No plaice like home

I went to Suffolk at the end of last week with my daughter to visit my mother. Suffolk, or at least the bit where my my mother lives is blessed by a plethora of great restaurants and fine pubs. So we were happy to walk a short way to 'The Crown' on Friday evening for a much-anticipated meal. I've eaten there before and had some great food but uh - oh here's a warning. Last time we went I just wanted a straightforward meal so ordered a rib-eye steak rare. It came medium. Other guest's soup was dull and it just didn't rock like it has done in the past (The Crown, that is) although my fresh oysters on the shell were sublime, but I imagine it must be very difficult to mess up oysters. I think that sometimes good places to eat get complacent and don't give the food they serve the attention they did when trying to make a rep. So the other night I ordered a simple dish, pan-fried plaice and chips with a side of baby vegetables. Awful. The plaice was so over-cooked it was soggy, the chips looked lovely but were underdone and the vegetables not al dente, but almost raw and cold. I wish I'd sent it back, but didn't because I took my mum who is frail and hates a row as does my daughter. But I'm thinking about posting the name and address of the place if it happens again. Wine was good though - although they didn't do half- bottles, so I ordered a whole one and took it home with me.

I do sometimes think that if you cook well at home - or at least aspire to as I do, you can get picky about eating out. Although it's great to eat in good surroundings and be served, it's crapola if the food could have been cooked better at home. Poo Bah.