both lunch and evening meal. It's part of the vacation experience for us -- new places and different cooking styles.

On our own, we eat out maybe once a month. We have some cracking old pubs that do really nice food (no Brake Bros nonsense) and serve a decent pint (for hubby, who has a single pint 'cos he's driving).

For special occasions there is a great Italian restaurant fairly local, but you need to reserve a table well in advance, so no last-minute or spontaneous possibilities here.

[MagicMarmite Profile]

Hardly ever, I very rarely feel like it and where I live there's nowhere interesting.
I'll be eating out next month for the first time this year, and last time was a year ago, but it's a special meal at my favourite restaurant in Edinburgh which has a Michelin star-The Kitchin in Edinburgh.

[Alexandria Profile]

Firstly, my dear and I eat lunch out laboral days, Monday through Friday ..


Weekends: This all depends on whether or not, we are travelling or resting at home ..


Resting at home Weekend(s): Playing in Le Mercat de La Boqueria & then The Kitchen .. Low Travel Season ..

We enjoy our culture profoundly .. ( Tapas and Wine at a local tavern / bar at least 4 or 5 times a week on walk home from work to catch up ) ..

[Binky Profile]

oooh Member 461, I want your life....

[Renee Profile]

Me too!

There is nowhere around here that I would be happy to eat at. My friends want me to join them for the Christmas meal at the gym. Actually, they told me that I had to join them … no ifs or buts! They are very dear friends.

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

When you go to purchase ingredients, fresh top of the line wild fish or game, or meat or a bio fresh pasta (no Gmos) and bio herbs, bio veggies, bio or wild fruits, specialty cheeses, wines, spices, bio Evoo, Vinegar etcetra, you realise that it is much cheaper to grab a simple lunch out for 10 - 13 Euros a person and a healthy canapé or tapa and wine for dinner ( 6 or 7 Euros a person ) which is more than enough for us ..

After a day at one´s own business, we have no desire to work at home in a kitchen.

We want to sit down, relax and enjoy each other ..

It is our culture ..

Your lady Friends want your company !!!! Go and have a lovely time at the Gym ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Binky,


Spend some time in Spain !

There are approximately 300, 000 British Expatriates living in Spain !

There must be a few good reasons why !!!

Have a nice weekend ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Nice looking place, Suffs. When we go to Paris, which will be in December - it's been a while.
We eat at their moules Leon restaurants. Utter fun.
Even when one of yer moules is a big black stone!

That's a shame Clive for you. I had a feeling that Venezuela would be difficult though. But didn't realize it was impossible.

Spain of course is great for the eating out. But they do know how to cook in their kitchens too over there.
When done well, feeding tens of people with ease, it's marvellous to watch and be part of.

Personally, we don't do lunches. On holiday too, just a yoghurt or croissant breakfast.
And an evening meal.
I'm in awe of anyone who can eat so well on holiday, Binkers. We say the same thing when we see it, how can they do it?

Eating at friends seems an excellent way to do this.
The best of both worlds. So long as you choose your friends well
We don't "share" like that. There's only Tony and I.

We are also blessed and cursed with restaurants here. Mediocre chains. But fabulous other places too.

I liked the Scottish way, Marmite.
Eating finely in hotels. But it doesn't seem to be like that any more when I return. I really wish we'd gone to Kitchin's in Edinburgh.
But we went to the Witchery ....... bit dull ........ ah well.

On your own is trickier of course. I used to do it in my 20s.
I'm surprised how independent I was back then.

Here, we have a beautiful Siam restaurant. Not a gloopy sauce in sight.
Light, fresh and delicately flavoured.
And the Champignon Sauvage, both 3mins walk, in flats

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Tonight we're going somewhere a bit more special to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which was on Wednesday.

Congratulations.
How was your meal out, Smitch?

[smitch Profile]

It was lovely thanks. We shared a selection of veggie dishes, plus a chocolate fondant for dessert https://elnecot.com/eat/. They do lovely breakfast dishes too. I was a bit worried about the meal as they wouldn’t tell me in advance which dishes contained mustard (I’m allergic) and have had poor meals in other places as a result. I needn’t have been concerned, but I do find the lack of allergen info on online menus frustrating.

Had a bit of a strange experience in a bar we went to beforehand but luckily it didn’t spoil our night. We finished with a couple of cocktails in a ‘hidden’ bar not too far from the restaurant.

[Alexandria Profile]

Gil, The Painter,

Culturally, the main and most important meal of the day is lunch served between 13.30 and 15.30 ..

Breakfast is usually a caffé of choice and Toasted Spanish Baguette with Evoo drizzled, Tomato Coulis drizzled or spread and Salt sprinkled if so desired ..

11am is a wine or beer or caffé and a tiny bite to hold us over to lunch time .. A pincho of omelette or a canapé of tuna with red roasted peppers or local cheese with an anchovy.

17.00: This is caffé or tea hour and some share a pastry or a tiny canapé or tiny sándwich called a montado ..

Dinner during the week, is relatively light .. Tapas .. Shellfish shared with dear one or friends or Huevos Rotos, sunny side up eggs broken over Iberian Ham or calamari ..

In Spain, yogurt is served either for breakfast or a dessert .. This is never served as a " meal " for lunch !


Have a nice weekend ..

[Stokey Sue Profile]

There’s a different take on holiday eating
I’ve just come back from a week on a ship cruising the Douro river in Portugal
Fully catered, breakfast buffet, lunch buffet and 4course dinner

I was shocked how much some people ate, I found I was eating less and less as the week went on, kind of felt I’d had enough. I did dodge most of the puds, far too sweet and I hadn’t appreciated that the Portuguese are as obsessed with cinnamon as the Americans, I took some stewed prunes at breakfast and they were in a cinnamon syrup