eeeeek! i can't believe i last posted in February. well as i munch on some 30-second mackeral pate on toast, here are three paragraphs on recent eating experiences... Glen Pub, Glen, Co. Donegal, Ireland My family have dined here on and off over the years. We've come to expect a friendly atmosphere and excellent food, but our visit last weekend involved neither. Although we'd turned up early to get a table (you can't reserve in advance) we waited an hour to be seated whilst smaller groups were called into the restaurant. There were plenty of other problems, but the enduring memory of the evening will be the pepper. Apart from the scampi, every other dish was so heavily laced with pepper, they were rendered almost inedible! WHY?! Great if you have a cold, not so great for the fresh fish. Oodles, Botanic Avenue, Belfast The first experience of this new noodle bar concept, a superior version of which you can try out in Barcelona at the 'Wok to Walk' chain. I had the pork with udon/veg and curry coconut sauce. Suzanne had egg noodle, veg, chicken and satay. As you might have guessed it wasn't up to the high 'Wok to Walk' flavour-explosion standard. The coconut sauce wasn't aromatic, the pork was a bit solid and unseasoned, the veg could have fried a few seconds more. Suz's was slightly better in flavour but nothing to jump up and down about. Byblos, Amelia Street, Belfast This was second choice for dinner with my pal Gillian on Saturday, as 'La Boca' (the Argentinian joint) was oversubscribed with hen parties. Byblos doesn't have a license, which is great, cos you can nip across the street for a couple of beers from the offy. We had baba ganoush and stuffed fig leaves to start - both very tasty. My marinated beef main was melt-in-the-mouth gorgeous too. Definitely worth a repeat visit.