To say my Fiance and I don't get out much is understatement of the year!
We decided it was time we made more of an effort to get out and spend some quality time together wining and dining as it were and so for a change we opted to go to Old Orleans in Sunderland.
We had never been here ... Read review
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We had never been here before so it was a bit exciting to go somewhere new for a change.
The restaurant itself is nice and easy to find - no driving around in circles for hours sniping at each other, which obviously means that you can arrive still in good spirits and ready to enjoy your evening rather than sitting glaring at each other over the table adamant that the wrong ... ...Anyway there is a decent sized car park and it is situated right next door to a Premier Travel Inn which means that you could potentially make an evening of it and book a room next door - much better than one of you sitting supping coke all night in order to get you home safely!
We arrived at 8pm, tummys rumbling and eagerly awaiting a peek at the menu.
A sign at the door advised us to stand and await a table, however we had ... more
To say my Fiance and I don't get out much is understatement of the year! We decided it was time we made more of an effort to get out and spend some quality time together wining and dining as it were and so for a change we opted to go to Old Orleans in Sunderland.
We had never been here before so it was a bit exciting to go somewhere new for a change.
The restaurant itself is nice and easy to find - no driving around in circles for hours sniping at each other, which obviously means that you can arrive still in good spirits and ready to enjoy your evening rather than sitting glaring at each other over the table adamant that the wrong turn was sooo not your fault! :)
Anyway there is a decent sized car park and it is situated right next door to a Premier Travel Inn which means that you could potentially make an evening of it and book a room next door - much better than one of you sitting supping coke all night in order to get you home safely!
We arrived at 8pm, tummys rumbling and eagerly awaiting a peek at the menu. A sign at the door advised us to stand and await a table, however we had only been there for a couple of moments when a gentleman advised that there was currently a 10 minute wait for a table for 2 and we could wait at the bar. This seemed fair enough - however I must say I was surprised there was a waiting period as there seemed to be several tables empty (and clean).
The music was at a decent level so you were able to hold a conversation without shouting over the music or straining to hear each other and the atmosphere in general seemed nice and relaxing.
We sat at the bar where my Fiance bought himself a Heinken - £2.20 - not too bad he reckoned giving the fact it was so icy cold and refreshing. I opted not to have a drink until we got our table.
After 20 minutes a young couple arrived and they were seated straight away by a young waitress so as she passed us I asked how much longer we would have to wait for a table and to our joy she led us to a table too.
As we sat she passed us our menus and asked if she could get us a drink while we chose what to have for our meals. I chose to have a French Quarter Martini - a sweet, slightly fruity cocktail - which at £3.95 was possibly a little overpriced considering the amount you actually get in a glass. My Fiance selected a large coke as he was the driver! The coke comes with an incredible amount of ice - yes it is nice and chilled - but also after some time ridiculously watered down!
We opted to have a starter each to tide us over. (Wedges with Chilli and Roasted Peppers) The wedges arrived within 10 minutes - very tasty they were too! Nice fat wedges with chilli spread across the middle and a decent sized side salad. The peppers didn't arrive though so when a waitress came to collect the plate we advised her that we were still awaiting a starter - she asked what it was and disappeared. Our original waitress then returned and apologised as she had not heard the second starter being ordered. She also then advised the peppers were no longer available so we asked for Chicken Tenders instead. Around a further 10 minutes passed and our second starter arrived - again a decent sized side salad was provided and the tenders themselves were yummy - the coating was not soggy, but nice and crispy still. So all in all, despite the mix up, the starters were a good size, very enjoyable, correct temperature and at £3.50 and £3.95 a decent price too.
For our main meals we had ordered a Cheese and Bacon Burger and Chicken Jamabalya. Around 40 minutes later our meals arrived - I can't help but think that was far too long to wait? But maybe that was just me thinking about my belly?? :D
I had a bite of my Fiances burger - this was very nice! Just the right amount of filling and all of it was neatly positioned in the middle - not like MacDonalds where everything slops out the minute you touch it! It also came with a huge plate of fries and some more salad along with nice fat onion rings and home made coleslaw. Nice big portion - in fact he couldn't eat it all, not at all like him!! :)
My meal looked quite disappointing - a mound of plain rice with one plain chicken breast on a skewer laid across the top and my sauce down one side. The sauce itself was yummy - nice and spicy without causing you to sweat to the point that your make up runs off!! Also nice chunks of baby corn and peppers helped to bulk it out making it more of a substantial meal. Unfortunately the chicken was very dry so I had to chop it up and mix it into the sauce - and the quality of the meat itself seemed quite poor to me. Not sure how much the burger was but my meal was £9.95 which I felt was overpriced.
We then ordered some coffee instead of having a dessert - but the coffee did not have enough milk provided with it and was very overpowering.
All in all our meal cost around £34. Not too bad you may think - but I must say I have had better for that price - or even less!
I certainly wouldn't go there again in a hurry - but it did make a change put it that way.
Advantages: Great food, fab cocktails, good service, reasonable prices Disadvantages: Slightly limited menu
Old Orleans has become one of my favourite restaurants. The Native Indian artwork and artefacts give the place a real character, while the general layout and décor generally are simple but stylish. (The description doesn't actually say whether this is the Old Orleans in Broad Street or Star City - both in Birmingham - but the one I've been to - many times - is the Star City branch.) Food ********
The food available is a mix of Mexican food such ... .../ wine etc you'd expect, Old Orleans has a great range of cocktails. These range from the extremely fearsome (but oh-so-nice) Adios Amigos to a range of non-alcoholic cocktails for the kids or tee-totallers. The ability to order cocktails if you're in the mood is a nice touch, and the servings of Coke etc are a bit more generous than in many restaurants. Service **********
I can't fault the service at Old Orleans. Each time we've been, we've been ...
CaptainDisaster 12.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Old Orleans
Advantages: Serves alligator Disadvantages: The christmas set meals aren't very good.
Old Orleans was recommended to me for good mexican food and the fact that it serves alligator which I had never tried so I thought I'd go along and try it out. I had what is called a Surf and Turf which is a 4oz beef steak and a smaller piece of alligator. The alligator was very tasty due to the marinade and tasted like a cross between chicken and fish. The portions were quite large so there was no room left for dessert. The cocktails there are excellent ...
tiggy77 20.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Old Orleans
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Advantages: Food is perfect Disadvantages: service ruins it
I live in the middle of two OldOrleans restuarants and i have been in four different ones in the past few years and before i review this particular one let me just make a quick point of saying that they are all pretty much similar.
Opening
OldOrleans in Enfield, opens at 12 every day and closes at 11.30pm monday to saturday and at 10.30 on sunday.
Building
This restaurant is located on a business park with a few other restuarants, a cinema and a gym. It is a relatively small square lot on the park and is easily seen and accessed from the main road.
The builing is on one floor although round the edge inside, some of the tables are a step up from the others.
Decor
If you've ever been to an OldOrleans you will understand what I mean when i say the decor is 'busy' the Enfield one is no exception. Like all of the other ...
Advantages: Wide choice of meals Disadvantages: Overpriced, poor service, small portions, having to walk through the awful bar, rubbish margaritas
When it comes to food I am a terrible snob but when it comes to money there?s not a great deal I won?t do (guess what happened to granny!). It was only because I was getting a free meal (mystery shopping of course) that I agreed to go to OldOrleans in Newcastle upon Tyne. There were two reasons for my reluctance. First, I don?t really do chain restaurants unless they are at the higher end of the market (Livebait, Chez Gerard) and even then with a certain degree of reluctance. The other reason is that the Newcastle branch is not a place I find particularly compelling. As usual, I should have trusted my instincts?..
OldOrleans is a national chain of bar/restaurants with a pseudo southern states of America theme. Usually they have clearly defined bar and restaurant areas. In the Newcastle branch it?s quite simple ? bar downstairs ...
fizzytom 22.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Old Orleans
Advantages: Good Value For Money Disadvantages: Out Of Town Location
If you ever have the urge to eat at an American Style Diner and you live in Sheffield then it is fair to say that there is a good choice to choose from. Over the years I have visited a few of these places, but I think that it is true to say that I am not generally a huge fan of such places, and therefore such establishments are the sort of venue that I only enjoy once in a while.
A few nights ago three of my friends and myself decided to visit OldOrleans. This place is somewhere that I had not visited previously, although it came with the recommendation of an American friend, who was amongst our party, so my hopes regarding its authenticity were rather high.
A BIT OF BACKGROUND STUFF
OldOrleans are a national chain of American Style Diners, which I understand are all set out on a similar theme. I have seen them in both Derby ...
