CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Monday, December 10, 2057

Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

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List (Alphabetical)

Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain

Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria

Canada

Croatia – Republic of Croatia

Czech Republic

Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat/Grønland)

France – French Republic

Germany – Federal Republic of Germany

Greece – Hellenic Republic
Holy See

Hungary

India – Republic of India

Ireland
Israel

Italy – Italian Republic

Jamaica

Japan

Korea, South – Republic of Korea

Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Macedonia – Republic of Macedonia

Malta – Republic of Malta

Mexico – United Mexican States

Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia

Monaco – Principality of Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands

Palau – Republic of Palau

Palestine - State of Palestine
Portugal – Portuguese Republic

San Marino – Republic of San Marino

Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Slovenia – Republic of Slovenia

Spain – Kingdom of Spain

Switzerland – Swiss Confederation

Tunisia – Republic of Tunisia

Turkey – Republic of Turkey

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United States – United States of America

- Guam

- Puerto Rico

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Title: Countries Visited ... So Far ... 41 And Counting!

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Sunday, December 10, 2056

Why Should You Read My Reviews And Subscribe To TravelValue?

I served my country in the United States Air Force for over 20 years and have visited 44 countries over the last 35 years, all without spending over $75 per night for a nice hotel room and dining in excellent restaurants for well under $25 per person. How do I do it? Through diligent research, exploration, trial and error, and tapping local knowledge.

Would you like to stay in a central, 3-star hotel in a major city for under $20 per night? How about a room with a balcony and view of the Himalayas while attending teachings with the Dalai Lama for just $5 per night? Or a beachfront hotel for $13 per night? Maybe a meal prepared by a 5-star chef for less than $20? Well, you have come to the right place ...

CombatCritic's "TravelValue"

Having several popular travel blogs CombatCritic.com and received numerous accolades from several of the top travel and restaurant websites/apps (Yelp, TripAvisor, Zomato, Tabelog, Booking.com), you can trust my opinions.

Unlike many reviewers who are either afraid to tell the truth or have personal relationship with businesses and biased views, I reserve 5-stars (10 Bombs on my blog) for only the most flawless restaurants, accommodations, businesses, attractions and destinations, those where you absolutely and without a doubt get the most “bang-for-the-buck”.

CombatCritic.com

I try to remain as objective as possible in all of my reviews, providing the pros and cons as I see them and a rating based on the overall “value” as compared to similar entities in similar locations. I accept no "freebies" and only identify myself as a critic after having been a customer and paid the bill, so you can trust my reviews.

Here is a breakdown of my ratings both on my blogs (where I use a ten point scale) and on travel and dining websites (that all use 5 point Likert-type scales) ...

If I hate a place, they get 1-2 Bombs (1-star)

If so-so with numerous”issues", they get 3-4 Bombs (2-stars)

If average (the vast majority of businesses fall into this category if you look at the distribution of my ratings), they get 5-6 Bombs (3-stars)

If above average, they get 7-8 Bombs (4-stars)

If they are one of the very rare “best of the best” values in my experience, they get 9-10 Bombs (5-stars – I always round up from bombs to stars because I use a 10 point Likert-type scale in order to be more discernible).

Now that you understand my philosophy and ratings, on to my reviews …

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Key Words: combatcritic, travelvalue, travel, value, combat, critic, review, reviews, objective, restaurant, hotel, attraction, destination, Italy, USA, India, Asia, Europe

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Olhão, Portugal: U mi Goodness, Delicious All You Can Eat Sushi and Japanese for €17 ... HOOAH!

Umi Sushi (Japanese, Sushi)

R. Vasco da Gama, 8700-522 Olhão

Hours: 11 AM to 3 PM ⋅ 6 PM to 11 PM Daily

Phone: 289 153 829

Prices: €€€€

All you can eat sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, egg rolls, and meat in Old Town Olhão ... HOOAH!

This place has not been there very long, so I was surprised when I saw it - bright, clean, and modern inside, the space is inviting. Walking by with our friends from Tavira, they informed us that this is an all-you-can-eat restaurant, just like the one in Tavira. You pay €16.90 Monday to Thursday and €17.90 Friday through Sunday, lunch is only €13.90, quite a TravelValue!

Egg Rolls and Gyosa

You can order anything on the menu, as much as you want, but there is a surcharge for excess waste, which was not a problem for us. The portions are not large, for example, you get only two small, thin egg rolls. You write the numbers corresponding to each dish or drink on a small piece of paper and hand it to the server. The food arrives very quickly.

They have a full bar and prices are fair, €2 for a bottle of Super Bock and €4 for a glass of wine. The bottles of wine are not expensive and they have a nice range of soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, and cocktails.

Shrimp Tempura

We started with the Espetadas do Frango (chicken skewers), Gyosa (pork dumplings), and Camarão Panado (breaded shrimp). The chicken was very dry, but the gyosa and shrimp were very good.

For our mains, we had California Rolls, Avocado Gunkan (seaweed cones with salmon, mango, and avocado), Noodles de Carne de Vaca (beef noodles), Noodles Vegetariano (veggie noodles), Tempura de Gambas, Cogumelos Salteados (stir fry mushrooms), and Carne de vaca Grelhada (grilled beef). Everything was delicious, but there was not much beef in the beef noodles, so I would recommend getting the beef noodles and grilled beef, then mixing them together.

California Rolls, Avocado Gunkan

Beef Stir fry

Stir fry Mushrooms

Veggie Noodles

For dessert, we had two fried bananas, one with chocolate and one with caramel. I would not order them again as the were not very sweet and had an odd aftertaste.

CombatCritic Gives Umi Sushi 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

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Friday, January 6, 2023

Olhão, Faro, Portugal: Olhão's Very First French Restaurant ... HOOAH!

Chez Henriette French Cafe

Urbani Zacao Village Marina Lt 23 A Lj A

Olhao 8700-240 Portugal

Phone: +33 633 482 289

Facebook.com/ChezHenriette

Prices: €€€€

Finally, a French restaurant in Olhão ... HOOAH!

I had no idea there were several new restaurants at the west end of restaurant row along the Ria Formosa and adjacent to the marina, so when I heard about Chez Henriette, I contacted the owner, Fanny (get your minds out of the gutter Brits), post haste.

They do not have a website, something I do not understand in this day and age, and, like many Portuguese restaurants, use a Facebook page instead. What about those customers who do not want a Facebook page? It was not easy to find their page, but I eventually located it by asking Fanny. The also really need to get a Portuguese phone number so customers do not have to make an international call or download WhatsApp in order to call them.

The menu consists of just three Specials daily, no starters, no soups and just one dessert by the time we got there, but their drinks menu is abundant with option, although there were only three choices of vinho tinto (red wine). THe prices for drinks and food are very fair, just €2.75 for the most expensive glass of red. It was not bad.

I ordered the special, chicken, gravy and vegetables in a potato puree casserole (€10). There were more potatoes than chicken, but it was very tasty and a decent value for the price, coming with a small, simple, fresh side salad.

My wife had the leeks with ham and vegetables special covered with a bechamel sauce, then baked in the oven, also just €10, but it did not come with a salad for some reason. She likes cooked carrots, I do not, and there were many of them topped with leeks and rolled ham, so I had made the right choice. It was very good, sans carrots in my taste, and my wife enjoyed it as well.

I understand that it is favorable and cost effective to do a few things well instead of having an enormous menu, but it would be nice if they would expand the menu just a bit. A couple of starters would be nice, especially escargot, my favorite, along with some crusty bread and french onion soup perhaps. A small selection of desserts and a few more wine options would also be ideal.

For the price, we had a very good meal, leaving satiated, not gorged and enjoyed the colorful, eclectic surroundings as well as Fanny's excellent service and sweet demeanor. We shall return!

CombatCritic Gives Chez Henriette 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With A Little Room For Improvement ... More Bombs Are Better!