[whatever54]

Originally Posted by Cherrybomber

Yes I think we all know, but Beirut is commonly used as an example of an uninviting war torn place. If one is describing a violent or chaotic scene one might say "it looked like Beirut". So calling a restaurant that seems risky.
The Lebanese Lounge might be better, or Big Berthas Bath House!
No? ok just a thought

I like it and still sounds better than Beirut Bistro IMO

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by whatever54

Oh I'm sure that is the reason but it's just unfortunate that in Britain a common saying is 'it was like Beiruit' and this is not normally meant as a compliment
the food looked lovely but the restaurant name to me is like calling an Iraqi one Saddams

Maybe a better solution would have been to call it Saida's. I assumed she might feel nostalgic. Didn't she say that her children were still in Lebanon, or are they elsewhere?

[Christa Ellen]

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...k_England.html

The first two reviews are interesting! Two sides of something that happened in the restaurant at the Old Hall Inn, which features next week.

Agree with you, Bellamy, 'Saida's' would be a nice name.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...&postcount=332

Above is a link to next week's places( Old HalI Inn is one of them)

[amysmum]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

Good fun for the spectators

Oh yes! I love it! You just know what is going to happen

[whatever54]

Originally Posted by Christa Ellen

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...k_England.html

The first two reviews are interesting! Two sides of something that happened in the restaurant.

Agree with you, Bellamy, 'Saida's' would be a nice name.

The Old Hall is this from an old show

[Ten_Ben]

Originally Posted by Christa Ellen

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...k_England.html

The first two reviews are interesting! Two sides of something that happened in the restaurant.

Agree with you, Bellamy, 'Saida's' would be a nice name.

Two very different accounts there!!

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by Christa Ellen

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...k_England.html

The first two reviews are interesting! Two sides of something that happened in the restaurant.

Agree with you, Bellamy, 'Saida's' would be a nice name.

I've just read them both, and, on the face of it, the manager sounds as if he's got a point. They've also got overwhelmingly good reviews. People can sometimes be very blinkered over how their children behave.

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by whatever54

The Old Hall is this from an old show

I was assuming it's one of next week's

[gilliedew]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

Sandi T is very tiny, you know - and Veronica rather less so

The nationality issue keeps cropping up, but I wonder if V is German. One of the guests on TA said "To my surprise the female inkeeper did welcome me in fluent german." http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUse...d.html#REVIEWS

They have so many good reviews, but, sadly, the animosity towards any criticism, deflects from the positives.

This was one of my pet hates when working as a Restaurant Manager. Diners did not look after their children and allowed them to run around the other customers tables. We were so busy and asked the parents if they could keep them in their safekeeping as hot coffee and food was being served and all it would take was a child colliding with a waitress and of course we would get the blame. In many cases, the parents were more interested in downing their drinks than supervising their children. It was not down to staff to look after them and several times parents had arguments amongst themselves because neither wanted to be with their kids. One of the less happy sides to restaurant work.

[gboy]

Well done to Ben and Katie - truely one of the nicest couples to have appeared on FIAB. They deserved to win, and their B&B looks amazing (still not sure about the yurts though...).

[M@nterik]

Originally Posted by whatever54

quite agree, all that hype and did end up a bit meh
I wouldn't mind trying the Lebanese restaurant, some of that food looked yummy but I wouldn't want to stay there

I would love to try Lebanese food but not in that dump.

[Christa Ellen]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

I was assuming it's one of next week's

It is, I have put a link (courtesy of Birthday Girl) to them on the original post.

[M@nterik]

Originally Posted by Christa Ellen

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...k_England.html

The first two reviews are interesting! Two sides of something that happened in the restaurant.

Agree with you, Bellamy, 'Saida's' would be a nice name.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...&postcount=332

Above is a link to next week's places( Old HalI Inn is one of them)

Interesting comments on The Old Hall. Looks like a pair of irresponsible parents venting their spleen. The response is thoughtful and measured.

[owllover]

Originally Posted by gilliedew

Ha ha Rosemary Shergar

No, I looked her up and it was Jean Broke- Smith or how I hope it is now Jean Gone Broke- Smith, she really was a top snob.

I remember her well gillie. She was an awful snob and didn't one of the couples have to be split because she only had a lumpy single bed in one of the rooms? She was blithely unbothered about the comfort of her guests and clearly living in reduced circumstances!

[Christa Ellen]

Originally Posted by M@nterik

Interesting comments on The Old Hall. Looks like a pair of irresponsible parents venting their spleen. The response is thoughtful and measured.

I thought that too, Dan the landlord appears to reply to and thank all posters who like the place, has been a good sign in the past.

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by gilliedew

This was one of my pet hates when working as a Restaurant Manager. Diners did not look after their children and allowed them to run around the other customers tables. We were so busy and asked the parents if they could keep them in their safekeeping as hot coffee and food was being served and all it would take was a child colliding with a waitress and of course we would get the blame. In many cases, the parents were more interested in downing their drinks than supervising their children. It was not down to staff to look after them and several times parents had arguments amongst themselves because neither wanted to be with their kids. One of the less happy sides to restaurant work.

A few years back, when my brother had three under 5s, his family stayed at a hotel which tackled this problem by having superb separate children's facilities. It was far from cheap, but brilliantly done and the young 'uns loved it. Lots of happy families, and non-families co-existed in that hotel.

[owllover]

Originally Posted by M@nterik

I would love to try Lebanese food but not in that dump.

Sums it up.

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by owllover

I remember her well gillie. She was an awful snob and didn't one of the couples have to be split because she only had a lumpy single bed in one of the rooms? She was blithely unbothered about the comfort of her guests and clearly living in reduced circumstances!

Wasn't her B&B also untraceable - no name, no website? She'd been a principal at Lucy Clayton, and used to pop up with Paul Burrell and other illustrious folk. The phrase "opening of an envelope springs to mind.

[amysmum]

We went to a local pub for a Christmas Day dinner many years ago when our children were about 6 and 4. Obviously the place was busy and their was an extended family in one part of the pub with probably about 6 children in total. (Thankfully we were well away from them). The parents were oblivious to their children running around and one youngster collided with a waitress causing her to drop, thankfully, empty plates.

Both my children did not move between courses, knowing that when they have a meal they sit at the table. At the end of the meal the manager came over, commented on our childrens behaviour and even deducted one child's meal from our bill because they had been so well behaved! But what does it say about standards, that he thought to reward us for behaviour that should be the norm.

[owllover]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

Wasn't her B&B also untraceable - no name, no website? She'd been a principal at Lucy Clayton, and used to pop up with Paul Burrell and other illustrious folk. The phrase "opening of an envelope springs to mind.

I don't know if it was untraceable Bellamy but at the back of my mind I have a feeling it was somewhere like Holland Park, a very expensive area of London, and in my mind the only way she could hang on to her house was to take in paying guests. Nothing wrong with that, I'd do the same but I'd make the business a pleasure, not a chore.

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by owllover

I don't know if it was untraceable Bellamy but at the back of my mind I have a feeling it was somewhere like Holland Park, a very expensive area of London, and in my mind the only way she could hang on to her house was to take in paying guests. Nothing wrong with that, I'd do the same but I'd make the business a pleasure, not a chore.

Ah, right. She could literally have been Jean Broke Smith then. I wondered how she acquired guests. Maybe a discreet ad. in The Lady.

[Bellamy]

Originally Posted by amysmum

We went to a local pub for a Christmas Day dinner many years ago when our children were about 6 and 4. Obviously the place was busy and their was an extended family in one part of the pub with probably about 6 children in total. (Thankfully we were well away from them). The parents were oblivious to their children running around and one youngster collided with a waitress causing her to drop, thankfully, empty plates.

Both my children did not move between courses, knowing that when they have a meal they sit at the table. At the end of the meal the manager came over, commented on our childrens behaviour and even deducted one child's meal from our bill because they had been so well behaved! But what does it say about standards, that he thought to reward us for behaviour that should be the norm.

Says it all really, doesn't it?

[owllover]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

Ah, right. She could literally have been Jean Broke Smith then. I wondered how she acquired guests. Maybe a discreet ad. in The Lady.

Or here:

http://www.londonbb.com/cata.html

I saved that link because a lot of those places look like a good alternative to hotels in central London.

[nick202]

Originally Posted by Bellamy

I've just read them both, and, on the face of it, the manager sounds as if he's got a point. They've also got overwhelmingly good reviews. People can sometimes be very blinkered over how their children behave.

Indeed - I don't like the expression 'kids being kids', as if being a child means you should automatically be given free reign to run around like a lunatic. I think 'allowing kids to be kids' is basically a euphemism for 'I can't bothered to exert any control over my offspring'. The poster's comment that 'young children are going to wander up the steps - and the room was empty anyway' is even more worrying - he's basically admitting that he's happy for his young children to disappear off into unsupervised and potentially hazardous areas.

[bingoes]

Just caught up with 4iB. Oh dear, £6.20 was quite cruel, even with a stained mattress and a filthy room that was a low blow.

For the sack of fairness, I think if someone does not stay then any payments from the ones that leave should be void and the percentage should be calculated for the remaining guests.

I feel for V&S this programme and their actions have done them more harm than good.